Most people I've talked to seem to either love her or think she was wrong for the role. What about her do you think causes these reactions?
Last edited:
Why was Mulgrew so polarizing?
- Thread starter Captain Worf
- Start date
I have no idea. I've often wondered. I can see not adoring her, I can see saying things like, "Gee, I wish they'd cast ___ in that role," but I never have understood the hostility. And when you ask people, it's difficult to get a straight answer, presumably because of that polarizing effect you mention.
I suspect, though I have no proof, that it isn't Mulgrew who has that polarizing effect so much as the Janeway character. But there's no way to prove it one way or another - it's just a gut feeling on my part. So I'm looking forward to reading your thread, Captain Worf.
I suspect, though I have no proof, that it isn't Mulgrew who has that polarizing effect so much as the Janeway character. But there's no way to prove it one way or another - it's just a gut feeling on my part. So I'm looking forward to reading your thread, Captain Worf.
I think there's a great deal of truth in that. Of course, in a long-running series like VOY an actor inevitably shapes the character over the long run, but even so I (who am not always particularly generous when it comes to the subject of VOY) never had a problem with Mulgrew's performance so much as the things her character was made to do.
As far as the actress itself goes, I suspect that unfortunately her voice grated on some people, and the fact she isn't a conventionally attractive actress didn't help much either. My feeling has always been it's superficial issues such as these, together with the writing of Janeway's character, that have attracted the ire of those who dislike her.
I thought she was fine - she's hardly my favourite Captain, but that has nothing to do with the actress, and as such the occasional bursts of vehemence directed her way are extremely unfair.
Oh my hell.
I love her voice and I've always found her incredibly attractive. There's just something about her and I suspect that's what divides the waters - some like it, some don't.However, I'm not sure what you mean by 'conventionally attractive'.
KM made people take notice of Janeway and she totally got me hooked on Voyager. She sometimes overacted a bit and she didn't know how to...oh dear, I was just about to say die.
Well, I'm rather glad she didn't considering the latest development in the books, but on a serious note that's one thing she didnt do well on the show. Always made me curl my toes in shame when...
I figured her voice had something to do with it. I remember someone on TrekWeb saying she "has a smoker's voice". I liked her voice myself.
I think because during the first two & a half seasons she greatly overacted many of her scenes as if she was still doing "Ryan's Hope". The wide eyed jaw dropping stare and the scene fades to black got very annoying, very fast. Later many found her too erratic in the choices she made.
I find some of the first eps. during the start of the series due to that overly dramatic style. I'm glad she began to tone ot down as the series went on.
I find some of the first eps. during the start of the series due to that overly dramatic style. I'm glad she began to tone ot down as the series went on.
I found her voice distracting when she was introduced; she sounded almost like some of the voices that are given to alien characters. ("I need a better description than that mr. Kim.") But I got over that very quickly. Very quickly. By the end of the pilot I liked her quite a lot. In the early seasons I thought Janeway was a remarkable character, but in later seasons the writing for her seemed erratic. The sense that I got from that (and maybe this is just me), was that the writers came up with stories they liked and then forced the character through these hoops because they needed the charater to be a certain way for their story to work, and not because that's what the character would have done if developed properly. So it was never the actress that bothered me, but what was done to her character that made it hard for me to like Janeway. I like Kate Mulgrew just fine, and I feel she brought a lot to the role.
That said, I do remember quite clearly singing her praises during the show's first season, and encountering many fans that couldn't stand her. Which I never really understood. And this group that wasn't liking her was diverse; men, women, gay, straight - I remember feeling like the odd one out. This made it even more disappointing when the character was (IMO) diminished in later seasons, as I'd felt I'd invested so much in the character...it almost felt like a betrayal. I suppose it was a betrayal to all fans, but I stood up for her and then... Ugh. It still irks me.
That said, I do remember quite clearly singing her praises during the show's first season, and encountering many fans that couldn't stand her. Which I never really understood. And this group that wasn't liking her was diverse; men, women, gay, straight - I remember feeling like the odd one out. This made it even more disappointing when the character was (IMO) diminished in later seasons, as I'd felt I'd invested so much in the character...it almost felt like a betrayal. I suppose it was a betrayal to all fans, but I stood up for her and then... Ugh. It still irks me.
Her voice was never annoying to me. I never got that argument. 
I much preferred the softer Janeway of the later seasons, once they let her have her hair down, rather then the schoolmarm version of seasons 1 and 2.
I much preferred the softer Janeway of the later seasons, once they let her have her hair down, rather then the schoolmarm version of seasons 1 and 2.
Interesting. I'd like to hear/see an interview where she displays this type of behavior. Was there any truth to the rumors that she almost left the show because she didn't like Jeri Ryan?
Neo, when did you think her character started to go downhill? I still haven't seen most of seasons 6 and 7. I'm not sure when or if I'll get around to watching them.
Last edited:
This I would agree with, though any proof that I would have is the number of threads on this board complaining about Janeway as opposed to threads complaining about Mulgrew, and that's hardly scientific to begin with.
Me? I think Mulgrew's great, but Janeway is a very inconsistent character. I can't blame Mulgrew and her school-marm charm for that.
That's exactly how I feel about 'early Janeway'. I am a fan of actors that tend to overact a little (Avery Brooks is often credited/accused of this and I love his theatrical style) rather than actors who underplay everything, but Mulgrews 'early Janeway' is overacting in the wrong direction.
I'm in the middle of season 3 now and Mulgrew's acting has toned down. It's much better. I watched Coda yesterday and she was great in that. She also looks great with the ponytail, it was by far her best look. Let me put it this way: If I were 15 years older, and S3 Janeway walked by while I was tending my little garden, I would so ask her to join me for a cup of coffee.
I figured any debate came from the character and writer choices. But then again I never had an issue with her voice. If anything it was another facet to her character, something that marked her as different.
To my mind Mulgrew was great in the part. There were inconsistencies in the character but to me she tried to reconcile them with being consistent in how she played Janeway. Certain looks she had for certain situations, et el.
To be honest I think so much debate is garnered around Mulgre and the Janeway character simply because she was a woman.
Consider the characters: Kirk was a womaniser and a cowboy diplomat, Picard was lofty and idealist until he had his midlife crisis [circa the movie era reverted to a gun ho action hero], Sisko was mean surly and angry [but Bajoran rebels and Maquis terrorism along with the Dominion War helped to justify that for viewers], Archer - well let's leave it at Trip was willing to die for him.
All the various Captains have issues as characters, and all of the actors who played them had certain foibles. I think Mulgrew [and for that matter Janeway] gets a lot of unfair flak.
To my mind Mulgrew was great in the part. There were inconsistencies in the character but to me she tried to reconcile them with being consistent in how she played Janeway. Certain looks she had for certain situations, et el.
To be honest I think so much debate is garnered around Mulgre and the Janeway character simply because she was a woman.
Consider the characters: Kirk was a womaniser and a cowboy diplomat, Picard was lofty and idealist until he had his midlife crisis [circa the movie era reverted to a gun ho action hero], Sisko was mean surly and angry [but Bajoran rebels and Maquis terrorism along with the Dominion War helped to justify that for viewers], Archer - well let's leave it at Trip was willing to die for him.
All the various Captains have issues as characters, and all of the actors who played them had certain foibles. I think Mulgrew [and for that matter Janeway] gets a lot of unfair flak.
I couldn't have said it better myself. Well put.
^ Thanks I'm usually right! [sic] 
But that wasn't her voice, Roxanne niether, they were both told that they were too squueeky naturally, and that they had to both lower the register of their characters for filming.
kate is great. She was able to keep up with the insane scripts which couldn't decide if Janeway was a god or a monster well enough for my liking.
It absolutely is Kate's voice.
I don't buy it that's it's all attributible to smoking. She's had that voice for ages.
Gods. Not smoking. The producers (in the beginning) TOLD Kate and Roxann to lower it a little, and they did so using the magnificent powers of acting. It's minor.
When I think of all the English and Australian actors at the moment pretending to be American on TV like Brothers and Sisters or Chuck or House... it is the littlest thing worth mentioning at all, but her deep register is a very recognizable and defining quality about this woman.
When I think of all the English and Australian actors at the moment pretending to be American on TV like Brothers and Sisters or Chuck or House... it is the littlest thing worth mentioning at all, but her deep register is a very recognizable and defining quality about this woman.
I have a feeling if they kept Genevieve Bujold, people would have liked Janeway even less.
I think Mulgrew was good in the role. My own theory: Strong women with strong voices tend to provoke strong reactions. I'm a Kate Mulgrew fan, though, from her days in Mrs. Columbo, to her villainous turn in Throw Momma From the Train as the ex-wife who was every man's nightmare.
Also, it didn't help that sometimes the writers made her seem like she was erratic by having her make wildly different decisions in similar situations.
My mother once remarked that she found Janeway to be like a female Captain Kirk, which was an interesting observation. Just once, I would've liked to see Janeway just punch someone out -- wish she could've belted Seska, and said, a la Kirk to Kang, "Here's a little something I owe you!"
Red Ranger
I think Mulgrew was good in the role. My own theory: Strong women with strong voices tend to provoke strong reactions. I'm a Kate Mulgrew fan, though, from her days in Mrs. Columbo, to her villainous turn in Throw Momma From the Train as the ex-wife who was every man's nightmare.
Also, it didn't help that sometimes the writers made her seem like she was erratic by having her make wildly different decisions in similar situations.
My mother once remarked that she found Janeway to be like a female Captain Kirk, which was an interesting observation. Just once, I would've liked to see Janeway just punch someone out -- wish she could've belted Seska, and said, a la Kirk to Kang, "Here's a little something I owe you!"
Red Ranger
Similar threads
