1

ST Voyager "In the Flesh":

CHAKOTAY: Let's just say it's good to be back. What about yourself? How long have you been posted here, Mister?

BOOTHBY: Boothby. Boothby's the name.

CHAKOTAY: Boothby. I've heard of you.

BOOTHBY: I should hope so. I've been tending these grounds for fifty four years, give or take a few months.

CHAKOTAY: And beautiful grounds they are.

BOOTHBY: Mmm hmm. Logistical Support. Straight through the main complex, second door on your right.

CHAKOTAY: Thank you.

BOOTHBY: Commander, Logistics is a secure area. They won't let you in with that holo-imaging device. Fresh from the Neutral Zone? You're not a Romulan double agent, are you, son?

CHAKOTAY: Actually, I was just recording a few images for my friends back home. Would you mind posing for a shot?

BOOTHBY: Me? You want a picture of me?

CHAKOTAY: The one and only Boothby. My friends would be impressed.

It's clear from the dialogue above that Chakotay has never met Boothby before, or pretends not to know him.

ST Voyager "The Fight":

EMH: That's right. Try to remember more about the holodeck.

CHAKOTAY: I was sparring with a Terrellian, and Boothby was there. He used to train me when I was a cadet.

EMH: Keep going. What round was it?

CHAKOTAY: Three. Round three. The fight was going badly. I was avoiding my opponent.

[Holodeck - Boxing programme]

(And back we go into Chakotay's memories of a slightly grubby gym.) BOOTHBY: Stay away from the ropes, son. That's it, that's it.

COMPUTER: End of round three.

From the above dialogue clearly Chakotay knows who Boothby is/was as he was trained by Boothby to box when he was a cadet.

Somebody might say that he was trying to trick the aliens, but what purpose would it serve to do that? Maybe playing ignorant so he wouldn't get caught? But it really seemed like he didn't know Boothby when he met him at the aliens training facility and one might argue that not knowing who Boothby might actually raise suspicion since he was the groundskeeper at Star Fleet Academy for 54 years.

Improve this question

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
6

You've pretty much answered your own question. "In The Flesh" is showing a Species 8472 simulated environment. It's part of their infiltration training. Chakotay is playing dumb because he's doesn't want to blow his cover. He knows he isn't talking to the real Boothby, and wouldn't want to accidentally say something that might make the 8472 playing Boothby suspicious. He didn't deny any knowledge of him, but the Academy is a big place. Not everybody is going to know Boothby personally. Chakotay is practicing good spycraft by not committing to any knowledge his cover isn't required to know.

Improve this answer
3
  • Do you have anything canon, in universe, writers notes, etc. that proves he was playing dumb t not blow his cover. It'd be like going to a school for four years and not knowing who the lady in the cafeteria that you ate at was or who the guidance counselor was. By Chakotay's own words Boothby was famous, "The one and only Boothby." So to not recognize him by face would have seemed out of place. I don't know OBama personally but I know what he looks like if I see him. I'd need more evidence of this other then speculation to award a correct answer.
    – JMFB
    Aug 1, 2015 at 6:52
  • He did deny knowledge of what he looked like when he asked for his name. He said he'd heard the name but didn't associate it with the face, otherwise he would have walked up and said "Hey Boothby" instead of, " How long have you been posted here, Mister?" My question was about acting as if he never met him, not if he had knowledge of who he was.
    – JMFB
    Aug 1, 2015 at 6:56
  • @JMFB: I'm not sure if citing "The Fight" is dependable enough to confirm Chakotay knew Boothby either. Chakotay is essentially hallucinating pretty much the entire episode. The events of "In the Flesh" was recent-ish and could have simply been a convenient character for Chakotay's mind/chaotic space aliens to use to make the boxing scenario more realistic.
    – Ellesedil
    Jul 13, 2018 at 17:14

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service, privacy policy and cookie policy

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.