Star Trek: Kate Mulgrew Reveals Her Conditions for Live-Action Janeway Return

Star Trek: Voyager's Kate Mulgrew has revealed what she wants to see from a Capt. Kathryn Janeway's potential live-action return to Star Tre. Mulgrew is currently voicing Janeway in  Star Trek: Prodigy (which just returned to Paramount+ with new episodes last week), both pulling double duty as Vice Admiral Janeway the training hologram modeled on her. Mulgrew visited Bloomington, Indiana recently, paying a visit to the city's Janeway Memorial. She also spoke and answered some questions while there and, according to Trek Movie, she touched on Star Trek head producer Alex Kurtzman's statements at New York Comic Con that an idea for Janeway's live-action return is "in play."

"[Alex Kurtzman] said, 'I think it's in discussion.' You know, in Hollywood, what does that mean?" Mulgrew said. "That's like a man saying to you after a date, 'I'll call ya.' There's been a hue and a cry of late. I was in Europe doing a tour and there was a lot of that too, 'When are we going to see Janeway live-action?' There seems to be something interesting going on. You know, I didn't think I would, because I'm a certain age now. Just as I was a certain age then, right? But I'm very strong and still full of life and I adore this character. So why on earth wouldn't I bring her back?"

As eager as Mulgrew may be to revive Janeway in live-action, she does have some conditions for making the return worthwhile. She explained:

"I said this to Kurtzman. The writing is going to have to be absolutely exquisite and as tight—I mean so tight. I want that language to just burst! And I want the story to be so tenuous and taut. I said, 'No languishing.' I don't want peaks and valleys. I want a Janeway that everybody can say, 'That's what she's become. I'm with her! This is great!' Right? And I think some sort of extraordinary adventure. Even greater than Voyager. Even greater than the Delta Quadrant."

While Mulgrew seemed apprehensive of the idea of returning as Janeway in live-action previously, voicing the character on Star Trek: Prodigy seems to have softened her to the idea. She told ComicBook.com as much during an interview in June.

"Who knows what will happen to her in the future?" she said. "There seems to be, as I said to you earlier, a tremendous resurgence here, a rather vital one. So for the first time, I'm actually looking at it with new eyes. I wonder what would happen if Janeway were to come back to live-action."

In the meantime, fans can hear her voice in Star Trek: Prodigy. New episodes debut weekly on Thursdays on Paramount+.