Star Trek: Voyager Officially Replaces Captain Janeway In The Q Trials

Star Trek: Voyager's Q Trials Lets You Replace Captain Janeway Published Sep 30, 2026, 3:00 PM EDT Nicholas Becher is a gaming journalist with an MFA in Creative Writing from FAU. With extensive experience playing video games, he covers all forms of gaming content at Screen Rant, from breaking news to the latest fan theories. Most-played games range from Clair Obscur to Civ to Elden Ring to Halo 2 and beyond. Captain Kathryn Janeway is one of the most important figures in Star Trek history, breaking new ground when Star Trek: Voyager premiered in 1995. Played by Kate Mulgrew, Janeway became the first woman to serve as the lead captain of a Star Trek television series, commanding the USS Voyager after it was stranded tens of thousands of light-years from home in the Delta Quadrant. Across seven seasons, Janeway established herself as a defining member of Starfleet's long line of legendary captains, balancing scientific curiosity and Federation ideals with the difficult decisions required to bring her crew home. Her continued presence in the franchise, including later appearances such as Star Trek: Prodigy, has only reinforced that legacy. However, Janeway will be stepping aside in a brand-new Star Trek: Voyager release arriving October 1, with another character officially taking her place at the helm. Captain Janeway Cedes The Captain’s Chair On October 1 Captain Janeway is effectively giving up the captain’s chair in Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown on October 1, when the upcoming Equinox DLC introduces another playable Starfleet ship and commander. Instead of guiding Voyager under Janeway, players will be able to take command of the USS Equinox, with Captain Rudolph Ransom joining as one of three new recruitable heroes alongside First Officer Maxwell Burke and Crewman Noah Lessing. The change is tied specifically to The Q Trials, a free roguelite mode arriving the same day. Q Trials shakes up the existing journey through the Delta Quadrant with randomized events, changing routes and challenges, and more freedom to assemble your crew as desired, adding more diversity and replayability to each run. John de Lancie also returns as Q to introduce the new mode. Ransom originally commanded the Nova-class ship in Voyager’s "Equinox" two-parter, where his crew endured its own disastrous journey through the Delta Quadrant and ultimately abandoned many of Starfleet's principlesto survive. That difference carries over mechanically in-game as well. The Equinox is smaller than Voyager, offering less building space, reduced crew capacity, and lower warp power, making it a deliberately tougher ship to bring home. The DLC even includes an Equinox-exclusive Q Trials storyline, "Spirits of Good Fortune," drawing directly from the ship's tragic history. So while Janeway is not being removed from Across the Unknown, October 1 will finally let players put her aside and attempt the Delta Quadrant journey with Ransom in command of the Equinox instead. The Q Trials Is An Exciting And Free DLC For Star Trek Fans The good news is that Q Trials itself is completely free for anyone who already owns Star Trek: Voyager – Across the Unknown. The new roguelite mode arrives as a free update on October 1, meaning players will not need to purchase the Equinox DLC simply to experience Q's randomized version of the Delta Quadrant journey. That distinction is important because the Equinox is separate paid DLC, launching alongside Q Trials on the same day. It adds the USS Equinox as another playable ship specifically for the new mode, along with Captain Rudolph Ransom, Maxwell Burke, Noah Lessing, and an exclusive storyline. Players who already own the game's Expansion Pass will receive the Equinox DLC automatically when it releases. Both Q Trials and the Equinox DLC launch October 1, 2026, across PC, Nintendo Switch 2, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. For Voyager fans, October kicks off an exciting new era for the game. Q Trials gives every existing owner a new reason to return for free, while the Equinox DLC offers something considerably more radical: the opportunity to leave Janeway and Voyager behind and see whether Captain Ransom can survive the Delta Quadrant on his own terms. Star Trek: Voyager - Across the Unknown Systems Released February 18, 2026 ESRB Everyone 10+ / Alcohol Reference, Fantasy Violence, Language Developer(s) Gamexcite Publisher(s) Daedalic Entertainment Franchise Star Trek Number of Players Single-player Genre(s) Strategy, Roguelike, Management, Simulation