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Tuvix will never die
How an ethical debate and endless memes keep Star Trek’s most infamous one-shot character in the conversation
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One day in the Delta Quadrant, Captain Janeway and the crew of the USS Voyager find themselves on a planet so unremarkable we never even learn its name. Lost 70,000 light-years from home, the team is there to retrieve some flowers that might be a “valuable nutritional substitute,” as the captain’s log puts it. Tuvok, the steely Vulcan head of security, and Neelix, the gregarious Talaxian morale officer and chef, go down to take some samples.
But as the familiar whir of the transporter beams the away team back, it’s not Tuvok or Neelix who emerge back onto the pad, but a single life-form. And when we cut back from commercials, just as a phaser-holding Harry Kim barks, “Identify yourself!” we read the episode’s title, and everything becomes clear. It isn’t an intruder. It’s “Tuvix.”
As vice president of franchise planning & Star Trek brand development at ViacomCBS, John Van Citters spends a lot of time talking to creatives and fans about the Trek franchise. And those conversations often turn toward the accidental hybrid who appeared on a single hour of Star Trek: Voyager in 1996. “Tuvix,” he tells me, “is definitely over-indexed for a character that’s only made one appearance.”
When “Tuvix” first aired in the back half of season 2, it was just another hour of television during a period of tremendous franchise activity. Now, decades later, it is a flashpoint for the fandom. There are entire subreddits dedicated to the character and the conundrum faced by Captain Janeway of what to do with her two melded co-workers. Even Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez recently joined in on Tuvix fever (though in a rare case of her acting like a typical politician, she dodged the main question). As Star Trek: Lower Decks showrunner Mike McMahan tells me, “Tuvix is now a big part of the experience of being a Deep Lore Trekkie.”
That’s because Tuvok, Neelix, and those pesky flowers didn’t emerge from the transporter as a doomed, disgusting Brundlefly. They became Tuvix, a functional fusion of both crew members, played with precision and warmth by renowned character actor Tom Wright. Tuvix was healthy, strong, and capable, and a being who very much wanted to live on in his new identity. Janeway’s solution to the Tuvix problem spawned, by internet standards, one of science fiction’s greatest in-jokes.
In 1995, with the Star Trek: The Next Generation cast making the jump to feature films and the station-based Star Trek: Deep Space Nine dipping a toe into the Great Link of serialized storytelling, Voyager was meant as a throwback. Franchise overseer Rick Berman, along with co-creators Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor, hoped to get a crew back zooming across space on a starship, and sell a new, highly visible show to the fledgling network UPN. This was a bragging point, but also a detriment, as the new channel wasn’t available in all markets. Early, muted ratings, mixed with some gender-based anxiety, begat an awful lot of post-launch tinkering. Just Google “ Kate Mulgrew hair changes .”
Led by Mulgrew’s Captain Janeway, Voyager took place on the fringes of the known Trek universe with a blended crew of Starfleet personnel and Federation dissidents looking to make their way home. Helping them navigate unknown space was jolly junk trader Neelix, played by Ethan Phillips, who Captain Janeway appoints as morale officer and chef. Also in the crew was a Vulcan named Tuvok, played by Tim Russ. For comparison, the famously stern and calculating Spock was a half-Vulcan. Tuvok was all Vulcan. Serious business.
Trapping frenemies in tight quarters is a classic Trek trope. In The Original Series , Spock and Bones were cornered together in a shuttlecraft facing down savage giants in the episode “The Galileo Seven.” Decades later, Deep Space Nine echoed the relationship with stern police chief Odo and shifty, not-quite-honest Quark, who found themselves wounded, cut off from communication, and climbing a mountain on a freezing Class L planet in “ The Ascent.” Even The Next Generation ’s Captain Picard got stuck in a turbolift with his least favorite people — children — in “Disaster.” For Voyager ’s spin on the trope, Tuvok and Neelix wouldn’t just be stuck in some treacherous location, but the same consciousness.
When Tuvok and Neelix actors Tim Russ and Ethan Phillips emerge from the transporter as actor Tom Wright, even their uniform is stitched together. Early in the episode, the tone is intentionally goofy, according to Kenneth Biller, the writer of the episode, who eventually became the series’ showrunner in its seventh and final season. He admits that the members of the Voyager brain trust were basically making fun of Tuvix as they were breaking the story.
“We were thinking it would be wacky, like Steve Martin and Lily Tomlin in All of Me. [Trek producer] Brannon Braga and I were cracking ourselves up with a sitcom theme song,” Biller says. He sings a bar with the appropriate amount of jazz hands: “It’s Tuvok, it’s Neelix! It’s two guys, in-a-fix! It’s Tuuuuvix!”
Though Biller wrote “Tuvix,” two additional writers, Andrew Shepard Price and Mark Gaberman, earned a “story by” credit on the episode. Their involvement was part of a great Star Trek tradition: During Star Trek: The Next Generation , the late showrunner Michael Piller “realized how difficult it was to find enough great, high-concept ideas to fill out a season,” recalls Biller. “A brilliant idea could come from anywhere.” As such, he and Rick Berman did the unheard of, and threw the door wide open to freelance scripts from hardcore fans, even from people without any sort of Hollywood representation.
Naturally, this mostly led to garbage, but occasional gold. Television veterans Jane Espenson ( Buffy the Vampire Slayer ) and Bryan Fuller ( Hannibal ), as well as sci-fi luminaries Robert Hewitt Wolfe and René Echaverria, all kickstarted their careers through the submission process. But the rare people who got a meeting at all sold an idea, got a check, and were told thanks. The flyby was Price and Gaberman’s specialty.
“They came to pitch for us a bunch of times,” Biller remembers. (Indeed, they have five “story by” credits from throughout the series.) “What’s best is they had the weirdest day job: They wrote for Jeopardy! ”
Price and Gaberman’s idea for “Tuvix’’ was simple, and riffed on previous successes. A transporter malfunction tore Captain Kirk into his “good” and “evil” halves in the season 1 Original Series episode “The Enemy Within,” while The Next Generation character Thomas Riker was an accidental transporter-created clone of Commander William Riker. (“When it’s a ‘transporter episode,’ it is very basic to what makes something Star Trek,” McMahan summarizes. “The transporter causing problems is essentially saying Starfleet is causing problems.”) Since Biller had written the Voyager season 1 episode “Faces,” in which B’Elanna Torres is split into her human and Klingon halves (by non-transporter means), showrunner Michael Piller assigned him to bring Price and Gaberman’s story to life.
“Price and Gaberman got their $7,000 and a story credit, and I took it from there. Originally we called it ‘Symbiogenesis,’” — the evolutionary concept of a new life-form emerging from two or more distinct life-forms” — “but it was Michael Piller who called it ‘Tuvix.’ So that just inspired me to lean fully into the comedy.”
The first half of “Tuvix” is good fun, mostly due to Tom Wright, a prolific actor who’s played just about every type of character. “How I get recognized a lot of times depends on ethnic makeup,” Wright says. “White people spot me and ask, ‘ Seinfeld ?’ Black people come up and ask, ‘ Barbershop ?’ But quite a few pick me off as Tuvix.”
Even though he wasn’t well-versed in Voyager , Wright thinks he had an edge during the audition because he knew Russ and Phillips. “They really are two different types of people,” Wright says. “Tim is very reserved, and Ethan has that big personality.” Walking the line between the two sounds like an exacting science. In some scenes, when he had to be attentive to Neelix’s kinda-sorta girlfriend Kes or work in the kitchen, Wright had to “favor the Neelix side, but I would shade in a Tuvok reference, like a glance.”
Robert Picardo, who played The Doctor on Voyager for seven seasons, recalls Wright stepping up to the challenge. “The fans already knew how Neelix and Tuvok behaved,” Picardo says of the tall order. “Neelix is so busy and high-paced, and Tuvok has the emotional range of A to B. How the heck do you combine those two? One character won’t stop moving; the other barely raises an eyebrow. Somehow, he did it.”
Picardo’s praise elucidates part of why the episode is talked about so fervently today. Wright, as Tuvix, emerges as an exemplary replacement both at Tuvok’s tactical station and in Neelix’s galley. He’s forthright and strong in the presence of Captain Janeway, he’s fun hanging out with Tom Paris over billiards, and he connects with Kes on his own terms. “He was a boon to the ship,” Picardo says. “So I remember being surprised when I read the script. I knew, given the nature of television, that everything had to be fixed in 43 minutes. But I was not expecting to read Tuvix saying, ‘I don’t want to die.’”
As the Voyager crew presses on for weeks with Tuvix filling in for both crewmen, The Doctor and Harry Kim (played by Garrett Wang) keep plugging away at a cure. They want their friends back, and eventually, they figure out how to split the hybrid. But Tuvix isn’t particularly keen on being zapped out of existence.
“[Michael Piller] was always looking for the moral angle, the emotional journey, the dilemma,” Biller says. “My original draft ended with them splitting Tuvix, him saying something very Starfleet about sacrifice, and Janeway was off the hook. Michael’s note was, ‘Make him fight for his life.’”
So Biller rewrote the script with the mandate that Tuvix was a new person, an individual. Janeway would decide whether to execute him. She settles on returning Neelix and Tuvok to their original selves, and in the final minutes of the episode, after begging for his future, Tuvix is suddenly gone.
“Much like the episode itself,” Biller says, “the making of the episode had an arc. It began silly [...] then turned into something dark and even profound. I mean, what could Janeway do? What would you do?”
Star Trek: Discovery and Star Trek: Picard writer-producer Kirsten Beyer made her bones as an author of Voyager novels. As the writer of 10 of the 14 post-finale books, she knows more about the inside of Janeway’s head than most. And she’s ready to stand behind the captain.
“If they weren’t lost in the Delta Quadrant, they might have found an option that didn’t include killing a new life-form for the sake of saving two officers,” Beyer says. “Starfleet medical might have been able to help. We would feel better at the end with a third option. But we are denied that precisely because we are alone, far from home, and Captain Janeway is only given a choice between two terrible alternatives.”
Even though Beyer is, wisely, not on Twitter, she is aware of the memes. There was always chatter about “Tuvix,” but the riffs kicked into overdrive in the last five years, according to Ken Reilly, the editor of fan site TrekCore . Most of them are jokes, though many like to tag our beloved Captain Janeway with the epithet “murderer.”
“I notice those who disagree strongly with her choice are quick to add it to a list of failings ascribed to her character, and most often these failings are ones that might be seen as virtues in our male captains,” Beyer observes. “That’s always troubling. But in her shoes, I don’t know that any of them would have made a different choice. Sometimes, that’s what leadership requires.”
Jarrah Hodge, co-host of the Women at Warp podcast , concurs, telling me that this episode is frequently used as a “gotcha” to take Janeway down a peg when compared to the ethical standards found in other captains, like Picard. “I think we see a gendered double standard,” she says, while “questionable decisions from other captains fly under the radar.” She cites the time Picard forced two societies into breeding relationships in the episode “Up the Long Ladder.”
Claire Little, who works at NASA and boasts a remarkable “Live Long and Prosper” tattoo in Vulcan down her arm, adds that the increase in Tuvix-talk has its pros — like seeing a Punk Janeway cosplayer with “FUCK TUVIX” on the back of her vest at a recent convention — but concludes that “the topic is too polarizing.” This wasn’t always the case. Jim Moorhouse, a Trek podcaster and longtime convention attendee whose philanthropic zeal won him an auction to fire the phasers of the NX-01 , recalls that, early on, the episode with the silly name didn’t become an ethical flashpoint. “The narrative when it aired was that people didn’t really like the episode,” he tells me. “And I think that was because of the unsettling performance from Tom Wright, who was just so good.”
TrekCore writer Alex Perry thinks today’s fans get so worked up over the episode because, at the end of the day, there’s no uncomplicated right answer. “She probably did the right thing for Voyager, but she murdered poor Tuvix with her choice.”
And it is very much her choice. Once Tuvix says he’s not interested in reverting to the Tuvok-Neelix split, Captain Janeway spends some time gazing out at the galaxy from her briefing room, talking things over with her first officer, Chakotay. “If we’d had the ability to separate Tuvok and Neelix the moment Tuvix came aboard, I wouldn’t have hesitated,” Janeway says, later wondering, “At what point did he become an individual and not a transporter accident?”
“It became inherently political,” Biller recalls. “Personally, I do not believe in capital punishment, and we see later [in the season 7 episode “Repentance”] that Janeway does not either. But then there were shades of the pro-life argument. Of course, so many people who are pro-life are also pro-capital punishment, which is a very weird irony, in my opinion.”
After a scene of Tuvix trying to coerce Kes to convince Janeway to spare him, the drama cuts to the bridge, and the darkest moment in the entire Star Trek franchise. Tuvix is at his post, and Janeway orders him to step away, so she can speak to him alone. Tuvix knows his leola root stew is cooked. He looks to his crewmates, the people he was just playing pool with at Sandrine’s, and they all turn their backs. Tom Paris can’t even look him in the eye.
“No!” Tuvix shouts, and finally, most devastatingly, utters some truly chilling words. “Each of you is going to have to live with this, and I’m sorry for that. For you are all good, good people. My colleagues, my friends, I forgive you.”
“Those final scenes couldn’t be done half-assed,” Wright says. “I think for a few takes I tried to finesse it with ‘actor stuff.’ We got it to a place where I knew what I had to do.”
Do no harm. https://t.co/ChMEnRbv3b — Robert Picardo (@RobertPicardo) May 7, 2021
In sickbay, Janeway presents Tuvix to The Doctor, who had discovered a way to dehybridize flowers. But The Doctor will not perform the actual act that will end Tuvix’s life. Though a hologram, he’s been programmed to follow the Hippocratic oath, and, as they say, he can do no harm.
“It was the first time I disobeyed a direct order,” Robert Picardo remembers. “And Janeway takes it in stride. She doesn’t repeat herself, doesn’t accuse me of insubordination, doesn’t deactivate my program.” Though Picardo admits that many specifics of shooting Voyager have blurred a bit these decades later, he remembers “that moment when Janeway marches in. It was so out of the ordinary.”
After Janeway pulls the switch, Tuvok and Neelix return, and seem eerily fine. Janeway storms out of sickbay, with the weight of many worlds on her shoulders. Author Robb Pearlman, whose fandom-saturated, officially licensed work includes the bestselling Fun With Kirk and Spock and Redshirt’s Little Book of Doom , thinks Janeway is actually relieved The Doctor cites his oath. “She doesn’t want to put any of that on anyone from her crew, to make them live with that for the rest of her lives.”
While “Tuvix” concludes with an act many would classify as murder, there are certainly extenuating circumstances. McMahan asks, “Does the good of the many [argument from Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan ] also mean the good of the two?” The text does not really support the theory that Janeway needs Tuvok and Neelix back to get the ship home. Things are running smoothly with just Tuvix.
“It’s a decision with which I disagree,” Mohamed Noor, a science adviser for the Star Trek franchise, says, “but it wasn’t irrational. I can’t say it is completely immoral.”
Along with his role in the current iterations of Trek, Noor is a professor of biology and dean of natural sciences at Duke University, and his work on fruit flies is weirdly relevant to the symbiogenesis scene in “Tuvix.” Not only do extra-chromosome organisms like Tuvix (called polyploids) exist, but Noor’s experiments with forced interbreeding have actually resulted in inherited behaviors from both parent species. It isn’t too common in mammals, but it does sound very Star Trek.
Though it was on a much larger scale, Noor compares Janeway’s action to Kodos from The Original Series ’ “The Conscience of the King,” in which Governor Kodos, facing a food crisis on the colony of Tarsus IV, divided the colony of 8,000 in half and put 4,000 to death. “He wanted to guarantee the survival of the Tarsus colony by sacrificing ‘the many’,” Noor says, “and Janeway wanted to guarantee the survival of Neelix and Tuvok by sacrificing Tuvix.” Of course, Kodos is remembered as one of the galaxy’s most heinous executioners, while Janeway is the hero who brought Voyager home from the Delta Quadrant.
The proliferation of Tuvix jokes is likely born from years of distance. “I’d forgotten how dark the episode was!” was the refrain from nearly everyone who rewatched it before speaking to me. “Citing it as a comedy episode is like people who choose ‘I Will Always Love You’ as a wedding song,” Pearlman says with a sigh. “They don’t realize it’s about a breakup.”
And Voyager didn’t dwell on the magnitude of Janeway’s decision. Another wish most people had was for there to have been some further reference to Tuvix later in the series. He is never spoken of again. At no point in subsequent seasons was there even an acknowledgment between Tuvok and Neelix that they had once shared the same consciousness. Kirsten Beyer says she “filed that episode away” for when she needed to explore “how Janeway would act when there are no good options ” while writing the many Voyager books, but as far as on-screen consideration, there’s zip. The silence sits in contrast to Picard’s noteworthy mind meld with Sarek, which was referenced in later Next Generation episodes, even though that show was similarly episodic. “It’s like Tuvok and Neelix were friends that hooked up at a bar late one night, then never wanted to acknowledge it again,” says Pearlman.
Despite a lack of aftershocks, “Tuvix” still brings the goods years later. “The way they designed everything was really smart,” McMahan says. “The audience knows, from the minute we see him on the transporter pad, that this guy is out of here at the end of the episode. No one is going to think Tim Russ and Ethan Phillips have both been killed off the show. But it still works.”
Every “will they survive?” beat in Star Trek automatically had more oomph than on a typical show because of The Next Generation ’s first season. When Tasha Yar, a main character, got whacked by the big blob of tar known as Armus in “Skin of Evil,” it seeded paranoia with fans that anyone could go at any time. (Or maybe that’s just me, a fan who never quite got over that childhood TV trauma from 1988.) Even though I and many other fans — CBS’s John Van Citters tells me the second most joked-about single-appearance character after Tuvix is the interstellar Hefty bag that killed Lt. Yar — knew that the chances of two series regulars vanishing were next to none, disbelief was suspended in subspace.
Janeway? You got some splaining to do. pic.twitter.com/wXPqnvvbiu — Tom Wright (@_Tom_Wright_) April 22, 2021
McMahan says the Lower Decks staff has spent its fair share of time thinking about Tuvix, and that maybe there was a way to save the hybrid crew member. “Manipulate the transporter to create a clone, make a Thomas Riker of Tuvix, but don’t let him ever gain consciousness. You don’t let him become aware. You take that Tuvix and split him in two. Now you’ve got Neelix and Tuvok back, plus Tuvix is still alive. Everyone is happy. Dammit, it’s sci-fi! You can do whatever you want!”
But in the same breath, McMahan lands on a possible real reason we all keep making jokes about the cursed half-Vulcan half-Talaxian, about why “Tuvix” is one of the essential episodes of Star Trek.
“Finding a solution isn’t what this episode is for,” he says. “This episode wants you to feel bad .”
And so we try to work through the pain. Tuvix will never die, so long as we remember him. And so long as we’re bored at work, and texting dumb pictures to our Star Trek friends, we always will.
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Tuvix (episode)
- View history
After a transporter malfunction, Tuvok and Neelix are merged into a single being. In the search for a way to restore them to their original forms, a moral dilemma is faced as the new being does not want to be terminated.
- 1.2 Act One
- 1.3 Act Two
- 1.4 Act Three
- 1.5 Act Four
- 1.6 Act Five
- 2 Log entries
- 3 Memorable quotes
- 4.1 Title, story, and script
- 4.2 Cast and characters
- 4.4 Reception
- 4.5 Continuity
- 4.6 Video and DVD releases
- 5.1 Starring
- 5.2 Also starring
- 5.3 Guest Stars
- 5.4 Co-Star
- 5.5 Uncredited Co-Stars
- 5.6 References
- 5.7 External links
Summary [ ]
After the USS Voyager detects a variety of flower that may prove to be a useful nutritional supplement, the captain sends Lieutenant Tuvok and Neelix to collect plant specimens, including a local breed of orchid, to bring back to the ship. While on the planet , the two have a debate about enjoying nature and Neelix is attempting to have fun, to which Tuvok replies " We are not here to have fun. We are here to collect samples. "
Back on the ship, Captain Kathryn Janeway is informed by Chakotay that there is some trouble with the transporter, specifically a "minor glitch in the molecular imaging scanners ," which B'Elanna Torres says will be fixed by Ensign Kim in "a few minutes."
As they return, a transporter malfunction causes only one pattern to materialize. The organism appears to be similar to both Neelix and Tuvok; wearing clothing that is the color of a Starfleet uniform, but the texture of Neelix's shirt.
Act One [ ]
Upon finding this unidentified lifeform on the transporter pad, Kim calls for security, intruder alert. He asks the intruder to identify himself, and he responds that " I am Lt. Tuvok… and I am Neelix ," appearing most confused. He suggests that they go to sickbay , where The Doctor identifies that it is indeed a merger of Tuvok and Neelix, as well as the orchids collected on the surface of the planet.
Kes , under The Doctor's suggestion, takes the person to the science lab, where he recognizes that Kes is having difficulty with the situation due to her close personal relationship with Neelix and her close tutelage under Tuvok. Kes questions him as part of the procedure, whereupon he tells Kes that he seems to have the memories of both men, but a single consciousness. He then realizes that he will need a name, and after deciding against Neevok, settles on Tuvix . As instinct, Tuvix refers to Kes as "Sweeting", a name Neelix often called her; this is something that clearly brought discomfort to both Tuvix and Kes.
Act Two [ ]
Janeway comes back to sickbay and talks with Tuvix, who is restless and wants to get back to duty. He decides he would rather assume the tactical post than the mess hall. Janeway isn't quite ready, but invites him to the next senior staff briefing. There, the crew discusses the transporter accident that created Mr. Tuvix, but they can not find the reason for the malfunction. Tuvix suggests symbiogenesis , a process where instead of pollination of mating, lifeforms can merge with a second species, using Andorian amoeba as an example. After a bit of convincing themselves it's possible with humanoids, they hypothesize that the orchids that they were transporting from the surface with them was the catalyst for their merging. Using lysosomal enzymes , the plant was able to symbiotically scramble both of them, merging them into one organism. Janeway agrees to send a shuttle down to get more flower samples in the morning.
Possessing both Tuvok's Vulcan logic and Neelix's charming personality and sense of humor, Tuvix easily integrates with the crew and becomes a valuable member. Bestowed with the personalities and qualities of both Tuvok and Neelix, he is not only a capable security officer but also becomes a better chef . However, for many crew members, especially those close to Tuvok and Neelix, the loss of their friends and peers is not as easily accepted. Kes , in particular, is experiencing much grief over the loss of Neelix.
Act Three [ ]
Tuvix gets happily to work the next morning, fixing a proximity detector glitch in the security subroutine which Tuvok had said would take days, much to Janeway's surprise. Tuvix explained that he had a hunch. He's then called down to the transporter room for the first test of their theory. On the planet, Torres and Paris gathers flowers and Kim transports them up. Indeed, the flowers merged together. The crew attempts the same with various plant combinations, and comes up with a variety of exotic and wonderful creations. Nevertheless, all attempts to undo the change are met with catastrophe. The Doctor explains to Janeway and company that the problem is still unsolved, but promises to keep trying. However, he warns Tuvix may be this way for months, even years, and the possibility is there that the condition is irreversible.
This impacts Kes greatly. Later, in her room, she prays for Tuvok and Neelix with Ocampan prayer tapers when Tuvix visits. She expresses a bit of loneliness, but Tuvix says she has him. Tuvix says he still loves Kes just as he does T'Pel . This shocks Kes. She says she doesn't know him, and is uncomfortable with his love given Tuvok's wife. She soon asks him to leave, and Tuvix does so, politely kissing her on the cheek and saying he'll be there for her before he goes.
Act Four [ ]
Kes stops by the captain's quarters to talk about her feelings regarding the situation. The captain points out that the feelings Kes is having about the loss of Neelix are similar to the feelings the entire crew has been having about being stranded in the Delta Quadrant .
Over the next two weeks, the crew starts to adjust to Tuvix who proves himself to be a capable tactician while also turning out to be (according to Janeway's log entry) a better cook than Neelix. He keeps a respectful distance from Kes, while proving to be an able advisor to Janeway just as Tuvok had been. As a result, he is less regarded as an accident but more like a member of the crew.
After much research however, The Doctor finally finds a way to reverse the process by radioactively labeling one half of Tuvix's genome, so the transporter can separate the two individuals. Everyone is very hopeful and excited about the prospects of having Tuvok and Neelix back, except for one person: in all their efforts and joy over being able to bring back the two, the one thing the crew has not taken into account is that Tuvix does not want to die, thus sacrificing his life to bring back the two crew members.
Act Five [ ]
Captain Janeway – who must speak for Tuvok and Neelix who are not there to speak for themselves – now faces a moral dilemma: bring back two crew members who have loved ones waiting for them by sacrificing a man who has become a much liked and trusted friend over the past few weeks, rather than merely a transporter accident. She attempts to convince Tuvix to undergo the procedure, telling him that both Tuvok and Neelix would give up their lives to save another. Despite this, Tuvix is still completely unwilling to undergo it arguing that while Tuvok and Neelix are gone, he is already there and he just wants the right to live.
Later, Tuvix goes to Kes and pleads with her to speak to Captain Janeway in support of allowing him to live. Kes then goes to Captain Janeway and tells her what Tuvix asked of her. Janeway is angry that Tuvix put Kes in the middle of the debate, but Kes considers she was in the middle from the beginning. Despite what Tuvix asked of her, she is unable to support him. Distraught, she knows Tuvix has done nothing wrong but desperately wants Neelix back. She then breaks down in tears, guilt-stricken as Captain Janeway tries to comfort her.
After much soul searching and painful deliberation, she decides that Tuvix has to undergo the procedure. She orders him to report to sickbay but Tuvix refuses, stating that this was nothing more than an execution. He attempts to get someone on the bridge to defend him, but no-one is willing to. He then attempts to make a run for it when Security arrives to escort him. Seeing that he has no choice, he forgives the crew saying he understands what they all feel, agrees to go sickbay, but tells everyone they'll have to live with the consequences.
When arriving in sickbay, The Doctor informs the captain that he cannot perform the procedure. As a physician he has pledged to do no harm and will not perform a procedure that would end Tuvix's life, especially as Tuvix is explicitly refusing to undergo it. Therefore, Janeway is left with the task of having to perform the procedure herself. She is successful: Tuvix is gone and Tuvok and Neelix are both finally restored.
While Kes is overjoyed to have both her partner and mentor back, Janeway simply acknowledges the two and leaves, knowing that she will need to live with the moral consequences of her actions.
Log entries [ ]
- Captain's log, USS Voyager, 2372
- Chief medical officer's log, USS Voyager
Memorable quotes [ ]
" A name… I can see why The Doctor's finding it so difficult to choose one… why don't you call me… Neevok? Wait… this is better… how about Tuvix! "
" … I've been poked and prodded in organs I didn't even know I had! "
" Do you mind telling me what's going on here, crewman? " " We're making dinner. " " I see. Alright, everybody out! " " On whose authority? " " Chief of security or head chef, take your pick. Out, out, out! "
" We've created a monster. "
" I don't want to die. "
" Sex! " " I beg your pardon? "
" At what point did he become an individual, and not a transporter accident? "
"Each of you is going to have to live with this. And I'm sorry for that. For you are all good, good people. My colleagues. My friends. I forgive you."
Background information [ ]
Title, story, and script [ ].
- Working titles that this episode had are "Untitled Tuvok/Neelix", "One", and "Symbiogenesis". [1] In fact, the episode was known by the latter working title throughout the installment's development and production. ( Star Trek Monthly issue 16 )
- Despite appreciating the usual output of the freelance writers who contributed the story for this episode, staff writer Kenneth Biller thought this episode's earliest version was too comical. " The guys who wrote the story, Andrew Price and Mark Gaberman , are really smart and have a lot of fun, high-concept ideas, " Biller commented. " Their story leaned a bit too heavily on the slapstick elements, however. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5)
- Ken Biller then took over responsibility for the episode. " I ended up taking it over and completely rewriting it, " he said. " It was [a] tricky episode, because it could devolve into something farcical. It is another one of those semi-hokey sci-fi premises, sort of the opposite of what I got in ' Faces ' […] We wanted to do something a little more serious and philosophical [than the original plot] and it began to emerge as we talked about it that there was something interesting there once you got past the hokiness of the set up. It started out as a joke. What do you call the guy? Neelok? Tuvix? It almost felt like a '60s sit-com. Brannon [Braga] and I even [came] up with a little theme song. So the trick was to see if we could actually make something compelling out of it. " Thus, the writers experimented with the notion of making Tuvix greater than either Tuvok or Neelix alone and asked themselves what would happen if the Voyager crew found a way to return Tuvix's two constituent parts. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5)
- Initially, the episode would have ended with Tuvix realizing, through some event or the reaction of the crew, that, for the greater good, he had to submit to the procedure of being split apart. " For a while that was the idea, " recalled Ken Biller, " But then we began to talk about it and consider what if he really wanted to survive and he doesn't want to die and be killed. Michael [Piller] posed that question to me so I give Michael a lot of credit. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5)
- Ken Biller then aimed to dramatize Janeway's dilemma at the episode's climax as much as he could. He explained, " I hoped to create tension at the end where it would be difficult for anyone watching to know what the right thing to do was […] I wanted to keep asking the audience, just keep poking at the audience. There isn't an answer […] It was an opportunity to show [Janeway] making the really tough decisions which captains are faced with. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5)
- The episode's final script draft was submitted on 2 February 1996 . [2]
- Tuvix actor Tom Wright was unsure if he could discern a moral in the episode's plot. " Not one that I can really pick out immediately […] There isn't any moralizing, " Wright observed. " It's just a story about a character, and you follow that character during the time he is alive. You watch the birth and the life and the death of one character in one episode, and there is no struggle between good and evil. It's purely a no-win situation. " When asked if he thought Tuvix should be spared the separation at the episode's conclusion, Wright stated, " I think it was inevitable that he would be separated. There would be no drama without that separation. So, I completely agree that he should have been separated. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
Cast and characters [ ]
- Neelix actor Ethan Phillips was originally considered for the role of Tuvix. Director Cliff Bole was pleased, however, that this casting idea was ultimately not given the go-ahead. " It was better to just kind of get a little different take on the character, " Bole said. " Ethan is so identifiable. He might have had a problem trying to give Tuvix the elements of Tuvok's character. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 15 )
- When Tom Wright received a call from his agent about the available role of Tuvix, Wright was immediately eager to take the part. " I felt that it would be unique to create a totally different character, " he said, " that had never been created on Star Trek before. " ( Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 58) Wright had never seen Star Trek: Voyager before but knew Ethan Phillips and Tuvok actor Tim Russ personally, having often auditioned for the same roles as Russ and previously acted in a play with Phillips. Required to audition for the character, Wright felt his best course of action would be to play a combination of the personalities and styles of those two Voyager cast members. ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 ) The audition won him the role of this episode's title character. Cliff Bole recalled, " I picked him because I had seen a lot of the work he has done. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 15 ) After Wright was cast as Tuvix, the staff of Voyager sent him a few video tapes of past episodes from the series. The actor noted, " From those, I decided which aspects of each character to put into the part. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- While creating such a composite character, Tom Wright was continually unsure exactly how his performance would end up. This was because the role of Tuvix in this particular installment took Wright into unfamiliar territory. He recalled, " Every now and then a character, situation or work experience forces you outside of your strength, and you have to perform in an area that is a little bit unknown. I did a lot of that in 'Tuvix', so I was completely unsure of how it would turn out. I'm very confident of my ability as an actor, but in this particular circumstance I wasn't sure how it would all pay off. " ( Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 58)
- Another problem that Tom Wright encountered while working on this episode was that he had little or no help from Voyager 's writers and producers. " I wish I could have felt a little more support from the top end, " Wright admitted. " I take it very seriously when someone hands me a character and says, 'Tom, we want you to play this role.' I don't consider that role to be my total universe, subject only to my jurisdiction and discretion. I believe acting is a collaborative form. I think that when people write a role and they create a character, they've got a specific thing in mind, and I like to know what that is. " ( Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 58) Wright also remarked, " When you're playing a character like Tuvix, which is very difficult to perform because you're taking two well-known characters and blending them into one, and you're essentially firing arrows in the dark at a very small target, you need support and guidance […] I'm not asking anyone to hold my hand, because I've been acting for [more than 25] years. It was just a cumulative thing. And it was curious to me, because I've worked with everyone from Francis Ford Coppola to John Sayles ; all types of people, and I've seen many different ships in the water. I wasn't quite sure why some things were being done the way they were. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- Another challenge that Tom Wright was presented with was dealing with the episode's technobabble . " If you're not used to that type of language being written and delivered in a very specific manner, it can throw you. It took me a few days to really get it down, " the actor admitted. " I asked Bobby [ Robert Duncan McNeill ], 'How do you do this?' He gave me a few tips and helped me out. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- In summation, Tom Wright described this episode as "a demanding work experience." ( Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 59) However, Wright was prepared to deal with such difficulties. " There were bumps and potholes in my Star Trek experience, " he remarked, " and I think that goes along with any work. " Ultimately, the experience of working on this episode wasn't an entirely negative one for Wright; he noted, " It wasn't like I had a horrible time. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- Despite the difficulties, Tom Wright was aware that he had to make Tuvix a likable character, to accentuate the importance of the character's "death" at the episode's conclusion. " I knew the character's warmth had to be present at all times, " the actor stated, " so that over the course of the show, the rest of the characters would warm up to him. And the reason it becomes so difficult [for Janeway to separate Tuvix at the end] is that they've all grown attached to him. They've all taken a certain amount of delight in this new individual. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- One aspect of this episode that Tom Wright enjoyed was working with Kes actress Jennifer Lien . " Working with Jennifer was one of the greatest things about working on that show, " Wright enthused. " I think she's very talented and I really like how she works as an actress. We also just had a lot of fun. She was really easy to work with and we had just a real good time in those scenes. " ( Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 59) Wright also said, " My scenes with Jennifer were my favorites because I really liked her. She was fun to work with, and we had a lot of laughs […] Jennifer has a long emotional history with her character, and I'm just stepping into mine. We're called upon to play fairly romantic and emotionally packed scenes together. And when you step into that territory with someone that you know has never been there before, it can be a trying process. But Jennifer was a 10. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- Jeri Taylor was very pleased with Tom Wright's performance as Tuvix in this episode. " The remarkable thing, " Taylor stated, " is that we found an actor who lets you actually buy this wacky premise because you can believe this actor as Tuvok and you can buy him as Neelix. " ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages )
- However, director Cliff Bole believed that Tom Wright, despite being a talented actor, was overly challenged by the role of Tuvix. The director explained, " Tom is a good actor, and […] he prides himself on being Shakespearean . But he got overmatched with the part. Star Trek is not an ad-lib format. They are very strict about their words. Tom does have the ability to do a little winging, and I think he thought he could do that. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 15 )
- At the end of Star Trek: Voyager 's third season , Ethan Phillips cited this episode as one of several whose scripts excited him because, by reading each one, he discovered something new about his regular character of Neelix (other such episodes being " Investigations ", " Fair Trade " and " Rise "). ( Star Trek Monthly issue 28 , p. 62)
- A scene that actor Robert Picardo found notable was the one wherein his character of The Doctor, citing the Hippocratic Oath , refuses to comply with Janeway ordering him to be the person responsible for separating Tuvix into Tuvok and Neelix. Referring to Janeway and The Doctor, the actor commented that the scene was "an interesting moment for both characters." ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 10 )
- A certain line of dialogue from this episode that Janeway actress Kate Mulgrew struggled with saying was, " At what point did he become an individual and not a transporter accident? " Mulgrew later referred to this line as "a dandy", commenting that doing lines in the Briefing Room set made saying them all the more difficult. Torres actress Roxann Dawson exclaimed, " Oh, that's the worst. " ( Starlog , issue #231, p. 50)
- Cliff Bole was highly pleased with Kate Mulgrew's performance in the episode's penultimate shot. " That last shot I did with Kate, as she's walking into the camera, she told the whole story in her face. She gave a great performance. I only asked for a few things; she brought that look and emotion to work with her. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 15 )
- Yet another challenge that Tom Wright had to deal with, during this episode's production, was the makeup for Tuvix, although the actor had past experience that helped him endure the prosthetics. " I had these contact lenses in and I couldn't see anything, " Wright laughed. " But it wasn't really that hard. I did Creepshow 2 and Tales From the Crypt , so at least I was familiar with having to work with makeup. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- One of the reasons why Cliff Bole believed that Tom Wright struggled with his role here was due to the arduous preparatory process of applying the makeup before he was ready to be filmed. " That has happened more times than anything I can think of in all the Star Trek shows I've done, " Bole remarked. " I run into it with really competent actors who come in and they read for the part and nail it, and then, Bang!, you paste that stuff on their face. They feel it all day long and they're not used to it, and that subtracts from their performance and their ability to concentrate. By the time you get into the second day, they're beat! That had a lot to do with Tom's case. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 15 )
Reception [ ]
- Cliff Bole was ultimately happy with the episode's final form. " We didn't have troubles, really, just developments as we went along in the process of getting the show. It was well-accepted and liked by the producers, and I agree. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 15 )
- Michael Piller cited this episode (together with the earlier second season installment " Lifesigns ") as an example of "some marvelous material" that showed that, by this point, Ken Biller had become "the poet laureate of Star Trek fourth season," even though this episode was in the second season of the fourth live-action Star Trek series. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 77)
- This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 5.6 million homes, and an 8% share. [3] (X)
- Janeway's dilemma at the end of this episode proved to be controversial. Ken Biller commented, " Different people had different points of view about it […] I got a lot of mail about it. People were really moved. It provoked a lot of discussion about what Janeway had to do. " ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5) In fact, according to the unauthorized reference book Delta Quadrant (p. 120), this episode was by far the most debated installment from Voyager 's first five seasons, especially on the Internet , over Janeway's decision to separate Tuvix back into Tuvok and Neelix.
- The makeup that Tom Wright wore for his appearance in this episode limited the amount of feedback he received, regarding the role of Tuvix, simply because people didn't know he had played that part. ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 ) Nevertheless, he was still often recognized for having appeared in this episode. ( Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 59) " It has generated some interest and that's good, " he stated. " I've heard from a few people. Every now and then, I'll trot out that I was Tuvix, and people are pretty excited about it. " Wright was also aware of the episode's popularity and suspected that part of why it was so popular was due to its lack of moralizing. " That might be one of the reasons people tend to like the episode so much, " he supposed. ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 )
- Cinefantastique rated this episode 3 out of 4 stars. ( Cinefantastique , Vol. 28, No. 4/5, p. 105)
- Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 58 scored this episode 4 out of 5 stars, defined as " Trill -powered viewing".
- The book Delta Quadrant (p. 120) gives this installment a rating of 8 out of 10.
- Following this episode, Tom Wright hoped to play the character of Tuvix again. " I'm sorry to see Tuvix go, " the performer admitted. " Anything can happen in the world of fiction, though. Tuvix could reappear, and if he did, I would be only too glad to step back into that role because it was a fun one. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13 ) Wright also related, " I think that in all fairness, if I were to play Tuvix again, it would be a lot easier simply because I'd know what I'd be walking into. " ( Star Trek Monthly issue 20 , p. 59)
- While writing the third season Star Trek: Enterprise episode " Similitude ", Manny Coto tried to avoid making that installment too much like this one. ("Similitude" audio commentary , ENT Season 3 DVD )
- In her Science of Star Trek series, Becca Caddy praised the episode's moral dilemma, " The mission of Starfleet, or the Enterprise at least, has always been: "to seek out new life", and these stories show us that life can take many forms—hybrid, artificial, rock-like creatures. In determining who or what is truly alive and whether they have agency, we are forced to watch our favorite characters make difficult decisions and live with the consequences. " [4]
Continuity [ ]
- In common with many episodes before it, this episode was criticized as being derivative of other episodes in the Star Trek canon, including TOS : " The Enemy Within ". ( Captains' Logs Supplemental - The Unauthorized Guide to the New Trek Voyages )
- Ethan Phillips believed that, despite some intimations of a possible romantic relationship between Paris and Kes earlier in the series, this episode proved that any such possibility would not actually happen. Regarding the potentiality of the romance, Phillips declared, " Absolutely not! After 'Tuvix', where she just couldn't live without me, it's obvious Kes loves Neelix, loves him deeply and richly and needs him. " ( Starlog , issue #231, p. 51)
- Voyager 's science laboratory is seen for the first time in this episode.
- Tuvok 's interest in orchids was introduced in " Tattoo " and revisited in " Alliances ".
- Neelix's choice of "cheerful" Vulcan song begins with the lyrics " Oh starless night of boundless black ") The fifth season episode VOY : " Night " later reveals that he in fact suffers from nihiliphobia when actually confronted with nothingness.
- Right before the re-separation, Captain Janeway gestures to a biobed and Tuvix sits on it. There is a visible strip of orange tape on the cushion indicating where the actor should sit, which is noticeably absent directly before and after the brief sequence.
- The process inadvertently responsible for the title character's creation is revisited in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode, " Twovix ", where Chief Engineer Andy Billups and Dr. T'Ana experienced the same type of transporter accident and a fused individual, self-named T'Illups , was formed. Captain Carol Freeman researched how Captain Janeway dealt with this situation and attempted to come to a more humane solution to this situation.
Video and DVD releases [ ]
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video ): Volume 2.10, 7 October 1996
- As part of the VOY Season 2 DVD collection
Links and references [ ]
Starring [ ].
- Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway
Also starring [ ]
- Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay
- Roxann Biggs-Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
- Jennifer Lien as Kes
- Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris
- Ethan Phillips as Neelix
- Robert Picardo as The Doctor
- Tim Russ as Lieutenant Tuvok
- Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim
Guest Stars [ ]
- Tom Wright as Tuvix
- Simon Billig as Hogan
Co-Star [ ]
- Bahni Turpin as Swinn
Uncredited Co-Stars [ ]
- Susette Andres as bar patron
- Michael Beebe as Murphy
- John Copage as Voyager sciences officer
- James Delano as waiter
- Tarik Ergin as Ayala
- Heather Ferguson as Voyager command officer
- Holiday Freeman as an Voyager operations officer
- Kerry Hoyt as Fitzpatrick
- Karl Laird as artist
- Bob Mascagno as accordion player
- Louis Ortiz as Culhane
- John Tampoya as Kashimuro Nozawa
References [ ]
21st century ; ability ; airponics bay ; Andorian amoeba ; annular confinement beam ; axiom ; Ayala ; barium ; biobed ; biochemical analysis ; biochemistry ; biofilter ; bio-spectral analysis ; black ; botanical science ; chrysanthemum ; chloroplast ; Clarinet Sonatas ; clematis ; consciousness ; consummate professional ; cooking ; cytoplasmic protein ; Delta Quadrant ; DNA ; dozen ; egg ; Emergency medical holographic channel ; enzyme ; execution ; field test ; flattery ; flour ; funeral dirge ; garden ; gastrointestinal disorder ; holodeck ; Intrepid class decks ; isotope probe ; Johnson, Mark ; Jupiter Station ; logic ; lysosomal enzyme ; mating ; medical tricorder ; medical transporter ; microcellular organism ; microcellular scan ; Mister Vulcan ; molecular imaging scanner ; monster ; multiple personality disorder ; mushroom ; Neevok ; Numerian Inquisition ; nutritional supplement ; Ocampan prayer taper ; orchid ; organ ; pattern buffer ; pollination ; pool ; protein ; proximity detector ; psychological profile ; radiation ; radioisotope ; security subroutine ; semantics ; single-celled organism ; spatula ; spicy ; surgical targeting scanner ; surgical transporter ; Swinn ; symbiogenesis ; symbiogenetic alien orchid ; symbiogenetic alien orchid homeworld ; symbiogenetic alien orchid homeworld sun ; T'Pel ; Talaxian ; taste bud ; tea ; transporter ; transporter accident ; transporter log ; transporter pad ; Transporter Room 1 ; transporter technology ; Trellan crepe ; turbolift ; Tuvokian ; water ; weather ; variety ; Voyager shuttlecraft ; Vulcan ; X-ray
External links [ ]
- "Tuvix" at StarTrek.com
- " Tuvix " at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
- " Tuvix " at Wikipedia
- " "Tuvix" " at MissionLogPodcast.com , a Roddenberry Star Trek podcast
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Janeway’s “Tuvix” Decision Still Divides ‘Star Trek: Voyager’ Cast: “It Kind Of Hurt Her Character”
| January 18, 2024 | By: TrekMovie.com Staff 258 comments so far
It’s been almost 28 years since the Star Trek: Voyager episode “Tuvix” aired, and it still sparks strong debate. It turns out the stars of the show are just as divided about the moral issues at its core as the show’s fans.
The “Tuvix” debate continues with Voyager cast
Trek Talks 3 is a marathon of Star Trek panels streamed live on January 13 on YouTube to benefit the Hollywood Food Coalition . One of the most fascinating panels was focused on a single episode of Star Trek: Voyager , “Tuvix,” the second season episode where the characters of Tuvok and Neelix were combined (via transporter accident) into a new person (the titular Tuvix). Captain Janeway’s decision to restore Neelix and Tuvok, and therefore essentially kill Tuvix, is controversial, even among the cast. The panel included Voyager stars Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Tim Russ (Tuvok), Garrett Wang (Harry Kim), and Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris), who were joined by Voyager writer Lisa Klink and the man who played Tuvix himself, Tom Wright.
The panel, moderated by McNeill and Wang, started with all of the actors acknowledging that “Tuvix” is the still most controversial episode of the series, then quickly turned into a debate. Tim Russ took the view that Janeway did the right thing, offering his reasons why:
Russ: “The captain’s responsibility is to her crew. That’s what the captain’s responsibility is. And she’s the only one on the ship that can make the decision. And he [Tuvix] cannot reproduce as a species… I believe that point is made [in the episode], there is no other of his kind… He’s an anomaly, whereas the crewpeople that he has replaced already have a family, we have lives.”
Ethan Phillips didn’t explicitly come down on one side or the other, but he posited that Janeway’s decision was “the only example of an execution in all of the franchise.” He also pointed out that Tuvix did nothing to deserve his fate:
Phillips: “The event of the combination of the two was accidental. By executing Tuvix, she’s not making up for a murder or anything like that. He has almost like it’s a right to live because of this accident… I wouldn’t know where to begin to decide. It’s a very complicated area.”
Garrett Wang took a bit of a middle ground view:
Wang: “When Tom Wright showed up I was so impressed with his professionalism, his talent, and his all-around demeanor off camera. I was bowled over he became my favorite person instantly, literally. Tom Wright was to me, someone that I really looked up how he conducted himself. And when he had to leave, I think I cried actually… I wanted somehow to keep all three of them. I didn’t want Tom right to leave. I wanted Neelix to come back. I wanted Tuvok to come back. But I wanted to Tuvix to exist independently of the other two as well.”
Robert Duncan McNeill took the strongest stance against Janeway’s choice:
McNeill: “I watched it again today and watching Janeway have to make this decision and the way she has to do it in such a kind of cold manner, I felt like it kind of hurt her character—I’ll be honest—a little bit. I think she had to earn her way back from this episode.”
From the Trek Talks 3 “Tuvix” panel
Writers wanted Janeway “tortured” by decision
Later McNeill went on to say he would have preferred a different sci-fi solution to the dilemma:
McNeill: “Being science fiction, it’s made-up science, right?. The procedure that [The Doctor developed] is black and white. You have to kill Tuvix or you know do away with Neelix and Tuvok. But it’s made-up science. Could there have been a thing that doctor said like, ‘If you do this we’ll save some DNA. Maybe in the future I can come up with a way to bring Tuvix back. I don’t know, it’s such a black and white decision. It just… It hurt me with the captain.'”
McNeill also suggested that one way to resolve the dilemma would be to take Janeway out of the final decision and have Tuvix “heroically” decide to sacrifice himself. Writer Lisa Klink revealed this was considered and explained why they decided to make it Janeway’s choice:
Klink: “We did talk about that in the room. But then we realized that we wanted to put Janeway in a really difficult position. It’s much more dramatically interesting if she has to make that really, really difficult call than if he did heroically sacrifice himself… You want to torture your characters as much as possible.”
From “Tuvix” (Paramount)
Tuvix actor: “He had to go”
Perhaps ironically, the actor who played Tuvix says he understood Janeway’s decision.
Wright: “Speaking as the character, every entity alive is hardwired to want to survive. So that’s going to be Tuvix’s default thinking. But myself as an actor, I saw that he had to go. There wasn’t enough justification for losing two entities for the sake of one… People ask how I felt about it. The reason I had any feeling at all is because I absolutely loved the character. I know both [Ethan] and I know Tim separately from the show. So to be able to have those two people as as back pocket resources with the creation of this character was, to me, invaluable. There’s an artistic side of me that really would love to keep keep on playing that character for forever and ever. But the practical side of an entire ball of wax dictates something different.”
There was a lot more discussion about the episode, including a description of the original pitch and how Ethan Phillips was originally approached to play Tuvix, so it’s worth watching the whole panel.
Watch Trek Talks 3
Here is the livestream for the full event. (Video should jump to the start of the “Tuvix” panel at 6:11:30)
The mission of the Hollywood Food Coalition is to feed and serve the immediate needs of the hungry every day of the year so they can build better lives. You can see some of the great work Hollywood Food Coalition is doing on their YouTube channel in videos like this one:
If you want to donate now, you can do so here:
Get updates and learn more at trektalks.net .
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Captain Janeway killed Tuvox because she didn’t want to change the title sequence of Star Trek: Voyager.
That’s a joke, but it’s kinda true.
Like the article said, they could have had Tuvix sacrifice himself, but they took the easy option away.
It’s kind of Voyager at its most riskiest and Voyager playing it safe at the same time.
but they took the easy option away.
The “easy option” utterly lacking in any drama or moral debate, but giving us a technobabble ending. No thanks.
What’s more technobabble about Tuvix agreeing to sacrifice himself for Neelix and Tuvok than the ending we got? Either way he ends up on the transporter at the end. I don’t follow what you’re getting at here.
Anyway, I’m not saying it’s a bad thing they didn’t go that way. Just that they could have taken the decision out of Janeway’s hands if they wanted to. Personally I’m glad they didn’t. It’s more interesting if Tuvix is fighting for his survival to the very end. It’s the writers job to make life hard for the main characters.
It would be event more interesting if the writers had the guts — in terms of main characters having accountability — for Tuvix to had lived, with Tuvoc and Neelix no longer appearing on the series from that point in.
By not having the guts to leave Tuvix as is, they did the same BS that Marvel did when they cheapened the gravitas and character accountability that we got in the great Infinity War movie, with a cheap plot reversal device in Endagme that diminished the whole storyline.
It is interesting to speculate whether, had this episode been written a few years later, whether they might have seriously considered this route. At the time, television was beginning to transition to serialization; the Sopranos was a mere three years out. DISCO sure didn’t hesitate to kill off characters in its first two seasons.
OTOH, I think this was a character-defining moment for Janeway. The first draft of “City on the Edge of Forever” had Kirk emotionally unable to restrain McCoy from saving Edith Keeler. The problem was that the audience might have been unable to respect Kirk as a leader as a result; hence the change, to where he physically stops McCoy from saving here. I think a similar dynamic might have played out had Janeway elected not to separate Tuvix.
it wasn’t cheap to reverse ‘the snap’, it took sacrifice and loss to fix things
the writer’s at the time didn’t have the ability to change season (or multi-season) contracts by writing in something like that. If they had pitched the idea later or as a season ender giving the production team the option to swap two contracts for one then maybe
The problem is from a dramatic point of view, Tuvix saying he wants the procedure to happen would have gutted the entire point of the ep. At that point why even make it? Transporter accident happened. We undid it. Anyone want breakfast?
Lol, yeah, good point!
I agree it would have been less dramatic to have Tuvix go along with it. Already said that. I just don’t get why River was saying it’s more technobabble. It’s a transporter accident show. It’s inherently a technobabble show already.
Eh…. forgot it.
You’re right about that. The transporter accident plot device thing goes back to TOS so it’s not Berman-era technobabble
LOL all good!
No I think they were right NOT to want Tuvix to go along with it. It would’ve destroyed all the drama over it. I’m happy they went the direction they did. And I don’t really mean Janeway’s decision, but just the fact they didn’t give her an easy out.
That and losing Tim Russ as Tuvok would’ve been a travesty. The character was only meant to be in one episode. They could’ve found an easier way as the new kid said but happy but they didn’t. It what makes Trek such a great show.
Yeah Tim Russ is such a talent it would not have been the same show without him. He is the only other Vulcan that even comes close to Nimoy or Mark Leonard in my book.
Well it’s obviously hilarious how Tim Russ fully backs how it all worked out — like none of us could see that coming, right? ;-)
Wait, wait, wait… first she killed Tuvix, THEN Tuvox? Wow… quite the set on ol’ Auntie Kathy.
(I kid, I kid)
And they should have changed it by season 4 as they were in Borg space
The episode, as is, could have been made so much better by a single final scene where Tuvok visits her to tell her she made the wrong decision.
Yes. That would have been great.
Ya just gave me chills….
Not only chills from the twist, but if tuvok had actually confronted her on it, it would have — and I know this will be a shock for some fans used to voyager — meant Janeway would have learned and grown as a character; it would have forced her to re-examine her command decisions in a way she never really did before or since..
Great idea. Wish you’d been on the writing staff. I genuinely loathed Janeway in that episode. It was an execution and it was a very long time before I overcame how I felt about her actions.
Her decision had merit, but how the whole thing was done (in the script) was a failure in writing. All told, still a solid episode.
……as long as Tuvok is passing Kes on the way out, after she thanked Janeway for returning Neelix to her.
There’s always another point of view.
More poignant would have been Janeway, Tuvok and Neelix speaking in her quarters. Think about this: Tuvok and Neelix both “died” when they returned to Voyager as Tuvix while beaming. It makes sense that Tuvix died and they BOTH felt Tuvix’s death as they were being reborn as their separate selves. If Janeway had have asked each them: “Did I make the right choice?” Tuvok could reply that ” I do not know. I’ve experienced death, birth, death and a rebirth all in a few days…” Neelix could say similar or: “We’re asking the wrong person…He’s not here to answer…Good Night, Captain…”
That’s stupid. Because you’re not asking the wrong person.
Janeway did what she did because she was sad she lost neelix and tuvok. It was, essentially, her inability to cope with loss.
She justified it by saying they needed them back to fulfill their roles on the ship, and by saying that tuvok and neelix would want to be alive and she was essentially speaking up for them.
But by having tuvok tell her, point blank, “wrong choice” you are basically saying “you spoke up for me and neelix but that’s not what we wanted. We were in there, we were Tuvix, and we wanted to live.” Or even worse, tuvok and neelix now carry the guilt of having been brought back at the expense of another life.
I haven’t re-watched the episode in a long time, but I recall the visage on Tuvok’s face at the end suggested that was, in fact, what he did think. Perhaps he didn’t verbalize because it contradicts the utilitarian “needs of the many outweigh the needs of the one” Vulcan philosophy.
I’m not sure Tuvok and Neelix retained any memories of being merged into one being.
Tuvok most likely wasn’t thrilled with having been merged with Neelix. He was often annoyed by the Talaxian.
I disagree. Rather than having a character say it out loud after the fact, it’s better for them to say as little as possible and let the audience make that call. It’s better art, and probably why we’re still debating the episode all these years later.
Seconded. The whole point is for this very article. For the fans to debate it and do what trek does best. Question the morality in the seemingly every day decisions we make.
You disagree but you’re also an idiot. Because non verbally suggesting it wasn’t even part of the episode, no matter how much anyone tried to say otherwise 30 years later.
Besides, tuvok counseling Janeway on her decisions was a common element of the series. So it would have been perfectly fitting and ironic if when he went to her this time, it wasn’t “stop worrying you did what you had to do,” like he usually says, it was “you fucked up.”
You disagree but you’re also an idjit. Because non verbally suggesting it wasn’t even part of the episode, no matter how much anyone tried to say otherwise 30 years later.
Besides, tuvok counseling Janeway on her decisions was a common element of the series. So it would have been perfectly fitting and ironic if when he went to her this time, it wasn’t “stop worrying you did what you had to do,” like he usually says, it was “you effed up.”
I wasn’t saying anything was nonverbally communicated. It was all left for the audience to judge whether Janeway’s decision was right or not. Which is, I think, a good bit of writing.
And if you can’t converse with others without hurling insults, then don’t bother. It makes you look petty and juvenile, and it hurts your argument. Regardless of your age, obviously you have some growing up to do. Good luck.
I know it is not apples to apples, but Janeway’s decision is similar to the impossible moral quandary faced by Captain Archer in Enterprise, when he had to choose saving the life of his incumbent engineer Trip, even though it meant the death of Sim. Maybe the show just didn’t have the fanbase that Voyager had, but I don’t recall a large amount of anger or dismay over the episode Similtude. In fact I think it is heralded by many as one of the best episodes of Enterprise.
Some plot differences contribute to the difference in reaction: The procedure that would lengthen sim’s life was experimental and unproven, meaning if they tried it and it failed, both he and Trip would both die, while on a mission where he was desperately needed. Not to mention that sim’s natural lifespan was merely days anyway— if they did nothing, it would have been the same result.
When it comes to Tuvix, there’s no reason they couldn’t continue with him as their tactical officer and cook, they simply killed him because they missed their friends, Tuvok and Neelix, and had no respect for his autonomy or right to self determination.
Plenty of ways around that controversial ending: write it so that there’s no choice, have Tuvix sacrifice himself to save the ship, or even just have Janeway desperately hurt by the decision.
Janeway’s decision also directly contradicted past decisions she’d made — like the very decision that got them stranded — and was wholly inconsistent with her character. And that nobody really defended Tuvix also contributed to the divisive response.
There is one huge difference there tho. Janeway was thinking about the lives of Tuvok and Neelix and getting her crew of 100+ people home. Archer was having PTSD from Earth’s attack, he was on a mission to save ALL of Earth, he KNEW he was breaking his morals, and he was just like, the mission had to continue.
Couldn’t disagree with Robert more: yes, it’s all made-up science, and they could have easily come up with some hand-waving technobabble to keep Tuvix alive somehow. But that would have completely destroyed the dramatic thrust of the episode. It would have been the boring, cowardly way out, reducing the story into just another disposable “problem of the week” instead of this controversial, difficult, heartbreaking tale that we’re still talking about today.
He suggests Janeway’s decision “hurt her character”, but — I mean, YEAH — for me, that was the point. She was put into an impossible situation and there was no call she could make that would have satisfied everyone. For me that didn’t take away from her character, it added a good chunk of depth.
But all of this is also what makes the episode so great: there’s so many interpretations of it that are all completely valid. That we can look at this story and the choices it made and have such varied, emotional reactions to it is impressive. That’s damned good TV. :)
Exactly. You can always count on Janeway to make a decision even when there are no good options available.
Couldn’t disagree with Robert more: yes, it’s all made-up science, and they could have easily come up with some hand-waving technobabble to keep Tuvix alive somehow. But that would have completely destroyed the dramatic thrust of the episode.
Let’s all hang on to those Tom Paris commemorative plates, tho.
This, exactly!
On point man, on point! 👍
“She was put into an impossible situation”.
No. No, she wasn’t in an impossible position. It wasn’t her place to play God. What happened happened. She committed a murder. She could have just…not.
Nope disagree. She brought back two people who she could bring back from a transporter accident. Tuvix was never supposed to exist. Needs of the two outweigh the needs of the one accident. People that were vital to the crew and valued as such.
But I love we’re having this same argument for over 20 years now. 😂
Ain’t Star Trek grand!
I agree completely. It was hard decision with no good choices, but given the two choices available, I think Janeway made the right one. And it’s clear that it was hard for her; Mulgrew’s face right after doing it … she made it clear that she was having to steel herself to do such a difficult thing.
While Tuvix was innocent, the fact is that his existence consumed two other lives; he doesn’t have the right to exist at the expense of two other people.
I’m always surprised at the controversy around this, because to me, the choice is agonizing but clear. I don’t have the right to eat you and your brother in order to fuel my own life.
Well, yes, but the question of rights is complicated by the fact that the situation was precipitated by an accident, not a conscious decision on the part of an individual to further its own existence at the expense of two others’. For better or worse, humans tend to make very different moral calculations in these circumstances given the context. “Tuvix” was in essence the VGR exploration of The Trolley Problem, and a pretty decent one at that. I just wish the series as a whole had taken those kinds of risks with its characters.
Yeah, I wish the writers of Voyager had taken more risks. “Tuvix” is an episode we’re still talking about decades later, but there aren’t many Voyager episodes we can say that about.
There aren’t that many Trek episodes across the franchise where those risks were taken.
Couldn’t agree with you more, Phil!
DS9’s “In the Pale Moonlight,” for me, falls into the same category of episodes as “Tuvix.” Sisko was in a no-win scenario too — compromise his principles or allow countless numbers of Federation officers to continue dying in the no-win war against the Dominon.
It’s Trek like this, despite GR’s stance on war in the Trek universe, that keeps us talking, debating, and engaging in issues that still effect us today.
I shoulda said “war and conflict”, not just “war”.
I barely remember this ep, possibly because I didn’t see it all the way through, but I have seen many discussions of it here and elsewhere. In comparing it with questionable Sisko decisions, I’m wondering if FOR THE UNIFORM might be a better comparison than MOONLIGHT, as I find Sisko’s behavior throughout UNIFORM about as abhorrent as I’ve found any lead Captain’s decision in Trek history, especially the call to poison a whole planet.
TOS’s City on the Edge of Forever falls into this catagory, IMO. I’m a bit stretched to think of an episode of TNG, maybe The Survivors and Lower Decks. This is also my opinion, but Twilight Zone tended to do a better job using sci-fi to hold a mirror up to the awfulness of the human condition. That’s a bit off topic, though.
I dont feel like many ppl debate moonlight tho… they took it easy. Sisko didn’t know Garrack was going to kill the Romulan. Janeway knew everything she was doing. Big difference.
Here’s the thing, hi by the way :-). There are more eps we could talk about. A lot more. We just don’t for some reason. Take Hope and Fear for example. Arturis was 100% right to blame Janeway for the death of his species. She was guilty. She sided with the borg just to get her crew of 100 ppl home and entire civilizations either died or were assimilated. Later she said, “ you have to understand, I couldn’t have known.” And she is right. She couldn’t have known. But that is why the Prime Directive exists. Because you can’t know. If you could know, then interfere all you want. For all the complaining she did about Kirk and Spock and Sulu never being worthy of being in Starfleet in the 24th century that she did in Flashback (I will NEVER forgive her character for that) she did WAY worse then they ever did and then got promoted for it.
Certainly there are other episodes we could talk about; I didn’t mean to suggest that no other episodes bear discussion. But “Tuvix” seems to me to be alone in provoking truly passionate discussion among huge numbers of fans, even all these years later.
And hello to you, too. :-)
LOL I know and I agree you are not wrong. What I meant to say is that for some reason we never focus on the other eps, just Tuvix. Not saying that you specifically were saying such. It was me commenting on the population at large lol. Hope all is well with you!!!
Take Hope and Fear for example. Arturis was 100% right to blame Janeway for the death of his species. She was guilty. She sided with the borg just to get her crew of 100 ppl home and entire civilizations either died or were assimilated. Later she said, “ you have to understand, I couldn’t have known.” And she is right. She couldn’t have known. But that is why the Prime Directive exists. Because you can’t know. If you could know, then interfere all you want. For all the complaining she did about Kirk and Spock and Sulu never being worthy of being in Starfleet in the 24th century that she did in Flashback (I will NEVER forgive her character for that) she did WAY worse then they ever did and then got promoted for it.
This is a great summary of why I have considered Janeway near the bottom of my Captains list, which goes, in order: Kirk, Sisko, Pike, Picard, Michael, Archer, Janeway, Freeman.
As you and I have discussed before, I think, minimally (i.e. if Starfleet was too chick-shit to do a formal investigation/court martial), she should have been held at the rank of Captain indefinitely instead of the promotion to Admiral — which I view as good PR for Starfleet given the great news story of Voyager’s return, with Starfleet brass deciding to sweep these very poor decisions/prime directive crimes under the rug.
Yuppers totally agree. The fact that she got her crew home totally overshadowed the war crimes she committed. But at least an acknowledgement of them on the show would have been nice.
Well, yes, but the question of rights is complicated by the fact that the situation was precipitated by an accident, not a conscious decision on the part of an individual to further its own existence at the expense of two others.
Exactly. The accident resulted in the murder of two characters. But the second murder was ordered on purpose by Janeway. Huge difference, and I think actually she could have been prosecuted in a court martial for that if Starfleet wanted to bring charges — from a legal perspective, I think that could be prosecuted as murder.
Tuvok and Neelix were not murdered. That is a gross exaggeration. They were lost in an accident. Tuvix was literally ordered to end his existence. The former was an accident. The latter was a choice. That is the difference and why Janeway was wrong.
Actually that’s what I was trying to say, but you just said it better than me.
And I do think that being an accessory to a suicide ordered by you is pretty shaky on legal grounds for a captain
Oh, oops! Sorry, I’m tired. Long day yesterday LOL!
Michael, that John Black script preceding GR’s version of THE MENAGERIE I told you about is now available to read online, according to this link (and again, alas, same as the one I have, it is only ‘part two’ … ) It’s at that other trek site bbs with a thread title of FROM THE FIRST DAY TO THE LAST (am not posting link because it seems like that causes problems.)
If you read it, let me know what you think (it is really only act iv that is the big deal to me, and one that could have been immensely significant for Kirk’s character as well as the Trek universe.)
This episode is what made me love Janeway even more! 🙂
Her face at the end was someone who just did the hardest thing in her life but for Star Trek it’s just another Tuesday. But she made a decision that she thought was best for her ship and crew and I always admired for making the tough calls and always doing what has to be done.
Tough Captain from beginning to end!
Yes! Janeway is a kind person who will listen to her crew, but she’s also very firmly THE CAPTAIN. That’s a hard balance to strike, and they were SO lucky that got Mulgrew to portray it. Much as I like the current Star Trek shows, I don’t know if Sonequa Martin-Green or Anson Mount could have shown us BOTH sides — the kind listener and the tough-as-nails leader — the way Mulgrew did.
Kate is a top-tier performer, no doubt about it! Only someone with her skills at nuance could play both sides and SHOW us, not tell us, of the conflict boiling within Janeway.
Yes! We really lucked out, getting her.
So you figure if they had stuck with French Janeway that she’d still be debating the issue instead of taking action?
Totally agree. I might not like Janeway but I LOVE Kate Mulgrew!
Kate Mulgrew is on another level. Why I hope we see her back in live action as Captain Janeway. Excited to see her in Prodigy but I want to see her in uniform again! And I think we will! 🙂
I think it depends on if Paramount gets sold, and to whom.
She’s got two roles on one of the series already. They only have a limited number of slots to bring in these legacy characters, so I’d really like to see one of the DS9 cast brought back first before we give Mulgrew yet another role. She’s covered already.
BTW I totally miss you! Plan to be back on TrekCre more when I guess Discovery starts again. We will be torturing ourselves through it like nearly every season! 😂🙄
But maybe next season will be different. Anyway always great to see you honey!
I miss you, too! I’ll be glad when there’s new Trek to discuss on Trek Core, so I can hang out with you and AmiRami and Locutus and Eric Cheung and iMike and all the gang.
Totally!!! I love hanging out with all you guys there. It’s always a fun party every week, especially with my boy Amirami! 😀
Miss you too buddy!
LOL maybe I should join Trek-core again! I like parties too. ;D
And they have an ignore button there so easier to avoid the party poopers.
Hey .. you’re always invited! 🙂
Hey! What about me?!?! LOL!
I mentioned you!!! Read again!
I can hang out with you and AmiRami and Locutus and Eric Cheung and iMike and all the gang.
LOL oops!!!!!!! Sorry Last night was a late night hahahahah! Not for bad reasons, don’t worry :-P
I hope you are not mad at me :(
No, of course not! Just feeling low in energy (and hence not very chatty) today.
Ok, thank you! Feel better!
You’re included too man!!! 😀
Oops, that was my bad hahaha, it’s been a long week!
No worries buddy! It’s a lot of posts here too so easy to miss! 🙂
I truly miss the old stomping grounds though.
I gotta disagree with all due respect my friend. I agree Tuvix wasn’t born the way Tuvok or Nelix was and this wasn’t supposed to happen. But nothing in Voyager was supposed to happen. The crew was never supposed to be pulled into the Delta quadrant in the first place. If Janeway was to use that same logic, she should have sent the crew home in the very first ep.
I know Star Trek does not believe in fate but they do believe in the prime directive. What happened happened. Tuvix is a new life and it is their job to seek out new life, not destroy it, even if it means their lives. And Janeway, as per usual, did the exact opposite.
Exactly! And that’s been a recurring problem with her — she’s a hypocrite on the prime directive.
It’s just… I can’t even with her on that show… I do admit tho I like her a LOT more on Prodigy!
I love the Holo Janeway on Prodigy, but bringing in the “live” Janeway as well just reaked of fan service overkill…and then Chakotay of all characters too…lol
Ha well lets see how it goes next season
I absolutely love her on Prodigy too! But she will always have my heart on Voyager of course. Sisko also broke the Prime Directive but their backs were to the wall. Archer and Kirk also broke it (OK there was no Prime Directive for Archer but still). They can’t all be Picard.
Yeah, they all had their moments to be sure. Even Picard when saving uugghh Wesley.
Disagree away my friend! 🙂
But if this was a story about two infant babies being merged into one baby from two different mothers and they had a way to bring them back…I don’t think it would be much that of a discussion. Or maybe I can be wrong on that.
And the needs of the two outweigh the needs of the one. Star Trek taught us that too.
But that’s why I love this discussion, everyone will just see it in their way like abortion.
And if Janeway got them home in Caretaker we wouldn’t have a show lol. But I got you for sure!
Well ya about Caretaker hahahaha
“But if this was a story about two infant babies being merged into one baby from two different mothers and they had a way to bring them back…I don’t think it would be much that of a discussion.”
Wow, yes, I think this argument would make it even much more sensitive. Imagine how that would’ve played out lol. But maybe the mothers would’ve accepted it but it makes it clear it’s not black and white either. The reality is if you could bring back someone most people would obviously. What complicates it is you are ending a new life for theirs but that life only exists because the other life was effectively killed to create them. None of this is simple, not in the least. No matter what people would be upset about it.
Yeah, exactly. What happened with Tuvix was an accidentally murder of two characters that was not the result of a Janeway action, but then when it’s her decision, she orders murder of a character.
It is what it is. Yeah, it would have sucked to have lost Tuvok, but can you imagine if for once in Star Trek, we could see a main character die on a series how great that would be in terms of upping the suspense and gravitas of the show? Knowing everyone is going to come out fine every single week is rather boring and unconvincing.
I think there would not be such heated disagreements among fans if Neelix had been a character that everyone deeply loved and identified with. Tuvox was somewhat liked, but not loved the way Spock was. The idea that Janeway would blithely destroy the lives of two individuals that did not connect on a fundamental level to most of the fandom in order to allow a more likeable character to live is the real quandary that most of us don’t want to admit. It would be a little more tangible if one imagines Captain Picard and Geordie LaForge merged. It’s easy to see that the rationale becomes “will the original two individuals be missed”. We all would want two of our favorite characters returned to themselves. This episode of Voyager was to be a philosophical query. Personally, I would have done what Janeway did. In the accidental merging of the two individuals, their self actualization was taken from them without their consent and thy deserved to have that restored to them.
While I don’t agree with your conclusion, you make a lot of good points here.
Totally agree with you. With all due respect to him, if they do that, then don’t even make the episode because why bother.
but it has no lasting consequences and that why it does not work in the end
It was a command decision. She weighed her choices and had to live with it the rest of her days. It was in my opinion, the correct thing to do.
LOL @ live with it. She forgot it and it was never brought up again.
The problem is, it broke the prime directive.
Agreed. This is why being the captain is hard lol. But I totally agreed with her decision just the same!
They could have used the same process that split Will Riker into Will and Thomas to duplicate Tuvix to keep one of him and split the other one back into Tuvok and Neelix…
I mean, you’re still Tuvixing a guy at the end of the day. Same problem, but now you’ve made it incredibly awkward for the surviving Tuvix. 😆
The copy need not survive transport, though. it can be split in the buffer before it technically exists.
They could have combined the two processes, a copy and split in the one go. ;)
The process that split Riker into two was an accident, and IIRC that episode correctly there were specific atmospheric conditions on that planet. Probably not easy to duplicate.
But not impossible if they have all the facts at hand.
But wouldn’t the other Tuvix also have a will to live? I think you would end up with the same conundrum.
Ah, the technobabble transporter BUFFER — the BS plot device that keeps on giving and giving and giving…lol
Brilliant! :D
Thanks! heh
That’s a great suggestion. The issue tho is that when Will and Thomas were created into two, both were their own sentient beings and were defined as being separate beings from one another. The moral dilemma would have still existed IMHO ,
The copy need not materialize, though. The split can happen while it is still energy in the transport buffer.
Hmm, interesting. But Transporters are a tricky thing. Remember Pulaski being reversed in age to her normal age in the horrible TNG S2? If you show too many stories where the transporter can do so many amazing things then life starts to be eternal and all the drama of the story gets pulled out of everything.
Well, at one point everything that has been done in Star Trek coalesces. Lower Decks does that sort of thing all the time, where they use plot points from previous series for comedic effect. Here, it would be used for dramatic effect.
Fundamentally, Janeway using the Riker incident to solve the Tuvix conundrum is not that different from Picard consulting the events from The Naked Time to solve the problem in The Naked Now.
It’s one captain using events from a previous mission to solve a current dilemma.
Bro at this point the only thing transporters haven’t done yet is become sentient on their own lol.
These things have done every crazy thing you can think of. They are the biggest plot devices ever created in science fiction. We literally seen people time travel and jump to other universes on them as well. Creating new life almost feels mundane at this point.
My feeling about Janeway here is that these are the hard decisions that only she can make, for the greater good, separating herself beyond the explorer, beyond the personal feelings, but as a Starfleet Captain to maintain order. Mulgrew was and is a true diamond-caliber actor, allowing small facial movements to convey emotion when her words and actions could not. We all loved Tuvix as a character, but this was about not letting us forget that the Captain remains above and separate from the crew/”the family”. I dig these episodes (see also The Omega Directive) where she is above all THE CAPTAIN.
Well. I guess they could have tried to Tom Riker him.
Spin off series! Let’s bring back Tuvix with his own show!
Don’t give Kurtzman ideas…
I completely ageed with Janeway’s decision back then and do today. And take note how much I always hated Neelix so I’m not biased.
The needs of the two..
And this was what made Voyager unique to the other shows. Maybe if she was in Federation space where she could consult with other scientists or even sent him to a lab to try and keep all three then maybe they could’ve found another way. But options were limited in the DQ and no matter what she did she would’ve gotten flack for it. That’s why this is a great episode! Star Trek moral quandaries in the worst way possible.
With that bonehead decision on top of the deal with the devil with the Borg that basically sentenced millions to be a assimilated, her star fell in my view. I was frankly kind of surprised she made Admiral given poor decisions like that. She tended to overthink those big decisions and not go with what she knew was right.
PS: Also, all that for borderline pedo-phile Neelix… Are you kidding me? Save the Jeffrey Epstein of Star Trek over Tuvix?
Trek has glossed over that command training in Starfleet does actually involve life and death decisions. Even in TNG’s Thine Own Self, Troi really had to be coached along into ordering the LaForge simulation to his simulated death in the engine room before she passed. She probably should have been washed out for that. Janeway was presented with a lesser of two evils dilemma, and to the writer’s credit they didn’t create some bulls**t deus ex machina out for Janeway having to make a difficult decision. Life doesn’t always give us happy endings, any decision Janeway was going to make would not have been satisfying…
Well for me, if it’s the creepy old dude who’s banging a questionably legal teenager every night on my own ship versus Tuvix, I’m going Tuvix every time.
Robert Duncan McNeill is 100% right on this one
Ceating your own context again, I see. In universe Ocampians only lived eight or nine years, so in human years she was 25-30 when she came on board at the ripe old Ocampian age of 2.
Opinions have varied on this for a long time now….
That sounds like a really convenient excuse to live with a woman who looks 17 at most. And unfortunately, Neelix fits the part of sug-dad dude to a T.
The optics are horrible. What were they thinking?
Jennifer Lien, who played Kes, was 21 in 1995, when Voyager began.
Wow, she looked so much younger than that!
We can say whatever we want in terms of the supposed alien ages and the age of the actress, but the optics to me look like kind of a pudgy old dude playing sugar-ddy to, and banging a questionably legal teenager.
I actually agree with you. Not only was Lien playing an alien that only lives till 9, she played her as an innocent child who literally didn’t know the universe outside her tiny world. Neelix AND Tom absolutely took advantage of her. That character would never exist in today’s TV.
Neelix AND Tom absolutely took advantage of her. That character would never exist in today’s TV.
Speaking of 17, in TNG’s Tapestry, it’s 52 year old Patrick Stewart playing tonsil hocky with 17 year old JC Brandy. I’m trusting you find these optics horrible, as well.
Not great, but it’s not like he was her sugar-ddy and having intimate relations with her for years.
Tom Paris also wanted to date Kes too. 😉
But Paris would date anything that moved at the time.
It’s not Earth 1987, it’s a totally different species with a different life cycle on the other side of the galaxy. And unless they stick with just Ocampans, every species will be just older. Imagine being a Q who is billions of years old and decides to date a humanoid. Now that’s an age gap. 😂
LOL the fights Paris and Neelix had over Kes were hilarious.
I don’t get into the Kes age thing stuff but yes she an a-l-i-e-n and they simply age differently than humans and where other aliens who has been involved with multiple other species understands that. But yes, I get it, we’re still humans watching a fictional TV show, so we’re going to have our own subjective norms over things like this. It’s the same issue with gay and lesbian stories. People still have a problem with that even when it’s about a-l-i-e-n-s who don’t have the same hang ups or cultural norms, but I digress on that as well.
In other words I don’t get on Paris case for liking Kes and who I remind others he married her in an alternative timeline and even had a baby together. That’s because she’s, say it again, an alien with different life cycles.
Yeah, Tuvix >> Neelix for the reasons you stated. The Neelix-Kes relationship looked bad to me then. Now, it looks horrible to most people.
That was a really really bad decision creation of the writers, both the characters and their relationship.
“Yeah, Tuvix >> Neelix for the reasons you stated. The Neelix-Kes relationship looked bad to me then. Now, it looks horrible to most people. That was a really really bad decision creation of the writers, both the characters and their relationship.”
100% — AND IT’S SO FREAKING CREEPY!!!
The problem isn’t so much the actors ages (21 and 40, respectively), but that in-universe explanation on the incredibly short life span of Ocampians. Had Ms. Lien stayed on for the series run, they would have had to have her die of old age by the seventh season. Then we’d of been treated to creepy conversations about Neelix getting busy with a much older partner. Strange that Patrick Stewart doesn’t draw much criticism for frenching the 17 year old actress in the episode Tapestry. That’s a 35 year age difference, and she was actually a minor.
Actually that’s not completely true. They had introduced Ocampans being as old as 15 years old in the second season episode Cold Fire where they met the second Caretaker.
They were probably setting up the idea she would go to live much longer and given her special cognitive powers.
They weren’t very consistent with that since they showed an elderly Kes in the episode ‘Before and After’ and again in ‘Fury’.
Had Kes stayed a regular on the show, then I can see them finding a sci-fi way to keep her looking younger (the bio-temporal chamber) so Jennifer Lien wouldn’t need to spend the rest of the series wearing geriatric makeup. But since they let her go from the show, it seems they decided to stick with the original life span for the Ocampans.
This is Star Trek, characters have died multiple times and come back and like nothing happened. I’m pretty sure if she stayed on the show she would’ve just looked like the actors age. Fury was a one and done episode and she was no longer a regular so it didn’t really matter.
Well said — there was a head scratching lack of consistency on this,
No they weren’t very consistent, but again this is Star Trek lol. Every week Spock had some new Vulcan super power that wasn’t mentioned again. The Borg, Klingons, Trills and Romulans had all gone through several iterations over the years since their first introductions in both looks and development.
I’m guessing Kes would’ve looked the same as well. In fact, the other Ocampian Tanis that TG1701 brought up didn’t look old at all. He looked older because the actor himself was in his 40s at the time, and was played by Ambassador Soval himself, Gary Graham, but didn’t look elderly either.
I suspect Kes would’ve just looked slightly older if she stayed but that’s it.
OMG I forgot he was played the same actor who played Soval! Cool!
For the record I never liked Kes that much either but I would’ve kept her 10 times over Neelix. But I would keep him 10 times over Burnham…ugh.
Where was I going with this? Oh yeah, I don’t think they would’ve ever put old lady make up on her either.
Actually what I always find funny on Star Trek is all these aliens are supposed to be super old from Tuvok to Phlox and they all look so young lol. I was shocked to learn Tuvok was over 100 years old but I guess Vulcan black don’t crack! 😁
Isn’t T’Pol in her 60s on Enterprise too? I know that’s young for Vulcans but c’mon??
Anyway the evidence is quite overwhelming being old on Star Trek is not the same as looking old unless you’re just a boring human. Kes probably would’ve looked younger as she got older. 😉
“ There wasn’t enough justification for losing two entities for the sake of one… ”
So ironically, the one person that sides with me on the issue of Tuvix… is Tuvix himself. :-) Fascinating.
Love this episode. There was no right answer but I think she made the best decision overall.
It was a difficult decision for her, but she’s the captain and that’s who has to make those kinds of decisions. I’m sure she didn’t like being in that situation, but it comes with the territory of responsibility.
It didn’t really hurt my opinion of her. What it did do was remind me that someone in her position doesn’t have the luxury of pleasing everyone.
Damn right man! Dann right! 👍
I respected her more after that, not less. It wasn’t easy for her but Janeway pushes through. It’s like when Captain Burnham manages to stop herself from crying. Same thing… sort of.
I was so relieved when Janeway corrected the transporter mistake and brought back Tuvok and Neelix. She made the best decision for the situation IMO. I’m sure Tuvok and Neelix thanked her. The needs of the many and all that.
…Could there have been a thing that doctor said like, ‘If you do this we’ll save some DNA. Maybe in the future I can come up with a way to bring Tuvix back…” McNeill also suggested that one way to resolve the dilemma would be to take Janeway out of the final decision and have Tuvix “heroically” decide to sacrifice himself.
Well, there’s a reason why there’s actors, and there’s writers, and mixing the two doesn’t always work.
People talk about this episode because of the moral dilemma. A technobabble deus ex machina would have made it pedestrian.
Incidentally, ENT “Similitude” presented a similar issue; I consider it one of ENT’s best.
Oh, it’s one of Voyager’s best because Janeway was faced with that no-win scenario and was forced to decide without the benefit of BS deus ex machina story gimmicks. A great episode that proves my point: Voyager should have been a darker show about the exploration of what these people would do when pushed to their limits, not “Hey, Harry, what’s new on the holodeck this week?”
I agree with you on all counts. This episode was great because there was no perfect solution. And, yeah, a lot of the potential in Voyager’s setup was squandered. It didn’t fully utilize the potential and that kept it imo, from really carving out a unique niche from TNG. At least one of the reasons for that was Paramount who wanted Voyager to replace TNG and didn’t want it to diverge much from the TNG formula. Ron Moore, when he was finished with DS9, came over to Voyager and wanted to shake it up and make it darker and more dramatic but was rebuffed by Brannon Braga, which led to their estrangement. Of course, Moore got to do what he wanted, and then some, with his Battlestar Galactica reboot.
You diagnosed it perfectly — Paramount wanted another TNG and it certainly wasn’t DS9.
And, yeah, a lot of the potential in Voyager’s setup was squandered. It didn’t fully utilize the potential and that kept it imo, from really carving out a unique niche from TNG.
Unfortunately VOY premise was just ahead of its time when episodic TV still ruled the airwaves. The irony is if they rebooted the show today it would’ve been very serialized and could’ve captured the premise better like Discovery and Picard…but I don’t think those are great examples either lol.
I don’t think you can *entirely* blame it on the “before its time” theory, though. DS9 and B5 had already given us serialized storylines.
I think part of the problem is that the writers didn’t want to give us a second morose series. They wanted the audience to be gung-ho about shipping out under Captain Janeway; a series about a crew barely on the edge of survival week after week wasn’t that. And frankly…while I agree VOY didn’t live up to its premise, I also see how that view isn’t entirely wrong.
I liked ENT’s approach or exploring deep space, but not *entirely* cutting the apron streams to the known universe, better.
DS9 got away with it because it wasn’t on a network. This has been stated many times. In fact Ira Stephen Behr has said once the ratings didn’t gel like it did for DS9 like it did TNG, they were basically ignored by the studio and was allowed to basically do what they wanted. VOY didn’t have the same luxury because they were still the face of a fledgling network. By the time ENT showed up, serialization was becoming a bigger deal on network TV and was allowed to experiment more in general and I thought did a great job with it…certainly waaay better than DIS or PIC lol. But yes DS9 became an amazing show (IMO) due to that decision.
Never seen B5 so can’t speak to that show but it too wasn’t on a network at the time either.
Anyway, I’m not suggesting that VOY had troubles for that reason alone obviously but I do think they really wanted a TOS/TNG alien/crisis of the week type of show and where it’s premise suffered for it.
Y’know, there were A LOT of technobabble deux ex machinas in TNG and VOY and probably a lot in DS9.
Very little of that in TOS, probably because they didn’t have the special effects technology?
I dunno, but I one of the things I loved about TOS was that, thanks to not having sfx technology of the time, they had to resort to more theatre and personal drama and grit.
I think the later shows, TNG-ENT, suffered a bit thanks to an overreliance on that technobabble.
Considering it’s maybe the most cited episode of Voyager, I think they did okay. And remind me not to hire milksop McNeill for the writers room of my proposed Starcrash reboot.
Janeway’s “coldness” was a professional mask for her sense of guilt — this makes it dramatically richer and more plausible.
Gotta say, this is probably one of the best episodes of Voyager, in that it is so controversial and well executed. Tom Wright really did imbue that Tuvix character with a lot of soul so that the audience, well me at least, instantly liked him and didn’t want him to go.
As for Janeway’s decision, here’s an analogy that I’ve thought of: It’s kind of like an organ donation, right? Two people in this case, die in an accident, and their organs are used for the life of a third. As Ethan Phillips said, there was no murder here. Tuvix was a complete innocent and had done absolutely nothing to deserve a death penalty.
The twist is, of course, that the entire process can be reversed. That is, Tuvok and Neelix can be resurrected but Tuvix has to die.
Ethically, I think I’m with Robbie McNeil on this one. I think Janeway, as much as I like her (Kate Mulgrew was perfect in the role), made the wrong decision in this case.
I think Tuvix would have worked as a character and it would have been interesting to see how his relationships developed with the other characters. How to resolve that relationship with Kes (though I’ve always extremely Neelix-Kes relationship). And, again, as they discussed in the talk, what about Tuvok’s love for his wife? Eventually, when they regained contact with the Alpha Quadrant, how would she have taken her husband being replaced by Tuvix? So there’s a lot of possibilities for the writers there. And, again, I think it’s obvious that Tom Wright was a really good actor who could’ve continued to add layers to this character.
Finally, no more Neelix! I’ve always really really disliked that character. I find him irritating and grating. It’s nothing personal for Ethan Phillips, who I consider a good actor, it’s just the character and the relationship with Kes, who is essentially a 9 year old innocent. I think the two were just bad decisions by the creators.
So, imo, all of that would’ve been a plus with keeping Tuvix. The only downside would’ve been the loss of Tuvok. Tuvok is one of the characters I really like on Voyager and I was very impressed by the way Tim Russ brought that character to life. He was in a tough place being the first featured Vulcan since Nimoy and Lenard, and, imo, Russ just did great. I honestly wish we’d had more episodes featuring that character who was Vulcan but definitely was his own man and not Spock at all.
Finally, no more Neelix! I’ve always really really disliked that character. I find him irritating and grating. It’s nothing personal for Ethan Phillips, who I consider a good actor, it’s just the character and the relationship with Kes, who is essentially a 9 year old innocent. I think the two were just bad decisions by the creators .
I mean, today here in 2024 Neelix looks like the Jeffrey Epstein of Star Trek. Neelix is “that dude” who goes to high school sports game to see the cheerleaders, and who has an only-fans account.
Yeah, I know, that’s what I’ve been saying for years. He’s the truck-driving man who picks up a teenage girl who wants to get away from her folks.
And they had a female creator for Voyager, Jeri Taylor there too? I find it hard to believe they messed this up so badly, even then? Did any of these folks have daughters?!??!
I just never ever took a liking to those two characters and I thought the relationship between them was creepy, forced, and just distasteful. I wasn’t sorry to see Kes leave, but I wish Neelix had gone with her.
Again, it’s not personal to Phillips or Lien. I understand Lien had done some good work as an actress and Mulgrew really thought she was great and was very sorry to see her leave. It wasn’t her fault, the writers and creators were the ones who failed, not her at all. I wish she had been treated better and I’m sorry to hear about her difficulties. Life can hurt a lot.
I also didn’t care much for Chakotay and Kim. I always thought it would’ve been interesting if they’d killed off some of the low-hanging fruit in Voyager and replaced them with new characters. Kind of like Doctor Who. It certainly worked with Jeri Ryan’s excellent Seven of Nine. Seven was probably my favorite for some reason…
Yeah, I know, that’s what I’ve been saying for years. He’s the truck-driving man who picks up a teenage girl who wants to get away from her folks.
Neelix Is the Jeffrey Epstein of Star Trek.
I support Janeway. However, we are still debating the moral implications almost 30 years later and that is great Star Trek. It’s the Star Trek I miss.
I liked how it didn’t tell the audience how they were supposed to or should feel about the morality of Janeway’s decision. That episode sparked many years of debate. It really was good Star Trek.
Definitely! 👍
I really like SNW and love LDS but I miss these kinds of stories old Trek did very well. I love 30 years later we’re still debating it and there is truly no right call… only in the eyes of the beholder.
It’s fun to see how divided this board still is which means so many decades later everyone is still passionate over the outcome.
This is Star Trek at it’s best!
But at least we can all agree on one thing…
There are 4 lights!
So true my friend….so true!
So true my bestie!
I honestly love it whenever the debate on Tuvix comes up. Few things in the franchise spark the same level of discussion as Janeway’s decision. But I love it. it’s one of the few examples in the franchise where an episode shows the captain face an actual no win scenario (an actual Kobayashi Maru) and have to make a decision. If there’d been some easy technobabble way out or self sacrifice on tuvix’s part. It would’ve made the episode/story less and there’s no way it would provoke the same discussion that it does. Honestly love seeing the people actually involved in the episode giving there thoughts.
Doesn’t the transporter keep a record of everyone’s pattern? How about taking some of Tuvix’s unique DNA , saving it, and saving his transporter pattern/record. Then it could be a matter of Janeway saying to him “I must have Neelix and Tuvok back…but we will do everything in our power to find some way to restore you.”
It could end with the promise of bringing him back. And in a future episode they could bring him back using his dna and the transporter pattern and a Neelix having a problem with that as he didn’t give his permission. It becomes an ethical dilemma and debate…one which is resolved with Tuvix’s death because both the transporter pattern and saved dna combination prove to be unstable…and he dies.
Given that neither Tuvok nor Neelix asked to be combined, AND that there was a way to de-combine them, Janeway’s clear responsibility was to do so. Every Trek captain worth a s–t would have made the same decision.
Not Nu-Trek Captains. They would cry and hug and invite the newly combined transporter accident to a brunch with the crew while making sure the audience is told how wrong it would be to give the two people back their separate lives.
Seriously: compare that awful SNW episode about Spock becoming human with “Tuvix.”
The SNW episode ‘Charades’ was meant to be a comedy. I’m not sure we would be talking about Tuvix decades later had it been a comedy episode as well.
For me, this is what I come back to over and over again and why I agreed with her. I’m trying my best trying to imagine Kirk keeping Spock and McCoy combined together after an accident when he just lost not just two of his best friends but colleagues that’s been part of his crew from the beginning. Maybe not EVERY Captain would make the same decision but let’s not kid ourselves, most probably would because in their minds they are simply correcting a mistake that was never suppose to happen. Again you can certainly disagree, but I don’t know how many wouldn’t undo it; especially when you add to the reality no one even knows the long term effects of combing two people into one body. What if they found out Tuvix would simply have serious medical complications later on or simply have a much shorter life span than Tuvok or Neelix had, then what? There are so many questions with this when it’s never been done before and another reason why these decisions become even bigger hand wringers.
It would be interesting to find out if Janeway would have made the same decision had it been Ensigns Smith and Johnson who had been merged in a transporter malfunction instead of a crewmember she was personally close to.
I don’t think it would’ve mattered. Janeway wanted to get everyone home and my guess all as themselves lol. And that’s another thing, imagine getting the ship home and to their families to only discover what happened and now have to deal with basically a completely new person. Everything about this scenario was complicated.
I agree with you that Kirk would have absolutely saved Spock and McCoy over ‘Tuvix”. That does not make it right tho, Tuvix was an accident to be sure but it is something that happened. Splitting him was a deliberate choice. That makes Janeway literally responsible for his death whereas she was not responsible for the loss of Tuvok or Neelix. She is a criminal plain and simple.
And that’s the problem, he was an accident and why the argument still persists. It’s basically arguing whose life should be valued more? Everyone will see it differently especially when you can save the other lives as well. And as said, I think Kirk and most captains would’ve done the same thing. This is a very crazy situation. So we have to agree to disagree but I think people have been doing that with this episode for 28 years now lol. Someone else mentioned it, it is kind of similar to the abortion debate, NOT the same, just in terms of how passionate people are over it but there is no cut and dry answer even if one side believes it. If that was the case, both debates would’ve stopped long ago. That’s what makes it great IMO!
Yeah, but it’s really not so much that they would actually be tried as guilty, it’s just about them showing that they have to have some measure of freaking accountability for their possible crimes. Spock tried to save Pike — court martial. Una lied about her race — court martial. Michael was insubordinate to try to stop a war — court martial and prison. Kirk stole a ship but then saved Earth and the Federation…trial and demotion.
I just would have liked to have seen the writers have the guts to provide some accountability for Janeway’s possible crimes…even though she would likely prevail, it would have been nice to have known that Starfleet took other’s lives who were lost because of her decisions seriously.
BTW, Janeway’s lucky the Delta Quadrant is a long way off — because there are millions of families destroyed from her compromise with humanity’s number one enemy. Where is their justice…from their POV, Starfleet could care less about their sacrifice, because they got the great press and hero worship of a lost starship and captain returning! And not only does the Federation not give a sh*t, they promote the person who did this to freaking admiral?
I also think that being a starship captain — or frankly, in any leadership position — really lends itself to Kantian ethics. As Pike told us back in “The Cage,” the role necessarily involves deciding “who lives, and who dies.”
I so wish we would get some of that weighty Pike back, as we did in DISCO. Now it’s all He of The Dopey Grin.
I will point out that in the Menagerie — the follow-on to the Cage — Spock himself was held accountable with a Court Martial trial…and Kirk, even though he saved Earth, was tried and demoted to Captain for his crimes in Trek III, so he had some accountability. But unlike Kirk Spock — and also unlike Una in SNW and Michael in DSC — Janeway completely avoided any accountability with Starfleet for her possible crimes…free pass !
The fact is she didn’t get into any trouble for a reason; because she was in an unwinnable position and everyone knows it. Captains have to sometimes make the hard call. And as I said in my OP, there isn’t any laws for something like this lol.
I don’t mind ‘Dad Jokes Pike’ (someone called him that on Reddit lol), but I wish he could be a little more serious at times when it at least calls for it and not turn everything into a light moment…but it beats crying. ;)
I like to call him dad Pike myself! 😁
Not every Captain is going to be Kirk, Janeway or Sisko. Some just prefer a softer touch although that would’ve gotten Starfleet into a decades long war with Romulans because Dad Pike wanted to try and get to know the Romulans instead of blasting them out of the stars the Balance of Terror remake episode.
Not every one is equipped to deliver the pimp hand Sisko style…and that’s OK!
Janeway has had to make the hardest decisions on her own being so far away from Federation space and I give her mad respect for it! 😎
I’m not saying I agree with all her decisions… but I would never tell her to her face which ones I do disagree with! 😂
And Tuvix came off as a jerk. I’m not saying he deserved to be killed over it but I lost no sleep over it… none.
And my girlfriend was happy Neelix came back. 🙄
This is such an excellent episode and how awesome it is that we still talk and debate it. Trek needs to go back to this kind of storytelling. In terms of the debate, I think we need to look at it from two different perspectives. From an emotional, humanity perspective Janeway’s decision was wrong but from a logical more military perspective her decision was right. This is the difficult dilemma that leaders in general face, balancing the humanity, emotional side with the logical, disciplined side. I started feeling this more and more when I took on a more administrative role last year in my school and believe me it is never easy. So I can definitely relate with Janeway here. I think there wasn’t a single “right” decision here and Janeway had to make the decision that was “right” for her. I think it actually deepened her character and made her much more stronger. Sometimes I wonder though how the other Trek captains would have handled this situation, I think that is another debate in itself.
In the Mirror Universe, Tuvix lived because he was greater than the sum of his parts…
Here’s a question about Tuvix; he possessed both Tuvok’s logical mind and Neelix’ emotions.
When he went around arguing for his right to live, he was tapping into the latter. But what did his logical mind tell him was the logical course of action?
Did it make more logical sense for him to live or for Tuvok and Neelix to live?
Here’s the thing IMHO. Logic of Vulcans are learned behavior, not something genetic, We saw this when Tuvok was in love and a kid and wanted to reject Logic. Tuvix had no upbringing and thus no training in logic. So this emotions make sense. Add to that the fact that Neelix is probably the most emotional character in all of Trek history.
Someone smarter than me suggested to recreate the event that created Tom Riker. Then split one of the Tuvix’s into Nelix and Tuvok. Morally it still wouldn’t work tho as both Tuvix would still would have the right to exist.
In the end I am just as torn as anyone. But I have to come down on the side of Tuvix. Fate decided the destiny of Neelix and Tuvok. Janeway interfered. As she ALWAYS did throughout the series. For all her talk of Kirk and Spock and Sulu being thrown out of Starfleet if they served in the 24th century, she did abhorrent things (beyond this ep) that they never would have.
I think a really cool way to have ended VOY would have been a two-parter, “The Court Martial of Captain Janeway,” where they reviewed this and the horrendous Borg sellout decision during her time in the Delta Quadrant. And they could have given her some accountability, while still having a happy ending — the result should have been denial of the proposed promotion to Admiral, but allowing her to stay as Captain with a chance of getting the VOY back.
I agree with you but we both know that was never going to happen. Not only was VOY the only trek show on air at the end of its run, Janeway was the first female captain. They would never have put her in that position, even if you and I both know she deserved it.
Unfortunately, I agree.
This is a horribly sexist statement. Every Trek captain has taken controversial decisions, many of them more controversial than “Scorpion.”
And any prosecutor worth her salt is going to take a long, hard look at whether a prosecution over Tuvix is even winnable. The odds of convincing a jury of a prima facie case, much less that no extenuating circumstances applied, would be bleak.
I believe that Ami was talking about from Rick Berman/Brannon Braga’s perspective, not from Starfleet’s. And assuming that’s what he meant, I agree with him — that was a big deal in Star Trek to have the first female Captain, so I do think the lack of accountability for her actions was treated differently by the writers/showrunners/directors — in fact I can prove it:
Kirk, after saving Earth, the Federation Government and Starfleet Command, faced a trial and was demote to Captain for crimes he committed…Starfleet held Kirk accountable!
You see, Bennett and Nimoy thought this through correctly and realized that accountability still must be preserved in Star Trek. Berman and Braga were too chicken-sh*t to give Janeway some accountability for her criminal shortcuts.
No I don’t think he meant it that way either. Amirami is not sexist in the least.
But I don’t think they would’ve gotten very far trying to put Janeway on trial. She’s the first person who explored the Delta Quadrant and lived to tell about it and brought back a lot of data.
And Sisko poisoned an entire planet, that guy didn’t even get a warning over it lol. Did he even get a call from someone not to do it again. I’m pretty sure poisoning planets also goes against the Prime Directive too. I never read it but I’m pretty sure they at least frown against it
But you don’t mess with The Sisko either I guess! 😎
The one I feel sorrier for is Barclay after he read this mission report. Well, him or Troi after Barclay tells her he read this report. It’s a tie…
There is another element to it, which is Janeway had let the issue go on longer then perhaps it might have led to factionalism in the crew over what action to take. Perhaps there is an argument she had some responsibility for that reason to draw the situation to a conclusion quickly.
Should’ve made up a thing where they attempted to split him into 3 people, with a high risk. Then have the procedure fail.
Turning all three into goo puddles on the transporter pad?
That would’ve robbed the episode of the dramatic turmoil Janeway had to endure. Technobabble escape clauses have plagued Trek for years. “Tuvix” managed to face the issue head-on without any such deus ex machina gimmicks. THAT is why we’re still talking about it all these years later!
i feel like TNG would have had picard not kill Tuvix, but then have Tuvix volunteer to sacrifice himself and say he is grateful for the time he had to exist but its selfish of him to exist only by killing 2 others and that life is short and you should appreciate the time we get here and that we should always think of the greater good / others / needs of the many.
having said that the choice VOY made is maybe ahead of its time tv-wise. this is more of an antihero story / arc for Janeway. and that she made this decision with her head not her heart, her protocol not her feelings, that being a captain is making tough unpopular choices and her first duty is to protect her crew and tuvok and neelix were her crew and her responsibility is to save them and ensure their safety
Just repeat to yourself “It’s just a show, I should really just relax”
The irony is I’m always relaxed watching it, but it’s the opposite when discussing it lol.
It never ceases to amaze me that, nearly 28 years after this episode aired, no one, including the writers, seems to have realized what it’s really about. Maybe everyone will figure it out in another 28 years…
Well, are you going to offer up some insight here that may help people “figure it out”?
I admit, for me I can’t really give a fair assessment because I absolutely adore Janeway! I have loved this character for nearly 30 years now and she is still in my top five of favorites all this time and usually agree with her decisions. There has been times I have disagreed like Scorpion where I agreed with Chakotay more but overall I really do love this character and agreed with most of her decisions including this one. But to be more blunt about it, it’s divisive because there is no real world comparison to ever compare it to. What is considered ‘ethical’ is a fine line in a situation like this when I doubt there are any laws in Starfleet to deal with something like this either.
I know this may come off as a cop out for some, but there are plenty of complex issues that will never have one direct answer, period. The world is a much more greyer and nuance place than we see it as and a lot of this falls to our own collective values, culture and so on. That’s why in one county, something like gambling or taking drugs is completely illegal (and even death ;in the case of doing drugs in some places) but it’s the complete opposite in another where people are free to partake in these devices. There is just no right or wrong answers, most of the time, it just comes down to the people who arbitrarily decides what is right or wrong and what the rest of us follow to keep a society just or civil. That’s 90% of all religions out there.
But that’s why this episode is still such an amazing one. I don’t think anyone thought 30 years later we would still be debating it but here we are lol. So much so, Lower Decks revisited the issue last season in its opening episode. It’s a great thought experiment. No one can be proven right or wrong because it’s simply about whose life in the scenario should be given more priority and that will always be the issue because depending on who you ask they can simply interpret it differently as we see over and over again. It’s why Star Trek is such an amazing show when it takes issues like this head on.
Janeway is a literal murderer. She is responsible for the assimilation of entire worlds just because she was selfish and cared more about her tiny crew than an entire quadrant of the galaxy.
a crew she also put in danger by getting into space battles with aliens with more firepower than her ship
Doesn’t that happen in every Star Trek show though? I’m a little confused by this one.
That happened literally every week on Enterprise.
archer putting his underpowered ship-with only hull plating for defence- up against klingons, xindi or other advanced ships never made much sense either.
but both he and janeway should have been more considerate of the safety of their crews
Fair enough!
A. What gets missed over and over again is that Species 8472 was going to wipe out every species in the galaxy after they finished the Borg lol. Why does this tiny little detail gets ignored again and again? They literally told Janeway they were going to eradicate everyone else once they eliminated the Borg. It’s like saying you’re upset that someone didn’t wipe out the Nazis when they literally wanted to do what the Nazi’s planned to do anyway. So what am I missing? Janeway wasn’t just being ‘selfish’ she literally was in the middle of two advanced species trying to wipe out the galaxy and had to side with the less evil one to survive. Not just Voyager, literally everyone else too. Whoever won, the rest of us would lose. Species 8472 weren’t the ‘good guys’ in the story, they hated everyone else as much as the Borg did and made it clear when they literally tried to destroy Voyager lol. Again…what am I missing?
B. Then you can argue Picard was a murderer when he also had a chance to eradicate the Borg in ‘I, Borg’ but didn’t because he became friends with Hugh. They could’ve saved billions of lives as well but chose not to, correct? And that would’ve stopped them from trying to assimilate Spciecies 8472 as well several years later. But he didn’t, right? So is he responsible for the assimilation of entire worlds too?
C. This all became much ado about nothing once future Janeway showed up and literally wiped them out four years later anyway. So she eventually got around to it. ;)
Now if you still disagreed with her helping the Borg at all, then we agree on that. I was always against that as well but same time it was naive to assume all was going to be well in the universe if the Borg lost as stated. I agreed with Chakotay it was a risk and he was proven right lol. But we did get Seven out of it, so I’m not that bothered.
But no, I don’t agree with your argument at all.
It’s like saying you’re upset that someone didn’t wipe out the Nazis when they literally wanted to do what the Nazi’s planned to do anyway.
It isn’t even a hypothetical. The US and UK allied with “Uncle Joe” against Germany. (Indeed, Churchill said he would ally with the devil against Germany!)
Yes, an amazing real world example. Didn’t occur to me until you mentioned it. And look where we are with Russia today. Didn’t help long term but a bigger enemy (and an even bigger world crisis) was defeated just the same.
And another example from Star Trek itself was the Dominion war when the Federation aligned itself with the Romulans to defeat the Founders. The freaking Romulans that they were in a 200 year old conflict with. And we know what Sisko had to do to get them on their side.
That’s how these things go. Sure I loved watching the Borg getting its ass handed to them lol. It was the first time it had a real foe to contend with. The problem was Species 8472 weren’t going to stop once they were done with the Borg. They had made that clear several times and wasn’t looking to negotiate.
This idea Janeway did something bad is just a head scratcher. Species 8472 came to play and they knew it. Yes it was the Borg’s fault by waking a sleeping tiger but what was done was done.
Now I want to rewatch Scorpion again lol. It’s on the list for this weekend.
they made peace with 8472 in the end
Yeah thankfully they did, but not until after Species 8472 was looking for a way to invade Starfleet more discreetly. But it’s another reminder in the real world most of the countries America and others had conflicts with also became friends after it was over. We became deep allies with Germany, Italy and Japan but been divided with the Soviet Union once WW 2 ended. Just more proof you just never know how these things will shake out in the long term.
I’m guessing the Borg will pretty much stay Russia at this point lol.
I remember taking a bit more of a Kantian position on “I, Borg” when it came out, but in retrospect…yes, I think Picard’s decision was a flawed one. Troi’s argument that “there are no civilians among the Borg” was right.
Yeah, that’s certainly another one that was up for tremendous debate at the time. To make clear, I was on Picard’s side with that one too. I just don’t know how I feel about Starfleet in engaging in wholesale genocide regardless (but yeah it wasn’t the only time they thought about it lol). And yes Starfleet disagreed with his decision as well but they didn’t try to court martial him over it either.
But Star Trek is great when it can work within shades of grey at times because we then get amazing discussions like this thread! And it proves there isn’t always a direct answer.
I actually agree with you as well. Picard should’ve taken them all out but Crusher was constantly in his ear, “But Jean Luc it’s GENOCIDE, blah,blah, blah!”
Pipe down Beverly, he broke the Prime Directive and could’ve been drummed out of Starfleet after saving Wesley from instant death after he murdered several plants!
BE GRATEFUL, SHUT YOUR TRAP AND STOP WHINING ALREADY!!!
Sorry, I go on a rant sometimes.
Also think once they nearly killed Harry, she was like ‘Bleep it’ and looked at them as the enemy from that point on too.
I don’t think Species 8472 left her much of a choice. They were just really pissed off! Sure the Borg was still going to assimilate her crew too but you work with what you got! 😂
But I don’t disagree if she has the chance to wipe the Borg she should’ve taken it but the galaxy would’ve been Bleeped either way.
Scorpion is still one of my absolute favorite episodes. True story, that was the very episode of Star Trek I ever watched so it has a special place in my heart! ♥️
And I have gone back and forth over Janeway’s decision over the years too. But unlike Tuvix which isn’t clear cut at all, this one is IMO.
But it doesn’t mean people can’t question her actions but she helped saved the galaxy against an even bigger a-hole then the Borg. Who thought there would ever be an even worst species out there? 😂🙄
But in weird Star Trek fashion she ended up making peace with them and her future self basically neutered the Borg for the next 30 years so it oddly worked out?
Glass half full kids! 🙂
“But I don’t disagree if she has the chance to wipe the Borg she should’ve taken it but the galaxy would’ve been Bleeped either way.”
I always try to be as fair as I can about all these discussions. And by telling people up front how biased I am for Janeway also shows how fair I’m being lol.
Yes, I do agree Tuvix is a much more complicated issue. Again, I agree with what she did, never had an issue with it, but I can certainly understand why others do obviously. I can’t blame anyone if they wanted to see Janeway locked up over it. But it’s Janeway, a jail cell couldn’t hold this woman if it tried lol.
But the Borg/Species 8472 conflict isn’t as nuance when you’re trying to decide which a-hole has the better chance of wiping out the galaxy and you literally have to side with one of them to defeat the other. That’s just not a great place to be lol. Again, I’m certainly not saying Janeway couldn’t handled it better or shouldn’t have just dismissed any opposing side as she did with Chakotay; but my guess if they did nothing at all Species 8472 would’ve over ran the Delta Quadrant in about a years time once the Borg were gone. Who knows how long until they reached the Alpha Quadrant? And the Federation was still in the middle of the war dealing with the dominion.
Man, Star Trek had some really deadly foes back then lol.
This awful deal with the Borg forced millions of innocents into assimilation. This offense went way beyond violating the Prime Directive given it resulted in effective genocide of entire planets. Even though she viewed it as necessary, at a minimum, she should have faced court martial proceedings when she returned to Starfleet — then she could have made her case. Starfleet botched this by sweeping it under the rug due to the publicity and hero-worship treatment she got for bringing the VOY back…and they even promoted her to Admiral after these major crimes, which bordered on corruption by Starfleet in my opinion — in fact, one might even wonder if the Borg that we saw had already infiltrated Starfleet (which we found out about in Pic S3) had already infiltrated Starfleet enough at the time of the VOY’s return to give Janeway the assist she needed there so as to not bring unwanted attention to this Borg diplomatic victory over the Federation?
Plus in the Tuvix case here, she ordered another person to commit suicide. That’s got to be a Starfleet crime, regardless of whether the person agrees with the order. I mean, can you imagine if in today’s military the shitstorm that would result if a superior officer ordered someone under their command to commit suicide because they thought it best for his team? I think she should have been prosecuted in a court martial for that and that Starfleet should have brought charges on this after VOY’s return — from a legal perspective, I think that would be prosecuted as a murder.
With the Tuvix bad decision, on top of the deal with the devil with the Borg that basically sentenced millions to be a assimilated, her star fell in my view. I was frankly kind of surprised she made Admiral given poor decisions like that. She tended to overthink those big decisions and not go with what she knew was Starfleet-legal. She exhibited too much a cult of personality (I mean look at the fans here who worship her and defend these horrible decisions) with too little accountability regarding her seat-of-the-pants bad decisions while far away from Starfleet supervision.
In fact, she exhibited some of the same leadership character flaws like we saw Commodore Decker and Admiral Marcus in there careers — and those are two great examples of officers who never should have been promoted to captain. So I think, minimally (i.e. if Starfleet was too chick-shit to do a formal investigation/court martial), she should have been held at the rank of Captain indefinitely instead of the promotion to Admiral — which I view as good PR for Starfleet given the great news story of Voyager’s return, with Starfleet brass deciding to sweep these very poor decisions/prime directive crimes under the rug.
The showrunners missed an opportunity to address this at the conclusion of VOY. As we previously discussed, VOY should have ended with a two-parter, “The Court Martial of Captain Janeway,” where they reviewed these and other questionable decisions during her time in the Delta Quadrant. The court martial would have provided the accountability review that needed to happen here, but it still could have had a happy ending that VOY fans could appreciate — the result should have been denial of the proposed promotion to Admiral, but allowing her to stay as Captain with a chance of getting the VOY back…like what happened to Kirk after Trek 4.
Voy not a show know for that kind of self reflection. No wonder ron moore left after a few months in the writers room
Yea, after writing on DS9 with the legend Ira SB leading the effort, Braga and the VOY writers must have seemed like the The Amateur Hour to Moore.
I actually would’ve loved if Ron Moore stayed on VOY as well.
Maybe he would’ve saved us from whoever wrote ‘The Fight’. 🤮
Janeway is a literal murderer
I don’t think you quite know what “literal” means; perhaps you could start by telling us the elements of first-degree murder and applying them to the facts at hand?
Yeah I love Amirami but this argument makes no sense. But if you followed that logic and Janeway decided to let Species 8472 wipe out the Borg but then they go on to wipe out everyone else afterwards then wouldn’t she still be considered a murderer anyway?
I just don’t get it. But it’s fun to discuss it either way! :)
I can’t speak for Ami’s terminology, but if I was the Starfleet JAG, here are the two crimes I would file to support the convening of a formal court martial:
For the Borg Deal with Species Assimilated Case — Criminal Negligence that supports a Crime Against Humanity (i.e. Intelligent Life) Criminal Negligence is an action so out of the ordinary and dangerous that it’s impossible to separate it from actual intent. It goes beyond a mistake in judgement or being momentarily careless. Criminal negligence claims must create a risk of death or injury, as well as an indifference to human life. A Crime Against Humanity is a deliberate act, typically as part of a systematic campaign, that causes human suffering or death on a large scale.
For the Tuvox case — Aiding or Soliciting Suicide A person is guilty of aiding or soliciting suicide if he intentionally aids or solicits another to commit suicide, and the other commits or attempts suicide.
Based on Janeway’s actions, these charges should have at least been investigated and then followed up with a formal Starfleet Court Martial proceeding. Janeway and her lawyer would of course provide some of the defenses mentioned by fans posting on this article, and the three judges would then determine if she was guilty or innocent.
If he’s talking about Tuvix, others agree with him including Captain Freeman. Amirami is my best friend but we do disagree on this.
But others do agree with him here and, even in the Star Trek world, so it’s not one sided.
To be honest I thought Tuvix was a jerk so I never lost any sleep about it.
Ok I see he was talking about the Borg situation. That’s not the same to me either but Amirami knows how much I respect him and we just have to agree to disagree. But if she has to murder anyone Neelix would be the top of my list and I’m convinced she would’ve been vindicated by any jury.
the thing that hurt was the ‘re set button’ washing away any consequences for her actions
Exactly! I mean for Christ’s sake, she ordered another person to commit suicide.
That should be a crime, regardless of whether the person agrees with the order, right?
And then it could have affected morale, maybe a maquis would have led objections to her leadership
It must be a breaking of starfleet regs for sure, as bad as Capt Ransom
Yeah, and like that awful deal with the Borg that forced millions of innocents into assimilation, this offense, which should have forced court martial proceedings when she returned to Starfleet get’s swept under the rug due to the publicity and hero-worship treatment she got for bringing the VOY back…and they even promoted her to Admiral after these major crimes — crimes which also violated the Prime Directive.
Too much a cult of personality with her and too little accountability for her seat-of-the-pants bad decisions while far away from Starfleet supervision.
I think a really cool way to have ended VOY would have been a two-parter, “The Court Martial of Captain Janeway,” where they reviewed these and other questionble decisions during her time in the Delta Quadrant. And they could have given her some accountability, while still having a happy ending — the result should have been denial of the proposed promotion to Admiral, but allowing her to stay as Captain with a chance of getting the VOY back.
She literally tortured a Starfleet officer by putting him in a room where aliens were going to attack him. Even in universe Chakotay said she WAY crossed the line. She should not have been promoted when she got home, she should have been thrown in jail and the key thrown away. And this is the person that had th F***** nerve to say Kirk and Spock and Sulu would be kicked out of 24th century Starfleet because now they are too high minded. Screw her.
again the ‘re set’ means that there is no change in how chakotay gets on with his captain in future
Good point — that had not occurred to me.
I definitely agree she did cross the line when she was going to have one of Ransom’s men eaten by the little alien guy. But Sisko also poisoned a planet that had civilians on it because he was super pissed too. Just saying bro!
For the record I’m not condoning either one… but I can understand it. 😉.
I think she said Kirk would’ve been drummed out because he disobeyed orders but I think he saved the galaxy too many times to get the boot. But they all disobeyed orders, minus Janeway for obvious reasons, and stayed so who really knows?
Ultimately, I don’t think Janeway did anything “wrong”; you can’t sacrifice two lives for the sake of one life, which has always been the burden of a “command decision”. In fact, in the TNG episode “Thine Own Self”, Troi was tested on this very principle: could she, in could conscious, sacrifice one life for the sake of others? My only problem with this episode is the way Janeway and the others dealt with the issue, and, really, didn’t find any other options that could have saved Tuvix existence, whether it be cloning (via the transporters or by some other means), or create a holographic entity that could be used as a stop-gap measure, until a body could be created. There was a host of possibilities that could satisfy all parties, and, unfortunately, few were. Ultimately, I get what the producers of VOY wanted to do, but, as a “Trekkie” of many decades, I am disappointed with this episode narratively speaking.
GET A LIFE!
Star Trek: Voyager Actor Weighs in on Controversial Tuvix Debate
Star Trek: Voyager's Tuvix actor Tom Wright shares his opinion on whether Janeway made the right decision about his character's fate.
Star Trek: Voyager fans continue to debate the Tuvix controversy, and the actor of the character himself has a clear opinion.
In the Season 2 episode "Tuvix," Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) are accidentally merged into a single life form played by Tom Wright. Featuring personality traits and physical attributes from both Tuvok and Neelix, the new being was named Tuvix, though his existence put Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in a moral conundrum. The crew had the technology to split Tuvix back into Tuvok and Neelix , but it would mean essentially executing this new person that was created. Though Tuvix pleaded for his life, Janeway ultimately ordered the separation.
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Though Janeway's choice brought back Tuvok and Neelix, it continues to be debated with Star Trek fans . Those who oppose the decision feel it's morally wrong to destroy Tuvix, even if it would bring back two lost friends, as it's akin to killing an innocent person to get there. However, per Screen Rant , Tuvix actor Tom Wright revealed his support for Janeway's decision in a recent panel for TrekTalks 3 , an event organized to raise money for the Hollywood Food Coalition. According to Wright, he understood Tuvix's plight, but he also knew as an actor that the character "had to go."
"Speaking as the character, every entity alive is hardwired to want to survive . So that's going to be Tuvix's default thinking," Wright explained. "But myself, as an actor, I saw that he had to go. There wasn't enough justification for losing two entities for the sake of one ."
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That doesn't mean that Wright isn't fond of the Tuvix character, as the actor continued, "I absolutely loved the character. There's an artistic side to me that would love to keep on playing that character forever and ever , but the practical side of the entire ball of wax dictates something different."
The Tuvix Debate Wages On
Meanwhile, Harry Kim actor Garrett Wang said he really wanted "Tuvix to exist independently of the other two," though that didn't seem to be an option for Janeway at the time. In any case, the debate goes on, still standing out as one of the more memorable moral dilemmas to be featured in a Star Trek series. The famous politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even weighed in on the debate with an X (then Twitter) post in 2020, which prompted Janeway actor Kate Mulgrew to respond , noting how she stands by Janeway's choice.
Star Trek: Voyager is streaming on Paramount+.
Source: Screen Rant
Star Trek Voyager
Pulled to the far side of the galaxy, where the Federation is seventy-five years away at maximum warp speed, a Starfleet ship must cooperate with Maquis rebels to find a way home.
Screen Rant
Tuvix actor praises star trek: voyager's "love scenes" with jennifer lien's kes.
Tuvix actor Tom Wright praises the unusual relationship between his Tuvok/Neelix mashup and Jennifer Lien's Kes in Star Trek: Voyager.
- Tom Wright praises the scenes with Jennifer Lien in which their characters share a deep emotional connection.
- The Kes and Tuvix relationship is crucial in helping the audience understand that Tuvix is not the same as the original characters.
- Kes' negative reaction to Tuvix's romantic advances highlights the loss of both Neelix and Tuvok, influencing Janeway's decision to separate Tuvix.
Tom Wright, who played Tuvix in Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 24, "Tuvix", has high praise for the scenes that he shared with Kes actress Jennifer Lien. In "Tuvix", a transporter accident merges Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Talaxian chef Neelix (Ethan Phillips) into a single being named Tuvix, who shares characteristics of both Tuvok and Neelix. Most members of the USS Voyager's crew grow accustomed to Tuvix over the months that the hybrid being is with them, but Kes (Jennifer Lien) becomes uncertain when Tuvix wishes to resume Neelix's relationship with Kes . Kes is acutely aware that Tuvix isn't Neelix, but a totally new person whom Kes does not know.
Because Tuvix is a unique individual, Tuvix is played by guest star Tom Wright, who expertly imbues the character with equal parts Tuvok and Neelix , sometimes switching between Neelix's personality and Tuvok's within the same line. Wright was invited to discuss his experiences on a panel dedicated to "Tuvix" on TrekTalks 3 , which raised over $109,000 for the Hollywood Food Coalition. Star Trek: Voyager 's Robert Duncan McNeill emphasizes the importance of the Kes relationship in the audience's reading of Tuvix as a new character, prompting Wright's praise for scenes with Lien. Read their quotes and watch the "Tuvix" panel at the 6:42:59 time stamp below:
Robert Duncan McNeill: "The Kes and Tuvix relationship was a really important part of the audience experiencing that Tuvix is not the friends we've gotten to know. She was the point of view of, I like Tuvix, but it's not Neelix. I miss Neelix . I'm grieving Neelix . And I think a lot of that experience Kes was having is what informed Janeway to make the decision and kept her perspective clear."
Tom Wright: "The Kes relationship was in a lot of ways the gateway to accessing a certain emotional place that I felt the character needed to be. They were really good scenes because they were love scenes in some of the best possible ways. You could tell there was a depth of emotion between the two of them. And I remember [Jennifer Lien] being a very gracious actress."
Star Trek Repeats Voyager’s “Tuvix” & Improves Janeway’s Controversial Solution
Kes' emotions contribute to janeway's final "tuvix" decision, kes loses partner neelix and mentor tuvok, but can't mourn either one..
There are no easy answers, but as the emotional center of early Star Trek: Voyager, Kes is the one to steer Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) towards a final resolution they can live with . Kes was so close to both romantic partner Neelix and mentor Tuvok that merging these very different relationships into one is impossible, particularly since Tuvix feels both Neelix's love for Kes and Tuvok's attachment to his wife on Vulcan, T'Pel (Marva Hicks). Kes' negative reaction to Tuvix's romantic overtures bears this in mind, and therefore reminds Janeway they've lost both Tuvok and Neelix.
Tuvix unknowingly contributes to his own demise, then, when he asks Kes to plead with Captain Janeway on his behalf. The fact that Tuvix still contains both Tuvok and Neelix, who should be gone, means Kes' grief for Neelix and Tuvok is muddy, uncertain, and unresolved . Kes can't trade two important relationships in her life for one highly unusual, ill-defined one with Tuvix, even if the rest of Voyager's crew seems to be able to accept Tuvix without mourning either Tuvok or Neelix. It's that math that convinces Janeway to separate Tuvix , and restores Star Trek: Voyager to its necessary status quo.
Star Trek: Voyager is streaming on Paramount+.
Source: Trek Talks 3
Star Trek Voyager
- The A.V. Club
- The Takeout
- The Inventory
25 Years Ago, Star Trek: Voyager Tackled One of Its Most Infamous Transporter Questions
Star Trek ’s world raises a lot of ethical questions —but its transporter technology has always been one that strikes at some of the most existential. Are we the same people if all our molecules are mapped, broken down, and copied into a different location? What happens if that process is disrupted? And what happens if multiple people go onto a transporter pad , but only one entity gets beamed out? That last one was given an answer in “Tuvix,” the season two episode of Star Trek: Voyager that aired 25 years ago today.
That answer has had fans talking ever since. To surmise “Tuvix” is almost akin to opening with a weird sitcom that transitions into existentialist horror within the space of about five minutes. Vulcan Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ) doesn’t like Voyager chef/Deta Quadrant travel guide Neelix (Ethan Phillips)! One’s taciturn and reserved, the other is gregarious and social! Oh no, they’re going on an away mission together, how will they ever get along? Then, actual oh no: the duo are beamed back from their mission, except only a singular humanoid is standing in front of the dazzled Voyager crew.
Neither Tuvok nor Neelix, yet also both, merged by accident through plant samples they had picked up in their mission to form a new lifeform. The being settles on Tuvix (Tom Wright) for their name.
Throughout “Tuvix,” the ethical implications of the titular character’s existence are constantly put forward to the viewer. We’re shown that by embracing and accepting the strengths of the beings that created Tuvix, he can perform their prior duties admirably, and is eager and happy to do so. We’re also shown that Tuvok and Neelix’s friends and colleagues all begin to wrestle with the idea of permanently losing those individuals and that Tuvix’s presence in their lives is an uncomfortable reminder of that loss. But Voyager is a Starfleet crew, and life goes on the way you’d expect it to. Tuvix becomes accepted and respected as a member of the crew over a matter of weeks, while Neelix and Tuvok’s closest colleagues mourn them privately, and Tuvix himself is respectful enough to keep a distance from them in that process. Then suddenly, the episode turns.
Voyager ’s doctor ( Robert Picardo ) has found a way to reverse the transporter accident, and everyone is on board with getting their crewmates back... except, you know, the sentient being created by said transporter accident. Tuvix, of course, does not want to die and is horrified by how quickly and how willing the people who had come to treat him as a colleague were ready to support what tantamounted to execution. It is perhaps a deeply human feeling—the desire to remove what is perceived as the abnormal, for the selfish pleasure of having someone who you knew and loved returned to you. But what perhaps feels so alien to Star Trek is that the response in favor of killing Tuvix is overwhelmingly supported.
This is far from the first time a Star Trek story has dealt with the moral complexity of sacrifice—the age-old wisdom of the needs of the many outweighing the needs of the few . But it’s a peculiar maxim to invoke on the intimate, microscale of Voyager ’s unique setting. This is just one ship, smaller than most crews we’d followed at this point, and cut off from the rest of Starfleet. It’s fair to cast them as more of a family than a crew, and those personal feelings may play more of a factor despite Captain Janeway’s ( Kate Mulgrew ) intent to run a Starfleet vessel, no matter how far from home they are. Janeway’s ultimate decision to bring two crewmates back to life by killing a new one is, in the broadest sense, saying the needs of a plurality outweigh the needs of one. Yet the decision still feels gutwrenching to watch unfold, especially when “Tuvix” uses characters like Kes (played by Jennifer Lien and Neelix’s partner and fellow refugee aboard the ship, embraced as part of the crew as he was) to display Tuvix’s own desire to exist as a sentient being as selfish and unfair—that it is his fault that they are distressed because they now have to, want to, sacrifice his life.
Only one being aboard Voyager , outside of Tuvix, protests Janeway’s choice—the ship’s Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram. Janeway overrides him by just simply doing the procedure herself, taking Tuvix to the transporter pads (almost by force, at first, until he finally relents that his last act will be to make the crew feel guilty for their role in his demise) and beginning the process to separate him back into Tuvok and Neelix. What’s wild about “Tuvix” above all however, is that it really just... isn’t addressed again. Voyager ’s nature as a largely episodic show, moving from one plot of the week to the next, never really allows its characters a moment to reflect on some of the decisions along the way in their journey. There are no moment years down the line where Janeway turns to her closest friend and advisor and goes “I can’t forget the fact that I killed a man to bring you back to this ship safely.” So the fact that she is left to face the consequences of her actions at the end of the episode, only to never really do that, renders its conclusion perhaps much darker than it was ever intended.
It’s that unambiguity that perhaps makes “Tuvix” still so hotly contested two and a half decades later. It was far from the first time, and will not be the last, that we’ve seen Starfleet captains do deeply questionable things in the line of duty—and how Star Trek ’s penchant for episodic structure over serialization can sometimes backfire. And yet, perhaps for reasons unintended at the time, “Tuvix” remains as one of the most hotly-debated morality plays the franchise will likely ever do.
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Star Trek: Voyager's Tim Russ Gets Asked About The Controversial 'Tuvix' Episode A Lot, And Has A Definitive Take On The Ending
Star Trek fans are still talking about what went down in “Tuvix.”
As with every Star Trek series, and really most TV shows, Star Trek: Voyager had its ups and downs, with some episodes being considered classics for the entire sci-fi franchise, and others… well, not so much (I’m looking at you, “Threshold”). However, as far as the most discussed Voyager episodes, ranking near the top of the list, if not in the #1 spot, is the controversial “Tuvix,” which saw Tim Russ’ Tuvok and Ethan Phillips’ Neelix being merged into the title character. This tale was even channeled in a recent episode of The Flash , and Russ recently talked about just how much he’s asked about “Tuvix,” as well as shared his definitive take on the ending.
“Tuvix” came up while Tim Russ was chatting with The Ready Room host Will Wheaton about ( SPOILER ALERT ) his appearance in the latest Star Trek: Picard episode, “Dominion,” as a Changeling disguised as Tuvok. Starting off, Russ recalled a specific moment that exemplified just how often Star Trek: Voyager fans have brought up “Tuvix” to him:
I was just recently up at Griffith Observatory. I've been an astronomer for a long, long time, and I was up there with the astronomy group at the time, the telescopes up there, and as I was just unloading my car with the gear, the guy that was security, sort of managing the parking and the traffic and stuff like that, was working for observatory, as I walking away he said, ‘You're Tuvok on Star Trek. My favorite episode was 'Tuvix.’ Just out of the blue, that's what he said. I have been approached, especially in the last two or three years, consistently, everyone asks me about that episode. ‘Tuvix’ is the most, I think out of all of our shows, one of the most controversial shows we've done in seven years of Voyager. They ask me about that show, that episode.
For those who’ve never seen “Tuvix,” which aired on May 6, 1996 towards the end of Season 2, the character, played by Tom Wright, comes into existence when Tuvok and Neelix are beamed back up to Voyager while carrying a plant sample from a class-M planet they were exploring. Eventually The Doctor discovers a way to separate the two crew members back into separate beings, but Tuvix argues for his existence and says that bringing Tuvok and Neelix back would be the equivalent of executing him. Kate Mulgrew’s Captain Kathryn Janeway (who’s currently a character on Star Trek: Prodigy ) ultimately decides to carry out the procedure herself after Robert Picardo’s Doctor refuses to do so. Nearly three decades later, Star Trek fans continue to discuss the ethical and moral implications presented in the episode, with some agreeing with what Janeway did, and others believing Tuvix should have remained alive.
Tim Russ acknowledged the difficult subject matter presented in “Tuvix” during his conversation with Wil Wheaton, noting that this is one of those Star Trek stories where the captain has to make a decision where “there’s no winning” because there are “these scales that are almost perfect.” In his opinion though, Russ believes Janeway made the right call, explaining:
And they ask me all the time, ‘Which decision would you make, or do you think was was the right decision?’ And I tell them, ‘Yeah. It was the right decision.’ I can say it from my perspective… the character is a father and he has children, and he is going to go on and survive and live and and reproduce. The Tuvix character cannot, and it's only one of a species, and that's it. And Neelix's character is also part of her crew, and she has responsibility to them. So she has to make that decision. This was an accident, and she has to rectify it. And that's it, and a lot of people, sometimes they don't agree with that. But that episode, people are very passionate about having made that decision, and I always tell them, I said, ‘The very last shot in that entire episode is Kate walking down the hall when she leaves the medical bay and we've been returned. She walks out the door and she doesn't say a word, but you can see it on her face. She's absolutely devastated, by what she had to do.’ And that again is a lesson, because in people's real lives, they may be faced with that situation where they have to make a very difficult decision.
We’re only two years away from the 30th anniversary of Star Trek: Voyager ’s premiere, and though “Tuvix” is one of its most controversial stories, it’s nonetheless impressive that it’s still discussed so passionately within the fanbase. Looking back to Tim Russ, he starred in Voyager for the entirety of its run, and while Star Trek: Picard marked his first time reprising Tuvok on screen in over two decades, he has voiced the character in some video/computer games, as well as played the Mirror Universe version of him in the Deep Space Nine episode “Through the Looking Glass.” Russ has also recently starred opposite Cherry Jones in an episode of Poker Face (which Peacock subscribers can watch) and voiced Lucius Fox in the animated DC movie Batman: The Doom That Came to Gotham .
For those now interested in watching “Tuvix” for the first time or viewing it again, it can be streamed with a Paramount+ subscription , as Star Trek: Voyager is easily accessible on the platform with the rest of the Star Trek TV shows . Don’t forget to use our 2023 TV schedule to see what shows are currently airing or will debut/kick off new seasons soon.
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When Janeway killed Tuvix! Inside a heartbreaking hour of Star Trek: Voyager [Warp Factor 3.6]
We love Captain Janeway. We think that she is a highly underrated Captain. Time and time again, she was faced with some impossible choices ... but she'd always find a way to make things work. She got her ship and crew back home in just seven seasons, and she did it while remaining true to Starfleet's ideals.
Except, for this one time in Season 2.
In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Tuvix," the good Captain (flawlessly played by Kate Mulgrew ) has to deal with Tuvok and Neelix becoming one being thanks to yet-another-transporter-accident. Everyone gradually accepts Tuvix, played by Tom Wright, until the EMH finds a way to reverse the process.
Things go Kobayashi Maru real fast, because though everyone wants Tuvok and Neelix back, Tuvix himself doesn't want to die. What does Janeway do? She forces him to undergo the separation procedure, even going so far as doing it herself when the EMH hides behind Hippocratic ethics.
There were only two options for them, two only: save two and kill one, or keep the one and forget the two. Never, not one time, does anyone even try to think of a third option. To value this new life form, which is the entire point of Starfleet , and find a way for everyone to live. They don't take a day, they don't even try. Even a brief look at the logs of the USS Enterprise -D would have given them all kinds of information about Tom Riker. It would have helped.
Nothing to be done? Okay, maybe turn Tuvix into a hologram? No. Put his memories into a synth body? No. Take his picture? No. No one does anything, and though Mulgrew plays the moment afterward to perfection, Tuvix is never mentioned again. Nobody tried, Tuvix died.
It's an episode that is given weight thanks to the performances of Wright and Mulgrew, and the debates over it have only grown over the years. Hindsight is everything, we guess.
Welcome back to Warp Factor , where we're finding the third way and saving Tuvix. There's no coffee in this nebula, only tears.
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Neelix and Tuvok Become Tuvix - Star Trek: Voyager
"Tuvix," Season 2, Episode 24
"Neelix and Tuvok become 'Tuvix' when a 'minor glitch' occurs in the molecular image scanner." — 8 Of Star Trek 's Most Bizarre Transporter Accidents
Best Star Trek: Voyager Episode From Each Of The Show's 7 Seasons
- Captain Janeway faced unique challenges in the Delta Quadrant with compassion, connection, and tough decisions.
- Season 4 introduced Seven of Nine, enhancing Voyager's story with complex characters and fresh dynamics.
- Voyager's best episodes showcased moral dilemmas, character development, and alliances with new alien species.
The best episodes from each of Star Trek: Voyager 's seven seasons represent the unique challenges faced by Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the USS Voyager crew as the only Starfleet vessel in the Delta Quadrant. Compassion and connection were part of Voyager 's story from the jump , as a diminished Starfleet crew needed to join forces with Commander Chakotay's (Robert Beltran) Maquis crew in order to survive in a far-flung corner of the galaxy, populated with brand-new Star Trek aliens, like Talaxian chef Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and psychic Ocampa Kes (Jennifer Lien). Each week, Voyager encountered new moral dilemmas unique to the Delta Quadrant, but unmistakably Star Trek in nature.
Beginning in Star Trek: Voyager season 4, ex-Borg drone Seven of Nine (Jeri Ryan) reinvigorated the series , bringing not just sex appeal but also a complex, intelligent character who clashed with Captain Janeway's staunch Federation ideals. Seven and Voyager's holographic Doctor (Robert Picardo) were breakout stars, changing Voyager for the better, especially when paired as a comedic duo of unlikely friends. Star Trek: Voyager became stronger with story arcs featuring the Borg, the predatory Hirogen, and the USS Voyager's contact with the Alpha Quadrant. To review the very best of Star Trek: Voyager , however, we must start from the beginning.
Best Star Trek: Voyager Episode Of Each Main Character
Star trek: voyager season 1's best - episode 7, "eye of the needle", "just our luck, we raise one ship from the alpha quadrant and it has to be romulan.".
Despite its tenuous footing, Star Trek: Voyager season 1 delivers a memorable episode that offers the USS Voyager crew an early chance to connect to the Alpha Quadrant when Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) discovers a new wormhole ... but the wormhole is only 30 centimeters wide. That's big enough for a communications signal, but there's a question of whether Telek R'Mor (Vaughn Armstrong), the Romulan scientist on the other side, is willing to deliver Voyager's message to Starfleet. The tenuous trust built on Janeway's desperation and R'Mor's curiosity is quintessential Star Trek , and the devastating final twist seals "Eye of the Needle" as Voyager season 1's best episode.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 1, episode 15, "Jetrel"
Star Trek: Voyager Season 2's Best - Episode 24, "Tuvix"
"i don't want to die.".
There is no greater dilemma in Star Trek: Voyager than the one in "Tuvix", which remains a hot debate nearly 30 years later. When symbiogenetic orchid samples muddle their transporter patterns, Neelix and Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) are merged into a single being known as Tuvix (Tom Wright), who becomes beloved by most of Voyager's crew over several weeks. That makes it all the more difficult when the Doctor figures out how to bring Tuvok and Neelix back, but at the expense of Tuvix. Janeway's Tuvix decision is hard to watch, since there's no correct or easy answer no matter how you look at it, especially after the gut-wrenching pain of watching Tuvix plead for his continued existence.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 21, "Deadlock"
Star Trek: Lower Decks season 4, episode 1 "Twovix" lampoons the Tuvix dilemma with Voyager references aplenty, highlighting the strength of "Tuvix" to stand the test of time.
Star Trek: Voyager Season 3's Best - Episode 26, "Scorpion, Part 1"
"'i couldn't help it,' said the scorpion, 'it's my nature'.".
Faced with the choice of settling down in the Delta Quadrant or forging ahead through Borg space, Captain Janeway decides to safeguard against the perils of the latter by allying with the Borg, even though Commander Chakotay is all but certain that the Borg will renege on their end of the agreement, as the eponymous scorpion. Janeway's third option isn't an easy one, but taking the deal proves just how determined Kathryn Janeway is to see her people home at any cost. The tense cliffhanger resolves at the start of Star Trek: Voyager season 4, kicking off the rivalry between Janeway and the Borg, and famously introducing Seven of Nine.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 3, episode 22, "Real Life"
Star Trek: Voyager Season 4's Best - Episode 8 & 9 "Year of Hell"
"he's trying to erase us from history.".
Originally conceived as the backdrop for the entire season 4 of Star Trek: Voyager , "Year of Hell" pits the USS Voyager against Annorax of the Krenim Imperium (Kurtwood Smith), a dictator obsessed with restoring the glory of his former empire through temporal warfare. The Krenim are a formidable opponent with unique technologies essential to the central sci-fi conceit, but in the end, the strength of this war story is its focus on character psychology. The year-long cat and mouse game tests the tenacity of both major players, with Annorax and Captain Janeway evenly matched in their sheer determination, right until the very end reveals which of them is willing to risk more and win.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 4, episode 23, "Living Witness"
10 Ways USS Voyager Changed In Star Treks Delta Quadrant
Star trek: voyager season 5's best - episode 11, "latent image", "as difficult as it is to accept, the doctor is more like that replicator than he is like us.".
A slowly unraveling mystery reveals that the Doctor's program has been tampered with, and it's up to him to figure out not only who altered his memories, but why. The unsettling psychological puzzle falls into place bit by bit, raising questions about medical ethics, personal autonomy, and the true nature of the Doctor as a sentient hologram with an evolving program. "Latent Image" is a turning point in the Doctor's character arc , as the hard truth that emerges bends the Doctor's perception of himself towards greater compassion, and also affects how Captain Janeway, Seven of Nine, and the rest of Voyager's crew perceive the Doctor moving forward.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 5, episode 10 "Counterpoint"
Star Trek: Voyager Season 6's Best - Episode 12 "Blink of an Eye"
"how does this sound 'the weird planet where time moved very fast and so did the people who lived there,' by naomi wildman…".
The USS Voyager is stuck in orbit of an unnamed planet where time moves far more quickly relative to the rest of the universe. The crew is able to watch civilizations rise and fall at an accelerated rate, as the culture on the planet is heavily influenced by Voyager's presence for thousands of years -- but mere weeks to Voyager's crew. "Blink of an Eye" is a new angle on a Prime Directive story that centers the aliens affected by the "Skyship" , with a nod to how science fiction, and Star Trek in particular, shapes our own culture by inspiring us to reach for the stars.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 6, episode 4, "Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy"
Star Trek: Voyager Season 7's Best - Episode 25 & 26 "Endgame"
"set a course… for home.".
Star Trek: Voyager season 7 is rife with solid episodes, but it's the finale that takes the honor of being the season's best. "Endgame" opens on the USS Voyager's return to Earth after decades of harrowing adventures, in which the crew faces devastating losses. With a new plan, Admiral Janeway ensures those losses never happen, comes home early, and deals with the looming Borg threat in one fell swoop , even if she has to break a few rules to do it. Kate Mulgrew's performances as both Captain and Admiral Janeway carry the Star Trek: Voyager finale through time and alternate realities to the series' logical -- and satisfying -- conclusion.
Honorable Mention: Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 7, "Body and Soul"
While Star Trek: Voyager never received the same critical acclaim as its predecessors, Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Deep Space Nine , the USS Voyager's journey back home to the Alpha Quadrant had significant high points . Throughout seven years, seemingly disparate episodes came together like beads on a string, threaded with themes of love, loss, grief, and family. Voyager's crew grew to care for each other, and often brought out the best in each other despite checkered pasts and uncertain bonds. In the end, it's the characters that made Star Trek: Voyager a comfortable show beloved by its fans, like the home we were looking for all along.
Star Trek: Voyager is streaming on Paramount+.
Star Trek: Voyager
Cast Jennifer Lien, Garrett Wang, Tim Russ, Robert Duncan McNeill, Roxann Dawson, Robert Beltran, Kate Mulgrew, Jeri Ryan, Ethan Phillips, Robert Picardo
Release Date May 23, 1995
Genres Sci-Fi, Adventure
Network UPN
Streaming Service(s) Paramount+
Franchise(s) Star Trek
Writers Michael Piller, Rick Berman
Showrunner Kenneth Biller, Jeri Taylor, Michael Piller, Brannon Braga
Rating TV-PG
Star Trek: Why The First Actress Cast As Captain Janeway Was Replaced By Kate Mulgrew
Booking a role doesn't guarantee an actor has ownership of it. Take Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) from "Star Trek: Voyager" for example; the sci-fi icon bore a different face than the one fans are familiar with for exactly three days of filming — the first three days. Before Mulgrew made the captain's chair her own, Geneviève Bujold was cast in the role. According to "The Fifty-Year Mission: The Next 25 Years: From The Next Generation to J. J. Abrams: The Complete, Uncensored, and Unauthorized Oral History of Star Trek," a behind-the-scenes compendium written by Edward Gross and Mark A. Altman, Bujold's recasting followed a series of contested conflicts.
"On the first day, I got calls from [pilot director Winrich] Kolbe ... saying that [Bujold] was having trouble with her lines. She felt that she couldn't memorize seven pages a day," executive producer Rick Berman explained. He then went on to list a series of minor squabbles involving Bujold and various creatives attached to "Voyager," one of which culminated in the actress asking how she could be expected to cooperate with a director she didn't know.
Berman added that he was the one to finally tell Bujold that they had to part ways. While he notes that he was levelheaded throughout the interaction, he admitted to experiencing a certain vindictive pride, seemingly regarding the company losing time and money over a casting decision he did not agree with in the first place.
Geneviève Bujold's talent won over (some of) the cast and crew
Rick Berman's issues aside, some of the parties involved in the early days of "Star Trek: Voyager" offered Geneviève Bujold the benefit of the doubt, and others even defended her. Actor Robert Beltran, who notes that Bujold's casting partially inspired his decision to join "Voyager," said, "It didn't seem like [Bujold] was happy to be there ... Maybe she was starting to realize the limitations of the possibilities of what she could do with so many hands on her character ... they weren't going to let her play [Janeway] the way she wanted to play it."
Additionally, supervising producer René Echevarria praised Bujold for her talent and professionalism, going so far as to compare her work to William Shatner's on "Star Trek: The Original Series." Regardless of talent or professionalism, the demands placed on a lead actor in a long-running television series are best suited to an individual who enjoys the material, and Bujold simply didn't enjoy being involved with "Star Trek." Executive Vice President of Paramount Television Tom Mazza phrased it best when he said, "It was like divine intervention because it really didn't work for both parties."
Conversely, the bond between "Star Trek: Voyager" and actress Kate Mulgrew worked out for everyone involved. She helmed the USS Enterprise for seven successful seasons. To this day, "Voyager" is still considered one of the strongest installments in the entire "Star Trek" franchise, and, to some degree, that must be thanks to the right Captain Janeway making it on board.
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Unfortunately, there are no audio commentary tracks for Season 2’s home media release, but the collection does manage to pack in over two hours of interviews, behind the scenes features, and deleted scenes that cover a lot of ground.
“Exploring New Worlds” (46:30) is a very cut-and-dry exploration of the themes and challenges of Season 2. This doesn’t mean there isn’t something here for fans to enjoy, though; highlights include the fabulous art behind the creation of Cajitar (“The Broken Circle”) to the debut of Martin Quinn as Scotty in “Hegemony.”
What continues to come across in these interviews is how much everyone loves what they’re doing this season: Celia Rose Gooding (Uhura) loved the tension and catharsis of “Lost in Translation”; Jess Bush (Chapel) loves working with Melissa Navia (Ortegas) and Celia; Ethan Peck loves playing around with goofy, silly human Spock (your mileage may vary).
It’s abundantly clear from Navia’s interview that Ortegas’ subplot in “Among the Lotus Eaters” was incredibly important to her. Even if I have criticisms of it, there’s no questioning that it was a success from the writers’ and actors’ perspectives.
There are some deeply funny bits, too — the thrill of the Lower Decks crossover in “Those Old Scientists” seems to have cut through the cast and crew like a lightning rod. Jack Quaid (Boimler) and Tawny Newsome (Mariner) are gems in their interviews, especially Quaid’s discussion of his process of bringing animated Boimler to life (alongside the, uh, Spoimler ‘bromance’). There are some issues for me, though — not interviewing Paul Wesley about playing the real Jim Kirk is annoying.
Overall, this was a bit more interesting to me than the Season 1 iteration.
“The Costumes Closet” (13:21) is a bit hit-and-miss. There is a lot of focus on the costuming from Cajitar, with a lot of detail of extra costuming from the great Bernadette Croft. It’s a good description of the worldbuilding that costuming too (a lot more than the writers, it feels like sometimes). The overview of the new dress uniforms designed for “Ad Astra per Aspera” is great (mainly because I love the Strange New Worlds dress uniform!), and it justifies and explains the differences and improvements on the original design.
It is very descriptive and focused on Croft’s team, also touching on Dak’Rah’s outfit (“Under the Cloak of War”) and the costumes for the Rigel VII excursion (“Among the Lotus Eaters”), but tthere doesn’t seem to be much input from the showrunners on costuming ideas.
“Producing Props” (10:46) is pretty dry. This is fine, because it knows you’re here for the props, not the talk. There’s a fair bit of detail on Spock’s Vulcan lyre, as well as the multitude of props required for the Vulcan family rituals from “Charades,” from the boiling kettle through to the gongs of all shapes and sizes.
“The Gorn” (15:37) is a very descriptive and satisfying insight into the new developments in Gorn design and costuming that were deployed with such effectiveness in “Hegemony.” It was certainly interesting to see how much of the Gorn spacesuit and head inside were physical props; everything from the prehensile tails to the sinister lizard eyes. The use of 3D-printed parts involved was a revelation to me, at least; yet another sign of how the technology is revolutionising costuming completely.
Again, however, there was very little discussion of the writers’ thinking behind the Gorn — especially considering the importance of the Gorn as the primary enemies in the show. It’s still an interesting watch, though if you saw the in-depth exploration of the Gorn design in the “Hegemony” episode of The Ready Room with Wil Wheaton , much of that is repeated here.
It’s not the lengthiest presentation on this collection, but perhaps the best feature is “ Singing in Space” (22:14) , focused of course on “Subspace Rhapsody.”
Now, if you liked the musical episode, this will be a blast, especially for looking at how the actors, composer Tom Polce, and lyricist Kay Hanley worked together to deliver the episode. A lot of people enjoyed working on this, from the producers down to the songwriters (some of the actors seem less enthusiastic, but I’ll leave that to your judgment). The focus within the interviews on Polce and Hanley is well deserved, especially because they were the backbone of this episode.
The Season 2 Deleted Scenes (16:04) were a bit flatter than the snippets from Season 1. There was a little more screen time for Admirals April and Tafune from “The Broken Circle,” but while may have been enjoyable to the nerds like me, it was extraneous exposition that didn’t add much in the end.
The comedy scene of La’an and Kirk wearing the same outfit (“Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow”) was cute, and human-Spock discovering the pitfalls of mixing chewing gum with other foods (“Charades”) was amusing, but neither were big losses.
Nearly five minutes from “Lost in Translation” are featured here, mainly concerning the Number One-Pelia tension subpot — which makes sense, considering how short this story was in the final cut. They’re decent scenes, especially when Pelia and Una discuss why Hemmer was so important to the crew, and how Pelia reminds them all of his loss. Again, Carol Kane shines as the chief engineer and I think the scene in the shuttle should have stayed in — I prefer it to the final version!
There is another sequence from the same episode, which seems to be an alternate cut of the Kirk brothers (and Uhura) discussing the nebula aliens; this highlights the good chemistry that Dan Jeannotte and Paul Wesley share, constantly throwing barbs at each other.
The trim from “Those Old Scientists” – another alternate cut, this time of the Orions stealing the time portal – is pretty funny, but on the other hand, the edits from “Under the Cloak of War” are pretty odd. Erased were some pretty good character moments, like a first proper introduction between M’Benga and Chapel (from the J’Gal flashbacks) — but cutting out Captain Pike’s apology for dragging M’Benga into attending the tense dinner seems like a ridiculous decision. The sound work on all the scenes implies that they were all cut very late on the day; an odd choice considering how short the runtime of the final episode was.
What’s cut from “Subspace Rhapsody” is also fairly acceptable, even though I do enjoy watching Wesley and Romjin bounce off each other. The alternate cut of the Klingons in the final song (where they perform a little bit of Les Mis -style Klingon opera instead of K-Pop) is nice, but nothing to write home about.
Overall? A decent set of special features, in my view. The lack of a gag reel and commentary tracks seem telling, mind you; a casualty of the actor’s strike, perhaps? I certainly hope not.
Hopefully both will see a return when Season 3 comes to disc sometime in 2025.
Star Trek: Strange New Worlds Season 2 is in stores now.
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"Tuvix" is the 40th episode (24th in the second season) of the science fiction television program Star Trek: Voyager. The episode originally aired on May 6, 1996, and tells the story of Tuvok and Neelix being merged into a unique third character named Tuvix. The episode was substantially rewritten from its original iteration as a lighthearted story to a more somber tale with serious moral and ...
Tuvix: Directed by Cliff Bole. With Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson, Jennifer Lien. Transporter trouble merges Tuvok and Neelix into one, creating Tuvix.
"Star Trek: Voyager" Tuvix (TV Episode 1996) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Menu. Movies. ... STAR TREK VOYAGER SEASON 2 (1995) (8.2/10) a list of 26 titles created 12 Aug 2012 Best Star Trek Episodes a list of 24 titles ...
Star Trek: Voyager had one of the best episodes of Star Trek ever when it introduced Captain Janeway to Tuvix, a hybrid of Neelix and Tuvok. Played by Tom Wright, the character has become a source ...
In 2000, Wright won the Best Actor Award at the Santa Monica Film Festival for his portrayal of John Shed in the indie film Dumbarton Bridge. (See IMDb) ... Star Trek: Voyager: Tuvix "Tuvix" 1998-1999 Martial Law: Captain Benjamin Winship 22 episodes 2004 Star Trek: Enterprise: Ghrath "Storm Front" 2005 The O.C. Paul Glass
Look at me, Captain. When I'm happy, I laugh. When I'm sad, I cry. When I stub my toe, I yell out in pain. I'm flesh and blood, and I... have the right to live! [Tuvix is to be separated into Tuvok and Neelix and, thus, killed] Tuvix : Each of you... is going to have to live with this - and I'm sorry for that, for you are all good... good people.
Tom Wright (born 29 November 1952; age 71) is the highly-prolific actor who played Tuvix in the Star Trek: Voyager second season episode "Tuvix". He also went on to appear as Ghrath in the Star Trek: Enterprise fourth season episode "Storm Front". Wright was considered for the role of Benjamin Sisko in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. (citation needed • edit) Born in Englewood, New Jersey, Wright ...
I am Lieutenant Tuvok. And I'm Neelix.Tuvix Tuvix was a hybrid individual created as the result of a transporter accident on the USS Voyager, combining Lieutenant Tuvok, Neelix, their uniforms, and a symbiogenetic alien orchid in 2372. The accident was the conclusion to an away mission to collect some orchid samples. Only one molecular pattern rematerialized, and formed a healthy organism ...
SHOW ALL QUESTIONS. " Tuvix " is the 40th episode (24th in the second season) of the science fiction television program Star Trek: Voyager. The episode originally aired on May 6, 1996, and tells the story of Tuvok and Neelix being merged into a unique third character named Tuvix. " Tuvix ". Star Trek: Voyager episode.
Tom Wright, who played Tuvix in Star Trek: Voyager, says that his controversial character "had to go." Tuvix was created in Voyager season 2, episode 24 "Tuvix", when a transporter accident merges Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) into one being. This places Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) in a moral dilemma because as the ...
The "Tuvix" episode is a moral quandary in the eyes of many "Star Trek: Voyager" viewers. The fan base is just as split as the cast members over Captain Janeway's decision to restore Neelix and ...
The actor that was originally considered to portray the eponymous fusion of Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Neelix (Ethan Phillips) in Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 24, "Tuvix", "wouldn't have worked," according to Phillips and Russ. Tuvix, as the transporter amalgamation names himself, is played masterfully by Tom Wright in one of Voyager's most controversial episodes, in which Captain ...
" (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 15) After Wright was cast as Tuvix, the staff of Voyager sent him a few video tapes of past episodes from the series. The actor noted, "From those, I decided which aspects of each character to put into the part." (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 13)
'Voyager' actors Ethan Phillips, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Robert Duncan McNeill, guest star Tom Wright, and writer Lisa Klink talked "Tuvix" at Trek Talks 3.
The famous politician Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez even weighed in on the debate with an X (then Twitter) post in 2020, which prompted Janeway actor Kate Mulgrew to respond, noting how she stands by Janeway's choice. Star Trek: Voyager is streaming on Paramount+. Source: Screen Rant.
Star Trek: Voyager (TV Series 1995-2001) cast and crew credits, including actors, actresses, directors, writers and more. Menu. Movies. ... Tuvix 1 episode, 1996 Marnie McPhail ... Alcia 1 episode, 1996 Eugene Roche ... Jor Brel 1 episode, 1996 ...
Star Trek: Voyager's Cast Is Still Split Over 'Tuvix,' Nearly 30 Years Later At a recent panel discussion, Robert Duncan McNeill, Tim Russ, Garrett Wang, Ethan Phillips, and Tuvix himself, Tom ...
Tom Wright, who played Tuvix in Star Trek: Voyager season 2, episode 24, "Tuvix", has high praise for the scenes that he shared with Kes actress Jennifer Lien. In "Tuvix", a transporter accident merges Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) and Talaxian chef Neelix (Ethan Phillips) into a single being named Tuvix, who shares characteristics of both Tuvok and ...
The infamous Star Trek Voyager episode "Tuvix" aired 25 years ago today, beginning an ethical debate among fans that is still contested—Captain Janeway's decision to kill a transporter-created ...
Star Trek: Voyager's "Tuvix" is pretty controversial, and Tuvok actor Tim Russ talked about fans mentioning it to him and gave his take on the ending.
In the Star Trek: Voyager episode "Tuvix," the good Captain (flawlessly played by Kate Mulgrew) has to deal with Tuvok and Neelix becoming one being thanks to yet-another-transporter-accident. Everyone gradually accepts Tuvix, played by Tom Wright, until the EMH finds a way to reverse the process. Things go Kobayashi Maru real fast, because ...
Neelix and Tuvok Become Tuvix - Star Trek: Voyager. "Tuvix," Season 2, Episode 24. "Neelix and Tuvok become 'Tuvix' when a 'minor glitch' occurs in the molecular image scanner." — 8 Of Star Trek's Most Bizarre Transporter Accidents.
The origins of Tuvix in Star Trek Voyager. Tuvix is a being who was created in the year 2372 when a transporter accident merged Tuvok and Neelix into one single individual. The identities of both Tuvok and Neelix were lost, and Tuvix was created. The accident was caused by Tuvok and Neelix being transported with an alien orchid: an orchid which ...
There is no greater dilemma in Star Trek: Voyager than the one in "Tuvix", which remains a hot debate nearly 30 years later. When symbiogenetic orchid samples muddle their transporter patterns ...
Booking a role doesn't guarantee an actor has ownership of it. Take Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) from "Star Trek: Voyager" for example; the sci-fi icon bore a different face than the one ...
The second season of Star Trek: Strange New Worlds arrived on Blu-ray and 4K Blu-ray disc in December — and while it's still going to be a while until we see the series back on television, today we're playing a little catch-up and diving into all the special features of the recent release! The four-disc Blu-ray set (and 3-disc 4K Blu-ray set) contains all ten episodes of Strange New ...