“I was determined to make Janeway the best captain”: Kate Mulgrew on her iconic role in Star Trek Voyager

When Kate Mulgrew adorned the iconic Starfleet uniform in Star Trek: Voyager (1995 to 2001), she created history by becoming the first female Captain to lead a show in the franchise. As Kathryn Janeway, Mulgrew would go on to establish herself as one of the more prominent Star Trek actors. For Mulgrew, the role was significant, and she wanted to ensure that Janeway’s name was etched alongside other eminent Captains in the Star Trek universe.

While speaking to Trekmovie.com, Mulgrew shared,

“I was determined to make Janeway the best captain I could make her, and not for any real feminist reasons—because I wanted as an actress and as a human being to put my stamp on that beautifully written woman.”

She further added,

“And I thought around me was a very, very good group. I’ve remained very close friends with Bob Picardo, Ethan Phillips. I mean, these guys were pretty terrific, so, no. And I’m aware of the competitive nature of it all. I’m a deeply competitive person myself, or have been in my life as an actress. It always pisses me off when people say that Voyager was less than Next Generation, and Janeway was less than Picard, or less than Kirk. And it’s all so silly, isn’t it?”

Kathryn Janeway’s significance in Star Trek

One of the more well-known Starfleet officers, Captain Janeway, commanded the USS Voyager during its mission. She became the first Starfleet Captain to navigate through the Delta Quadrant, where the ship was lost. She even holds the record for establishing first contact with several new civilizations, something that only Captain Kirk was previously known for. After she finished her missions, she was promoted to the rank of Admiral in Starfleet Command.

When Mulgrew first appeared as Captain Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, she drew a lot of fanfare around the show. As an actor, she was aware of the gravity of the situation and her part in history. She recalls,

“I was aware of Next Generation being wonderfully received, and Patrick Stewart’s great popularity and success as a captain, but I was absolutely immersed in the business of making Star Trek: Voyager my imprint, and of value in and of itself. Being the first female captain was seismic, there were tidal waves of publicity and reaction and response because a girl had been put in command. And I had to wrestle with that for at least a season, maybe a season and a half.”

Kate Mulgrew portrayed Captain Janeway for the seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager and also played the role in Star Trek: Prodigy. About twenty years after the end of The Next Generation, Patrick Stewart reprised his role as Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard. When asked if Mulgrew will be open to leading a show around her character as well, she said,

“I don’t know. It surprised me when Patrick came out on the stage—I was there that day—and announced it. It surprised me that he wanted to. But I think he knows it will probably have a shot at being quite a hit. And there’s no one who likes to work as much as Patrick Stewart. And for him it will probably be very successful. Picard was beloved. Yeah, it’ll be interesting. I don’t know what to say about Janeway. Seven years is a long time to play a character. I’m not sure that she would enjoy resuscitation. She was a very, very vibrant person, while she was.”

Mulgrew, however, is open to the idea of bringing the character back to the screen. During a fan Q&A at the Janeway Memorial in Bloomington, Indiana, she shared that she is open to returning to the Star Trek universe if she receives a good script. As per Trekmovie.com, she said,

“I said this to Kurtzman (executive producer Alex Kurtzman). The writing is going to have to be absolutely exquisite and as tight—I mean so tight. I want that language to just burst! And I want the story to be so tenuous and taut. I said, “No languishing.” I don’t want peaks and valleys. I want a Janeway that everybody can say, “That’s what she’s become. I’m with her! This is great!” Right? And I think some sort of extraordinary adventure. Even greater than Voyager. Even greater than the Delta Quadrant.”

Gene Roddenberry launched Star Trek: The Original Series in 1966. The series developed a devoted fan base through global syndication. The franchise expanded to include comics, animated series, films, and spin-off TV shows like The Next Generation, Picard, and Voyager.

ALSO READ: “I do think of myself as the Yoda of the Star Trek”: Robert Picardo draws comparison between the Doctor and the Star Wars character

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