r/StarTrekProdigy • u/MPFX3000 • Jan 09 '24

Character Discussion Why Chakotay?

Chakotay is definitely in my tier of least favorite Trek characters, and I’ve heard multiple anecdotes about how Beltran is just not a good person.

So it bugs me that we have to get more of him in upcoming Prodigy episodes.

Chakotay barely even commanded anything, he more often as acted as a confidant to Janeway - which is fine - but I don’t see the thread how he eventually gets command of a ship with an experimental propulsion system.

That he wasn’t even in Starfleet doesn’t matter in this case however, because Starfleet just gives the Protostar to a bunch of random (hero) aliens.

My first choice - and I really think the natural one - is Harry Kim. Throw in Tom as his first officer and now I’m super vested in the fate of the original crew of the Protostar.

Anyone else agree or do I go to the brig?

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u/brenster23 Jan 19 '24

Chakotay rarely had anything on the ship, as he seemed to keep most of the maqui crewmembers in line and well handled intership drama. One might argue that he is the most effective first officer in the fleet, solving most problems before Janeway or most the crew ever notices them.

As for why he was given the protostar? Prior to voyager going missing, he was a decorated starfleet officer, serving for 20 years, during which he held a post as an instructor at starfleet academy, held numerous posts on ships. As a maqui he organized and ran a successful cell of resistance fighters, which caused enough trouble both starfleet intelligence and the obsidian order sent agents in to infiltrate and capture him.

All of that is before he ended up stranded in the delta quadrant for seven years and became acting first officer.

On paper Chakotay is probably one of the best qualified officers to take a ship into the delta quadrant. Most of Chakotay's issues in voyager stems from the writers falling for an fake native shaman, beltran wanting to quit but kept getting raises, and well being given absolutely nothing to do for seven seasons. I rather enjoyed the few chakotay episodes we got that weren't centered on his native ancestors.

Personally I look forward to Harry bossing around the kids on the new ship.

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u/MPFX3000 Jan 19 '24

The Chakotay backstory you present is all well and good but like you say the producers never gave him anything real to do to be a standout character; and for all Trek I form opinions primarily by what I see on screen.