Kate Mulgrew is apparently interested in a return to live-action Star Trek.
When it comes to Kate Mulgrew‘s Kathryn Janeway, the only thing we know for sure is she’ll point her starship in the direction of any nebula with coffee in it. Other than that, we can’t say for sure what will happen next with Janeway.
Neither does Mulgrew, but she’s open to just about anything. She told ComicBook.com that while she isn’t in any upcoming live-action Star Trek shows, reprising her iconic role of Janeway, she is looking at things with fresh eyes, due to the brand’s resurgence as of late.
Mulgrew did admit that she’s not in Picard’s last season, however, telling ComicBook.com;
"Well, I think Picard is done, unless I’m quite mistaken… I think they’ve finished, but it’s not likely that Janeway will show up on Picard. But who knows what will happen to her in the future? There seems to be, as I said to you earlier, a tremendous resurgence here, a rather vital one. So for the first time, I’m actually looking at it with new eyes. I wonder what would happen if Janeway were to come back to live-action."
Janeway is of course back with the franchise, despite it not being in live-action, due to her roles in Star Trek: Prodigy, returning as both a hologram version of Kathryne Janeway and the real Janeway, just in animated form.
She’s also reprising her role for Star Trek Online, another voice-over role. So if she does return to Star Trek in a physical form, what show makes the most sense?
What Star Trek show should Kate Mulgrew physically return on?
We have to rule out Prodigy because that’s the show we were just talking about, and we have to rule out Lower Decks, as it’s another animated show. Then we’re out on Picard, as that show has finished filming, and while she may be pulling a Wil Wheaton/LeVar Burton “I haven’t been contacted” until we see her on Picard, we have to assume she’s telling the truth.
So what does that leave? Short Treks appears to be over, thankfully. Discovery is set a thousand years in the future past the events of Voyager and the films Star Trek: Nemesis. Then we have Strange New Worlds, which is set a hundred-odd years before Voyager.
So what show should Mulgrew return on?
Frankly, none of them. Strange New Worlds and Discovery would both need some sort of time-travel/hologram type of situation and no one really wants that. The proposed Section 31 show isn’t intriguing at all, and it suffers the same issues with where its placed in the timeline.
The Seven of Nine spinoff show, while a terribly boring idea, would make sense. The female-centric show, right time frame. That all makes sense.
Frankly though, if you want Janeway in live-action, just give Mulgrew her own show.