Star Trek: The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway (2020) Book Review

 Hey everyone, how were your weekends? Mine was pretty good. I'm back with yet another book review. I know, I've done quite a bit of them lately, but I wanted to do reviews for the three Star Trek: Autobiography books that I own and since I was rereading all three following my first complete readthrough of The Lord of the Rings, I figured now was the best time to get these reviews out. Today I'm reviewing The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway by Una McCormack, who has written several Star Trek novels over the last 21 years. There won't be as many spoilers for Star Trek: Voyager as the previous two books had for TOS and TNG respectively, as Janeway doesn't go into specific detail on as many episodes as Kirk and Picard did in their books. I'll be talking about that in the review. So, without further ado, let's get into it.

While the Kirk and Picard books spent a good chunk of their pages telling stories that took place both during their respective shows, as well as their respective movies, The Autobiography of Kathryn Janeway spends alot more time on Janeway's career prior to her taking command of the U.S.S. Voyager rather than on what happened during the show or after Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant. I think that's because the show itself, Star Trek: Voyager, doesn't have as many major, redefining, moments as TNG and DS9 did and the TOS movies had. I've always thought that Voyager was focused more on the characters and their journeys because the big events like the Dominion War, the bulk of the Maquis conflict, Borg invasions, and the original peace treaty between the Federation and the Cardassian Union happened on TNG and DS9. Which makes sense since the ship was stranded in the Delta Quadrant for the entirety of the show's seven seasons. So it had no connection to everything happening in the Alpha Quadrant on the other two shows, particularly since DS9 aired in tandem with Voyager for Voyager's first five seasons.

In a way I do like that about this book, because it gives Una McCormack the chance to write Janeway more introspectively than Goodman was able to write Kirk and Picard in their Autobiographies. Janeway had alot of difficult decisions to make during her time as the commanding officer of Voyager because the ship was in completely uncharted territory and she was the only Starfleet captain in the area, until they encountered Captain Ransom and the Equinox in the season five finale. Because of that, Janeway had to make decisions and choices that Kirk and Picard didn't. She also didn't have anyone really to talk to about her doubts. Though she does speak to Tuvok and Chakotay about the broader shipboard problems her and the crew face on a daily basis. It's the personal problems that Janeway is alone on.

As with the Picard book, this one does contradict the post-series events. In this case, that's because it was written before Picard, Lower Decks, and Prodigy all went into production, even though it was published after season 1 of both Picard and Lower Decks had finished airing. So everything we know of where Janeway, Chakotay, Tom Paris, Tuvok, Seven of Nine, and the Doctor ended up after the ship returned to the Alpha Quadrant from those three shows is very different in this book than they are in the TV shows.

While the rest of the crew's fates have been different in every version, it's interesting that in the TV/movie continuity, this book, and the post TV show Voyager novels that were published between 2003 and 2020 by Pocket Books and Simon & Schuster's other imprint, Gallery Books, Janeway was always promoted to admiral upon Voyager's return. I think that's because it was revealed to us in Star Trek Nemesis in 2002 first, whereas the novels were all published after the movie came out. And the novels and comics can't contradict anything from the shows and movies, which is why Paramount chose to keep the novels, comics, video games, and reference material non-canon after Roddenberry passed away in 1991, because it was just too easy for them to contradict or hamper the stories being told on the TV shows and in the movies. Especially in the '90s when multiple shows were on the air and multiple movies were in production simultaneously. 

Of the episodes that Janeway mentions in the book, I'm surprised the "Lower Decks" (season 7 TNG episode, not the current animated series) inspired episode, "Good Shepherd", where Janeway leads an away team of three crewmen who have slipped through the cracks, despite Voyager being such a small ship, and are impeding crew efficiency, wasn't mentioned at all. The major ones like "Basics", "Scorpion", "Equinox", "Message in a Bottle", and "Endgame", among others, are mentioned, but not one that, in my opinion, was, as an episode focused on three non-commissioned Lower Deckers, just as important as any episode focused on Harry Kim or Tom Paris or the Doctor or Seven of Nine. The reason I'm surprised that "Good Shepherd" isn't mentioned is because throughout the book, particularly in the TV show proper chapters, Janeway talks alot about taking care of her crew. Which is exactly what she does in that episode. And because it's such a good example of Janeway taking care of her crew, it's interesting that Una didn't include it in the book.

Overall this was a great book. It was great getting Janeway's private thoughts on the events that she and the Voyager crew experienced while in the Delta Quadrant, as well as getting a look at Janeway's life prior to becoming a captain, and her life after Voyager's return to the Alpha Quadrant. If you're a fan of Star Trek: Voyager, or just a fan of Kathryn Janeway because of Star Trek: Prodigy, I recommend reading this book. It's a fascinating look into the life of "The captain who went further than any had before" as the book's cover says.

Alright my friends, that's going to be it for me for today. I'll be back soon with more blog posts in the very near future. So until then have a great evening and I will talk to you all later. Take care.