“Fair Trade”

I have a lot of respect for Ethan Phillips. It can't be easy to play a character week after week and know (at some point) that most fans don't like the character you play.

Neelix being ST's version of Jar Jar is a comparison I've read and heard often and totally agree with. I never watched VOY when it was originally on television. I started buying the DVD sets a couple of years ago. I began with S5 only because VOY sets were hard to find.

What I saw of Neelix in S5 wasn't good. Trying to be funny and not succeeding each and every time. I had no idea what his purpose was either on the ship or on the series. Just what was it Neelix was supposed to be contributing to the series? Even after watching all of VOY I can't really answer that. "Caretaker" was a pretty good intro for him. I loved his line in "The Cloud" saying the Starfleet crew was a bunch of idiots for exploring dangerous nebulae just for the sake of doing so.

But then they made him perpetually happy and goofy and annoying. The whole "Mr. Tuvok" thing made me wish just once Tuvok would see the logic in putting the smackdown on Neelix to finally get Neelix to stop calling him that.

And then there's this episode. Neelix realizes he'll serve no purpose on Voyager and quick. He can't guide them anymore. He meets up with Wix and begins a dramatic descent rare for this character and this series.

One of my favorite non sci-fi shows is NYPD BLUE, a show that loves to put the characters through difficult situations and watch them work their way out of them. "Fair Trade" reminds me of BLUE in that sense. Here's Neelix hoping to find a map, meeting Wix, agreeing to a deal and then helping to coverup drug trafficking and murder to initially staying silent when Paris and Chakotay take the blame.

And Neelix's line about "Shoot me, I don't care" does indeed come as a surprise like Jammer mentioned.

For the only real time in the series Neelix mattered to me. How he was going to get out of this ('cause you know he would) wasn't such an easy thing to spot.

Surely, this story needed and deserved some followup. We should have seen the crew being a bit more wary with Neelix. Or see Paris identify with Neelix about having a checkered past and overcoming it.

Playing Neelix couldn't not have been easy for Phillips. Not in the sense that the character itself was all that challenging but that it can't be easy playing a character week to week on a series and knowing that most viewers wish you weren't there.

For this episode at least Neelix had purpose and Phillips delivered a great performance.

An interesting post, Jeff. I've always thought, though, that Ethan Phillips may have been as deluded about Neelix's popularity (or lack thereof) as Kate Mulgrew & Tim Russ were about Voyager's reception. I read several interviews with both of them in which they both basically say Voyager was a GREAT show and that all the evidence to the contrary was just nonsense.

I get the whole universal translator concept for spoken word, but how was the station manager able to just grab Janeway's PADD and start reading it? I suppose PADDs have translator tech as well...

@Jeff: I loved that line in 'The Cloud' too. A real shame they buried it underneath the later "cake" scene.

I think Neelix would have really worked as a cynical, rueful character who would have been aghast at the usual idealistic, "lets-see-what's-behind-THAT-star" status quo. There were hints of this there in the first season, and we rarely see those kinds of pragmatic characters in Star Trek. It's even rarer when they're one of the good guys. Going down this rarely-trodden path would have given Neelix a lot of definition and difference as a character, provided a lot of potential character conflict and growth, and not to mention highlighted how alien the Delta Quadrant really was.

But, of course, that would have required the writers to actually make the DQ different in any meaningful way, and not make the crew One Big Happy Family. ("They're not Klingons, they're Kazon. Totally different spelling!")

Man, it's such a shame that they ran as fast as they could away from their unique premise. It's not every day that Trek gets the chance to do something really different.

I love the final scene. That is what Star Trek is.

Apprently, the script for this episode included a scene where Neelix and Kes' breakup is more "official", but it was cut for time. It's too bad because it would have been relevant to the episode (maybe earning it an extra half-star?) and the series.

A fair and even-handed review. I'm not entirely sure that the faults you mentioned warrant the loss of a whole star rather than one, but so be it.

I am quite sick of hearing people complain about Voyager for being Star Trek rather than being un-Star Trek like apparently everyone hoped it would be.

In terms of continuity and the whole Kes thing, etc. Most of those questions are answered little by little in later episodes, it isn't a linear progression like (gasp) real life isn't. The hanging threads in "Resolutions" for example aren't tied up until season 7's "Fractured." Tuvok mentions Kes' and Neelix' breakup in a later episode and there's a quiet little resolution in "The Gift." Even "Fury" gives them a little scene together in which 2 sentences of dialogue speak volumes about what still is and still isn't between them. I really don't know what you people want.

Hahaha 24th century drug dealers. It may not be the idealistic Roddenbury flavored future we wish for, but I have no doubt that there will still be people selling illicit substances in that time and who would get violent to protect that interest if need be. It's easy to get caught up in a web of trouble like this and the episode does a good job of depicting that. And finally they do something interesting with the Neelix character here.

@Nic. I have heard about this deleted Neelix/Kes scene from "Fair Trade" as well. I wish they had done what the ENT DVD sets did which was to include deleted scenes from some of the episodes. That Neelix/Kes scene is something I would love to have seen.

@Jammer "how Neelix got a hold of the Voyager shuttle in the first place"

I think that while being in the shuttle with his Talaxian friend, Neelix mentioned that he had informed Chakotay and I guess he got the permission to take a shuttle.

The last scene was well acted, and I have to say that sometimes I LOVE Janeway, she reminds me of my mother. :)

Taking nothing away from Ethan Phillips - he did the best he could with a poorly written character, but I get the feeling that if the role of Neelix had gone to Robert Picardo (who actually preferred the role to The Doctor) he might have been written a far bit better. Picardo is simply a better actor than Phillips. It was his acting as much as the writing that made Doc one of the favorite characters on Voyager. Had he played Neelix, it might have been similar.

I agree with this review on it's views towards Neelix's character because frankly, I've felt the same way. Neelix has been an annoyance since day one and I could never really like him. Yet for the first time, from this episode, I found that I actually cared what was going to happen to him. I actually felt sorry for him. When he's not going all out trying to be cute and happy and given a role where decisions do matter, Ethan Phillips does an excellent job at portraying honest emotions that we can all relate to. Good job and thumbs up!

Kes must've kicked Neelix to the curb but good. She wasn't even available to him here in a friendly capacity...

Just a sidenote about Neelix: I believe the character became what we know today because of Ethan Philips. In the first episodes, E. Phillips overplayed the goofy parts and emphasized the annoying traits of Neelix. Like Justin, I believe the writers partly write in relation to the actors. Had Phillips played his lines in a more serious, darker tone, Neelix could have become - like in this episode - a multi-layered and fully fledged character. One to challenge Starfleet attitudes or/and to gradually come to respect/embrace them. We viewers would have found the goofy parts funny if they'd been scarce.

Whether Ethan Phillips is a good actor or not, I'm not qualified to say. But I'm pretty sure he gave the producers excactly the performance they wanted. Thus, I would never blame him personally for the failure of the character.

So the problem is that the producers viewed Neelix as the type of character played by an actor like Ethan Phillips. As I see it, the character should've been conceived as the a role for an actor like Robert Beltran, with his quiet authority. Yeah! Beltran as Neelix, Phillips as the Doctor, and Picardo as the space pirate who becomes first officer.

Space pirates! Scourge of the universe! Vicious! Merciless! They crush all that defy them!

I love Janeway's face at the end. She knows who Neelix is. She knows that he never had any ill will even before she started the dressing down. But the captain has to do what the captain has to do. She needed to make it clear that, on Voyager, the truth will always be the better way to go. Good episode.

It seems that people thinks Neelix's good performance here was an exception, but it wasn't the first time he showed a bit of depth and variety.

Cooking for over 100 people is a full time job, and Voyager is short-handed, so Neelix should have plenty of work. If Neelix is doing the cooking, it means that someone else is free to do their job. I think Neelix would have worked better if he was the full-time cook and only part-time advisor to the captain on the alien races they met. Instead it seemed like Neelix tried to do a little of everything. It seems that he wanted to do "important" jobs, but there is plenty to do. At the end of the episode, Neelix is made to do some grunt work as punishment, but even the grunt work is important, someone has to do it. I don't dislike Neelix as much as some, but he could have been toned down a notch or two. I generally don't blame actors, I assume they give the performance they were told to give.

This is arguably the best Neelix vehicle in the series and is definitely the best one since "Jetrel". A lot of great character insights and growth that's been sorely lacking. This only serves to prove that thoughtful writing and a more-than-able performer can equal great things.

The premise isn't unique but the way everything plays out certainly feels fresh and relevant. Being treated to a wonderfully realized and subtle build up in the plotting warrants kudos on its own. You don't fully grasp how deep Neelix is until he's already buried.

The guest performances are hit or miss with two exceptions. The station overseer was a bit stiff at times, but I rather liked how the writers portrayed him as reasonable enough in spite of his job and circumstances. It can't be easy and I certainly don't envy him his position. Neelix's old friend, Wixiban, was very solid throughout and helped highlight that these two truly had a past. Again the writers decide not to opt for the single-minded boneheaded-ness here with the clichéd "turning against an old friend because I'm a guest star so it's okay" scenario.

Janeway's speech at the end was absolutely spot-on script and performance-wise as was Neelix's reaction. There's very little for me to find at fault here and I think I enjoyed this quite a bit more than Jammer did.

Really good stuff and definitely one of the better (and most consistent) showings of the season.

3.5 stars.

Agree Vylora.

They gave Ethan some meat here and he chewed it the best he could dressed up like a cat clown and all.

I really felt that Neelix was worried that he wouldn't be useful to Janeway anymore once they reached the Nekrit Expanse, and therefore left behind. Good acting here. Remember, he'd just lost Kes too.

I'm glad with got the "truth" speech from Janeway at the end. I'm glad she had Neelix do some "extra military instruction" too.

I think a highlight in this episode was Janeway's expression after Neelix accepts his punishment and leaves the room.

I'll go 3 stars here.

When Janeway said to Neelix, "Report to deuterium maintenance at 0400 tomorrow morning. You're going to spend the next 2 weeks scrubbing the exhaust manifolds," how would Neelix have done that (i.e., what would have been the procedure for the scrubbing of the exhaust manifolds, and what would Neelix have used to scrub them)?

So my plot-hole detection sensor has picked up yet another anomaly: When Neelix is face to face with the head drug dealer, he (Neelix) tells him not to fire his weapon because it will cause an explosion that will kill them all. Then he adds, "And I would suggest not activating your transporters. Same effect."

Wait a minute. These aliens have transporter technology? When Neelix first came on board Voyager, he was so shocked and mesmerized by the transporters, claiming he had never heard of such technology before. And yet, these drug dealers seem fairly known, Neelix's friend knows them very well, and it is just accepted that they have transporter tech. So, why was Neelix so shocked by Voyager's transporters if he and his friend knew about them all along?

I don't get the whole setup of this episode. Neelix is afraid his usefulness to Voyager will end as he doesn't know what's beyond the Nekrit Expanse. Ok fair enough, but once Voyager moves past there, aren't they still going to need a cook? And a "morale officer"? And an "ambassador"? Those things wouldn't just stop so he'd still have 3 out of the 4 jobs he had before! Don't get me wrong, I hate Neelix too, but he should have realized that. Itd be like the Doctor deciding that because there hasn't been any medical emergencies for a few days, he'd better start training to be a astrophysicist or Janeway would decide he was useless and get rid of him.

Oh boy, an old fashioned morality tale featuring Neelix. Just what we needed! OK, as others have noted it is indeed good to see some character growth for Neelix beyond chef and morale officer and ambassador. An insecure Neelix trying to justify his place on the ship has an interesting element of truth to it.

However, the plot is so by the numbers and takes so long to come together (and even includes yet another crew arrest by mistake) it never rises above tedium. The Sesame Street conclusion - always tell the truth - is hardly a surprise, but it doesn't really matter because look, the Captain wants Neelix around for himself and not for his knowledge of the sector. 2 stars.

I agree with Diamond Dave. These heavy-handed morality plots tire me. And they almost reduce the crew to wayward teens while the captain plays the "mom." "What bothers me the most, son, is that you didn't tell me the truth!" I grew up watching 80's family tv, so I know how this goes.

It also annoyed me that a small crew that's growing smaller the longer the voyage goes on wouldn't recognize someone who was studious and industrious trying to make himself useful. You'd think they all could use an extra hand.

A Neelix solo i'll pass

Hello Everyone!

Ensign Vorik. Right off the bat, I knew I recognized him but could not remember exactly from where. Ah, the Enterprise, yes, that was it. Thanks Jammer. And, since he was playing a Vulcan the exact same way here, with the same rank, I'd say it's the same character as well. And I kind of like him. *I just did some minor searching and it has been suggested Taurik and Vorik were twins. But, they didn't put that in the show, so your mileage may vary.*

But... as I've slowly moved along during my re-watch, I don't recall seeing any Vulcans apart from Tuvok. There might have been some, somewhere, but I don't recall them. It seems to me if there was more than one Vulcan on board, they would hang out together sometimes, just as the Earthlings do. Like in the mess hall, sipping Vulcan tea and quietly reading at the same table, or playing Vulcan brain games together. Perhaps when Tuvok was losing his marbles after melding with the serial killer, Ensign Vorik could have helped him with his mental discipline (seems logical to me).

We've seen the engine room plenty of times, but this is the first time we see him? We give a pass to new Earthers we see, because many in the background are faceless uniforms, and if they bring one of them to the fore, well, we just didn't really notice them before. But with a specific race where there are only a few on board, it seems we'd remember them and they would interact. But maybe Ensign Vorik wasn't ever seen because he was on the Lower Decks. :D

I don't know, if they were home, I'd figure he was just a new crew member. But he's been on the ship at least two years, and probably longer, and they give him lines to speak that could have been given to anyone. He doesn't do anything particularly Vulcan-ish, he just seems to suddenly appear. That... seemed off to me...

Enjoy the Day Everyone... RT

2 stars. I simply don't like Neelix and this plot wasn't much to write home about anyway. The most interesting aspect was moving beyond territory Neelix familiar with and the ominous territory that lay ahead of the Nekrit Expanse

Tom Paris talking to Neelix was a great moment. It was almost like he described precisely what happened in "The First Duty." I have never heard an explanation as to why Paris was not the continuation of that character. It would have only made sense, especially after that conversation in this episode. Did the writers not even consider that?

Vorik could have been used for continuity purposes too as Jammer pointed out that Vulcan character from an earlier show that was played by the same actor.

The final verbal beat-down by Janeway was terrific as others have pointed out. Good episode overall, and another good review by Jammer.

Just wanted to add to my comment above about Paris and Locarno from TNG, both played by the same actor..

I had read somewhere that one explanation was that they did not want to pay royalties to the writer of "The First Duty" for the episodes of Voyager. There are couple of other vague explanations too. But I never found a definitive answer (as in directly from producers) anywhere about why Paris is not Locarno's continuation..

RT,
You are right that no Vulcan has made an appearance before this episode. But in a previous episode, B'Elanna or someone else did say something about "asking the other Vulcans" on the ship. I can't remember who and which episode though. So we knew there were some but Vorik is the first one we see (and no I don't believe any appeared on the background either before this episode).

A strong Neelix show. I think the demonstration of his feelings of usefulness early in the episode were strong, and it's too bad that they couldn't acknowledge his breakup with Kes to make his feelings of being adrift even more grounded. It makes sense that Neelix would view his position on the Voyager as being conditional on his being useful, and it even makes his brief foray into Investigative Journalism retroactively less unbearable to recognize that Neelix believed he would have to consistently prove and re-prove his utility. He was, after all, only allowed passage in Caretaker because of his value as a guide/cook etc., and his cooking is something that even he has to know is not really universally well-received. The episode's title suggests what Neelix is thinking about - he's thinking in terms of economics, that Voyager provides a place for him proportionate to what he can offer them, rather than the idea of (as Janeway says at the end) a family, where his place is (mostly) unconditionally secured, and the "fair trade" is that Neelix will do his best for them. The crew's casual acceptance of Neelix as one of them looks to him like disinterest. And of course Neelix is from a destroyed homeworld and lived life as a scavenger for decades, finally finding love and then stability. He's lost the love (via Kes) and so what of his stability? The way Wixiban plays on Neelix's fears is generally impressive -- I like the way he suggests he'll reveal to Voyager Neelix's past, as a particular example. And I think that it's clear why Neelix fears being kicked off Voyager and being left without a place to go -- Wixiban's precarious deal-to-deal living is a difficult existence anyway, and Neelix has grown unaccustomed to it, and is now far from a place where he knows enough to get along. His actions throughout the episode follow logically from character and his fears, even as he gets himself deeper in. The episode is a bit like DS9's Business as Usual, from around the same time, with the notable difference that Neelix really is absolutely attempting to maintain his standing among the crew and betrays them for *that* reason. And there's also an implication that Neelix sees Wixiban as who he would be without Voyager, and he now seems to regard Wixiban (willing to do shady narcotics deals and lie about them) with some mixture of pity and contempt, and thus is afraid of becoming that person again. I like that Wixiban both plays the devil on Neelix's shoulder throughout the episode but also turns out to be loyal to his friend in the end.

I'm a bit unconvinced by Neelix's solution on plot terms -- would the station owner really let Neelix and Wixiban deploy a plasma leak in his cargo bay? If it was a secret part of their plan, how could they be sure that they won't get thrown into cryogenic suspension for endangering the station? But I like the general idea of Neelix deploying his wiliness to solve a problem that he fell into due to Wix's deceptions. As for Neelix's "Shoot -- you'll be doing me a favour!" moment, I read it as Neelix not actually trying to die, which would have been very out of character since that would lead to Wixiban's death too, even if Neelix is that desperate, but of him using his (real) desperation to prove to the bad guys more effectively that he's telling the truth and not bluffing -- to show that he is willing to die, and using his sadness to do it. The last scene between Neelix and Janeway is great, and I appreciate that she could see from his willingness to leave the ship without a fuss (and his risky, self-sacrificial behaviour in trying to get Paris and Chakotay released) that he was fully sincere about not making the same mistakes again. I love her little smile at the end.

So I like it a lot. Is it 3.5 stars? I'm going to say no. I think that the episode is a little thin, with too many variations on the same Neelix/Wixiban scene of Wixiban telling Neelix he's in too deep now. It's not quite gripping enough for the subject matter. But it is very good. And as I said I'm a bit taken unsure about the plotting at the end. A high 3 stars.

They are now years away at high warp from where they picked up Neelix, yet they run into his best friend at some random trading post. Alright.

The whole 'just tell the truth' bit was pretty hokey.

I don't see Bahrat forgiving Neelix and Wix for dealing drugs and commiting murder, just for catching a couple drug dealers, especially after they told him what the drug dealers were doing and how they were doing it. He seems like the type to have just arrested them all. He didn't need much evidence to arrest people considering what happened to Chakotay and Tuvok. Maybe let Neelix and Wix take a plea bargain of sorts, like serving only 10 years in cryostasis instead of 50 or some such thing. After all murder is more serious than drug dealing I would think. And the talaxians basically committed manslaughter (alienslaughter?) again at the end by releasing warp plasma that blew up everything and killed that alien dude.

Also cryostasis doesn't seem like that big of a punishment. Go into stasis and wake up 50 years in the future! Heck I'd practically do that now voluntarily. :D For criminals that sounds like a pretty good deal. Hey! You murdered that guy. You get to travel to the future! Gee thanks! I hate this place now anyway.

2 1/2 stars.

Am I really the one viewer who liked Neelix? LOL! I liked him from start to finish. I never had a proble w/the character, but then I didn't have a problem w/Jar Jar either. Guess I'm just weird that way.

Anyway, I really enjoyed this episode. I completely agree w/William B's analysis of Neelix. I understood why he was desperate to maintain his "usefulness" to the crew, and even though he had been on the ship for two years, I can see why he didn't feel a part of the actual crew. Neelix was probably shocked that Janeway felt he was part of the family.

A good Neelix episode is a rarity ("Mortal Coil" is another one) -- this one really picked up about half-way through when it became clear our protagonist is getting in too deep. That reminded me a tad of "In the Pale Moonlight" and Janeway reading the riot act to Neelix at the end was excellent a la "Prime Factors" -- a terrific VOY episode. Mulgrew has the perfect facial expressions of disappointment and wanting/needing to enforce discipline in that scene.

But it comes down to Philips doing a convincing job of being in a moral quandary -- trying to help Wix and thinking he can bend the rules/his principles a bit. The scene with Paris setting him straight about the truth -- it was as if Paris knew exactly what Neelix was up to (even though he couldn't have) and said the right thing i.e. come clean. An understated but powerful scene.

We know Neelix to be a very compassionate/caring type and he tries to do anything to help Wix, who, of course, takes advantage. Perhaps a lesson in there somewhere...

Some gripes with the episode are the cliche cardboard villains, the dealing in dark areas on the station, and the station commander. I also have to shake a fist at the ease with which all these alien species communicate and read English! VOY/Trek tends to gloss over these details...

But there were way more ups than downs in this episode. The standoff scene with Neelix saying shoot me was actually poignant for me -- it was well established that Neelix had lost his sense of purpose and was he was quite willing to die ("Mortal Coil" foreshadowing). Clever plan and plot writing.

Janeway, as the captain (and motherly figure), reinforces the nature of the mission -- the whole "part of a family", "you have obligations" thing which are key to VOY. It was a violation of trust and Neelix did throw away his principles and it's good that the writers made Janeway take Neelix to the woodshed for that. It reinforces how tight the Voyager crew have to be -- more so than any other Trek series.

3 stars for "Fair Trade" -- started out somewhat goofy with it being an obvious Neelix episode but it really picked up and used the character in a way that is challenging and compelling. I think the Neelix character would have won back some Trek fans given the additional depth it showed. A good episode for VOY.

"You've been on this ship for two years. I think by now you'd have learned that the first duty of any Starfleet officer is the truth. You violated that duty, Neelix—and there will be consequences."

Although Neelix isn't a Starfleet officer and Janeway herself has said that she can't expect Starfleet behavior from people who never went to the academy. ("Learning Curve")

3 and 1/2 stars. An excellent episode. And highlights an important principle: good drama involves placing your characters in positions where they have to make a DECISION and it's best if that decision is a difficult one that goes against their beliefs or nature. Episodes like "In the Pale Moonlight" and "City on the Edge of Forever" are great because of the challenges they present for their characters.

On the other hand, an episode in which the only question is "Will Voyager survive?" or "Will Janeway die?" are of limited value if that is the only thing going on. We know that Voyager will not be destroyed and we know that Janeway will not die, so don't waste our time. If that is all you have to say, don't waste our time.

Fast Forward Rating: Let it play and be ready to rewind the closing the scene between Janeway and Neelix.

So Neelix gets involved in drug trafficking with a dead body outcome , and endangers two Voyager officers (gets them arrested) and all he gets is two weeks of “hard work” (which as mentioned other people do already as their regular job) at late night shifts? WOW! :)

Kept my interest, mostly. Nice performance by the actor playing Wix. Basically so-so. I don't hate Neelix, but he's not a favorite so eps that feature him tend to bore me a bit.

...long— time thoughts on Neelix: I often find him annoying, I hate his behaviour towards Tuvok...but:

if I were stranded in the Delta Quadrant, surrounded by dangerous things, I would love someone like him araound: dependable, in the kitchen, even if the food is not good, but always there, chattering every day banalities...he would give me a sense of security, I have often thought.

just as long as he does not anything important:—).

...yes...they could have made him into a very important crewmember this way...and respected. Ok, will stop rambling now.

Greetings:—).

I don't care what "memory alpha" says! In my headcanon, Paris was attending the academy but was known for being a wildcard so his dad registered him under a different name to avoid any potential humiliation his son might cause him. Fits in with Tom's daddy issues perfectly and makes sense of the frankly confusing writing they did

This was one of the better Neelix and reminded me of DS9. Space station...illicit deals...shady characters...Odo like character keeping an eye on things and arriving at the last second...Talaxians acting like Ferengi. Not that I'm complaining.

The frustrating thing about the character of Neelix up to the point as been his lack of independence. He (like many of the other characters) is a strong group-think character whose role is nothing more than to make the Captain look wonderful. Neelix constantly tells the crew and the Captain how wonder they are and how he wants to make them happy. This makes him one-dimensional, boring and annoying. This is why the Ferengi work and the Telaxions typically don't.

In this episode we finally start to see Neelix express some independence and put his own interests above the crew which was refreshing. The downside was the ending...so JANEWAY lectures Neelix on ethics? She's arrogant, egotistical, hypothetical and makes bad ethical decisions all the time.

What Neelix did wasn't so bad... Had Janeway herself gotten into the same situation are we saying she wouldn't have made similar choices? Map for medical supplies? Being shocked that the medical supplies were drugged? Defending herself when the deal went bad? Evading the authorities when their rules and punishments were excessive and cruel?

Agree with (Dr.) Smith above. This had a DS9 vibe that I liked.

I also like that it gave us a little bit better idea of the Delta Quadrant with the Nekrit Expanse and how it separated the outer areas from the rest of the DQ

Teaser : **, 5%

Neelix is playing an old tape with Tuvok, insisting he's ready to be a full-fledged security officer and complaining that he wasn't invited (again) to a training session.

TUVOK: If you recall, Mister Neelix, I did not guarantee you a position.
...
NEELIX: I've been working hard at this. I really do feel I have a great deal to contribute to the Voyager beyond my current role.

It is very difficult to make a character with Neelix' role work on Star Trek. Guinan was typically great, but she was a secondary character, not a main cast member; they brought her in when they needed her. Quark has the advantage here because his job connects him to various facets of the DS9 universe; he has history with the Bajorans and the Cardassians, he has an ongoing subplot related to his own people, he has under-the-table dealings with various space mafiosi, AND he's the bar tender for DS9's Starfleet personnel. He can put on various hats as the story demands, and he can even be the hero of the small Ferengi stories like “Looking for Parmach...” without watering down the main thrust of the series. Ever since his introduction in “Caretaker,” Voyager has been casting about for ways to make Neelix seem useful, from “Parturition” and “Investigations” to “Warlord” and “Macrocosm.” But in pretty much every instance, this effort only serves to highlight how useless he is. The smartest thing about the set up in this episode is that Neelix seems to be conscious of this dynamic. A lot of the time, you really want to strangle Neelix (hi Tuvok) and tell him to shut up and be grateful that he gets to take a daily bath. But we know from “Jetrel” especially that Neelix has a massive inferiority complex. That's a very real facet of human nature to explore, but it isn't heroic. Voyager finally seems to be accepting this fact and looking for ways to continue his arc without pissing off the audience.

I also want to briefly mention the complaints about the Kes breakup here. If the breakup happened in “Warlord” (and it did), then we barely saw either him or Kes in “The Q and the Grey” (just that paycheque-collecting scene in the beginning), and then we saw a bit of Neelix in “Macrocosm.” Given what happened in “Warlord,” there is absolutely no chance that a Neelix still in a relationship with Kes would have arrived at a ship with a missing crew and not gone on and on about needing to rescue his “sweetie.” There would have been an exchange where Janeway reassures him, yadda yadda. We know this. On the contrary, his new ambassadorial role and pestering of Tuvok all suggest that he's looking for ways to fill the void left by the breakup. Do we really need to have a scene where he gives a personal log explicitly stating that he's feeling lonely now, or can we read some context clues?

Anyway, Tuvok isn't the only victim of Neelix' ennui, as his next stop is to pester Torres over a similar gambit to become a grease monkey. As we might recall from “Threshold,” this is probably a bad idea. The scene also introduces us to Ensign Vorik who decided to change his name after “Lower Decks” so they wouldn't blow the budget paying Rene Echevarria every time he shows up. With Hogan and Jonas dead, and Joe Carey trapped in a pocket dimension or whatever, Torres needs a new number 2. I do like the idea of having more than one Vulcan around. It can feel a little pat sometimes when Spock, Worf, Data, Troi, Guinan, Odo and Dax are the only members of their kind to interact with.

Janeway calls Neelix to the bridge before Torres sends him to the sickbay with a bloody nose. The Voyager has encountered some lightning-filled purple dust in space which Neelix identifies as the Naked Expanse or something. Sounds fun.

Act 1 : ***, 17%

JANEWAY: Looks like we'll be counting on your knowledge of the Delta quadrant even more than usual, Neelix.

Just a little twist of the knife. Neelix does know of a small trading depot on the outskirts of the expanse, but its exact coordinates elude him. The first time I travelled to Europe, it was alone and to countries where I barely spoke the language, and it was in the days before smart phones. I spent hours memorising maps and street names so that I would be able to get around and avoid getting conscripted into a sexually confusing music video or whatever else happens to lost teens in Berlin. Now, I don't think I could find my way to the nearest hardware store without google maps. The actual point of the exchange is that Chakotay finds the station with sensors and everyone is happy to proceed, but Neelix feels like a bit of a failure.

The Voyager makes contact with Baccarat or whatever, the station administrator, and make plans to board and trade for provisions. Paris does his job of post-conversation one-liner and then is assigned to the away team with Janeway, Chakotay, and of course Neelix. Janeway herself meets Baccarat in his office, which is essentially the nightmare scenario you imagine when you're in a public bathroom. He has cameras fixed on seemingly every corner of the station and sentinels the activities of every visitor and inhabitant all by himself. If not for the fact that this eats up so much of his time and attention that he can barely make eye contact with Janeway, you'd be forgiven for assuming this to be his masturbatorium.

While she puts up her spatterguard, Chakotay and Paris apparently look like they're in the market for some space LSD. They reject the dealer's offer in a way that would make Tasha Yar very proud and Tom makes yet *another* post-conversation quip.

Neelix meanwhile is scouring the station for a map of the Naked Expanse but also receives something he didn't bargain for, an old friend called Wix. I think about this episode every time I have to update my website. Too bad Echevarria didn't think to copyright that name instead of Taurik. The two Talaxians get caught up over space beers and Wix finds himself impressed with Neelix' lot on the Voyager. Impressed and a little jealous. See, Wix hasn't had an easy time of it, coincidentally, ever since he and Neelix last saw each other.

NEELIX: I don't think I ever told you how much I valued what you did.
WIXIBAN: You'd have done the same for me.
NEELIX: Yes, I would have. But you were the one who got caught. I owe you a great deal. If there's anything I can do to help...

Like I said, this is a brave thing to do. The implication here is that Neelix most definitely would not have “done the same” for his friend. Our introduction to Neelix in “Caretaker” saw him lying to the Voyager crew to save his girlfriend and showing little remorse for it. And he admitted to hiding from the draft on Talax not for the sake of pacifist convictions, but simple cowardice. That doesn't mean he lacks convictions but he isn't heroic. This is substantially different from the “grey” characters over on DS9 who may choose to do awful things for potentially good reasons. No one accuses Sisko, Garak, Eddington or Sloan of being cowards (well, except for me). Depending on what side of the ethical/moral debates you land on, all of them are aspirational in some way. It is remarkable that the writers chose to make a non-aspirational character like Neelix a protagonist in the show. For the most part it backfired, but I think what makes Neelix appealing in a limited way is the fact that he represents the selves we are ashamed to admit to.

After putting his good fortune to words, Neelix' shame surfaces as he tells Wix he suspects his time on the Voyager is about to end. Remember what Q said in “The Q and the Grey”:

Q: I understand that you acquire things for [Janeway], create little interesting diversions, prepare little tasty treats. After all, why else would she be so fond of your fur-lined face?

Neelix rebuffed him, but, yeah, I think this struck very close to home, which is why he tells Wix:

NEELIX: The main reason Captain Janeway needed me was as a guide, to give her information about this quadrant. But I've never been beyond the Nekrit Expanse. I can't tell her anything about what's ahead...They don't really need a cook, and I don't think our Captain really requires an Ambassador. I've tried to find some other area where I might be useful, but, the truth is, I'm not needed.

Act 2 : ***, 17%

While Vorik makes some repairs to Neelix' replicator in the Mess Hall (I'm guessing the All Leola Root Buffet wasn't popular), Chakotay shows up with Wix in tow. Neelix' old friend managed to find the actual gadgets Paris and Chakotay were looking for when they were offered drugs AND he takes the time to talk up Neelix' “varied” talents. Philips makes the most of the uncomfortable set-up here managing to induce genuine feelings of anxiety while still being funny.

He dismisses Vorik and confronts Wix over what he assumes was stolen goods acquired for his ship.

WIXIBAN: Of course not. I wouldn't do that to you. Neelix, I need the work. I don't live on a comfortable starship. No one looks out for me except me. Maybe you've forgotten what that feels like...I've been stuck on that trash heap of a space station for three years. My ship's been impounded. I can't afford to give Bahrat what he wants to get it back. Do you begrudge me an opportunity to make a *fair trade?*

Ooo ooo he said it, he said the name of the thing! Wix is actually bursting with good news, having located some perineum or whatever it was Janeway was looking for and even a map for Neelix. Getting the map will require Neelix to help his old friend with another trade. He's going to help some dying orphans with a lung disease by trading in medical supplies. Aww. And as luck would have it, this beneficent trade will make Wix juuuust enough money to get his ship back from Baccarat. Gee willickers. Neelix is so myopic about his own needs (as he is wont to be) that he misses the obvious truth-massaging going on here. Wix needs Neelix to help him procure a shuttle to acquire the “medicine” AND he needs Neelix not to tell anybody what's actually happening here...er, because Baccarat will keep 20% of the profit, darn him! Neelix clearly knows that he's being lied to, but feigning ignorance is the only way he's going to get his hands on the map. And at this point, while he wouldn't *want* to screw Baccarat out of his commission necessarily, he owes Wix a big favour and this is about as severe a crime as fudging write-offs on your tax return. Again, Neelix isn't aspirational, but he's relatable.

Next thing we see, Neelix and Wix have already picked up their goods and are shuttling back to the station. Neelix is irritable. At first it seems like this is because Janeway's supply of perineum is less than half what he promised, but...

NEELIX: I don't like keeping the whole truth from Commander Chakotay. It's not honest.
WIXIBAN: I don't remember you ever being so squeamish about twisting the truth.
NEELIX: Wix, I'm not what I used to be.
WIXIBAN: Neither am I. We've both tried to change our lives. You've done it. Now I have the same chance.

I really like this juxtaposition. Neelix has “made” a better life for himself in that his material conditions are better than they were. But his methods aren't really any different from Wix'; he's lied, padded his own experience and abilities (remember his alleged survivor skills from “Basics”?), and manipulated Captain Janeway into keeping him around, just like Q said. I'm reminded of Sisko's line from “The Maquis”: “It's easy to be a saint in paradise.” The solution, then, is to make more paradise. More paradise, more saints. Neelix didn't actually earn his place on the Voyager, and that doesn't matter. He's become a better person by proximity. But old habits die hard, and at this point, Neelix' reform only manifests as guilt, not action.

Wix grabs a phaser before the pair beam to the station (“just a precaution,” don't you know?). The cargo bay they find themselves in is lit in Nouveau Ominous Noir, but Neelix' consternation over this obviously bad idea is interrupted by the arrival of the contact, who just so happens to be LSD man. Well it turns out Wix may be slimier than Neelix, but hardly any brighter as LSD man shoots at the pair instead of paying them. In the end, the phaser fire sets off an alarm, LSD man is shot by Wix, the drugs they were smuggling are stolen, and the Talaxian pair are forced to beam away empty-handed.

Act 3 : ***, 17%

Neelix is angry (with himself) and insists they come clean to Janeway immediately.

WIXIBAN: Do you really want to do that? How is it going to look to your shipmates when they find out you were once a contraband smuggler, and that you were involved in this ugly business tonight? You think your position on the Voyager is precarious now? Wait till they discover the whole truth about you.

Twist the knife.

WIXIBAN: So you'd let Bahrat put me in cryostatic suspension? I guess you would. You did let me spend a year in that Ubean prison...I never told you what it was like in there, did I? About eating worms to stay alive. Sleeping in a cell where the vermin chew on you all night. Being punished in ways you couldn't imagine.

Twist again. Neelix agrees to keep the incident a secret but considers his debt paid and their relationship at an end.

Oh did I say twist? Well when Neelix returns to the Voyager, Baccarat is there along with a livid Janeway informing the senior staff that LSD man was actually murdered. They don't know by whom, but they've identified the energy signature of Wix' phaser. Whoopsie.

Tuvok is assigned to investigate and the next thing we see, Neelix is entering his office for an interview. He's obviously extremely nervous, but Tuvok is only suspicious of Wix. He wants Neelix' help questioning his friend, er, “acquaintance.” And so, we see the trio aboard the station. Tuvok is his usually inscrutable self, Neelix is dripping with guilt and fear, and Wix seems to be a skilled liar.

TUVOK: Where were you at the time of the shooting?
WIXIBAN: In bed, asleep.
TUVOK: Can anyone corroborate that?
WIXIBAN: Alas, Mister Tuvok, I sleep alone.

Alas, Wix' quarters don't seem to interest Baccarat and his creepy voyeurism. Anyway, Tuvok leaves for now and Wix has even worse news to share; the people supplying the drugs (“mean as fire snakes!”) aren't happy and are demanding something in payment, a sample of the Voyager's warp plasma. Wix has promised them that Neelix can acquire it. Despite their conflicts, Wix is so confident that Neelix will look out for Number One in the end, that he doesn't even wait for him to answer. He just tells him when and where to meet him for the trade.

Act 4 : ***, 17%

Paris is looking for a containment unit for bio-memedic gels they're going to collect tomorrow. File that one away. Of course, the specific unit can't be replicated and is instead somewhere in this disorganised room full of empty containers because...Anyway, Neelix arrives to give him a hand and provide a little character follow-up to “Investigations.” He asks Tom what it was that landed him in prison.

PARIS: I've thought a lot about that, and it comes down to one simple fact. I didn't tell the truth. I made a mistake, which happens to people, but if I'd admitted that mistake it would have been a lot better. But I lied about it, and it nearly ruined my life.

I like the sentiment here, but this is contrived as hell. I think a scene with Harry, Torres, Tom and Neelix in the Mess Hall or at the resort would have worked much better.

-Torres makes a biting but still flirtatious remark about Tom's time in prison.
-Neelix over-politely asks Tom if he wouldn't mind explaining just what got him there, pulled out of the reverie of his own predicament.
-Tom tells a somewhat smoothed-over version of events.
-Harry shakes his head and bluntly reminds his friend that it wouldn't have been so bad if he hadn't lied about it.
-Paris admits that this is true.
-Torres, Kim and Tom take a drink in quiet unison.
-The camera lingers on Neelix, who's left his cup untouched.

There was an opportunity here for a more fleshed out scene that felt natural and conveyed the message without feeling like an after-school special.

Under the pretence of logging some time near the engine, Neelix gets Vorik to grant him access to the warp core. We see him crawl his way to a port and prepare to steal three grams of plasma. The camera lingers on Neelix' face, a look of pained resignation washes over him and he slumps, defeated.

Then we see Neelix meet Wixiban on the station. He tells his friend that he couldn't go through with it. One touch I like is how Philips is playing this with something like joy. He's in big trouble, but Neelix is happy that his ethics have outgrown his self-interest. And that is how you take an unlikeable protagonist with non-aspirational characteristics and make him an effective hero in a Star Trek story. Well done.

Ah, but we have one more knife-twist before the final act. Baccarat and his guards arrive and order “you two” to be still and prepare for arrest. But the “two” in question aren't the Talaxians, it's actually Tom and Chakotay who are hauled off. Baccarat presents his circumstantial evidence to Janeway, footage of her men having that anti-drug PSA in Act 1. One interesting touch here is Baccarat's admission that he has to charge *somebody* with a crime or risk anarchy on the station. This reminds me a bit of “Tribunal,” where the carceral system was shown to be more about servicing political ends than actually delivering justice, which, you know, it is. Defund the damned police.

Act 5 : ***.5, 17%

Given the increased stakes, Neelix and Wix confess their crime to Baccarat, but Neelix proposes a Fair Trade for letting them off the hook for it. The pair convince the administrator that his threats of imprisonment and mass surveillance masturbatorium aren't particularly effective in deterring crime. It's far more likely that minor offenders like Wix end up paying for the unpunished crimes of the big players like LSD man and his ilk. Boy this sounds familiar...Anyway, if Neelix and Wix can turn the king pin over to Baccarat by pretending to deliver the warp plasma, the charges against them will be dropped. Baccarat will also provide a sample of plasma to use instead of the Voyager's. The details of Neelix' plan are left intentionally vague. Once again, it's self interest (Wix' only option other than death and imprisonment is to go along with this, and the likely outcome is that the pair will die and Baccart won't have to deal with them anymore) facilitate this slight of hand.

So, the Talaxian duo find themselves in a dark alley once again while Baccarat observes his cameras being tampered with and prepares to move in and make the arrest. When the drug kings arrive, Neelix presses a button on the plasma storage unit. The dealers immediately discover that the sample isn't pure, but Neelix informs them they're under arrest...oh and that he opened up the unit to leak plasma into the air, meaning any weapons discharge or transporter beam would kill them all.

TOSIN: Then you will die with me, little man.
NEELIX: No problem at all, if it means getting rid of an Orillian lung maggot like you. Go ahead. You'd be doing me a favour. I have nothing to lose. Fire away!
WIXIBAN: Neelix!
NEELIX: Shoot. What are you waiting for? Fire!

Between the cinematography, the music, and Philips' chilling nihilistic performance, this is a substantially dark turn for this episode. While the leap to suicide is more abrupt than in “Hard Time,” I do think the story manages to earn this moment; Neelix isn't being motivated solely by his guilt and his fear like O'Brien was, but there is a degree of positive emotion in the mix. He found that his conscience was stronger than his ego and if Neelix were to die right now, he could actually live with himself. Additionally, there's the looming prospect that even if his plan works perfectly and he and Wix aren't killed, Neelix will be left behind as Janeway not only will have no more use for him, but she'll be motivated to put someone who lied and nearly stole from her off her ship. Well, Baccarat shows up, someone panics and there's a great big explosion that vaporises at least one person while the Talaxians duck for cover. (Yes it's that same big dumb green explosion from “Macrocosm”)

Jump cut and Neelix is awakening in the sick bay. The EMH and Kes get a couple of cameo lines and Tuvok informs him that all the loose ends have been tied up; Chakotay and Tom are free, the drug dealers are in custody, and Wix has departed. We are left to wonder what kind of choices he might make now that he's had a brush with paradise.

Janeway arrives, seething in that oh-so-JaneWay of hers and the rest of the cast disperse. She demands an explanation.

NEELIX: I just took one step. A step that seemed perfectly reasonable. And that step lead to another and another, and before I knew what I was involved in something I didn't know how to handle.
JANEWAY: What was it? What was so important that you were willing to throw away your principles?

File that one away, too. Anyway, Neelix explains about his inadequacy and his fears of being put off the ship. Janeway quotes “The First Duty,” which is amusing on several levels given the re-named Taurik and Paris play peripheral roles in this story. It's also a way to acknowledge Neelix' efforts to find a job with Tuvok or Torres—if Neelix is going to take on Starfleet duties at some point, he's got to get the basics first.

NEELIX: But, I can't guide you. I can't advise you. I don't know what's coming.
JANEWAY: Well, that's not the point, is it? None of us knows what's coming. That's what Starfleet is all about. We are all in this together, Neelix, and we have to be able to count on each other no matter how hard it gets.

A little schmaltzy and on the nose? Yeah. But Neelix' effervescent gratitude at being assigned the “Learning Curve” toothbrush-scrubbing of shame punishment made me crack a smile.

Episode as Functionary : ***, 10%

I don't have too much to say here. I think the writers had a specific task of rescuing the Neelix character from the lows of Season 2 and setting him back on the path we saw in “Jetrel.” They pulled it off without ignoring what transpired in between, showing us the way his relationships with Tom, Tuvok, Janeway and Kes have changed. Wixiban made a good foil, the plot was sensible, the production was smart, and Philips delivered the goods. The Naked Expanse begins the Voyager tradition of temporarily introducing unique areas of space for the ship to pass through and communicate progress on its journey back to the Alpha Quadrant to the audience. For the first two seasons, it felt like the Voyager was spinning its wheels in space given how they kept running into Caligula and Seska. There were a couple of things that could have been better here; the conversation with Paris was way on the nose, and there's maybe one too many clichéd elements, but I'd say the writers succeeded in their task and created an enjoyable episode in the process.

Final Score : ***

Ned Ryerson's personality
+
Othello's jealousy
+
Dog the Bounty Hunter's hair
+
The fashion sense of a local children's party clown

=

Neelix.

And to make matters worse, his character was completely pointless. A bad cook on a ship with replicators. A morale officer who annoyed every one he came into contact with. A guide with knowledge of only a small section of the journey. A love interest for a two year old. Do you really want a character with all of these traits to act as the ship's ambassador?

About 95 percent of the character's screen time it to provide comic relief, but he just isn't funny. So those scenes are just pointless filler where the other characters silently stifle their frustration as he blathers on. "Mr Vulcan! Mr Vulcan!"

Even on the rare occasions when he is supposed to be taken seriously, his makeup (mangy humanoid nutria) combined with his 3 piece clown suit attire make it almost impossible to do so.


HAVING SAID ALL OF THAT...this is actually an episode that I liked quite a bit. I'm a fan of "quicksand" like stories where small missteps by characters slowly bring the protagonist down. Ethan Phillips is a talented actor and he does very good work here.



Two final thoughts:


1) I think this would have been the perfect time to remove Neelix from the show. Let the character go out on a high note.

2) The makeup effects were uniformly excellent in this episode. All of the aliens looked fantastic.

A perspective on what happens to Neelix at the end... Neelix has spent basically the entire episode worried that he will be regarded as no longer necessary and therefore put off Voyager. No more comfortable quarters, filling meals, secure environment, or company of friends. He takes desperate measures to prevent that, and winds up only making things worse, and has to confess the truth. I think that given what he was facing, dying in a fireball didn't seem so bad to him. And when the dust settles... he gets two weeks of punishment detail, but he also gets Janeway's explicit assurance that he's part of the family now, and she has no intention of getting rid of him.

I'm sure the punishment was unpleasant, but given that it ended Neelix's fear of something worse, I have to wonder if it was really punishment at all.

"The producers have finally shown that they realize the Delta Quadrant is a big place" So true, I've always thought it odd that Neelix had made it so far as a trader in a small ship.

I must need to watch this one again because I did not enjoy this episode like everyone else seemed to.

The final scene is amazing. This is why I watch Star Trek. It was very uplifting.

I like Voyager, although I haven't seen at a guess more than 60 percent of the episodes. I've been watching Voyager a lot here in 2023 on Pluto TV, so I'm getting caught up. Neelix was a really badly written character the first two seasons, but got better over time. Some of that seems to me to be because he was a smaller role in later years (so less is more) and he just got better writing for his character. Neelix in smaller doses is all right. Also, somebody wrote on this forum that the way to watch this series is to treat Janeway as the villain and the crew as trying to overcome her bad decisions to save themselves and the ship. I like that concept!

First of all I did not like this episode because of the charcaterisation. Bahrat is to square. Two Talaxian are to at least one to much. In general Nelix is overcharachterised. Wix stereotypes a charcter from 50ies B movie.

Having said that, the main and very moral topics are showing strenght, taking resposnisbility when you have done something wrong. And as a judge or manager beeing able to see and recognise both weakneses and qualities in yout staff.

Fair trade. Janeway makes one at the end, keeping Nelix but to a price.

@JPG "Also, somebody wrote on this forum that the way to watch this series is to treat Janeway as the villain and the crew as trying to overcome her bad decisions to save themselves and the ship. I like that concept! "

Well, I do not see Janeway as a perfect leadaer, a villain no. Approach is though appealing. I agree.

I’m sure this has been mentioned before and this isn’t the most relevant episode to talk about it, but as this is the first neelix-centric episode in a while I’m going to lean in here:

Neelix’ treatment of Tuvok is wildly unacceptable. First, he refers to him constantly as ‘mr Vulcan’. I find that very annoying. Tuvok has a name, you know, Tuvok. He also has a rank that he’s earned the right to be addressed by. Not to mention that Tuvok is neelix’ senior in both rank and years! Mr Vulcan strikes me as somewhat condescending and inappropriately informal. Totally disrespectful.

Secondly, neelix continually goads Tuvok into expressing emotion every chance he gets. I find this totally fucked up. The Vulcan adherence to logic and suppression of emotion isn’t just some whimsical quirk or casual hobby, it’s a major component of their entire sense of self. Trying to get a Vulcan to break down and be emotional is pretty mean spirited, cruel even, it’s tantamount to bullying. Maybe when neelix first came aboard voyager you could cut him some slack being a vulcan ignorant delta quadrant gadabout and all. But it’s been two years, neelix. Read the fucking room already. If I were serving on voyager I’d pull neelix aside and chew him out. What makes all that worse is the fact that Tuvok could beat the crap out of neelix if he wanted to, or just neck pinch him into oblivion, but Tuvok in constrained by ethical guidelines that prohibit him from fucking neelix up. Which makes it feel like neelix is taking advantage of tuvok’s more enlightened philosophy. Not a good friend, very inconsiderate. He’s like one of those assholes who go around insisting that other people smile more. Fuck that, not everything has to be on your terms and from your perspective neelix!

anyhoooo, I agree that this is probably the only episode in which neelix doesn’t make me wish harm upon him, so there’s that. Pretty impressive really.

I’ll never understand the Neelix hate. I’ve always enjoyed the character.

In a way, I think this episode should have come earlier in the series. Neelix thinks the Voyager crew will abandon him once he doesn't know the area they are traveling thru??? That's absurd! He's living with them for a couple years, and should know better than that

Either way, I am really impressed by this episode. It teaches a good lesson in honesty. Such a shame that Neelix was among bad association that tried to sway him to do wrong. The guys on Voyager should have been told right away once Neelix realized that his acquaintance lied to him, and killed a man

@John B-I never undersood the hate for Neelix either. It seems as if people just like to have someone to pick on. He is actually a very upstanding character (despite his lapses in this episode)

Someone mentioned that they think Ethan Phillips is a bad actor. I don't believe that, however I will say this: back in the early 80s, he played Pete on Benson (René Auberjonois (Odo from DS9) was also a regular on that show). As much as I loved the show, I can really see Pete in Neelix's character (they were very similar to me) These are the only 2 things I recall seeing him in, so maybe he is a kind of one-note actor. If his character bothers you, I can see your not liking him, but frankly, I've always liked Neelix. I also liked his romance with Kes-I know that also bothered a lot of people, and I frankly don't know why.

That said, it really didn't go anywhere. You would think as captain, Janeway could have married the two of them. Especially with Kes' short lifespan, it just seemed their courtship was drawn out. Which actually is the only real problem I have with this show: everything seems drawn out. You would think that Neelix would have run into unfamiliar space long before this (they are a couple years away from where they started by now), and even the Kazon. If Voyager was going away from them this whole time, their territory should have been left behind a lot sooner than it was. I guess the real world reason behind this is that it is easier/cheaper to reuse material for alien costumes than to make new ones every week

Still, these complaints are very minor for me. On re-watch, I still find much about this show that I like. While I like all 5 of the Star Trek series, Voyager isn't my least favourite of them like it is for a lot of people here (that would be DS9)

Naw, there are some legit reasons to hate on Neelix starting with how he's basically Star Trek's answer to JarJar in terms of being a flakey comic relief device whose puerile antics feel way too forced and over the top for the gravitas and grounded dramatics of Star Trek. I think he might be more at home in a Saturday morning cartoon show. Also his relationship with Kes was pretty cringey at times. It's still hard to watch him pettily mistreating her even if his insecurity is oh-so-human. But he gets unlimited chances since Kes is Too Good For This Universe. Only when her dreamy naivety was temporarily checked by the intrusion of a cynical psyche did she come back down to earth and realize that she can do so much better.

That said, I think Ethan Phillips is a good person and decent actor.

@Bryan Thank you for explaining this. However, I don't agree. I am amused by many of his antics throughout the season.

The only mistreatment I remember was his jealousy, which was wrong, and which he worked to keep in check. I don't see a reason to hate him for it-we all have personality problems that we have to work on. At least Neelix acknowledged this, and did work on it.

I actually saw Kes' pushback toward Neelix as an indication of the evil guy who was controlling her, not as something positive

But then again, I don't hate Jar Jar Binks although I am not as amused by his antics. Actually, I think his voice and speech bothered me more than his actions, which isn't a trait that Neelix has

@Sean

Even though I think people have valid concerns about Neelix (myself included) my own take is a little more nuanced and broader than simply that.

I too am amused by some of Neelix's antics, especially the back-and-forth between him and Tuvok. However, I think what's best about this is that he's simply acting as a foil to bring out Tuvok's dry humor and witticisms, which alternatively could have been aroused by any annoying disposal character of the week.

As for Kes' pushback against Neelix, what I found really interesting about that episode is what while, yes, "Kes" initially pushed Neelix away when she wasn't really Kes, but an evil imposter who took her body who had much bigger diabolical plans than romancing a zany Talaxian... later on, when the evil entity had been fully purged from her system, Kes actually re-iterated that she was no longer romantically interested in Neelix and they never got back together after that. All it took was that little bit of space for her to realize that she preferred to keep that distance between them permanently.

Sometimes you've been swimming in something for so long that you lose the capacity to imagine life beyond the pool... so sheer inertia and uncritical acceptance keeps you on that same path. The evil entity wasn't the cause for that change, it was just the catalyst which really could have been any disruptive shake-up that forced her to think outside of her habitual reality.

I also agree that, at least aesthetically Neelix is far superior to Jar Jar. His voice isn't /that/ bad and he's a well-designed alien, visually-speaking, which really accentuates his particular quirks and personality.