Pine has played Kirk in three Star Trek movies, but it's his promotion to captain at the end of 2009's Star Trek that often draws the most debate. Beltran was in every season of Star Trek: Voyager before it ended in 2001, and he also came back to reprise the role as part of the Star Trek: Prodigy cast in 2022. The animated show, which served as a soft Voyager sequel, revealed Chakotay had also been promoted to captain - which is somewhat surprising given his arc in the show with which he's most commonly associated.
Captain Chakotay & The Kelvin Timeline's Captain Kirk Both Had Weird Paths To Their First Commands
Prime Chakotay & Kelvin Kirk took alternative Starfleet command routes
Modern Star Trek has addressed most of the characters from Voyager and their lives after the show ended, including Chakotay. Although his timeline was left unaddressed for a long time, Star Trek: Prodigy revealed Beltran's character was the captain of the USS Protostar. What's unusual about this is that Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) only gave Chakotay a field promotion to commander in Voyager's first episode. He had once been a Starfleet lieutenant commander, but he defected to join the Maquis. So, Janeway made the bold decision to not only reinstate his commission but also promote him.
Therefore, Chakotay spent at least seven years as Starfleet commander under a provisional title only. Before then, he had been a member of the Maquis - a group seen as terrorists through certain eyes. As such, it would have been understandable if Starfleet stripped Chakotay of his rank when he returned to Federation space at the end of Star Trek: Voyager. This didn't happen, and he was permitted to retain his rank, plus given his own command after being promoted once more - this time to a non-provisional captain.
Pine's Kirk also had a weird rise to the top in Star Trek canon. A separate entity from the Kirk made famous by William Shatner in Star Trek: The Original Series, Pine's Kelvin Timeline Kirk had a blisteringly fast ascension to the captain's chair aboard his USS Enterprise. Over the course of 2009's Star Trek movie, Kirk goes from a rebellious Starfleet cadet straight to the commanding officer of the fleet's flagship. There's no time jump, and he's permitted to skip every other rank that would traditionally precede captain. So, he fits into a similar category to the Prime Chakotay.
Chakotay's Promotion Journey Still Makes Way More Sense Than Pine's Kirk
Kelvin Kirk's promotion to captain makes Chakotay's fascinating career seem relatively conventional
Arguably, neither man deserved to become captain at all. Chakotay defected to a group of freedom fighters, and Kelvin Kirk disobeyed orders and was very lucky not to be severely disciplined. Granted, Pine's character would probably have been given the benefit of the doubt given his heroics, but bumping him up to the captain of the Enterprise still feels extreme and unrealistic over 15 years after the movie's release.
Chakotay's time in the Delta Quadrant was then spent earning Janeway's trust and serving his ship in a way that was ultimately equal to or greater than the efforts of other Star Trek first officers.
On the other hand, Chakotay's story makes far more sense. Yes, he left Starfleet and pursued more reckless methods, but he had a storied career within the organization before that. Chakotay's time in the Delta Quadrant was then spent earning Janeway's trust and serving his ship in a way that was ultimately equal to or greater than the efforts of other Star Trek first officers. His story is one of redemption, and one that ultimately ends in a reward of his recovered commission remaining intact. Inversely, Kirk becoming a Star Trek captain so soon feels very reckless on Starfleet's behalf.
