Star Trek: Voyager is different from many other Trek series partially due to its planned ending. Having been stranded 70,000 light years from Earth, the series was always meant to end with the crew's eventual homecoming.

Concepts for the ending had been on their writer's mind before the show had even aired. One idea on their arrival took quite a dark turn for Star Trek standards.

While writing for the third season, an idea came to mind to have a mock homecoming for the USS Voyager. The plan was to have duplicates of the crew made up of biomimetic lifeforms known as the “Silver Blood.”

"Brannon [Braga] had some great images. One was opening with Voyager above Earth, this great homecoming sequence. There are fireworks in the sky, and everybody is going down to their homecomings. Janeway has a wonderful tearful reunion with Mark (Janeway's fiance). She kisses Mark and she then snaps his neck, end of teaser,” explained show writer Joe Menosky on the homecoming invasion story.

The Voyager crew would still be far from this event, with the episode focusing on Earth handling an invasion of their evil doppelgangers.

“[Brannon Braga] had this image of like a thousand Voyagers converging on Earth. Somehow, these duplicate Voyagers were being created that didn't even know who they were.”

Evil versions of characters are nothing new for the franchise. Although an evil Janeway killing her fiance might be pushing it for Trek standards, which could be why the story was ultimately scrapped. Pieces of the idea still remained in the show, particularly with the "Silver Blood," which later appeared in the season 4 episode “Demons.”