I haven’t read any of the Autobiography books that Star Trek has been putting out in recent years, but when I spotted that Kate Mulgrew did the Audible version of this, I had to give it a try. I consistently enjoyed her character on Voyager, especially when she was with Jeri Ryan or Robert Picardo, the show’s other acting standouts, and developed an affection for the character thanks in part to my high school obsession with Star Trek Voyager: Elite Force. She’s the only captain I have a pet nickname for, so take that as you will. The book’s first half covers Janeway’s life prior to taking command of Voyager, and the second half covers some of Voyager‘s more controversial moments from Janeway’s perspective — here she defends her decision to destroy the Caretaker’s array, for instance, and offers insight into how Voyager’s story progressed. She views the betrayal of Seska, for instance, as tragic but ultimately good, prompting the other Maquis to recoil in horror and rally around the flag of Janeway, Voyager, and even Starfleet. The Voyager bit is shallower than expected, though, given how much happened that should deeply shape the character. The whole “Janeway and Chakotay trapped together maybe forever on a planet and developing Feelings” thing? It’s over like a shot, as if it had no more significance than an unexpected airport layover, and no mention made of any emotions, subtext or otherwise, beyond her suspicion that Chakotay would have been perfectly happy to have remained stranded. Mulgrew’s voice and presentation go a long way to adding emotional heft that would not delivered by the text itself. I don’t know how the development of Janeway’s early life lines up with that which was developed in Mosaic, an early Voyager novel that featured Janeway’s past, but I enjoyed learning about Janeway’s early fascination with flight & the stars, and her being primed by a Starfleet family to want to seek a career in the service. There’s nothing beyond Endgame, so if you’re looking for the Janeway recounting of Nemesis, you’re out in the Badlands with no shields. My favorite thread in the book was Janeway’s close relationship with Admiral Paris, which leads to her meeting young Tom and eventually becoming her mentor’s son’s mentor. Her evolving relationship with Tuvok is also great interest, as when they initially meet he reprimands the young lieutenant for failing to observe proper security protocols. One thing that was jarring to me was that I had the impression from the show that Janeway wanted to be a scientist, and then later became interested in command — but here she’s gung ho for command from the very beginning, taking classes in it at the Academy, and the science department is merely where she begins. Personally, I enjoyed The Autobiography, but in large part because it meant listening to Kate Mulgrew for eight hours: I suspect I’d be panning this a bit had I merely gone from the text itself.