FNN ARCHIVAL FOOTAGE

Maron: The Federation rejoices. In the depths of war, news of a long lost Federation starship making its way home from the Delta Quadrant has dominated conversation across the quadrant for the past 24 hours.

After yesterday's conference, in full respect for the fact that relatives may want privacy at this time, FNN put out an open call for friends and family of the Voyager crew. Inviting them to be a part of this special feature, should they wish to have their voices and response to the news heard.

I hand over now to my colleague Emjur Shann, our correspondent on Bajor.

Emjur: Thank you T'Leia. I am here today in the province of Dahkur, amid the terraced hills and quiet farmlands still healing from decades of Cardassian occupation. The father of Voyager crewman Tal Celes graciously invited me to speak with him today about his daughter outside of a nearby shrine. Where I understand the family has been mourning her loss for the past few years.

Tal: She was our only daughter, and we loved her deeply. Under the occupation the people of this village came together to provide enough to pay for a smuggler to take her off world, in the hopes she might reach the Federation. When the occupation ended, we were overwhelmed with joy that she hadn't just made it, but was attending Starfleet Academy.

Emjur: It must have been tough then, not just for you but for everyone here, when the ship went missing.

Tal: It was, you can see here-

Tal: Every scroll, every carving... Everything that adorns these walls is for her, of her. Recollections. Artworks. Prayers.

Now we know it was not in vain. The prophets have walked with her, guided her across the stars. This is no longer a shrine of remembrance, but of hope.

Maron: One of our correspondents on Earth was also approached by Gretchen Janeway, the mother of Voyager's captain. Who provided us with this short statement from the family home in Indiana.

Janeway: From the moment she could move her arms, Kathryn was always reaching for the stars. Then as soon as she could speak, she would tell her father and I she would go farther than anyone else.

Janeway: I can't put into words the joy I feel. That she's doing just that. I only hope-

Janeway: the galaxy was ready for her.

Maron: For almost four years, the families and loved ones left behind by the disappearance of the Starship Voyager lived with the silence of their unanswered questions.

Now at last, the veil of silence is pierced and those questions are finally getting answers.

For some, their grief is finally given closure. As we understand Starfleet is reaching out to relatives of those that have tragically lost their lives.

But for others, unspeakable happiness. Their loved ones are alive, and the starship Voyager survives. Traversing greater distances than any Federation vessel. In true Starfleet tradition, going boldly where no one has gone before.

This remarkably brave crew faces unknown peril as they steadily continue their course for Earth, with sixty thousand lights still ahead of them.

With yesterday's confirmation that Starfleet Communications is searching for a way to have real time conversations with Voyager. It is the hope of this presenter, and this program that families of the crew may be hearing their loved one's voices from the other side of the galaxy in the near future.

This concludes tonight's Special Feature. FNN will continue to report on Voyager with interviews and stories from the crew's families in the coming weeks.