Chakotay facts for kids

Chakotay was played by Robert Beltran across all seven seasons of Star Trek: Voyager.

Chakotay is an important character from the science fiction TV show Star Trek: Voyager. He appears in all seven seasons of the series. Chakotay is played by actor Robert Beltran. In the show, he is the First Officer on the Starfleet spaceship, the USS Voyager. The First Officer is like the second-in-command, helping the Captain run the ship.

Chakotay was the very first main character in the entire Star Trek series who was Native American. The people who made the show wanted to create a character who could inspire Native American viewers, similar to how the character Uhura inspired African Americans in Star Trek: The Original Series. To make the character feel real, the producers worked with Jamake Highwater. Even though Chakotay was first thought to be from the Sioux or Hopi tribes, his specific tribal background wasn't clear at the start of the show. This was later explained in the episode "Tattoo". Robert Beltran, the actor, is of Mexican descent, not Native American.

Chakotay's Journey on Voyager

The relationship between Chakotay and Seven of Nine, played by Jeri Ryan (pictured), eventually led to romance by the end of the series.

Chakotay first appeared in the very first episode of Star Trek: Voyager, called "Caretaker". He was a main character throughout the entire series, right up to the final episode, "Endgame".

Early in the show, Chakotay had a storyline involving his former lover, Seska (Martha Hackett). She betrayed the crew, and this story continued until her death in the episode "Basics". Later, after meeting some disconnected Borg in "Unity", Chakotay was against making an alliance with the Borg. This disagreement nearly caused problems for Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) in the episode "Scorpion". However, by the end of the series, Chakotay and Seven of Nine developed a romantic relationship.

After the show ended, in the Voyager relaunch novels (which are books that continue the story), Chakotay is promoted to Captain of the ship. However, his relationship with Seven of Nine ends in these books.

Impact and Reception

Chakotay's character received mixed reviews from critics. Some people felt that his Native American heritage was shown in a way that used old stereotypes. They compared him to characters like Tonto from The Lone Ranger. Critics also pointed out that the show included "Hollywood" versions of Native American practices, like vision quests and meditation. They felt these didn't always fit with the character's background in the story.

Despite these criticisms, Chakotay was also praised. He was seen as a positive role model for Native Americans in science fiction. Many called him "ground-breaking" because he was the most prominent Native American character in this genre at the time.