What's the beef with Chakotay?

Discussion in 'Star Trek: Voyager' started by SignGuyHPW, Oct 13, 2013.

  1. SignGuyHPW

    SignGuyHPW Lieutenant Red Shirt

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    Why does there seem to be a beef against Commander Chakotay? I always thought he was a descent character. He wasn't the most dynamic Trek character ever, but certainly not the worst I've seen. What's the main complaints against him?
     
  2. The Overlord

    The Overlord Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    The beef is he not a very interesting character. He barely had any personality, he was a Native American stereotype for the first couple of seasons and then they gave him random hobbies that were never mentioned before in effort to make him interesting in the later seasons.


    He also supposed to be this bad ass terrorist leader, yet he seems just to cow to Janeway most of the time.
     
  3. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    Some of us have mistaken his mysterious tribal tatt for a fancy face target.

    Boredom, really.
     
  4. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    OR

    We tease the ones we love..

    Take your pick!
     
  5. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

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    Some of A, and some of B.
     
  6. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    Then, he becomes Seven's main squeeze.
     
  7. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    LA LA LA LA LA LA LA

    I CAN'T HEAR YOU
     
  8. M.A.C.O.

    M.A.C.O. Commodore Commodore

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    A series of words that people use to describe Chakotay:

    An Empty Suit
    A Poor man's Riker
    Native American Stereotype
    Janeway's Yes Man
    Lucky SOB (for hooking up with 7 of 9)

    A list of other names that escape me at the moment. Chakotay as a character is remarkably boring. His shining moment was "Scorpion". He had some Ok moments in "Work Force" and "Shattered" during the tail end of the show, but that's not enough to salvage his wasted potential. Hell, Neelix had more of an arc than Chakotay.
     
  9. Melakon

    Melakon Admiral In Memoriam

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    Beltran's growing unhappiness with the role was sometimes painfully obvious in his performance.
     
  10. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    And don't forget his nickname.. "Planky" :lol:

    But now I feel guilty because I have always supported my DEAR FRIENDS the J/C'ers despite not sharing their camp (because it needs more camp.. *cough*) and they will be reading this feeling possibly somewhat pained.

    Janeway should sex it with whomever she likes.

    IF (see, the generous "if") she wants to frak Chak which could be a great new piece of rhyming slang she should totally go for it and I will stand outside her quarters silently cheering her on even if my fingers are in my ears.

    I expect someone will now point out that this is the future and starships are soundproof so the fingers in the ears thing would be unnecessary other than as symbolic protest. However 7 proved otherwise in her quip at B'Elanna about everyone on deck 9 section 12 knowing when Tom and B'Elanna were having relations. Of course, there's some Klingon in that mix so this bit of Voyager shipfail lore may not apply.

    I picture Chak doing it very very quietly.
     
  11. Gov Kodos

    Gov Kodos Admiral Admiral

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    [yt]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=besD6dNFi5w[/yt]
     
  12. R. Star

    R. Star Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    Chakotay was a rough around the edges character who proved to be very interesting.... for one episode. After Caretaker and before the second episode, Janeway must have had him castrated. He was just her yes-man for seven years after that.

    The cliche Native American stereotypes that don't even make sense didn't help either.
     
  13. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    He really was like her butler. He even kind of looks like a butler :lol:
     
  14. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    Chakotay, like a lot in VOY, never really hit his mark.

    He was supposed to be a fearless and bad-ass terrorist leader/freedom fighter, but after he puts on the uniform he just becomes Janeway's whipping boy. The will they/won't they dynamic they had in the first couple of seasons fizzled out to nothing.

    As other have said he was had some pretty stereotypical aspects of his heritage shoehorned in unnecessarily, but nothing was every really developed further.

    In a situation where they face uncertainty with every day, you need an XO who is dynamic and daring, someone who will follow the Captain's orders in public but will argue with them behind closed doors. Janeway should have been portrayed as a more "cautious" Captain, with Chakotay willing and able to fly off the handle at a moments notice--his time with the Maquis should have made him a little reckless.

    As for the whole Chakotay/Seven thing, that came out of nowhere, went nowhere and did nothing for anyone--except leave fans scratching their heads and wonder WTF was that all about?
     
  15. JarodRussell

    JarodRussell Vice Admiral Admiral

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    They should have killed Janeway off and let Chakotay take over. Never liked Janeway. And when you look back, Chakotay always made the right decisions but the stubborn bitch always argued with him.
     
  16. teacake

    teacake Fleet Admiral Admiral

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    I will say this for Chak, he's very easy on the eyes :)
     
  17. Infern0

    Infern0 Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

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    Beltran, by mid season 2 was clearly a man who was just there for the paycheque.

    It's not his fault, the man can act and when given a good script he would spring to life, but he wasn't given enough to do as JEri Taylor basically neutered his character to make janeway seem more badass or whatever
     
  18. JirinPanthosa

    JirinPanthosa Admiral Admiral

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    I liked Chakotay in episodes where he had action stuff to do like Caretaker, Displaced, Waking Moments. But his actual character development was terrible. They established him as a badass rebel then his actions suggested the exact opposite.
     
  19. Lance

    Lance Rear Admiral Rear Admiral

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    I agree, his character really was quite a descent. Or more a terminal drop really, all things being considered. :devil:
     
  20. Bry_Sinclair

    Bry_Sinclair Vice Admiral Admiral

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    I always found Tuvok to be better looking, never got the Chakotay thing.