Voyager’s Tuvix Actor Drew Inspiration from Neelix and Tuvok Moments

Neelix and Tuvok are characters at opposite ends of the personality spectrum. Neelix is cheerful, talkative, and has a high-pitched voice. In contrast, Tuvok is cold, reserved, and speaks in a deep tone. Neelix’s body language is engaging and lively, whereas Tuvok maintains a rigid and aloof demeanor. It was an interesting challenge for Wright to blend the distinct acting styles of the two actors who portrayed these characters. When asked which character traits he picked up from his predecessors, Wright responded:

“The folks at Voyager were kind enough to send over several tapes for me to watch. Honestly, I don’t remember which episodes they were, but I did study them with intent. As for the quirks of each character, I noticed that Ethan was always cheerful and that his voice had a sing-song quality. I also used his eyes, which were always sparkling. Tim was just the opposite. His inflections were always very measured and deliberate. His gaze was usually piercing. Also, their postures were very different. That was key.”

A fan observed that Wright incorporated a lot of nervous hand gestures into his portrayal, a trait he adopted from Phillips. Wright acknowledged that studying Phillips’ performance provided valuable insights into how one might play Neelix effectively.

While Wright never returned as Tuvix—all thanks to Janeway’s decisive actions—he did get another shot at the “Star Trek” universe. He appeared as a different space alien in the “Star Trek: Enterprise” episode titled “Storm Front.” This episode involved time travel shenanigans that transported the characters to World War II, where they discovered time-traveling super-agents disguised as Nazis. Wright portrayed one of these Nazi aliens, a character named Ghrath.

Most recently, Wright featured in the TV series “Daisy Jones & the Six” and was also part of the 2022 feature film “That’s Amor.”