Yesterday I watched "Homestead" ... and it's been a while since I watched! Neelix left Voyager, choosing to stay at a Talaxian mining colony while Voyager continued on its journey home. Do you think this was the right move for Neelix to stay in the Delta Quadrant?
Difficult to say, like a lot of things on Voyager, the departure of Neelix came out of the blue, there had been no hints in previous episodes that he was unhappy, unsettled or regretting his decision 7 years ago. In fact it took one 30 second scene with Naomi in this episode to cement in his mind the fact he was no longer needed. So from that perspective it seemed a little silly. On the flip side of that there was a logic to it, meeting the Talaxians on that asteroid really hammered home the fact that after he had left he would never meet another of his own species again, that's a big thing for him to deal with. Also the connection with Dexa and Brax was almost instant, Neelix will have never had that sort of relationship before and would never get the chance to do so again, certainly not with a Talaxian. In summary. I believe it was the correct decision, it wrapped up his story nicely and led to my favourite scene in 7 years of Voyager - The goodbye between Neelix and Tuvok.
It made sense for the character. But it took place so late in the series it made sod all difference to anything important.
Well, it would have been lovely to see Neelix staying onboard longuer but in the same time, I was pleased to see him living among his fellow and starting a family. :-) And then, he seems to be a better Ambassador than a cook so, everyone is a winner in the end, isn't it?! ;-)
I'm conflicted about it. On the one hand, it's good he got a chance to have a family of his own. A chance to help his people. Because I believe Neelix had survivor's guilt about being the only one in his family (his whole colony really) to survive. Although it's a bit far-fetched that there were Talaxians that far away from their home space. But on the other hand, the crew of Voyager was his family too. It didn't seem to me in the course of the series that there was any indication he wasn't going to stick with them until the very end. The others may have not been a fan of Talaxian's cuisine, but I think they loved him and he loved them.* Some cynical viewers might think they were just humoring him, but I don't. *I'm reminded of a line from my favorite of the Voyager novels. There's something about Neelix referring to the Capt. as his beloved Capt. Janeway. At least in him own mind.
Well, I'm marginally curious as to how Neelix would've fared on earth -- but the farewell scene and Tuvok's little dance probably means the writers made the right decision.
Yes, the crew was his family and he was clearly in total adoration before Captain Janeway but it would have been reckless from him to say "no" to the offered opportunity to have his own family. Besides, I'm pretty sure that Janeway would have been quick to remind him that, once back in the AQ, it would have been a a leap into the unknown for him.... . So, he choosed the lesser of two "evils".
Well whether or not he was a good cook is a matter of opinion. People complained a lot about it at first because he was cooking what he knew, for a Talaxian pallate. As the show went on the complaints lessened as he got used to cooking for non Talaxians.
I never thought it was far fetched for there to be a colony since there weren't many details about when they left the homeworld, how long they traveled for, how many of them left, etc. For all we know there are many Talaxian colonies all over the quadrant. I think it was a great move for him to stay behind. I think he would have been ok on Earth but ultimately lonely.
I think if he could have persuaded Dexa and Brax to join him on Voyager, he would have stayed. Brax would have jumped at the opportunity, but it was too early in their relationship for Dexa to have felt comfortable making such a decision.
In my experience, Love at first sight never lasts that long. I like how the story turned out. The colony needed someone like Neelix. They were cynical, jaded nomads living in fear. Neelix is well traveled(even before he boarded Voyager), optimistic, caring, etc. If he had not stayed, he would probably have never seen one of his own kind again. Throughout the series, Neelix had a sort of inner sadness, and I think he would find fulfillment in staying with the colony, even if he desperately misses his old friends and adventures. He would probably start a family, and he'd be a great dad. As a bonus, we got to see Neelix' ugly-as-sin ship one last time.
You could tell he was lonely, despite the friends he had. Look at his face when they say they are getting Talaxian lifesigns.
I started another thread a while back similar to this one. About if he would have been happy if he had stayed with Voyager. Just for the sake of argument, if they hadn't found that Talaxian colony, do you think he would have fared well if he made it back to earth with them? There have been some new members joined since that thread was posted, so any thoughts?
I think he would have been happy enough. He's friendly so I'm sure he would have made some new friends and he would have found something to do. Maybe he would have persued cooking further and had a restaurant or maybe he would be an ambassador. I just think he was HAPPIER on the colony with the other Talaxians.
Again, difficult to say but I think so. I'm sure when Neelix first joined the crew at the beginning of the series he wasn't really aware of what he was letting himself in for and the magnitude of the decisions he was making. As the years progressed and getting home to Earth was looking more a case of when, rather than if, then Neelix embraced this. He would have found a natural home at Starfleet as some sort of liaison/ambassador to the Delta Quadrant and he could have provided years worth of intel to Starfleet. In fact in the episode Bliss, Neelix seemed overjoyed about the prospect of reaching Earth.
Bliss is hard to judge by, that was part of the spell, they were all overly happy with what they were seeing. Of course you could say that he was very happy with getting an assignment to be ambassador because that was reassurance that he would have a place when they got back to the AQ. Perhaps he had fears of being an outsider, the only one of his species and was worried he wouldn't "fit in". He got confirmation that he would be an ambassador and maybe he wasn't as happy with the job itself but the fact that he would have a place there.
I always looked on Bliss as the crew being granted one wish to make them happy. The Alien basically read their minds, found what they desired most and presented that opportunity to them. It's why Seven and Naomi weren't affected, their lives were on Voyager and the Alpha Quadrant had nothing to offer them. Going by that line of thinking Neelix must have had some hopes, or as you say fears that were allayed, that the alien tapped into.