Star Trek actress Kate Mulgrew is crushing it with her role as a hologram and actual Janeway on the animated series Prodigy, but the fans want more. It’s hard not to as Star Trek: Picard prepares for a farewell season with the cast of The Next Generation! If Jean-Luc can return to live-action with his own series, why not Kathryn Janeway? Franchise head Alex Kurtzman offered some encouraging comments about the character returning to live action in addition to what she's doing in animation.
Alex Kurtzman was present at the New York Comic-Con panel for Star Trek, and was asked by a fan during the Prodigy segment about when Kate Mulgrew’s Janeway will return to live-action (via TrekMovie.com). Kurtzman, who tends to be cryptic when it comes to any what-if scenarios in the Star Trek franchise, gave a surprisingly candid response on whether anything was in the works for Mulgrew to reprise her role:
Here’s what I’m going to say. Things have been talked about. That’s all I’m going to say. But nothing would make me happier than to bring Janeway back. I think it would be an incredible, incredible thing to do. There might be an idea in play. Who knows? But I would love it to happen.
It would be cruel of Alex Kurtzman to tease that there’s an idea for Kate Mulgrew to return as Kathryn Janeway if there wasn’t something seriously on the table, so this sounds like good news. With that said, there’s really no telling what that idea could be, and whether it would be something fans feel is worthy of what the actress deserves for a Janeway comeback.
While Alex Kurtzman was scant on details for how Janeway might return, he did offer some equally encouraging news. Kurtzman noted that whatever ideas are in the works for Kate Mulgrew to appear in live-action, this is happening as soon as they can:
Yes, for sure. We’re not thinking ten years down the line. I’d like to bring her back sooner rather than later. Yes.
There are a couple of ways that Star Trek could re-introduce Kathryn Janeway in live-action. Star Trek: Prodigy, of course, revealed the actual non-hologram Janeway at the end of its first batch of episodes and could be used to lay the groundwork for her future story in live-action (even if the showrunners deny they’re doing Voyager stuff exclusively). Additionally, with Seven of Nine in Star Trek: Picard and now a commissioned Starfleet officer, there’s cause for her to team up alongside her former Captain Janeway and take on some threat in a potential post-Picard spinoff.
It’s also worth considering – especially with all the trouble Paramount is having with getting Star Trek 4 to happen in theaters – that there are fans hoping for a Voyager movie. Kate Mulgrew had a brief cameo as Janeway in Star Trek: Nemesis but never had the chance to lead her own movie. With her, and co-stars Jeri Ryan and Robert Beltran currently working in the franchise, now could be the time to pull that off. The sky is the limit here for what can be done, so let’s just hope Alex Kurtzman and other decision-makers are considering all options!
Watch Kate Mulgrew’s Janeway in Star Trek: Prodigy’s return if you have a Paramount+ subscription on Thursday, October 27th. Now is a perfect time to catch up for those who haven’t watched, and of course, anyone hoping they’ll see more Janeway in live-action soon.
