Although a Star Trek: Voyager season 2 episode heavily implied that Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Lieutenant B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) might become a couple, Dawson later clarified why the characters’ romantic tensions were never further explored. Voyager season 2 was plagued by some scheduling and quality issues early on, but despite the setbacks, it still managed to turn around some intriguing episodes. One of these episodes was season 2, episode 8, “Persistence of Vision,” which featured Star Trek: Voyager‘s cast dealing with an attack by a telepathic alien who aimed to incapacitate them for unknown but undoubtedly nefarious reasons.
During “Persistence of Vision”, the alien antagonist used his telepathic powers to send first Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and then the entire crew into a catatonic state while showing them visions of what were supposedly about their deepest desires. Interestingly, when B’Elanna fell victim to the alien, her vision revolved around a romantic encounter with Chakotay where the two admitted their secret feeling for each other and shared an intimate moment. This led to speculation that the two might become a couple later in the show, but Roxann Dawson shared with Cinefantastique that this wasn’t how she interpreted the moment:
“I think for B’Elanna, it wasn’t a reflection of a direct attraction to Chakotay. He represents so much to her, a father figure, a mentor, her teacher, her coworker, and he is an attractive man. I think it was a desire to give in to a side that she does not give into easily, and that was what caused her particular trance. I don’t think that necessarily means that he is always on her mind. It probably took her by surprise. It was more of a reflection of her need to please, to fulfill, all of these things are very real, very Human. I didn’t read it as an implication that Torres just desired Chakotay when I read the script.”
After the episode aired, Dawson went on to tell Star Trek Monthly that she didn’t see the possibility of anything else developing between Chakotay and Torres:
“People can interpret B’Elanna’s feelings for Chakotay in a lot of different ways. I see Chakotay as a combination of mentor and father figure for B’Elanna. She might have some romantic feelings towards him in a kind of Freudian sense, but I don’t see them getting together on any other level than as a mentor and pupil.”
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Why A Chakotay/B’Elanna Romance Would Never Have Worked
Dawson ended up being correct about Torres and Chakotay never developing a romance; B’Elanna eventually entered into a relationship with Tom Paris (Robert Duncan McNeill) while Chakotay ended Voyager‘s run in the arms of Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan). Although the two maintained a friendship and close working relationship over the course of the show, the possibility of anything romantic between them was never even so much as hinted at after “Persistence of Vision.” Ultimately, this ended up being exactly the right choice for several reasons, not least of which was that the power dynamics would have been extremely skewed.
As Voyager’s First Officer, Chakotay was in charge of the ship’s personnel, which meant that he oversaw all the officers including B’Elanna. Star Trek: Voyager‘s Chief Engineer dating the First Officer would have been a mistake from an ethical standpoint, an issue that often cropped up in Chakotay’s relationships. Barring some expectations, Star Trek romances tend to work only if the two characters are of the same rank or one isn’t in Starfleet at all, something demonstrated by B’Elanna’s relationship with Tom. In the end, leaving the possibility of a Chakotay/B’Elanna romance in the past was the right choice.
Star Trek: Voyager
- Release Date
- May 23, 1995
- Cast
- Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Jennifer Lien , Robert Duncan McNeill , Ethan Phillips , Robert Picardo , Tim Russ , Garrett Wang , Jeri Ryan
- Seasons
- 7
- Story By
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor
- Writers
- Rick Berman , Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor
- Network
- UPN
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Directors
- David Livingston , Winrich Kolbe , Allan Kroeker , Michael Vejar
- Showrunner
- Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor , Brannon Braga , Kenneth Biller
