Warning! The following contains spoilers for Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2. Stream these new episodes with a Netflix subscription, and read at your own risk!
CinemaBlend's glowing review hailing Star Trek: Prodigy as the best serialized adventure in franchise history is reason enough to watch the series. That said, many Voyager fans have attached to the show mainly because it brought back Kate Mulgrew's Janeway, and teased some sort of resolution to the character's longtime friendship with Chakotay. Season 2 hinted at the long-speculated relationship between the two, but the showrunners recently revealed to us it was the actress who moved them into writing where their story ultimately ended up.
I had the honor of speaking to Kevin and Dan Hageman about Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2 and got some answers on how Janeway and Chakotay's reunion played out. The brothers previously told CinemaBlend there'd be a resolution to their story, but I think some fans may be upset there was no definitive yes or no if they'd ever have a relationship. I asked the two about this, and Dan explained it was Kate Mulgrew's perspective that drove them to write Season 2 the way it played out:
I remember when we were discussing what to do, we were listening a lot. We were talking to Kate [Mulgrew] and Robert [Beltran]. And Kate had always just moved us when she said, ‘Their relationship is beyond a love relationship. It’s a Captain and a First Officer and there’s so much more intense feelings.’ It would cheapen it too much just to take Janeway and just make it a romance.
The relationship between a Captain and their First Officer is a strong one, and I agree with Kate Mulgrew that the feelings can be more intense. Each must have absolute trust, not just that the other knows what they're doing but also that the other will check them if they step out of line. You can't have that kind of closeness professionally without a romantic relationship complicating that dynamic, and I'd like to think both characters acknowledge that.
We see the closeness of Janeway and Chakotay in Star Trek: Prodigy Season 2, to the point that the showrunners said their voice director cried when reading an exchange between them. Indeed, the latest episodes give the sense that the two characters have a deep platonic love for each other based on the experience they shared being stranded on Voyager, and I think there's a good deal of relief for Janeway knowing she prevented a friend from being hopelessly lost in the galaxy once again indefinitely.
Sure, it didn't end in a big kiss or Janeway and Chakotay getting married on her Bloomington farm, but I think it does answer the question of why neither ever officially crossed that line in Star Trek: Voyager. Janeway is not alone when she has a close friend and confidant by her side, and Chakotay can always count on her if he's in trouble. Kate Mulgrew recently said she wished Voyager explored Janeway's loneliness as a Captain more, and I think this latest arc helped address that.
Hopefully an upcoming Trek series could dive into that further, maybe something like Star Trek: Prodigy Season 3? That's certainly something that the creators are interested in doing, but they've told CinemaBlend that it'll come down to people watching the show, and fans helping by convincing friends to watch as well. Hopefully, fans can oblige, and we can get even more great adventures with Janeway and the crew!
Stream Star Trek: Prodigy right now on Netflix, and maybe watch it again just to help its chances for Season 3. I can't express enough to fans just how much they need to watch the season if they haven't already, so get on it and see why so many people are talking about it!
