Tuvix ( episode ) After a transporter malfunction , Tuvok and Neelix are merged into a single being . In the search for a way to restore them to their original forms , a moral dilemma is faced as the new being does not want to be terminated . Summary . Teaser . After the detects a variety of flower that may prove to be a useful nutritional supplement , the captain sends Lieutenant Tuvok and Neelix to collect plant specimens , including a local breed of orchid , to bring back to the ship . While on the planet , the two have a debate about enjoying nature and Neelix is attempting to have fun , to which Tuvok replies " " We are not here to have fun . We are here to collect samples . " " Back on the ship , Captain Kathryn Janeway is informed by Chakotay that there is some trouble with the transporter , specifically a " minor glitch in the molecular imaging scanner s , " which B ' Elanna Torres says will be fixed by Ensign Kim in " a few minutes . " As they return , a transporter malfunction causes only one pattern to materialize . The organism appears to be similar to both Neelix and Tuvok ; wearing clothing that is the color of a Starfleet uniform , but the texture of Neelix ' s shirt . Act One . Upon finding this unidentified lifeform on the transporter pad , Kim calls for security , intruder alert . He asks the intruder to identify himself , and he responds that " " I am Lt . Tuvok . . . and I am Neelix " , " appearing most confused . He suggests that they go to sickbay , where The Doctor identifies that it is indeed a merger of Tuvok and Neelix , as well as the orchids collected on the surface of the planet . Kes , under The Doctor ' s suggestion , takes the person to the science lab , where he recognizes that Kes is having difficulty with the situation due to her close personal relationship with Neelix and her close tutelage under Tuvok . Kes questions him as part of the procedure , whereupon he tells Kes that he seems to have the memories of both men , but a single consciousness . He then realizes that he will need a name , and after deciding against Neevok , settles on Tuvix . As instinct , Tuvix refers to Kes as " Sweeting " , a name Neelix often called her ; this is something that clearly brought discomfort to both Tuvix and Kes . Act Two . Janeway comes back to sickbay and talks with Tuvix , who is restless and wants to get back to duty . He decides he would rather assume the tactical post than the mess hall . Janeway isn ' t quite ready , but invites him to the next senior staff briefing . There , the crew discusses the transporter accident that created Mr . Tuvix , but they can not find the reason for the malfunction . Tuvix suggests symbiogenesis , a process where instead of pollination of mating , lifeforms can merge with a second species , using Andorian amoeba as an example . After a bit of convincing themselves it ' s possible with humanoids , they hypothesize that the orchid s that they were transporting from the surface with them was the catalyst for their merging . Using lysosomal enzyme s , the plant was able to symbiotically scramble both of them , merging them into one organism . Janeway agrees to send a shuttle down to get more flower samples in the morning . Possessing both Tuvok ' s Vulcan logic and Neelix ' s charming personality and sense of humor , Tuvix easily integrates with the crew and becomes a valuable member . As an individual bestowed with the personalities and qualities of both Tuvok and Neelix , he is not only a capable security officer but also becomes a better chef . However , for many crew members , especially those close to Tuvok and Neelix , the loss of their friends and peers is not as easily accepted . Kes , in particular , is experiencing much grief over the loss of Neelix . Act Three . Tuvix gets happily to work the next morning , fixing a problem Tuvok said would take days , much to Janeway ' s surprise . He ' s then called down to the transporter room for the first test of their theory . On the planet , Torres and Paris gathers flowers and Kim transports them up . Indeed , the flowers merged together . The crew attempts the same with various plant combinations , and comes up with a variety of exotic and wonderful creations . Nevertheless , all attempts to undo the change are met with catastrophe . The Doctor explains to Janeway and company that the problem is still unsolved , but promises to keep trying . However , he warns Tuvix may be this way for months , even years , and the possibility is there that the condition is irreversible . This impacts Kes greatly . Later , in her room , she prays for Tuvok and Neelix with Ocampan prayer taper s when Tuvix visits . She expresses a bit of loneliness , but Tuvix says she has him . Tuvix says he still loves Kes just as he does . This shocks Kes . She says she doesn ' t know him , and is uncomfortable with his love given Tuvok ' s wife . She soon asks him to leave , and Tuvix does so , politely kissing her on the cheek and saying he ' ll be there for her before he goes . Act Four . Kes stops by the captain ' s quarters to talk about her feelings regarding the situation . The captain points out that the feelings Kes is having about the loss of Neelix are similar to the feelings the entire crew has been having about being stranded in the Delta Quadrant . Over the next two weeks , the crew starts to adjust to Tuvix who proves himself to be a capable tactician while also turning out to be ( according to Janeway ' s log entry ) a better cook than Neelix . He keeps a respectful distance from Kes , while proving to be an able advisor to Janeway just as Tuvok had been . As a result , he is less regarded as an accident but more like a member of the crew . After much research however , The Doctor finally finds a way to reverse the process by radioactively labeling one half of Tuvix ' s genome , so the transporter can separate the two individuals . Everyone is very hopeful and excited about the prospects of having Tuvok and Neelix back , except for one person : in all their efforts and joy over being able to bring back the two , the one thing the crew has not taken into account is that Tuvix does not want to die , thus sacrificing his life to bring back the two crew members . Act Five . Captain Janeway – who must speak for Tuvok and Neelix who are not there to speak for themselves – now faces a moral dilemma : bring back two crew members who have loved ones waiting for them by sacrificing a man who has become a much liked and trusted friend over the past few weeks , rather than merely a transporter accident . She attempts to convince Tuvix to undergo the procedure , telling him that both Tuvok and Neelix would give up their lives to save another . Despite this , Tuvix is still completely unwilling to undergo it arguing that while Tuvok and Neelix are gone , he is already there and he just wants the right to live . Later , Tuvix goes to Kes and pleads with her to speak to Captain Janeway in support of allowing him to live . Kes then goes to Captain Janeway and tells her what Tuvix asked of her . Janeway is angry that Tuvix put Kes in the middle of the debate , but Kes tells her that she was in the middle from the beginning . She also says that , despite what Tuvix asked of her , she is unable to support him and wants him to undergo the procedure too . However she is distraught , as she knows Tuvix has done nothing wrong but is desperate to get Tuvok and Neelix back . She then breaks down in tears , guilt - stricken as Captain Janeway tries to comfort her . After much soul searching and painful deliberation , she decides that Tuvix has to undergo the procedure . She orders him to report to sickbay but Tuvix refuses , stating that this was nothing more than an execution . He attempts to get someone on the bridge to defend him , but no - one is willing to . He then attempts to make a run for it when Security arrives to escort him . Seeing that he has no choice , he forgives the crew saying he understands what they all feel , agrees to go sickbay , but tells everyone they ' ll have to live with the consequences . When arriving in sickbay , The Doctor informs the captain that he cannot perform the procedure . As a physician he has pledged to do no harm and will not perform a procedure that would end Tuvix ' s life , especially as Tuvix is explicitly refusing to undergo it . Therefore , Janeway is left with the task of having to perform the procedure herself . She is successful : Tuvix is gone and Tuvok and Neelix are both finally restored . While Kes is overjoyed to have both her partner and mentor back , Janeway simply acknowledges the two and leaves , knowing that she will need to live with the moral consequences of her actions . Memorable quotes . " " A name . . . I can see why The Doctor ' s finding it so difficult to choose one . . . why don ' t you call me . . . Neevok ? Wait . . . this is better . . . how about Tuvix ! " " " " . . . I ' ve been poked and prodded in organs I didn ' t even know I had ! " " " " Do you mind telling me what ' s going on here , crewman ? " " " " We ' re making dinner . " " " " I see . Alright , everybody out ! " " " " On whose authority ? " " " " Chief of security or head chef , take your pick . Out , out , out ! " " " " We ' ve created a monster . " " " " I don ' t want to die . " " " " Sex ! " " " " I beg your pardon ? " " " " At what point did he become an individual , and not a transporter accident ? " " " " Each of you is going to have to live with this . And I ' m sorry for that . For you are all good , good people . My colleagues . My friends . I forgive you . " " Links and references . References . airponics bay ; Andorian amoeba ; annular confinement beam ; Ayala ; barium ; biobed ; biochemical analysis ; biochemistry ; biofilter ; bio - spectral analysis ; botanical science ; chloroplast ; consciousness ; cytoplasmic protein ; Delta Quadrant ; DNA ; egg ; Emergency medical holographic channel ; enzyme ; execution ; flour ; funeral dirge ; gastrointestinal disorder ; holodeck ; isotope probe ; ; Jupiter Station ; logic ; lysosomal enzyme ; mating ; medical tricorder ; medical transporter ; microcellular organism ; microcellular scan ; Mister Vulcan ; molecular imaging scanner ; monster ; multiple personality disorder ; mushroom ; Numerian Inquisition ; nutritional supplement ; Ocampan prayer taper ; orchid ; pollination ; pool ; protein ; proximity detector ; psychological profile ; radiation ; radioisotope ; security subroutine ; semantics ; single - celled organism ; spatula ; surgical targeting scanner ; Swinn ; symbiogenesis ; ; Talaxian ; taste bud ; tea ; Trellan crepe ; turbolift ; water ; weather ; variety ; Vulcan ; X - ray