TREKCORE > VOY > EPISODES > ONE SMALL STEP > Behind the Scenes

	Although this is the second Star Trek: Voyager episode that Robert Picardo directed (he having helmed the third season installment "Alter Ego"), he originally hoped that his second turn as director of the series would be towards the end of the fifth season.
	Phil Morris has literally grown up with Star Trek, and has played several supporting roles throughout his life, including one of the children in TOS episode "Miri", a Starfleet cadet in Star Trek III: The Search for Spock, a Klingon bodyguard in DS9 episode "Looking for par'Mach in All the Wrong Places", and a Jem'Hadar soldier in DS9 episode "Rocks and Shoals".
	Buck Bokai, a baseball player often mentioned in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine (and "seen" in "If Wishes Were Horses") is mentioned. In this case, Lt. Kelly, a fan of the New York Yankees (who were playing Bokai's London Kings in the 2032 World Series), speaks pejoratively of him.
	Of interest in the chronology of Star Trek is that World War III would have been going on at the same time as the Mars Mission (WW-III is stated to have begun sometime around 2026). However, as indicated in Star Trek: First Contact, the "worst" of the war may not have yet happened explaining why there were still manned missions to other planets occurring during this time frame. This is plausible from a historical viewpoint, since Cold War tensions fueled the Space programs of the mid-twentieth century, and the Gemini and Apollo programs ran simultaneous to the Vietnam War.
	In one of Robert Beltran's renowned criticisms of the direction the series was taking, he stated in an interview on his website that he was looking forward to filming this episode, as it provided a rare development of Chakotay's character (largely missing in the latter seasons). His excitement turned to frustration however when the majority of the episode was given over to Seven of Nine's character development, leaving Chakotay's as largely secondary.
	Interestingly, there was recently an "Ares IV" rocket proposed for Constellation program, a new American initiative to explore the Moon and Mars. The project was cancelled in 2010, however, which drew criticism from several former Apollo astronauts, including Neil Armstrong.
	Part of what looks like a Klingon Bird-of-Prey can be seen in the alien wreckage, particularly the disruptor cannon.