Kate Mulgrew made Captain Janeway iconic in the Star Trek universe. But she never would have gotten the chance if Voyager's original lead actor hadn't quit after only a couple of days.
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00:00Star Trek Voyager was a big deal for Paramount back in 1995. It was the first new Star Trek
00:06show to launch after the conclusion of the powerhouse Star Trek The Next Generation in
00:101994, leaving it and Star Trek Deep Space Nine to fend for themselves. Notably, Star
00:15Trek Voyager had trouble finding a captain.
00:18The show's central character was to be named Captain Elizabeth Janeway, and she was to
00:22be the first woman to serve as a lead command figure on a Star Trek series. Paramount felt
00:27they were lucky in finding experienced Canadian actor Jean-Yves Bujold to play the part, and
00:32filming began. Bujold, however, walked off the set after less than two days of filming,
00:37making it clear that she wouldn't come back.
00:40In Captain's Log's supplemental, The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages, co-creator
00:45Jerry Taylor went into a little more detail as to what happened with Bujold and how they
00:49eventually settled on Kate Mulgrew.
00:52In 1994, Bujold was a terse and downbeat actor, perhaps best known for her Oscar-nominated
00:57performance in the 1969 drama Anne of a Thousand Days.
01:00You don't know what it is to be in love, either of you! I love Harry Percy and will marry
01:05him!
01:06On paper, she would make an ideal Starfleet captain, bringing a quiet professorial dignity
01:10to the part.
01:11It wasn't easy to find her, though. Taylor recalled the rigorous casting process and
01:15how their lead actor needed to do more than simply play a role. They also had to weather
01:20the press Voyager was getting at the time.
01:22Taylor explained,
01:23"[This is the person that gets the white-hot glare of publicity as the first female ever
01:27to head one of the Star Trek series, and she had to be just right. We considered, auditioned,
01:32looked at tapes of what seemed like every actress between the ages of probably 30 and
01:3655 in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, Canada, London, and Europe. We had several people
01:41we were happy with."
01:42Finally, Bujold stepped in at the last minute. Taylor said,
01:45Finally, with days to go, we were made aware that Geneviève Bujold was interested, and
01:50we were ecstatic. So we went ahead with that and thought, wow, we've got it, and of course,
01:55when that didn't work out, it was distressing for everybody.
01:58Although Bujold's departure was unexpected, Taylor was glad that she didn't quit after,
02:02say, months had already elapsed. Voyager was going to launch a new network, and it was
02:07vital that it stay on schedule. Taylor concluded,
02:10I am deeply grateful to Bujold that she did this after a day and a half instead of after
02:14six weeks or two months, because that would have destroyed us. She did what she knew in
02:18her heart was right, which is the way she functions as a person and as an actress, and
02:22she was right.
02:23Bujold staunchly refused to conduct interviews, a practice she had always adhered to. When
02:28working with Star Trek, however, interviews, convention appearances, and an open acknowledgment
02:33of the fan community was key. Bujold, it seemed, wouldn't play that game.
02:37She also wasn't able to bring any energy to Captain Janeway. The leaked footage of
02:41Bujold on set reveals a curt, kind of boring, version of the character. She was quietly
02:46contemplative, rather than boldly authoritative.
02:48But our probes haven't picked up any debris.
02:52Shooting Voyager was a swift affair, requiring actors to be ready ASAP, and shooting multiple
02:56scenes in a day. Bujold was more used to the slow-moving machine of feature films, and
03:01wasn't prepared. A TV Guide article from the time also reported that Bujold caught someone
03:05photographing her butt while she was in costume. The photographer claimed that it was meant
03:10to be reference for an action figure, but Bujold was incensed.
03:13Luckily, Mulgrew, an energetic TV veteran, had already auditioned, and the showrunners
03:18asked her to step in. Mulgrew took to the role instantly, saving everyone's bacon. Mulgrew
03:23has been playing Janeway ever since.