TREKCORE > VOY > EPISODES > BARGE OF THE DEAD > Behind the Scenes

	This is the second of two Voyager episodes written by TNG/DS9 writer Ronald D. Moore and the last Star Trek episode written by him.
	The basic plot line for this episode was originally intended to be seen in DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire". Ronald D. Moore's original idea for the episode was for Worf and the crew of the IKS Rotarran to answer a distress call from a Klingon colony. When they arrive, they find all of the inhabitants missing. Nearby is a lake surrounded in a mysterious fog, and when they approach it, a boatman appears and takes them to the entrance to Gre'thor. Once inside, they meet a friend of Martok's, who wants them to take him with them. And then they meet Worf's father, Mogh. There were a number of reasons that this particular story never made it into production. Firstly, Ira Steven Behr felt that the episode was trying to accomplish too much– showing both the realistic day-to-day operations of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey and a mythic journey to the afterlife. Behr also felt it was too late in the season to do such a philosophical show dealing with life, death and hell. As well as this, the concept proved to be too complex and expensive. After Moore transferred to the Voyager staff following the end of DS9, the basic premise was modified and made to work with Voyager, the end result being this episode.