Summary
- Kate Mulgrew prevented Janeway and Chakotay from becoming a couple on Star Trek: Voyager, prioritizing Janeway's likability and reputation.
- A potential romance between Janeway and Chakotay was also hindered by Starfleet rules, with Janeway focusing on her task of getting Voyager home.
- Star Trek: Prodigy offers a chance for Janeway and Chakotay's relationship to develop, building on unresolved tension from Voyager.
Despite interest, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Commander Chakotay's (Robert Beltran) relationship on the Star Trek timeline to feature a female captain, making Janeway a historic character and an inspiration to many. Her relationship with her former Maquis First Officer, however, continues to be a hotly debated topic among those who would have liked to have seen a romance develop between the two.
Janeway and Chakotay seemed like an unlikely pair in the beginning, starting as wary allies forced to work together in Voyager's pilot episode, "Caretaker." Ultimately, the two developed a deep, personal friendship with definite romantic undertones. The closest Janeway and Chakotay ever got to itting feelings for each other was in Voyager season 2, episode 25, "Resolutions", but despite romantic tension, their relationship was never fully realized. By the end of the series, Chakotay had found a partner elsewhere in Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan), and Janeway was focused on her task of getting Voyager's cast of characters home.
Every Voyager Character Who Has Returned In Star Trek (& How)
Star Trek: Voyager's beloved characters have returned in Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and especially Star Trek: Prodigy.
Why Star Trek: Voyager Never Made Janeway and Chakotay A Couple
Kate Mulgrew is the main reason Janeway and Chakotay never happened
While it may seem like Voyager's creative team dropped the ball, it was a request from Kate Mulgrew that stopped the Janeway/Chakotay romance in its tracks. At DragonCon in 2009, Mulgrew stated that she was attempting to appeal to a particular demographic, her main concern being making Janeway likable. As the first female captain, Janeway endured much scrutiny, and Mulgrew felt that the idea of her dating Chakotay would make any criticism of the character even worse. The creative team had an interest in pursuing the romance, but Mulgrew put her foot down for the good of Janeway's reputation.
Despite Janeway and Chakotay's chemistry, Mulgrew's decision makes sense. From an in-universe standpoint, a Captain pursuing a romance with their First Officer is a violation of Starfleet rules. Voyager's crew tried to maintain Starfleet principles despite being far away from the Federation, and no one was a bigger proponent of this than Captain Janeway. It is possible that had Janeway and Chakotay begun dating, Janeway's reputation as Star Trek's first female Captain would have been irrevocably damaged, as Mulgrew feared. This would have been a severe loss for the franchise overall, given what an important character Janeway continues to be.
Could Janeway And Chakotay Get Together In Star Trek: Prodigy?
Prodigy has made Janeway and Chakotay a viable couple again
However, thanks to Star Trek: Prodigy, the possibility of Janeway and Chakotay getting together has never been more likely. Both characters returned in Prodigy season 1, which dealt in part with Janeway's search for Chakotay after he disappeared while in command of the experimental USS Protostar. Prodigy season 2 is set to focus on Janeway and the young former crew of the Protostar traveling to the future to save Chakotay where he is being held hostage on Solum, the Vau N'Akat homeworld.
Now that Janeway's reputation as a Star Trek icon is secure, nothing stands in the way of Prodigy introducing a romance between her and Chakotay. The only possible obstacle is the fact that Prodigy is technically a kids' show, but that did not stop the series from exploring a romantic subplot in season 1, specifically between Dal R'El (Brett Gray) and Gwyn (Ella Purnell). With season 2 set to focus even more heavily on Janeway, Chakotay, and the existing relationship between the two, Prodigy could finally do what Star Trek: Voyager could not, and take that relationship to the next level.
All episodes of Star Trek: Voyager are available to stream on Paramount+. Star Trek: Prodigy season 1 is available to stream on Netflix.
Star Trek: Voyager
- Network
- UPN
- Showrunner
- Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor, Brannon Braga, Kenneth Biller
- Writers
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller
Cast
-
-
Jennifer Lien
WHERE TO WATCH
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they've never faced before.
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Seasons
- 7
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount Plus
Star Trek: Prodigy
- Release Date
- 2021 - 2024-00-00
- Network
- Paramount
- Showrunner
- Dan Hageman
Cast
-
Rylee Alazraqui
Brett Gray
WHERE TO WATCH
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
- Directors
- Dan Hageman
- Writers
- Dan Hageman
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Seasons
- 2
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount Plus
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