There are various Star Trek monuments around the United States, all of which celebrate the franchise and its characters in some unique way. Bloomington, Indiana, for example, has a bust of Voyager’s Kathryn Janeway, which memorializes one of the most iconic captains in Starfleet history. Not everyone is a fan of the statue, however and, after one concerned citizen voiced their opinion about Janeway actress Kate Mulgrew visiting the statue, she shared a great response.
Kate Mulgrew recently revealed that she’ll be visiting the Captain Janeway statue in October, which understandably caught the attention of folks living in the area. One fan, in particular, wrote to a local paper, explaining why they think it's problematic to have a statue of Janeway in the character’s hometown centuries ahead of her birth:
A concerned Indiana resident wanting to protect the timeline. pic.twitter.com/XZyfjLl6zRAugust 11, 2022
It’s a rough decision to actively work towards preventing the future Kathryn Janeway and the Voyager crew from their accidental trip to the Delta Quadrant centuries from now, but I see why it’s necessary. Sure, it took seven years for the Voyager to make it back to Earth after being transported to the other side of the galaxy, but there were some positive things that came of it. Among other things, Seven Of Nine eventually integrated into human society -- and will apparently join Starfleet in Star Trek: Picard Season 3 (which will be filled with awesome things) .
As the actress who portrays Kathryn Janeway, I suppose Kate Mulgrew shoulders some responsibility for any future-altering events that may occur. Thankfully, she’s already on top of it and after resharing the article on Twitter, promised that she and others are monitoring the situation and have it under control:
I solemnly promise to not cause any temporal anomalies when I visit my statue in Bloomington this October. The @JanewayCollect1 is on alert and ready to handle any casualty loops before they occur.
Assuming that Kate Mulgrew and The Janeway Collective (the group responsible for the statue) do their due diligence, then her visit on Sunday, October 23rd should come to pass without incident. Personally, I wouldn’t be upset if we had some kind of First Contact from other lifeforms on that fateful day, though I guess wishing for first contact decades ahead of the actual date in Star Trek lore could be equally as damaging as letting a future Kathryn see her statue (First Contact also dealt with time travel).
I guess I’ll just settle for the super cool moment of seeing a beloved Trek actress see her character’s statue for the first time. It should be a cool day for fans all the same, and maybe even generate enough hype from fans to convince Paramount+ to make a Voyager movie.
Catch Kate Mulgrew as Kathryn Janeway by streaming Star Trek: Voyager and Prodigy (which Mulgrew felt she needed to be a part of) on Paramount+. There are plenty of upcoming Trek shows to look forward to, including the second half of Prodigy Season 1, which is coming up later in 2022. Be sure to keep an eye out for its arrival especially if you’re a fan of the Janeway and Chakotay reveals.
