Star Trek: 10 Greatest Captain Janeway Speeches

by Ellie Littlechild

1. Fear Only Exists For One Purpose - The Thaw

Janeway Thaw I Know Star Trek Voyager
CBS

Being stranded in the Delta Quadrant means that fear is something felt a great deal onboard Voyager. Fear of loss; fear of death; and, most greatly, fear of the unknown. But when season 2's The Thaw sees Captain Janeway come face to face with a literal manifestation of fear itself, she more than overcomes its hold. 

Janeway enters the simulated world of "fear" entirely calm and collected, although certainly with an air of disdain for this unyielding being. The entire sequence shows the captain displaying total confidence and her luring of Fear into her trap is phenomenally executed. At first stroking his ego by acknowledging the positive benefits of the emotion: 

I've known fear. It's a very healthy thing most of the time. You warn us of danger, remind us of our limits, protect us from carelessness. I've learned to trust fear. 

 Before delivering the revelatory blow:

You know as well as I do that fear only exists for one purpose. To be conquered.

Not only is this final scene a display of wonderful acting, and of the fearless - no pun intended - determination of Captain Janeway, but it also enforces such a significant and strong message to viewers. As well as entertainment, Star Trek strives to encourage, bolden and reinforce the strengths, and weaknesses, of humanity, to push its audience into being the best versions of themselves that they possibly can be.

There is no greater message than that of this episode - fear does not control us, we control fear. 

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Ellie has been part of the WhatCulture team since 2021 where she began as a freelance presenter for the WhoCulture channel. As a diehard Whovian with a BA (hons) degree in Drama and Acting, this role was the perfect opportunity for her to combine her screen presence training with her extensive Doctor Who knowledge. From there, she branched out to various other WhatCulture channels, including TrekCulture, and became a full time Content Producer/Video Presenter in 2023. Ellie is now a regular fixture on both WhoCulture and TrekCulture and has become a well respected public figure within both fandoms, building up a substantial following across her social media platforms and being given the opportunity to represent the channels and the wider communities at several industry events. Her favourite Doctor Who character is River Song and her favourite Star Trek character is Captain Janeway - which tells you everything you need to know about how she approaches her role within a generally male dominated field.