thetrekkiehasthephonebox:
cosamaru:
queenology:
gloriousunderstanding:
Jeri Ryan RT’d this. We have arrived.
#the magnitude of this RT is something you won’t understand unless you’re a trek fan #particularly a 90s femslashy one #basically this is the first time they’ve reconnected in 14 years #because they had bad blood and their characters were one of the biggest lesbian ships of the 90s #and here jeri ryan is retweeting a picture of her and kate #PRAISE THE LORD #this is kind of the trek gillovny (via gloriousunderstanding)
Kate and Jeri had bad blood?! I had absolutely no idea, is there some way to read more about whatever happened?
Yeah.
Jeri Ryan talks about it without naming names (but it’s clear who) here: http://trekcore.com/blog/2014/11/ryan-mulgrew-feud/
Jeri Ryan and Garret Wang talk about it on a panel here: http://trekcore.com/blog/2015/04/wang-voyager-tensions/
Kat Mulgrew alludes to it a bit here: http://trekmovie.com/2014/08/03/stlv-kate-mulgrew-talks-jeri-ryan-relationship-more-from-voyager-cast-dancing-ferengi/
The book “The Fifth Year Mission: The Next 25 Years” (book 2/2, both definitely worth reading) goes into a lot of detail about this through interviews with both Kate and Jeri.
Basically, Kate felt an enormous amount of pressure as Star Trek’s first female captain lead, and one of the first female leads of a sci-fi action genre show in general. She says how she felt strongly obligated to set a good example for young girls in the audience. She also didn’t want the show to falter or fail and have it be attributed to her gender.
So we get a few seasons in and the show isn’t hitting the stride everyone wants it to hit. The producers decide a shake up is necessary and originally choose Harry Kim to be kicked off the show in favor of a new sexier character. But then People Magazine selects Garrett Wang as one of their most beautiful people, prompting the producers to instead decide to eliminate Kes (Jennifer Lien) from the show.
Regardless, this opens up a spot for Jeri Ryan’s Seven of Nine character. Kate sees this new character and obviously notices how Jeri looks and how they end up dressing her and takes it as a judgement on her ability to carry the show as a woman of dignity and authority.
So all at once, she concludes a) she failed to make the show a success, b) television audiences require women to be presented a sexual way to be found interesting, and c) this new character is going to be taking up time away her and all her fellow actors on screen. She is not happy.
Meanwhile, Jeri Ryan has been just thrown into all of this. She’s a professional and is there to do the best job she can, she has no issues with anyone on set. But Kate is NOT pleased that she’s there. And while I don’t think they ever fought openly on the set, it was clear to cast and crew that there was an enormous tension there.
In later interviews, Kate has made clear that she’s not proud of how she acted towards Jeri back then because it really wasn’t Jeri’s fault. And from what I’ve read, Jeri is super gracious and completely sees how Kate felt the way she did, and agrees that it has always been difficult for women in show business.
Basically, their initial friction and eventual friendship is so Star Trek. Two good people trying to do their best experience conflict but eventually come to understand each other’s points of view. Makes me feel good.
I’m so glad that they have been able to not hold on to the past. In large part because Jeri could forgive, but importantly Kate was big enough to apologize. It truly takes two people, and it’s far too rare. Look at Shatner and Takei? 57 years they’ve been at it.