By Chris Snellgrove
| Published
Few early episodes of Star Trek: Voyager are quite as memorable as “The 37’s,” an episode in which Captain Janeway gets to meet her idol, Amelia Earhart. It’s a great episode on its own, but watching it is even more rewarding when you know that the woman who played the captain’s personal idol was the biggest fan of the woman behind Janeway. Kate Mulgrew was absolutely idolized by Earheart actor Sharon Lawrence, and the two of them formed an instant bond during the production of this episode.
Kate Mulgrew Meets Her Biggest Fan
What most Voyager fans don’t know is that if not for her fangirl love of Kate Mulgrew, Sharon Lawrence would never have taken the part of Amelia Earhart. Unlike many who made cameos in this famous franchise, Lawrence wasn’t really familiar with Star Trek outside of The Original Series. Therefore, she only took the role out of her interest in playing Earhart and her desire to meet Mulgrew, someone she had idolized ever since the older woman starred on the soap opera Ryan’s Hope.
It may seem strange to think about for modern Star Trek fans, but at the time, Kate Mulgrew’s show needed the Sharon Lawrence cameo far more than the actor did. Lawrence had recently been nominated for an Emmy for her performance in the buzzworthy drama NYPD Blue, so she provided some real star power for the Season 2 premiere of this fledgling sci-fi spinoff. As for why she took the role, she later said she was excited to portray “one of our greatest national heroines” onscreen, and she soon fell in love with the idea that her character develops a friendship with Janeway, giving these two feminist icons separated by centuries the chance to work together.
Fortunately, working alongside Kate Mulgrew lived up to Sharon Lawrence’s greatest hopes: she reported that “it was a pleasure to work with her” and “I was just so impressed with her professionalism.” Between scenes, the two found time to bond over various things they had in common, including having a theatrical background. Lawrence also took the time to ask Mulgrew “how she juggles being an actress and a mother,” something that many of her adoring Star Trek fans have also wondered over the years.
While Kate Mulgrew always turns in a great performance, her outstanding acting in “The 37’s” was due in part to the presence of Sharon Lawrence. The younger actor previously stated that “the relationship that Earhart and Janeway shared was easily influenced by the relationship Kate and I shared.” This is reflected in their onscreen chemistry and helps explain why Lawrence was able to make such an impression on fans despite only appearing for a single episode.
Another reason that Kate Mulgrew and Sharon Lawrence likely got along so well is that they share the same outspoken feminist ideals. Looking back on their time together, Lawrence noted that playing “peers and leaders” rather than being in an onscreen “domestic or familiar relationship…always feels good to me.” Their time together was a bit of serendipity, allowing two fearless female icons the chance to inspire a new generation of women to boldly go into fields they had never gone before.
Sadly, this is the only episode where Kate Mulgrew and Sharon Lawrence got a chance to act alongside each other. But these actors made the most of their time together, elevating an already strong script into an episode that Voyager fans will never forget. And as for Janeway, it’s fair to say this fictional character has joined the real Amelia Earhart in the annals of the most inspirational women in modern history.
