It’s interesting because I didn’t really like Janeway a ton until her first interaction with Q. Like, there was nothing outright bad about Mulgrew’s portrayal, I just wasn’t completely and totally sold on the character yet from a writing perspective.
Something about a captain interacting with an omnipotent being really seals something for me personally, because Sisko’s interaction with Q was what sold me on him right away, too.
I enjoyed Gibney as Benteen, so I’m sure it would have worked out, it just would have been…different.