Captain Janeway is famous for her ever-changing hairdo on Star Trek: Voyager and had seven distinct styles over the course of the show.

Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) had an impressive array of hairstyles throughout Star Trek: Voyager, and some of them were better than others. Janeway was Star Trek‘s first female lead while she captained the USS Voyager from 1995 to 2001. As such, the character faced unique challenges that other Star Trek captains hadn’t had to deal with, especially regarding how she was written, portrayed, and styled. One of these challenges was how Voyager‘s creative team dealt with Janeway’s appearance, which manifested most strongly in her hair.

While Janeway did eventually settle on a distinct hairdo for Voyager‘s final three seasons, early episodes of the show saw her sport a dizzying progression of styles, many of them variations on a similar theme like an updo or a bob haircut. Janeway’s ever-changing appearance seemed to be a manifestation of the creative team’s anxieties about Star Trek‘s first female Captain, but once Voyager had hit its stride in later seasons and Janeway was fast becoming a fan-favorite, her rotating hairdos seemed to calm down as well. Nevertheless, the hairstyles Janeway did go through during Voyager‘s run certainly had some hits and misses.

7 The Ponytail

Voyager seasons 3&4

One of Janeway’s hairstyles that she had off and on during Voyager seasons 3 and 4 was a long ponytail, usually styled fancily with some rolls on the sides and a large clip or barret holding everything together in the back. The adornments for this style varied a little throughout various episodes, but the hair itself was largely the same throughout all the variations. Although the ponytail stuck around for a number of episodes, it’s definitely Janeway’s least iconic hairstyle and not the most flattering on her either. This is likely why it was phased out for a bob halfway through season 4.

6 The Bun

Voyager seasons 1,2&3

Janeway’s “bun of steel” is arguably her most iconic hairstyle, and was present for the majority of Voyager season 1 and 2, as well as some of season 3. Like the ponytail, the way that the bun was styled varied a bit, but the basic look remained the same the entire time Janeway used it. The style had a sizable bouffant in the front where the hair puffed out before being gathered on the top of Janeway’s head in a tight circle. Although it is perhaps her most well-known look, the bun wasn’t always flattering, and the more casual looks later in the series suited Janeway better.

5 The Fancy Bun

Voyager season 1

One important variation on Janeway’s bun was a fancy updo that she could be seen sporting in a few episodes of Voyager season 1. Instead of Janeway’s hair being gathered in a sensible knot, it was curled and shaped into a series of ringlets that were pinned to the top of her head. Although this fancy bun wasn’t a hairstyle Janeway often used, it appeared more than once in season 1, most notably in Star Trek: Voyager‘s pilot, “Caretaker Parts I&II.” The style is noteworthy for this fact and for the fact that it was more aesthetically pleasing than the regular bun.

4 The French Twist

Voyager season 1

One final variation on the bun was a French twist hairstyle that Janeway adopted occasionally. This style saw the hair gathered at the back of her head and tucked in such a way that it almost looked like the hair was being sucked back in on itself. This style was just about as common as Janeway’s fancy bun, only appearing in a handful of episodes during Voyager season 1. However, it would go on to be important for another character on the show in later seasons; Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) wore her hair in a French twist during nearly her entire time as a member of Voyager‘s main cast.

3 The Pixie

Voyager season 4, episode 23, “Living Witness”

Although Janeway’s variation on a pixie cut only appeared in one episode of Voyager, the episode’s premise and style itself were noteworthy enough for its inclusion among her most memorable hairdos. Season 4, episode 23, “Living Witness” was the only episode of Voyager that featured any version of the crew that could have come from Star Trek‘s Mirror Universe, shown through a recreation by an alien race that had immortalized an inaccurately dark version of Voyager after a tense encounter. In keeping with the inaccuracies, Janeway was portrayed with a shaggy pixie cut that, while actually quite flattering, unfortunately never made another reappearance on the show.

2 The Straightened Bob

Voyager season 4-7

Janeway’s bob haircut, which she eventually settled into for Voyager’s final three seasons, is just as recognizable as her bun and definitely more flattering. The bob that Janeway settled on was no-nonsense, falling roughly to her chin with the ends of it curling slightly toward her face. The style fit Janeway well, and having her sport a hairdo that didn’t distract from her performance or seem needlessly complicated was the right choice once Voyager hit its stride with consistently good episodes in season 5. However, there was one variation on Janeway’s bob that was arguably better than what she settled on.

1 The Natural Bob

Voyager season 4

Janeway’s most flattering hairstyle on Star Trek: Voyager was her natural bob haircut, which she wore for a few episodes of season 4 before beginning to straighten it into something more controlled. The hair for Janeway’s natural bob was about the same length as her later bob, falling to her chin or maybe a little lower. However, it was much more wavy and less controlled, giving Janeway a windblown appearance that complemented her well. Although it’s understandable that Janeway would want something more traditionally professional while she was working, the natural bob was arguably a superior variation over what it turned into later.