THX7966

Has anyone had a chance to see Genevieve Bujold as Janeway in the Voyager extras? You can really see how unhappy she is. In one scene, after the director yells "Cut", she snears at someone off camera. Very disturbing. Why did they hire her in the first place?

Holly E. Ordway

I was wondering why exactly did they *fire* her?

She looks stern on-camera, but I didn't catch any indications of her being unhappy in the clips I saw (admittedly I wasn't watching that closely). I found it curious that in the featurette they were so cagey about why they got rid of her - just that she would have been great on a film but after a day of shooting they knew she wouldn't work out for TV. My hypotheses were 1) personality conflicts, or 2) she couldn't learn her lines fast enough for TV, or possibly 3) she didn't like the pace of filming.

Anybody know the grisly details?

(Personally, I thought she made a better captain than Janeway, in those clips... more believable and with a non-screechy voice.)

A-aron

The talk was that she was not prepared for the grueling schedule that comes with a TV shoot. Longs days and shooting the same scene over and over and over didn't sit well with her.

I believe it was noted that she had never done a television series prior to her attempt at this one.

The Infidel

I assume you mean she made a better captain than Kate Mulgrew. Janeway is the captain.

movielib

I remember being very excited at the prospect of Bujold in this part and being disappointed when it fell through. I think she would have been much better than Mulgrew.

But as achau9598 noted, Bujold didn't take to it. And yes, she quit, she wasn't fired.

Dazed

Kate Mulgrew never really bothered me and I like the way she mixed the sternness of being a captain with warmth for the crew.

I do however know 2 people who couldnt watch the show because to them her voice was the equivilent of nails on a chalkboard. Seeing as people here have hinted about her 'screechy' voice as well, its probably more widespred than I thought.

Fanboy

Mmmmhmmmm. Couldn't watch the show for exactly that reason. She sounded like she had beamed over from the USS Helium.

X

That's what too much smoking will do for you.

Chew

I think it was also reported that she hated all the techno-babble.

mythmaker18

And she also hated the wardrobe people making costume adjustments between takes (she seemed to feel a bit like she was being "felt-up").

There was a brief article in TV Guide about the circumstances of her leaving the show. It might've been the issue that came out the week the show premiered.

movielib

George's father has that issue.

Ron_Bangel

I watched that featurette last night, after finishing the series. I couldn't imagine Bujold would be believable as a starship captain to the fans. She was so small and timid, made little eye-contact... not to mention the accent made her hard to understand. I don't care much for Mulgrew's voice either, but she plays the role believably.

obscurelabel

He has all of them.

Timber

There is one missing.

NaturalMystic79

Bahhh, just give me Picard and Sisko!

movielib

The Al Roker cover. He probably picked up a replacement on eBay.

rick_k

I had heard that she quit because she wasn't willing to fulfill obligations outside of the television show. In other words, she didn't want to have to make a certain number of appearances at Star Trek Conventions and other promotional events.

Admiral7

After watching the footage of Bujold on Star Trek: Voyager, I gained even more appreciation for Kate Mulgrew as Janeway. I felt like Bujold was sleepwalking through her lines, she had NO personality, NO humor . . . I just felt nothing from her at all. And as annoying as Mulgrew's voice is to some, Bujold's heavy accent would have driven me completely nuts after seven years.

Flave

The Sunday November 27, 1994, edition of Parade Magazine had the following in the "Walter Scott's Personality Parade" Q&A section:

Q I understand that Genevieve Bujold was all set to play the first-ever female Star Trek captain in the upcoming TV series "Star Trek: Voyager" but that she resigned at the last minute. What exactly happened? And did the actress complete any episodes before she quit?--Christopher Lake, Denver, Colo.

A The tempestuous Ms. Bujold quit before she could make her first entry in the captain's log. Just two days into taping[sic] the first episode of the new "Voyager" series--the third spinoff of Gene Reddenberry's sci-fi classic--the 52-year-old Canadian-born actress stormed off the set. It has been reported that she didn't like the script, the costumes and--according to at least one account--a request that she pad her bra. But the major factor was the hectic production schedule. "She realized it wasn't for her," said Bujold's publicist, "and she wanted to let people know sooner rather than later." The producers replaced her with Kate Mulgrew, 39. She will co-star in the role of Capt. Kathryn Janeway, commander of the starship "Voyager," with Robert Beltran, who plays First Officer Chakotay, and Tim Russ as Starfleet Tactical Security Officer Tuvok

AberAber

I saw the extra bit, and frankly, bujold is an awful Janeway. Kate Mulgrew is much much better.

Bujold just didn't have that leadership over the crew, and didn't look right, too skinny, too much of an accent.

Fok

I don't know about you guys, but I've always thought Janeway was a bit hot. Anyways glad she got the part.

Duality

Kate rules! As for DS9, I just didn't appreciate the whole "space soap opera" thing.

Dazed

I always prefered Voyager over DS9. TNG is still the best though (wish I could afford those episodes on DVD!!!)

mookiemeister

I have to disagree. Overall, I prefer DS9 over Voyager. Although Voyager has some good episodes and DS9 has some clunkers.

chriscooling

Hey, everybody. First post here.
Funny about Kate, her costars will tell you she says "I don't talk that way!" in her trademark nasally voice. I mostly knew her from McMillan and Wife and thought I really would not like her as a captain but I think she really came into the role and developed the character.