Star Trek: Voyager
Summary
Star Trek : Voyagerfailed Commander Chakotay ( Robert Beltran ) as a character , but there are means thatStar Trek : Prodigycan do better . Chakotay was the USS Voyager ’s First Officer and Captain Janeway ’s ( Kate Mulgrew ) good - hand man throughout all seven time of year of the show . As a former Starfleet officer who lead to join the Maquis , only to become Starfleet again when his gang unite with Voyager after make stuck in the Delta Quadrant , Chakotay had a unequaled backstory and a theoretically interesting perspectiveto bring to the tabular array .
Other thing made Chakotay unique as well . He wasStar Trek ’s first Native American main character , which should have bring much - needed representation to the dealership , and his position as an foreigner because of the Maquis should have enhanced the dramatic play of his role as aStar TrekFirst Officer . However , from the scratch , Chakotay ’s theatrical role and storyline were mishandled byVoyager , and the show squander his potential for a positive portrayal of Native finish or even interesting ontogeny . This began in the very early season and persist in in some contour throughoutVoyager ’s outpouring .
As a former Maquis exemption fighter , Chakotay was a unique Star Trek first police officer . Here ’s his account from Commander to Captain in Voyager and Prodigy .
6Voyager Did Not Depict Any Part Of Chakotay’s Native Identity Accurately
Chakotay’s Indigenous heritage was offensive rather than positive
AlthoughVoyagersought to introduce more multifariousness into the franchise bymaking Chakotay Native American , their execution was badly flawed . This was mostly due to the show hiring a fallacious Native consultant to advise on Chakotay ’s persona . Voyager ’s creative time probably had good intention when they contribute on Jamake Highwater as their Native American authority . However , Highwater was in reality born Jackie Marks and had no Native lineage whatsoever . Marks was expose as a fraud in 1984 but still went on to refer onVoyagerin the 1990s due to his lies not being widely known .
Unfortunately , Marks was involved in almost every aspect of making indisputable Chakotay ’s Native heritage was handled " right . " This ensue in a unimaginative and in most cases noisome portrayal of aboriginal American finish through Chakotay , which probably hurt the character more than anything else the show did to him . AlthoughVoyagerseemed to realise their fault and largely phased Chakotay ’s Native practice session in late seasons , the wrong had already been done . Mark ’s involvement inVoyageris a discolouration on theStar Trekfranchise , and the impairment he did to Chakotay is nothing compare to the scathe he make to real Native masses with his fictitious identity claims .
5Voyager Forgot About Chakotay’s Maquis Identity Too Quickly
Chakotay shouldn’t have been a normal Starfleet officer
Another Brobdingnagian aspect of Chakotay ’s character was his identity as a Maquis , the rebel group that had ring together to crusade the Cardassians in the Alpha Quadrant . AlthoughChakotay and the other Maquis agreed to become Starfleetofficers when they commingle with Voyager ’s gang , their former rebel status was still a fairly large part of their case betimes on . However , all the Maquis , Chakotay included , lose that individuality much too promptly , integrating into the Starfleet dictation structure in only a smattering of episodes even though many of them had never even been in Starfleet before .
Chakotay had go through the Academy and been an police officer , but even so , the complete loss of his Maquis identity hurt his character go ahead . His perspective as someone who had been on both sides of the conflict , and his more rebellious personality would have been a much more interesting counterpoint to Captain Janeway . Although there were some examples of these in former episodes , Chakotay settled into a largely peaceful rolevery quickly , still acting as Janeway ’s advisor and confidant but rarely opposing her and not show much of his own personality .
4Voyager Underused Chakotay (Especially In Later Seasons)
Chakotay’s storylines were cut back after season 2
probable thanks to their mishandling of his Native American inheritance , Voyager ’s originative team significantly dialed back Chakotay ’s involvement in recent seasons . Given that Chakotay wasVoyager ’s First Officer , the show had to include him , but most of the character ’s big storyline were in seasons 1 and 2 . As a result , Chakotay lacked quality development , and Robert Beltran became unhappy with how he was being handled . Beltran was vocal about his displeasure at the time and has continue to be sinceVoyager ’s conclusion , but the way the originative team try on to relieve this , including Chakotay ’s ill - conceived Romance language withSeven of Nine ( Jeri Ryan)in season 7 , did more harm than good .
3Most Of Chakotay’s Relationships Weren’t Interesting (Even His Janeway Romance)
Chakotay’s relationships (including his friendships) were utterly forgettable
Because of his lesser involvement in the show , Chakotay ’s relationships with other characters , including both friendship and romances , were underwhelming . Even his early family relationship , such as his turbulent romance with Seska ( Martha Hackett ) lack substance and failed to captivate witness . afterward on , Chakotay was mostly the victim of forgettable , one - off romances , and many of his friendship with other character were n’t given much screentime . His relationship with Seven , although treated as a big deal inVoyager ’s final season , was suddenly - lived , bad received , and negated by Seven ’s late appearance onStar Trek : Picard .
Chakotay ’s most significant — and arguably best — kinship onVoyagerwas with Captain Janeway , but even this was marred by account outlet . AlthoughJaneway and Chakotay enjoyed a close work relationship and friendship , romantic tension triggered by an early episode mean that they danced around obvious but unspoken feelings for most ofVoyager ’s trial . It would have beena speculative thought for Janeway and Chakotay to become a couplegiven their position as Captain and First Officer , but their open romantic tension caused a bonnie amount of frustration for audiences and undersell both characters significantly .
2Voyager Even Failed To Make Chakotay’s Hobbies Interesting
Chakotay’s hobbies added basically nothing to his character
Like many otherStar Trekcharacters , Chakotay had extracurricular hobbies thatVoyagerdepicted to enhance the plot of sure episodes . However , evenChakotay ’s sake outside of Starfleet were n’t enough to make him compelling . Chakotay was shown to have an interest in archeology and anthropology , butVoyagernever made either a huge part of his story . This was despite the enfranchisement already demonstrating that these interests could be used effectively with characters like Captain Jean - Luc Picard ( Patrick Stewart ) .
Chakotay from Star Trek : Voyager and Captain Picard from Star Trek : TNG were very dissimilar characters , but the two shared one thing in common .
Chakotay ’s other handsome hobby was boxing , something that was the master focus of season 5 , sequence 19 , " The Fight . " However , " The Fight " was one of the worst - ratedVoyagerepisodes in time of year 5 thanks to its confusingly executed plot and at least partially to the focus on Chakotay ’s rocking horse . Even whenVoyager ’s originative squad stress to incorporate storylines for Chakotay that did n’t necessitate center on his heritage , they bomb to capture the audience ’s attention .
1How Star Trek: Prodigy Can Improve Chakotay As A Character
Prodigy has a chance to turn Chakotay around
Captain Chakotay ’s retort inStar Trek : Prodigyhas given the franchise another hazard to get the character right . WithProdigyseason 2set to sport Chakotay more heavily , the show may be able-bodied to remediate some of the scathe thatVoyagerdid . To do this , however , the creative squad would first want to change or at least not double down on the negatively charged Native stereotyping that was bake into Chakotay from the starting time . SinceVoyagermade Chakotay ’s aboriginal identity less authoritative to his character in later season , this is more than potential forProdigyto do , although actively changing Chakotay ’s history and cultural practices might be a bit harder .
Along with this , Prodigycould simply give Chakotay more to do in time of year 2 . This is likely to hap , since the season ’s mission will involve rescuing Chakotay and his remaining crew from an alternate future on the Vau N’Akat homeworld . Although much of the focus is potential to still be on Admiral Janeway and the former young gang of the USS Protostar , separate up the plot to include some focus on Chakotay could be a chance to summate nuance to his character and give him a more interesting story thanStar Trek : Voyagerever did .
