Janeway & Chakotay

It was an uneasy truce, to say the least. And definitely not what you'd call a basis for a healthy relationship. But Janeway extended the olive branch by making him her first officer, and things progressed from there.

There were many hitches along the way, especially in those first two years. Right from the start, the command team clashed over positions for the Maquis crew. But even though they were at odds, a theme emerged that first appeared in the pilot, and that has become a well known aspect of the J/C relationship. Chakotay is just trying to help her. He told her as much then, and though we didn't realise it at the time, we now know that this was one of the first signs of his overwhelming devotion to Janeway.

Soon a certain stability was achieved on board, and the crew started to act as one. And that became true for the command team as well. Although Janeway still seemed to cling to Tuvok when she needed advice or guidance, it was clear that she was willing to trust Chakotay, and had confidence in his abilities as a leader. They even became friends of a sort, although they maintained the command relationship. But they did start to flirt a little, and she always seemed to find reasons to touch his arm, chest, or shoulder.

Sometimes the chemistry between the two was just incredible - especially during numerous discussions in her ready room.

But the fact remains that during those first two years, there was a constant thorn in Voyager's side. Seska. Obsessed with Chakotay, the Cardassian spy was evil, manipulative, cunning, power hungry, and basically managed to make life difficult for Voyager from the moment she ran off with the Kazon, till she finally bought it and they left Kazon space behind. But aside from all the trouble she caused for the crew in general, what she also served to do was drive a rift between Janeway and Chakotay. In the end, I think the fact that the crew had to work together to overcome their difficulties with Seska brought them closer together. And Janeway and Chakotay, along with the rest of the crew, moved into their third year in the DQ as a much stronger and cohesive unit.

Of course, before the end of the second season, before their troubles with Seska ended, Janeway and Chakotay faced a different problem. Their exile on New Earth. If you'd like to read a more detailed account of my views on the episode, then Click Here. But for now let me just say that Resolutions basically served one function. It dealt finally and conclusively with what we'd suspected all along - that Chakotay was committed to Janeway and her cause, and harboured feelings for her that went far beyond a platonic relationship; Janeway on the other hand, while she reciprocated those emotions to a degree, was at the time basically still too preoccupied with thoughts of home and Mark to let anything develop between them.

However:

We saw beginnings of something new between them throughout the third year. Their relationship before this was superficial, though respectful. The third year seemed to cash in on the increased familiarity attained on New Earth. They were more comfortable with each other, more friendly, definitely more flirty, and he called her 'Kathryn' from time to time too. Overall, a marked increase in the number of J/C moments with a couple of really outstanding episodes that serve to lift our spirits.

By these, of course, I mean episodes like Sacred Ground, Coda and Scorpion (to name just a few.) TPTB gave us images of Chakotay cradling Janeway's lifeless form and pleading with her not to die, and the words 'Three years ago, I didn't even know your name. Now I can't imagine a day without you." And they expect us to believe they're just friends? Sheesh. How dumb do they think we are?

Anyway, so the third season gave us lots of nice little moments that reminded us that they do care about each other, and that we weren't just imagining that whole Resolutions thing. It was all very nice indeed, right up until a certain episode called Unity.

Hmmm... Yes... Well...

If you ask me there's a reason for episodes like Unity. It's all a huge conspiracy against J/Cers everywhere. They keep us happy with shows like Future's End and The Q and the Grey and then they hit us with Unity and that horrible disagreement in Scorpion. The purpose of all this is, of course, so that they never actually have to go anywhere or commit to anything in respect to the Janeway/Chakotay relationship. It's a vicious cycle, indeed. I can just see those evil Star Trek overlords continuing this forever - building up the chemistry, lots of nice little relationshippy scenes, and as soon as we all start clamouring for some REAL resolutions...

WHAM! They hit us with Unforgettable. *shudder*

Season four was a lot like season three in that respect. You might even say that Unforgettable was to Hunters, what Unity was to Coda (i.e. a great big ol' cold shower!)

But despite TPTB's determination to never let J/C evolve naturally, Voyager's fourth year in the DQ did give us a couple of tiny steps in the right direction.

First and foremost was the end of the Reign of Mark. And didn't we all heave a huge sigh of relief to see him go? Janeway even admitted that she was using him as a 'safety net' to avoid becoming involved with 'someone else'. That was a very positive move for J/C, as the whole Mark thing had been hanging over their heads since day one. It was nice to finally get some closure on the issue, and it's paved the way for a little healthy growth in their relationship. Of course, we haven't actually seen any of this growth on the show, but it did spawn about five thousand fanfics, so it's not that bad...

Also in the fourth season, we saw a great emphasis placed on the whole 'Janeway ISN'T alone' thread. How many times has Chakotay told her this?!! Quite a few. Though apparently she still hasn't grasped the concept, if what I've seen of season five is anything to go by.

Speaking of season five, so far I believe we've had about an equal mix of the good and the bad. Chakotay kissed an 8472, and Janeway finally got her own ABOTW (Alien Babe Of The Week) though let's face it, he was really just a scrawny, un-tatooed version of you-know-who. But season five has also given us J/C the likes of which hasn't been seen since Hunters. Night and Timeless are about as J/C as they come, after all - though they still haven't visibly progressed beyond the bounds of friendship.

And that's how it's always been. Janeway and Chakotay have always been 'friends' - to some degree - since the very first episodes. And over the years we've recieved countless signs that that friendship is growing stronger. J/C together at parties; cute conversations; offers of coffee, dinner, skiing, games of velocity etc... So no one would dispute the fact that the care about each other. But we've also seen the odd tidbit that can be taken as a sign of something more.

So where has it all gone wrong? Why have they never taken those few extra steps towards a more intimate relationship? Why do TPTB feel it necessary to have Janeway and Chakotay have flings with the guest stars every other episode? It especially seems a strange way to go after taking so much trouble to set up the dynamic between the two, and taking such huge steps forward in episodes like Resolutions and Scorpion I. I think the answer is that initially they wanted the J/C relationship to be something special, and on that score, at least, they definitely succeeded! Let's face it, the synergy between the two commanding officers is as important to the show as the Tom/Harry friendship is.

In the beginning of the series though, they probably didn't really know just how far they were going to let the relationship progress - so they just let it evolve naturally for a while. And for a while there, it seemed like 'it' would definitely happen, it was just a matter of waiting for the right time. But apparently somewhere along the way (my guess is towards the end of season three) TPTB decided that we, the public, didn't want J/C anymore. -- "What?!?!" a million J/Cers screech, "Are they INSANE?!?!" -- It's sad, but unfortunately true. It's also entirely possible that if they thought the interest was still there, they wouldn't have cut that scene from Hunters, or the kiss from Waking Moments, and Unforgettable and Counterpoint would never have happened. Not to mention that episodes like Timeless might have been even more blatantly J/C than they already are.

So what is a poor J/Cer to do? How can we combat this horrific campaign of misinformation? How can we tell them what we really want? Because it's quite obvious that TPTB want to give us what we want - they just need to know what that is. Well, the answer is simple: Join the crusade against a platonic relationship! Let the cry ring free across the lands! We want J/C! We want J/C!

Calling all J/Cers!! Please support our writing campaign. Write letters explaining why J/C should happen to Sci-Fi magazines, TV Guide, etc., and of course to Paramount. Also write to Kate Mulgrew and Robert Beltran. We can make it happen! Click here for more information.

Credits: None of these pictures/sounds/whatever are actually mine. They have been collected over a long time from various places. The best sources I've found are the following.

J/C Visual Archive
Joan's Voyager Photo Gallery
The Secret Lives of Janeway and Chakotay
The Delta Quadrant

Legal Disclaimer: Star Trek Voyager is the property of Paramount, not me. All pictures are copyright of Star Trek Voyager, and whoever else has a legal claim to them.

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