Who is Jennifer Lien?
Jennifer Ann Lien (born August 24, 1974) is an actress best known for playing Kes Ocampa in the first three seasons of Star Trek: Voyager. She also appeared as Kess in the first two episodes of the fourth season, “Scorpion, Part II” and “The Gift,” but with her departure from the series already guaranteed, she was cast as a guest star. However, she played the part again in the season 6 episode “Fury”.
Lien was born in Chicago, Illinois, the youngest of three children. She joined the Illinois Theater Center when she was 13, and she starred in William Shakespeare’s The Tempest and Othello, among others. At the age of 16, she decided to pursue an acting career in New York and eventually she landed the role of Hannah Moore on the soap opera Another World during the 1991-92 television season.
During the 1993-94 season, Lien was a regular on a sitcom called Phenom. In 1993, she appeared on Adam Sandler’s debut comedy album, They’re All Gonna Laugh at You, on two songs.
In 1994, she lent her voice to Jay Sherman’s girlfriend on the pilot episode of The Critic before being cast as Kes in Star Trek: Voyager. Although most of her time is spent on Travel, she continues to voice various animated shows, including Duckman, The True Adventures of Jonny Quest, and Superman.
What is Star Trek Voyager About?
Star Trek: Voyager is an American science fiction television series created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor. It aired on UPN from January 16, 1995 to May 23, 2001, with 172 episodes over seven seasons.
It is the fifth installment in the Star Trek series. Set in her 24th century, where Earth is part of the Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the Starfleet ship USS Voyager as it attempts to return to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the other side of the Milky Way.
Twenty-five years ago today, Voyager aired its two-hour pilot, The Caretaker. It gave us Captain Janeway and his crew – stranded in the unmapped Delta space 75,000 light years from his homeworld – and the first female captain to make television history.
The series spends seven seasons and brings back a diverse group of Starfleet personnel and former officers known as Janeway and Maki to Earth. There are no starbases to refuel or repair. The universe is filled with unpredictable alien races with hidden objectives and no motives to help the missing ship.
Why Jennifer Lien Got Fired from Star Trek Voyager?
In 1995, the Star Trek franchise hoped to usher in a new generation of fans with the launch of a new Star Trek series, Star Trek: Voyager. Among the show’s promising leads was Jennifer Lien, who played the kind-hearted telepathic alien Kes in the first three seasons. However, in season 4, the introduction of Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine meant that one existing cast member had to go.
For years, this has been the official story behind Jennifer Lien’s exit from Voyager. Voyager producers have confirmed that Lien has left Star Trek: Voyager in Season 4 due to her growing mental health and addiction issues.
For years, the official explanation for Lien’s departure from Voyager was that it was a purely creative decision and a natural change in Kes’ personality. Since then, however, another truth has emerged. Lien was dealing with a serious problem that was hampering her work.
Lien’s dismissal affected many of her cast members. After Lien left, Mulgrew was known to have an awkward relationship with Voyager newcomer actress Jeri Ryan, and the older actress was reportedly callous and often cruel to her new, younger co-star. Mulgrew’s resentment of Ryan seems to have contributed to Mulgrew’s resentment of Ryan. Tthe two actors now have reconciled.
Where is Jennifer Lien Now?
Initially, Lien appeared to move after Voyager. She had a small but significant role in the 1998 drama American History X, where she played the sisters of Edward Norton and Edward Furlong. He starred in the critically acclaimed indie comedy SLC Punk.
Beyond these roles, however, Lien’s career never took off. She continued to work as a voice actress, primarily on the animated series Men in Black, before making her final appearance on Voyager in the Season 6 episode “Fury”. In the comedy Rubbernecking (aka Accidents Don’t Happen), Lien retired from acting entirely in 2002 when she became a mother.
After retiring from acting in 2002, Lien took care of children and dogs and began studying to become a health professional. This seems like a benevolent way to keep herself out of the public eye, but within a few years, Lien found herself in the spotlight under extremely uncomfortable circumstances.
In recent years, Lien has suffered a series of unfortunate clashes with the police. In 2012, Lien was charged with evading arrest, resisting arrest, reckless endangerment, and aggravated assault.
In 2015, Lien was charged again after reportedly ramming her car into a police car.In an angry confrontation with her neighbor later in 2015, Lien was accused of being exposed naked in front of her neighbor’s children.
Responding officer Billy Walker said of the latter incident that police were present at the scene, where Lien refused to wear clothes and threatened to shoot the officer dead.
As a result, Lien received two charges of obscenity and was ordered to undergo a psychological evaluation at the Moccasin Bend Mental Health Institute in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
TMZ reported that Lien was arrested twice in quick succession for driving with a revoked license in 2018. Police told TMZ that her license was revoked due to previous DUI charges. Lien’s name has not graced the news headlines and the former actress has not made any public statements or appearances since was last arrested.
