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Star Trek' Boldly fighting for viewers By Rob Owen Albany Times Union ALBANY, N.Y. Michael Dorn keeps his Klingon fangs in a jar filled with mouthwash, so his character, Lt. Worf, will always have minty breath while protecting Deep Space Nine from invaders. Ethan Phillips says it feels like he has a "mattress" glued to his head as the USS Voyager's alien chef, Neelix. And that captain's chair on the bridge of "Deep Space Nine's" Defiant starship? It's from a Toyota Tercel.

These are some of the bits of trivia gleaned during a half-day July visit to the Hollywood, sets of "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" and "Star Trek: Voyager" on the Paramount Pictures lot. They are the kinds of picayune details "Star Trek" fans have traded for more than 30 years, first at conventions, then on the Internet. But lately, it seems, the obsession has diminished. Despite high-quality special effects, talented actors and amazing sets Space Nine's" two-story promenade takes up an entire soundstage), the "Star Trek" cash cow is in trouble. Ratings for both "Deep Space Nine" (in first-run syndication, check local listings) and "Voyager" (Wednesday at 8 p.m.

on UPN) have been in decline and the franchise that has brought in millions of dollars for Paramount could be in danger. Sure, there's more sci-fi competition today, with "The X-Files" appealing to both genre fans and a mainstream audience and "Babylon 5" attracting a growing cult following. But just because those shows are gaining viewers, doesn't mean "Star Trek" should be losing its audience. "Star Trek" is waning because of competition from itself. Paramount went to the well one too many times, and in the case of "Voyager," that well is looking pretty dry.

Set aboard a starship in the far reaches of space dozens of years from the territory explored in the original series and "Star Trek: The Next Generation," "Voyager's" crew ably follows the commands of Capt. Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in a valiant attempt to return home. So far their journey has been far from memorable. Unoriginal stories and a lack of character development have marred the series, as producers have pumped up the action and forsaken elements that made past "Treks" worthwhile. In the season premiere a female Borg, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), joined the cast as a replacement for Kes (Jennifer Lien), a Keebler elf look-alike who departed in the Sept.

10 episode. (Good riddance since Kes was reduced to a subservient Nurse Chapel role by the sixth episode of the series). By the time Kes leaves, Seven has shed most of her Borg armor, which reveals her to be a buxom blond human in skintight silver. Is this "Star Trek" or Garret Wang, who plays Ensign Harry Kim, said the new character will be an infusion of creativity, but Mulgrew acknowledged the move was made to pump up ratings. "She's a knockout, with a figure that would slay lesser people," Mulgrew said during a break from filming.

"They're very anxious to seduce the young male teen-age demographic, and I'm a middle-aged woman, Torres is a Klingon and they need some sex." But this is exactly the tactic that is plaguing "Star Trek," according to Mark Altman, former editor of Sci-Fi Universe magazine and a commentator for the Sci-Fi Channel. "The makers of the original show, and to a certain extent 'Next followed their own passion and had a view. Now 'Star Trek' is following the audience," Altman said in a phone interview. "It's become reactionary. The ratings are down? Bring in Q.

Boys aren't watching? Get a hot blond chick." Altman also said the diminished interest in "Star Trek" is related to a decline in the quality. "It's like when you have a copy of a copy of a copy, there will always be a degradation in quality," Altman said. "There's nothing really bold and different about Even the players acknowledge that something is missing from "Voyager," but Mulgrew thinks that will change this season. "(Executive producer) Brannon Braga is exercising a kind of confidence and power we have not seen heretofore," Mulgrew said. "They're letting a little bit of grayness go, the milquetoasty, safe aspects of which are never good in the end because safe is dull." It's certainly not too late for "Voyager," currently in its fourth season, to turn around.

For proof of that, just look at "Deep Space Nine." That program suffered similar growing pains in its early years. Now it's the best "Trek" airing. The first spin-off without "Star Trek" creator Gene Roddenberry's seal of approval (he died before the show was developed), "Deep Space Nine" had an early struggle to find its place in the "Trek" cosmos. Set on a space station, the show's writers seemed perplexed by their inability to explore strange new worlds as a starship had done in all the other "Star Treks." Avery Brooks as the ship's commander Capt. Sisko is off-putting because of his stiff, wooden acting.

To compensate for his shortcomings, "Deep Space Nine" has relied more on the ensemble and continuing story arcs have become more prevalent. The focus shifted from space exploration to political machinations involving the Federation, the Bajoran government on the planet nearest to Deep Space Nine and the evil inhabitants of the Gamma Quadrant, located on the other side of a cosmic "wonnhole" near the space station. Even with changes in direction and better developed characters, "Deep Space Nine" has always trailed in the ratings. Importing Worf from "The Next Generation" cast of characters in 1995 smacked of corporate desperation, despite the fact that the character was integrated into the cast without disturbing the existing ensemble. As "Deep Space Nine" enters its sixth season (premiering the week of Sept.

29 in syndication), the producers are boldly (and wisely) going against "Trek" tradition and continuing a story that will last the bulk of the season. In the spring finale, war broke out between the Federation and the evil Dominion, with Deep Space Nine under siege by the bad guys. Co-executive producer Ron Moore said in a telephone interview that it will take several episodes before the heroes retake their home, and even then the war will continue. In another break with the status quo, two main characters (Dax and Worf) will marry in a November episode. Ignore this week's TV Guide that says a main character will die in the war.

"That's probably not going to happen," Moore said. Not until the actor's contracts are up at the end of the year anyway. "Yeah, then we'll suddenly have body bags around." Moore agreed that the oversaturation of "Star Trek" is something the production staff is concerned about. "You run into the question of how much Trek' is too much 'Trek'?" Moore said. "Having both Voyager' and DS9' on at the same time kind of hurts both shows.

They eat into each other's markets." Although widely rumored to be the show's last season, Moore said the buzz is good that "Deep Space Nine" will return for a seventh year. But even as discerning viewers agree that "Deep Space Nine" is the better of the two "Treks" currently on the air, Moore thinks it will take time before the show is fully embraced by fans and critics. "It's one of those shows people will discover after it's (no longer in production)," Moore said. "They'll watch it in reruns, much like the original series. They'll miss us when we're gone." TOWN TALK, Alexandria-Pineville, Sunday, September 14, 1997 PAGE 5.