Was Chakotay the most Kirk-like guy, post-Kirk?

[Shatnertage]

I started thinking about this after watching "Emanations." Chakotay shows a deliberate, intellectual side that we don't get to see too often. The more I thought about it, the more it reminded me of Kirk--the "stack of books with legs."

It occurred to me that maybe he's the most Kirk-like guy in the franchise since the original. I'm not saying that other characters aren't smart--it's just they don't seem to have the same kind of studious side that Chakotay showed. Picard the junior archaeologist probably comes the closest, though he doesn't seem to combine (at least in TV TNG) the dynamism and thoughtfulness of Kirk, at least not in the same way I'm seeing in Chakotay.

What do you guys think?

 

[F. King Daniel]

No.

Kirk was a pioneering, daring, sex-mad, reckless starship commander. Chakotay was the ultimate in bland and uninspired.

I'd put Sisko, Riker, Archer, Picard and even PO'ed Janeway as more Kirk-like than Chakotay. But that's just IMO. Garry Mitchell's line aside, Kirk's never been "a stack of books with legs". He's always struck me as the sort who'd always be at the top of his class and make everything seem effortless.

I saw "Eminations" a few days ago, and couldn't help but notice it's huge flaw - even without the computer wiped, the Kazon should have that shuttle reverse-engineered within a few years. I couldn't believe he didn't self-destruct it.

 

[JTK1]

No.

Kirk was a pioneering, daring, sex-mad, reckless starship commander. Chakotay was the ultimate in bland and uninspired.

I'd put Sisko, Riker, Archer, Picard and even PO'ed Janeway as more Kirk-like than Chakotay. But that's just IMO. Garry Mitchell's line aside, Kirk's never been "a stack of books with legs". He's always struck me as the sort who'd always be at the top of his class and make everything seem effortless.

I saw "Eminations" a few days ago, and couldn't help but notice it's huge flaw - even without the computer wiped, the Kazon should have that shuttle reverse-engineered within a few years. I couldn't believe he didn't self-destruct it.

Preach on KingDaniel !!

 

[Avon]

he's the anti-kirk!

 

[Shatnertage]

No.

Kirk was a pioneering, daring, sex-mad, reckless starship commander. Chakotay was the ultimate in bland and uninspired.

I'd put Sisko, Riker, Archer, Picard and even PO'ed Janeway as more Kirk-like than Chakotay. But that's just IMO. Garry Mitchell's line aside, Kirk's never been "a stack of books with legs". He's always struck me as the sort who'd always be at the top of his class and make everything seem effortless.

I saw "Eminations" a few days ago, and couldn't help but notice it's huge flaw - even without the computer wiped, the Kazon should have that shuttle reverse-engineered within a few years. I couldn't believe he didn't self-destruct it.

I didn't see any Kazon in "Emanations." Just a bunch of Heaven's Gate looking stiffs in a cave.

All of this is just my interpretation:

Sisko--not Kirk-like at all, since he (was) married and has a son he cares for, two things TOS Kirk never did--no sign of the commitment-phobia that marked the original.

Riker--not noteworthy for being cerebral, even before he turned into a caveman. Yeah, go do that level...three...thing.

Archer--too consumed by resentment for the Vulcans (S1 & 2), too focused on one mission (S3). Again, doesn't really impress people with his erudition, just an "Aw shucks" charm

Picard--maybe, but I address this in the OP. Also, we're seeing an older, more contemplative Picard in TNG.

For me, the ultimate Kirk test is, "Could this guy (or gal) talk a computer to death?" Picard could, and I'm not enough of a DS9ophile to say for sure about Sisko. I think if the subject was anthropology/archaeology, Chakotay could.

 

[Rett Mikhal]

Not even close. Harry Kim had more character than Chakotay did. Most boring 1st officer ever.

 

[F. King Daniel]

Oops, sorry - I was thinking of "Maneuvers", not "Eminations". Sorry.

When I think of Kirk, I don't think of him talking computers to death (although he did a lot of that), I think of him saving the day with insane schemes against all the odds. I've seen Picard, Archer, Sisko and Janeway do that. Riker hasn't saved the day, but he's done the silly posturing, womanizing and even occasional bit of Kirk-Fu.

 

[sonak]

Assuming this is a serious topic....


No, Chakotay is nothing like Kirk. Neelix has more in common with Kirk than Chakotay does.

 

[T.D. Possum]

I always thought Janeway was the most Kirk-like of the non-TOS characters. They're both serious people with a wild streak and a quirky sense of humor. She has Janeway-Fu and plenty of bravado. I think she could probably talk a computer to death. And one could argue that Janeway's lack of booty and Kirk's womanizing are actually two sides of the same coin - both are compensating behaviors of people who are married to their starships.

 

[JustKate]

I've been a Trek fan from the very beginning (my mom used to let me stay up late to watch Star Trek back when there was only one of them), and frankly, I never saw that much of a serious side to Kirk. Yes, I know fans talk about it, and I know the characters sometimes refer to it as well. But you watch those TOS episodes and you sure the heck don't see him acting on his supposed "serious" side very much.

So I disagree with y'all. The most Kirk-like officer, IMO, was Riker - although I agree that you can see a bit of it in Janeway as well, particularly when she decided it was time to break some rules, and she definitely knew how to sling around the bravado when she had to.

Not coincidentally, the most boring first officer was, IMO, Riker as well. Honestly, I don't want to offend anybody, but from the first moment I saw him I found him and his character so boring, so predictable and so uninspired that I really and truly cannot understand why anybody likes him. But I know he has legions of fans, and so please don't think you need to try to sell me on him (because it'll be a waste of time, for one thing ;-) ). Anyway, one of the reasons why he was so boring, predictable and uninspiring is because Kirk had already done it all and done it better. But he was so clearly inferior copy of Kirk. Why bother, is what I always find myself thinking.

 

[sonak]

I think Riker is a bit of a Kirk-clone in early TNG, but I think this was more a result of the writers not having a good handle on the characters in the beginning of the series.(almost every major character changed fairly significantly during the series run) I don't think that late TNG Riker is very much like Kirk.

 

[Shatnertage]

Hmm. My Chakotay/Kirk hypothesis, if not disproven, certainly doesn't have much support. But I'm surprised at how much people resent the guy. He seems pleasant enough to me.

I agree with Sonak about early Riker being a Kirk clone--that's how I felt when I was first watching. He got way more settled in his position than I think Kirk ever did. There was a certain complacency there in the later years.

 

[JustKate]

^ I actually like Chakotay a lot. The character wasn't often written well, but it had a lot of potential, and sometimes Beltran and/or the writers were able to capitalize on it. Not often enough, alas. But I did like the relationship between Chakotay and Janeway a lot - they really complimented each other, when the writers remembered to put that stuff in there. I'm always surprised by the Chak-hate, too. I mean, I can see why people don't always like him, but the loathing always rather startles me.

 

[sevenstars]

I agree with several above: Janeway seemed to me the most Kirk-like character of them all.

I see almost no similarity between Chakotay and Kirk, unless you're referring to their, uh, tendency to corpulence.

And I really like the character of Chakotay, in spite of its arrested development. I actually wish there were more characters like that.

I like Kirk too. But there are plenty of Kirk wanabees in the ST universe.

 

[henbane]

Janeway was the most Kirk-like character since Kirk (oven more like Kirk than as portayed in the 2009 movie) - if you look at Kirks and Janeways moral and ethical constructs, it's especially noticeable there. Chakotay is probably one of the least Kirk like characters in Star Trek.

 

[Shatnertage]

So my Kirkdar seems to be a little out of whack. Gotta get that fixed.

 

[Jack Bauer]

I like the Chakotay in the novels where I don't have to endure Beltran's "acting". Plus he's usually better written in them. Still not very Kirk like. Chakotay thinks more than he acts. Kirk seems to do the reverse but he does think. He just does it rather fast then he acts.

 

[firecrackerrrr]

No.

Kirk was a pioneering, daring, sex-mad, reckless starship commander. Chakotay was the ultimate in bland and uninspired.

Yes. (as in, I agree with your comment. Not yes to the OP's question)

Also I agree with those who said Janeway was most like Kirk. And Paris a bit too. But Chakotay? While not entirely useless, he was boring and completely underdeveloped as a character. Let's just say, I wouldn't have cared either way if they killed him off.

 

[T.D. Possum]

So my Kirkdar seems to be a little out of whack. Gotta get that fixed.

Someone must have sabataaged it!

 

[Shatnertage]

So my Kirkdar seems to be a little out of whack. Gotta get that fixed.

Someone must have sabataaged it!