Episode Behind the Scenes

TREKCORE > VOY > EPISODES > REVULSION > Behind the Scenes

Before this episode, Leland Orser (Dejaran) guest starred in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine twice. He played Gai in "Sanctuary" and Colonel Lovok in "The Die is Cast". He later appears as Loomis in Enterprise's "Carpenter Street".
The console on the alien ship is a reuse of the Ferengi Thought maker from Star Trek: The Next Generation's "The Battle".

Leland Orser's scenes were all shot on a very tight schedule due to a role he had in the film Saving Private Ryan. Orser recalls:
"They said they had this incredibly special guest star part on Voyager that I might be interested in. I was just about to go to London to shoot Saving Private Ryan. I had four days, and that was it. The Star Trek people said we could get it done in four days, so I said yes." [...]
"I've been doing a lot of movies lately where we have all this time to shoot scenes. On Voyager, we were shooting scene after scene. It goes very quickly and you just have to be so much more on top of your character, on top of your lines. We literally wrapped on Friday night and I was on a plane Saturday night."

Leland Orser (Dejaran) remembers his role in "Revulsion" with great fondness:
"If you've seen the show, you know it's one of those opportunities you can't miss as an actor. Dejaren was just this wild, out-there, emotional character. It was a great character."

Orser on acting with Roxann Dawson (Torres) and Bob Picardo (the Doctor):
"They all told me how lucky they are, and they are lucky, it's a very, very nice group of people. Everybody was extremely nice to me. Bob was great and so was Roxann"

Bob Picardo (the Doctor) talks about working with Leland Orser in "Revulsion":
"I thought Leland was extraordinary in that show. He's one of the finest guest actors we've ever had. [...] Leland Orser was just splendid in that role, and a pleasure to work with [...] He was the heart of that show. When you have a great guest star like that, it loosens up everybody in the regular company. I thought he did a wonderful job."
Jeri Taylor (executive producer) on "Revulsion":
"I thought it was [...] very nicely played. Whenever you get Bob Picardo with a good guest star, you get good things."

Garrett Wang (Harry Kim) on "Revulsion":
"I've had some nice scenes providing some comedic elements, like those scenes with Jeri Ryan in 'Revulsion.' If you think about it, you're reading through the script and you're looking at it. It says, 'Kim invites Seven to the mess hall, under the guise of doing work. But, in reality, he's trying to put his moves on her.' And as an actor, I'm like, 'Hey! This is great! You know? And I'm having a scene with the babe of the show, you know? Okay.' And the immortal words come about: 'Seven of Nine says to Ensign Kim, "Do you wish to copulate?"' And at that point, I like.... I'm flipping through. 'Does he-does he-does he change his mind?' No. 'It doesn't even happen?!' And I just threw the script on the wall! I'm like, 'This is ridiculous!' [...] So, that was a sad day."

Talking about the reception he received from fans afterwards, Garrett commented:
"I definitely was unable to 'live that down,' from the fans' standpoint [....] From that point forward, after the episode aired, fans everywhere were... you know, I'd be in Pittsburgh, I'd be in Germany, it didn't matter where I was - they'd come up and they'd go, 'Oh. Oh, you lost out!' You know? I mean, everyone's just like always shaking their head! They're like, 'I can't believe you...' As if I was the one that told the writers: 'Make sure that I don't copulate with Seven of Nine, please. You know, I should turn that down, as Kim. I'm very... I have high morals and I'm not going to get into there.'"

Brannon Braga (executive producer) on the Kim/Seven storyline in "Revulsion":
"I thought it was audacious, saucy and controversial, I loved the idea that Kim got in a little over his head. Picking up on women is bad enough for him, but [with] a Borg woman, he's way out of his league. I think it was true to Seven's character, because she saw right through his romantic manipulations, and asked him if he wished to copulate. That's what a Borg would say."

Kenneth Biller (writer/producer/director) on his experiences directing "Revulsion":
"It was totally energizing. I'm the kind of guy who always wants a new challenge. Once I got on the set it was great, in part because my background was in directing theater. The actors and I had always had good relationships. We would socialize and kick around, but to get out there and work with them was great. The crew was incredibly supportive. I was really pleased with it. [...] It was a fun show to direct. To me it was sort of like a little John Carpenter film. I tried to make it scary [...] It was a great experience. I'm fortunate in that I had my first TV directing experience with a friendly crew, a crew that likes me and wants to help me, and see me succeed."

On whether or not he liked the final cut of the episode, Biller said:
"There are always a few things you look at and wish you could change," he commented. "There were a couple of suspense sequences that didn't pan out quite the way I wanted [...] It got cut down a bit in the editing."