Jeri Taylor's illustrious career in the entertainment industry began with her graduation from Indiana University with a degree in English, followed by a Master's Degree from California State University. Prior to her transition to screenwriting, Taylor ran an acting workshop in Los Angeles and directed local stage productions.
With her background in English and a passion for storytelling, Taylor turned to screenwriting in 1979, securing several assignments as a freelance writer through an agent. Her early work contributed to the popular forensic crime series Quincy, M.E., and she also worked on episodes of Magnum, P.I., In the Heat of the Night, and Jake and the Fatman.
Taylor's breakthrough in the Star Trek franchise came in 1990, when she was contracted by the executive producers of Star Trek: The Next Generation on the recommendation of fellow Quincy collaborator Lee Sheldon. She began as a staff writer and later became a co-executive producer alongside Rick Berman and Michael Piller, working on episodes such as 'Suddenly Human', 'Night Terrors', 'Silicon Avatar', and part one of 'Unification', which featured Leonard Nimoy's Spock.
As a showrunner for the final season of TNG in 1993, Taylor focused on elevating the roles of the two main female characters, Troi and Crusher, and explored themes of family and relationships in many of her scripts. Her episode 'The Wounded' introduced the Cardassians, a significant addition to the Star Trek universe.
When TNG ended its run, Taylor joined Berman and Piller as co-creator of Star Trek Voyager, taking over as showrunner until the end of season four. After handing over the reins to Brannon Braga in 1998, Taylor continued on as creative consultant for another three years. Her approachable and easygoing management style earned her praise from directors and actors alike, with Cliff Bole describing her as "always available" and Jonathan Frakes commenting that she "cares about actors and writing and all aspects of the show".
In addition to her work on Star Trek, Taylor has authored several novelizations, including 'Unification', 'Mosaic', and 'Pathways'. As a mother, Taylor is proud of her son, Alexander Enberg, who appeared in a semi-regular role on Voyager as the Vulcan Ensign Vorik.
