CHAKOTAY




NAME: Chakotay
LIFE FORM: Human, Male
RANK: Commander
CURRENT STATUS: First officer aboard the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656
REMARKS: Chakotay's Starfleet training and Maquis experience makes him a valuable office on a ship where new and unexpected experiences are commonplace.
FORMER STATUS: Leader of a Maquis cell operating out of the Badlands.
REMARKS: Chakotay's Maquis cell was considered enough of a threat that starfleet and the Cardassians sent operrrative to infiltrate it.
FAMILY ROOTS: Kolopak (father deceased), Gradfather (deceased), Chakotay is a descendant of the Rubber Tree People, an ancient Native American Tribe of Earth.
INTERESTS: Chakotay follows the traditions of his tribe. He enjoys boxing, and has an interest in archeology.
CULTURAL HERITAGE: Chakotay belongs to one of the many tribes who represed the far-scattered descendants of the Inheritors.
GENETIC HERITAGE: Like a true Inheritor, Chakotay has a natural desire to explore and possesses a real appreciation of creation.
SPIRITURAL QUESTS: Chakotay was successful in his first attempt at a vision quest - to contact his dead father. He later encunters the originatrs of his heritage, the alien race known as the Sky Spirits, in the Delta Quadrant.
DATE: 2369
EVENT: Seska, a cardassian spy, joins Chakotay's Maquis cell.
DATE: 2371
EVENT: Stranded in the Delta Quadrant, Chakotay and Seska join the crew of the U.S.S. Voyager.
DATE: 2371
EVENT: Seska defects to the Kazon
DATE: 2371
EVENT: Seska leads a Kazon raid on Voyager. Chakotay tries to recover the stolen hardware.
DATE: 2372
EVENT: Seska gives birth to a child she believes is Chakotay's.
DATE: 2373
EVENT: Seska is killed during the battle to retake Voyager.
2350: Enters Starfleet Academy.
2354: Posted to the U.S.S. Merimac, but later joins the Maquis.
2371: The Maquis ship commanded by Chakotay is apparently lost in the Badlands. It is in fact transported to the Delta Quadrant; here, the crew are rescued by the federation vessel the U.S.S. Voyager, and Chakotay is appointed First Officer.


During his teenage years, Chakotay was reluctantly made to accompany his father, Kolopak, on an expedition to Earth's Central America region. Their goal was to find the Rubber Tree People.
These people, like Chakotay's own tribe, are believed to be descendants of those who were led to the sacred land by ancient mythic beings know as the Sky spirits. Unlike Chakotay's tribe, which migrated to a planet on the Cardassian border several hundred years before the commander's birth, the Rubber Tree People have preserved their ancestors' primitive way of life;' they have never left the jungle, rarely marry outside the tribe, and continue to use firewood instead of the modern magnetite fuel.
Chakotay resented being forced to leave his home and friends, and hated every moment of the trip. He chose this moment to announce to his father that he intended to leave the tribes and enter Starfleet Academy, with Captain Sulu as his sponsor.

Chakotay and Seska leave their old lives behind them to join the Maquis and fight a common foe, the Cardassian's. This alone is enough to ensure that they will become friends but, at some point during their acquaintance, their mutual objectives evolve into a mutual attraction. An intimate relationship forms between the older, quieter, but more experienced Chakotay and the young beautiful, and smart Seska. But unbeknown to Chakotay, Seska is actually a Cardassian spy who was surgically altered to resemble a Bajoran.
Perhaps Chakotay is attracted to Seska's vitality and high spiritedness. Maybe her tendency toward emotional outbursts intrigues him; her personality is very different from his more serene nature. Whatever the reason, Chakotay and Seska become lovers.
They know each other well enough that Chakotay talks to Seska about his animal spirit guides and she learns how to make his favorite soup, mushroom. But , at some point , they realize that an intimate long term relationship between them just won't work; they return to their roles, but remain friends and allies. Chakotay believes the closeness of their relationship is over but Seska is never one to let an opportunity slide.

The future first officer of the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74556 was born to Native American parents on a Cardassian borer planet in the 2330's. Chakotay was delivered via a breech birth, traditionally indicating a problem child in his people's culture. The family doctor suppressed an hereditary gene for a cognitive disorder that afflicted the boy's grandfather, the primary symptoms of which are visual and auditory hallucinations.
Chakotay lacked his father Kolopak's passion for their people's rich heritage and this difference created discord between father and son. For example the 15 year old Chakotay resented being forced to accompany his father on an expedition to Central America on Earth to explore their ancestry, and in return announced his intention to apply for Starfleet academy. His father was disappointed, but Chakotay entered the academy in 2353.

Chakotay is a descendant of a tribe of Native Central American traditionalists who. Unhappy with the homogenization of their ancestry by western culture relocated to preserve their cultural identity His ancestors left Earth to settle on a planet near to Cardassian space, where they lived for several hundred years before Chakotay's birth.
As a young man, Chakotay followed his own path, a path contrary to his tribe's communal way of thinking. His never-ending curiosity about the Galaxy led him to Starfleet Academy in 2350.
Even here Chakotay had trouble conforming to the rigid rules and protocol. Just after the end of the Cardassian Wars, around 2354, he was posted to the U.S.S. Merrimac but when he learned that his tribe was being attacked by the Cardassians, he left Starfleet to join the infant rebel group who called themselves the Maquis.

Chakotay is far from being a typical Starfleet second-in-command, but Captain Janeway considers him to be the ideal replacement for her deceased first officer aboard the U.S.S. Voyager NCC-74656. He is a quietly authorities man whose experience with the rough and tumble Maquis rebels and the rules of Starfleet combine to form a leader of unique attributes.
When Chakotay gives orders, he expects them to be followed his trust in those around him is the basis of his command style. He is extremely loyal to the crew serving under him and considers himself responsible for their actions.
When Chakotay was a Maquis he was accustomed to throwing a few punches to get his way, and on occasion he has used this method on Voyager to give troublesome crewmembers a short sharp reminder of the differences between Starfleet and Maquis protocol. But leading a band of rebels presented very different problems, and Chakotay is quick to understand things cannot work this way in Starfleet.
Just because someone happened to be in the Maquis or even in prison before joining Voyager's crew is not in Chakotay's opinion any reason to ignore Starfleet rules now. Unaware that Lt Tom Paris 's behavior is part of a ruse to expose a Kazon collaborator on the ship Chakotay gets annoyed at him for being late for his duty shifts and for his unkempt uniform. As first officer Chakotay feels crew discipline is important and he is not afraid to let those who step out of line know how he feels. On the other hand the intuitive style he owes more to the Maquis serves Voyager well in handling the many surprises the crew encounter in the Delta Quadrant.
Chakotay gets annoyed at him for being late for his duty shifts, and for his unkempt uniform. As first officer, Chakotay feels crew discipline is important, and he is not afraid to let those who step out of line know how he feels. On the other hand, the intuitive style he owes more to the Maquis serves voyager well in handling the many surprises the crew encounter in the Delta Quadrant.