Posted:
01:14:23 on August 04 2001
By: GustavoLeao
Dept: People
The latest issue of SFX magazine, just out in the UK, is a 'Collectors's Edition Voyager Issue'' , featuring the "Ultimate Unofficial Episode Guide To Voyager", with all 171 episodes reviewed and rated, two Jeri Ryan and Kate Mulgrew posters, and an exclusive interview with Mulgrew. Here are some excerpts :
Do you feel, like Janeway, that you've come home ?
I do, in a way. That's pretty...true, yeah, I do. It was a way of life, Voyager. I wasn't prepared for that. No one really briefed me about that. I didn't know how much difficult would be to juggle both aspects of my life. Luckily my sons live in LA. But we would me some crucial moments together. That's par for the course - I understand that and I tried to explain that to them. I think the difficult part was having them assimilate this information, because they grew up during the series. It was seven tough years for the kids. But is behind us now, and it's something I am very pround of. I really loved playing Janeway..
What was the main thing you brought to Janeway ?
Humanity. Her flaws.
At what point you were happiest with your performance ? Did it improve all along ?
No question about that. The seventh season was the best.
Why do you think that ?
First of all the writing was excellent. They were all very rigorous. There was a confidence the actors came to display Evething came together which was very ironic and [laughs] slighty sad. But we have always good shows. And those with moral dillemas were always the best.
What did you think of 'Endgame' ?
Suffice to say, I think it's a wonderful story. Of course, it will be controversial for some, it won't satisfy everybody. But it satisfied me. It's a tour de force for Janeway. I play two Janeways. So that's, essentialy the story. And there's a really splendid, provocative, wild confrontation with the Borg Queen, who was played by Alice Krige, who I thought was a really terrific actress. Oh...professional, passionate.
Voyager was the most criticized Trek show...
Yes, I known...[ruefully - as she was expecting that question]
Why do you think that was ?
Why do YOU think that was ?
I have my theories....
I would think quite naturally it got criticized because of a female captain. Next Generation was so successfull and so loved by the fans, the stakes were very, very high. And we were being constantly compared as in a horse race. Each series is a very isolated affair. And I didn't think about it at all. But when I did I'm sure I felt competitive about it. But I never felt upset about it. Somebody brought something up, which may be valid. Good Star Trek is about the ship going out to explore, as opposed to a ship being lost and having to explore to survive. And we were on that situation which immediately flipped the predictable, and we had to establish new rules. And whenever there's change, I think people become uncomfortable. What is familiar is that they have grown to love. But I think in the end what one can ay is that if they love true sci-fi their allegiance and their fidelity would be the same for Voyager as would be for anything else. And thank God that each [Trek] series is very different. If not it'd had be dull...
Did you ever watch Deep Space Nine ?
No. I didn't. I caught bits of it. And only ever caught bits of Next Generation. I think that was good to me. Only because I took Janeway very seriously, and I didn't want my senses assumed by information that I probably coundn't use.
For more on this candid interview, including Mulgrew's opinions on the Janeway/Chakotay (Robert Beltran) relationship, the Prime Directive and the Q (John DeLancie) episodes, buy the Voyager Collector's Issue of SFX magazine, now on sale.
UPDATE : The Totally Kate website posted several photos of Mulgrew appearance at the recent Voyager The Return convention at Blackpool, UK. View the pictures here.
And the official Voyager The Return website has just posted several pictures and videos of Mulgrew on stage with TNG star Patrick Stewart here
