'Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway' to be published in 2020

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Nutso
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'Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway' to be published in 2020

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https://comicbook.com/startrek/2019/10/ ... n-janeway/
Star Trek: Voyager will celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2020. Fans will be able to celebrate by immersing themselves in the life of Voyager’s captain, Kathryn Janeway, as told in her own words. Today at Destination Star Trek, Titan Books announced it will publish The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway. The book is “edited” by Una McCormack and bears the subtitle The History of the Captain Who Went Further Than Any Had Before. The book, written from Janeway’s perspective, will recount Janeway’s journey through the Delta Quadrant. It will offer Janeway’s thoughts on how she bound a crew of mixed Starfleet and Maquis personnel together. She’ll consider how she forged alliances and faced down the Borg on the Collective’s home turf. She’ll also reveal her thoughts on crewmates like Tuvok, Chakotay, Neelix, and Seven of Nine.

Voyager’s 25th anniversary is shaping up to be a big year for Janeway. Besides having her autobiography published, she’s also set to receive a monument in her future hometown of Bloomington, Indiana. Kate Mulgrew, who played Janeway on Voyager, reflected in a recent social media post on the first time she stepped into the role. “It’s come to my attention that on this day, 25 years ago, I filmed my first scenes as Captain Janeway,” Mulgrew wrote on Facebook. “Thus, 25 years ago today I walked onto the Bridge and my life changed utterly. A singularly privileged and extraordinary journey on that intrepid vessel, with my beloved crew. How lucky I have been.”
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Re: 'Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway' to be published in 20

Post by Graham Kennedy »

"bears the subtitle The History of the Captain Who Went Further Than Any Had Before"

Uh huh. Somebody didn't watch the TNG episode "Where No One Has Gone Before".

"It will offer Janeway’s thoughts on how she bound a crew of mixed Starfleet and Maquis personnel together."

That'll be interesting, given that she basically didn't do anything to achieve that. The Maquis arrived, and like two episodes later people were talking about how well the crews had bonded. Not to disparage Janeway - I suppose it's a compliment really, that she not only got the crews to bond, but did so like the week after they arrived, without having to even do anything to achieve it.

Snark aside I'd be interested to see what the writers of the book assume Janeway's thoughts were about these things. As written, Janeway tended to be rather inconsistent - breaking the rules at will one week, enforcing them with borderline fanaticism the next. It would be intriguing to see if whoever is writing this addresses that. I know Mulgrew has even been quoted as suggested that guilt over stranding everyone in the DQ may have driven Janeway a little crazy as a way to explain the inconsistent writing. I can't imagine the author is going to buy into that, though.
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Re: 'Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway' to be published in 20

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Graham Kennedy wrote:"bears the subtitle The History of the Captain Who Went Further Than Any Had Before"

Uh huh. Somebody didn't watch the TNG episode "Where No One Has Gone Before".

"It will offer Janeway’s thoughts on how she bound a crew of mixed Starfleet and Maquis personnel together."

That'll be interesting, given that she basically didn't do anything to achieve that. The Maquis arrived, and like two episodes later people were talking about how well the crews had bonded. Not to disparage Janeway - I suppose it's a compliment really, that she not only got the crews to bond, but did so like the week after they arrived, without having to even do anything to achieve it.

Snark aside I'd be interested to see what the writers of the book assume Janeway's thoughts were about these things. As written, Janeway tended to be rather inconsistent - breaking the rules at will one week, enforcing them with borderline fanaticism the next. It would be intriguing to see if whoever is writing this addresses that. I know Mulgrew has even been quoted as suggested that guilt over stranding everyone in the DQ may have driven Janeway a little crazy as a way to explain the inconsistent writing. I can't imagine the author is going to buy into that, though.
Voyager could have been New Battlestar Galactica great since it had the elements of a crew that hates each other being forced to join forces to survive all alone in the universe for the first time of their lives. Truly taking Star Trek in new dramatic places. Like the exploration of TOS but the goal is survival. Each season gets more and more desperate, paranoia and schizophrenia setting in, Maquis and Federation about to come to blows, and they haven't even reached Borg Space yet.
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Re: 'Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway' to be published in 20

Post by AlexMcpherson79 »

Unfortunately, it existed in a time when only Babylon 5 got with the program of "yeah no actions have consequences you can't just write it off!"
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Re: 'Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway' to be published in 20

Post by Graham Kennedy »

I've said before, if I were doing Voyager I would have had a season or multi-season arc with the Maquis scheming to take over the ship. Gradually working to recruit Starfleet types - and they'd succeed with some of them, too. And Chakotay would have been the ultimate magnificent bastard. Telling Janeway there's unease in the Maquis and he's working to keep them in line but needs her to leave it to him and not concern herself; telling the Maquis he's working to undermine Janeway and make their mutiny a success. And always actually out for himself, playing both sides against each other whilst he stays on good terms with both, making sure he'll come out well no matter what happens.

But nope. Having set the Maquis up all through DS9, specifically so they could be used in Voyager, the producers then decided not to bother. Apparently the network took the message from DS9 that fans didn't like it because it was "too dark" for the usually Utopian Trek, and just like that they ordered the whole rebel Maquis aspect of the show dumped. Whups, sorry about all that time building it up but never mind. Then right before shooting began, Berman took the actors to lunch and informed them all that the aliens of the week were the real stars of the show and they should make sure not to steal any of the spotlight.

Galactica had their own issues, of course (no, they did NOT "have a plan", ever), but yeah, the kind of rough interpersonal stuff they did could have played out in Voyager. Oh well.
Give a man a fire, and you keep him warm for a day. SET a man on fire, and you will keep him warm for the rest of his life...
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