I thought she was supposed to be breaking new ground on Trek and what not, rather than be a slave to sexist double standards and worry if some supposed target demographics would have a problem with her character. 
And that would have been perfectly OK, if not for the fact that they "broke the mold" only because she was a woman.
The minute they decided to have a female Captain there were some molds that were going to be immediately broken and I think this is one of them. On the one hand, if they'd had her chasing tail every other episode or so, people would have retrospectively asked "Why? Because to be taken seriously like the men you have to act like them?" Since they didn't do that the exact opposite criticism is being leveled; "What? She can't chase any tail since she's not a man?"
I just started reading interviews people have done with Star Trek Communicator (I don't know why I waited so long to look any of it up) and hers (Kate Mulgrew's) have been my favorite so far. If anybody were to answer a question like that I feel like it'd be her. If I come across anything I'll post it.
I don't know about that.She's right about her lame holodeck "love interests". But I completely disagree with her arguments about a female captain not being able to have relationships and remain a convincing authority figure. "What's good for the gander is not good for the geese"?! Ugh.
This is really what pisses me off the most about VOY's portrayal of Janeway, why couldn't they just have a strong character who happens to be a woman, and treat her in the same way they would have treated a male captain? Instead, they just had to point out that "oh look, she is a woman! and a captain!" (Q's atrocious line in "Deathwish" about her "having authority without losing her femininity" - as if people of the 24th century, let alone incredibly old, powerful alien beings, would find the fact that a woman is a captain so unusual and extraordinary) and to worry if the audience would take her seriously if she had a love life, even though nobody seemed to have that problem with Kirk, Picard or Sisko.
There's a middle ground between chasing tail every other episode or so, and not having any relationships. Picard was single and wasn't exactly chasing tail every episode or so, but even he had more non-holodeck romance than Janeway, and Sisko wasn't chasing tail at all, but he still ended up in a serious relationship and got married. And for that matter, Kira and Jadzia had relationships, but it didn't stop them being strong and professional and I haven't noticed the fans being outraged about it.
No, the criticism is being leveled because Kate Mulgrew explicitly said that Janeway couldn't have relationships because she was a woman and because it would have supposedly make it difficult for the audience to take her seriously as an authority figure, because as a woman, different rules applied to her.
As far as I'm aware, Avery Brookes had a hand in Sisko's relationship because he wanted a character that bucked the stereotype of a Black man not being a responsable parent and a worthy family man. So there was a deeper reasoning to with Sisko, just like there was with Mulgrew who didn't want Janeway treated like a Harlequin romance story. Is it so wrong for a woman to want her character to be strong & independant without needing a man to make he feel complete? This wasn't a man writing this, this was the actress that created Janeway as much as those that wrote for her did.
Kirk's attention rarely if ever turned to getting laid in a serious situation, the only time you may argue it was the case was in "Requiem for Methuselah" with him instantly falling in love with Reyna (which many people found implausible and out of character). Every other time, he was focused on his duty, even most of his flirtations and flings were at least partly manipulations in order to help his crew and mission (in that respect, Janeway followed in his footsteps in "Counterpoint"), and the one time when he was genuinely in love, he sacrificed the woman he loved in order to save the world. Any time when he actually seemed to be chasing tail (as in "Wolf in the Fold") was when he was off-duty.
Being married or in a serious relationship and with their partners close by, never stopped Miles O'Brien, Sisko, Kira, Jadzia, Worf, Odo from fighting the Dominion, and I don't think that anyone ever went "oh look, I first have to have sexual release, wait a moment" before an important mission. If being in a relationship was so detrimental to one's duty, why did Janeway allow Paris and Torres to retain their duties, instead of stripping them off their ranks and assigning their duties to someone else?
Actually, Picard did, in "Lessons", although he ended up deciding that he couldn't continue with it.
How does the captain not being in a happy relationship make the lives of the crew better? And how would her being in one hurt them in any way?
Is the implication that the crew are all jealous bastards who think "If I'm not happy, nobody is allowed to be?" 
I thought it was that he was against Sisko leaving in the finale without a word to his family? Sisko didn't have to get involved with Kasidy to buck any stereotypes, I don't see how being a widower and a good single father prevented him from being a responsible parent and a worthy family man.
Hell no. But IMO it's wrong to imply that a woman can't be strong and independent if she is in a relationship.
I don't, for the record, really disagree with either of you. Here's what I think; to keep Janeway a strong and independent character and give her a significant romantic relationship (or more than one along the way) at the same time, the writers on Voyager would have to have been a lot better at their jobs than they were. Like so many examples that could be cited this too is perhaps a shame... though in this case I'm forgiving based on the mistakes they easily could have made but didn't.
Being married or in a serious relationship and with their partners close by, never stopped Miles O'Brien, Sisko, Kira, Jadzia, Worf, Odo from fighting the Dominion, and I don't think that anyone ever went "oh look, I first have to have sexual release, wait a moment" before an important mission. If being in a relationship was so detrimental to one's duty, why did Janeway allow Paris and Torres to retain their duties, instead of stripping them off their ranks and assigning their duties to someone else?
It's very much like sports.
The feelings are different when you're play on home turf than playing on foreign.
Besides, Torres & Paris aren't in the Captains chair. They don't have anywhere near the responsibilities Janeway does.
Eddington used Sisko's relationship as a weakness to trip him up.
Jadzia was injured in one ep. and that stopped Worf from completing a mission, a similar thing happened with Odo when he feared Kira was trapped in rock. The writers were even aware of how a relationship can turn into as weakness. Damar gave up his drinking and lusting after women inorder to stay focused and lead the Cardassian rebellion.
You don't think any of the enemies in the Delta Q. would have hesitated to use Janeway's "lover" as a weakness to exploit?
Umm no, it shows the Capt. empathizes with the crew and uses that emotion of loneliness as motivation towards her goals of getting home.How does the captain not being in a happy relationship make the lives of the crew better? And how would her being in one hurt them in any way?
...because the stereotypes of African American men are the exact opposite of what Avery portrayed Sisko as.
Damar was drinking and sleeping around because he was messed up and had no self-esteem. Once he decided to lead the rebellion, his self-loathing was gone and he didn't need to sit and drown his sorrows.
You think she wouldn't a motivation to go home if she had a boyfriend?
They explained it in the show.
Umm, no.You think she wouldn't a motivation to go home if she had a boyfriend?
That would be because there's no implication the crew was celibate. They have holodecks and have shown crewmen hooking up with others in ports of call. Not showing onboard relationships doesn't mean folks aren't having sex. I think they've shown us several ways of sexual gratification in the 24th century that doesn't require a real life person, if you choose too. After "Message in A Bottle" and being in contact with their families & loved ones the idea of pairing up with other crewmen would diminish. Empathizing shows compassion, which Janeway showed she had in abundance and part of her monolog to Tuvok in "Caretaker" about get to personally know her crew.
Especially when DS9 covered the concept of contriceptive injections or the old saying of Naval Officers having a lover in every port of call. Riker got lucky every where he went, why can't the same be true from members of Voyager? We've seen Harry do it several times. Even the EMH found his jollies in a Vidiian woman.
DevilEyes said:
