Captain Chakotay (Robert Beltran) has had a fascinating life inside and outside Starfleet as depicted in Star Trek: Voyager and Star Trek: Prodigy. Chakotay grew up in a Federation colony positioned on the Cardassian Demilitarized Zone that was populated by those of Native American descent. While it's never been confirmed on-screen, Chakotay's home was intended by writer Jeri Taylor to be Dorvan V, the Native American colony from the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "Journey's End". When the Cardassians attempted to take over his home, Chakotay's father was killed resisting them, and this tragic death had an understandably seismic impact on Chakotay.
The Cardassians' takeover of his colony was agreed upon by the treaty between the Federation and the Cardassian Union, forcing Chakotay to reconsider his position in Starfleet. Like many officers who opposed the Federation's appeasement of the Cardassians, Chakotay ed the Maquis and fought back against the takeover of his colony, eventually becoming a leader within the organization. It was Chakotay's time in the Maquis that brought him into with Star Trek: Voyager's Tuvok (Tim Russ), who was undercover aboard Chakotay's ship the Val Jean when it went missing in the Badlands. It was the disappearance of the Val Jean that brought Chakotay into the orbit of the USS Voyager, and Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).
Chakotay's Star Trek: Voyager History Explained
Seeking out the Val Jean, Voyager came into with the same array that transported the Maquis ship 70,000 light years away to the Delta Quadrant. Stranded far from home by the Caretaker, and more importantly, far from the Cardassian border disputes, the Maquis and Voyager's Starfleet officers were forced to work together. In an attempt to better integrate the Maquis, Janeway made Chakotay her second-in-command, and the two formed a mutual respect for each other almost immediately. Chakotay helped Janeway smooth out tensions between the Maquis and Starfleet crews, particularly when it came to the volatile half-Klingon B'elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) who often clashed with Janeway in Voyager's early days.
Chakotay was instrumental in averting a Maquis mutiny, as he knew internal strife within the ship would impede their chances of survival. This was a view that wasn't shared by his former lover, Seska (Martha Hackett), who caused considerable strife for the Voyager crew in their first years in the Delta Quadrant, eventually betraying them for the Kazon. Chakotay's experiences in the Maquis often informed his perception of the situations that Voyager faced during their seven years in the Delta Quadrant, such as when he deduced that Voyager's holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) had been radicalized by a group of mistreated holograms in the episode "Flesh and Blood".
Many of Chakotay's Star Trek: Voyager episodes centered around his attempts to connect with his Native American heritage while being stranded in the Delta Quadrant. His spirituality was both a great comfort to himself and others, notably Neelix (Ethan Phillips) during the existential crisis brought about by his surprise resurrection. In the episode "Tattoo", Chakotay met the sky spirits that his people prayed to, who were actually an ancient alien race. It was this revelation that underlined Chakotay's own belief that spirituality had a scientific grounding.
Chaoktay's Relationship With Janeway Explained
Chakotay and Janeway's working relationship was regularly tested, and not just by the actions of the former's fellow Maquis. The Maquis cast a shadow over Janeway and Chakotay's relationship right up until their final year in the Delta Quadrant, when a brainwashed Tuvok began attacking former Maquis, creating paranoia and tension aboard Voyager. These attacks were part of a larger scheme to use Tuvok's Vulcan mind-meld abilities to influence the Maquis crew into finally carrying out a mutiny against Janeway.
Chakotay had previously considered relieving Janeway of duty when she became obsessed with bringing the captain of the similarly stricken USS Equinox to justice, going too far in the process. However, his trust in her to finally realize she'd lost her way prevented him from ordering a mutiny. Janeway and Chakotay also clashed over the former's ill-judged alliance with the Borg, because Chakotay had experienced what it was like to be part of the Collective, and correctly predicted that the Borg would betray them.
In the early days of Star Trek: Voyager, there was romantic tension between Janeway and Chakotay. This potential romance was never pursued due to Kate Mulgrew's belief that Star Trek's first female Captain having a romantic relationship with her First Officer would undermine the character. However, the two officers were extremely close, and would regularly dine together throughout their voyage across the Delta Quadrant. In Voyager's season 5 premiere, "Night", Janeway became so depressed and despondent during their exploration of a barren region of space, that Chakotay stepped in to captain the vessel, and refused to allow Janeway to sacrifice herself to hasten their journey home.
This determination not to leave anyone behind is what's driving Vice iral Janeway's quest to rescue Chakotay in Star Trek: Prodigy. The USS Protostar was designed to undo some of the damage that Voyager unwittingly did in the Delta Quadrant, and Chakotay had a command hologram created in Janeway's image to accompany him. It's a touching reminder of how much Chakotay trusts Janeway's counsel, and the real Janeway's determined quest to save him reveals that her loyalty to her Voyager crew hasn't faltered in the years since their return to the Alpha Quadrant.
Chakotay's Relationship With Seven Of Nine Explained
As with Janeway's Borg alliance, Chakotay was skeptical about her decision to make Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) part of the Voyager crew. However, Chakotay later observed to Janeway that she had made the right call in putting her faith in Seven's transition from Borg drone to a valued member of the crew. Chakotay even attempted to aid Seven's transformation when he suggested she look after three young former Borg, encouraging her to let the youngsters embrace their own individuality.
As part of Seven's attempts to learn more about Human emotions and social interactions, she used the holodeck to explore the possibility of a romantic relationship with Chakotay. However, Seven's Borg implants prevented her from being able to experience strong emotions like love, putting an end to her experiments. Chakotay was unaware of these simulations and of Seven's attraction to him. However, when the Doctor was able to remove the implant, Seven made the decision to attempt a romantic relationship with him and the two went on a couple of dates. In an alternate future, Seven and Chakotay even got married, but her untimely death broke Chakotay's heart.
This revelation was enough to convince Seven to end the relationship, but Chakotay convinced her to give it a try as they couldn't base their romance on a future that hadn't happened. The pair were still together when Voyager finally returned home to the Alpha Quadrant in 2378. However, the relationship had clearly ended by the time of Star Trek: Picard season 1, as Seven embarked on a new romance with Commander Raffi Musiker (Michelle Hurd) after the two bonded while investigating a Romulan conspiracy against Starfleet.
Chakotay In Star Trek: Prodigy Explained
Officially reassigned to Starfleet after his field commission on Voyager, the newly promoted Captain Chakotay was given command of the USS Protostar. The prototype starship was powered by a proto-drive which enabled the Protostar to reach speeds never before achieved by a Starfleet vessel. On their first mission back to the Delta Quadrant, Chakotay and his crew encountered a temporal anomaly that transported them decades into the future, in orbit around the planet Solum. The Protostar was hijacked by the Vau N'Akat, a species that held Starfleet and the Federation responsible for a devastating civil war.
The Protostar was armed with a weapon, the Living Construct, that would immediately turn Starfleet's ships against each other. Wresting back control of the Protostar, Chakotay sent it back through the anomaly, where it crash-landed on Tars Lamora, to be discovered by Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and his young friends, attracting the attention of Vice iral Janeway. Chakotay and his crew are still stranded in the future after sending back the Protostar, and Janeway has made it her mission to save him. With an unorthodox crew, and the directions to the anomaly that will reunite her with Chakotay, Star Trek: Prodigy season 2 will bring Janeway and Chakotay's Star Trek story full circle.