Kate Mulgrew created history as the first female Captain to lead a Star Trek show with Voyager. While not as popular as Captain Kirk or Picard, Kathryn Janeway had her own impact in the world as she inspired countless women to go for STEM fields. The impact was nothing less than incredible, despite the show’s relative less popularity.
It was her experience as the face of such an inspirational message that made her doubt if the opportunity to come back to the Star Trek franchise was worth it. Alex Kurtzman, who has been producing the new era of the franchise, offered her the role of Admiral Janeway in the kids’ animated series Star Trek: Prodigy.
Kate Mulgrew was not sure of returning to Alex Kurtzman’s Star Trek series after headlining Voyager
Alex Kurtzman helped reviving the Star Trek franchise from its limbo in the early 2000s with Star Trek: Discovery. The franchise had been focusing on J.J. Abrams’ rebooted Kelvin timeline for the past decade after the premature cancellation of Star Trek: Enterprise in 2005. Since then, several shows have been produced, including Picard and Strange New Worlds.
The animated series Prodigy was the first kid-focused show of the franchise, hoping to introduce the world of Star Trek to a whole new generation. Kate Mulgrew reprised her role as Kathryn Janeway, now Admiral, from the live-action role in Voyager. When Kurtzman offered her the role, Mulgrew revealed that she was extremely hesitant.
Captain Janeway was a pop cultural icon, despite not being as popular as Kirk or Picard. She was the first female captain to headline a Star Trek series, and it made huge waves culturally in America. Her time during Voyager reportedly influenced her hesitation in coming back for Prodigy. She said (via Trek Core),
Alex Kurtzman called me and said, ‘What do you think about this?’ And I said, ‘Let me think. Let me think,’ because I was holding to myself, very close, my Janeway, right. My Voyager Janeway of seven years. And what that cost me, what that meant to me, how that deepened me, and what I learned from that. And it was singular and very, very important to Kate Mulgrew. So I said, ‘Alex, would you give me a few days to think about this?’
She mentioned that she immediately consulted her Voyager co-stars and friends, Robert Picardo and John de Lancie, who encouraged her to reprise the role. She then said yes.
Kate Mulgrew campaigned for a third season of Star Trek: Prodigy before it was canceled by Netflix
Kate Mulgrew returned as Admiral Janeway (a version of the character fans saw in the finale of Star Trek: Voyager), but only in a voice acting capacity. The actress has since played a number of roles on stage and TV, with the most popular being Netflix’s Orange is the New Black. She returned to the sci-fi franchise with Prodigy.
The animated series, despite great reviews and viewership, has faced many obstacles in continuing its journey. It was first removed from Paramount+ despite season 2 being well into production as part of their content write-off efforts. It found a new home on Netflix, with its second season also debuting on the platform.
However, earlier last week, Netflix had reportedly dropped plans for a third season, leaving the franchise essentially dead. Mulgrew had campaigned for a third season back in 2024, claiming that it needs more time to reach a new generation of fans and it was getting there.
And as far as I’m concerned, two seasons is not enough. It’s just the beginning of this adventure. So we have to go on, we have to get this thing optioned for a third season and a fourth and a fifth and on and on, because I think it’s gonna be a trip they will never forget.
She mentioned that the franchise was a goldmine for children, as it could appeal to their keen sense of curiosity and imagination. However, the franchise has been on the horizon for a new form of limbo lately as most of its live-action shows come to an end and not many else in production.
Star Trek: Voyager is currently available to stream on Paramount+.
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