LogFAQs > #932770476

56. Chakotay
This reminds me of an ancient Indian saying: Wiseman once say, make up sayings as you need them.

Theres nothing I can say about Chakotay that hasnt been said by someone else in the topic. This character consists of approximately three elements: Native American stereotypes, writers having no idea what to do with him, and Robert Beltran just giving up.

Lets tackle the first one of those elements. Hiring a literal con man as your Native American advisor to ensure cultural accuracy is pretty bad, and it results in a character who is from no specific tribe and instead just a generic Indian. But hey, you know, its the future, maybe things changed in the whatever tribe hes from, Id be willing to let that slide if anything was ever done with it. Instead, Chakotays Native American heritage is used in precisely two ways: advise other characters with trite wise sayings and be the spiritual character. I think this isnt said enough: unless youre Star Wars, dont have spiritual characters in space opera science-fiction. It never works out. I believe there are some things you cant measure with a tricorder, how did this guy pass Starfleet Academy. Hes always the one using his Native American powers to psychically lead people in a dream or something stupid like that. Lets not even talk about the episode where its revealed that aliens came to Earth, were impressed at how in-tune with nature Native Americans were, and altered their DNA to live in tribes and always respect it. At best its stupid, at worst its offensive. And I said all of that without talking about how Robert Beltran is clearly Hispanic. Was it too much to ask that you hire an actual Indian to play a character who says lines like Looks like youre with the only Indian in the galaxy who cant make a fire by rubbing two sticks together?

In concept, By-the-book Starfleet captain and rebellious renegade must work together is a great combination. The writers drop this idea after like three episodes, and no one suffers from it more than Chakotay, because he has no personality traits (besides Indian) other than that he supposedly captained a Maquis ship. After this, he becomes just a guy. The show wouldve been better if anyone else was first officer besides him Maybe not Harry, but well get to Harry. Anyway, the writers instantly ran out of things for Chakotay to do, thats the point.

Robert Beltran is like a walking joke. He visibly gives up, to the point where you cant be sure hes even alive. For all I know, its a doppelganger whos using the show as an opportunity to work on its human disguise. Garret Wang (Harry Kim) has said in interviews that the human characters were told to act wooden, and no one mastered that better than Robert Beltran. He tried to get himself fired by asking for a salary raise, and they just gave it to him. He demanded they give his character a love interest, and they do it in the last episode by pairing him with a girl hes spoken like ten lines to.

Chakotay is used well exactly one time, and thats why hes above the likes of Pulaski and Wesley. He is used well only in Scorpion. Thats it. The episode where Janeway is like LOL I WANNA MAKE A DEAL WITH THE BORG and Chakotay is like Heres a wise non-Indian saying about scorpions trying to cross rivers, I dont approve of this course of action and theres a little thing I like to call tension. Even then, though, Chakotays best moment is when hes the fourth most important character in the episode.

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Started: July 6, 2005