Star Trek: 10 Greatest Captain Janeway Speeches

A great speech doesn't necessarily have to come as a display of positive strength or power or authority. In fact, one of Captain Janeway's finest speeches comes when she is at her most vulnerable. 

Season 5 opener, Night, sees Voyager set to be travelling through a desolate region of space - labelled "The Void" - for the next two years and the crew are feeling the strain. Captain Janeway is suspiciously absent from the bridge and briefings, with it later revealed that she has isolated herself away from the crew since entering The Void. Chakotay attempts to, gently, confront her about it and is met with a sarcastic, yet deflated, response, as the captain dismisses his invitation to play Velocity and chastises her decision to destroy the Caretaker's array:

I made an error in judgment, Chakotay. It was short-sighted and it was selfish, and now all of us are paying for my mistake. 

Kate Mulgrew has always been vocal about the importance, to her, of imbuing Janeway with vulnerability as well as strength. But these two attributes can be synonymous. Vulnerable does not mean weak and strong does not mean inhuman. This speech, indeed this entire episode, serves to highlight that even the strongest and most confident of leaders have moments of uncertainty and doubt - that's what makes us human. 

Arguably, the fact that Captain Janeway was able to identify and express her vulnerability, only serves to emphasise her strength. It takes great courage to admit when one is struggling, and even greater courage to confront those struggles and accept help from others to do so.