Tuvok - the first full time Vulcan
- Thread starter Stag
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He was no unknown to the producers, though. He had been the runner-up for the role of Geordi on TNG - and they had really liked him, too. So they started to cast him in guest parts, first on TNG, then DS9, then the movie Generations and while filming that Berman (at least I think it was Berman) told him about the upcoming new series and hinted that he'd like to see him audition. Of course, they were originally looking for an older actor, but they couldn't find anybody they really liked as a Vulcan, so they lowered the age requirement a bit and Tim could audition.
Maria
^ Good decision, right up there with pointy ears.
Wow, thanks for that. I learned something new today. I did not realize he was up for Geordi's part. He realy has a long connection with TREK.
The most interesting aspect of Tuvok's character to me was something that they played around with a lot but never fully embraced -- this question of loneliness and isolation. He's one of only a few Vulcans aboard Voyager, he's stoic, he's the friend of the captain yet he was marginalized from the first officer position, he's away from his wife and family, his protege, Kes, left the ship, he once rebelled against cthia in the name of love, and he has this very dark, violent side to him....
It's an interesting question. In the various Tuvok episodes, the writers would often pair him up with women who were interested in him in some way, usually romantic -- Marayna in "Alter Ego," Noss in "Gravity," Nimira in "Random Thoughts." The persistent theme, that Tuvok was a guy who maybe wanted to be in a relationship but could not, both due to his Vulcan nature and his situation on Voyager, was fascinating as an idea -- though it didn't really work in some ways. After all, even if Voyager had taken 70 years to get home, Tuvok was only in his early 100s. If anyone had a reasonable expectation of ever seeing their family again on that ship, it was Tuvok.
All the same, one of the most powerful scenes from VOY came at the end of "Alter Ego." Tuvok realizes that Marayna's problem is that she's lonely; she needs to find someone, and he tells her that. Just before he's beamed out, she replies, "And what of you? Must you be lonely?" He turns and just looks at her as he's beamed away. (That really should have been the final shot of the episode instead of the ending we actually got.)
I've often thought that more should have been done with this theme -- this notion of the lonely Vulcan. Reveal that his wife was dying on Vulcan and he would likely never see her again. Explore this question of why the most powerful relationships he seems to forge are with women instead of other men. It's a fascinating character and concept that wasn't followed up upon at all in later seasons.
It's an interesting question. In the various Tuvok episodes, the writers would often pair him up with women who were interested in him in some way, usually romantic -- Marayna in "Alter Ego," Noss in "Gravity," Nimira in "Random Thoughts." The persistent theme, that Tuvok was a guy who maybe wanted to be in a relationship but could not, both due to his Vulcan nature and his situation on Voyager, was fascinating as an idea -- though it didn't really work in some ways. After all, even if Voyager had taken 70 years to get home, Tuvok was only in his early 100s. If anyone had a reasonable expectation of ever seeing their family again on that ship, it was Tuvok.
All the same, one of the most powerful scenes from VOY came at the end of "Alter Ego." Tuvok realizes that Marayna's problem is that she's lonely; she needs to find someone, and he tells her that. Just before he's beamed out, she replies, "And what of you? Must you be lonely?" He turns and just looks at her as he's beamed away. (That really should have been the final shot of the episode instead of the ending we actually got.)
I've often thought that more should have been done with this theme -- this notion of the lonely Vulcan. Reveal that his wife was dying on Vulcan and he would likely never see her again. Explore this question of why the most powerful relationships he seems to forge are with women instead of other men. It's a fascinating character and concept that wasn't followed up upon at all in later seasons.