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Neelix () is a character in the
science fiction Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', played by actor
Ethan Phillips Ethan Phillips (born John Ethan Phillips February 8, 1955) is an American actor and playwright. He is best known for his television roles as Neelix on '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and PR man Pete Downey on '' Benson''. Personal life Phillips was raise ...
since the series' inception. Neelix is an alien native to the distant far side of the galaxy, who has joined the crew of the United Federation of Planets starship USS ''Voyager'' as a
cook Cook or The Cook may refer to: Food preparation * Cooking, the preparation of food * Cook (domestic worker), a household staff member who prepares food * Cook (professional), an individual who prepares food for consumption in the food industry * ...
, morale officer and later as ambassador after its being captured by a mysterious shock wave to the
Delta Quadrant Several films and episodes of the science fiction franchise ''Star Trek'' are set in distinct astrographical regions of space. Some of these fictional locations exhibit anomalous physical properties; others are defined as sensitive buffer zones ...
.


Casting

Neelix was played by actor Ethan Phillips. Phillips had a master's degree in fine arts from
Cornell University Cornell University is a private statutory land-grant research university based in Ithaca, New York. It is a member of the Ivy League. Founded in 1865 by Ezra Cornell and Andrew Dickson White, Cornell was founded with the intention to teach an ...
, and had his start in acting performing on Broadway shows.


Biography

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 the
Milky Way The Milky Way is the galaxy that includes our Solar System, with the name describing the galaxy's appearance from Earth: a hazy band of light seen in the night sky formed from stars that cannot be individually distinguished by the naked eye ...
galaxy. His entire family was killed in a conflict with the Haakonian race. Neelix was introduced in "
Caretaker Caretaker may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media * ''The Caretaker'' (film), a 1963 adaptation of the play ''The Caretaker'' * '' The Caretakers'', a 1963 American film set in a mental hospital * Caretaker, a character in the 1974 film '' ...
", the two-part pilot episode of the series, where he was rescued along with his Ocampan lover Kes by the ''Voyager'' 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. When
Naomi Wildman Naomi or Naomie may refer to: People and biblical figures * Naomi (given name), a female given name and a list of people with the name * Naomi (biblical figure), Ruth's mother-in-law in the Old Testament Book of Ruth * Naomi (Romanian singer) (bo ...
becomes the first baby born aboard ''Voyager'', her mother Samantha names Neelix as her daughter's godfather. Neelix departs the show in the seventh season's 23rd episode "
Homestead Homestead may refer to: *Homestead (buildings), a farmhouse and its adjacent outbuildings; by extension, it can mean any small cluster of houses * Homestead (unit), a unit of measurement equal to 160 acres *Homestead principle, a legal concept t ...
". 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, "
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".


''The Star Trek Cookbook''

The persona of Neelix is also the central character in ''The Star Trek Cookbook'', published by Pocket Books/Star Trek; 1st edition (January 1, 1999; ) by Ethan Phillips and
William J. Birnes William J. "Bill" Birnes (born November 7, 1944) is an American author, the incoming auditor for Solebury Township, Pennsylvania, the chairman of the board at Sunrise Community Counseling Center, and ufologist. Education Birnes earned a degre ...
. The cookbook includes contributions by ''Star Trek'' actors from across several series and movies, as the cook of the USS ''Voyager'' 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 at Quark's. The cookbook has real recipes often named after Alien meals from the Star Trek universe, but prepared with traditional real-life ingredients. There is also a section that discusses how food props were made for the television show by Alan Simms.


Reception

In 2018, ''The Wrap'' ranked Neelix as the fourth-worst character of ''Star Trek'' overall (out of 39 main characters), but noted his optimism and humour. In 2016, the character was ranked as the 62nd most important character in service to
Starfleet Starfleet is a fictional organization in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. Within this fictional universe, Starfleet is a uniformed space force maintained by the United Federation of Planets ("the Federation") as the principal means for conduc ...
within the ''Star Trek'' science fiction universe (out of 100 characters) by ''Wired'' magazine. In 2019, ''
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'' remembered Neelix as the "super-friendly chef, navigator and ambassador" of ''Star Trek: Voyager''. In 2020, ''SyFy'' felt that Neelix had a hard time getting good storylines compared to the other characters, with an exception being "
Mortal Coil "Mortal coil" is a poetic term for the troubles of daily life and the strife and suffering of the world. It is used in the sense of a burden to be carried or abandoned. To "shuffle off this mortal coil" is to die, exemplified in the "To be, or not ...
", which they ranked the 12th best episode of ''Star Trek: Voyager''. In 2021, ''The Digital Fix'' felt "
Fair Trade Fair trade is an arrangement designed to help producers in developing countries achieve sustainable and equitable trade relationships. The fair trade movement combines the payment of higher prices to exporters with improved social and enviro ...
" was an attempt to develop the character of Neelix, who they said has a "crisis of purpose" in this episode.


References


External links

{{Star Trek: Voyager Fictional chefs Fictional diplomats Star Trek alien characters Star Trek: Voyager characters Television characters introduced in 1995