Dear God. That would reflect terribly on Janeway.
I love Janeway, and don’t prescribe to many of the (mis)characterizations I’ve seen questioning her stability over the course of Voyager, but over the course of Voyager I think Janeway came across as capabale of pettiness, and vindictiveness at times.
And this isn’t something exclusive to Janeway, I would characterize both Kirk and Picard similarly based on their actions and attitudes from time to time in TOS, TNG, and the films.
I agree that it’s not a positive quality, but a human failing that as imperfect beings our heroes will still demonstrate on occasion when they falter, or have been particularly hurt by emotional pain, loss, or deception.
Vindictiveness feels like a natural potential response when someone is both hurt and defensive, as Janeway seemed to be by the end of
Hope and Fear. She had been lied to, promised a way home for her crew, and the anger she had at that being dangled before them and taken away was compounded with the guilt from feeling responsible for Arturis’s people.
I can see someone who for the most part tries to adhere to a higher moral standard slipping in the way she responds to that experience, and saying “I want this as close to the ship he promised me as you can make it.”
Let's say Harry Kim designed it then.
It’s funny you mention that, because in
The Omega Directive there’s a moment where Harry has a line of dialogue mentioning working on Janeway’s idea to “detonate a type six protostar” as a potential way to get home faster. I think it’s highly likely Harry, and B’Elanna and Tom, designed the Protostar itself, and almost certainly helped make the Dauntless a reality, with their experience making shuttles and with the original fake Dauntless.
