Warning: This article contains SPOILERS for Star Trek: Prodigy season 2!
Summary
I will forever be grateful toStar Trek: Prodigyfor finally paying off Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and Chakotay’s (Robert Beltran) relationship. I became aStar Trek: Voyagerfan at a young age, after first watching all ofStar Trek: The Original SeriesandStar Trek: The Next Generation. WhiletheStar Trektimelinehad already hooked me with its wonderful stories and characters,Voyagerstruck a different chord, catapulting me into a full-blown obsession that has never quite gone away. One aspect of this obsession was my love for Captain Janeway and her relationship with her First Officer.
Beginning as wary allies after both becoming stranded in the Delta Quadrant, Janeway and Chakotay’s relationship blossomed into something beautiful throughoutVoyager’s seven seasons. The two ended up making an incredible command team and maintained a friendship built on mutual trust and respect, but it was their romantic subtext that captivated me. For good reasons,Janeway and Chakotay never became a couple onVoyager, buttheir chemistry was palpable even if their true feelings weren’t something the series often acknowledged.
Star Trek: Voyager Cast & Character Guide
In its seven seasons, Star Trek: Voyager introduced many new faces to the Trek universe. Here is a breakdown of the show’s main cast and characters.
Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 Is The Ultimate Payoff Of Janeway And Chakotay’s Relationship
Prodigy season 2 really improved Janeway and Chakotay
Now, thanks toStar Trek: Prodigyseason 2, Janeway and Chakotay’s chances at realizing those true feelings are better than ever. Before season 2 premiered, I was cautiously optimistic about Janeway and Chakotay’s portrayal and was crossing my fingers thatProdigywould finally address their relationship head-on.Despite still stopping short of anything overtly romantic, I couldn’t have asked for a better continuation of Janeway and Chakotay’s storythanProdigyhas given us.
Seeing how much care the series put into portraying their relationship has made my heart not only happy but hopeful about Janeway and Chakotay’s future chances for the first time in years.
Aside from the improvementsProdigymade to Chakotay’s character, Janeway’s relentless drive to rescue him coupled with their truly touching reunion and scenes together in the later half of the series knocked it out of the park.Janeway and Chakotay may not have kissed, or engaged in any heartfelt declarations of their feelings, but their love for each other was on full displayinProdigyseason 2. Seeing how much care the series put into portraying their relationship has made my heart not only happy but hopeful about Janeway and Chakotay’s future chances for the first time in years.
Will Star Trek Give Chakotay And Janeway A Real Romance?
However, the question remains whether theStar Trekfranchise will ever truly depict Janeway and Chakotay in a romantic relationship. It’s more than understandable whyVoyagernever did, but now that their story has been brought back to the forefront of the franchise, Janeway and Chakotay deserve their own version of a happy ending.Unfortunately, there’s no guarantee that this will happen, given thatProdigyis a kid’s show not heavily focused on romanceand there are currently no plans to reintroduce the characters to live action.
However, I’ve never been less discouraged about Janeway and Chakotay’s future than I am right now. Even ifStar Trek: Prodigyseason 3keeps their interactions platonic, their friendship is still a joy to witness and consistently does justice to their arc inStar Trek: Voyager. Likewise,Prodigy’s revamp ofVoyagerand Seven of Nine’s (Jeri Ryan) success onStar Trek: Picardhas made the possibility of seeingVoyagercharacters in future live-action projects more likely. Of all the many reasons I loveStar Trek: Prodigy, Janeway and Chakotay’s relationship in season 2 might have just become the biggest one.
Star Trek: Prodigy
Cast
Star Trek: Prodigy is the first TV series in the Star Trek franchise marketed toward children, and one of the few animated series in the franchise. The story follows a group of young aliens who find a stolen Starfleet ship and use it to escape from the Tars Lamora prison colony where they are all held captive. Working together with the help of a holographic Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew), the new crew of the USS Protostar must find their way back to the Alpha Quadrant to warn the Federation of the deadly threat that is pursuing them.
Star Trek: Voyager
The fifth entry in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek: Voyager, is a sci-fi series that sees the crew of the USS Voyager on a long journey back to their home after finding themselves stranded at the far ends of the Milky Way Galaxy. Led by Captain Kathryn Janeway, the series follows the crew as they embark through truly uncharted areas of space, with new species, friends, foes, and mysteries to solve as they wrestle with the politics of a crew in a situation they’ve never faced before.
