Why is Neelix always so happy go lucky?
- Thread starter ZeNd
- Start date
I think Mortal Coil and Fair Trade were both fine episodes.
Beats the hell outta me. i never liked him.
But I'll have to watch Mortal Coil and Fair Trade again. Maybe i missed something the first time round. I find if i watch an episode or movie again down the road i find new things to like about it....
But I'll have to watch Mortal Coil and Fair Trade again. Maybe i missed something the first time round. I find if i watch an episode or movie again down the road i find new things to like about it....
In "real life" I'm pretty happy and cheerful. Perhaps that annoys some people but you know what? Life is way too short to be walking around in a funk all the time.
Neelix went though some pretty horrific experiences in his life. He had a choice - let those experiences shape him into someone who was angry, paranoid, depressed, etc. or decide to put on a happy face and go out and shape his life. I personally admire him for that.
Guess what? I don't find him annoying at all.
I think at least part of Neelix's cheerfulness was an act. I know everybody doesn't agree with me on this, but I think he seldom if ever felt really secure on Voyager, and I think he considered that perkiness to be part of his schtick - part of what he was supposed to do. So he did it. And yeah, it was annoying - I'm a pretty cheerful person, too, but jeez - but also a bit...pitiful. When I watched Neelix scenes, I would frequently vacillate between annoyance and pity over and over again. In retrospect, it was probably a pretty good way to play the character.
I'm sure some of it was. You just don't wake up one day and say "I'm going to be happy" then it automatically happens. You have to change your attitude a bit first before the happiness comes. That's what Neelix did and eventually he did find his happiness.
I actually admire Neelix for being as cheerful as he was.
He lost his family in a terrible war (and actually became a drug addict for a while after that, according to the book "Pathways" by Jeri Taylor).
Things like that could have broken anyone. he could have turned into some bitter hermit, living on some rock and shooting at everyone in sight.
Instead he kept his spirit up and did what he could to cheer other people up as well.
OK, it may have been a facade, a way to keep the nightmares away.Some of his "cheering up" was a bit over-done, almost hysterical and don't forget his terrible jealousy which must have been a nightmare for Kes.
But still we got to give the guy some credit for trying.
Personally I like him.
He lost his family in a terrible war (and actually became a drug addict for a while after that, according to the book "Pathways" by Jeri Taylor).
Things like that could have broken anyone. he could have turned into some bitter hermit, living on some rock and shooting at everyone in sight.
Instead he kept his spirit up and did what he could to cheer other people up as well.
OK, it may have been a facade, a way to keep the nightmares away.Some of his "cheering up" was a bit over-done, almost hysterical and don't forget his terrible jealousy which must have been a nightmare for Kes.
But still we got to give the guy some credit for trying.
Personally I like him.
I hated him at first. I always noticed that he would start talking to someone during a critical time (Red alert or something) about his cooking.
Leola roots have a mildly narcotic effect?
I haven't watched any VOY in a while, but I remember hating Neelix or just disliking him. But I feel like now that I'm older, I'd appreciate him and his cheerfulness more. Life is too short to be miserable. A cheerful person like that can be uplifting to everyone!
Neelix has a bit of depth that wasn't really touched that often on Voyager - he has lost his home, his entire family, and just about every connection he had towards that tied him to his own people. Basically, his happiness is a cover, a facade, one that he uses to cover up his fear and uncertainty - he knows how quickly everything can be ripped away from you, so he's come to take joy in everything in life. But under the surface is that fear that someone's going to come and take it all away from him, which is part of his jealous over-protectiveness of Kes - like it was said above, he probably didn't feel secure on Voyager, or at least didn't at first, and so, since Kes was the first person he'd come to feel close enough to love, he wanted to protect her from being taken away from her. (...Huh, my description of Neelix here is beginning to remind me of my interpretation of Anakin Skywalker... Does this mean I just created Darth Neelix?)
However, because no one behind the scenes made a lot of noise about this fact, newer writers came in and saw the facade and thought that was all there was to the character - Jetral, Fair Trade and Mortal Coil, and to an extent, Once Upon A Time (and maybe Memorial, if you squint) are the only episodes that remind us about the past tragedies in his life. Otherwise, his mask becomes his character, and no one, writer or viewer, really realizes the horrors and tragedies of his past.
However, because no one behind the scenes made a lot of noise about this fact, newer writers came in and saw the facade and thought that was all there was to the character - Jetral, Fair Trade and Mortal Coil, and to an extent, Once Upon A Time (and maybe Memorial, if you squint) are the only episodes that remind us about the past tragedies in his life. Otherwise, his mask becomes his character, and no one, writer or viewer, really realizes the horrors and tragedies of his past.
I didn't like Neelix the first round of Voyager... But when I watched it again years later, I better understood him. He went from a crappy life to one that was actually pretty good. He was safe with Kes, and felt needed by the crew and the captain in the first few seasons.
Yeah, he's ugly... Not every species can be as attractive as Tom Paris
Yeah, he's ugly... Not every species can be as attractive as Tom Paris
Exactly.
Neelix was homeless when Voyager first met him. I think anybody homeless would be overjoyed to live of a luxury starship like Voyager, where they could finally bathe and have 3 soild meals a day. He was overly cheerful because he was doing everything in his power to stay.
"Fair Trade" showed us the life he had before compared to what he gained on Voyager.
I think Neelix gets allot of flak online and misrepresents the character. However, at Cons. the turn out and love for Neelix and Ethan Philips is over whelming.
Lack of family spared him some of life's more depressing moments.
Ooh, good point.
I liked Neelix. Yes, he was annoying, but that's the point: he's an annoying but good-hearted fellow the crew have picked up along the way and who integrates into their family. He can be a headache, but he's also their friend. Making the character annoying was, in my mind, a good move. It made him interesting. I suppose I'm saying I like the character of Neelix partly because he fits in so poorly.
I also think his cheer is partly a cover. Several episodes have suggested a really depressive personality lies underneath the cheerful goodwill; understandable for a guilt-ridden petty crook who lost his home and family through war. This also makes him likable; perhaps he spends so much time attempting to get Tuvok jovial because he knows he is really Tuvok-serious himself, underneath, and doesn't like the reminders...
I also think his cheer is partly a cover. Several episodes have suggested a really depressive personality lies underneath the cheerful goodwill; understandable for a guilt-ridden petty crook who lost his home and family through war. This also makes him likable; perhaps he spends so much time attempting to get Tuvok jovial because he knows he is really Tuvok-serious himself, underneath, and doesn't like the reminders...
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