Summary
- Kate Mulgrew requested a gay character on Star Trek: Voyager but was told no.
- Despite breaking barriers with the first female Captain to lead a Star Trek series, Voyager did not include an LGBTQ+ cast member.
- Seven of Nine became an LGBTQ+ character on Star Trek: Picard 20 years after Voyager ended.
Kate Mulgrew says she requested Star Trek: Voyager add a gay character, but the answer was no. Mulgrew starred as Captain Kathryn Janeway, the first female Captain to lead her own Star Trek series. Star Trek: Voyager ran for 7 seasons on UPN, and Janeway became an icon who inspired countless women to pursue careers in STEM. Star Trek: Voyager expanded the Star Trek universe and introduced numerous new and beloved characters and concepts, but an LGBTQ+ cast member is not part of Star Trek: Voyager's legacy.
Appearing on stage at FAN EXPO Boston, Kate Mulgrew revealed that she told Star Trek executive producer Rick Berman that "we need a gay character" on Star Trek: Voyager. But despite Mulgrew making it known to Paramount that this was "my preference and my choice," Kate was told "there wasn't any room" for an LGBTQ+ character on Star Trek: Voyager. X user Craig Semon (@CraigSemon) shared the video which you can watch below:
20 years after Star Trek: Voyager ended, Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) became an LGBTQ+ character, sparking a romantic relationship with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) on Star Trek: Picard.
Star Trek Has Added Many LGBTQ+ Characters After Voyager Ended
Kate Mulgrew should be proud
Star Trek in the 1990s declined to Kate Mulgrew's attempt to have a gay character join Star Trek: Voyager's cast, but Star Trek on Paramount+'s current series made LGBTQ+ characters throughout Starfleet perfectly normal. Star Trek: Discovery broke barriers by introducing Commander Paul Stamets (Anthony Rapp) and Dr. Hugh Culber (Wilson Cruz) as Star Trek's first gay married couple, and Discovery also introduced Star Trek's first nonbinary character, Ensign Adira Tal (Blu del Barrio), and Star Trek's first transgender character, Gray Tal (Ian Alexander). Every other Star Trek series now has at least one character who identifies as LGBTQ+.
Lt. Hikaru Sulu (John Cho) in the alternate Kelvin Timeline was revealed to be gay in Star Trek Beyond.
Seven of Nine wasn't defined as LGBTQ+ on Star Trek: Voyager, but on Star Trek: Picard, Seven is the first queer Captain of the USS Enterprise, with her partner, Commander Raffi Musiker serving as her First Officer. Lieutenant Beckett Mariner (Tawny Newsome) has dated women on Star Trek: Lower Decks, and so has Nurse Christine Chapel (Jess Bush) on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. Kate Mulgrew can be proud that her progressive vision for Star Trek: Voyager has been realized by modern Star Trek.
