Full Circle
Today is Kathryn Janeway’s birthday! No better day to discuss:
with the @voyager-book-club
If you have not read this book: 1# GO READ IT
2# Be warned, spoilers ahead!
First things first.
FINALLY!
It only took 15 years.
With all of the excitement around this momentous occasion is the real meat of the book, something Kirsten Beyer makes no effort to hide, announced all the way on page 12: Kathryn Janeway is in fact dead.
My favorite thing about this book is the main conflict. This book takes place across two stories, one with the Klingons and the kidnapping of Miral and another dealing with the reality of Kathryn’s death. Part one gives us a clear enemy, but the second part, which in my opinion is the real meat of the story and the focus of this review, the antagonist is grief.
We see grief in many forms. We have the loss of a parent in Tom Paris, the loss of identity as seen by Seven, the end of a relationship with Harry, and the loss of love as seen by Chakotay. Each of these characters are seriously affected by their individual losses, but here I am going to focus mainly on Chakotay.
There are a lot of parallels here to Janeway’s actions in episodes such as Night, Equinox, and Scorpion. He admits it himself that he has chosen to isolate himself instead of work through his grief. This isolation not only keeps Chakotay from discussing his grief with his friends, but also disconnect him from his spirituality.
Cambridge, Voyager’s new counselor, took a while to warm up to, but proves his worth, not only really knowing what he is doing, but to also having some really good experience and insider information. Janeway’s death was an accident of course, but it was never disclosed why she was out there. It was uncovered that this is the real reason that Chakotay had not gotten over her loss. He believed that she was there out of curiosity. This is a reasonable assumption, knowing Janeway. However, she was there to essentially save him from having to return to the Delta Quadrant.
It is only at this point that Chakotay can move on with his life. Unfortunately, Admiral Montgomery has other plans. Chakotay took his unceremonious dismissal from Voyager’s captaincy with poise and understanding, fully accepting the consequences of his actions. He continues to further, help Seven, give the new captain his blessing and his mission to bring them home, and most importantly, catches up with an old friend.
Bonus points for 100% confirming they had sex
In another parallel, this time with Endgame, he has an inciteful chat with Kathryn. After a short chat, reminiscing about the good times, he decides what he has to do.
Leaving his pips at the base of her monument, I feel Chakotay is exactly where he needs to be to find peace in his life. No matter how excited I was when Chakotay took the captain’s chair, I feel he did it for Kathryn, not himself. Yes, he loves Voyager and the people on board, but for now, I agree it was probably best for him to leave Starfleet, at least for right now.
