As Star Trek celebrates its 60th anniversary, Kate Mulgrew is looking back on a role that changed both her career and the franchise itself. The 72-year-old actress reflected candidly on what it meant to become the first woman to lead a Star Trek series as Captain Kathryn Janeway aboard the USS Voyager in 1995.
The actress is known beyond the franchise for her role as Red in “Orange Is the New Black” on Netflix.
An Unexpectedly Defining Role
Mulgrew admitted the significance of playing the first female captain in “Star Trek” has only grown clearer with time, particularly given how the role has resonated with women pursuing careers in STEM. But, she was candid that the part shaped her public identity in ways she hadn’t anticipated, noting that Janeway tends to come up first in conversations about her career, regardless of the topic at hand.
“It’s an extraordinary privilege to play the first female captain, and to learn the significance it has had, particularly on women in STEM, is amazing and deeply gratifying,” Mulgrew said. “At the same time, it did define me in a way I wasn’t prepared for. People always lead with Captain Janeway, whatever the conversation is. That continues to surprise me, but it has had a global impact.”
Playing The First Female Captain Came With Pressure
She also opened up about the pressure of proving a female captain could resonate with the franchise’s traditionally male-skewing audience. Mulgrew recalled early tension over how the show handled her physical appearance during the first season. The actress said she eventually pushed back so she could focus on developing Janeway’s command presence rather than her look.
“There was great attention paid to my physicality–my look, my hair–when all I wanted was to find the source of her command. I became anxious until I went to the producers and said, ‘Please stop fooling around with my hair and let me find this woman. The men will come.’ And that’s what happened,” Mulgrew recalled.
Following in Kirk, Picard, and Sisko’s Footsteps
Mulgrew spoke warmly about joining the small but elite lineage of “Star Trek” captains before her. She also addressed the complicated reception of “Voyager” during its original run, acknowledging that it’s taken years for the series to receive the critical reassessment it has received more recently. She chalked much of that early resistance up to having to lead the franchise in a new direction after the end of “Star Trek: The Next Generation.”
On the topic, Mulgrew says, “Some fans were filled with resentment that [‘Star Trek: The Next Generation’] had to go, and in its place comes this woman. Nevertheless, we created some gorgeous ‘Star Trek.’ I’m not surprised it’s taken years to be fully celebrated.”
Life Beyond ‘Voyager’
Mulgrew is currently in Ireland with fellow “Star Trek” alum Colm Meaney in their newest project, “The Yank.” She is both starring alongside Meaney and producing with the Miles O’Brien actor from both “The Next Generation” and “Deep Space Nine.” Mulgrew teased a surprising and yet comedic detail from the shoot: the two actors recently filmed a scene together that is likely to catch longtime Trek fans off guard, given their shared franchise history. Their characters in “The Yank” shared a love scene.
