Star Trek Voyager's Chakotay Native American Controversy Explained

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Star Trek: Voyager had good intentions by introducing a Native American character, but Commander Chakotay was flawed due to a consultant’s deception.

Star Trek: Voyager had good intentions by introducing a Native American character, but Commander Chakotay was flawed due to a consultant’s deception. An important aspect of Star Trek's legacy has always been its efforts to portray a diverse future, one where people of all races and creeds come together to form a better version of humanity.

SCREENRANT VIDEO OF THE DAY Star Trek: Voyager looked to continue that tradition of inclusivity by featuring the first Starfleet crew member of Native American descent. Beltran was ultimately cast in the role of Chakotay, a former Maquis operative who joined forces with Captain Kathryn Janeway and her crew after they ended up stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

Highwater's insights into the character proved to be shallow and stereotypical, hamstringing one of Star Trek: Voyager's main characters before the show ever aired. Voyager's producers seemed to realize Chakotay was not particularly working as a character, and he would slowly become a smaller presence on the series as the years went on. While it wasn't the only factor working against him, Highwater's contribution to Chakotay did real damage to the character.

Why Chakotay Was A Voyager Missed Opportunity Chakotay stands as a serious missed opportunity for Star Trek: Voyager, and he was arguably the least compelling First Officer in all of Star Trek. Chakotay was in many ways the embodiment of Voyager's overall problems, a bland character who felt like a poor copy of other, better Star Trek characters.

Robert Beltran was notoriously vocal about his misgivings with Voyager's writing staff during the show's production, taking seemingly any opportunity to cut them down in the press and complain about the lack of character development for Chakotay. Beltran wasn't wrong, but his public comments likely had the opposite effect of what he intended, alienating the show's creative staff and leaving them less willing to develop Chakotay.

 

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