Star Trek: Kate Mulgrew’s Kathryn Janeway honored in hometown

Star Trek alum Kate Mulgrew got a big honor as fans from Bloomington, IN erected a monument to her character Katherine Janeway of Voyager fame.

Kate Mulgrew became synonymous with Star Trek thanks to her turn as Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager in the mid-’90s. She was the first woman to ever be shown on a television screen as the main character of a Star Trek series, and she did it with style. Her series is largely debated about still to this day, while some fans hate the show, others (like myself) adore it. It’s even this writer’s favorite series.

So when a group of fans in Bloomington, IN erected a monument to Janeway, few could really say they were surprised. Star Trek fans are known for their passion. While the woman who portrayed Janeway, Mulgrew, was born in Dubuque, IA, Janeway was born in Bloomington, which is where the bust and monument will reside going forward.

Captain Janeway Bloomington Collective, the group responsible for the monument, crowdfunded and held a ceremony to unveil the landmark. The home of the magnificent looking salute to Star Trek resides on B-Line Trail next to the WonderLab Museum in downtown Bloomington. It features a bronze bust of Janeway, and a brilliant marble looking base.

Mulgrew virtually attended the event, which you can watch on Facebook at this link, but declined to appear in person for reasons fans everywhere could understand. She explained that she wished she could be there but instead she was focusing on spending time with her new grandchild. There’s nothing wrong with putting the health of a child first.

For fans of the series, this will be a great spot to visit. As Trekkies are a dedicated bunch, the tourism for Bloomington should see a noticeable increase over time as fans venture out to see this one-of-a-kind monument.

With Star Trek: Prodigy set to bring Mulgrew back as an animated Janeway, new fans will get to see why she was so beloved in her first run as the character. Meaning this site might get even more fans to visit it.