BLOOMINGTON, Ind. (AP) - On May 20, 2336, Kathryn Janeway, future captain of the USS Voyager, will be born in Bloomington, Indiana.
A group of Bloomington residents hoped to commemorate that date in 2020 with an unveiling of a monument celebrating the character from the “Star Trek: Voyager” TV series and Star Trek writer Jeri Taylor, also from Bloomington. A collection of Taylor’s papers are housed in Bloomington at Indiana University’s Lilly Library.
Over the years since the seven-season series ended in 2001, several groups and individuals have brought up the idea of creating public art to honor Janeway, but nothing had come of it yet by 2019.
That’s when the Captain Janeway Bloomington Collective was formed. The group partnered with local nonprofit arts organization Artisan Alley later in 2019, allowing them to begin fundraising for the monument and its future upkeep.
It began with a goal of $12,500, which would cover the cost of the monument itself. Since then, they’ve raised around $52,000, ensuring funds for maintenance in the long term.
Before pandemic lockdowns began this year, Peter and Mary Beth Kaczmarczyk went on a Star Trek cruise featuring members of the “Voyager” cast. They joined actress Kate Mulgrew, who played Janeway, on stage to present her with a print by comic artist J.K Woodward depicting the Voyager ship hovering over the Monroe County Courthouse.
On the cruise and at conventions, Mulgrew has been repeatedly asked whether she would come to Bloomington to see the statue. She told the couple she hopes to see it in person someday. Last week, Mulgrew announced on her Twitter account that she would take part in the livestream event. She connected via Zoom from Los Angeles, where she was visiting family after the birth of her first grandchild.
Due to pandemic conditions, the statue’s progress had to be delayed, and events associated with it were rescheduled for this month. Organizers broke ground on the monument in June, and this past weekend, they hosted an unveiling and other associated events, most of which were virtual.
Janeway’s bust was unveiled in a ceremony last Saturday at its new home on the B-Line Trail.
Irish Lion hosted a Star Trek-themed menu throughout the day, and Upland Brewing offered a discount to patrons wearing Star Trek gear. In the evening, WonderLab hosted a virtual After Dark event, The Science of Star Trek.
In-person and online attendees of the ceremony heard from various people who helped make the project a reality. Videos showing tributes from fans and the process of making the sculpture were shown.
Appearing on a large screen near the monument, Mulgrew expressed how impressed she was with the work of sculptor Aaron Eby, offering her personal thanks for the likeness and calling him an “exquisite artist.”
“On behalf of Janeway herself, who will not be able to see herself for some time to come, I can assure you that she will be stunned,” she said. “It’s an extraordinary likeness.”
On Sunday, the Unitarian Universalist Church hosted a Star Trek-themed virtual service. Senior minister Mary Ann Macklin, who also spoke at the Saturday ceremony, was a part of the community effort to make the monument a reality. In a 2019 interview, she told The Herald-Times it’s not just about a show or a character - it’s a way to celebrate all female leaders.
“We’ve had female mayors (in Bloomington), and other pioneers in this area, and to celebrate someone in pop culture who’s female in a very strong leadership position has a lot of opportunities,” she said. “For people who don’t know what it is that attracts people to Star Trek, it’s not just the science-fiction piece of it. It’s what it was teaching about how we could have a better future.”
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Source: The Herald-Times
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