Neelix...Why all the hate?

[STEPhon IT]

Later seasons showed the potential of Neelix's character, the series had a lot Janeway to hog up to make many of the lower characters to shine. Like the other talents on the series, Ethan Phillips made what he could when episodes came available for Neelix to look grounded. I loved his good nature among the crew and teasing Tuvok when he had the chance, and I loved him with Kes- 2 sympathetic characters who loved each other. Something tells me the producers wanted Paris to have a girlfriend because he was suppose to be the Will Riker of the show, and bailed out on that development but kind of hurt the Neelix character for awhile. I never cared for the B'Elanna relationship with Paris but I wanted Kes and Neelix to make up. I like the notion opposites attract and with better vision of the characters we could've seen something special between those 2.

 

[T'Bonz]

Wow really? Maybe you should find a different show. You're an embarrassment to trek fandom

Maybe you should find a different place if you don't want to be around fans who are, in your words, "an embarrassment to Trek fandom."

Because I run the place and Neelix was my favorite character on the show.

Tone it down a bit.

 

[JirinPanthosa]

I think I figured out how to describe my previous hatred.

I was a teenager, and he reminded me of adults talking to me like a child. Which is the one thing teenagers hate most.

His character would have worked better if they layered it a little bit more. Kept the layer of the fun boisterous personality, but also show more of the damage done to him by being alone and desperate for years of his life before finding a home on Voyager. When they did show us this side, it was a very black and white way, like it Fair Trade. Keep him absolutely loyal to Voyager, but inject more survivalism into his advice, and show more of his outsider perspective on Star Trek idealism. Make him someone who happily conforms to Voyager to be accepted, but doesn't immediately get 100% intellectually on board with their way of thinking.

 

[at Quark's]

I think Neelix was an interesting character, and they could have done a lot more with him. It's a bit of a pity he was so often only used for comedic relief and shown as the silly man, when there were so many deeper layers to his character that only very rarely were explored. The few episodes that did were usually good or at the least, interesting (Jetrel, Fair Trade, Mortal Coil, Homestead, to mention some).

But him being the buffoon does fit in with how Neelix tries to "survive" the early years on the ship. It's just a pity they so often showed him as only that.

All in all, I'd say that Neelix is a nice counterexample to all the people who complain Voyager has a reset button. Over the course of 7 years, he evolves from a cynical schemer, ridden with jealousy when anyone even as much as points at Kes, who tries to maneuver himself desperately into a position of "being needed", into a genuinely dependable teammate that is one of the centers of social life on Voyager and is sorely missed when he is gone- and not as an acquired taste.

In fact, in Fair Trade we see Neelix evolved half-way into that. He's learned enough by then to know that what Wixiban proposes isn't OK (early season 1 Neelix would have taken that warp sample from Voyager without a second thought if he had thought he could get away with it), but not quite enough yet to feel safe in the knowledge that these people won't leave him behind on some space station the moment his perceived usefulness is at an end.

 

[Klaa2]

I am reading in many places, not just this forum, a TREMENDOUS amount of people say that they cannot stand Neelix. Why is that? I rather like him. I read somewhere where someone called him the, "Jar Jar Binks" of the Star Trek universe. C'mon! I think Neelix is funny and don't get all of the hatred for him. If you don't like him, well I respect your opinion. However, I would like to get some reasons from people why they don't like him.

It was watching Neelix that brought me back to watching Voyager, and helped me get over my memories of disliking TNG. True story. I don’t think much of most holodeck episodes, or of the odious Q, but Neelix I don’t mind at all. He’s good light relief.

 

[Marsbars]

My God where to start. He's histrionic, narcissistic at times, jealous beyond rage, attention seeker ( oh yeah I already said he was histrionic). He is like that cockroach you see in the bathroom when you turn on the lights. You thought you smashed the crap out of it and turn off the lights. However when you go back to the bathroom for a midnight pee and turn on the lights there he is again between the bathtub and toilet.