Flare Sci-Fi Forums: re: chakotay

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Posted by Saboc on :

Is Robert Beltran a Native American?

Also, does anyone what was his post before he joined the Maquis?

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"...nothing unreal exists..."

Posted by Individual 5748 on :

I believe I did read somewhere that Beltran is Native American, although it's been along time (since season 1), so this could be incorrect.

As for his previous posts, I'm assuming you mean when he was in Starfleet. As of yet, nothing has been established on the TV show. However, according to the novel "Pathways" by Jeri Taylor, Chakotay served on the USS Vico, USS Gage, and finally the USS Gettysburg before defecting to the Maquis. However, "Pathways" isn't canon, and other sources have suggested he once served on the USS Merrimack, so it's anyone's guess.

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"Questions, comments, bring them to me. Problems, take them to Kinis."

Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :

IIRC, he's Mexican, actually, and like most of the population there, has a mixed Spanish/Native American ancestry.

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"BTW, I've just made that Harry Potter/Alexander Pope quote my new sig. :-)"
-Tim Nix, December 31, 1999

Posted by Saboc on :

So is he Native American or Mexican?

Anyway, I don't think that it is that important.
Wait a minute, was Chakotay a commander or a lieutenant commander when he left starfleet?
I hope they won't throw him in the brig when they get back to earth...lol...I mean for being a Maquis and all

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"...nothing unreal exists..."

Posted by KXZ (Member # 119) on :

I think Chakotay was a Lt. Commander, and Janeway made him a full Commander when he became her First Officer. They should pardon him and all the Maquis for helping on Voyager and because they were right about the Cardassians. Maybe everone on Voyager will get a promotion when they get back, but Chakotay will be demoted back to what he is now for being the Maquis captian, Janeway will go back to captain for breacking the Prime Directive and Torres would go back to Lt. for being a Maquis. At least Kim would finally get a promotion, and it would have to be to full Lt. because he was an Ensign so long.

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All hands, abandon ship! All hand, abandon...
BOOM!

[This message has been edited by Commander Paris (edited January 05, 2000).]

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Torres would go back to lieutenant? Torres never graduated from the Academy...

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"...more people buy Harry Potter novels than the works of Alexander Pope, but that's no measure of their quality."
-Tom Aylward-Nally, December 29, 1999

Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :

I read that Chakotay was the Commander that 'trained' Ro Laren - for her to become Lt. - it was alluded to by her in Pre-emtive Strike... that her commanding officer joined the Maquis... nice little tie in for Voyager again.

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"All the lonely people, where do they all come from" - Eleanor Rigby, The Beatles.

Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :

I think Chakotay training Ro is a bit of a stretch. At least based on what we know so far. Not a bad idea mind you, I just don't think we can assume that.

I think I did read somewhere that Beltran is part (like 1/16) American Indian.

Chakotay's rank has always puzzled me. He has always been referred to as 'Commander' but the Maquis rank pip he wears is that of Lt. Commander (at least according to the encyclopedia and from what I can see on tape). Two solid bars and one black one. This makes sense due to the fact that Janeway's original first officer Lt. Commander Cabot was a Lt. Com. (at least before he got squished on the way to the DQ)

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"A gathering of Angels appeared above my head. They sang to me this song of hope, and this is what they said..." -Styx

Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :

Well, "commander" is a legitimate shortening of "lieutenant commander". Perhaps they just prefer to use it all the time because of the fact that he is the XO. Now, if there is ever some sort of crew registry screen on the computer or something (cf. TNG's "Conundrum") and it simply says "Commander", then we'll have a problem...

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"...more people buy Harry Potter novels than the works of Alexander Pope, but that's no measure of their quality."
-Tom Aylward-Nally, December 29, 1999

Posted by Timo (Member # 245) on :

It would make sense for Janeway not to demote Chakotay when accepting him as part of the crew - the Maquis would know what rank he had held in Starfleet, and would consider a demotion an insult. OTOH, a promotion might also send the wrong message.

And Chakotay might have been modest enough to retain his Lt.Cmdr rank when joining the Maquis, even making an issue about not wanting to be called captain or otherwise "promoted" by the Maquis. This would fit his personality well. That element of strength-from-modesty would also be lost if Janeway suddenly promoted Chakotay when assimilating him into the Starfleet crew.

Chakotay in turn probably decided what ranks the rest of the Maquis would get, although I seriously wonder why Janeway allowed him to nominate so many Lt.(j.g.)'s when there are lowly Ensigns in the Starfleet side of the senior staff. Or have all those 1.5-pipper Maquis that pop up in the episodes gotten their promotions later? Perhaps they started as Maquis Ensigns after "Caretaker". Which of course raises the question "Why
hasn't Kim been promoted?". A promotion would make it easier for him to perform his high-level command duty of senior Ops officer.

(The real explanation for the high number of Maquis junior officers vs. Maquis enlisteds is of course that if the Maquis were enlisted, one couldn't tell the difference! So the producers recycle Seska's old pips on Maquis extras.)

Timo Saloniemi

Posted by Gepta001 (Member # 231) on :

Well according to the Internet Movie Database....

Robert Beltran

Birth name
Robert Adame Beltran
Date of birth (location)
19 November 1957,
Bakersfield, California, USA

Is of Mexican-Native American ancestry.

Went to Fresno State University and majored in Theatre Arts.

Son of actress Alma Beltran

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but his charachter Chakotay seems to have been pretty much forgotten on voyager anyways...

-FTM

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funniest TV quote.....

"A small penis is a clean penis"
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