Robert Beltran, who starred as Commander Chakotay on the Star Trek series Voyager has opened up on being offered a role on Star Trek Picard, and refusing. For seven seasons, Beltran played Captain Janeway’s second-in-command on the sci-fi series.
His Star Trek character became known for his steady and capable style, and he wasn’t afraid to stand up to his captain when he believed she was making a mistake. Beltran reprised his role on the kids’ animated series Star Trek Prodigy, which showed that Chakotay had been promoted to the rank of captain.
However, Beltran almost returned in live-action too, because he was offered a role in Star Trek Picard. On Twitter, Beltran explained “I was offered an episode (first 2 then1) in Picard but I simply did not like what they had written for Chakotay so I turned them down. I won’t go into detail but I have no animosity toward the Picard producers at all. ST Prodigy offers a Chakotay that I AM enthusiastic about.”
Terry Matalas then confirmed more details about Beltran’s potential return to TrekMovie. He explained that the offer for a return was in Star Trek Picard season 2, and that he would have been Seven of Nine’s husband in an alternate timeline.
This was the timeline that Q transported Picard to, where the Federation had become an evil, fascist inter-galactic power that sought to exterminate non-human life, rather than discover it.
Beltran’s role would have picked up on the romance between Chakotay and Seven that was established during Voyager, but clearly Beltran didn’t like the direction for his character, explaining that he’s happy with the version seen in Prodigy instead.
This all also means that it’s unlikely that fans will see a Chakotay return for Star Trek Picard season 3, unfortunately.