Posted in: Star Trek, TV | Tagged: star trek, star trek: voyager

Voyager: Mulgrew & Russ Discuss Janeway's "Easy Choice" to Kill Tuvix

At the Star Trek: Trek to New Jersey Convention, Star Trek Voyager stars Kate Mulgrew and Tim Russ discussed Janeway's decision to kill Tuvix.

Nearly 30 years since one of the most infamous episodes of Star Trek: Voyager aired in season two's "Tuvix" when a transporter accident finds the USS Voyager's resident chef and "morale officer" Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and ship's security chief Lt. Tuvok (Tim Russ) accidentally fused into the Talaxian-Vulcan hybrid called Tuvix (Tom Wright), who shares characteristics of both thanks to plants they transported back with that caused the unique reaction. As the ship tried to live with the new being, the Doctor (Robert Picardo) developed a way to restore the two men, but would kill Tuvix in the process, and Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) was left to make the fateful decision to separate them. While Voyager aired its final episode in 2001 on UPN, fans still create memes surrounding what many today consider a not-so-controversial decision. This was prompted by a fan asking both Mulgrew and Russ about revisiting Tuvix at the Star Trek: Trek to New Jersey convention (via TrekMovie.com).

Kate Mulgrew on Janeway's "Easy Choice" to Kill Tuvix on Star Trek: Voyager

"Janeway did the only thing she could do. Was she going to keep Tuvix over those two guys? I loved those two guys," The Prodigy star said before offering her tongue-in-cheek response. "Easy choice. Had to make it look tough. But easy, easy. Thank you for that question. Is there a follow-up about God, or sex, or something?" Russ provided a more nuanced take, given Wright's performance and the challenge to capture the essence of both characters at once.

"Tom Wright, the only thing he would forgive us for is for having to do the work that he had to do that week on that episode. Let me tell you, that was brutal, absolutely brutal for him," Russ recalled. "Rewrites and miles of dialogue and playing two characters instead of one. Tom Wright is one of my very good friends and associates. He's a very good actor, and I was proud to have him play both of us at the same time. What a kick in the pants—in the most controversial episode of the entire series."
The Spaceballs star also addressed the elephant in the room to support his captain's decision (not to mention job security), "And yes, [Janeway] did make the right decision, absolutely. Sorry. Her responsibility is that of her crew—the health, safety, and welfare of her crew," Russ continued. "That is the captain's responsibility. So you know, the very last end shot in that episode, when she walks down the hall after the sick bay doors close, the look on her face tells you everything right then."

The topic came up again in light of the new game Star Trek: Voyager: Across the Unknown, which allows the player to revisit that decision, and yes, you can save Tuvix. Side gripe here: I don't blame "Tuvix" writers Andrew Shepard Price and Mark Gaberman for their classic ethical dilemma episode, but as a franchise entrenched in ingenuity as Star Trek, there was a good chance we could have had a third choice: copy Tuvix, clone his genetic makeup, and separate the clone into Tuvok and Neelix, having three people instead of just the two. We've had plenty of transporter accidents before in the canon. We literally had a transporter clone of William Riker (Jonathan Frakes) in The Next Generation called Thomas, who lived his own life since the accident for eight years in the season six episode "Second Chances." No one went out of their way to uncreate Thomas to restore any natural order. Both TNG and Voyager episodes were parodied in the Paramount+ animated series Star Trek: Lower Decks. For more, including Russ offering any insight on whether he'll be included in the upcoming Spaceballs 2 or if he "hasn't seen shit," you can check out the complete article.

Enjoyed this? Please share on social media!

Stay up-to-date and support the site by following Bleeding Cool on Google News today!