Robert Beltran
- Thread starter Hey Missy
- Start date
Maybe I'm wrong but I don't think that the decision of keeping Robert Beltran came from producers (ask to Brannon Braga what he thinks of the guy, even today!) but rather from UPN's executives who had imposed to Berman & Braga to keep the actor... as they forced them to keep Garret Wang and Braga to keep Seven alive in Endgame, once he presented his idea to kill her as a sacrifice to save Voyager and her crew. It was a pure strategic decision : Chakotay was a favourite, as Seven and,UPN's executives didn't want to take the risk to kill off their characters and alienating their fans. However, they let producers deal with the situation according their liking. Result: Berman and especially Braga made sure to give Beltran the least to do, what seemed perfectly work with the actor, whatever he declared in the medias (hey, he was paid generously to stand sitting, recognizing himself that his situation was great because it let him a lot of time to enjoy his free time!).
-> If the actor had an ounce of pride left, what he clearly hadn't according to his behaiour, the job being too good & very well paid, he would have left with a few sign of remorse to try something else like focusing on theater, his passion.
Same for Wang, even if I still don't know what is his main passion except winning a lot of money without getting his hands dirty (= work)!
. Result: producers gave him occasionally something to do but never something transcendant except playing the eternal lovelorn Enseign and the third wheel in Paris/Torres romance. But Brenan added a personal bonus, in refusing him the entry to the "Trek managering class" he led and which gave to so much others actors/actresses, the chance to do something else..
Honestly, if these both people hadn't Voyager's royalities (as well as bonuses each time a syndicated show, is aired on US TV and/or invitations in varied conventions around the world where they can sale their presences/signatures), I think that they would seriously struggle in the measure where their acting career is maybe not dead but the professional offers remain limited.
-> If the actor had an ounce of pride left, what he clearly hadn't according to his behaiour, the job being too good & very well paid, he would have left with a few sign of remorse to try something else like focusing on theater, his passion.
Same for Wang, even if I still don't know what is his main passion except winning a lot of money without getting his hands dirty (= work)!
. Result: producers gave him occasionally something to do but never something transcendant except playing the eternal lovelorn Enseign and the third wheel in Paris/Torres romance. But Brenan added a personal bonus, in refusing him the entry to the "Trek managering class" he led and which gave to so much others actors/actresses, the chance to do something else..Honestly, if these both people hadn't Voyager's royalities (as well as bonuses each time a syndicated show, is aired on US TV and/or invitations in varied conventions around the world where they can sale their presences/signatures), I think that they would seriously struggle in the measure where their acting career is maybe not dead but the professional offers remain limited.
Turns out Chakotay is a member of the Hevea tribe... Maybe that means that Beltran has a latex fetish...
In an actor’s contract, there is a clause that gives the employer the right to get rid of you if you bring negative publicity to the employer.
Think Charlie Sheen.
NFL players are vulnerable.
Beltran was lucky.
Right to free speech means the government and the police can’t stop you......and nothing more.
Seriously in my opinion TV is a business. They kept him on because he was worth it to them to do so. He could have only said super nice things but if they didn't want him in the cast they would have let him go. So he was critical? Tough. If it was in his contract to only gush they would have a potential clause to use against him if he breached that. Bottom line, they chose to give the actor and character a place on "Voyager".
I kind of like that these guys were able to speak openly. If anyone could have run with that it should have been Jennifer. However these Trek alumni do give back with their appearances etc. Beltran included.
One thing is for sure, Beltran is completely indifferent to any ST fandom whatsoever. He played that part like someone does a boring job low on the food chain because he needs it to survive and to feed his family. That doesn't make him a bad guy, in fact, it has nothing to do with that. He could be an ST enthusiast and be the worst person that ever lived.
I find him a good actor and he did a great job in portraying Chakotay. If he doesn't care for Star trek fandom is no problem for me.
I also admire him for having the guts to tell the truth about some not so nice people.
That's also a trait that I like about people.
Why didn`t the producers fire Robert Beltran?
1. I think they noticed that there was a very big fanbase of fans who liked/adored him (Chakotay). When I became a fan of Voyager in 2005 (only because I recognised RB in Caretaker) I searched the net about him. And 5 years after Voyager`s ending there still were many, many fansites about Robert Beltran - various RB shrines; Robert Beltran Estrogen Brigade; some Inofficiell Fansites; RAB; ...- I don`t know all of the names. Most of the sites went down over the last years.
2. The relationsship between Janeway and Chakotay was /is very importend for many fans. And I think the producers knowed it. I know, many fans would have been very upset about Voyager without the tension between J and C.
1. I think they noticed that there was a very big fanbase of fans who liked/adored him (Chakotay). When I became a fan of Voyager in 2005 (only because I recognised RB in Caretaker) I searched the net about him. And 5 years after Voyager`s ending there still were many, many fansites about Robert Beltran - various RB shrines; Robert Beltran Estrogen Brigade; some Inofficiell Fansites; RAB; ...- I don`t know all of the names. Most of the sites went down over the last years.
2. The relationsship between Janeway and Chakotay was /is very importend for many fans. And I think the producers knowed it. I know, many fans would have been very upset about Voyager without the tension between J and C.
I never thought there was much tension between them. I get that the writers didn't want to focus too much on the Marquis/Starfleet drama, but it would have been nice if Chakotay flexed his Marquis muscle a little more often and forced Janeway to take the back seat when it came to certain command decisions.
Half a season with Chakotay as Captain could have been interesting .
He can't hate Trek that much. He did Renegades, didn't he?
I can't climb into his head, but I never go the sense he hated Star Trek. He was frustrated with a group of writers and producers that thew away the potential he saw in the Voyager pilot for a creative ideology he did not appreciate. Actors who hate Star Trek would just rather just pretend it never happened.
Star Trek the franchise isn't much more (I think) in his view than a built-in audience and terminology framework, and the various shows are (or should be) relatively creatively independent. The fact that those in charge didn't see it that way is what bothered him.
Renegades, We filmed it summer of 2016
Similar threads
