There are spoilers ahead for the Star Trek: Prodigy episode “Preludes”, so read at your own risk!
Star Trek: Prodigy provided an update on what happened to Robert Beltran’s Check-in after Voyager, and it was a revelation. Fans found out why the newly commissioned Starfleet captain wasn’t with Protostar when Dal and his friends found her, and also why it will probably be some time before the Paramount+ series publishes more updates about the character.
Although I have made a disclaimer above, I would like to repeat that those who have not watched the “Preludes” of Star Trek: Prodigy on a Paramount+ subscription should proceed with caution. We’re going to get into some spoilers here. Of course, if you agree with the revelations and other important events that hint at a long wait for more about Chekotai, definitely read on.
The vindicator showed that Chekotai in the future
While fans of Star Trek: Prodigy found out about Dal’s true identity in “Masquerade,” it also turned out that Cadet Asencia from Vice Admiral Janeway’s ship was not who she claimed to be. Assencia is actually a Wau N’akat, known as the Requester, who was sent back in time, like the Soothsayer, in an attempt to reclaim the Protostar and destroy Starfleet. Since the Seer had lost his memories, the Vindicator gave him a brief reminder of why he was sent back in time, and this included a story relating to the fate of Chekotai.
Repeating the story of the destruction of Solum, the Requester told that their fate changed when Chekotai, his team and Protostar were accidentally transported to the future over Solum due to a time anomaly. The surviving Wau N’akat installed their weapons on board to destroy Starfleet, but the previously imprisoned Chekotai escaped and was able to send the ship back to an unknown place and destroy their plan. However, there was a price to pay for this, as Chekotai and his team are now stuck in the future on Solum and have no clear way back. Prodigy will find it difficult to do more with the character moving forward, unless there is some unexpected resolution in the remaining episodes.
Janeway is too busy trying to stop Protostar, who is trying to escape her and save Starfleet
Vice Admiral Janeway does not know about the fate of Chekotai at the moment and is still busy searching for a Protostar. Of course, this is exactly what the Requester and the Soothsayer want, since any Starfleet ship that successfully greets a Protostar will activate their weapons and mess up their ship in the process. It is important that Dal and the team are a couple of steps ahead of Janeway, and this is not an easy task. Suffice to say, the characters have been so busy in the second half of this season that it’s unlikely they’ll all drop everything and head into the future to find Chekotai.
Showrunners have already confirmed that the Janeway and Chekotaya Arch is a multi—season story.
If you still don’t believe Season 1 is slowing things down when it comes to Checkotay, CinemaBlend spoke to Star Trek: Prodigy showrunners Kevin and Dan Hageman, who both confirmed it would be some time before Voyager fans would ask questions about Janeway and Checkotay would answer. After Dan confirmed that the common storyline of the two characters would not be revealed in the first season, Kevin added the following:
It’s good that this continues in season 2! And we promise that we will deliver the goods. We’re not going to just tease people and upset them. That would be terrible of us, right? But I think we’re going to take the next chapter between these two characters. Many fans disagree about what they want from Janeway and Chekotai. I feel like we’ve really had a lot of discussion about this in the writers’ room. We’ve discussed this with Kate and Robert, and I feel like we’ve come to a wonderful place that we’re very happy to share. But know that this is the arch of season 1 and 2 with these two.
Despite the fact that “Star Trek: Prodigy” revealed the whereabouts of Chekotai, it’s quite important, I still think that the chances of fans seeing him reunite with Janeway this season are negligible. To be honest, the other elements of the season were so good that I’m not too worried about it. Although this fact will not make it easier to wait for the continuation of this storyline.
Stream new episodes of Star Trek: Prodigy on Thursdays on Paramount+ (opens in new tab). Also, be sure to watch “Star Trek: Voyager,” as the chatter surrounding Kate Mulgrew’s character returning to the world of live performances could signal that the show could connect with a show like “Picard” next year.
