| |
| Played by: |
Robert Beltran |
| Home region: |
Born on Dorvan V (Cardassian-Federation border) |
| Parents: |
Son of Kolopak |
| Year of birth: |
2335 |
| Education: |
Starfleet Academy, 2350-54 |
| Marital status: |
Single |
A Native American descendant, this
onetime Starfleet lieutenant commander resigned from his position as an
instructor in Starfleet's Advanced Tactical Training in 2370 to join the Maquis,
sparked by his father's death fighting Cardassians on the tribe's home  world
Dorvan V along the Demilitarized Zone. Chakotay is a gentle man but resolute,
and is one of the Maquis who are truly in the fight for principle, not mercenary
gain or violent outlet - as was one of his students, Lt. Ro Laren.
Today
Chakotay looks to his spiritual Mayan background for inner comfort - and doesn't
mind sharing that belief with others, when asked, or even enduring some
good-natured ribbing about it from Torres and Paris, among others. He uses a spirit guide summoned by his medicine bundle, prays to speak with his father
for guidance, and uses a Mayan-descended medicine wheel for self-healing. With a
mother suffering from ongoing neck muscle spasms, he is also reportedly an
excellent masseuse.
However, he didn't always have such reverence for
his ancestors' ways. His father Kolopak was insistent upon finding their
peoples' ancestral home and did so in the Central American jungle in 2350, when
Chakotay was 15. But the young man had already been casting his lot with
Starfleet crews patrolling the border, and stunned his father on that trip with
the news he'd be leaving the tribe to attend Starfleet Academy after his
newfound acquaintance Captain Sulu agreed to sponsor him at Starfleet Academy,
even at his young age. Despite that resistance, Chakotay did learn many survival
skills from his father, such as building log cabins and fire-starting.
Chakotay's piloting skills trace back to extensive and early Starfleet
Academy training. From a freshman course over adjacent North America, he went to
Venus to master atmospheric storms and had yet another semester dealing with
asteroids in the Sol asteroid belt.
The virtual estrangement between
father and son lasted until 2371 when Kolopak died defending his home in the
early days of Cardassian harassment, even as the final border treaty was being
signed. Chakotay took to wearing his tattoo, a symbol of those jungle
descendants, to honor his father, who wore it also; even his own name is a
cherished gift from his tribe. Later Chakotay reported considering archeology as
a second occupation, either in the field or in academics.
Chakotay's
people, tracing their lineage back past Mayans to the Rubber Tree People of
Central America, resisted the intrusion of more technological societies until
the development of warp drive in the 21st century allowed them to  leave Earth
and find their own home for good. One 20th century forebear he knows of was a
schoolteacher in Arizona.
Even today its members avoid modern devices
such as transporters wherever they can, and he was taught that nothing is
personally owned save the courage and loyalty in one's own heart. Despite his
tribe's move, the adult Chakotay means Earth when he thinks of "home"
- from the Arizona desert and the Baja California peninsula over to the Gulf of
Mexico.
Known members of Chakotay's Maquis crew include B'Elanna Torres,
Lon Suder, Kurt Bendera, Kenneth Dalby, Mariah Henley,
Ayala, Hogan, Jackson; Bajoran nationals Seska, Gerron and Jarvin;
and a Bolian, Chell. | |
