Kate Mulgrew is in a mood. The leading lady of Star Trek: Voyager has just finished shooting the last episode of the season and has dashed straight from the set to be photographed and interviewed by TV GUIDE. She is frazzled yet gracious, exhausted yet beautiful, pensive yet prone to bouts of giddiness, like one who has stayed up too late and is suddenly very punchy.

It has been an arduous and emotional but triumphant season for Mulgrew. Her character, Capt. Kathryn Janeway, has in Mulgrew’s estimation finally become the vivid, focused, full-blooded creation she wanted her to be when Voyager premiered in 1995. However, there has also been some ego-bruising: last summer, the 42-year old star watched as her bosses brought in Jeri Ryan, a curvaceous actress 15 years her junior, and cast her as the half Borg, half human Seven of None, to boost ratings and publicity. Though it’s been difficult, on the personal front, things couldn’t be better. Mulgrew is deeply in love with Voyager director Rick Kolbe, and she’s about to spend the first days of her hiatus with sons Ian, 15, and Alec, 14, on a whale-watching expedition in Mexico.

TV GUIDE: Those who remember your younger days in Hollywood – when you first came to town in the late ‘70s to star in Kate Columbo – say you’re a changed woman. You used to be quite mouthy, quite the upstart.

KATE MULGREW: I was tougher than I am now because I had to be. I came to L.A. a very ambitious, competitive lady, which had served me well in New York. I was extremely outspoken. A rebel. I would say things just for the sake of being provocative, but then that was the way I was raised. But I’m not offensive anymore. Now I want to connect, to communicate. I weigh the impact of what I say. It’s of great importance that I hurt nobody’s feelings.

TVG: What changed you?

KM: Motherhood. And really hard work has changed me, too. There is no time for artifice. Time is very precious in a way it wasn’t before.

TVG: What has been the hardest time of your life?

KM: Directly preceding and following my divorce [from stage director Robert Egan] five years ago. I took the boys to Ireland for the summer right before I was cast on Voyager, and, let me tell you, that year was devastating. [Her voice trembles with emotion.] The divorce was a deeply disturbing end to what was once a very good marriage.

The last year has also been a struggle because the closer I get to my children, the harder it is when work gets in the way. I really miss them now that they’re young men and we can have “real” conversations. They make me laugh! It’s fascinating to see the changes they go through almost daily, and to miss so much of that because of my schedule is heartbreaking. And I’m getting older, so my body is rebelling. I used to have resilience. Now my body is always saying “Go home, honey, and take your bath.”

TVG: You’re finally happy with Janeway. What took so long?

KM: At the beginning there were too many cooks in the kitchen. Everybody had a different opinion of what Janeway should be – and, despite the show’s premise, there was a great trepidation about having a lady in the captain’s seat. And I don’t discount my part in that. I wanted so much for there to be confidence in my ability to command that I didn’t push through with my usual focus of character. Because of the scrutiny, I wasn’t as courageous as I could have been. It took time to get everybody to the point of mutual trust.

This season has been a real breakthrough for me. Under the aegis of [co-executive producer] Brannon Braga, the writing has gone to a new level. Brannon gets Janeway. Finally we have a marriage of actor and character.

TVG: You’ve handled the Jeri Ryan situation with great professionalism. Other actresses would have had a fit.

KM: That’s because I like Jeri. But don’t get me wrong – it’s been tough. I’ve really had to discuss the Seven of Nine situation with my own inner counsellor. My insecurities were very present this season, as well they should be. I’m human. And I rather liked facing my own humanity. Jeri brings a new dimension to the show, and whatever problems I have with that I will resolve. I have tried to contain them because to let them get the best of me would be unattractive. Any emotionalism should be brought to the work, not the workplace. The cast and crew have seen that this has been hard on me, and they’ve been very lovely, very sympathetic. I’m sure Jeri realizes it, too.

TVG: Do you two talk about it?

KM: We’ve talked a bit. She’s a nice girl who’s under a lot of pressure and has done well. But in my selfishness, in my ego, I think we probably would have turned the show around this year anyway, because I feel that strongly about Janeway.

TVG: You’ve never talked publicly about your relationship with Rick. Will you now?

KM: Rick is a really fine, multi-faceted, extremely smart, deep and excellent human being. And I guess I’m not too shabby either because we’ve survived some tough times together. [Kolbe was married at the time that he and Mulgrew began their relationship, and the tabloids were not kind.]

TVG: Was it love at first sight?

KM: Not at all. It wasn’t explosive. It was better than that – very genuine, very gradual. When the difficulties were overcome, there was finally a little breathing space and then that moment of alchemy where we both realized we did it all for the right reasons: we really do love each other. This relationship is a gift. Regardless of where it goes, I will always cherish his presence in my life. Of course, the hope is that we’ll ride off into the sunset together. But right now, the boys have to be the priority.

TVG: Speaking of love, your very vocal opinion on Janeway’s love life – that she and Chakotay [Robert Beltran] should never consummate their relationship – has not gone over well with your fans. Some have gotten downright testy with you.

KM: I think that it’s important to vocalize what I feel because the stakes are so high with Janeway. I know it’s hard on the fans. This is not what I want, it’s what I believe is right. Janeway needs to get the ship home. She can’t afford the distraction of a sexual relationship – and certainly not with her first officer! If something were to go awry on an emotional level – if something awful were to happen between the sheets – it introduces the component of instability and Janeway cannot afford that. So, sorry, it won’t fly with me. But a confident, deep and marvelous friendship with Chakotay? Absolutely.

TVG: Why don’t the fans see that?

KM: Because they love our characters and want to see them happy. It’s human nature! But trust me on this one: the longer I delay sex with Janeway, the more satisfying it will be.

TVG: So it will happen?

KM: Oh, it will happen with someone, I think. It will come and it will end and it will be devastating and very rewarding. They’ll have to do something because she’s a passionate woman. But it’s good drama to make the audience think it’s being deprived. Read Shakespeare; read Ibsen; read Chekhov.

TVG: Say Voyager runs seven years, like The Next Generation or Deep Space Nine – then what?

KM: I’m not sure it’s going to go seven years, but I think of myself as a good, strong, professional actress with a future ahead of her when this show is over.

Maybe I’ll go back to New York and take a small flat and do theatre, which is probably where I belong. I’ve told my boys I intend to do that when they’ve flown the coop. There are a lot of life changes coming up. That’s why I’m glad I’m an actress, not a star. Stars don’t always have options. But I think I’ve got a few colorful chapters left in me, don’t you?