The Star Trek Guest Actor Who Almost Played Captain Janeway Before Kate Mulgrew

When “Star Trek: Voyager” was in development in 1994, the franchise was in full swing. “Star Trek: The Next Generation” was coming to the big screen in the form of “Star Trek: Generations,” and its spinoff, “Star Trek: Deep Space Nine,” was finding its stride at the start of its third season. “Deep Space Nine,” however, was set aboard a space station, and franchise bosses felt a bonus “Trek” show should be created to incorporate a more traditional star journey. “Voyager” was placed aboard a Starfleet ship, the USS Voyager, when it became stranded 75 years from Earth.

The show’s creators Rick Berman, Michael Piller and the recently deceased Jeri Taylor, while developing their series, decided they wanted the captain of the USS Voyager to be a woman, since all of the previous “Star Trek” main captains had been men. Captain Kathryn Janeway was created and casting began in due course. Ultimately, the trio settled on veteran actress Kate Mulgrew for the role, and many liked Mulgrew’s directness and natural authority; Janeway was a great character and Mulgrew helped her grow.

But Mulgrew was not a favorite from the start. In fact, deep Trekkies can probably tell you about the notorious two days on the set of “Voyager” when celebrated Canadian actress Geneviève Bujold played Janeway. Bujold, who was not used to working on television, could not stand the fast pace of the show and had very little energy (as surviving footage indicated). She resigned after two days and Mulgrew came in to replace her at the last minute.

Fewer people will likely be able to tell you about a third actress who was also seriously considered for Janeway. It seems that Susan Gibney, who had previously played Dr. Leah Brahms in two episodes of “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” had gone through a lengthy audition process for “Voyager,” and was apparently on the verge of landing the role when Bujold was drafted. Gibney spoke about his numerous auditions in a 2014 interview with StarTrek.com.

The way Gibney describes it, she and Bujold were being considered at the same time. Bujold, being the more famous of the two, seemed more likely to land the role of Captain Janeway, but Gibney felt that the showrunners were really targeting her. After all, she was already part of the “Star Trek” family thanks to her two “Next Generation” episodes. Dr. Brahms, to explain for the uninitiated, was the designer of the USS Enterprise and had a rivalry with Geordi La Forge (LeVar Burton), the ship’s chief engineer. They had a very awkward first meeting, as Geordi fell in love with a hologram of Dr. Brahms. Gibney played both the hologram and the real-life Leah.

Gibney was comfortable with “Star Trek.” I knew the people involved and was ready to lead a new series. She was brought back to the set of “Voyager” again and again to prove herself. He even wore the captain’s uniform. As Gibney recalls:

“They did a full screen test and brought in the other actors and crew. We did several hair tests and several costume tests, and then they brought in everyone who had been cast and the entire crew. And they filmed most of the scenes . in the pilot that day. Was it the first test or the second? I did three tests for them every time I thought it was over… I guess I confronted Genevieve (when Bujold left) and they said: ‘Susan, You have to fly back to Los Angeles. Then there was another audition.”

Landing lead roles on major television shows is, of course, a long and arduous process that involves multiple levels of approval from all the studio heads, but even by that yardstick, Gibney seemed to be hanging around in circles.

Gibney recalled having to audition consecutively with many other actresses who, in her opinion, were not very good for the role. She suspected her audition partners were strategic picks by executive producer Rick Berman to make her look better. Unfortunately, it didn’t seem to be enough, as Mulgrew eventually got the job. As she remembered:

“I had an audition with another woman, but evidently the other woman didn’t do as well that day as they would have liked, so they thought Rick was trying to get me on the show by not having good enough people in front of me. “Then it went to the last round and anyway, we know the results of that one. It was weeks and weeks and I was in, and I was out, and I was in, and I was out. It was a long process.”

Gibney said he received a “consolation prize” of sorts for his long efforts. She was eventually cast in a two-part episode “Deep Space Nine” as a character named Commander Erika Benteen. In the first part, “Homefront” (January 1, 1996), he was Commander. In the second part, “Paradise Lost” (January 8), the character had been promoted to Captain. She was placed in command of a spaceship called the USS Lakota.

So Gibney didn’t get to play Captain Janeway, but she did play a legitimate Starfleet captain, even if it was just for one episode. And, as Trekkies have fond memories, she will always be remembered as an integral part of “Star Trek” history. Plus, many have argued that “Deep Space Nine” is the best of all the “Star Trek” shows — better than “Voyager,” for sure — so Gibney will always have that to satisfy him.