Ethan Phillips was great, a lively actor who played a Ferengi in TNG and ENT. He was also in First Contact as a human hologram
He plays a balding, long haired, annoying complainer in Michael Bay's The Island, as a character that reminded me a bit of Neelix. Makes it to the final reel, too.
I agree Neelix was a welcome humorous counterpoint in many serious or dramatic situations. I love his character personally, although as with most of Voyager's cast I feel he had much unexplored potential. Ethan could produce fantastic depth of emotion through his character, evident obviously in "Jetrel", which for me only served to show what we were missing! Neelix could have been a complex, multi-faceted character while still retaining his comic relief, but sadly we can only imagine...
indeed, when used well, he got some very good episodes, like "fair trade," "mortal coil," and "homeward." Significantly, these all came after the jealous, psycho boyfriend of Kes thing he had going on in seasons 1-2. I don't know what the writers were thinking with that.
In most eps. their was Star Fleet way of doing things and Neelix way of doing things. He was a firm believer that natural things and nature was 'good nectar'. Every 3 or 4 eps he would offer reassuring good advice for somebody in the crew. I would have gotten use to the bothersome fellow. NEELIX:Were just about done rebuilding the internal security sensors and we're ready to programme the audio signal. Do you want it to say intruder alert, or should we try something a little more dramatic, like warning, intruder alert or, intruders among us! Danger! Danger! Intruders among us? TUVOK: Intruder alert will suffice.
Have you noticed how Neelix constantly violates people's private space? I guess Talaxians don't have the "three-feet-in-every-direction" rule.
People on television are always violating personal space in order to get two characters in the same shot during a conversation, even if they don't like each other. "Intruders among us! Danger! Danger! Intruders among us!" To me, this has always felt like a deliberate joke by the writers, referencing the Robot in Lost in Space.
Ywah, but I think Ethan Phillips is doing it on purpose to emphasize what a rude, intrusive, overbearing twat Neelix is. Phillips did a wonderful job portraying a irritating and only occasionally sympathetic character.