Star Trek Universe Welcomes Back Kate Mulgrew, But With A Twist

The Star Trek universe is welcoming back another actor from its classic shows, this time announcing the return of Kate Mulgrew, the actress behind Voyager character Captain Kathryn Janeway. Mulgrew will have a starring role in a previously announced and yet-to-premiere Star Trek series, but not quite in the way you think. Rather than acting in another live-action series, Mulgrew will voice a character in the kid's show Star Trek: Prodigy.

CBS announced plans to premiere an animated kids show set in the Star Trek universe earlier this year, offering a preview of the show's logo and not much else. Today's announcement brought some key details about the series, namely that Captain Janeway will be one of the characters in the show. We last saw Mulgrew in the Star Trek universe during Voyager's run from 1995 to 2001.

CBS Entertainment announced this latest update on the Star Trek website, explaining that this was its surprise announcement for Star Trek fans during a virtual panel for New York Comic-Con. The company promises to reveal other voice actors for the show 'in coming months,' but no word was given on who may be in consideration for the series.

In a statement of her own, Mulgrew said:

I have invested every scintilla of my being in Captain Janeway, and I can't wait to endow her with nuance that I never did before in Star Trek: Prodigy. How thrilling to be able to introduce to these young minds an idea that has elevated the world for decades. To be at the helm again is going to be deeply gratifying in a new way for me.

Star Trek: Prodigy will premiere on Nickelodeon from CBS Eye Animation Productions. The series will introduce kids to the Star Trek universe, following in the footsteps of Star Wars, which has seen multiple animated kids shows during its time. At this point in time, we only know that Prodigy is scheduled to premiere next year, assuming the pandemic doesn't end up delaying it.