Star Trek: Voyager’s Infamous Delaney Sisters Explained
Star Trek: Voyager's Delaney sisters (Alissa and Heidi Kramer) became an infamous part of the series despite only appearing in one episode. Voyager's cast of characters included a diverse group, from Star Trek's first female Captain, Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) to the first Vulcan in a show since Star Trek: The Original Series as well as the first Vulcan character of color, Tuvok (Tim Russ). However, Voyager's casting diversity also extended to the series' recurring characters.
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Like many Star Trek shows from the 1990s era, Voyager included a great group of recurring guest stars that filled out the world of the show and added more complexity to its cast. The most notable members of this group were characters like Naomi (Scarlett Pomers) and Samantha Wildman (Nacy Hower), but other characters like Vorik (Alexander Enberg) or Icheb (Manu Intiraymi) added some interesting storylines to later seasons. Besides these characters, two other women rounded out Voyager's recurring cast.
Star Trek: Voyager’s Jenny and Megan Delaney Explained
The Delaney sisters were some of Voyager's first recurring characters
The Delaney sisters were introduced in Voyager season 1, episode 4, "Time and Again," and quickly took on a place of infamous importance in the series until their debut in season 5. Jenny and Megan Delaney were first alluded to by Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) in his attempts to get Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) to go on a double date with him and the twins. Although Jenny and Megan were used as a narrative plot device to further Tom and Harry's friendship, they became a genuinely important aspect of Harry's storyline in particular thanks to one season 5 episode.
Harry's falling for " the wrong twin " as Tom Paris put it was another humorous installment in Harry's long list of failed romances, and gave the Delaney sisters' appearance on the show purpose after being off-screen for so long
During the episode "Thirty Days," the Delaney sisters finally made a real appearance on Voyager, shown participating in the Captain Proton holodeck program with Tom and Harry. After they parted ways with Jenny and Megan, Harry discussed his struggles with being attracted to Megan while Jenny was actually the one who had a crush on him. Harry's falling for "the wrong twin" as Tom Paris put it was another humorous installment in Harry's long list of failed romances, and gave the Delaney sisters' appearance on the show purpose after being off-screen for so long.
Why The Delaney Sisters Only Appeared In 1 Star Trek: Voyager Episode
Voyager didn't feature a lot of the Delaney sisters on-screen
Given how many references Voyager made to the Delaney sisters throughout its early seasons, it may seem surprising that it took the show so long to cast the characters and have them appear. When they were first introduced, the sisters were more of a joke and a way to show Tom and Harry's developing friendship. As Voyager kept referencing them, however, Jenny and Megan began to gain a reputation, especially in conjunction with Tom and Harry's storylines, and it would have felt wrong to never see them on-screen.
However, by the time season 5 rolled around, the Delaney sisters' original purpose in the narrative wasn't relevant. Tom had begun dating B'Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) in season 4, making the idea of him and Harry double-dating the twins impossible. Despite this, Star Trek: Voyager did the right thing by finally having the Delaney sisters cameo in season 5. Keeping Jenny and Megan off-screen would have made them the butt of a tired joke, or worse, objectified by the storyline. This would have been a bad look for a show that prided itself on the diversity of its female cast.
