WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Lower Decks season 5, episode 1, "Dos Cerritos"
Star Trek reveals what happened to Star Trek: Voyager's Naomi Wildman (Scarlett Pomers) after the USS Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant. Naomi Wildman was Ensign Samantha Wildman's (Nancy Hower) half-Ktarian daughter, born in Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 21, "Deadlock". Instead of spending years as a toddler, Naomi quickly grew into a child who could actively interact with the USS Voyager's crew, and also became a character that kids watching Star Trek: Voyager could relate to, like Wesley Crusher (Wil Wheaton) in Star Trek: The Next Generation or Jake Sisko (Cirroc Lofton) in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine.
With new Star Trek shows taking place in the late 24th century, audiences have been able to learn what happened to most of the USS Voyager crew after getting back home. Most notably, Admiral Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) have been regulars in Star Trek: Prodigy and Star Trek: Picard, respectively. Other Voyager alumni have featured as guest stars, like Lieutenant Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) in Star Trek: Lower Decks. As the Star Trek most steeped in obscure references, Star Trek: Lower Decks naturally has the explanation for Naomi Wildman's post-Voyager fate.
What Happened To Voyager’s Naomi Wildman Revealed By Star Trek: Lower Decks
Is Naomi Wildman A Pre-Teen Starfleet Genius, Or Just Lucky?
Star Trek: Lower Decks' 5th season premiere, "Dos Cerritos", reveals what happened to Star Trek: Voyager's Naomi Wildman. Early in the episode, Lieutenant Brad Boimler (Jack Quaid) searches through Fleet magazine's 30 Under 30 article on his PADD, hoping to see the interview that marks Brad as one of Starfleet's rising stars. Naomi Wildman is one of Fleet's 15 honorable mentions, indicating that Naomi is in Starfleet in 2381. Boimler's remark that Naomi is "like, ten years old", seems like hyperbole, since most viewers would also remember Naomi as being a child, but the math actually adds up.
If Naomi Wildman is actually a genius, that would certainly warrant a Fleet honorable mention.
Starfleet Academy Cadets are usually teenagers, so it's unusual for the pre-teen Naomi Wildman to be a full Starfleet officer. Being half-Ktarian made Naomi grow up faster than a full human in Star Trek: Voyager, so Naomi might actually be the right equivalent age to join Starfleet. It's possible being raised on the USS Voyager helped with Naomi's speedy career advancement, because Voyager's former Maquis officers had their Starfleet ranks reinstated after getting home, and Captain Seven of Nine bypassed Starfleet Academy entirely. Of course, if Naomi Wildman is actually a genius, that would certainly warrant a Fleet honorable mention.
Why Naomi Wildman Was Popular On Star Trek: Voyager
Naomi Wildman And Seven Of Nine Were Unlikely Friends
Naomi Wildman's popularity on Star Trek: Voyager grew out of Naomi's friendship with Seven of Nine. Despite the social walls that Seven put up, and Naomi's fear of assimilation, the pair shared scenes that evolved into an unlikely friendship. Seven's reluctance to relate to Naomi Wildman eventually faded, as Seven viewed Naomi as a proxy for the childhood that the Borg had taken from Seven. Befriending Naomi helped Seven of Nine confront some of the unhealed trauma that Seven still carried from being assimilated at six years old, so Seven could start opening up to other people.
Seven's view of Naomi Wildman as a younger version of herself is strikingly apparent in Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episodes 15 & 16, "Dark Frontier", when Seven has a frightening vision of Naomi being assimilated.
Being popular in Star Trek: Voyager, it's surprising that it's taken this long for Star Trek to confirm what happened to Naomi Wildman. Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 11, "Shattered," predicted Naomi's Starfleet future when Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) encountered Lieutenant Naomi Wildman in a temporal anomaly. Naomi Wildman was almost in Star Trek: Picard, and would have appeared alongside Seven of Nine as a Fenris Ranger. Canonically, Star Trek: Lower Decks explains that Starfleet has their eye on Naomi Wildman, even at ten years old, suggesting Naomi could easily be part of Star Trek's future.
