Kate Mulgrew Returning As Captain Janeway For Star Trek: Prodigy

[Eren]

The Star Trek Universe panel at New York Comic Con reveals that Kate Mulgrew will reprise the iconic role of Captain Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Prodigy. Janeway was the first female captain of a federation starship to lead their own series in the Star Trek universe, with Mulgrew originating the role for Star Trek: Voyager. She played Janeway throughout the show's seven-season run from 1995 to 2001. Captain Janeway has since become an iconic part of the Star Trek universe, and Mulgrew remains one of the most popular former Star Trek stars.

The actor has since gone on to become just as well-known for playing Russian inmate Galina "Red" Reznikov on Orange Is The New Black. CBS, meanwhile, has been developing an original animated series with Nickelodeon called Star Trek: Prodigy which follows the adventures of a group of rebellious teens who discover a derelict Starfleet ship and use it to search for adventure, meaning and salvation. Ben Hibon, who produced the animated segment of Harry Potter: The Deathly Hallows Part 1, will serve as the creative lead on the show, which will use CG animation to bring the Star Trek universe to life.

Now, in a surprise announcement during today's Star Trek Universe panel at NYCC, it was announced that Mulgrew would be returning as Captain Janeway for Star Trek: Prodigy, as the lead on the show, and revealed that she will guide the teens on their voyage on the starship they find. Mulgrew calls the opportunity to reprise the role for children a "thrilling" one, while executive producer Alex Kurtzman says that he "can think of no better captain to inspire the next generation" of Star Trek fans. You can watch the announcement, as well as the full comments from Mulgrew, Kurtzman and Star Trek: Prodigy's co-creators Kevin and Dan Hageman, in the video below:

The news of Mulgrew's casting is a massive coup for the animated show. It connects Prodigy to the rest of the Star Trek universe while also allowing it to be its own show. It's unclear what form Janeway's appearance will take. There is the possibility that she could be leading the teens from a distance, as she is now a Vice Admiral of the federation in the wider universe, or she could be appearing as a digital version of Captain Janeway, leading them as the discarded ship's computer.

Either way, her addition to the show will likely gain it a few more fans than it would have otherwise. This won't be Janeway's first appearance in a Star Trek animated series, as she was mentioned in Star Trek: Lower Decks in reference to the "Janeway Protocol," but this will be Mulgrew's first appearance in the universe since Voyager ended. There has been no word on who will join Mulgrew in the show's cast, but you can expect the voice actors who will play the teens in Star Trek: Prodigy to be announced shortly. The show is set to debut on Nickelodeon in 2021.