Personally I'm amazed that no one is interested in taking on the creative challenges of writing for the only female captain in Trek.
You couldn't possibly be more wrong about this. Setting aside the other incredibly strong women who are now captains in their own right in other series, to suggest that the choice to not immediately resurrect Janeway is an indication that we see a challenge and are simply unwilling to rise to it is simply unworthy of the writers and editors who are continuing to explore this universe.
As I've said before, probably many times now, there are as many posibilities for the future of all of Voyager's characters as anyone cares to imagine. Right now we are choosing the deepest and most difficult of those that are possible in an effort to continue to create the most compelling stories imaginable. We may not fulfill everyone's hopes and dreams in our execution, but please don't insult us by imagining that the choices before us when this project was first contemplated were simple and we just opted for the path of least resistance because we weren't interested in a challenge.
You're not going to find a writer or fan who loves Janeway more than I do. Feel free to look, but I'd take that bet any day. And in every choice I've made I have tried to do justice both to the best of what was portrayed in her on screen and the less satisfying choices which were sometimes made by the show's later producers because whether I agreed with them or not creatively, they are now part of the rich tapestry that is Kathryn Janeway.
In a later post you mentioned that you believe the TrekBBS is somehow hostile to Janeway and Voyager fans. I'm going to go out on a limb here and suggest to you that many of the folks who post on this board regularly are some of those most interested in demanding that written Trek continue to live up to the best traditions of the filmed series. To criticize a show, an episode, a novel or a character is not a hostile act. It is simply an acknowledgment of a personal opinion and as someone dedicated to writing the best Trek I can, I take those opinions seriously. If we can't look ourselves in the mirror and say here's where we're succeeding, and here's where we're falling short, we can't possibilty be expected to meet or exceed expectations.
That's not to say, of course, that we write these things by committee. We make difficult creative choices and then give them everything we've got, fully aware that sometimes people are going to be disappointed. But I don't take criticisms here as a sign of simple disregard. Voyager may not have been everyone's cup of tea. I absolutely loved the series and the more I re-watch it, which I do, in full, every single time I write a new novel, the more I find to excite me about the possiblities of this series. I don't need everyone to agree with me about that. It's never going to happen. But when individuals raise legitimate concerns about the execution of the work, I do try and consider the question from their point of view. I take these comments as a sign that the dedicated readers out there are hungry for the best Trek they can get their hands on and even when they're poking us with a stick, they're really demonstrating their affection and encouraging us to continue to stretch ourselves.
Voyager is infinitely more than the sum of its parts. Yes, Janeway was and is an amazing character. And it bears repeating that she is still alive during much of
Full Circle. Beyond Janeway, however, there are still tons of other fascinating characters who have a long road ahead of them. For me, a lot of what defined Janeway and what made her the heart and soul of Voyager, was her absolute devotion to those she led. Her crew meant infinitely more to her than her own life, as she demonstrated time and again in the choices she made. Surely those who meant so much to her are as worthy of your respect. God knows, they have mine.
As an individual, you are of course free to spend your time and energy only on those stories which appeal to you. If you are only a Janeway fan, and you only want Janeway stories, that's one thing. But if you are a Voyager fan, you do yourself and everyone else here a great disservice by suggesting that there is only one way for this series to move forward in a challening manner.
Kirsten Beyer
Kira Nerys has been the C.O. of DS9 and the U.S.S. Defiant for the last eighteen Deep Space Nine novels; the last eight of them as a Starfleet captain. And this month, we began our exploration of Captain Erika Hernandez of the NX-02 Columbia, and also introduced Captain Ezri Dax of the U.S.S. Aventine--both in the crossover trilogy, Destiny. 
