Played By: Kate Mulgrew
When the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656 is stranded in the Delta Quadrant, Captain Kathryn Janeway must re-evaluate everything she learned at Starfleet Academy and has experienced on the job. For instance, if there's only one Federation ship in this remote corner of the Galaxy how can the same rules still apply? Suddenly, Janeway is not on solid footing as a captain; half her crew are former Maquis enemies, and her new pilot, Tom Paris, is on parole from prison.
At first Janeway's worries center on keeping Chakotay and his Maquis crew in line and her ship in one piece. In 2372 Janeway and Chakotay are still at odds and it is not until they become sick and believe they will have to live together on a Delta Quadrant planet for the rest of their lives that their relationship changes and a bond develops. Though they are eventually cured, they remain a team when they return to the ship.
As life settles down on Voyager, Janeway realizes she will be more alone than others and begins to rely on holo-romance novels and conversations with a holographic Leonardo daVinci as an outlet. In 2376 Janeway meets a holodeck character named Michael Sullivan and, after some personal embarrassment, concludes she is ready for a romance; her first such encounter since the beginning of the voyage. It may be no coincidence that this affair happens after communications with the Alpha Quadrant are established and Janeway learns that her fiancée, Mark, is married.
As the journey home progresses Janeway finds herself defending Starfleet protocol to the former Maquis and even Starfleet crew who see these rules as impediments to their progress. Janeway rediscovers the wisdom of these choices and sticks to her values when the encounter with the U.S.S. Equinox in 2375 emphasizes the differences between good and bad choices.
Janeway's military achievements include avoiding Borg assimilation, surviving Species 8472, the Kazon, Vaadwaur, Quarran, and more. More satisfying to her is making a home for ex-Borg Seven of Nine, giving the EMH room to grow, opening a dialog with Species 8472, making friends with the Talaxians, saving the Night Beings from Malon toxic waste, and being able to report to Admiral Paris that his son, Tom Paris, is alive and a valued crewmember.
