When Star Trek: Voyager was in development in 1994, the franchise was hot. Star Trek: The Next Generation was making its way to the big screen in the form of Star Trek: Generations, and its spinoff, Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, was finding its stride at the start of its third season. Deep Space Nine, however, was set on a space station, and the franchise's head honchos felt that a spin-off Trek show should be created to include more traditional star trekking. Voyager was set aboard a Starfleet ship, the USS Voyager, as it became stranded 75 years from Earth.

Show creators Rick Berman, Michael Peeler and recently the late Jerry Taylorwhile developing their series, they decided they wanted the captain of the USS Voyager to be a woman, since all the previous leading Star Trek captains had been men. Captain Catherine Janeway was created, and casting began in due course. Ultimately, the trio settled on veteran actress Kate Mulgrew for the role, and many liked Mulgrew's natural openness and authority; Janeway was a great character and Mulgrew helped her grow.

But Mulgrew wasn't attracted from the start. Indeed, deep-cut Trekkies can probably tell you about the infamous two days on the Voyager set when Acclaimed Canadian actress Genevieve Bujold played Janeway. Bujold, unaccustomed to working in TV, could not cope with the fast pace of the series, and her energy was very low (as her surviving recordings show). She quit after two days, and Mulgrew stepped in to replace her at the last minute.

They're less likely to be able to tell you about a third actress who was also seriously considering Janeway. It appears that Susan Gibney, who previously played Dr. Lea Brahms in two episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation, underwent a very lengthy audition process for Voyager and was seemingly on the verge of landing the gig when Bujold was elected. Gibney talked about her many auditions in the 2014 interview with StarTrek.com.

From the way Gibney describes it, she and Bujold were considered at the same time. Bujold, as the more famous of the two, seemed more likely to land the role of Captain Janeway, but Gibney felt the showrunners were really gunning for her. After all, she was already part of the Star Trek family thanks to her two episodes of The Next Generation. Dr. Brahms, to explain to the uninitiatedwas the designer of the USS Enterprise and had a rivalry with Geordie La Forge (LeVar Burton), the ship's chief engineer. They had a very awkward first meeting, as Geordi fell in love with Dr. Brahms' hologram. Gibney had to play both a hologram and a real Leia.

Gibney was comfortable with Star Trek. She knew the people involved and was ready to host a new series. She was brought back to the Voyager set time and time again to prove herself. She even had to wear a captain's uniform. According to Gibney's recollection:

"They did a full screen test and brought in the other actors and crew. We did some hair tests and some costume tests and then they brought in everyone who was cast and the whole crew. And they shot most of the scenes. I was doing three York tests for the pilot that day (when Bujold left) and they said, 'Susan, you have to fly back to Los Angeles.' Then there was another audition."

Landing lead roles in major TV shows is, of course, a long and arduous process involving multiple levels of approval from all the studio heads, but even by that measure, Gibney seemed to be getting the run of things.

Gibney recalled that she had to audition with several other actresses who, in her opinion, were not quite right for the role. She suspected that her audition partners were strategic choices by executive producer Rick Berman to make her look better. Unfortunately, it didn't seem to be enough, as Mulgrew ended up getting the job. As he recalled:

“I auditioned with another woman, but apparently the other woman didn't do as well that day as we would have liked, so they thought Rick was trying to get me on the show by not having enough good people opposite me. Then it went to the final round and, however, we know the results of that, it was a long process."

Gibney did say that she received something of a "consolation prize" for her continued efforts. She was eventually cast in the two-part episode "Deep Space Nine" as a character named Commander Erica Bentin. In the first installment, "Home Front" (January 1, 1996), she was the commander. In the second installment, "Paradise Lost" (January 8), the character was promoted to captain. She was placed in command of a starship called the USS Lakota.

So Gibney didn't get to play Captain Janeway, but he did get to play a legitimate Starfleet captain, even if it was just for one episode. And because Trekkies have fond memories, she will forever be remembered as an integral part of the Star Trek lore. Also, many claim that Deep Space Nine is the best of all the Star Trek shows. - better than Voyager to be sure - so Gibney will always have something to be smug about.