As
I watched “Tattoo”, Voyager 2/9, I attempted to examine how the
episode approaches the interaction between Chakotay
and
his father, and also the relationships between the crew and the
inhabitants of the planet that the ship eventually visits. In my
opinion, these interactions address the basic question posed for this
section of the class, in that the earlier earthbound experience
provides the basic for understanding the appropriate responses during
later exploratory ventures.
Throughout
the episode there are alternating sections between the story line of
the visit to the planet in 'the present' and Chakotay's memories of
his earlier disagreements with his father, Kolopak, who explains to
his son early in the show that the customs of the 'rubber tree
people' need to be respected.
From
his father, Chakotay learned to respect the customs of others,
although the younger verson of the son didn't seem to realize it at
the time.
In
Chakotay's youth, Kolopak approached the tribe that he found on his
planet, and, using their common language and use of symbols to
communicate and interact with the 'other' who shared a common
ancestor. When Chakotay, as Commander, meets the people who inhabit
the planet that the Voyager was attempting to visit, he is able to
use the lessons he learned from Kolopak to negotiate with them and
eventually discover their cultures' common history. When the crew of
the Voyager first visited the planet they were attacked by birds and
met with a storm that sent them back to their ship. On their second
attempt to land, they are met with storms that are much more severe.
He also used his negotiating skills to ensure that the storms are
abated and the Voyager's landing crew can approach and land safely.
Through understanding that listening to the concerns of others and
seeking ways to reconcile their differences will benefit both sides,
travellers in many contexts can mitigate their impact on their
environments and the people who live there.
