Kathryn Janeway: As captain of the USS Voyager, she successfully led her crew and ship home on an unplanned journey from the distant reaches of the Delta Quadrant. Since then, she has become an Admiral in Starfleet and served as a model for a holographic captain as seen in Star Trek: Prodigy. That’s one timeline, but what if Janeway had commanded the Enterprise-D?
In my previous “what if,” I explored James T. Kirk commanding Deep Space 9. This time around, we’re swapping out Jean-Luc Picard to see how Kathryn Janeway would fare on the USS Enterprise (NCC-1701-D). (Spoilers: I think she’d do the job very well.)
Janeway’s command style
If Picard’s major reputation is as a diplomat, then Janeway certainly matches that. In the Delta Quadrant, Janeway deftly negotiates with various alien groups without any of the preexisting reputation or support that the Federation provides in the Alpha Quadrant. If she had those skills and the support available to the Enterprise-D, Janeway might be even better than Picard.
That leads to an important point: Janeway on Voyager showed us that she is someone who makes good use of limited resources. While she may not have manifested that skill if she stayed in the Alpha Quadrant and commanded the Enterprise, I’d argue that this is a trait she’d have, even in the luxurious abundance of a Galaxy-class starship in the Alpha Quadrant.
The advantage to not being wasteful—even in a world without scarcity—is that it shows Janeway’s consideration for her crew, their energy, and their time. Picard clearly cares about the people under his command. Nonetheless, his active detachment from all but the most senior staff makes many of his claims of caring feel more like rehearsed platitudes.
Janeway, by contrast, manages to strike an effective balance. She is able to keep her distance from the crew, as demanded by her status as captain, while also demonstrating to her crew that she cares about them. Not only that, but she is able to lead with authority without cultivating an aura or reputation of intimidation.
Granted, a crew of 1,000 may not permit Janeway to be as knowledgeable of her crew aboard the Enterprise as she is shown to be of Voyager’s compliment of 141. Even so, this attitude would still be present, and it could strengthen the sense of community aboard the Enterprise. This would make the Enterprise a nice ship to serve aboard, beyond the prestige of being the flagship.
A scientist
Another important feature of Janeway and her approach to command would be her background as a scientist. While the diplomatic role of the Enterprise is often shown, the primary mission of the ship—and Starfleet generally—is scientific exploration. Rather than merely refereeing discussions from her science crew, though, Janeway could actively participate in them.
Instead of just taking recommendations from Data or LaForge and instructing them to “make it so,” Janeway could actually discuss a phenomenon with them and collaborate on the solution. We see this on Voyager many times, and it is a really good trait to have. It gives Janeway something to do, but it also adds another person’s expert insights when unravelling a mystery.
On top of this, having a deep understanding and comfort with science and its principles would help Janeway to work productively with the various guest scientists that visit the Enterprise to conduct their experiments. Rather than interacting with antagonism, like Picard, Janeway could relate with them and strike a balance between their needs and the needs of the ship.
Conclusion
Obviously, a lot of convoluted canon bending would be necessary for Kathryn Janeway to actually command the Enterprise-D, and most would likely say that Picard did a fine job. (I’m even inclined to agree with them.) All the same, I think that Janeway could have done just as well, if not better.
Janeway is a capable diplomat who is able to cultivate an actual community among her crew. She is also an excellent scientist. These traits would have made her ideally suited to captain the flagship of the Federation, if only Janeway had been created 7 years earlier!