I'm just asking because I see a lot of negative comments about him.
As for me, I don't dislike or hate Neelix.
I can joke about him sometimes, criticize his behavior sometimes, laugh at his way of being sometimes but I actually like him.
Why? Because the character had more depth than I think many people realize.
His whole "comical" behavior was actually a result of a terrible trauma in which he lost his whole family. To cope with that horrible experience, he took on his duty to help, to cheer people up and to be as useful as possible for the Voyager crew.
OK, he was overdoing a lot of things which gave the opposite result of what he wanted and he screwed up his relationship with Kes. But that was also a result of the trauma which affected him deeply. He was a very complex person.
If Voyager had had a counselor, that person would have had to spend a lot of time with Neelix because the poor guy really did have some "issues".
Neelix desperately tried to "fit in". Obviously he did know deep down inside that his skills were limited so he tried to compensate for that with a lot of ideas and whims, like his self-made role as "Morale Officer", how he became almost obsessed with the idea of being an "investigating journalist", the Talaxian resort he created at the holodek (which Harry and Tom totally changed) and his bragging about his skills as guide while his knowledge about the Delta Quadrant was limited. That was also one of the reasons why he and Kes started to drift apart as soon as they came on board Voyager.
Kes found a purpose for her life on the ship. A new reality, new people, the Hydroponics Bay, her work in sickbay and an ardent will to learn and explore.
Neelix on the other hand found his skills rather limited and therefore did all he could to get attention, like "look at me, see what I can accomplish. His jealousy over Kes probably had something to do about being jealous of how good Kes did adapt to the new life and become an useful member of the crew while he did find himself limited. Not to mention that his control over Kes started to vanish as soon as they joined the Voyager crew.
I also think thyt he still had bad memories about what happened to his family so in an attempt to keep those feelings away he tried to be positive, cheerful and tried to cheer up everyone on the ship, like "I want happiness around me so smile!".
Of corse he over-did almost everything he was involved in. His pestering of Tuvok was actually horrible and annoying (but fun to watch) and I can understand Tuvok's frustration over those current attacks from Neelix. But his intentions were good.
So I can't help feeling a lot of sympathy for the furry guy, despite his sometimes annoying behavior.
As for his departure from the ship, I don't think that he became any happier on that asteroid. It wouldn't surprise me if he started to regret it after a couple of months and went away to find Voyager again.
As for me, I don't dislike or hate Neelix.
I can joke about him sometimes, criticize his behavior sometimes, laugh at his way of being sometimes but I actually like him.
Why? Because the character had more depth than I think many people realize.
His whole "comical" behavior was actually a result of a terrible trauma in which he lost his whole family. To cope with that horrible experience, he took on his duty to help, to cheer people up and to be as useful as possible for the Voyager crew.
OK, he was overdoing a lot of things which gave the opposite result of what he wanted and he screwed up his relationship with Kes. But that was also a result of the trauma which affected him deeply. He was a very complex person.
If Voyager had had a counselor, that person would have had to spend a lot of time with Neelix because the poor guy really did have some "issues".
Neelix desperately tried to "fit in". Obviously he did know deep down inside that his skills were limited so he tried to compensate for that with a lot of ideas and whims, like his self-made role as "Morale Officer", how he became almost obsessed with the idea of being an "investigating journalist", the Talaxian resort he created at the holodek (which Harry and Tom totally changed) and his bragging about his skills as guide while his knowledge about the Delta Quadrant was limited. That was also one of the reasons why he and Kes started to drift apart as soon as they came on board Voyager.
Kes found a purpose for her life on the ship. A new reality, new people, the Hydroponics Bay, her work in sickbay and an ardent will to learn and explore.
Neelix on the other hand found his skills rather limited and therefore did all he could to get attention, like "look at me, see what I can accomplish. His jealousy over Kes probably had something to do about being jealous of how good Kes did adapt to the new life and become an useful member of the crew while he did find himself limited. Not to mention that his control over Kes started to vanish as soon as they joined the Voyager crew.
I also think thyt he still had bad memories about what happened to his family so in an attempt to keep those feelings away he tried to be positive, cheerful and tried to cheer up everyone on the ship, like "I want happiness around me so smile!".
Of corse he over-did almost everything he was involved in. His pestering of Tuvok was actually horrible and annoying (but fun to watch) and I can understand Tuvok's frustration over those current attacks from Neelix. But his intentions were good.
So I can't help feeling a lot of sympathy for the furry guy, despite his sometimes annoying behavior.
As for his departure from the ship, I don't think that he became any happier on that asteroid. It wouldn't surprise me if he started to regret it after a couple of months and went away to find Voyager again.
