Discussions with The Delta Flyers
For years, actor Garrett Wang had considered doing a podcast about his experiences playing Ensign Harry Kim on Star Trek: Voyager. Then, the pandemic came along, and it seemed like the perfect time to begin. He called his on- and off-screen friend Robert Duncan McNeill, who played Lieutenant Tom Paris, and invited him to co-host. Garrett’s wife Megan and Robbie’s wife Rebecca came on board as executive producers. In May of 2020, The Delta Flyers podcast was born.
Each week, Garrett and Robbie watch episodes of Voyager in the order they aired. Currently, they’re most of the way through the fourth season of the show. After rewatching the episodes, they begin each podcast with poetic summaries of the plot, in haiku and limerick form. Then they give commentary on the episode and their memories of its production. The guys discuss the writers, directors and other crew, as well as their fellow actors and guest stars from the show. Having since become a successful producer and director, Robbie often offers his own directorial insights, noting details that might have escaped him as an actor.
The two have an obvious affection for Voyager, and seem to enjoy reliving their experiences making it, at least as much as they can recall from a show that went off the air twenty years ago. They describe a happy set, and a cast who got along well with each other, sometimes pulling pranks during production. At the same time, Garrett and Robbie are often critical of themselves as they look back at their own performances. They cite “do-overs” they wish they could do for each episode. They have recorded several “deep dive” episodes on a variety of subjects, from the development of their characters to a discussion of shooting intimate scenes for television. Robbie also does monthly episodes of “Cocktails with Tom Paris”, and Garrett does the occasional “Harry’s Quarters”.
The guys frequently interview guests who worked on the series, including writers and fellow cast and crew members who offer their own perspectives. I’ve been interviewed as a guest on the podcast, and have given my own commentary on episodes that I wrote, such as “Sacred Ground” and “Blood Fever”. It’s been great to reconnect with Garrett and Robbie and to reminisce about our show. I find it interesting to hear the actors’ perspective on Voyager episodes, and compare their memories to my own. It’s a running joke on the podcast that Robbie can’t seem to remember much about any given episode. I find plenty of holes in my own recollection as well.
The podcast is supported by subscribers on Patreon. Patrons get access to bonus material from the podcast, including a “Winners and Losers” segment and a language lesson with Garrett. Admiral level patrons have monthly Zoom calls with Garrett and Robbie, and submit questions for the “Admirals’ Transwarp Conduit” segment. Robbie often comments on the close community that has been formed by the Patreon patrons. There are over 3000 subscribers on Patreon, and Garrett tells me that the podcast episodes have been downloaded from various sites over a million times. Listeners can also buy merchandise, including shirts and hats containing the Delta Flyers logo, designed by Rebecca McNeill, on the Delta Flyers website.
You can find the Delta Flyers website at www.thedeltaflyers.org. The podcast’s associated Patreon page is at www.patreon.com/TheDeltaFlyers/posts.
A staff writer on Star Trek: Voyager, Lisa Klink worked on that series for three years. She has also worked on several other shows, including Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Roswell, and Pandora. Lisa has written or co-written four novels, as well as short stories, graphic novels and screenplays.