Kate Mulgrew

This week (Wednesday, to be specific) marked the twenty fourth anniversary of the premiere of ‘Star Trek: Voyager’. For some, the occasion is cause for reflection and nostalgia, for others, it means an excuse to binge watch the show. And some of us are just taking advantage of the opportunity to feel… so very old.

For the official ‘Star Trek’ twitter account, though, it was cause to celebrate. And celebrate they did, asking fans to share their favorite memories of the series. But who says the responses had to be limited to fans? Amid the myriad replies – which ran the gamut from nostalgic to heartfelt and even inspirational – was one from Captain Janeway herself, Kate Mulgrew:

“Memories of ‘Voyager’ are legion. But very hard to beat my first entrance onto The Bridge from my Ready Room, with Paramount [and] UPN brass watching my every move [and] Rick Kolbe’s voice in my ear, “The Bridge is your living room – it belongs to you, and nowhere else on Earth or in space are you more comfortable.”

It’s rather appropriate that Mulgrew’s favorite ‘Voyager’ memory should be her first time stepping onto the bridge because she very nearly wasn’t there at all. In fact, she was a late addition to the cast, only landing the role after filming had already begun. Originally, French-Canadian actress Genevieve Bujold was cast in the role, though she would ultimately be dismissed two days into the filming of the pilot episode. (The producers have since stated that the reason for this was that Bujold’s acting style didn’t mesh well with the rest of the cast.) Following Bujold’s departure, Mulgrew was brought in for another round of auditions and won the part. In the process, an icon was born, as Mulgrew spent the next seven years proving that not only was she the right choice for the role, she was the only choice.

What is your favorite memory of ‘Star Trek: Voyager’? Let us know in the comments and be sure to check back for more ‘Star Trek’ news as it becomes available!