Tuvix Tuvix was a hybrid being created as the result of a transporter accident on the , combining Lieutenant Tuvok , Neelix , their uniform s , and an orchid in 2372 . Origin . The accident was the conclusion to an away mission to collect some orchid samples . Only one molecular pattern rematerialized , and formed a healthy organism combining everything regarding Tuvok and Neelix , including organs , enzyme s , and memories . According to The Doctor , Tuvix also possessed : " . . . Tuvok ' s sense of intellectual superiority , and Neelix ' s annoying ebullience . " Despite repairs having just been made to the transporter , no fault could be found in the logs at the time of the accident . It was Tuvix , the name the combined individual had given himself , who realized what had happened . The plant samples , which were also caught up in the matter stream and were also a part of Tuvix , contained lysosomal enzyme s . Tuvix ' s research indicated that this could be an indicator of symbiogenesis , where an organism reproduces by merging with a second species to produce a hybrid . This usually only occurs with microcellular organisms . Tuvix suggested that being deconstructed during beaming allowed the symbiogenesis enzymes of the plant to react to Neelix ' s and Tuvok ' s DNA in the matter stream , so only the single organism existed at the point of rematerialization . The theory turned out to be correct when two plants and the orchid were beamed up together , resulting in one plant arriving on " Voyager " . ( ) Life on " Voyager " . The Doctor told Tuvix that it might be many years before he could find a way to separate them – in the meantime , Tuvix was invited to become a member of the crew , and given the rank of Lieutenant . Captain Janeway noted in her captain ' s log that Tuvix managed to gain friends among the crew in his own right , and was a very able tactical officer who wasn ' t afraid to voice his opinion . She also noted that Tuvix was an able advisor who cleverly used humor to make a point , and his food was better than Neelix ' s . He was keeping a respectful distance from Kes , who was mourning the loss of two friends , and feeling uncomfortable with the reminder of them walking around . Tom Paris joked , after Chakotay lost at pool twice against Tuvix , " " We ' ve created a monster ! " " It took The Doctor almost a month , but he found a way to reverse the accident , by using a radioactive isotope which would attach to the DNA strands of one of the merged species , but not the other . By beaming out the segregated DNA strands , the transporter would have the original DNA strands necessary to restore the two individuals . Tuvix announced that he didn ' t want to die , feeling that he had just as much right to exist as any other being . He explained to Janeway that , while he did care about Tuvok and Neelix ( regarding them as his ' parents ' ) , this also gave him the will to live of two men , and he didn ' t want to die . He pleaded with Kes , among others , to speak to the captain on his behalf . Kes persuaded Janeway , however , that the procedure was necessary , as she needed Tuvok and Neelix . Tuvix pleaded with the bridge crew to stop the captain from murder ing him , but eventually allowed the procedure to take place , saying that everyone would have to live with his death on their conscience , for which he was sorry , as they were all , in his eye s , good people ; his friends . However , The Doctor refused to perform the procedure ; as a physician , he had sworn an oath to do no harm , and he refused to take Tuvix ' s life , especially against his will . Janeway herself , therefore , performed the process . It was a success , and Tuvok and Neelix were restored , although Janeway was forced to live with the ethical conundrum around the difficult decision . ( ) Legacy . Naomi Wildman later recounted Tuvix ' s creation to describing it as " " Neelix and Commander Tuvok got combined to make a completely different person . " " While Brax doubted the possibility , Naomi reaffirmed her claim by stating , " " You don ' t think I could make up a story like that , do you ? " " ( ) Memorable quotes . " " So , what should I call you ? " " " " Ah , a name . I hadn ' t thought of that . What an intriguing question . I can see why The Doctor ' s finding it so difficult to choose one . A name can have a significant effect upon a person ' s sense of identity . I ' ve got it . " " " " What ? " " " " Why don ' t you call me Neevok ? Wait . This is better . How about Tuvix ? " " " " Do you mind telling me what ' s going on here , crewman ? " " " " We ' re making dinner . " " " " I see . All right , everybody out ! " " " " On whose authority ? " " " " Chief of Security or Head Chef . Take your pick . Out , out , out ! Come , come , out . " " " " It ' s funny . If something happened to Tuvok , if Neelix were here , he ' d be the first person to comfort me . And if I lost Neelix , Tuvok would be the first person to guide me spiritually . Now I don ' t have either of them . " " " " You have me , Kes . " " " " Thank you , but - " " " " I remind you of what you ' ve lost . " " " " It ' s not your fault . " " " " Commander , are you going to stand by and do nothing while she commits murder ? Mister Ayala . Yes , Lieutenant Paris . You . Doesn ' t anyone see that this is wrong ? " " " " Let him go . " " " " 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 . " " " " Commander Chakotay , advise The Doctor we ' re on our way to Sickbay . " " " " So at what point , did he become an individual and not a transporter accident ? " " Appendices . Background information . Tuvix was played by actor Tom Wright in his first of two " Star Trek " appearances . When he first received a call from his agent about the available role of Tuvix , Wright was immediately eager to take the part . " " I felt that it would be unique to create a totally different character , " " he said , " " that had never been created on " Star Trek " before . " " ( ) Neelix actor Ethan Phillips was originally considered for the role of Tuvix . However , Cliff Bole – who directed the episode entitled " Tuvix " – was glad that this idea was dropped . As he explained , " " It was better to get just a little different take on the character . Ethan is so identifiable . He might have had a problem trying to give Tuvix the elements of Tuvok ' s character . " " ( ) Likewise , Tuvok actor Tim Russ was also considered for the part but he himself was ultimately glad this plan didn ' t go ahead . " " I might favour Tuvok , " " he conceded , " " whereas Tom Wright could be more objective . " " ( ) Though he had never seen before , Wright knew both Ethan Phillips and Tim Russ personally , having often auditioned for the same roles as Russ and previously acted in a play with Phillips . Required to audition for the character of Tuvix , Wright felt his best course of action would be to play a combination of the personalities and styles of those two " Voyager " cast members . The audition won him the role . Cliff Bole recalled , " " I picked him because I had seen a lot of the work he has done . " " After Wright was cast as Tuvix , the staff of " Voyager " sent him a few video tapes of past episodes from the series . The actor noted , " " From those , I decided which aspects of each character to put into the part . " " ( ) While creating such a composite character , Tom Wright was continually unsure exactly how his performance would end up . This was because the role of Tuvix took Wright into unfamiliar territory . He recalled , " " Every now and then a character , situation or work experience forces you outside of your strength , and you have to perform in an area that is a little bit unknown . I did a " lot " of that in ' Tuvix ' , so I was completely unsure of how it would turn out . I ' m very confident of my ability as an actor , but in this particular circumstance I wasn ' t sure how it would all pay off . " " ( ) Tom Wright was also aware that he had to make Tuvix a likeable character , to accentuate the importance of the character ' s " death " at the episode ' s conclusion . " " I knew the character ' s warmth had to be present at all times , " " the actor stated , " " so that over the course of the show , the rest of the characters would warm up to him . And the reason it becomes so difficult " [ for Janeway to separate Tuvix at the end ] " is that they ' ve all grown attached to him . They ' ve all taken a certain amount of delight in this new individual . " " ( ) Though the intention was for there to be a moral dilemma in Tuvix , Wright couldn ' t see it ; " " There isn ' t any moralizing , " " he observed . " " It ' s just a story about a character , and you follow that character during the time he is alive . You watch the birth and the life and the death of one character in one episode , and there is no struggle between good and evil . It ' s purely a no - win situation . " " When asked if he thought Tuvix should be spared the separation at the episode ' s conclusion , Wright stated , " " I think it was inevitable that he would be separated . There would be no drama without that separation . So , I completely agree that he " should " have been separated . " " ( ) The makeup department purposely shaded Tuvix lighter than Tuvok but darker than Neelix . Tuvix additionally had smaller versions of the pointed Vulcan ears built onto the Neelix head . ( " " , p . 166 ) Though the extensive makeup brought at least one complication , it wasn ' t too tough for Tom Wright to wear . " " I had these contact lenses in and I couldn ' t see anything , " " Wright laughed . " " But it wasn ' t really that hard . I did and , so at least I was familiar with having to work with makeup . " " ( ) Following his one - episode appearance as Tuvix , Tom Wright hoped to play the character again . " " I ' m sorry to see Tuvix go , " " the performer admitted . " " Anything can happen in the world of fiction , though . Tuvix could reappear , and if he did , I would be only too glad to step back into that role because it was a fun one . " " ( ) Wright also related , " " I think that in all fairness , if I were to play Tuvix again , it would be a lot easier simply because I ' d know what I ' d be walking into . " " ( ) In their review of " Tuvix " , authors Mark Jones and Lance Parkin labelled Tuvix as " " basically a more happy - go - lucky Tuvok who can cook . " " ( " Beyond the Final Frontier " , p . 294 )