The Ladies of Star Trek: Voyager

Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

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Captain Kathryn Janeway commands the USS Voyager in Star Trek: Voyager.  Her initial assignment after graduation from Starfleet Academy was as Science Officer on the USS Al-Batani, under Admiral (then-Captain) Paris (Thomas Eugene Paris' father).  Kathryn Janeway, born in Indiana, is the strong-willed daughter of Admiral Edward Janeway (deceased), an astrophysicist, and Gretchen Janeway, a mathematician.   She has one sister, Phoebe.  The family lived among farmers, and Kathryn's parents required her to learn gardening, which she did not enjoy; they also went on frequent backpacking trips, which she did enjoy.  She studied beginning ballet as a child and performed the "dying swan" at age 6.   She has a fascination with art, and her favorite historical figure is Leonardo DaVinci.  Kathryn Janeway has become one of the most respected captains in Starfleet, known for her intelligence, dedication, thoughtfulness, and diplomatic skills.  Kathryn Janeway is considered to be a brilliant, dedicated, competent, and professional officer who always maintains the proper air of decorum.  She has served with Tuvok since Stardate 44000 and often relies on his "logical" counsel.  Captain Janeway was assigned by Starfleet to pursue and capture a renegade Maquis ship under the command of a former Starfleet officer, Commander Chakotay.  Lieutenant Tuvok, her Vulcan Chief of Security, had infiltrated the crew of the Maquis ship and was on board.  First the Maquis ship, and then the USS Voyager were caught up in an anomaly that sent them 75,000 light-years to the other side of the galaxy; the delta quadrant.  A being known only as the Caretaker was responsible for transporting both ships; he was looking for a replacement to care for the Ocampa.  No one in either crew was compatible, and the Caretaker died before returning the two ships to the alpha quadrant.  The Array, built by the Caretaker to send energy pulses to Ocampa and protect them, ceased to function.  The Maquis ship was destroyed in a battle with the Kazon, an enemy of the Ocampa, but the crew was rescued by the USS Voyager.   Captain Janeway ordered the destruction of the Array to protect the Ocampa from the Kazon.  Its destruction stranded the Voyager and the two crews in the delta quadrant.  Captain Janeway's job became the uniting of the two crews into one, and finding a way home to the alpha quadrant.  Commander Chakotay became her first officer (Caretaker).  Kate says, "Captain Kathryn Janeway is the quintessential woman of the future ... both commanding and discerning in her warmth; she's authoritative while remaining accessible.  Beneath her extraordinary control runs a very deep vein of vulnerability and sensitivity that I look forward to exploring in seasons to come."  Captain Janeway has some doubts about her decision to destroy the Array and strand the two crews in the delta quadrant, but only her trusted advisor and friend, Lieutenant Tuvok, is aware of her doubts.  Janeway is a tough captain who is not afraid to take chances.  Her talents in engineering and science allow her hands-on expertise, if necessary.  She has shown a tendency to defy the Starfleet policy that commanding officers should not transport into unsecured locations on away team missions.   She prefers to be addressed as "Captain" rather than either the starfleet-standard "sir" or "ma'am."  Her education included mathematics and the sciences, as well as chromo-linguistics, American Sign Language, and the gestural idioms of the Leyron.  Captain Janeway's penchant for the scientific method and clear-cut choices has given her a healthy dose of skepticism that usually becomes an asset in dealing with new situations.  She enjoys role-playing and recreation in Gothic novel holodeck programs for recreation, as well as skiing and sailing.  Kathryn liked to play tennis as a young girl.  She lost a match at age 12, and walked 7 kilometers home in a thunderstorm afterward.  She has not played the game regularly since 2354, when she was a member of her high school tennis team.

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Katherine "Kate" Kiernan Mulgrew was born on 29 April 1955 in Dubuque, Iowa, the second oldest child, and oldest daughter in a family of eight children.  She left home at the age of 17 and traveled to New York City to study acting.  Kate enrolled at New York University and was accepted into Stella Adler's Conservatory.  She left the University at the end of her junior year to devote herself to acting full-time.  Exhibiting some of the legendary "Luck of the Irish," Kate was immediately cast as Mary Ryan on the ABC daytime drama Ryan's Hope, simultaneously earning the role of Emily in Our Town at the American Shakespeare Festival in Stratford, Connecticut.  Her role as Mary Ryan lasted two years.  The theatrical stint ended a good deal sooner, but both roles set the stage for the rest of  her acting career.  Kate was approached at the age of 23 by Fred Silverman, then the head of NBC programming.  He offered her a starring role as Kate Columbo in Mrs Columbo, a series he had created with her in mind.   She played the wife of Lieutenant Columbo, one of television's best known detectives.  Although the series was a critical success, and was canceled after only two seasons, it can still be seen in syndication as Kate Loves A Mystery.  She was nominated for a Golden Globe Award in 1979 for best dramatic actress in a series for Mrs Columbo.  Kate went on to star in several feature films, including Love Spell: Isolt of Ireland, with Richard Burton, and A Stranger Is Watching, with Rip Torn.  She traveled to Europe to star in the ABC mini-series, The Manions of America, with Pierce Brosnan.  She also spent some time in Mexico filming the feature, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins.  Kate then starred in Throw Momma From the Train, with Danny DeVito.  She returned to television as the star of the ABC drama, Heartbeat, portraying Doctor Joanne Springstein, the head of a medical clinic.  This series aired for two seasons and won a People's Choice Award as Best Drama.  Kate then went on to star in the comedy series, Man of the People, with James Garner.  She is also a veteran of numerous theatrical productions.  She made her debut on Broadway in Black Comedy, a play with Nancy Marchand and Peter McNichol.  Other appearances on stage include starring roles in Titus Andronicus at the Shakespeare Theater in New York City's Central Park; and Hedda Gabler and Measure for Measure at Los Angeles' Mark Taper Forum.   She also won the Tracey Humanitarian Award for her performance as the driven alcoholic news anchor, Hillary Wheaton, in On the Rocks, the 4 May 1992 episode of Murphy Brown.  She spent recent years guest-starring in several popular television comedies, including playing a Boston Councilwoman and Sam Malone's love interest on several important episodes of Cheers.  She won the Saturn Award for Best Television Actress from the Academy of Fiction, Fantasy, and Horror Films, and the Golden Satellite Award for the best actress in a television drama series, both for her portrayal of Captain Kathryn Janeway on Star Trek: Voyager.  Seton Hall University awarded her an Honorary Doctorate of Letters for Artistic Contribution.  Kate Mulgrew is the divorced mother of two sons; Ian Thomas, born in 1983, and Alexander James, born in 1984.  She currently resides with them in Hollywood, California.

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