Kate Mulgrew first played Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Voyager, where she was the captain of the eponymous vessel, which is lost in deep space. Her character was absolutely indispensable to the series, and if Mulgrew is to reprise the role in live-action, Janeway must remain central to the action.
After her appearance at San Diego Comic-Con, Mulgrew was interviewed by TrekMovie about the second season of Star Trek: Prodigy, in which the actress voices her longtime character. She spoke about her experience playing Janeway in a variety of Star Trek media. Since her first appearance in Star Trek: Voyager – which ran for seven seasons – Mulgrew has appeared in the video game Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force, the 2002 film Star Trek: Nemesis – which featured a young Tom Hardy as the antagonist – the video game Star Trek: Legacy, and most recently has appeared in 40 episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy, as well as its video game spin-off Star Trek Prodigy: Supernova.
The actress was asked about her thoughts on the possibility of coming back as Janeway in live-action. “I just had dinner with Alex Kurtzman the other night, we talked about this,” Mulgrew explained. “It would have to be impeccable. It would have to be without hubris. It would have to be authentic. And it would have to be so bloody good that I would in no way question any element of it. I mean, to come back after 25 years, into a character that was once you know that I’m not only revered but by me, loved by me. I have to take care of my character. So I’ve just said to Alex, you know, I love her. She will never be misused, but she must be exalted. And the writing has to be somewhere from heaven. So we’ll keep this conversation alive. But so far, it’s a conversation.”
“She will never be misused, but she must be exalted. And the writing has to be somewhere from heaven.”
When asked if her love for the character meant she’d only come back if Janeway was the lead, Mulgrew laughed. “Are you kidding? What do you mean?” she asked. “She would have to be central to whatever it is that she’s doing. Yes. Absolutely. Otherwise, why bother? She was central for seven years. Why should it change? Right?”
Since playing the leading role in Star Trek: Voyager, Mulgrew has gone on to play roles in dozens of TV shows, films, and video games. This includes appearances in shows like Law and Order: Special Victims Unit, voicing Flemeth in the video games Dragon Age: Origins, Dragon Age II and Dragon Age: Inquisition, her starring role as Red in the hit Netflix series Orange is the New Black, the latter of which garnered her multiple awards. When her return to the Star Trek universe was announced, fans were tremendously excited to see her character in Prodigy.
A New Wave of Star Trek Media Is Ongoing
Star Trek: Prodigy is part of an exciting new wave in Star Trek media. From Star Trek: Strange New Worlds – which follows Captain Christopher Pike (Anson Mount), Science Officer Spock (Ethan Peck) and the crew of the USS Enterprise – to the animated Star Trek: Lower Decks, which stars The Boys’ Jack Quaid, there has never been a better time to be a Trekkie, at least in terms of options.