In fact, the producers initially wanted this episode to feature Tuvok experiencing the
pon farr that B'Elanna Torres ultimately goes through. Actor
Tim Russ explained, "
There are a lot of factors that come into play that made it problematic for me to be involved in that, such as the fact that Tuvok has already got a wife and children. For an 8:00 p.m. family show, adultery would not be a very good thing for this character to partake in!" (
Star Trek Monthly issue 41, p. 28) The change to B'Elanna suffering from the condition made a lot of sense to episode writer
Lisa Klink; she agreed with Russ that, because Tuvok was married with children, "the idea of even suggesting that he would mate with someone else just seemed to be unattractive." Accounting for the writing staff's decision to use B'Elanna Torres as the alternative, Klink stated, "
Because of the half-Klingon, half-human struggle that she always goes through, it certainly seemed like she was someone who had a lot of sexual energy to vent. That whole Klingon side of herself that she represses, is actually not unlike the way Vulcans tend to suppress their emotional side. So it seemed fairly credible that if you could remove your emotional control in the same way, you'd get the same kind of reaction." (
Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 105)
