Kate Mulgrew will go down in history as one of the lead captains of the Star Trek franchise. While her Captain Janeway may not be as famous as Captain Kirk or Patrick Stewart’s Captain Picard, her performance is one of the biggest reasons why Voyager has the cult following it enjoys now.
Mulgrew has yet to reprise her role in a live-action capacity, though she does voice Captain Janeway in the animated series Star Trek: Prodigy. However, the actress revealed that there were talks for a Janeway-centered revival, much like Paramount+’s Picard, but it would only happen if the fans wanted it enough.
Kate Mulgrew reveals talks about a Captain Janeway spin-off but puts the onus on fans
Fans thought they had seen the last of Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard after Star Trek: Nemesis, but Paramount (like Disney) will make him do it till he’s 90. The actor returned in the Paramount+ spin-off show Star Trek: Picard, which brought back all of the cast of The Next Generation by the end of its three-season run.
The show’s success has obviously led fans of other Captains in the franchise to hope for a spin-off of their own. While Avery Brooks has retired, Captain Janeway actress Kate Mulgrew is still in business and has worked on multiple things since Voyager ended. She has also reprised her role but only in a voice-acting capacity in Star Trek: Prodigy.
Mulgrew fanned the flames of fans’ wish for a Picard-like revival for Captain Janeway and mentioned that there were talks of the same. However, she also mentioned what it ultimately boiled down to. She said (via Trek Movie),
I would say simply, that’s up to you. There are talks. There are conversations. Have I been offered anything directly? No. I think they are looking at Picard and looking at the reaction to Picard… I don’t know, but I think Janeway was one of a kind. Right? But I do think it is up to you as much as it is up to me.
Patrick Stewart’s return in Picard fared pretty well with fans, who also got to see other characters like Data, William Riker, and Dr. Crusher. While Mulgrew might be extremely popular, the Voyager was not nearly the global phenomenon that TNG was to get the same viewership numbers.
Kate Mulgrew appreciated the current Star Trek makers for offering creative control on Prodigy
While Kate Mulgrew has not yet made a live-action crossover in any of the Alex Kurtzman-created Star Trek shows, she has been interacting with the new team for Prodigy, the animated kids-centric show. The actress had only good things to say about the team headed by Kurtzman and assured fans that they knew what they were doing.
Much like Sir Patrick Stewart with Picard, the makers reportedly offered Mulgrew creative control over how she would want Captain Janeway to be treated in the series, as she seemed to have some issues with the Voyager team before. However, the actress refused to do so but appreciated the effort. She said,
I was offered [creative control] before I even went into negotiations. That is exactly what Alex Kurtzman said. ‘This will be deeply collaborative from the first moment, you could teach us.’ And that’s exactly the way it’s been…I think it’s a different thing. Live action is much more exacting because it’s very, very expensive. And a lot hangs on it, so I think that’s why Sir Patrick requested that.
She also mentioned that Kurtzman’s ideas were great for the franchise and that if he hired great talents, the Star Trek franchise would be good for the next fifty years.
Star Trek: Picard is available to stream on Paramount+.
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