Mulgrew On Gays In Trek

Kate Mulgrew (Kathryn Janeway) said this week that while her fight to get a gay character on Voyager was unsuccessful, she thinks one might be featured sometime during Enterprise's run.

When asked if it wasn't strange the producers of a progressive show like Star Trek weren't more open minded, Mulgrew told Andy Scahill at Out In America that "one would think that Hollywood would be more open-minded at this point, since essentially the whole town is run by the gay community. It makes very little sense if you think about it. No, Star Trek is very strangely by the book in this regard."

However, Mulgrew added she expected the situation to change in the future. "Rick Berman, who is a very sagacious man, has been very firm about certain things. I've approached him many, many times over the years about getting a gay character on the show - one whom we could really love, not just a guest star. Y'know, we had blacks, Asians, we even had a handicapped character - and so I thought, this is now beginning to look a bit absurd. And he said, 'In due time.' And so, I'm suspecting that on Enterprise they will do something to this effect. I couldn't get it done on mine. And I am sorry for that."

With her one role as Kathryn Janeway, Mulgrew was able to move past another Hollywood stereotype on Star Trek. "I transcended [how you can't have the independence without the bitch] that with Janeway," the actress said. "And nothing gives me greater pleasure than to say that I believe I was the only actress doing that on prime time. Her humanity, her warmth. I've often used the expression, 'I did not 'drop trou'.' I had no intension of doing so. And I don't think I ever lost my whimsy, my compassion. My deep love for the crew."

According to Mulgrew, she didn't have to campaign much to get this balanced portrayal. "This is inherent in the concept of Star Trek that Gene Roddenberry had conceived. Though I'm sure - Gene Roddenberry was quite the womanizer - and I'm sure he never imaged a woman in the captain's seat. So my hats off to the brass at Paramount, they had a lot of money to lose. And they changed the course of television history with that move."

More from Mulgrew, including her thoughts on her husband's political aspirations and her new one-woman theatre show, can be found in the full article of Out In America. Thanks go out to Totally Kate! for this!

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