Among Star Trek: Voyager fans, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) is not just the fearless captain of the USS Voyager, she also originated several Star Trek memes in Voyager's weirdest episodes. Janeway gained notoriety for "straight up murdering" Tuvix (Tom Wright), and being equally ruthless to poor holographic bartender Michael Sullivan (Fintan McKeown) by ordering the computer to "delete the wife." But long before Janeway went all Ellen Ripley on a mutated macrovirus, even before she and Lieutenant Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) turned into salamanders, Voyager's first season had Captain Janeway's most famous line: "There's coffee in that nebula."
The nebula in question is from Star Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 6, "The Cloud", and doesn't contain actual coffee, but omicron particles, which can power Voyager's replicators at a time when energy reserves are low. To conserve precious energy, the USS Voyager crew are issued replicator rations for the essentials, and encouraged to eat whatever Neelix (Ethan Phillips) whips up—but Janeway loathes the prospect of drinking Neelix's tragically misnamed "even better than coffee" substitute. What's in the nebula is the promise of coffee, but when Janeway needs her caffeine, the distinction is negligible.
Why Captain Janeway’s Coffee Quote On Star Trek: Voyager Became A Meme
"There's Coffee In That Nebula" Is Weird AND Relatable
Fans have embraced Captain Janeway's coffee quote from "The Cloud" and made it into a popular Star Trek: Voyager meme. "There's coffee in that nebula" came up so early in Star Trek: Voyager that the quote formed an instant, unforgettable connection between Kathryn Janeway, coffee, and nebulas. Fans have created a wealth of artwork inspired by Janeway's coffee-rich nebula, from t-shirts and stickers to cross-stitch patterns and tattoos. Even Paramount has a Star Trek: Voyager coffee mug with "There's coffee in that nebula" printed on it, and Pop Culture Coffee offers an officially licensed Star Trek coffee featuring Captain Janeway.
Captain Janeway's coffee quote is a meme because it's a memorably odd collection of words, but persisted in pop culture because it's far more relatable than other Voyager gems like "Get the cheese to sickbay." A lot of people are passionate about both coffee and Star Trek, and coffee-loving Trekkies can easily find a time to use "there's coffee in that nebula", like when Italian astronaut Samantha Cristoforetti tweeted Janeway's quote—while wearing a Voyager-style uniform—to celebrate the International Space Station's coffee machine in 2015. (I've even requested "a whole nebula of coffee" on particularly groggy mornings.)
Captain Janeway Is More Popular Now Than She Was On Star Trek: Voyager
Modern Star Trek Cements Janeway's Legacy As An Important Starfleet Captain
Gone are tired debates about Janeway's hairstyles; instead, modern memes celebrate Janeway for ruthlessly protecting her crew.
Today, Star Trek fans characterize Captain Janeway as the straight-up badass that she actually was in Star Trek: Voyager. Gone are tired debates about Janeway's hairstyles; instead, modern memes celebrate Janeway for ruthlessly protecting her crew and doing whatever it takes to get back home. Captain Janeway's assertive curiosity and protective spirit were always there, even in the Star Trek: Voyager episode that gave us the coffee line. Turns out there's life, not coffee, in that nebula, and Janeway gives up Voyager's energy to heal the creature instead of taking it. Maybe that could be a new meme?
