I've read on a few fansites that Mulgrew has talked about playing Janeway as bipolar but I can't find the original quote/video. Did she really and is there proof?
Kate Mulgrew on Janeway
- Thread starter JeffinOakland
- Start date
A lot of critics of the character and Voyager in general, cite this quote yet I have never seen a source just that Mulgrew played the character that way.
If she did say it in an intervene or convention there'd have to be some second hand evidence. I have never seen such evidence though I would be happy to be proven wrong.
If she did say it in an intervene or convention there'd have to be some second hand evidence. I have never seen such evidence though I would be happy to be proven wrong.
That's what I suspected
Sounds more like a fan fabrication to explain the inconsistent writing. Mulgrew did the best she could with what she was getting each week.
What? 
Janeway didn't act bipolar.
Janeway didn't act bipolar.
Well, maybe I'm wrong but I think that what Kate Mulgrew referred in speaking of bipolarity about her character, was the fact that Kathryn Janeway was able to act as a maniaco-depressive, deciding and acting everything and its opposite from one epsiode to the next. But in fact, it was a way for her to condemn an evident lack of lack of consistency of her character, coming from the fact that none of the producers, script writers and directors was really able to agree on what characterized Capt. Kathryn Janeway and how she had to act. And she got a point here.
So I just watched Equinox parts 1 and 2 and would have to say that it's a prime example of the inconsistent writing on Voyager.
Janeway acts completely out of character - risking the life of Noah Lessing, becoming obsessed with catching Ransom, offering to hand Equinox over to the aliens...
And as for relieving Chakotay... I could count a dozen occasions where she would have been justified in doing this, but this was not one of those times.
An odd episode.
Janeway acts completely out of character - risking the life of Noah Lessing, becoming obsessed with catching Ransom, offering to hand Equinox over to the aliens...
And as for relieving Chakotay... I could count a dozen occasions where she would have been justified in doing this, but this was not one of those times.
An odd episode.
If that's the case, that she is written inconsistently in equinox, then all of the Captains are written equally inconsistently.
Archer in "Anomaly"
Sisko in "For the Uniform"
Picard in "First Contact"
Kirk in "Obsession"
In fact, Kirk in Obsession is probably the blueprint for all these other episodes.
Archer in "Anomaly"
Sisko in "For the Uniform"
Picard in "First Contact"
Kirk in "Obsession"
In fact, Kirk in Obsession is probably the blueprint for all these other episodes.
Exactly! Another example of Voyager getting criticised for things EVERY series did.
But in First Contact and For The Uniform there was context or explanation for why they acted differently. Arguably, Sisko's actions in For the Uniform are even not out of character for him given his actions In The Pale Moonlight. The criticisms of Janeway's character are that she sometimes reacted differently in similar situations with no context that would account for the change.
you know, I don't even disagree on a fundamental level, but you have to admit, Janeway was written particularly incosistently
I think there may have been one or two times when she acted out of character. As previously mentioned her persuit of Ransom was somewhat out of character. Exactly along the lines of Sisko persuing Michael Eddington. I can't really think of another instance where I thought she was acting out of character. Can anyone provide some concrete examples?
Acting out of character and being bipolar are very different things. I wish they would stop saying she was bipolar.
There was a website that posted articles from the 90s and mulgrew said jokingly it felt a little bipolar at times but defended it was the writing and not janeway.
There was a website that posted articles from the 90s and mulgrew said jokingly it felt a little bipolar at times but defended it was the writing and not janeway.
Firstly, of course Kate Mulgrew was joking about the suppose Janeway's bipolarity. I recognize that she might be more determined in her choice of words (ah, too often, some people use to take everything literally!) or simply, to call a spade a spade , in calling frankly the lack of consistency of Janeway. But well, contrary to some of the others actors (who themselves, were far from being blameless), she was enough gracious not to directly condemn people, either during or after shooting, who offered and permitted her to hold this golden role during 7 years.
Some will surely call her a hypocrite and they are free to do so but I note that despite this lack of consistency in Janeway, the character is not less fascinating, at least for me.
Secondly, in the real world (and I insist on this point), if Janeway had really suffered of bipolarity, her condition would have been detected, or much earlier at mandatory check ups passed throughout the career of any officer (and she would surely and simply have been kindly sidelined, as talented and daughter of Admiral as she was!) or after returning from DQ. Indeed, after 7 years spent in an unknown quadrant, the Delta Quadrant, to live in an almost total isolation, on the ship, you can be sure that the whole crew (including the former Maquis), would have been forced to undergo a long battery of tests (physical, mental and intellectual) and rest under surveillance, before their future is decided In short, no matter what could happen for them, all must be ready and the most possible,healthy, to face their new lives. If some of them had eventually developed any physical and/or mental illness, it would have been quickly discovered and the necessary follow-up action would have been done to rule them out the service, regardless of their state of exemplary service.
I would like to clarify I meant those who dismiss her and sling bipolar as an insult in which to do so. Trek Trolls, I call them. Had she in fact had a well researched mental illness then it be known with dignifty to those she represented being fictional and all.
I always thought that Janeway was protrayed as someone with an incredibly stressful job in a horrible sittuation. She was torn away from her fiance and family to probably never see them again. As captain she probably feels personal responsibility for everyone under her command and takes it hard when anyone is killed. She has the stress of keeping the ship going, keeping her crew safe, dealing with hostile outside foreced, limited supplies....she has a lot going on. Certainly some days the stress of that would get to her.
So true. Bravo! :-D
