One Of Star Trek: Voyager's Best Holodeck Stories Was Pitched By The Show's Captain

In the 1997 "Star Trek: Voyager" episode "Scorpion," audiences were introduced to the notion that Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) liked to visit the holodeck and have conversations with a recreation of Leonardo da Vinci (John Rhys-Davies). She was fascinated by the inventor's mind, and fancied the idea of becoming his apprentice. Even though da Vinci had died in 1519 and Janeway lived in the year 2374, she still felt there was something to be learned. Sadly, the action of the episode would require Janeway to drop her fantasy for the time being. 

It was picked up again, however, in the episode "Concerning Flight" when an alien stole the mobile holographic emitter belonging to the Doctor and reprogrammed it to manifest Leonardo da Vinci on a nearby alien planet. The bulk of "Concerning Flight" saw Janeway on said alien world, wandering around with a Leonardo who thought he was exploring the New World. Da Vinci used his centuries-old topographical skills to help Janeway locate some stolen technology. 

It just so happens that the idea of including Leonardo da Vinci on "Star Trek: Voyager" was Mulgrew's. Trekkies can tell you that Starfleet officers, ordinarily staid and well-mannered individuals, can indulge in specific holodeck fantasies in their off-hours. Data (Brent Spiner) liked to play poker with Albert Einstein, Isaac Newton, and Stephen Hawking, while Captain Picard (Patrick Stewart) liked to play-act as a 1930s hard-boiled detective named Dixon Hill. 

Mulgrew revealed in a recent "Star Trek" convention appearance (transcribed by TrekMovie) that she wanted a similar holodeck fantasy for Captain Janeway, and that hers should be intellectually aligned with her curious and cerebral character. Mulgrew was thrilled when the "Voyager" showrunners listened to her and included da Vinci on the series.

Kate Mulgrew was asked directly about the two Leonardo da Vinci episodes of "Star Trek: Voyager," and the actress seemingly lit up. She said that:

"It was heaven! And John Rhys-Davies, are you crazy? First of all, this fantastic actor is playing Leonardo da Vinci. And second of all, they take my pitch. I went to Rick Berman and Jeri Taylor and Michael Piller and said, 'Who do I want in my holodeck? I want Leonardo da Vinci. I don't want to make out with the guy. [...] I want to learn from this genius, right? ... So of course, they contrived this gorgeous holodeck set, and they took us out to the desert one day ... They took us out to the desert, and they put us in the flying contraption, and they lifted us into the air. And I remember thinking as I held onto his arm, John Rhys-Davies, and he was howling with laughter, I said, 'I get paid to do this? This is heaven!'"

Rick Berman, Jeri Taylor, and Michael Piller were the creators of "Voyager" and served as the show's executive producers. Berman in particular was the carrier of the franchise, enforcing all the dos and don'ts. It was wise of them to allow Mulgrew's request, as it not only provided the space-bound "Voyager" with some visual variety, but it allowed the series to explore Captain Janeway a little more. It says a lot about her character that Janeway fantasizes about being the student of one of history's greatest thinkers. 

The desert scenes Mulgrew described, and the fun she had climbing into a flying machine with John Rhys-Davies, were all for "Concerning Flight." The "Scorpion" scenes were relegated to da Vinci's studio.

Later in "Star Trek: Voyager," Leonardo da Vinci seems to have been retired for a more salacious holographic companion. In the 2000 episode "Fair Haven," Janeway visited a fictional Irish bar where she met a rough-hewn and handsome bartender named Michael Sullivan (Fintan McKeown). Captain Janeway was intensely attracted to him, and he served as a perhaps-romantic interest — or a mere sexual fantasy — for the character. 

Mulgrew also liked working with McKeown, but it wasn't her idea to pair Janeway with a handsome bartender. Mulgrew considered for a moment that pairing Captain Janeway with an Irish bartender might have been merely inspired by the fact that Mulgrew, although born in Iowa, is of Irish descent. At the "Star Trek" convention, she said:

"I liked the guy so much in 'Fair Haven.' I mean ... I liked him so much. What a lovely actor, truly in every way. [...] The 'Fair Haven' thing? Was that Irish? No. But you know, they probably, because I am Irish, they probably just took it from that."

So Janeway was granted an intellectual holodeck thrill, and something of a prurient one as well — both of which are grand favors to the character. Sullivan returned in "Spirit Folk," one of the worst episodes of the series. 

Captain Janeway is one of the better "Star Trek" characters, as she is full of contradictions. She values togetherness and scientific rigor, but also tends to bend toward unnecessary risks and even ideas of authoritarianism. It's perfectly fitting, then, that her two greatest play-acting fantasies would be learning from an intellectual giant and making out with a handsome Irish bartender.