Celebrating Kate Mulgrew’s birthday!

Kate Mulgrew is celebrating her birthday today!

The first woman to helm a starship in the Star Trek universe, Kate Mulgrew became known to fans when she commanded the Voyager, and since 1995, she has had a rightful place in hearts around the world. Not only did Mulgrew bring a commanding presence to the bridge of a starship, she brought kindness, empathy, and a great sense of humor. As Captain Kathryn Janeway, she created an icon that youngsters could look up to and emulate.

Mulgrew turns 66 today and has headed back into the captain’s chair, serving as the emergency training hologram to some wayward teens who commandeer a dilapidated starship on the animated series, Star Trek: Prodigy. This comes after a successful six-season run as Galina “Red” Reznikov in the Netflix original series Orange Is the New Black, where she earned her first Emmy nomination.

Captain Kathryn Janeway will always be part of Kate Mulgrew’s life

For Mulgrew, Captain Janeway remains a part of her life which made for an easy decision to return to the character after the details of the new series were explained to her. Just last month, she told CBR that a day didn’t go by where she didn’t have some reminder of the character. In fact, she called Star Trek “a gift that keeps on giving.”

As for Star Trek fans, we’re grateful we’ll be able to revisit Captain Janeway even if only in animated form. And even though the series is being made for a younger audience, there’s a really good bet that some of us older fans will be tuning in.

In the meantime, we wish Kate Mulgrew the happiest of birthdays and look forward to the premiere of Star Trek: Prodigy.