“Could a woman be as palatable to a male demographic as Picard or Kirk?”
William Shatner’s James T. Kirk and Patrick Stewart’s Jean-Luc Picard certainly cast imposing shadows as the commanders of their respective Enterprises in the Star Trek universe. And when it came time for the USS Voyager to take flight on television in 1995, actress Kate Mulgrew knew it was going to be challenging to win fans over, while portraying the first major female captain of the franchise.
Mulgrew discussed that difficult task during an interview with TV Insider by saying: “Could a woman be as palatable to a male demographic as Picard or Kirk? First season: it was challenging. There was great attention paid to my physicality — my look, my hair — when all I wanted was to find the source of her command. I became anxious until I went to the producers and said, 'Please stop fooling around with my hair and let me find this woman. Then the men will come.'"
Mulgrew, who portrayed Captain Kathryn Janeway during all seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager (1995-2001), continued during the same sit-down by saying:
“And that’s what happened. It was slow-moving because of the anxiety about a female failing, particularly after Genevieve Bujold’s defection. But I won this game because I’m a strong actress, and I loved Janeway. The men slowly divested themselves of their concern and allowed themselves to come to me as their captain. I could feel it.”
For those who may be new to the Star Trek fandom, Bujold was famously cast to portray Janeway on Voyager before Mulgrew took the character and turned her into a fan-favorite for years to come. And while winning the male demographic wasn’t easy in the beginning, Mulgrew’s on-screen charisma and her commanding presence ensured Janeway would favorably go down in Trek history.
Unlike Kirk and Picard, though, Janeway did not command a version of the Enterprise. Plus, unlike her Starfleet counterparts, Janeway faced the nearly impossible task — well, it took seven seasons — of escaping the Delta Quadrant, so her and Voyager’s crew could finally return home after being lost over 70,000 light years from Earth.
Personally, I enjoyed how Janeway, like Picard, had to endure a few visits from Q (John de Lancie). However, I always appreciated that the Voyager writers never cheated by allowing Q’s evolving relationship with Janeway to entice the nearly omnipotent being to simply “snap his fingers” and magically send the Starfleet vessel back to the Alpha Quadrant.
I think the shortcut Q provided in Voyager season 7 was enough to show that he cared about Janeway, while not interfering with the show’s primary obstacle that the characters to overcome. And, unlike some, I fell under Janeway’s spell right away — I always believed she was a captain capable of leading the vessel and her crew back home.
Were you a Captain Janeway fan from day one like me? Or did you need a little time before the now memorable character won you over? Share your thoughts and comments with us on the Redshirts Always Die Facebook and X pages.
And for those who’ve never watched the must-see Voyager, all seven seasons are streaming for FREE on Pluto TV, at the time of this writing.
Live long and prosper, Trekkies!
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