The notion of the Maquis was conceived by the end of
July 1993. They were originally imagined as rebellious "misfits" who partly made up the crew complement of the (not yet named) USS
Voyager and were "stuck with" the Starfleet officers on board. (
Star Trek: Voyager - A Vision of the Future, pp. 174-175)
Ronald D. Moore noted, "
The Maquis were definitely created for Voyager." (
AOL chat, 1997)
Jeri Taylor offered, "
We knew that we wanted to include a renegade element in Voyager
, and that the show would involve [...] these idealistic freedom fighters that the Federation felt were outlaws." Hence, the creation of the Maquis proceeded from the
Voyager creators' goal "to have some people who are quite different from the Starfleet Human types we see all the time," in the words of
Michael Piller. (
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion (p. 134)) In fact, Moore said, "
The initial idea for Voyager
was that the Maquis who joined the crew would not put on the Starfleet uniforms. Michael lost that fight." (
Star Trek: The Next Generation 365, p. 352) Additionally, Moore clarified, "
The whole premise of the Maquis was that it was attracting legitimate, upstanding officers." (
Star Trek: The Official Starships Collection, issue 28, p. 14)