WARNING: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2
Summary
I’m mad thatStar Trek: Prodigymade me like Chakotay (Robert Beltran). I was delighted as aStar Trek: Voyagerfan to see Kate Mulgrew’s return toStar Trekas both Hologram Janeway and Admiral Kathryn Janeway inStar Trek: Prodigy. I lovedProdigyseason 1’s Delta Quadrant setting and I eagerly anticipated further nods toStar Trek: VoyagerinStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, like the introduction of the USS Voyager-A and the return of Robert Picardo’s Doctor.I was less enthused, however, about the imminent arrival of Captain Chakotay, knowingStar Trek: Prodigy’s main characterswould inevitably find him.
I thought Commander Chakotay was one of the least-developed characters inStar Trek: Voyager. Episodes that focused on Chakotay, like “The Fight” (Voyagerseason 5, episode 18) and “Nemesis” (Voyagerseason 4, episode 4) were some ofStar Trek: Voyager’s weaker entries. It seemed Chakotay was on the USS Voyager’s bridge because someone has to be theFirst Officer onStar Trek, and the Maquis weren’t going to trust Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ). Basically,I was expecting Captain Chakotay onStar Trek: Prodigyto be the same character as Commander Chakotay onStar Trek: Voyager: dull, static, and subject to a hokey pastiche of stereotypical"Indigenous"spiritual practices. I was wrong.
Wait, Star Trek: Voyager’s Chakotay Is In DS9?
Hold on … rewind. Did a Star Trek: Deep Space Nine season 2 episode really say Chakotay, as in Star Trek: Voyager’s commander?
Star Trek: Prodigy Actually Redeemed Chakotay
The Prodigy Kids Know That Chakotay Is More Than He Seems, And They Prove It
Star Trek: Prodigyredeems Captain Chakotay as a character, which ironically,starts with making Chakotay activelyunlikable.After finding Chakotay’s present location halfway throughStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, Dal R’El (Brett Gray) lays out the plan to save both Gwyndala (Ella Purnell) and theStar Trektimelineby rescuing Chakotay and the USS Protostar, only to be met with a gruff"No.“Chakotay has little empathy for the cadets, leaving them outside to fend for themselves in the elements. Hologram Janeway explains that Chakotay lost his whole crew and his hope for the future, and that ten years in isolation have hardened Chakotay into the man they see today.
Chakotay’s immediate refusal of Dal’s plan echoes Captain Liam Shaw’s (Todd Stashwick) famous"No"to Admiral Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) and Captain William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) inStar Trek: Picardseason 3.
Star Trek: Prodigy’s young cadets start understanding Chakotay, so we do too. Captain Chakotay is tired and grieving, living in self-imposed exile to keep theLiving Construct weapon inside the USS Protostarfrom destroying the Federation. When Dal stumbles on the body of Chakotay’s First Officer, Adreek-Hu (Tommie Earl Jenkins), Chakotay starts processing his grief. The cadets rehabilitate the Protostar and Chakotay together, as the Protostar’s grime and Chakotay’s grumpy hermit persona fall away to reveal a ship and captain ready to return home.It’s a brilliant storytelling tactic that gets us on board with liking Chakotay, whether we liked him to begin with or not.
Captain Chakotay Is A Natural Leader On Star Trek: Prodigy
And Chakotay Was Actually Okay On Voyager, Believe It Or Not
InStar Trek: Prodigy, Captain Chakotay is a natural leader and devoted steward of the USS Protostar and its crew, both before and after his exile. Chakotay’s character emerges through actions that are clearly motivated by values like loyalty, altruism, and empathy. In delegating tasks, Chakotay lets the cadets own their strengths instead of making assumptions about them, as they did about each other. When Dal is hard on himself for failing, Chakotay sits with Dal and listens before dispensing genuinely good advice that motivates Dal’s future actions. Chakotay’s not flashy or bold, butChakotay is a good captain with his crew’s welfare in mind.Not likeVoyager,right? Wrong.
Star Trek: Prodigyis the cadets' story, so we’re called on to share their perspective, and the respect and affection for Captain Chakotay that comes with Dal, Gwyn, and the rest learning who Chakotay actually is.
The infuriating aspect of this brilliant bait-and-switch onStar Trek: Prodigyis that it isn’t one at all.Everything that makes Captain Chakotay a likable person inStar Trek: Prodigyis actually also present inStar Trek: Voyager.Commander Chakotay does care for the welfare of the USS Voyager crew whenChakotay argues with Janewayabout allying with the Borg. Chakotay uses the same patient approach to mentoring Dal R’El inProdigyas he does with Lt. B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) inVoyager.Star Trek: Prodigymade me realize that Chakotay has always been thoughtful, respectful, and compassionate, so even though I didn’t want to like Chakotay … now I do.
