| File:Voyager6.jpg | |
| Origin: | Earth, United States of America, NASA |
| Era: | 20th century |
The Voyager VI was a NASA space probe launched from Earth in the 20th century.
After having lost contact with Earth, it was believed to have fallen into a black hole (or other spatial phenomenon), where it would encounter a race of sentient machines who occupy a Machine Planet. The machines viewed Voyager VI as a primitive version of their society, sent out to explore and learn. The sentient machines would modify Voyager VI to complete its programming more efficiently, Voyager VI later returned to Earth as the V'Ger entity. (Star Trek: The Motion Picture)
Background
The 1999 launch date was not referenced onscreen, but it was included in the Star Trek Chronology. According to Decker's lines in the movie, it was launched "over 300 years ago," suggesting a launch date sometime prior to the 1970s. Despite this statement, it is unknown what Decker's background was in the history of NASA probes, suggesting that he was approximating its launch date.
Gene Roddenberry jokingly stated that it was not a black hole that consumed Voyager VI, but a Borg transwarp conduit, and that the planet seen by Spock was infact, the Borg homeworld. Gene states that the Borg assimilated the probe, yet the assimilation went "afoul", and changed Voyager VI into a more sentient being.