10 Star Trek Characters More Important Than You Realised

The importance of Captain Janeway as the first female captain to shepherd a Star Trek series should always be noted. She got her crew home, and she did it in style. Her inestimable leadership skills are rightfully lauded, but what deserves equal praise is her scientific acumen.

She is, first and foremost, a woman of science, whose knowledge and expertise plays a key part in Voyager’s successful journey through the Delta Quadrant. From black holes, graviton ellipses, dark matter lifeforms, to dozens of first contacts, and even the good sense to step back from the final frontier on occasion, Janeway’s constant curiosity made sure that the trip back was a worthwhile one.

Her example has not gone unnoticed in the real world where the character is often cited as a role model for women entering the sciences. She has helped demystify and de-characterise a field dominated by men. In October 2020, The Janeway Collective erected a statue to that effect in her honour next to the Wonderlab Museum in Bloomington, Indiana (Janeway’s future birthplace), stating,

"Kate Mulgrew’s portrayal of Janeway as a scientist, and her role as one of the first female lead characters in a sci-fi series has inspired girls and women in STEM fields for years."

Such an impressive legacy made it to actual space in 2015 when real life astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti, in Voyager-era Starfleet uniform, tweeted a photo of herself from the International Space Station captioned, "There’s coffee in that nebula […]".