Janeway Never Lost Her Heart, Says Mulgrew

If you asked Kate Mulgrew what got Janeway from 'Caretaker' to 'Endgame,' she'd say that it was because the character never lost touch with who she was.

"The pilot started it all and the finale embraced everything," Mulgrew told Star Trek Monthly's Ian Spelling (via Totally Kate!). "I can see the through-line between the pilot and the finale. She was the same woman, but more mature and more experienced by the finale. She survived life's hard earned lessons, and that's why I think it was so moving. Janeway never lost her heart."

And which Voyager episodes showcased Janeway's development over the years? "I’d say the pilot, 'Caretaker,' then also 'Death Wish,' 'Counterpoint' and the finale," Mulgrew said. "I could also put 'Workforce, Parts I and II' in there too, because I thought those were excellent episodes and very important for Janeway, but I won't."

"Each one of them had a seminal moment in there, transitionally, for Janeway and for myself as an actress," Mulgrew continued. "'Death Wish' broke me open. I gained new confidence, new wings in 'Death Wish.' Of course I was so supported by my friend John de Lancie (Q) and the script was wonderful. The arguments about suicide were very compelling."

The final episode was critical to both Janeway's personal development and the saga of the Voyager crew. Although there was a lot the episode had to accomplish, Mulgrew felt that the right choices were made. "I understand that there may have been some feeling of anti-climax at the very end, but I loved the simplicity of it," she said. "That's how we began seven years ago and I thought pretty strongly that that's how we should end. We knew they had to get home one way or another, so why doll it up? It was pretty big as it was, right? Some people may have wanted a big 'Voyager gets home scene' with fireworks and confetti, but I didn't think that would have been right considering that we'd experienced for seven years, I thought the ending was very fitting. It was not only fitting, but also smart. This is life. This is science fiction. And the finale was true to the spirits of both life and science fiction."

Her personal Trek may have ended, but Mulgrew wishes nothing but the best for the cast and crew of Enterprise. "I wouldn't give any advice to the cast," she said. "I especially feel that I don't have to give any advice to Scott Bakula (Jonathan Archer). He obviously knows this game better than I do. He drove a hard bargain with the studio, he knows what he wanted and he’s a veteran. Plus, he'd done a sci-fi show [Quantum Leap] before. So he knows what he's doing. I just wish them all luck."

The full interview can be found in the September issue of Star Trek Monthly, out now in the United Kingdom. Alternatively, a transcript can be found here at Totally Kate!

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