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| Neelix | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek character | |
.jpg) | |
| First appearance | "Caretaker" (1995) |
| Last appearance | "Endgame" (2001) |
| Portrayed by | Ethan Phillips |
| In-universe information | |
| Species | Talaxian (part Mylean) |
| Affiliation | Starfleet |
| Posting |
|
Neelix (/ˈniːlɪks/) is a character in thescience fiction television seriesStar Trek: Voyager, played by actorEthan Phillips since the series' inception. Neelix is an alien native to the far side of the galaxy, who joins the crew of the United Federation of Planets starshipUSSVoyager after it is captured and flung to theDelta Quadrant by a mysterious shockwave. He serves as acook, morale officer, and eventual ambassador for the crew.
Neelix was played by actorEthan Phillips.[1] Phillips has a master's degree in fine arts fromCornell University, and had his start in acting performing on Broadway shows.[1]
The character of Neelix is from Rinax, a moon of the planet Talax, located in the Delta Quadrant of the show's fictional representation of theMilky Way galaxy. His entire family was killed in aconflict with the Haakonian race.
Neelix was introduced in "Caretaker", the two-part pilot episode of the series, where he was rescued along with his Ocampan loverKes by theVoyager crew. Previously a space trader, Neelix states his familiarity with the Delta Quadrant and appoints himself the ship's cook. He later earns the titles of Morale Officer and Chief Ambassador. WhenNaomi Wildman becomes the first baby born aboardVoyager, her mother Samantha names Neelix as her daughter's godfather.
Neelix departs the show in the seventh season's 23rd episode "Homestead". The ship encounters a colony of Talaxians, the last of his species that he is likely to see as the ship travels further from his home, and he chooses to stay with them. The character returns for a cameo in the series finale, "Endgame".
The persona of Neelix is also the central character inThe Star Trek Cookbook, published by Pocket Books/Star Trek; 1st edition (January 1, 1999;ISBN 978-0671000226) by Ethan Phillips andWilliam J. Birnes. The cookbook includes contributions byStar Trek actors from across several series and movies, as the cook of the USSVoyager accounts for the eclectic task of feeding its 140 diverse crew members. The recipe book also features a fictional guide for whipping up the drinks served atQuark's.
The cookbook has real recipes often named after Alien meals from the Star Trek universe, but prepared with traditional real-life ingredients.[1] There is also a section that discusses how food props were made for the television show by Alan Simms.[1]
In 2018,The Wrap ranked Neelix as the fourth-worst character ofStar Trek overall (out of 39 main characters), but noted his optimism and humour.[2] In 2016, the character was ranked as the 62nd most important character in service toStarfleet within theStar Trek science fiction universe (out of 100 characters) byWired magazine.[3]
In 2019,TMZ remembered Neelix as the "super-friendly chef, navigator and ambassador" ofStar Trek: Voyager.[4]
In 2020,SyFy felt that Neelix had a hard time getting goodstorylines compared to the other characters, with an exception being "Mortal Coil", which they ranked the 12th best episode ofStar Trek: Voyager.[5]
In 2021,The Digital Fix felt "Fair Trade" was an attempt to develop the character of Neelix, who they said has a "crisis of purpose" in this episode.[6]
Some commentators felt Kes was too young to be dating Neelix.[7][8] According toDen of Geek's Juliette Harrisson, theage gap was frequently criticized online.[9] Science fiction authorSylvia Spruck Wrigley interpreted Kes as undergoingpuberty in "Elogium", noting that it raises questions about Neelix starting a relationship with aprepubescent girl.[10] Harrisson andThe Philadelphia Inquirer's Jonathan Storm wrote that the age difference could be rationalized since Kes and Neelix are aliens with different biology than humans.[11][12]