Return to Star Trek Voyager main page Talk directly to Banana Torres (Belanna) 7 of 9 (Jeri Ryan) Captain Kathryn Janeway Trivia (click here): bjkYrNtFPAZuVrXxay Help rescue Captain Kathryn Janeway from slavery! (click here) TV-Commentary - Star Trek Voyager Captain Kathryn Janeway: Feminist role model for the 24th century? Captain Kathryn Janeway represents the ultimate evolution of women in Star Trek, in more ways than one. This is the first time we see a woman captain as a regular character. In Next Generation there were several episodes where women guest starred as Captains, but they didn't seem very tough or capable. In "Yesterday's Enterprise", Rachel Garrett was captain of the Enterprise C, but was quickly taken out of the picture when a piece of metal lodged in her brain. In "Conspiracy" Picard meets Triella Scott, one of the youngest captains ever who happen to be female. Captain Picard even asks her something like, "I heard you were the best" and she replies, "I am." Unfortunately, it turns out later in the episode that "the best" has been taken over by alien parasites, undermining her claim to greatness. There have also been women admirals too, but they have either been out-and-out cuddly grandma's ("Suddenly Human") or crazed McCarthyite inquisitors ("The Drumhead") or right-wing collaborationists with the Starfleet industrial complex ("The Pegasus"). But Captain Kathryn Janeway of the starship Voyager, the first women in a central role, as captain of a starship on a weekly basis, has set a very different example. As Q noted, Captain Kathryn Janeway has managed to be a strong authority figure without having to totally give up her feminine side in her professional persona. True, she seems compelled to wear her hair up in a bun, at least for the first two seasons, but she gradually "let her hair down" by converting to a ponytail, showing she was becoming more comfortable in inserting more feminine elements in her role. And although she could be tough, ordering phaser attacks on other ships, she retained that sensitive side. When crewmembers disobyed her orders, she dressed them down, but she also showed her sensitive side as well. When Tuvok disobeyed her order to obtain technology that could get them back to the Alpha Quadrant, Captain Janeway seemed upset on a personal level that Tuvok had let her down. When Chacko disregarded orders and took a shuttle to go after Sesca, Captain Janeway was also personally offended and told him so. In fact, Janeway seemed to focus quite a bit on the quality of personal relationships, and that's what differentiated her from male Captains, like Captain Picard. When a crewmember let Captain Picard down, he reprimanded them woodenly, and then went back to staring at his fishtank without further comment. But Captain Janeway, in the privacy of her ready room, oozed with emotions, her feelings hurt at being betrayed. Kathryn seems to be thinking less "how shall I punish them? and more "how do I feel about them?". A man would be more interested in enforcing rules; Janeway is more interested in enforcing relationships. What Star Trek is saying here is that women can be capable and effective leaders and retain their feminine aspects as well. Star Trek is also saying that women are just as capable as men in being in top roles. Click here to post a message        posts on 6/5/2006 12:19:23 PM I totally agree. Kathryn is the best female role model. Dr. Beverly Crusher is okay too, and Deanna Troi, but Kathryn Janeway totally tops them. Kat all the way!        Kasreyn posts on 7/30/2005 5:07:28 PM Except for how late in the series bad writing reduced her to a sexless mother-figure whose only purpose apparently was to smile crinkily at her various surrogate children. Oh, and get pushed around by every male who came on her ship. Seriously, the last few seasons consistently weakened the wonderful strong-female character that was established in the first season. :\        The commentator Steve Finefrock posts on 4/30/2005 5:02:53 AM Picard had a signal command, "Make it so" that was his trademark. Was there an equivalent for Janeway?        Hennah posts on 4/19/2005 4:32:39 PM I 100% agree with you here :) I admired kathryn janeway for having all the qualities you mentioned above, she's my most favorite captain! Click here to post a message Other Recent Star Trek Voyager Discussions Did B'nana find her labor pains to be erotic? 5/11/2008 6:55:09 PM Seven of Nine - I dream of Chakotay? 2/3/2008 4:43:40 AM If one character had to be lost in a transporter accident… 2/3/2008 4:38:04 AM Why hasn't the crew mutanied against Captain Janeway by now? 12/16/2007 3:29:55 PM All the characters are Cylons 6/18/2007 12:37:25 AM How Gay is Neelix? 5/25/2007 9:57:14 AM PARODY of the "sending letters home" episode 5/22/2007 1:24:54 PM The political correctness of this show is maddening! 5/19/2007 5:25:38 AM Chako: Bad actor with bad writing, or just bad actor? 5/14/2007 5:13:26 PM Last Episode: A person marries the Doc? 4/2/2007 8:25:26 PM The very worst episodes of Voyager 2/9/2007 11:18:09 AM Why the 70,000 lightyear journey doesn't work… 12/30/2006 7:48:18 AM Why doesn't the Doctor make a backup of himself? 11/30/2006 10:03:06 AM Last Episode: 7 of 9 & Chako: Did Chako need an emotion chip too? 10/28/2006 5:11:19 PM The very best episodes of Voyager 10/3/2006 4:20:01 PM Last Episode: Unsatisfying ending? 9/5/2006 8:27:04 AM How come Voyager never runs out of anything? 8/30/2006 1:57:34 PM If they could use the replicators, why did they have to eat Neelix's crappy cooking? 8/15/2006 9:00:47 PM PARODY: The voyager home 6/5/2006 12:23:45 PM Captain Kathryn Janeway: Feminist role model for the 24th century? 6/5/2006 12:19:23 PM Why is Captain Kathryn Janeway only intimate with herself? 6/5/2006 12:18:35 PM Does Borg drone 7 of 9 have antigrav units in her uniform? 5/10/2006 10:13:10 AM Did B'nana always beat up Tom in bed? 5/10/2006 10:07:11 AM Tom Paris and the Hair Club for Helmsmen 5/10/2006 9:55:07 AM When did Voyager stop being interesting? 4/13/2006 6:10:55 AM B'nana's Klingon Abortion 1/11/2006 12:59:45 PM Why does B'nana feel the need to strip down so often? 12/14/2005 3:20:10 PM Last Episode: Who aged the worst? 9/28/2005 5:43:54 PM Why wasn't B'nana Torres visibly hispanic? 9/9/2005 1:39:53 PM Does Voyager support euthanasia? 9/5/2005 10:16:13 PM If Chakotay were a real Indian, wouldn't he have scalped Captain Janeway by now? 8/1/2005 1:41:54 PM Why would Tom marry B'nana? 7/29/2005 3:52:31 PM Last Episode: What's with the Batman technology? 7/19/2005 5:38:09 AM Could Voyager Captain Kathryn Janeway's Holoboyfriend get her pregnant? 4/22/2005 11:16:45 PM Note: the views expressed here are only those of the posters.

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