I have been a casual fan of all of the Star Trek incarnations. While I remember fondly the highly innovative and ground-breaking first Star Trek, I never re-watch that series mostly because I didn't care for William Shatner's portrayal nor for the show's (general) portrayal of women – and oh, those stupid uniforms! So to hear that a new Star Trek series was to have a woman captain was intriguing – I am pleased that Kate Mulgrew so well pulled it off. The pilot episode clearly establishes the characters and I like the cultural and ethnic diversity of the combined crew. This episode was a good start to a strong television series. One side note – in the scene where Captain Janeway tells the Caretaker that he should let the Ocampa take care of themselves etc., I was immediately reminded of Captain James T. Kirk who also expounded on the necessity and virtue of self-reliance when talking about a people who were being "taken care of."
