TREKCORE > VOY > EPISODES > THE FIGHT > Behind the Scenes

	This episode evolved from the first Star Trek story that Michael Taylor contributed after joining Star Trek: Voyager's writing staff. Scripter Joe Menosky recalled, "There was a guy living in the 21st century, and feeling himself becoming unhinged, because there are aliens trying to make contact. We were telling the story with Chakotay suffering a mental breakdown as a result of a first contact happening in our Voyager time. That was the story that Michael Taylor wrote." The outline of the plot was overly thorough, however. "It was an extremely well-written document," Menosky remarked. "I don't know if he actually put footnotes in it, but he might have, it was so detailed, and so intellectual. [Executive Producer] Rick Berman read the story, and he could not believe it. He just went off on, 'These god damn people like Mike Taylor, you need a subscription to the 'Journal of the American Medical Association' to understand his god damn story.' Rick just threw it out."
	Subsequently, Executive Producer Brannon Braga replotted the story and Chakotay actor Robert Beltran posited the idea about his character boxing. It was at about this point that Joe Menosky wrote the episode's script, which incorporated both Beltran's plot point as well as the concept of first contact requiring a mental breakdown. After filming the installment, it was discovered that the story was too short, so the sickbay frame story was added to the episode's narrative.
	According to the unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (pp. 299-300), Robert Beltran requested several weeks' notice to prepare for this episode, so that he had time to work himself into good shape for the installment. Due to a fire earlier in the fifth season, however, Beltran was not alloted the three weeks' advance warning, only being notified the usual ten days before the outing entered production.
	In this episode, Ray Walston makes his last appearance as the recurring character Boothby.

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