Star Trek: Voyagerseason 5 dealt with Captain Janeway’s (Kate Mulgrew) depression, a storyline that was important to Mulgrew for some particular reasons. When Janeway was created as the lead forVoyager’s cast of characters, she began her journey in the franchise with a lot to prove. As the first female lead of aStar TrekTV show,Janeway’s character was immediately under more scrutiny than other Captains before her. This also extended to Mulgrew as an actor and evenVoyager’s creative team in the way they wrote and presented Janeway to the audience.
Thanks to the efforts of everyone involved, however, Captain Janeway is widely considered one oftheStar Trekfranchise’s best and most popular characters, with a legacy that continues to be important inStar Trek’s modern era. Mulgrew’s performance as Janeway duringVoyager’s run was incredible, andthe creative team managed to strike the right balance of character traits. One incredibly smart move from the writers was allowing Janeway her vulnerabilities, including showing her struggles with depression and guilt during a particular episode ofVoyagerseason 5.
Kate Mulgrew Explains Why Captain Janeway’s Depression In Star Trek: Voyager Season 5 Was So Important
Mulgrew felt showing Janeway’s vulnerability was smart
In the first episode ofVoyagerseason 5, “Night,” viewers were treated to a very different side of Captain Janeway, as the episode showed her suffering from a severe case of depression.Janeway’s altered mental state caused her to shirk her responsibilities as Captainand eventually led her to almost undertake a suicide mission. The version of Janeway in “Night” apparently received mixed reviews, but in an interview withStar Trek: The Magazine, Volume 1, Issue 18 during season 5, Kate Mulgrew explained why she liked the storyline. Read Mulgrew’s full quote below:
“Janeway’s heroism is now so well established that I’m always asking them to, you know, rock the boat a little bit… it seems that when we do that, though, it’s controversial. ‘Night’ got really mixed reviews because people get uncomfortable watching a captain’s depression, but I thought it was just such a wonderful thing to explore. Six years of this loneliness, of this absolute solitariness: how would she feel at this point, how would she manifest this great sadness?”
Mulgrew’s words not only show how much she understood Janeway, but also how much she advocated for her characterbehind the scenes. Including a stark representation of Janeway’s emotional struggle during “Night” made the character more well-rounded, and humanizing fictional characters in this way often makes them more relatable. This is especially true ina franchise likeStar Trekwhich could occasionally get bogged down in the science fiction aspects of its premise. Allowing Janeway her emotional vulnerabilities and shortcomings was also a smart move, even if it garnered criticism.
Janeway Was A More Emotional Character Than Most Star Trek Captains (In A Good Way)
Captain Picard and Captain Kirk weren’t on Janeway’s level emotionally
In a lot of ways, Janeway was one of the most emotional Captains ofStar Trek’s classic era. The franchise’s two most famous Captains before her, Captain Kirk (William Shatner) andCaptain Picard (Patrick Stewart)were mainly known for being stoic and reserved. This was partially because of the time in which both characters were created, butit arguably hindered certain storytelling aspects of bothStar Trek: The Original SeriesandStar Trek: The Next Generation, making both shows' main characters a little harder to relate to on an emotional level.
Every Main Star Trek Captain Has Done This 1 Thing Except Voyager’s Janeway
Despite her many exploits, Star Trek: Voyager’s Captain Janeway has never gotten the chance to do something most Star Trek captains have done.
In contrast, Janeway was able to be the tough, no-nonsense Captain while also being a lonely, uncertain, and sometimes depressed character with a fierce love for her crew and a kindness that was on full display. This nuance is commendable because, at the time ofStar Trek: Voyager’s airing,female characters on television were often much less well-rounded, either falling victim to becoming overly emotionalor swinging too hard in the other direction. ThatStar Trek’s creative team was able to make Janeway a three-dimensional person without becoming a stereotype helped cement the character’s legacy.
