Tuvok is a fictional character in the ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
'' media franchise. One of the main characters on the television series ''
Star Trek: Voyager'', Tuvok is a member of the fictional
Vulcan
Vulcan may refer to:
Mythology
* Vulcan (mythology), the god of fire, volcanoes, metalworking, and the forge in Roman mythology
Arts, entertainment and media Film and television
* Vulcan (''Star Trek''), name of a fictional race and their home p ...
species who serves as the ship's second officer, Chief of Security, and Chief Tactical Officer.
Tim Russ
Timothy Darrell Russ (born June 22, 1956) is an American actor, director, screenwriter, and musician. He is best known for his roles as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok on '' Star Trek: Voyager'', Robert Johnson in ''Crossroads'' (1986), Casey in '' E ...
portrayed Tuvok throughout the show's run from 1995 to 2001, and has also been involved in subsequent portrayals.
Tuvok's
backstory
A backstory, background story, back-story, or background is a set of events invented for a plot, presented as preceding and leading up to that plot. It is a literary device of a narrative history all chronologically earlier than the narrative of p ...
is that, up to the time of the first episode, "
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 '' ...
", he was working as an undercover Federation agent in a
Maquis
Maquis may refer to:
Resistance groups
* Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance
* Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War
* The network ...
group led by
Chakotay
Chakotay is a fictional character who appears in each of the seven seasons of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager''. Portrayed by Robert Beltran, he was First Officer aboard the Starfleet starship USS ''Voyag ...
aboard the Maquis ship the ''Val Jean''. His recovery is the mission ''Voyager'' is sent on, a mission that is completed by
Janeway at the cost of about one third of her crew and seven years in space, creating the basic setting of the series.
Overview
Over the course of the seven seasons of ''Voyager'' Tuvok's character and back-story are revealed. Tuvok is working as a Federation spy aboard the Maquis raider ''Val Jean'', and he is also ''Voyager''s second officer. As portrayed in the ''Voyager'' pilot "Caretaker", the mission of ''Voyager'' is to retrieve him after that ship goes missing by
Deep Space Nine space station. This follows from a narrative established in the ''Star Trek'' universe by ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'', which was in mid-series at the start of ''Voyager'', as well as ''
Star Trek: The Next Generation'', which had concluded its last season in the spring of 1994 before ''Voyager'' started. ''Voyager'' does retrieve Tuvok, but only because it was abducted 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 ...
by an extra-galactic alien known as the Caretaker. In the course of the ''Voyager'' launch featurette, the crews are used for medical experiments by the Caretaker, the ''Val Jean'' is destroyed, and a number of people are killed, including many important positions on ''Voyager''. Tuvok re-joins the crew and the former Maquis are taken aboard ''Voyager'' as they try to make their way back to Earth. However, the warp drive is too slow, it will take decades to return to Earth because they are on the other side of the Galaxy. Tuvok will be instrumental in many episodes as a fully trained Starfleet officer and with many talents like the Vulcan
mind meld
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...
. In the last season it is revealed that Tuvok was discovered by a Maquis leader who tortured him and altered his memories of this event leading to dramatic events in one episode. Because he is married with a family (a family he is separated from as they are in the Alpha quadrant) a number of episodes refer to this back-story.
The cold open to the sixth-season episode "
Alice" sees
Harry Kim and
Tom Paris
Lieutenant Thomas Eugene "Tom" Paris is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'' and is portrayed by Robert Duncan McNeill. Paris is the chief helmsman, as well as a temporary auxiliary medic, ...
attempting to guess Tuvok's age; they incorrectly guess at 162 and 133 respectively. Later that season, in the episode "
Fury",
Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. She was the Captain of the Starfleet starship USS ''Voyager'' (on '' Star Trek: Voyager'') while it was lost in the Delta Quadrant on the other side of the galaxy. After re ...
discovers Tuvok's birthday and tells him, "It's not long before you hit the big three digits"; this suggests that he is under 100 at the time of the episode; however, in the sixth-season finale, "
Unimatrix Zero
"Unimatrix Zero" is a two-part episode of '' Star Trek: Voyager'', the cliffhanger between 26th episode of the sixth season and the first episode of the seventh season. Starfleet's USS Voyager stranded on the other side of the Galaxy, once again ...
", Tuvok states that he was born on
stardate
''StarDate'' is a science radio program of The University of Texas at Austin McDonald Observatory, broadcast on over 360 radio stations. It is a daily guide to the night sky and breaking astronomical news. Typically heard without formal introdu ...
38774 (equivalent to the year 2264) on Vulcanis, a
lunar colony
Colonization of the Moon or Lunar settlement is a process, or concept employed by some proposals, for claiming robotic or human exploitation and settlement on the Moon.
Laying claim to the Moon has been declared illegal through international ...
belonging to the Vulcan people. The episode is set in the year 2376, which would make Tuvok 112 years old at the time.
As a teenager, portrayed in flashback sequences during "
Gravity
In physics, gravity () is a fundamental interaction which causes mutual attraction between all things with mass or energy. Gravity is, by far, the weakest of the four fundamental interactions, approximately 1038 times weaker than the stro ...
" by LeRoy D. Brazile, Tuvok is revealed to have fallen in love with Jara, daughter to a diplomat of the alien species called Terrelians. When Jara did not return his affections, Tuvok's jealousy caused him to be expelled from school and resulted in his parents sending him to the Vulcan master (Joseph Ruskin) to learn emotional control.
Tuvok attended
Starfleet Academy
In the Setting (fiction), fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's mot ...
in
San Francisco
San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...
. Upon graduation, he was commissioned an ensign at age 29, serving as a junior science officer on the USS Excelsior, under Captain
Hikaru Sulu
Hikaru Kato Sulu is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' media franchise. A member of the crew in the original ''Star Trek'' series, Sulu also appears in the animated ''Star Trek'' series, the first six ''Star Trek'' movies, one episode ...
(seen in the episode "
Flashback").
During his early service with Starfleet, Tuvok became increasingly uncomfortable associating with non-Vulcans, and he resigned his Starfleet commission in 2298 to pursue his people's
Kolinahr
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional Extraterrestrial life, extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted ...
regimen of true non-emotion. Tuvok aborted his study of Kolinahr when he went into
pon farr
''Pon farr'' is a phenomenon in the fictional '' Star Trek'' universe. A part of the reproductive cycle of Vulcans, ''pon farr'' features in the canonical television series as well as in various spin-offs and fan fiction. An extreme physical an ...
six years later, leading to his marriage to T'Pel.
Fifty years later, after much self-examination, Tuvok rejoined Starfleet as a training instructor at
Starfleet Academy
In the Setting (fiction), fictional universe of ''Star Trek'', Starfleet Academy is where recruits to Starfleet's officer corps are trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded. The Academy's mot ...
. His return to Starfleet was marked by a maturity and a reconsideration of the benefits service provided.
After a few years teaching cadets, Tuvok was briefly assigned to the USS ''Billings'' with Janeway, until both Janeway and Tuvok were assigned to the USS ''Wyoming'' and then the ''Intrepid''-class starship
USS ''Voyager'', as Captain (Janeway) and Security and Tactical Officer (Tuvok).
In 2371, Tuvok was assigned to infiltrate the
Maquis
Maquis may refer to:
Resistance groups
* Maquis (World War II), predominantly rural guerrilla bands of the French Resistance
* Spanish Maquis, guerrillas who fought against Francoist Spain in the aftermath of the Spanish Civil War
* The network ...
organization aboard
Chakotay
Chakotay is a fictional character who appears in each of the seven seasons of the American science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager''. Portrayed by Robert Beltran, he was First Officer aboard the Starfleet starship USS ''Voyag ...
's vessel. In the last season, episode four, "
Repression", introduced the premise that during the infiltration mission, Tuvok's identity was uncovered by a Maquis counter-intelligence agent, Teero Anaydis (Keith Szarabajka), who used Tuvok as a laboratory specimen for
mind-control
Brainwashing (also known as mind control, menticide, coercive persuasion, thought control, thought reform, and forced re-education) is the concept that the human mind can be altered or controlled by certain psychological techniques. Brainwash ...
experiments. Although Tuvok was conscious throughout the experiments, Teero wiped his memory when he had finished, ensuring that Tuvok was unable to remember any details. Following the ordeal, Tuvok was released back among the Maquis. This "time-bomb" was activated by a message hidden in a letter from Tuvok's son that caused the events seven years later in the ''Voyager'' timeline.
During an incident involving the Maquis ship and the USS ''Voyager'', both vessels were unwillingly transported 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 ...
by the enigmatic
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 '' ...
. When the Maquis ship was destroyed by crashing into a
Kazon
The Kazon () are a fictional alien race in the ''Star Trek'' franchise. Developed by '' Star Trek: Voyager'' series' co-creators Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor, the Kazon serve as the primary antagonists during the show's firs ...
ship to save the USS ''Voyager'', Tuvok was transported off the ship with a handful of other survivors, and resumed his duties as Security and Tactical Officer.
At that time, ''Voyager'' also picked up two Delta Quadrant natives,
Neelix
Neelix () is a character in the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', played by actor Ethan Phillips since the series' inception. Neelix is an alien native to the distant far side of the galaxy, who has joined the crew of t ...
, a Talaxian, and his partner
Kes, from
Ocampa. Tuvok recognized Kes' psionic abilities and helped her develop them. Tuvok learned to tolerate Neelix's overly friendly and emotional behavior. Later, a transporter accident fused Tuvok and Neelix together into a new humanoid appropriately named "
Tuvix
"Tuvix" is the 40th episode (24th in Star Trek: Voyager (season 2), 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 ...
". They were eventually restored to their individual forms under the orders of Captain Janeway, using a procedure devised by the
Emergency Medical Hologram
The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram (or EMH for short), is a fictional character portrayed by actor Robert Picardo on the television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', which aired on UPN between 1995 and 2001. He is an artificial intelligenc ...
and Operations Officer Harry Kim. Tuvok still had issues with Neelix after the experience and many of them are raised again in the episode "
Riddles
A riddle is a statement, question or phrase having a double or veiled meaning, put forth as a puzzle to be solved. Riddles are of two types: ''enigmas'', which are problems generally expressed in metaphorical or allegorical language that requir ...
". The two eventually became friends, though it was more apparent from Neelix's end.
At the opening of the fourth season episode "
Revulsion
Disgust (Middle French: ''desgouster'', from Latin ''gustus'', "taste") is an emotional response of rejection or revulsion to something potentially contagious or something considered offensive, distasteful, or unpleasant. In ''The Expression o ...
", relatively dated 2374, Tuvok was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander. Before this, in the 1st season, he is referred to as "lieutenant", even though he sometimes wears lieutenant commander rank insignia.
It is learned during "Endgame", the final episode of the series, that Tuvok suffers from a degenerative neurological disease, which can only be cured by undergoing a mind meld with a family member. In 2377, he was still well enough to perform his duties. However, in his elderly years, in an alternate timeline, the disease finally ravaged Tuvok's mind as he was not able to return to the Alpha Quadrant in time for a cure. This left him confined to a mental hospital. However, to save Tuvok among others, Captain Janeway's future self changed history, by finding a way to return the ''Voyager'' crew to the Alpha Quadrant back in 2377, the time before his disease worsened. (In the novelization of "Endgame", Tuvok's eldest son Sek arrives aboard ''Voyager'' and performs the required mind meld, curing Tuvok.)
Other portrayals
The
mirror universe
The Mirror Universe is the setting of several narratives in the '' Star Trek'' science fiction franchise, a parallel universe existing alongside, but separate from, the fictional universe that is the main setting of ''Star Trek''. It resembles ...
Tuvok appears in the ''
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine'' third-season episode "
Through the Looking Glass
''Through the Looking-Glass, and What Alice Found There'' (also known as ''Alice Through the Looking-Glass'' or simply ''Through the Looking-Glass'') is a novel published on 27 December 1871 (though indicated as 1872) by Lewis Carroll and the ...
" as a member of the Terran Rebellion. He is the only ''Voyager'' character whose Mirror counterpart appears onscreen.
In the
non-canon
In fiction, canon is the material accepted as officially part of the story in an individual universe of that story by its fan base. It is often contrasted with, or used as the basis for, works of fan fiction. The alternative terms mythology, tim ...
''
Star Trek: Titan'' novel series, Tuvok joins
William Riker
William Thomas "Will" Riker is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' universe appearing primarily as a main character in '' Star Trek: The Next Generation''. Throughout the series and its accompanying films, he is the ''Enterprise''s first ...
on the USS ''Titan'' as tactical officer, leaving ''Voyager''.
His wife joins him. In 2008, Tim Russ brought back Tuvok in the fan film project, ''
Star Trek: Of Gods and Men'' joining a cast of several ''Star Trek'' actors from various series. In 2015, Tim Russ again reprises the role of Tuvok in the fan series, ''
Star Trek: Renegades'' as head of
Section 31 alongside
Walter Koenig
Walter Marvin Koenig (; born September 14, 1936) is an American actor and screenwriter. He began acting professionally in the mid 1960s and quickly rose to prominence for his supporting role as Ensign Pavel Chekov in ''Star Trek: The Original S ...
portraying the ''ST:TOS'' character of
Pavel Chekov
Pavel Andreievich Chekov (russian: Павел Андреевич Чехов) is a fictional character in the ''Star Trek'' universe.
Walter Koenig portrayed Chekov in the second and third seasons of the original ''Star Trek'' series and the ...
.
In the
online role-playing game ''
Star Trek Online'', Tim Russ provides voice acting for the character of Tuvok, who plays a major role in the
Undine
Undines (; also ondines) are a category of elemental beings associated with water, stemming from the alchemical writings of Paracelsus. Later writers developed the undine into a water nymph in its own right, and it continues to live in modern ...
quest line. In that quest line, Tuvok has been promoted to Admiral, and is in command of USS ''Voyager''.
Personality
A full Vulcan, Tuvok has a complex personality, with internal conflict. There is a fair amount of evidence to suggest that he never entirely gained emotional control, and he feels bitterness over his Vulcan heritage. He is also shown to exhibit subdued moments of annoyance, self-doubt, sarcasm and even anger (mostly directed towards
Neelix
Neelix () is a character in the science fiction television series '' Star Trek: Voyager'', played by actor Ethan Phillips since the series' inception. Neelix is an alien native to the distant far side of the galaxy, who has joined the crew of t ...
, whose gregarious personality is often at odds with Tuvok's Vulcan
stoicism
Stoicism is a school of Hellenistic philosophy founded by Zeno of Citium in Athens in the early 3rd century Common Era, BCE. It is a philosophy of personal virtue ethics informed by its system of logic and its views on the natural world, asser ...
).
Despite this internal conflict, he is shown on numerous occasions to be capable of great nobility and altruism. In several occasions Tuvok is the victim of mind-altering events, medical torture, or other trauma. At one point he is also combined with Neelix, producing the person known as Tuvix. One traumatic life event is described in "Repression", the Maquis terrorist Teero discovers Tuvok and conducts brain-washing and wipes his memory. In "Workforce" he is brain washed and has his memories altered, and he is altered in "Riddle" also. In each case he recovers; however, by "Endgame" he, perhaps unsurprisingly, has a neurological disease.
Examples of traumatic events for the character:
*In "Caretaker" Tuvok is abducted and used for medical experiments
*"Tuvix" transporter accident combines him with Neelix
*"Repression" mind-control activated and previous torture by Maquis revealed
*"Riddles" memory wipe
Relationships
Tuvok is married to T'Pel. They married in 2304. They have three sons (one of whom is named Sek) and one daughter named Asil. T'Pel is featured in the ''Voyager'' episodes "
Persistence of Vision
Persistence of vision traditionally refers to the optical illusion that occurs when visual perception of an object does not cease for some time after the rays of light proceeding from it have ceased to enter the eye.
The illusion has also been d ...
" and "
Bliss
BLISS is a system programming language developed at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU) by W. A. Wulf, D. B. Russell, and A. N. Habermann around 1970. It was perhaps the best known system language until C debuted a few years later. Since then, C b ...
," both times when Tuvok is hallucinating, and a holographic version of her is featured in "
Body and Soul." She is played by actress
Marva Hicks.
His son Sek is played by
Ronald Robison and is seen in a video message from home in "Repression" (S7E4).
Mind melds
Tuvok conducts the Vulcan
mind meld
Vulcans, sometimes referred to as Vulcanians, are a fictional extraterrestrial humanoid species in the ''Star Trek'' universe and media franchise. In the various ''Star Trek'' television series and films, they are noted for their attempt to l ...
with many characters in ''Voyager''. In one unique case he mind-melds two other characters, Janeway and Seven of Nine in episode "Unimatrix Zero." Over the course of the series he mind-melds with almost the entire bridge crew on different occasions, as well as a variety of aliens.
Examples of meldings:
*Tuvok-Suder twice in "
Meld MELD may refer to:
* Model for End-Stage Liver Disease, a prognostic model
* A variant of the declarative language CycL
* Molecular orbital diagram, Molecular energy-level diagram, a type of one-dimensional plot with a significant qualitative aspec ...
"
*Tuvok-Janeway
"Flashback"
*Tuvok-Chakotay twice in "
Repression"
*Tuvok-Paris ("Ex Post Facto")
*Tuvok-Torres, twice; "Repression" and in "Random Thoughts"
*Tuvok-Kes, at least twice: "Warlord", "Cold Fire" and "The Gift"
*Tuvok-Janeway-Seven of Nine
*Tuvok-Seven of Nine in "Infinite Regress" and "Workforce, Part I"
*Tuvok-Guill, with a non-crew alien in "Random Thoughts"
*There are several other examples in the series.
Not all mind melds appear consensual, for example the Tuvok-Chakotay mind meld in "Repression" is shown being done after a struggle and it puts Chakotay into a coma for many hours, and the second time is also involuntary. He also forcibly mind-melds with many former Maquis, putting them in temporary comas. In "Think Tank," Tuvok attempts a mind meld apparently as an interrogation technique but it is not stated if it is consensual; he does describe the prisoners as "unusually resistant" to the mind melds, and Janeway instructs him to "Hold off on the torture." In the episode "Critical Care" (S7E5) he threatens a prisoner with a mind meld.
Reception
In 2018, ''
TheWrap
''TheWrap'' is an American online news website covering the business of entertainment and media via digital, print and live events. It was founded by journalist Sharon Waxman
Sharon I. Waxman (born c.1963) is an American author, journalist, ...
'' ranked Tuvok as the 23rd-best character of ''Star Trek'' overall, noting a character that struggled with deep emotions yet remained a loyal and disciplined friend.
In 2021, ''
Variety
Variety may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats
* Variety (radio)
* Variety show, in theater and television
Films
* ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont
* ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...
'' said that Tuvok was "simply amazing" and praising actor Tim Russ's presentation of the character as "brilliant."
Notes
External links
{{Star Trek: Voyager
Black people in television
Fictional lieutenant commanders
Fictional lieutenants
Star Trek: Voyager characters
Star Trek: Deep Space Nine characters
Vulcans
Starfleet officers
Starfleet lieutenant commanders
Starfleet lieutenants
Television characters introduced in 1995
Fictional police officers
de:Figuren im Star-Trek-Universum#Lieutenant Commander Tuvok