 |  interviews; screenshots from Bujold scenes Page 1 |
Words by Rick Berman, [Star Trek Voyager] executive producer, are in this color. Other interviews are in this color.
| SUMMARY: Geneviève Bujold, a famous Academy Award-winning film actress (my earliest memory of her was as Anne Boleyn in 'Anne Of The Thousand Days' in which she co-starred with Richard Burton), was originally cast as Captain Janeway. Other contenders were Kate Mulgrew, Lindsay Wagner, Erin Gray and Joanna Cassidy. See also TIDBIT STORAGE LOCKER: How Susan Gibney almost played Captain Janeway. However, three days into filming (filming as opposed to the earlier stages involving rehearsals, costume fitting etc.), and the second day of Bujold filming, it was agreed between Bujold and the senior production staff that she was not ideally suited, and Kate Mulgrew took over the role. |
| Rick Berman: "The feeling was that the best direction for us to go in terms of trying new things, being socially responsible as Star Trek has always been, was to go for a female captain. The Studio wasn't totally convinced about it, and we agreed that we would also look at male actors and, you know, be sure that we kept an open mind." |  |
| Kate Mulgrew auditions for the part of the Captain of the new starship |  |
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Kate Mulgrew |  |
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The screenshot shows a male actor auditions for the role of Voyager's captain. |  |
The Studio suggested certain male actors for the captain's part. Nigel Havers and Gary Graham auditioned. Gary Graham later guest-starred as Tanis in the Season 2 episode [#26 Cold Fire] and went on to appear in [Enterprise].
Below: elements such as a color chart are used to get the correct appearance for the camera take:
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Rick Berman: "When the casting process was over the selection that was made was one wonderful French-Canadian actress named Geneviève Bujold who got the job." |  |
In fact, Berman had reservations about Bujold because she worked in motion pictures and had no experience of working in episodic television. But he was overruled by the Studio who felt that "a name", i.e. someone famous, would help attract audiences, particularly because the Studio was anxious about the show featuring a female captain for the first time in Star Trek (strictly speaking, not the first female Starfleet captain, but the first in the leading role of captaining the hero starship with the actress as part of the ensemble cast). On paper, at least, Bujold was ideal: she was attractive, the right age, and an Academy-Award winning actress; she had name recognition; and had a pleasing French Canadian accent. She was also experienced, strong, intelligent, charismatic, and although she had never done episodic television before she did have impressive credentials in feature films. She was offered the role without even reading a scene. The search for the new captain was at last over. Co-producers Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor were happy, and the Paramount bosses Kerry McCluggage and Tom Mazza were happy. Even the media was happy. Everyone was optimistic and enthusiastic, everyone except Rick Berman.
Rick Berman: "In meeting her ... she's a very lovely lady ... I immediately sensed this wasn't a person who was the slightest bit ready to live through the drudgery of episodic television. It's a vastly different world from features. So, I sat her down and said "I want to play a major devil's advocate here to you." I explained to her in painful detail what a nightmare episodic television is. Up at 5:00 A.M. on Mondays and Tuesdays, working till 1:00 A.M. on Thursdays and Fridays. Almost no rehearsal time. Instead of doing one or two pages of script a day like in features, she'd be doing seven or eight. Never knowing her directors, and working with them whether she liked them or not. I painted as dismal a picture as I could ... even worse than it actually is. I sent her home to Malibu to talk with her children and to discuss it over the weekend. She called me first thing Monday morning and she said, "Reek, Reek, I have an answer for you. And the answer is Oui." I asked Michael and Jeri to come over here and I said, "Well, she said 'yes.' Actually she said 'oui,' but she said yes." And I still didn't buy it. I still said this ain't gonna work."
Berman's reservations were to prove well-founded.
Bujold spent the week of 29th August 1994 dealing with contracts, make-up and wardrobe fittings, as well as a very short 'meet and greet' session in Rick Berman's office. Those present included [Star Trek Voyager] co-creators Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor and of course Rick Berman, Tom Mazza, Winrich 'Rick' Kolbe the director of [#1 and #2 Caretaker], Bujold and her manager. The conversation was mostly chitchat as people tried to get comfortable with each other. Bujold sat on the couch, her manager perched next to her. Because the seating in Berman's office was limited, almost everyone else stood around and tried not to look nervous. Bujold seemed relaxed, though a bit frail. She reiterated to everyone her willingness to take on the role. She was ready to begin. After the meeting was over and everyone had left, Kolbe remained behind. Berman asked him what he thought about Bujold. Kolbe replied that he had two impressions. One, that she looked very fragile, sitting there. And two, it was going to be either a total triumph or a total disaster. He did not think there would be anything in the middle.
One of Bujold's first requests dealt with the name of her character. She wanted the captain's first name changed to Nicole, which was Genevieve's own birth name. Jeri Taylor explains: That had an intense personal meaning to her. We were a little uncomfortable with it because, who would know it was her real name? We were afraid that people would think that we were going with the name Nicole because of Nicole Brown Simpson, which was in the news. (It was at the time of the O.J. Simpson trial.) We were afraid that might give it that sort of swarmy, exploitive feeling. But despite the producers' misgivings, the character "Elizabeth Janeway" (mentioned in the Voyager Bible, the series handbook used in production) became "Nicole Janeway".
Bujold is a very private person and has rarely granted interviews with the press. The fact that she had signed on with Voyager's maiden journey did nothing to alter her aversion to the media. This was not a good sign. Press interest in Star Trek actors is legendary and is part of the job, whether the actor likes it or not. The producers did not signal their apprehension, perhaps hoping that the prospect of a publicity problem would disappear once Bujold settled into her role. Bujold's reluctance to "meet the Press" did not stop the media from attempting to do their job. The Hollywood trade papers were filled with the news of her signing, feature stories ran in newspapers and magazines, and Bujold was profiled on numerous television shows throughout the world.
On Tuesday morning, 6th September, film shooting began at 8 a.m. with a scene in the messhall, this being the one where Paris tries to obtain tomato soup and Kim questions him about his unglorious past, to tell him that he chooses his own friends. 
Thus the only cast present were Robert Duncan McNeill (as Paris) and Garrett Wang (as Kim), and later they moved across the street to Stage 17 to film the Paris/Kim scene in Quark's Bar on Deep Space 9 with guest-star Armin Shimerman in the cameo role of Quark. It is a fairly minor scene in the context of the rest of [#1 and #2 Caretaker] but it is very significant for the television viewer because in the scene the 'baton of Star Trek', which is essentially how Shimerman summarises it, is symbolically passed from [DS9] to the new series [Star Trek Voyager]. But, although everyone present felt a sense of excitement, with only two cast members, there it did not feel quite 'real' yet. But the next day, Wednesday, would be the 'big day', as the Call Sheet indicated that Bujold would have her first scene as a Starfleet captain, and on Voyager's bridge.
When Wednesday morning came, the set call for shooting had a late start, 9 a.m., because Kolbe had been filming late the previous night. Even with the late start, McNeill and Wang were still officially a 'forced call', with extra pay, as they did not get their full 12 hours break in between. Everyone was uptight for the production crew and cast had heard various rumours about Bujold - that she was standoffish, she did not mix with anyone on or off the set, she refused to have photographers on set, refused to do publicity interviews, did not like sitting through make-up and insisted on looking more 'natural'; no one knew what was true and what was not. The area around the bridge set was more crowded than usual, and production crew and security were unable to keep curious onlookers off the stage. It seemed that everyone who had a 'legitimate' reason to be on Stage 8 all showed up at once, including members of Paramount staff. Those there included Jolynn Baca, there to handle what publicity she could. The crowd was nearing one hundred. They could hardly be blamed - Star Trek history was being made!
Kolbe waited patiently for 9 a.m. and Bujold's appearance on the set. Kolbe had been selected to direct the series' opening story because he knows Star Trek filming requirements so well. He knew that, conversely, Bujold was completely new to Star Trek. This worried him but he showed no sign. At 9 a.m. Bujold walked onto the bridge, resplendent in her command uniform, captain's pips gleaming brightly from her collar. Kolbe welcomed her to the bridge. She handed him a single red rose, distributed one to each of the crew, and was ready to begin. Kolbe started rehearsing the first scene, which included Bujold, Russ (as Tuvok), Wang, and McNeill. The scene is the one near the start of the story, where Janeway enters the bridge, followed by Paris and Kim and ends with the memorable line "Engage!" whereupon Voyager sets off from Deep Space 9 on its mission to the Badlands. The captain's command, 'Engage!' was by then already familiar to Star Trek fans, having been made famous by Patrick Stewart as Captain Jean-Luc Picard in [TNG]. In [Star Trek Voyager] it would form a kind of thematic link to past Star Trek. Kolbe lined up the shot. Marvin Rush lit the scene. They rehearsed the action, which has Janeway entering the bridge. (Poe incorrectly says that Janeway enters from the turbolift, whereas she actually enters from her ready room.) Kolbe was not happy with the way Genevieve moved. The personal energy that he wanted from her was not there. He wanted her to step onto the bridge, which is the first time the tv viewers see the Voyager bridge, and sweep across the bridge and take it over, with the kind of energy that says, "I am the boss."
The scene is shown in the script as follows (and covers one and a bit pages of script):
7 INT. BRIDGE 27
as they ENTER from the Ready Room to see the most
advanced, impressive Bridge facility in the history of
Star Trek ... several officers and supernumeraries are
working ... the Security Officer is a human Ensign named
ROLLINS. The first officer is a human named CAVIT, who
stands by Lieutenant Stadi who is at conn... preparing
the ship for launch...
JANEWAY
My first officer, Lieutenant
Commander Cavit ... Ensign Kim,
Mister Paris ...
(CONTINUED)
VOYAGER: "Caretaker" - 09/01/94 - ACT ONE 22
27 CONTINUED: 27
Cavit shakes their hands... is a little remote with
Paris...
CAVIT
Welcome aboard.
She motions to the ops console and begins to move toward
it...
JANEWAY
(to Kim)
This is your station. Would you
like to take over?
KIM
Yes, Ma'am.
JANEWAY
It's not "crunch" time yet, Mister
Kim... I'll let you know when.
Kim moves into Ops, acknowledging the other officer.
Janeway goes to the center of the room, leaving Paris
behind and his lack of a station is uncomfortable for
him, but that's the way it is ... Janeway nods to Cavit...
CAVIT
Lieutenant Stadi, lay in the course
and clear our departure with
Operations.
STADI
Course entered. Ops has cleared
US.
CAVIT
Ready thrusters...
KIM
Thrusters ready.
A beat. Janeway sits in the Captain's chair.
JANEWAY
Engage.
28 EXT. SPACE - DEEP SPACE NINE (OPTICAL) 28
As Voyager departs the station on its first adventure.
FADE OUT.
END OF ACT ONE
Kolbe felt the way Bujold walked onto the bridge was much too hesitant for what he wanted to portray. So instead of rolling the camera, they kept talking about the scene. They rehearsed it again. Kolbe said he wanted more speed, more action, more energy. He kept urging her to "take over the set." But nothing really changed. Kolbe finally decided to begin shooting anyway. Everyone was ready for the first shot. Alan Bernard checked his sound levels and put the stage "on the bell", which means that in the streets outside the stage the loud buzzer could not be heard but the red lights began flashing, and security stopped all traffic. They did the first take. Kolbe still was not happy, and concluded he was simply not getting through to Bujold. An agonizing process ensued, with Kolbe doing take after take after take, and deciding he was still not getting anywhere. 
Time was slipping by. The day's shoot was rapidly falling behind. Eventually, Kolbe gave up trying to change Bujold. At some point he decided to keep shooting, let the producers look at how many takes he was going through, and let the numbers speak for themselves. By then he had done more than fifteen takes on Janeway's entrance onto the bridge. Kolbe says: She never did get it right. So I figured, let's just see how the producers will react to it. I didn't want to push the panic button then." The scene eventually neared the end, reaching the point where Janeway gives the "Engage" command, sending the Voyager crew off into the unknown, on their first adventure. For tv viewers, it is a moment laden with high excitement, the promise of unimaginable dangers, a sense of wonder and magnificence, and is a moment larger than human life itself. Kolbe waited until the camera was at speed, then called out, "...and ... Action!" Bujold solemnly walked over to the captain's chair, sat down, folded her hands in her lap, closed her eyes, and said in a small soft voice, "Engage." There was stunned silence. For a moment no one moved. Then Kolbe recovered from his astonishment and yelled, "Cut!" It was clear that the director needed to give the captain a lesson in how to fly a starship! Shooting stretched well into the evening.
The next two pages give comparison Bujold/Mulgrew screenshots from that scene.
SOURCES AND CREDITS:
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