Could 'Orange' Be The New 'Star Trek'? Kate Mulgrew Weighs In

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As head chef and matriarch of Litchfield prison, Galina "Red" Reznikov runs (ran?) quite a tight ship. And it's no wonder: She had all that experience as captain of the Voyager. Oh, sorry, we're conflating Kate Mulgrew's two most iconic characters, from Orange Is the New Black and Star Trek Voyager. We know it's a stretch, but given the chance, we had to ask her: Could a show like OITNB ever inspire Trekkie-like fan loyalty?

"You're talking about apples and oranges, but you're talking about fruit, so anything's possible," Mulgrew told VH1 at the PaleyFest: Made in New York red carpet a couple weeks ago. "Yes, a different kind of expectation, a different kind of imagination, but I think the same kind of allegiance is very possible. And we both know that the Star Trek allegiance is fierce. So that's what I'm hoping for."

It's rare to see a seasoned actress look as positively bubbly as Mulgrew was when we met her, but as she pointed out, few people love their characters as much as she does.

"I'm very excited about it, as you would be if you were me," she said. "It's a great part and a great series. I think it's unprecedented. It's certainly unparalleled in my experience. I dig this character."

And no, it does not appear that Red was inspired by any mob matriarchs Mulgrew has encountered at a bizarre Trek convention.

"It's a working class Russian accent that came out of my crazy brain!"