Geoff Metcalf:  …. Introduce a new feature to the programme.  It’s kind of a science fiction fantasy period that we are going to be doing here. And we’re kicking it off with one of my favourites.  A lady who has an eclectic acting background.  Started off in soap operas with ‘Ryan’s Hope’, once upon a time an object of my erotic dreams.  She’s worked with Richard Burton, James Garner and a whole bunch of folks.  I’m delighted to welcome Captain Janeway, Kate Mulgrew, to the programme. Good morning ma’am.

Kate Mulgrew:   Hello Geoff, how are you?

Geoff Metcalf:   I’m well thank you.

Kate Mulgrew:   Let’s go back to that erotic …. (laughter by both) fantasy I was of yours at one time!

Geoff Metcalf:   Yes you were.  My wife complained about it.

Kate Mulgrew:   Indistinguishable comment….

Geoff Metcalf:   You’ve had a fascinating career, and I know our time is limited so I want to do half of it on the Voyager stuff and then we’ll talk about the ‘Riddler’s Moon’ thing, okay?

Kate Mulgrew:   Great!

Geoff Metcalf:   Voyager… my producer, Jose Gomez asked me to ask you this.  Okay. So you’re 75 million light years away from home.  What’s with the hair?

Kate Mulgrew:   We’re not 75 million light years from home.  That’s been reduced considerably.

Geoff Metcalf:   Oh.  You’re down to 60 now or something like that…

Kate Mulgrew:   …. Seasons… What’s with the hair?

Geoff Metcalf:   Yeah.

Kate Mulgrew:   Have you not watched this season?

Geoff Metcalf:   You keep changing it!

Kate Mulgrew:   I’ll tell you about the hair Geoff.  And I say this with circumspection as well as wisdom at this point.  I was the first female captain to assume this seat.  Right?

Geoff Metcalf:   Yup.

Kate Mulgrew:   Heretofore solely the domain of men.  And very beautifully owned by William Shatner and Patrick Stewart.  So. Their nervousness notwithstanding, the stakes were extremely high when I came in.  Lots of jobs hung in the balance here.  And so as an anxiety diffuser or rather a focus of a largely male scrutiny I would say they had to find An element to dissect on a daily if not hourly basis.  And it became a woman’s ‘crown of glory’, her hair.  So I recognized it immediately as being a little bit of male anxiety and now that I’ve only got three strands remaining on my head, I don’t really care.

Geoff Metcalf:   Now you’re coming up on your 100th episode pretty soon, right?

Kate Mulgrew:   Right.

Geoff Metcalf:   What do we look forward to on the 100th episode?

Kate Mulgrew:   It’s a wonderful episode.  Beautifully directed by LaVar Burton, who as you know was a regular on ‘The Next Generation’.  So he really understands, is very familiar with the material.  It’s a terrific vehicle for Garrett Wang, whose talents are myriad and have been, I think, hidden, ‘til now.  It really exposes his dimensions.  And also for Robert Beltran.  It’s a story about… time, the future and the past, the loss of Voyager, the reclamation of Voyager….what Harry Kim has suffered, and how he redeems himself. I mean if I go into it much more I’ll give away the story.

Geoff Metcalf:   Don’t give it away.  But that’ll be November 18th.

Kate Mulgrew:   I think that’s right.

Geoff Metcalf:   That’s November 18th…

Kate Mulgrew: …. But I think so…

Geoff Metcalf:   Now you’ve had an opportunity to work with…

Kate Mulgrew:   What do you think of that?

Geoff Metcalf:   I’ve had a little background there but I won’t share with the listeners…  You’ve had an opportunity to work with some extraordinary actors, from Richard Burton to James Garner.  One film I remember because I was a little disappointed… I read the entire ‘Destroyer’ series and ‘Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins’, it ended with that.

Kate Mulgrew:   Oh really.

Geoff Metcalf: Yah!

Kate Mulgrew:   Hmmm…

Geoff Metcalf:   Don’t want to talk about that…

Kate Mulgrew:   The question is? It ended with what?

Geoff Metcalf:   It ended with ‘The Adventure Begins’, it never went on from there.

Kate Mulgrew:   It summarily ended.  No.  It’s being revived Geoff.

Geoff Metcalf:   Oh it is?

Kate Mulgrew:   Yeah… I think…

Geoff Metcalf:    Oh cool.

Kate Mulgrew:   They’re in the middle of doing a sequel right now. My great friend Larry Spiegel, who was the executive producer.  I really enjoyed doing that. Made a great friend of Joel Grey, thought Fred Ward was terrific, and it was the beginning of a long and enduring love affair with Mexico.  So, this is how acting is Geoff.  It’s a crazy beast.

Geoff Metcalf:   And you also have the opportunity to travel all over.  You shot this entire ‘Riddler’s Moon’ in Luxembourg, right?

Kate Mulgrew:   In Luxembourg.

Geoff Metcalf:   Now tell us about ‘Riddler’s Moon’ ‘cause I didn’t know anything until I finally saw a trailer last night.

Kate Mulgrew:   Yeah.  It’s a charming little movie.  What did one critic say?  It suffered from an identity crisis.  That’s perhaps true. But it’s very charming, I think, in its exploration of human values.  A mother’s relationship with her son.  And a woman’s struggle with her inability or ability to trust her great love.  Beautifully played by Corbin Bernson who became a terrific friend of mine while I was there.  And it all happened because I was in Turkey at the time and Istanbul, and then London travelling, so it worked out beautifully.

Geoff Metcalf:   What is the basic concept of ‘Riddler’s Moon’?

Kate Mulgrew:   Well you know it’s a sci fi thing.  The Thursday Night Movie of the Week at UPN is called the Way Out Movie and the twist is always science fiction/fantasy.  So it’s about an alien ship refueling on my property in Indiana and my complete incredulity.  I mean I simply do not believe my son when he tells me that this is what’s happening.  And as a result, because we allow them to refuel, finally I take that leap of faith, they endow my crop with a new life.  And that, metaphorically leads to a new spiritual strength.  So it’s very dear I think, and I, I formed some pretty close alliances over there.  I’m pleased with it.  I’m proud of it.

Geoff Metcalf:   ‘Riddler’s Moon coming up soon on UPN.

Kate Mulgrew:   Thursday night.  Eight o’clock.

Geoff Metcalf:   Eight o’clock tonight.

Kate Mulgrew:   I’d like people to see that. Quite a touching film.

Geoff Metcalf:   I’m looking forward to seeing it.  Now you’ve had a very very eclectic background starting out in soap operas.  By the way some people may not remember, but she was Kate Columbo.

Kate Mulgrew:   That’s right.

Geoff Metcalf:   Which is still in syndication.  What do they call it now?

Kate Mulgrew:   I was Kate Columbo, then I was Kate Callahan, then I was just Kate.  They couldn’t figure it out….

Geoff Metcalf:   Now you’re Kathryn Janeway. Is it this something that you require? Is it in your contract?

Kate Mulgrew:   What?  That I always be called Kathryn?

Geoff Metcalf:   Yah.

Kate Mulgrew: I think it’s very nice, don’t you?

Geoff Metcalf: I think it’s charming!

Kate Mulgrew:   Originally she was Elizabeth Janeway, but there is an Elizabeth Janeway, a writer, so one can’t do that legally.  And then they gave me a very nice nod and said ‘take Kathryn, it’s stood her in good stead so far’ as well it has.  So.  I like it!

Geoff Metcalf:   Now I know we’re limited on time but I’m kind of curious.  Given the wide spectrum of material that you’ve covered from, you know, Richard Burton with ‘Lovespell’  and the science fiction stuff recently, how do you feel about the sci fi/fantasy stuff?

Kate Mulgrew:   Are you talking about my personal predilection?

Geoff Metcalf:   Yes.

Kate Mulgrew:   Would be not to go there as devotedly as would to say, period pieces.  Or classical pieces.  That’s my background, my training.  It certainly is my literary inclination.

Geoff Metcalf:   So are we going to see you revisiting ‘Hedda Gabbler’ again sometime soon?

Kate Mulgrew:   I would love to have another crack at Hedda.  I was way too young to play her.  But I have adored… and make no mistake about this, every minute of Kathryn Janeway.  She is a noble, fractured, flawed, funny, humane, kind, very bright and wonderful character.  And I have thoroughly enjoyed her.  And I will always consider this to be a remarkable chapter.

Geoff Metcalf:   Well I hope you continue to endure beyond the 100 episodes. I’m going to ask you one parting question here, because I think it was last week or the week before I was talking to John Funt from the Wall Street Journal, and KSFO, this radio station is a very, very conservative station in a very liberal town, San Francisco.

Kate Mulgrew:   Right.

Geoff Metcalf:   He suggested that you may be sharing certain philosophical positions with us.  Are you really a conservative?

Kate Mulgrew:   I’m not a conservative at all.  Where’d you get that?  On which issues?

Geoff Metcalf:   It blindsided me.  John Funt of the Wall Street Journal said that Kate Mulgrew is a conservative.  She’s one of us.

Kate Mulgrew:   I’m a Liberal Democrat from the day I entered the world. Conservative on a couple of issues.  Right.  On the life issue you might consider me conservative.

Geoff Metcalf:   Oh, okay.

Kate Mulgrew:   I do not….I am not a feminist, if that, you know… I don’t label myself a feminist.  I have a struggle regarding my philosophy regarding life.  I don’t like a rad…

Geoff Metcalf:   That’s ‘cause you’re a grownup.

Kate Mulgrew:   Yeah.  Indeed.  I’m reflective about it at this age.  I’m 43 years old and I have to really question … life.  That is my problem with abortion and capital punishment. Life begins and it is precious.  I think that it is mystical.  I think that we have responsibility to reflect on it in a deeply philosophical way and I think that to take a radical stand to in any way convenience a woman is a very dangerous thing. Although I have no… I have no answers Geoff.  I have no answers. I’ve only got questions.  That’s perhaps what he meant by my… conservative.

Geoff Metcalf:   Well in the meantime we can look forward to the 100th episode of Voyager on the 18th of November …

Kate Mulgrew:   You can.

Geoff Metcalf:   And tonight, on UPN…

Kate Mulgrew:   Tomorrow…

Geoff Metcalf:   Tomorrow.

Kate Mulgrew:   Thursday… today’s Wednesday, right?

Geoff Metcalf:   I’ve kind of repressed it.  Today’s my 50th birthday and I’m trying to forget about it!

Kate Mulgrew:   Ohhhh…. Happy Birthday.  How do you feel?

Geoff Metcalf:   25 years old!

Kate Mulgrew:   Do you really?

Geoff Metcalf:   Yes ma’am!

Kate Mulgrew:   They all say that and then they get in their car and drive off the bridge!

Geoff Metcalf:   It ain’t gonna happen to me kid!

Kate Mulgrew:   It’s not?

Geoff Metcalf:   No way.

Kate Mulgrew:   There’s nothing more attractive than a 50 year old man who’s asking the right questions of himself.  You’ve lived long enough to have wisdom, absurdity and laughter in your life.

Geoff Metcalf:   And I’ve collected some scar tissue on the way too.

Kate Mulgrew:   You’ve got to have it!

Geoff Metcalf:   Kate, thank you very kindly for joining us.  Good luck with Voyager and all your other ventures.  We’ll look forward to ‘Riddler’s Moon’ tomorrow night on UPN.

Kate Mulgrew:   Thank you so much for having me.

Geoff Metcalf:   Take care.

Kate Mulgrew:   Happy Birthday!

Geoff Metcalf:   Thank you ma’am.

Kate Mulgrew:   Bye Geoff!