I thought I was over this until a recent conversation triggered the same emotions so I thought I’d write down my thoughts. I’m a devoted Janeway/Chakotay shipper and I loved that Prodigy brought these two characters back. There were some wonderful moments between them over the two seasons of the show. The meaningful looks and touches (which are more difficult to accomplish with animation), the hugs, the nods to special items, even the acknowledgement of other characters that they understood how special Janeway and Chakotay were to each other. The tantalizing look at their mirror version selves where they were an actual couple. The greatly anticipated emotional reunion between them once Chakotay was rescued from the remote planet.
Yet overall, I am not satisfied. In fact, I’m still annoyed.
If Janeway/Chakotay is canon, why not openly acknowledge it? Why be cagey? Why play games?
You could argue that Star Trek is mostly an adventure show, not a romance. That would be true. But we’ve seen multiple couples dating and many of them getting married such as: Miles and Keiko (Next Generation), Dax and Worf (DS9), and Tom and B’Elanna (Voyager).
You could suggest that Star Trek doesn’t want to get into more intimate issues when it comes to relationships. That they are averse to showing sexual scenes. Yet every Trek show has implied sexual encounters: Kirk and random alien woman of the week, Riker and random alien woman of the week. Even Harry had sex with an alien woman (and got into big trouble!). Don’t even get me started on Trip/T’Pol of Enterprise where there is absolutely no doubt in anyone’s mind that sex occurred.
You might say, Prodigy is a cartoon aimed for a younger audience. This is true but with kids breaking out of prison and multiple dangerous situations, would showing a loving couple kissing once really be that traumatic? That emotionally scaring?
And there was an actual kiss in Prodigy – between Dal and Gwyn. So that argument doesn’t hold water.
Star Trek has conclusively shown us tons of established couples over the years, so the writers apparently know how to do this. In the latest versions of Trek, Seven and Raffi shared a kiss. Beverley and Picard obviously had to have sex at least once to produce Jack.
How hard would it be to show Janeway and Chakotay as an established couple?
Then we have the final scene in Prodigy season 2. Chakotay shows up at Janeway’s farmhouse where she acts like she hasn’t got a clue why he’s there. That she has no idea what he’s been up to. Not the behavior of two people in a relationship.
Let me ask, why would Janeway retire and Chakotay be the one to hurry back to Starfleet? She’s the one who always puts duty first. Her life is Starfleet. It’s in her blood. While Chakotay already knows Starfleet is flawed, he left the organization to join the Maquis. And now he’s been held prisoner, possibly tortured and marooned on a distant world. He’s lost ten years of his life! How old is he at this point? Hasn’t the man endured enough trauma? Wouldn’t it make more sense for him to retire?
And what was Chakotay thinking about those ten years? Honestly, if he loved Janeway, wouldn’t their reunion be the best time to profess it? To grab the chance that he thought he’d lost forever to be with the love of his life?
But no, apparently the draw of Starfleet is far more important. Far more alluring.
If Janeway felt that way for him, wouldn’t it be the same issue? She put everything on the line to find him, even risking her professional reputation, searching for him for over two years. And now, it’s just, “Hey, glad you’re back. See you later”?
Does this make any sense?
Most people either commit to a relationship or they don’t. They don’t pine after someone yet put off getting together (or actually kissing) for years on end. This is a foolish and overly romantic notion. Human beings don’t work that way.
But now, after ten years, he’s more than happy to see her once every few months?
How old are they at this point anyway? Chakotay’s gained ten additional years on her. Why would they continue to put off a relationship? Do any of us meet the love of our life at age 40 yet wait until we’re 65 years old to act on it? What’s the point?
Guess we’d have to have some life-changing event to force the issue. But, oh wait…didn’t they just do that?
Let’s face it, the reason Janeway/Chakotay was in Prodigy was to get Janeway/Chakotay fans to watch. To appeal to a built-in fanbase. Period.
If we were part of the target audience, why not give us fans what actually we want?
Closure.
Did any of you watch Prodigy only wanting their deep friendship?
I don’t think so.
As it is, all we have is plausible deniability. Non Janway/Chakotay fans say, they’re just close friends. And there’s absolutely nothing definitive to refute that point of view. Even Kate Mulgrew stoked that fire when she is quoted as saying, “The result was Janeway revealing that her love for Chakotay goes deeper than romance, and that made for a real tear-jerker even if some were disappointed they didn't officially become a couple”
Read that again.
“Even if some were disappointed they didn't officially become a couple.”
Does this sound like canon to you?
Now, let me make myself crystal clear, my annoyance is with the Star Trek production team and writers, not Janeway/Chakotay fans. If you’re a loyal Janeway/Chakotay fan and feel you got what you wanted or needed from Prodigy, that it feels like they’re a couple, that it’s enough for you, I’m happy for you. And if you interpret the events of Prodigy differently, I respect that.
Personally, I’m tired of manipulative Hollywood crap.
Thank God for the wonderful Janeway/Chakotay fans who really keep this fandom alive with wonderful stories, photo manipulations and videos. We do a much better job!
She explained the differences in those character pairings.
It bothers me that the first female captain leading a Trek series was shown considering a relationship but deciding against it. The implicit message – that she couldn’t handle both. The message I got in the 90s was you can have a career, or you can have marriage and a family. You can’t manage both. And this reinforced that in spades.
I know Janeway was the captain, and it was against protocol to date a subordinate. But for all they knew, it would take 70 years to get home. She had no break and no back up. These were not normal circumstances. Was she supposed to give her life for Voyager? Would that be emotionally healthy?
If either Enterprise had been under similar circumstances, I doubt Kirk or Picard would experience the same dilemma. They’d do what they want to do. ‘A man has needs’.
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