Why Counterpoint Is Still Kate Mulgrew’s Favorite Star Trek: Voyager Episode

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Fans and even Kate Mulgrew, who played Captain Janeway, consistently rank the “Counterpoint” episode as one of the very best of Star Trek: Voyager. Mulgrew has said she feels it showcases Janeway at her most creatively strong, and it’s a rare episode where viewers get a glimpse of the character’s more vulnerable side.

Kate Mulgrew’s fondness for this particular episode has played a big part in why fans continue to love it. Because she’s such a strong advocate for it, she’s drawn attention to its insightful portrayal of Captain Janeway. This has changed how viewers experience the episode, elevating it from a typical Voyager story into a deep dive into Janeway’s character. It’s a great example of how a single episode can truly resonate with both the audience and the performers involved.

Counterpoint Is Star Trek: Voyager at Its Best

As a huge Voyager fan, I always thought ‘Counterpoint’ was special. It really let Kate Mulgrew become Captain Janeway, showing sides of her we hadn’t seen before. Kate herself has talked about how freeing the episode was – she actually kissed the script after the first read! It was written by Michael Taylor and directed by Les Landau, and it’s just a standout episode for letting the actress really shine.

During the first four seasons, the show’s creators deliberately avoided giving Captain Janeway a romantic storyline. This was to differentiate her from previous Star Trek captains and establish her as a strong, independent leader. Kate Mulgrew, who played Janeway, agreed with this decision, believing that a romance with a crew member could weaken her position of authority. They specifically wanted to move away from the pattern established by Captain Kirk, who often had romantic entanglements.

They aimed to portray her as a strong, professional leader, and they achieved that goal. Knowing her fiancé was back on Earth seemed to shield her from storylines involving personal relationships or vulnerabilities. While this made her a respected and morally upright captain, it didn’t allow for much exploration of her inner life or emotions.

Season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager featured a major turning point. The episode “Message in a Bottle” saw Janeway and the crew of Voyager make contact with Starfleet again. This was the first time in the series they weren’t completely isolated, giving everyone a much-needed lift in spirits. This reconnection then set the stage for the events in the following episode, “Hunters,” which complicated things.

While “Message in a Bottle” explores reconnecting in a formal way, “Hunters” delves into personal feelings. In this episode, Janeway learns her fiancé, Mark, back on Earth, has remarried. This news frees her from the hope of returning to her old life and the emotional ties she had to Earth, fundamentally changing how she views her isolation and future relationships.

This laid the groundwork for Janeway’s journey in “Counterpoint,” presenting her with a unique challenge in Star Trek: Voyager. She had to become emotionally vulnerable with someone she didn’t fully trust, and viewers watched as she grappled with her feelings for Inspector Kashyk, trying to understand if they were real.

This episode shows Janeway leading in a way we rarely see. Usually, she works with her crew, but in “Counterpoint,” she has to rely on her gut feelings and keep secrets. Because of her complicated connection with Kashyk and the risks involved, she can’t be open with anyone. Instead of using diplomacy and science, she has to resort to trickery.

This episode focuses on psychological tension rather than physical danger. Kashyk isn’t a brute force villain; he’s an intellectual match for Janeway, requiring her to use careful strategy. He’s portrayed as a refined villain with a love for culture – art, music, and history – deliberately designed to appeal to Janeway’s emotions and make her let her guard down.

Kate Mulgrew Delivers One of Her Best Performances as Captain Janeway

In the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Counterpoint,” Captain Janeway and her crew are tasked with safely guiding a group of telepaths through space controlled by the Devore Imperium. However, the Imperium strictly prohibits and actively hunts telepaths, viewing them as a threat and sending them to special facilities. This creates a difficult and immediate problem for Janeway and her mission.

Things are further complicated by regular inspections aboard the Voyager. To deal with these searches, Captain Janeway temporarily puts the ship’s telepathic crew members and refugees into a stasis-like state using the transporter system. However, this method isn’t without risk – staying in stasis for too long can damage cells. The crew is therefore caught between the danger of the Imperium and the potential health consequences of this procedure.

As a Star Trek fan, I always found the introduction of Inspector Kashyk fascinating. He’s the guy sent to evaluate the Voyager, and at first, his attention towards Janeway seems strictly business. But it doesn’t take long before it becomes clear he’s personally interested in her. Janeway is smart enough to see this could be used against them, so she starts playing along. What’s really interesting is that, as the episode goes on, you can tell Janeway starts developing real feelings for him, though she’s careful not to let it show too much.

Once the first check was done, Kashyk came back, this time not in uniform. He claimed to be a soldier who had deserted the Imperium and offered to help Janeway. To prove he was trustworthy, he revealed he knew about the telepaths on the ship – and so did the Imperium. He also warned her that the location where they planned to meet the refugees was actually a trap set by the Imperium.

He builds trust with Janeway by sharing a personal story from his past while they’re alone, and she starts to relax around him. He also reveals details about the Imperium’s navigation methods, suggesting how they might be following them. Together, they search for a wormhole that could help the refugees escape.

The discovery of the wormhole happened thanks to a shared passion for classical music. They realized the wormhole had a hidden structure, similar to the way different melodies combine in a musical piece – what they called ‘subspace counterpoints’. It was during these musical sessions that Captain Janeway and Inspector Kashky began to connect on a deeper level, their mutual respect and attraction growing as they worked together as equals.

Having finalized their escape plan, Kashky explains he needs to go back to the Imperium to create a diversion, giving them a clear path to the wormhole. He assures Janeway he’ll make the upcoming inspection quick and easy. Before departing, he and Janeway share a kiss, solidifying the bond they’d formed during their time together. For a brief moment,

When Kashky returned with the Devore inspectors, he proved untrustworthy and revealed Janeway’s plan to reach the wormhole, including the hidden telepaths in the teleport room. However, Janeway had predicted his betrayal. The telepath refugees were already escaping in a pod towards the wormhole, and Janeway had cleverly disguised their departure by filling the transporter room with barrels of vegetables to fool the inspectors’ sensors.

Counterpoint Is the Gold Standard of Star Trek: Voyager Storytelling

Despite ultimately betraying Captain Janeway, the episode concludes with a shared understanding, suggesting the connection between them was real. It becomes clear Janeway was developing feelings for Kashky, even while recognizing his untrustworthiness, and the final scene powerfully emphasizes this to the audience.

Rather than confront Janeway and her crew, Kashyk decides to let them go and pretend the inspection never occurred, even though Voyager committed offenses. The episode concludes with Janeway on the bridge, lost in thought. She realizes she may have won the immediate conflict, but it came at a personal price.

The episode’s strong character development and storytelling are key to its enduring popularity within the franchise. It remains a fan favorite because it revealed a previously unseen side of Captain Janeway. The story is a nuanced and thought-provoking exploration of manipulation, responsibility, and love.

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2026-01-08 23:42