Tuvix
"Tuvix" is the 40th episode of the science fiction television program Star Trek: Voyager. The episode originally aired on UPN 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 ethical implications. Tom Wright guest stars as Tuvix to lend more credence to a unique new character that consists of equal parts Tuvok and Neelix. Both director Cliff Bole and Wright himself had reservations about the latter's take on the character, and despite a perceived lack of support, Wright still praised the Voyager cast and crew. Both the story and performances of "Tuvix" were lauded by the production team and critics alike.
"Tuvix" was well received by fans and critics, earning generally positive reviews. Researchers and critics found "Tuvix" teeming with technical and philosophical content, including thematic ties to other episodes in the Star Trek canon, real-world logical and metaphysical ramifications, and scientific concessions for the story.
Plot
On stardate 49655.2, Lieutenant Tuvok and Neelix are sent to collect botanical samples from a class-M planet. When beamed back aboard, the two men and the orchids they collected are merged at the molecular level to become a single lifeform which names himself Tuvix. After ruling out transporter malfunction, the crew discovers that when demolecularized, the genetic material of the alien flowers acted as a symbiogenetic catalyst and is the culprit for the combination of the two crewmembers. Unfortunately, the process cannot be reversed, and Tuvix is accepted as a member of the crew with the rank of lieutenant, functioning as chief tactical officer in Tuvok's stead.Kes reacts poorly to Tuvix as his existence deprives her of both Tuvok and Neelix, her mentor and boyfriend respectively. Her displeasure lessens over the course of the episode, but never completely eases. Captain Janeway accepts Tuvix in his role as an excellent chief tactical officer and "an able advisor, who skillfully uses humor to make his points". Tuvix himself, having the combined memories and personalities of his constituents, melds the previously intractable qualities of both and improves upon them, flexing either muscle as the situation requires: "Chief of security or head chef, take your pick!"
Two weeks after the accident, the Doctor develops a contemporary equivalent to radiocontrasting, using a custom radioisotope with which he can identify the disparate DNA of the two original crewmen and use the transporter to disentangle them. However, Tuvix denounces the procedure; he argues that he has rights, and to restore the two lost crewmen would require his execution. After discussing the situation with Commander Chakotay, Kes, and Tuvix himself, Janeway ultimately decides to proceed with the separation, acting in absentia to protect the rights of the two constituent men. Tuvix makes a final emotive plea for support from the crew, but finds no supporters. After the Doctor refuses to take Tuvix's life in compliance with the medical precept of doing no harm, Janeway performs the procedure herself and succeeds in restoring both Tuvok and Neelix.
Production
, Merri D. Howard, Kenneth Biller, Peter Lauritson, and Brannon Braga were all credited as producers on "Tuvix", while Jay Chattaway was credited with the music and Marvin V. Rush was the cinematographer. Daryl Baskin edited the episode to its 46-minute runtime.Writing
During its development, "Tuvix" was previously known as "Untitled Tuvok/Neelix", "One", and "Symbiogenesis", with the third of these persisting through the episode's development and shooting. The episode and its teleplay were written by Kenneth Biller; the story is credited to Andrew Shepard Price and Mark Gaberman, for which they earned. Though described by Biller as "high-concept", the original story by Price and Gaberman was much more light-hearted and tended towards slapstick. Biller and Braga found the tone of the episode was so akin to a 1960s sitcom, the two of them even wrote a theme song for it: "It's Tuvok, it's Neelix! It's two guys, in-a-fix! It's Tuuuuvix!" Biller re-wrote the episode to focus more on the serious philosophical questions raised by the episode and especially the inevitable separation of Tuvix back into the series regulars. In Biller's original treatment, Tuvix recognized that the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few and consented to his fissure. However, after a discussion with executive producer Michael Piller, Biller began to at the audience" by throwing up roadblocks to the episode's foregone conclusion; first Tuvix was re-written to object to the procedure, and then the Doctor's refusal was added to force Captain Janeway to put truth to action. Piller later described Biller as "the poet laureate of Star Trek", highlighting his work on "Tuvix" and "Lifesigns" as examples.Filming
Tom Wright described working on "Tuvix" as an exercise in forcing himself to work outside his known comfort areas and confessed he was unsure of the quality of the end product. The actor complained about what he saw as a lack of support and guidance from the Voyager team, saying he felt adrift and unsure as to what was expected of his performance, especially since his portrayal reflected two of the starring characters. However, he also conceded that it may have been intentional in an effort to evoke a genuine sense of off-balancedness in the character. Either way, though he was unaccustomed to the environment, Wright expressed his willingness to revisit Tuvix or even work on any Star Trek again if the opportunity arose. In interviews, Wright specifically fondly recalled his time working with Jennifer Lien, Kate Mulgrew, and director Cliff Bole.In a 1997 interview, Wright explained how the episode's dialogue posed a challenge in that not only did he have to take great care to adhere to the vernacular of Star Trek and not sound too contemporary or "too 1997", but he had to take several days to accommodate himself to the episode's "treknobabble" with the assistance of Robert Duncan McNeill. Bole later praised Wright for his ability to improvise, but explained that it was to the actor's detriment as "Star Trek is not an ad-lib format", and he felt Wright assumed he could wing some of it. Mulgrew also bemoaned the technobabble in "Tuvix" when asked by Starlog for her most memorable line thereof; "When did he cease to be a transporter accident and start to be an individual?"
Bole heaped praise on the episode's final scene in which Janeway "stalks" into the corridor outside sickbay after performing the procedure which restores Tuvok and Neelix. He extolled, "That last shot I did with Kate , as she's walking into the camera, she told the whole story with her face. She gave a great performance. I only asked for a few things; she brought that look and emotion to work with her." In his book The Meaning of Star Trek, author Thomas Richards also credited Mulgrew in this scene. Richards saw Janeway troubled by her difficult decision between two undesirable options and how "she must live with the choice. death has cast a shadow over the ship, and for the first time in the series the Federation has put to death one of its own."
In a 1996 interview, Robert Picardo reminisced that as the Doctor he had "a substantial amount" to do in "Tuvix". Picardo would also look back on the episode, and the scene in which he "countermand the captain" especially, as a turning point in the Doctor's and Janeway's relationship, calling it an "interesting moment for both characters". Ethan Phillips also remembered being excited reading the script for "Tuvix", as it was an opportunity to discover more about his character.
The science lab set in the first act is a redress of the isolation chamber in sickbay, but with a blue background as opposed to the yellow.
Casting
In addition to Tom Wright as Tuvix, guest stars included Simon Billig as Hogan and Bahni Turpin as Swinn. Casting for "Tuvix" was done by Junie Lowry-Johnson, C.S.A., and Ron Surma.Tuvix
and the episode's producers originally considered having series regular Ethan Phillips portray Tuvix, but decided against it, fearing that he was too identifiable and would have difficulty integrating an equal amount of the Tuvok character into his performance.The only non-recurring guest star in "Tuvix" is the eponymous fusion of two main characters. Though guest stars have occasionally played major recurring characters—e.g. Sandra Smith as Captain Kirk in the original Star Trek "Turnabout Intruder" and David Birkin as Captain Picard in Star Trek: The Next Generation "Rascals"—Tom Wright is the first to portray two in the same episode.
When contacted by his talent agent, Wright jumped at the opportunity to create a character wholly unique to the Star Trek franchise. When he auditioned for the role of Tuvix, Wright had never seen Star Trek: Voyager and was completely unfamiliar with the characterizations of Tuvok and Neelix. Instead, he drew upon his prior experiences with the characters' actors, Tim Russ and Ethan Phillips respectively, to successfully vie for the role. Executive producer Jeri Taylor was pleased with the casting of Wright, marveling at his ability to bring credibility to the prospect of two characters in one.
After securing the role, Wright was provided video of Tuvok and Neelix from previous episodes from which he refined the character. Instead of portraying Tuvix as simply a vessel for two separate consciousnesses, Wright blended the two characters to form a unique third. Wright focused on juxtaposing the contrary physical and emotional natures of the two characters in his performance; in scenes where Neelix's persona is more prominent, Wright played up Tuvok's composed physicality, and in scenes where Tuvok's skills and experience were needed, Wright leaned more heavily on Neelix's exuberant mannerisms. Wright also worked hard to exhibit the intrinsic warmth of both characters and make Tuvix as likable and sympathetic a character as possible. Author David McIntee felt that Tuvix expressed more of Neelix's mannerisms than Tuvok's. He also noted that Tuvix adopted Neelix's right-handedness as opposed to Tuvok's left-handedness.