Star Trek: Voyager Vs. Space: 1999

It's inarguable. Since 1966, Star Trek warped into many an undiscovered country, boldly going where many had never gone or wanted to go before. Then 1995 saw the launch of the now defunct United Paramount Network. Star Trek: Voyager became the third Star Trek spin-off. Paramount's choice to place a woman at the helm of the starship in the character of Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) was ground breaking.

Many wondered aloud if this was the right decision, but soon the fears proved groundless. Not only did the show live long, but it prospered. When producers needed a boost in the third season, they sought out a buxom Borg babe: Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), who restored ratings. This prompted fans to take either Janeway's side or Seven's as their dramatic friction played out over four more years. Many forget, however, another series sought ratings by bringing on a sexy space babe.

It was the 1970's. The hippy movement, although waning was still in effect, while the disco era was coming into full swing. Star Trek and Stanley Kubrick's masterpiece, "2001: A Space Odyssey" had debuted years before and science fiction was in a sort of creative lull. Along came Gerry & Sylvia Anderson, British television producers whose resume included the cult show "Thunderbirds." The duo vowed to revive science fiction and ultimately delivered the most lavishly expensive TV series up to that time.

Space: 1999 debuted in 1975, chronicling the adventures of Moonbase Alpha, starring American husband and wife acting team Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. While it got mixed reviews, the production values and FX were stunning. Many of the technical crew had either worked on James Bond movies or for Stanley Kubrick and the onscreen sci-fi eye candy simply dazzled viewers. The first season although slow moving was intellectual and is regarded as some of the best of the entire series run. But it was costly. To save the show, Gerry Anderson brought in Fred Freiberger in the second season, who had produced the last year of Star Trek. This decision would radically alter the show and cast.

Freiberger not only called for more action - some said mindless action - but created an important new crewmember. She would be a shape shifting alien beauty named Maya played by Catherine Schell, a former model and Bond girl. Here's where sci-fi history collides and where Maya & 7of9 can be justly characterized as the "saviors" of two expensive classic sci-fi franchises.

How exactly do the shows compare? Both display many similarities:

• Both depict tightly knit, highly trained space pioneers.
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• Both depict humans lost in space because of an accident or space anomaly.
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• Both depict stranded humans valiantly searching for a way home to Earth.
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• Both depict the crew at times wanting to abandon the search and just settle anywhere.
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• Both after flagging ratings brought on a sexy "alien" woman with "super powers"
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Were the space babes effective?

For "Space: 1999" Maya proved incredibly popular with fans - especially male. Hailing from the planet Psychon, Maya was a "metamorph" and her formidable powers of "molecular transformation" were dramatically realized. She morphed into beasts double her size with incredible strength, or transformed into a honey bee, buzzing into tiny spaces to sabotage intricate circuitry. But alas, it was a case of budget and timing. Despite budget cuts, coupled with the excitement about Maya, "Space: 1999" was cancelled after the second season. For casual watchers of the British show, Maya is often the main character they recall fondly. So for that reason alone, Maya's inclusion helped to distinguish "Space: 1999" and definitely made it memorable.

For "Star Trek: Voyager", 7of9's addition knocked the socks, and other clothing off more than one fan. In Seven's case, her Borg enhanced body, coupled with a slinky painted on cat suit appealed to viewers. Seven's "Borg infrastructure" and implants enabled her access to cybernetic powers. Ratings improved and once again a casual viewer of Voyager, would most likely mention Seven more than perhaps any other character. Though one could argue that not only was Maya's abilities much flashier or more helpful, her character by nature was warmer and accommodating. 7of9's nature, as a Borg Drone, lent to being one of the coldest, contentious and most distant characters of sci-fi. In some ways, next to Seven of Nine, Mr. Spock looked incredibly lively or even friendly.

In any case, whichever you watch or like more, both "Space 1999" & "Star Trek: Voyager" relied on one of the oldest and most effective methods of pulling in viewers - sex. And while sex does sell, there's a price to be paid and both shows went into different directions after employing it. Was it the right choice? Fans can decide for themselves. But they must remember that long before a Borg Babe helped steer a lost Starfleet Starship home, there was a shape shifting Psychon Babe which helped firmly secure a short lived British sci-fi series into a more than respectable place in entertainment history.