star trek black pip

How To Tell A Star Trek Character's Rank At A Glance: Rank Pips Explained

This post contains  spoilers for the premiere of "Star Trek: Lower Decks" season 4.

At the beginning of the fourth season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the four main characters Boimler (Jack Quaid), Mariner (Tawny Newsome), Tendi (Noël Wells), and Rutherford (Eugene Cordero) are each promoted from the lowly rank of ensign to the only slightly-less-lowly rank of lieutenant junior grade. They still don't have much clout on the U.S.S. Cerritos, but at least now they no longer have to sleep in a hallway. One can see their promotions right away as, on their collars, they wear one solid pip and one empty pip. That, any Trekkie will instantly tell you, is the configuration for a lieutenant junior grade.

It should be noted that "Star Trek" has, since its inception, used extant naval ranks to designate Starfleet officers. Just like in the real United States Navy, officers start at the rank of ensign, then work their way up through lieutenant junior grade, then lieutenant, then lieutenant commander, then commander, then captain, before moving into the various ranks of admiral. "Star Trek" often makes reference to admirals and sometimes vice-admirals. There is also an occasional fleet admiral, the highest rank in both the Navy and in Starfleet. "Star Trek," to my recollection, has never referred to a real admiral, either lower half or upper half. Perhaps by the 22nd century, those ranks will be abandoned. 

To command a starship, one typically has to bear the rank of captain, as we know from Kirk, Picard, Sisko, Janeway, Archer, Freeman, Pike, etc. Although it is not a requirement, a starship's first officer traditionally holds the rank of commander (Riker, Chakotay, Ransom, etc.). 

We're going to do a deep dive into Starfleet ranking, so strap in for some extremely nerdy deep cuts. 

The pips ranking system on "Star Trek" wasn't adopted until the days of "Next Generation," but they are the clearest, so it's a good place to start when educating one's self on Starfleet's chain of command. 

Petty officers wear one empty pip on a starship. These are the enlisted members who didn't attend Starfleet Academy. Engineers, security personnel, yeomen, and the like are petty officers and take orders from the lowest-ranking Academy graduate officers on the ship. If one looks into expanded universe lore, one can find a hierarchy of Starfleet petty officers. There are master petty officers at the top, chief petty officers directly underneath, and several ranks below them. Those ranks, however, are rarely discussed on "Star Trek."

As mentioned above, ensigns wear one full pip, as seen on Wesley Crusher's collar above. Lieutenants junior grade wear one full pip and one empty pip. Lieutenants wear two full pips, and lieutenant commanders wear two full pips and one empty pip. 

Commanders wear three pips, because it is a difficult rank to achieve. 

Captains wear four pips, and are typically given the promotion when they are put in command of a starship. It's understood that only one captain lives on a starship at any given time. 

Admirals have their own ranking system, with solid pips surrounded by boxes.

Commodores (an honorary title) have one boxed pip, rear admirals have two, vice admirals have three, regular admirals have four, and fleet admirals have five. "Star Trek" only deals with admirals from time to time, however, and characters who achieve that rank are often presented as villainous or unduly ambitious; Trekkies have been trained to be suspicious of admirals . 

Other rank insignias

The premise of "Star Trek: Voyager" took a single Federation starship and slung it clear across the galaxy with a group of rebel Maquis members on board. Rather than keep the Maquis in the brig for the 70 years it would take the U.S.S. Voyager to return to Earth, Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) assigned them ranks and made them part of the crew. Because these characters had not been to Starfleet Academy, however, they were given only provisional field ranks, a status reflected in their rank pips. 

One can see the rank of Chakotay (Robert Beltran) in the photo above. He wears an elongated, rounded-edged bar with diagonal stripes. The coloration on the stripes corresponds to the open and closed pips of more traditional ranks. One can be a provisional ensign all the way up to a provisional captain. It's understood that these ranks are temporary. On the latest season of "Star Trek: Lower Decks," the character of T'Lyn (Gabrielle Ruiz) bears a provisional rank as she is an exchange officer from a Vulcan ship. 

In some alternate future timelines (and this is "Star Trek," so there are plenty of those), the franchise's costume designers moved the rank pips from uniform collars to the communicator badges on their chests. Rather than little circular pips, their badges bore one to four elongated stripes behind the familiar Starfleet delta symbol. 

Trekkies caught onto the pip ranking system pretty quickly, and many of us learned all about naval ranks through "Star Trek." The original series, however, was a little more oblique about visual ranking systems. It used to be a code stitched onto officer's sleeves. 

The history of rank insignias

In the picture above, one can see the way ranks used to work on the original "Star Trek." Captain Kirk (William Shatner) had no rank on his collar, but wavy golden stripes around his wrist. Looking around at the crew, one found the following system: ensigns had no stripes on their wrists, while lieutenants junior grade had single "dashed" stripes. Lieutenants had a single solid stripe, and lieutenant commanders had a solid stripe and a dashed stripe (as seen on Scotty above). 

Commanders (see Spock) had two solid stripes and captains (see Kirk) had two solid stripes with a dashed stripe in between them. The stripes were gold, giving the uniforms a pleasingly garish touch. 

The "Star Trek" movies made the ranking code even more oblique. Rather than deal with a series of easily readable pips or stripes, the uniforms seen in "Star Trek II" through " Star Trek VI " bore a formal over-the-shoulder strap that rested on the wearer's right shoulder. Whatever pin you saw affixed to that strap corresponded to the officer's rank. Sadly, there was no intuitive way to discern what that rank might be. Ensigns, for instance, wore a small v-shaped pin. Lieutenants junior grade wore two funnel-shaped pins. Lieutenants wore an hourglass-shaped pin, and lieutenant commanders wore an elongated pennant-like shape with a single stripe through it. Commanders wore the same shape but with two stripes. The captain got to be fancy and wore a pin with three stripes, but also a pair of pointy arrowhead-like symbols affixed to it. 

Only deep-cut Trekkies can suss out the differences. 

That ranking system is an aberration, though. In the early days of "Star Trek: Enterprise" and the latter days of "Star Trek: Picard," the pip system is solidly in place. 

Star Trek Ranks, Explained

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Starting with the original series, Star Trek has adopted a quasi-military series of ranks and protocols for its characters. Starfleet is ostensibly a peaceful organization dedicated to exploration and diplomacy, but things can get dangerous on the final frontier. A functioning chain of command is necessary in the event of trouble to ensure that everyone operates at peak efficiency.

It's a bit of a paradox, since Starfleet officers also tend to be rugged individualists, but it makes a good deal of sense and over time has become an indispensable part of the franchise. A given character's rank speaks volumes about their comparative age, their position onboard, and their relationship with the other members of the crew. As with most things Star Trek, rank insignia has evolved over time. Here's a breakdown of Starfleet's ranking system in descending order from the lowliest cadets to the most powerful admirals.

Updated January 18, 2024 by Robert Vaux: Star Trek's ranking system is very stable at this point, and very little tends to change. The article has been updated to include a brief list of prominent members of each rank, along with the series and seasons they held it. It has also been updated to conform to current CBR guidelines.

9 Cadets Are Officers in Training at Starfleet Academy

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Cadets are typically students at Starfleet Academy , spending time onboard a starship as part of their training. They hold no rank and must obey the orders of any crewmen. They're often issued temporary badges or communicators and usually have a supervisory officer to watch over them. Cadets in the 23rd century wear badges with a distinctive black backing. Cadets in the 24th century wear distinctive uniforms denoting their status.

In Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, the Enterprise is used as a training vessel, with the crew consisting almost entirely of cadets. Wesley Crusher formally joins Starfleet Academy starting in Star Trek: The Next Generation Season 4, Episode 9, "Final Mission," and spends most of his subsequent appearances at that rank. Similarly, Nyota Uhura joins the Enterprise as a cadet in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds, as does Sylvia Tilly in Star Trek: Discovery.

8 Enlisted Personnel/NCO Are Starfleet's Worker Bees

While officers attend Starfleet Academy, the rank-and-file personnel attend the 24th-century equivalent of boot camp. They become the anonymous crew working in the background, performing the countless tiny tasks required to keep a starship running. Their ranks include both enlisted crewmen and petty officers (the equivalent of sergeants) who often play supervisory roles. They typically lack any insignia on their uniforms, though chief petty officers in the Next Generation era sometimes have a black pip or similar marking.

Enlisted personnel often serve as The Original Series ' infamous red shirts : doomed to die in the name of plot exposition. The Next Generation introduces perhaps Starfleet's best-known enlisted man. Miles O'Brien runs the transporters on the Enterprise-D, and later becomes Chief of Operations on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine .

7 Ensigns Hold The Lowest Rank

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Ensigns are the lowest-ranking officers on Starfleet vessels. Cadets typically receive the rank of ensign immediately upon graduation from Starfleet Academy. While they technically have command authority, they're usually assigned menial tasks beneath the attention of the senior officers. Like NCOs, they lack insignia on their uniforms in The Original Series era. With The Next Generation and later series, ensigns receive a single gold pip on their collar. They're often lumped into the red shirt category.

Harry Kim is probably the franchise's most famous (or infamous) ensign, failing to receive a single promotion through Star Trek: Voyager's seven seasons , despite serving with distinction on the bridge. The Original Series' Pavel Chekov also begins his Starfleet career as an ensign, though he advances at a faster rate. Of course, the four main characters in Star Trek: Lower Decks are ensigns, though they all receive a promotion to lieutenant, junior grade at the beginning of Season 4.

6 Lieutenant, Junior Grade Have More Responsibility Than Ensigns

The next step up the ladder is lieutenant, junior grade. These are officers with more authority and responsibility than ensigns, but who still require seasoning before taking higher command positions. Medical personnel typically receive the lieutenant, junior grade rank after graduating, which reflects their extended training time. The Original Series uses a single dashed bar on the uniform sleeves to denote them, though Strange New Worlds has retconned that with a connected colored bar. T he Next Generation and later series note the rank with a second black pip in addition to the ensign's colored pip.

Both Julian Bashir and Ezri Dax hold the rank of lieutenant, junior grade when they begin their duties on Deep Space 9, though Ezri receives hers as a field promotion in Season 7, Episode 3, "Afterimage." Geordi La Forge starts as a lieutenant, junior grade too, as does Mr. Worf. B'Elanna Torres receives the rank on a provisional basis when she joins the crew of the Voyager, and the Lower Decks crew are all promoted to lieutenant, junior grade in Season 4, Episode 1, "Twovix."

5 Lieutenants Lead the Away Teams and More

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Lieutenants have advanced to the point where they can take on considerable responsibilities. They may lead away teams or control key systems, and they often appear among the bridge crew or even as department heads. The Original Series notes them with a single bar on the uniform sleeve, while Strange New Worlds adds a second thinner bar above the lieutenant, junior grade's insignia. The Next Generation uses two colored pips on the collar — a method emulated by subsequent series.

Worf spends most of The Next Generation's later seasons as a lieutenant (he's promoted to lieutenant commander during the events of Star Trek Generations ) while Ro Laren is promoted to lieutenant shortly before her defection to the Maquis in The Next Generation Season 7, Episode 24, "Preemptive Strike." Lieutenants often occupy the helm position, including Hikaru Sulu in The Original Series, Keyla Detmer in Star Trek: Discovery , and Erica Ortegas in Star Trek: Strange New Worlds .

4 Lieutenant Commanders Head up Departments

Lieutenant commanders hold positions of senior responsibility onboard a starship, even serving as executive officers or de facto captains on small ships. One larger ships, they often serve as the head of specific departments such as science and engineering. In The Original Series , the rank is designated with two stripes on the sleeve — one thick, one dashed — which Strange New Worlds adjusts to two thick colored bands. The Next Generation and subsequent shows note lieutenant commanders with two colored pips and one black one.

Montgomery Scott holds the rank of lieutenant commander in The Original Series , acting as Chief Engineer and even commanding the Enterprise when Kirk and Spock are away on missions. Similarly, Geordi La Forge rises to the rank of lieutenant commander in The Next Generation , joining Data and Deanna Troi at the position, though the latter eventually advances to commander. Worf and Jadzia Dax are both lieutenant commanders when they begin their romance on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine . Lastly, the original Number One — Una Chin-Riley on Star Trek: Strange New Worlds — is a lieutenant commander.

3 Commanders Aid and Can Take Over the Captain's Dutires

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Commanders are usually the ship's executive officers, "Number Ones," who assist the captain in their duties and step up in the event the captain is incapacitated. Commanders are often viewed as captains in training, and ultimately destined for a ship of their own in the future. In some cases, commanders are the head authority on smaller ships or space stations. Chief medical officers often hold this position as well. They're delineated by two thick bands on their sleeves in The Original Series era and three colored pips on the collar in The Next Generation and later.

Mr. Spock holds the rank of commander during the events of The Original Series , serving double duty as chief science officer as well. He's been followed by the likes of William Riker on The Next Generation and Seven of Nine on Star Trek: Picard . In addition, Beverly Crusher and Leonard McCoy both hold the rank of commander, while Deanna Tori is promoted to commander in Season 7, Episode 16, "Thine Own Self." Ben Sisko also begins his tenure on Deep Space 9 as a commander before being promoted to full captain at the end of Season 3.

2 Captains Command Starfleet's Various Starships

The captain serves as the commander of a starship, with the entire crew ranked beneath them. This affords them a great deal of autonomy, but also equal amounts of responsibility. Starships must often face dangers alone in the far depths of space. It falls to the captain to make the final call when lives are at stake. Occasionally, captains can be found in other duties, such as commanding a star base or holds an administrative position on Earth. Captains are delineated by three stripes on their sleeves in the Original Series era — two thick, one dashed — which Strange New Worlds slightly alters to a single thin band sandwiched between two thicker ones. The Next Generation era uses four full pips on the collar.

Most Star Trek series use a captain as the main character, starting with James T. Kirk in The Original Series . Their ranks include Jean-Luc Picard, Kathryn Janeway, Christopher Pike, and Carol Freeman. In addition, many lower-ranking characters eventually attain the captain's chair, such as Will Riker, Tuvok, and Mr. Spock. Both Ben Sisko and Michael Burnham become captain after several seasons of climbing the ranks, a change from most Star Trek series which tend to begin with their captains in place.

1 Admirals Possess The Greatest Rank and Come to Represent Starfleet Itself

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Admirals are Starfleet's major movers and shakers, placed in charge of entire fleets or overseeing vital operations. As flag officers, they no longer serve onboard starships, though they can claim command of one if circumstances dictate. James T. Kirk takes control of the Enterprise as an Admiral in both Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan , while both Kathryn Janeway in Star Trek: Prodigy and Jean-Luc Picard in Star Trek: Picard are the authority on their respective vessels.

In addition to giving successful captains a cushy desk job, Star Trek often uses admirals as stand-ins for Starfleet itself: either aiding the crew in their endeavors or standing in their way when they go against protocol. They're delineated by a wide variety of methods, and hold varying ranks within the admiralty, such as Vice Admiral and Commodore, that shift from project to project.

The Star Trek universe encompasses multiple series, each offering a unique lens through which to experience the wonders and perils of space travel. Join Captain Kirk and his crew on the Original Series' voyages of discovery, encounter the utopian vision of the Federation in The Next Generation, or delve into the darker corners of galactic politics in Deep Space Nine. No matter your preference, there's a Star Trek adventure waiting to ignite your imagination.

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Where are O'Brien's pips?

Discussion in ' Star Trek: Deep Space Nine ' started by Too Much Fun , Jun 27, 2009 .

Too Much Fun Commodore Commodore

I was watching DS9 and noticed that O'Brien doesn't seem to have the rank buttons (or "pips") on his uniform like everyone else has. Instead, I see some other pattern on his collar. Does anyone know why that is? I also noticed that my "Star Trek: First Contact" Data action figure has a yellow pip that blends into the yellow collar under the black/gray jacket, and wondered if O'Brien's uniform was altered because of the same problem. After all, the pips don't seem to effectively denote rank when they're camoflauged by the colour of the uniform they're attached to! Nog has pips, though, so there might be some other explanation.  

Captrek Vice Admiral Admiral

It’s because he’s enlisted .  

mattyhugh Commander Red Shirt

The Section entitled "Problematic Rank History" should as well.  

RyuRoots Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

All throughout TNG, they didn't know what to do with O'Brien for rank. He had a single pip, then two for Lt, then back to single for an NCO later, IIRC. Wasn't 'til DS9 where they finally hammered out an identifiable ranking display for enlisted officers (read: O'Brien) in that patch whilst the men and women who graduated the academy had pips.  

Wow, thanks for clearing that up, folks. I had no idea the explanation could be so complicated!  

Glad to help. And take a look at the patch itself I remember seeing somewhere before that one to three straight diagonal lines meant crewman (first, second and third class). And assuming I remember this correctly, the lines here represent petty officer specialist first second and third class, and the dots represent chief petty officer, senior chief petty officer (O'Brien's rank) and master chief petty officer (if there were a third dot).  

Hober Mallow Commodore Commodore

RyuRoots said: ↑ All throughout TNG, they didn't know what to do with O'Brien for rank. He had a single pip, then two for Lt, then back to single for an NCO later, IIRC. Wasn't 'til DS9 where they finally hammered out an identifiable ranking display for enlisted officers (read: O'Brien) in that patch whilst the men and women who graduated the academy had pips. Click to expand...

arasam22 Lieutenant Commander Red Shirt

lol i always thought chief o'brien was cool, so i was happy to see him with a bigger role on DS9. amazing that he could go from a character with no name to a semi important character later in the series, to the main character of another series...  

Hober Mallow said: ↑ "All Good Things" compounded the rank confusion by giving him one solid pip signifying ensign (even though he had two pips in Encounter at Farpoint). Click to expand...

^Just a heads-up, that's Hober Mallow's quote, not mine. And agreed, arasam22 . Funny that he went from "curly-haired guy" in Encounter at Farpoint to being a big main character in another Trek show.  

RyuRoots said: ↑ ^Just a heads-up, that's Hober Mallow's quote, not mine. And agreed, arasam22 . Funny that he went from "curly-haired guy" in Encounter at Farpoint to being a big main character in another Trek show. Click to expand...

Nerys Myk A Spock and a smile Premium Member

His pips are on the midnight train to Georgia.  

Timo Fleet Admiral Admiral

We could always argue that his TNG pips were black/hollow instead of silver all the time, and our TV sets just mucked it up. If so, we'd only have three things to explain away: 1) How come he had two pips for a while, then only one? 2) How could he have been the tactical OFFICER once? 3) Why did Riker call him "Lieutenant" in one episode? Possibilities: 1) He got promoted from Chief CPO (one pip, or three chevrons and one dot) to Senior CPO (two pips, or three chevrons and two dots), but only temporarily; perhaps Picard's field promotion was retroactively withdrawn by Starfleet, possibly because of something bad O'Brien did off screen. He only got re-promoted some years into his DS9 assignment. 2) Even a petty officer is an officer, just a petty one. The Rutledge on which he served may have been a small vessel, and the losses she was said to have taken against the Cardassians may have deprived her of competent commissioned officers. O'Brien might have stood in (as one of the many Tactical Officers) until things cleared up, then. 3) This is actually quite negotiable. Riker in "Where Silence Has Lease" is in the transporter room with two people, Lieutenant Worf and O'Brien. He specifies where he wants Worf and himself to end up, by saying "Aft station [of the bridge of the target ship], Lieutenant!". O'Brien acknowledges this, but it's equally possible that Riker was in fact addressing Lieutenant Worf, who'd also need to know where they were going. Timo Saloniemi  

mattyhugh said: ↑ Didn't he just have one pip in Encounter at Farpoint ? Edit: Memory Alpha think so. Click to expand...

Hmm... The TrekCore caps are inconclusive on that (although I'd argue there's only one pip there), but the revisit to those events in "All Good Things.." certainly has O'Brien wearing just the one pip. Timo Saloniemi  

Timo said: ↑ Hmm... The TrekCore caps are inconclusive on that (although I'd argue there's only one pip there), but the revisit to those events in "All Good Things.." certainly has O'Brien wearing just the one pip. Timo Saloniemi Click to expand...

Uh, but in "Lonely Among Us" where he dons a yellow shirt, he's one-pipped, now isn't he? From there on, it's two pips until "Realm of Fear". Timo Saloniemi  

I think my head may explode.  

Captain Fine Fleet Captain Fleet Captain

This is why we need TNG remastered  

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Star trek picard pips.

Published 2023-07-24T09:12:27+00:00

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Star Trek Picard inspired pips, created for my Star trek Adventures players, I have included the full pip, the black half pip and a back for it.

they have holes for 3x1mm magnets however thay may need drilling after printing.

Early life [ ]

Young Tuvok

Tuvok, son of T'Meni , was born on stardate 38774 ( 2264 ), on the Vulcanis Lunar colony . ( VOY : " Flashback ", " Hunters ", " Unimatrix Zero, Part II ")

Tuvok as a teenager

As a teenager , he rebelled against the Vulcan ideal of logic and reasoning when he fell in love with a Terrelian girl named Jara , the daughter of a diplomat stationed on Vulcan . Tuvok experienced Shon-ha'lock – love at first sight – and was willing to violate every tenet of Vulcan philosophy simply to be near her; unfortunately, Jara did not return Tuvok's feelings, and Tuvok chose to leave her. He later spent several months in isolation studying with a Vulcan master , where he learned to subdue his emotions . ( VOY : " Gravity ")

He had to survive in the Vulcan desert for four months with a ritual blade as his only possession, as part of the tal'oth ritual. ( VOY : " Displaced ")

Starfleet Academy [ ]

Tuvok entered Starfleet Academy in 2289 , at the age of twenty-five, but found it difficult to fit in. He found the egocentric nature of Humans difficult to deal with but endured it because it was the wish of his parents to enter Starfleet and he felt obligated to fulfill their expectations. ( VOY : " Flashback ")

Early Starfleet career [ ]

The excelsior [ ].

Ensign Tuvok in a recalled memory

After Tuvok graduated from Starfleet Academy in 2293 , he was assigned to the sciences division as a junior science officer aboard the USS Excelsior under the command of Captain Hikaru Sulu . He worked during the gamma shift and shared common quarters on Deck 7 with Dimitri Valtane and two other officers on the same shift.

Two months later, Tuvok was present during the Excelsior 's attempt to rescue James T. Kirk and Leonard McCoy from the Klingon penal colony , Rura Penthe . This was despite a direct order from Starfleet that no rescue attempt must be tried. Tuvok protested to Captain Sulu about his breach of orders, but to no avail. Decades later, however, an older and wiser Tuvok determined that he had not necessarily been right either.

In the subsequent battle in the Azure Nebula with a K't'inga -class battle cruiser , Valtane nearly died in Tuvok's arms. An alien virus that Valtane was carrying transferred itself to Tuvok, and then disguised itself as a repressed memory engram . This virus later manifested itself in 2373 , when Tuvok served aboard the Voyager , before being destroyed by The Doctor . ( Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country ; VOY : " Flashback ")

Tuvok was also among those who spoke out against Spock 's proposed alliance between the Federation and the Klingon Empire . ( VOY : " Alliances ")

Resignation and return to Vulcan [ ]

After the Excelsior 's three-year mission in the Beta Quadrant ended, Tuvok resigned his commission on account of his dealings with Humans. His experiences on the Excelsior were not pleasant. Humans, in Tuvok's view, believed that everyone in the galaxy should be like them; that all should share their sense of humor and their Human values. His perceptions of Humanity, and of Starfleet, were undoubtedly colored by the fact that he did not want to be there in the first place. ( VOY : " Flashback ")

Tuvok returned to Vulcan, where he taught archery science for several years at the Vulcan Institute for Defensive Arts . ( VOY : " Basics, Part II ") He then spent several years in seclusion by immersing himself in the kolinahr ; this was interrupted six years later by the onset of pon farr . After his marriage to T'Pel in 2304 , and the birth of their four children, Tuvok decided to return to Starfleet following a fifty-year absence. Raising his own children made Tuvok realize what his parents had gone through and that he had not always made the right decisions when he was young. ( VOY : " Ex Post Facto ", " Alice ", " Flashback ")

Return to Starfleet [ ]

Recognizing that there was much he could learn from other races such as Humans, Tuvok entered Starfleet again in 2349 and served as an ensign on the USS Wyoming . His service record reflected this as his first posting instead of his time on the Excelsior . ( VOY : " Flashback ", " Alice ")

Tuvok eventually served as an instructor for thousands of cadets during a sixteen year tenure at Starfleet Academy, a role he resumed aboard Voyager in order to instruct former Maquis crewmen in Starfleet protocols. ( VOY : " Learning Curve ") He also served as one of the instructors to Icheb in his pursuits to join Starfleet. ( VOY : " Child's Play ", " Imperfection ")

Tuvok first met Kathryn Janeway around 2356 , when he dressed her down in front of three Starfleet admirals for failing to observe proper tactical procedures during her first command. Although this encounter bruised Janeway's "Human ego", Tuvok was nevertheless right, and from 2365 onward, Janeway came to rely on Tuvok's "insightful and unfailingly logical advice". ( VOY : " Fury ", " Revulsion ")

During the mid- 2360s , Tuvok was temporarily assigned to Jupiter Station where he often wrote to Captain Janeway. ( VOY : " Tuvix ")

USS Voyager [ ]

Tuvok in 2371.

Tuvok's security override code was Tuvok-pi-alpha. ( VOY : " Repression ")

Infiltrating the Maquis [ ]

Lieutenant Tuvok was serving as Captain Kathryn Janeway 's security officer when, in 2371 , he was ordered to infiltrate the crew of the Maquis raider Val Jean commanded by a former Starfleet officer, Chakotay . At one point of time during his undercover mission, Tuvok was doing reconnaissance on a colony near the Badlands , where he met a Vedek named Teero Anaydis at the Bajoran temple there. Teero was in fact a fanatic Maquis tasked with counterintelligence who was aware of Tuvok's true identity but kept this to himself. Without retaining any conscious memory of it, Teero captured, restrained, and mentally manipulated Tuvok so he could trigger a Maquis resurgence program by conveying the word " Pagh t'em far, B'tanay " at a later point of time (which would turn out to be six years later ). ( VOY : " Caretaker ", " Repression ")

Tuvok was still undercover on the Val Jean sometime later, when, while hiding from a Cardassian ship in the Badlands, the raider was hit by an energy wave which transported it over 70,000 light years to the other side of the galaxy , in the Delta Quadrant . While looking for the missing raider, Voyager itself was hit by the energy wave and transported to the Delta Quadrant, reuniting Tuvok with his ship and Captain – much to Chakotay's dismay who had to face the fact that Tuvok had been a Federation spy all along. When their situation required that the crews of both the Val Jean and Voyager merge for their long journey back home , he became Captain Janeway's security- and second officer . ( VOY : " Caretaker ")

The first year [ ]

Tuvok proved Tom Paris innocent of murdering a Banean scientist whose wife Paris was caught with, despite the fact that the scientist's memories showed Paris committing the murder. Tuvok was able to prove that the Banean doctor, who was an agent of the Banean's enemies, had perpetrated the crime, thanks to his mind-meld with Paris showing that the murderer was actually shorter than Paris. ( VOY : " Ex Post Facto ")

While visiting the Sikarians , it was learned that they possessed the means to fold space and travel great distances in a short time. However, they could not give the technology to Voyager due to their equivalent of Starfleet's non-interference order, or prime directive. Defying the orders of Captain Janeway, Tuvok attempted to obtain the technology in a trade. However, it was found that the technology was incompatible with Voyager , and Tuvok was reprimanded by Janeway. ( VOY : " Prime Factors ")

Tuvok set a trap for the crewmember who was giving the Kazon Voyager technology. The guilty party turned out to be Seska , a Cardassian who had served on Chakotay 's ship and had been altered through cosmetic surgery to look Bajoran . She escaped before Tuvok could arrest her. ( VOY : " State of Flux ")

Later that year, Tuvok attempted a rescue of Harry Kim who had disappeared in a " Beowulf " holoprogram. An energy being had been trapped in the program and had turned Kim into pure energy. The same fate befell Tuvok, but both were released by the being after the crew freed it from the holodeck. ( VOY : " Heroes and Demons ")

An alien entity known as the Komar assaulted the shuttlecraft manned by Tuvok and Chakotay, leaving Tuvok injured and Chakotay apparently brain-dead. The alien had the ability to enter into the minds of others and control them. It seized control of Tuvok, who took over command of the ship and ordered it into the nebula. The crew was able to drive the lifeform from Tuvok's body and leave the nebula. ( VOY : " Cathexis ")

He also tried to train the former Maquis crewmembers to Starfleet standards. The four former Maquis had a great disdain for Tuvok, and he was very strict with them. They found a new respect for each other after they banded together to save each other after a systems failure. ( VOY : " Learning Curve ")

The second year [ ]

During contact with the Botha , Tuvok saw visions of his wife, T'Pel. He was arrested by Mokra Order soldiers while seeking tellerium , along with Torres, and was tortured for 'information' about the Alsaurian resistance movement , despite the fact that Voyager was in contact with third magistrate Augris . He was subsequently rescued by Janeway. ( VOY : " Persistence of Vision ", " Resistance ")

Tuvok after destroying his quarters in a violent outburst in 2372 .

When a crewman was found dead, and Lon Suder , a former Maquis was revealed as the murderer, Tuvok tried a mind meld on Suder in order to understand his motives. The meld had a reverse effect, and Tuvok exhibited violent tendencies inherited from Suder. After a period of rehabilitation, Tuvok was able to control these tendencies, and sought to help Suder. After Suder redeemed himself during a Kazon attack and was killed, Tuvok offered a Vulcan prayer for him, hoping that, in death, Suder found the peace that had eluded him in life. ( VOY : " Meld ", " Basics, Part II ")

On stardate 49301.2 , Tuvok represented Quinn , a Q who wished to die, as counsel in his request for asylum, since Vulcans practice euthanasia for the infirm and elderly. This was a role he would reprise to defend The Doctor's rights as a sentient being when it was discovered that he officially had no legal rights. ( VOY : " Death Wish ", " Author, Author ")

Tuvok with Tressa, a Drayan child

While Janeway was making first contact with the Drayan , a shuttle piloted by Tuvok crashed on a Drayan moon. Tuvok found three frightened children who told Tuvok that the Drayans sent them to the moon to die and asked him to help them hide. The next day Tuvok discovered that two of the children had vanished. In a nearby cave, he found their clothes, but not the children. When the Drayans landed on the planet, Tuvok tried to protect the last child, named Tressa . The Drayans explained that Tressa was 96 years old. The Drayan aging process is reversed, and Tressa wasn't brought there to be killed, but to die a natural death. Tuvok stayed with Tressa to comfort her in her final moments. ( VOY : " Innocence ")

Later that year, a transporter accident caused Tuvok to be combined with crewmate Neelix (and a plant) at a molecular level, forming a new individual, Tuvix . Tuvix possessed the memories of both men and had a mixture of their personalities. It took The Doctor over a month to find a method to restore Tuvok and Neelix to their original state. ( VOY : " Tuvix ")

When Janeway and Chakotay were infected by an alien disease, they were forced to be left behind on an alien planet , leaving Tuvok in command of an uneasy crew. At the insistence of the crew, who were uncomfortable with abandoning their captain and first officer, he sought a remedy from the Vidiian physician, Danara Pel , who had become romantically involved with The Doctor when Voyager treated her for a severe case of the phage. ( VOY : " Resolutions ")

Tuvok helped the crew survive on a primitive planet where they were stranded after the Kazon captured Voyager . ( VOY : " Basics, Part II ")

The third year [ ]

In 2373 , Tuvok had a mental collapse due to a suppressed memory. In order to cure himself he had to perform a mind meld with Janeway. Together, the two relived the time Tuvok spent aboard the USS Excelsior , commanded by Hikaru Sulu. They discovered that an alien virus had invaded his brain and had lain dormant for years. Tuvok was saved when The Doctor drove the virus out by bursts of radiation. ( VOY : " Flashback ")

When faced with the merger of a Starfleet and Maquis crew, Tuvok wrote a drill simulation called " Insurrection Alpha ", in the event of a Maquis mutiny on Voyager . However, when he realized that the crews were getting along better than he expected, he deleted the program, fearing that it would spark off the very mutiny he wanted to prevent. During a routine maintenance of holodeck programs, B'Elanna Torres accidentally discovered this simulation, mistaking it for a holonovel . Many people on board the ship began using the program while playing out the various scenarios. When Tuvok was encouraged to finish it, he and Tom Paris discovered that Seska , a traitor who had escaped almost a year previously, had altered the program to kill anyone who accessed the narrative parameters file . Fortunately, they were able to stay alive with the assistance of Captain Janeway from outside the holodeck. In a final confrontation with Seska, Tuvok reconfigured a phaser rifle to overload before handing it over to her. By killing the holographic Seska, the program ended, and Paris and Tuvok were freed. ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario ")

Tuvok, disguised to hide his Vulcan characteristics in 1996 Los Angeles .

Tuvok was part of an away team that returned to Earth in 1996 . Voyager was trying to stop a temporal explosion that would obliterate Earth's solar system in the 29th century , caused by Henry Starling , who came upon a 29th-century starship that was thrown back in time. Tuvok and Paris would contact Rain Robinson , an astronomer who picked up Voyager 's signal and worked for Starling. They saved her when Starling ordered her killed. They told her that they were spies. He also rescued Chakotay and Torres who were taken hostage by a paramilitary group. Tuvok and the crew were able to stop Starling and return the timeline. ( VOY : " Future's End ", " Future's End, Part II ")

Tuvok being rescued by Tom Paris on Ilari

Tuvok attempted to rescue Kes who had her mind and body taken over by Tieran , an ancient warlord who used her to retake control of his planet. Although the attempt failed, he was able to contact her with a mind meld and tell her to continue to fight. Tuvok led another rescue attempt that was successful. Kes was rescued with the use of a synaptic stimulator that removed Tieran's neural pattern. ( VOY : " Warlord ")

In an alien encounter, he and Chakotay met the Sakari who believed Voyager would harm them. Their ancestors were driven underground by attacks from another alien race, who Tuvok and Chakotay discovered were the Borg . ( VOY : " Blood Fever ")

Later that year, he was able to persuade a lonely alien who appeared to him in the holodeck to let Voyager leave a nebula it was caught in. She wanted him to stay with her, but he convinced her to request a transfer so she could go home and be around others again. He, along with Neelix, helped the Nezu fend off an attack by their enemies, and exposed a Nezu traitor. The incident also brought him and Neelix closer together. ( VOY : " Alter Ego ", " Rise ")

The fourth year [ ]

In 2374 , Tuvok was promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander by Captain Janeway. ( VOY : " Revulsion ")

Also in 2374, during a temporary alliance with the Borg, Tuvok accompanied Janeway aboard the Borg ship to help develop a weapon against Species 8472 . The Borg tried to install temporary neuro-transceivers on them, but they insisted they be assigned a Borg representative to communicate with verbally instead. It was this incident that brought Seven of Nine aboard Voyager . Shortly after, Tuvok tried to help Kes stabilize her telepathic abilities with a mind meld. He was unable to help and Kes transformed into energy and left the ship. Tuvok subsequently lit a candle in memory of his lost student. ( VOY : " Scorpion ", " Scorpion, Part II ", " The Gift ")

Tuvok would also rescue Chakotay from the Vori who had brainwashed him into serving in their army and participating in a war. Despite appearing as one of the enemies who Chakotay had been conditioned to hate, he was able to get through to his commander, reminding Chakotay that he was a scientist, not a soldier. ( VOY : " Nemesis ")

When Seven's nanoprobes reactivated and she tried to return to Borg space, Tuvok worked with Janeway to try to bring her back. After tracking her, Tuvok beamed over to her shuttle, but was overpowered by her. He accompanied her to a planet that contained the wreckage of the Raven , her parents' ship. There he found the Borg machine that had activated her nanoprobes and he disabled them, ending the crisis. ( VOY : " The Raven ")

He defended and proved Torres innocent of projecting violent thought on a planet of telepaths, simultaneously uncovering a 'black market' of violent thought. Tuvok and Seven of Nine were captured by the Hirogen . They were going to be skinned alive and their bones used as trophies. Voyager was able to beam them to safely after causing a black hole to destroy the Hirogen ships. He also found proof that Kovin , an Entharan trader, had not assaulted Seven in order to harvest her nanoprobes like Seven believed. A burst from Kovin's disrupter that was fired accidentally caused the nanoprobes to regenerate and triggered a suppressed memory in Seven of assimilation. ( VOY : " Random Thoughts ", " Hunters ", " Retrospect ")

During the Hirogen takeover of Voyager , when they used the crew as part of a holodeck hunting game, Tuvok played a resistance fighter during a Nazi scenario. He was concerned that Seven was a Nazi spy and told Janeway that if so, they should kill her. ( VOY : " The Killing Game ", " The Killing Game, Part II ")

The fifth and sixth years [ ]

Tuvok later developed multiphasic shielding, which went into Voyager 's multi-spatial probe and was later adapted for use in designing the Delta Flyer . ( VOY : " Extreme Risk ")

He crash-landed on a planet beset by an ion storm in the Delta Flyer along with Ensign Samantha Wildman and Paris. They were rescued just as their oxygen ran out, but in the process, Tuvok was able to console Wildman about her fears for her daughter, Naomi . His own young daughter had now been without him for over four years, and yet he was confident that she would be safe with his remaining family. On another away mission they again crashed on a planet were they met Noss , who helped them survive the hostile planet. Noss became infatuated with Tuvok, who could not return the affection. ( VOY : " Once Upon a Time ", " Gravity ")

Tuvok, attacked by the Ba'Neth

By 2376 , Tuvok had received seventeen commendations for valor. That year, while returning from a diplomatic mission, he was attacked by an invisible being, later found out to be a member of the Ba'Neth species. He suffered neuroleptic shock which caused brain damage. As he recovered from the shock, his brain functions were very simple, and he showed great emotion. Neelix nursed him back to health and cared for him until The Doctor was able to reverse the effects of the shock. ( VOY : " Riddles ")

Tuvok accompanied Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine as they investigated lifesigns on a planet in the middle of a nuclear winter. There, they inadvertently awakened a Vaadwaur battalion in stasis, not knowing if they were hostile or not. After the rest of the battalion was awakened, Tuvok came with a plan to escape the planet in cooperation with the Vaadwaur. Unfortunately, the Vaadwaur turned on them, attempting to take Voyager . After making a temporary alliance with the Turei , Tuvok and Gedrin were able to give the Turei access to a satellite in orbit. Thanks to this Tuvok and the crew of Voyager were able to escape both the Turei and the Vaadwaur. ( VOY : " Dragon's Teeth ")

Tuvok and Seven were captured by an alien named Penk . He secured players for a violent fight game named Tsunkatse . Seven at first refused to participate, but was forced to, because Tuvok was wounded and Penk refused to give him medical treatment unless she did so. They were eventually rescued by Voyager . He helped track down a gang of grifters who were posing as Janeway and him in order to steal goods. He confronted an elder Kes when she returned to try to destroy Voyager , blaming Janeway for her lost youth; his past self also had occasional 'flashes' to the future due to tachyon instability caused by Kes's future self traveling back in time, which allowed the past Janeway to realize what was happening. ( VOY : " Tsunkatse ", " Live Fast and Prosper ", " Fury ")

When Torres and Kim were stranded on an L-class planet , Tuvok stayed awake for over two straight weeks during Voyager 's search for them. Tom Paris took pleasure in waking Tuvok up when he started snoring in the captain's chair. ( VOY : " Muse ")

The seventh year [ ]

Three of Twelve

The last year of Voyager 's trip home brought many adventures to Tuvok. Tuvok, Janeway , and Torres allowed themselves to be assimilated by the Borg, carrying a pathogen to help the Borg drones of Unimatrix Zero resist the Borg Queen . The assimilation was supposed to have been only of the body; The Doctor had administered an inoculation to the three of them to prevent their minds from being assimilated, and thus keep them from becoming drones. However, Tuvok's inoculation wore off prematurely, and though he kept trying to retain his individuality by recalling his family and past memories, he eventually succumbed to the Borg's influence and his mind was fully assimilated. Thus, he became an actual drone, designated Three of Twelve. However, the mission still succeeded, and the drone was taken back to Voyager with Janeway and Torres. The implants were removed, and the drone once again became Tuvok. It took him some time to fully recover from the experience. ( VOY : " Unimatrix Zero, Part II ")

Tuvok attempted to salvage a cortical node to replace Seven's node that was malfunctioning. He represented The Doctor in obtaining the right to a holonovel that The Doctor had written, called Photons Be Free . The Doctor had forwarded a text of the novel to Starfleet when communications became possible between them and Voyager , but he was subsequently forbidden from making changes. Although the trial did not result in The Doctor gaining full legal rights as a sentient being, he was accorded the status of 'artist', due in no small part to Tuvok pointing out that The Doctor had created an original work, something that a purely artificial being could not do. ( VOY : " Imperfection ", " Author, Author ")

In 2377 , Tuvok had received a message from his son Sek over a datastream aboard Voyager regarding his studies of music . Unbeknownst to either of them, Bajoran radical Teero Anaydis had intercepted the communication and hid a subliminal message set to Vulcan brainwaves . It forced Tuvok to recall Teero's mental conditioning, which he became victim of six years ago while still serving undercover as one of Chakotay's Maquis crew, and which was aimed at triggering a Maquis resurrection should it be necessary. Tuvok began attacking the Maquis crewmembers and gave them subconscious instructions from Teero through a mind-meld. The Maquis eventually took control of Voyager and nearly stranded its Starfleet crew on a planet in the Delta Quadrant. However, Tuvok was able to regain mental control and use another mind-meld to remove Teero's influence from the Maquis crew. ( VOY : " Repression ")

Tuvok in 2378 .

Tuvok gave Paris tips on being a father when Torres became pregnant. During the capture of the crew by the Quarrens who used them as laborers and had wiped out their memories of Voyager , Tuvok began to have flashbacks of his previous existence. Tuvok served the workforce as an expert in thermionic conversion , but was replaced by Chakotay after he was taken by Quarren guards. He had to be given additional treatments of mind control. ( VOY : " Lineage ", " Workforce ", " Workforce, Part II ")

Tuvok was then part of a rescue operation when Neelix, Lts. Paris and Carey were taken as hostages by the planet's leader Verin . After Carey was killed by Verin, Tuvok and The Doctor , posing as natives , were able to infiltrate, stun Verin and his guards, and rescue Neelix and Paris. ( VOY : " Friendship One ")

Later career [ ]

Tuvok mind melds with the data fabricator

Sometime after his return to Earth in 2378 , Tuvok was promoted to full commander.

In 2381 , Tuvok participated in a secret investigation of Captain Carol Freeman 's alleged bombing of Pakled Planet . He performed an invasive mind meld on a Zakdorn data fabricator , who he determined had been hired by the Pakleds . The Pakleds had destroyed their own homeworld and framed Freeman, in order to force the Federation to relocate them to a more resource-rich planet. ( LD : " Grounded ")

By 2401 , Tuvok had transferred to the command division and held the rank of captain .

During Vadic 's conspiracy, Tuvok was impersonated by a Changeling for the sake of locating the USS Titan -A . Although the Changeling managed to pass Commander Seven of Nine 's initial test to confirm their identity, they failed in two other subsequent tests, leading Seven to recognize the deceit because according to Seven, no Vulcan would go to Aklion VII due to the Anti-Kolinahr demonstrations that took place there, and a false recollection she shared had actually happened on Voyager . Seven then theorized that the real Tuvok had been taken alive for the sake of extracting the information required for the deception. The Changeling then confirmed her theory, further threatening that when they would be done with Tuvok and all of those on the Titan , that they would all find death to be a relief in comparison. ( PIC : " Dominion ") Following the destruction of the Borg , Admiral Beverly Crusher was able to devise technology that allowed Starfleet to find and arrest the Changeling infiltrators. In the process, it was discovered that the Changelings, with a constant need for information, had kept alive most of their targets, including Tuvok, and they were eventually rescued. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Following the defeat of the Changelings and the Borg and his rescue, Tuvok met with Seven on the Titan to inform her that the command crew of the USS Enterprise -D would be receiving a pardon for hijacking the Titan with Seven's help. Tuvok was ordered by Starfleet Command to deal with Seven's insubordination, but she interrupted him to offer her resignation from Starfleet. Tuvok showed Seven her officer review from Captain Liam Shaw in which he called Seven reckless, unrelenting and stated that she doesn't care about protocol or procedure. However, Shaw called Seven brave and loyal continuing that "the book that she writes is gonna be great. And the rules that she breaks... maybe they were broken to begin with." As Seven watched with tears in her organic eye, Shaw recommended that Seven be promoted to captain upon their return to port. Tuvok proudly denied his old friend's resignation, addressing her as captain and promoting her to command the rechristened USS Enterprise -G . ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Personal interests [ ]

A Vulcan bow from Tuvok's quarters

Tuvok was a prize-winning orchid breeder. ( VOY : " Tattoo ", " Tuvix ") He used grafting techniques on flowers from both Earth and Vulcan. ( VOY : " Alliances ")

Tuvok was a proficient Vulcan lute player. He would often play his lute while reciting " Falor's Journey " to his youngest son . ( VOY : " Persistence of Vision ", " Innocence ", " Riddles ")

Tuvok's main pastime was the Vulcan game kal-toh , which he frequently played with Ensign Harry Kim . ( VOY : " Alter Ego ", " The Omega Directive ") As of 2378, Ensign Kim had never beaten Tuvok at the game. ( VOY : " Endgame ")

Tuvok also spent his spare time meditating , using the stars as a focal point, and instructed various members of the crew in this pursuit over the years. ( VOY : " Alter Ego ", " Juggernaut ") Besides his background in the sciences, he was an avid student and observer of many Alpha Quadrant martial arts , including Earth sumo wrestling . He also had an appreciation for Klingon weapons, such as the bat'leth . ( VOY : " Flashback ", " Tsunkatse ", " Latent Image ", " Barge of the Dead ")

Neelix identified Vulcan audio file 56 alpha , " The Chants of the Monks of T'Panit ", as one of Tuvok's favorites. ( VOY : " Riddles ")

Although he had no interest in writing, when he created the " Insurrection Alpha " program as a tactical training tool, Tuvok, following the Vulcan Dictates of Poetics as a guideline, was complimented on the compelling nature of the story he had created, depicting a Maquis mutiny on Voyager , and expressed some understanding on the literary angles of the plot. ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario ")

Personal relationships [ ]

Kathryn janeway [ ].

His closest friend aboard Voyager was Captain Janeway herself, who trusted him completely, and whom he considered the closest thing to family aboard Voyager . ( VOY : " Caretaker ", " Prime Factors ", " Flashback ")

Tuvok and Janeway first met each other in 2356 . ( VOY : " Fury ") Tuvok had once dressed down Janeway in front of three Starfleet admirals , which gave her ego a bruise. ( VOY : " Revulsion ") However, by 2365 , Janeway came to rely on his unfailing logical advice. ( VOY : " Revulsion ") They had become so close in the intervening years that Janeway had attended Tuvok's daughter Asil 's kolinahr . ( VOY : " Fury ") By 2367 , Tuvok began making detailed psychological observations on her. ( VOY : " Phage ")

Tuvok and Janeway, shortly after their arrival in the Delta Quadrant

In 2371 , Janeway took her newly commissioned Intrepid -class Federation starship USS Voyager into the Badlands to look for him after he went missing infiltrating a Maquis cell. Tuvok and the Maquis crew were discovered on the Caretaker's array deep in the Delta Quadrant . Later, the crews were brought back to their ships by the Caretaker . Alone together in Janeway's ready room , the captain admitted that she missed his counsel and he replied that he was gratified she came after him so he could offer it again. ( VOY : " Caretaker ")

He was one of her most trusted advisers. She discussed all command decisions with him. When he disobeyed her orders concerning the Sikarian technology that could fold space by trying to trade for it on the black market, she felt betrayed by his disobedience. He explained that logic dictated his actions. ( VOY : " Prime Factors ")

In 2372 , Janeway came to Tuvok for advice in possibly making an uneasy alliance with the Kazon-Nistrim . When she believed that making an alliance with the Kazon went against everything she had been taught, Tuvok showed her his Vulcan favinit plant , created by a hybrid of a South American plant and the favinit plant itself. Tuvok remarked that at first, the plant was sickly but when grafted together, the plants adapted to their new condition and became stronger than they had been alone. This demonstration convinced Janeway to seek an alliance with the Kazon. ( VOY : " Alliances ")

Saying goodbye in 2374 of an alternate timeline

Later in 2372, Tuvok was merged with Neelix in a transporter accident and became an entirely new person; Tuvix . This individual later became a valued member of the crew, taking on personality traits of both Tuvok and Neelix, as well as doing their jobs more efficiently. However, a solution was later discovered by The Doctor and Harry Kim to separate them. Although Tuvix did not want to "die", Janeway was determined to get Tuvok, her friend, back despite the ethical complications. She performed the separation procedure herself and got Tuvok back. ( VOY : " Tuvix ")

In 2373 , Tuvok was discovered to have a deadly memory virus . He had Janeway act as his pyllora , his guide, to discover what was causing it. He told the captain of his deep trust of her and the familial feeling he had toward her. The two recalled a memory of his service aboard the USS Excelsior under Captain Sulu together and were able to solve the problem of the memory virus so The Doctor could destroy it with thoron radiation . ( VOY : " Flashback ")

In 2377 , Janeway developed a cooperation with a Borg resistance movement called " Unimatrix Zero ". She, Tuvok, and B'Elanna Torres went aboard a Borg tactical cube to upload a virus in the Borg Collective to allow the resistance to gain an advantage over the collective. However, this required Janeway, Torres, and Tuvok to be assimilated , although The Doctor was able to inject them with a neural suppressant so they could retain their individuality. However, the suppressant wore off on Tuvok quickly and Janeway ordered him to " stay focused, stay Tuvok. That's an order. " Unfortunately, the Borg Queen was able to link him into the collective's consciousness. This fortunately was only temporary and he was later able to return to duty fully Vulcan. ( VOY : " Unimatrix Zero ", " Unimatrix Zero, Part II ", " Imperfection ")

Later in 2377, the Maquis took control of Voyager when a telepathic command sent through a message from Tuvok's son Sek by Teero Anaydis affected the tactical officer 's mind. After mind melding with the Maquis contingent on Voyager , a brainwashed Chakotay ordered Tuvok to kill Janeway as a test of his loyalty to the Maquis. He began to fire a phaser at his old friend, but the weapon was inoperative. Later, after the crisis was resolved, Janeway asked how he knew that the phaser was not fully charged and Tuvok replied that he knew Chakotay doubted his loyalty and would not have given him an active weapon. " Not exactly ironclad logic ", she replied. ( VOY : " Repression ")

Janeway and Tuvok in 2378

In 2378 , an Admiral Janeway from an alternate timeline of the year 2404 , time traveled back and came aboard Voyager . One of her major motivations for altering the future to get Voyager back home sooner was to get Tuvok back to Vulcan so he could be cured through a fal-tor-voh , a mind meld with a family member. By 2404, Tuvok's degenerative neurological condition had deteriorated to such a degree that he had lost his mind. The younger Janeway asked him why he did not object to her plan to destroy the Borg transwarp hub so he could receive treatment, he told her " To quote Ambassador Spock , "the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few". " ( VOY : " Endgame ")

Tuvok and Neelix in 2371

When Neelix first came on board Voyager , Tuvok, referring to his species, said, "I am Vulcan". Neelix, mistaking that for his name, introduced himself. "I'm Neelix, pleased to meet you, Mr. Vulcan". Thereafter he often referred to Tuvok as "Mister Vulcan", and would continue to do so from time to time in the following years. However, Neelix and Tuvok were the proverbial "odd couple" of Voyager and polar opposites. Neelix' cheerful disposition and bubbly attitude were irritating to Tuvok who had a very stoic and disciplined mind and rarely interested in engaging in the kind of conversations and what he believed to be frivolous activities that Neelix enjoyed. Tuvok was also not very fond of Neelix' cooking abilities, as Neelix had the tendency to add odd spices to dishes which often became not very palatable. He once took one of Tuvok's native dishes from Vulcan and added some Talaxian ingredients to "spice things up"; needless to say, Tuvok did not feel at home at all. Although Neelix was very fond of the Vulcan, his feelings were not reciprocated, until an incident when Tuvok lost his memory and his emotion-suppressing abilities after an attack by mysterious aliens, called the Ba'Neth: Neelix helped Tuvok recover and Tuvok opened up to Neelix, telling him how much he enjoyed his company; this incidence strengthened their friendship, even though Tuvok did go back to his old self when The Doctor was able to devise a method by which Tuvok would gain his memory and logic back. It was also during this time Tuvok gained an appreciation for pastry baking and jazz music . ( VOY : " Caretaker ", " Riddles ")

Tuvok and Neelix were once merged into one lifeform during a transporter malfunction. The hybrid of Neelix and Tuvok was named Tuvix and he possessed the qualities of both Tuvok and Neelix in just the right combination. He even became a better chef . Tuvix quickly became a much-loved and well-respected member of the crew and when The Doctor finally found a way to separate them again into their individual selves, he resisted, asking that he not be sacrificed. After much deliberation Captain Janeway decided that it would be unfair to Neelix and Tuvok if Tuvix remained and so decided to continue with the procedure, murdering him in the process. When Tuvok and Neelix finally returned as their old selves, everyone was glad to see them, even though Janeway couldn't help but wonder about Tuvix and whether she had done the right thing.( VOY : " Tuvix ")

When Kes went through her elogium , Neelix went to Tuvok for advice on fatherhood. Tuvok, despite his natural lack of emotion, was able to assure Neelix that fatherhood brought great rewards, and informed Neelix that it did not matter whether the child was a son or daughter, as in both cases a father was able to play an important role. ( VOY : " Elogium ")

Tuvok once had to share his quarters with Neelix when a shipload of Klingons in the Delta Quadrant came aboard, much to Tuvok's chagrin. ( VOY : " Prophecy ")

Tuvok and Neelix in 2377

Even though Tuvok appeared disinterested in Neelix and was not very comfortable around him, he nonetheless had a great deal of respect for him because he saw him as a courageous and hard-working individual with integrity. Tuvok encouraged Neelix to assist an imperiled Talaxian settlement and be reunited with his people. As a going-away gift he danced a brief step, to the delight of Neelix, who had previously mentioned that he would convince Tuvok to dance before Voyager returned home. ( VOY : " Homestead ")

Tuvok became Kes' mentor and tutor in establishing her mental abilities. He used mind melds in order to teach her to control her powers, but sometimes became "frustrated" (as much as any Vulcan could) with her "emotional outbursts", such as giggling, when she used her abilities. Nevertheless, they were close companions. Tuvok gave Kes counsel and understood the challenge she faced with her abilities, speaking of the control he needed to control his emotions. He continued to work with her despite the risk it sometimes entailed, as when she lost control of her powers and accidentally began to boil his blood ( VOY : " Cold Fire ").

When Kes was taken over by Tieran, Tieran tried to seduce Tuvok in her body. Tuvok denied that he had ever desired Kes and engaged in a mind meld that would help Kes resist Tieran's control. ( VOY : " Warlord ").

Tuvok took an interest when Kes became infatuated with a Mikhal Traveler named Zahir , as the Travelers had a reputation for recklessness. He met with Zahir to request that he exercise caution while Kes was his passenger. He also reminded Kes not to let her infatuation interfere with her responsibilities but didn't discourage her from Zahir. ( VOY : " Darkling ").

When Kes' mental abilities began to increase dramatically, Tuvok was concerned and advised her to proceed slowly despite her eagerness. He was alarmed by her ability to affect matter on the subatomic scale. When she began to phase out of corporeal existence, Tuvok attempted a mind meld to slow the process but was unsuccessful. After Kes' departure from Voyager , Tuvok donned his traditional Vulcan robes and placed his lit meditation candle in the window in remembrance of her. ( VOY : " The Gift ")

Tom Paris [ ]

Paris with Tuvok after he helped clear him of murder

Paris and Tuvok had very different approaches and philosophies to life. While Tuvok viewed life through the lens of typical Vulcan logic, Paris had a more carefree attitude towards things; an attribute which irritated Tuvok a great deal and which often resulted in clashes between the two – sometimes serious, often humorous. One such clash became apparent when Tom was put in charge of writing an ending to Tuvok's Insurrection Alpha holoprogram depicting a Maquis mutiny on board Voyager . Tuvok was not happy that Tom was assigned to finish the novel, especially because Tom was disregarding all of his original organization and logical application by adhering to a more casual "make it up as I go along" format. Tom was suggesting that in the novel, Paris and Janeway retake the ship while Janeway decides to execute all the conspirators; an ending Tuvok believed to be a completely implausible plot development. ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario ") On another occasion, Tuvok and Paris got into a disagreement over the build and look of the Delta Flyer : Tom had added fancy decoration, such as dynametric tailfins , to the nacelles which Tuvok promptly removed, stating that they were not designing a "hot rod" and that such embellishments were unnecessary. ( VOY : " Extreme Risk ")

Tom also often kidded Tuvok, trying to get him to loosen up a bit and "take it easy", such as the time he tried to get him to view the generational ship the Varro had built from more than just a logical and practical angle; or when he tried to find out Tuvok's age, which at that point had remained somewhat of a mystery to many. These attempts to elicit emotional responses out of Tuvok often proved fruitless, however, as Tuvok countered every point made with a logical response, leaving Paris frustrated for even having tried. ( VOY : " The Disease ") Tom did not always appreciate Tuvok's by-the-book and rigid methods and once believed that Tuvok, who had earlier caught him and B'Elanna kissing in engineering , had reported the matter to Captain Janeway; a suspicion that proved to be wrong as Janeway assured Paris that Tuvok had done no such thing. ( VOY : " Scientific Method ")

Despite occasional irritations, however, Tom and Tuvok maintained a cordial and respectful relationship with one another throughout their journey through the Delta quadrant. When Tom was charged with the murder of engineering physicist Tolen Ren in 2371 , it was Tuvok's thorough investigation that led to proving Tom's innocence in the matter. As a result, Tom felt a great sense of gratitude towards Tuvok for having saved his life. Even though Tuvok explained to him that he was merely performing his duty and would have put the same level of diligence into the investigation regardless of which crew member was charged, Tom did not care and told Tuvok that regardless of his motives, he had just made a friend that day ( VOY : " Ex Post Facto ").

On many occasions, Tuvok showed a surprising amount of faith in Tom despite his checkered past; when attempting a 'sting' operation to catch a traitor who was giving information to the Kazon , Tuvok was comfortable with the choice of Tom as their 'mole' even when it put him in a situation where he could easily defect to the Kazon ( VOY : " Investigations "), and when Tuvok wrote the Insurrection Alpha program, Tom was one of only two prominent crewmembers – the other being the holographic Tuvok himself – who was unquestionably on Janeway's side in the Maquis mutiny, implying great confidence in Tom's loyalty ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario "). Likewise, Tom avoided teasing Tuvok when dealing with a serious situation: when Tuvok experienced pon farr while The Doctor was away and Tom the only medic available, he claimed to the rest of the crew that Tuvok was just suffering from Tarkalean flu , later programming a holographic replica of T'Pel to help Tuvok deal with his urges without betraying his wife ( VOY : " Body and Soul "). When Tom learned of B'Elanna's pregnancy, he went to Tuvok for advice on fatherhood as the only person he knew who had been through fatherhood already, Tuvok noting that Tom should expect paradox from the illogical combination of frustration and satisfaction that children could bring to a father's life ( VOY : " Lineage ").

Chakotay [ ]

Tuvok went undercover and infiltrated Chakotay's Maquis cell in 2371 , in order to turn his entire crew over to the Federation. However, Tuvok, Chakotay and his entire cell were transported to the Delta Quadrant by the Caretaker. After Voyager as brought over similarly, Chakotay discovered that Tuvok was Captain Janeway's chief of security. This angered Chakotay and changed his attitude towards Tuvok. ( VOY : " Caretaker ") There was still some hostility between the two shortly after they were stranded in the Delta Quadrant, over the issue of Starfleet and Maquis crewmembers serving together on Voyager . ( VOY : " Parallax ") Later on in 2371, Chakotay, having discovered Seska to be a Cardassian spy, still felt feelings of betrayal from Tuvok and asked him, as " someone who pulled the wool over my eyes ", if he had suspected that Seska was a double agent while they worked together in the Maquis. Tuvok told Chakotay that Seska had successfully pulled the wool over his eyes as well. ( VOY : " State of Flux ") Chakotay's question to Tuvok, "Was anyone on that ship working for me?" went unanswered.

Near the end of first year of Voyager 's journey through the Delta Quadrant, Chakotay began to respect Tuvok and his position as chief of security, even punching Crewman Kenneth Dalby in the jaw after he, Henley , Gerron and Chell rudely left Tuvok's lesson in Starfleet protocols in Voyager 's cargo bay. ( VOY : " Learning Curve ")

There was a lingering tension between the two, as Tuvok was disappointed that Janeway had chosen Chakotay over him to be her first officer on Voyager , which they discussed while the ship was trapped in a distortion ring . Tuvok eventually came to accept Chakotay as the true first officer of Voyager . ( VOY : " Twisted ", " Resolutions ")

In 2373 , Chakotay was concerned about Tuvok's well-being after he was struck with what appeared to be a severe panic attack . Tuvok initially brushed off Chakotay's concerns, which took him aback, but Tuvok later apologized. ( VOY : " Flashback ")

Tuvok providing Chakotay with advice

When Voyager was traversing what they dubbed " the Void " in 2375 , Janeway fell into a deep, guilt-based depression over the ship being trapped in the Delta Quadrant due to her decisions. Worried, Chakotay relied on Tuvok's knowledge of her past and her psyche to predict that she would likely resort to self-sacrifice to protect the crew. When asked by Chakotay, Tuvok pledged his support in preventing any such outcome. ( VOY : " Night ")

Harry Kim [ ]

Tuvok's relationship with Harry Kim was at times that of a mentor and a friend. Though Kim would sometimes play pranks on Tuvok, in concert with Tom Paris, he came to value his advice and companionship. ( VOY : " Alter Ego ", " Ashes to Ashes ")

In early 2371 , Tuvok provided Kim with advice regarding the proper conduct of senior officers on the bridge of a starship when Kim stated that he had "never seen anything like it" regarding a nebula . Though Kim accepted the advice, he couldn't help but later poke a bit of fun at Tuvok when he made a similar comment. ( VOY : " The Cloud ")

In 2373 , Kim sought Tuvok's advice regarding eliminating emotions when he became infatuated with the holographic character Marayna . Tuvok advised him that he was suffering from shon-ha'lock and suggested a course of intense meditation . Kim initially followed this course, but eventually discontinued the regime at Tom Paris's urging. He later became angry when Tuvok developed his own relationship with Marayna. Though Tuvok initially dismissed his feelings, he later apologized for not respecting the complexity of his emotions. Kim accepted the apology, as well as Tuvok's invitation to teach him how to play kal-toh . ( VOY : " Alter Ego ")

Despite their generally amiable relationship, Kim was sometimes wary of Tuvok's strictness when it came to ship's protocol. Once, when afraid of being caught out of bounds with Derran Tal , she told him that nobody was going to come looking for them, but he replied that she didn't know Lieutenant Tuvok, who would call for red alert if he saw one electron out of place. ( VOY : " The Disease ")

In 2376 , when Kim and B'Elanna Torres crash landed on an L-class planet , Tuvok went over ten days without sleep , aiding in the search for their missing shuttlecraft . He eventually became so exhausted that he fell asleep on Voyager 's bridge. ( VOY : " Muse ")

As of 2378 , Kim and Tuvok continued to play regular games of kal-toh , though Kim had never beaten him. ( VOY : " Endgame ")

Seven of Nine [ ]

Tuvok became friends with Seven of Nine, when he witnessed her ordeal as she gradually had to remember her assimilation by the Borg. He helped her deal with it and Seven opened up to him. ( VOY : " The Raven ") After that, she began having conversations with Tuvok and it became apparent she enjoyed talking with him because of his logic and distant way of seeing things, which was similar to her own. Tuvok also had a similar attitude towards Seven. ( VOY : " Mortal Coil ")

Tuvok was quick to compliment Seven of Nine when she had quickly learned and won a game of Kal-toh . ( VOY : " The Omega Directive ")

Both Tuvok and Seven of Nine often preferred completing away missions in silence. After working together and Seven saving Tuvok's life, he was able to help her cope with the difficult mission they shared. ( VOY : " Tsunkatse ")

In 2401 , Tuvok, now a captain in the command division , was sent to inform Seven of the consequences the USS Enterprise -D command crew and Seven herself would face for their rogue actions while stopping the Changelings and the Borg . Initially adopting a stern demeanor, Tuvok ended the meeting by promoting Seven to the rank of captain with obvious pride in his old friend. ( PIC : " The Last Generation ")

Tuvok imagines an image of his wife, T'Pel

Sek , Tuvok's son

Tuvok was a devoted parent and husband. Tuvok married T'Pel in 2304 , and later had four children, three sons and a daughter. In 2374 , he learned that his eldest son Sek had a child, named T'Meni after his mother, making him a grandfather. ( VOY : " Hunters ", " Repression ") When Tuvok experienced his first pon far since being trapped in the Delta Quadrant, Tom Paris – the only available doctor at the time due to The Doctor being on an away mission – prepared a holographic replica of T'Pel to allow Tuvok to deal with his urges when medication and meditation proved incapable of dealing with Tuvok's drive to mate, Tuvok accepting the offer only when it was clear that alternatives were impractical ( VOY : " Body and Soul ").

His youngest child, Asil , was born in the city of T'Paal . Tuvok's friend Kathryn Janeway attended Asil's kolinahr . ( VOY : " Fury ", " Unimatrix Zero, Part II ")

Due to his status as the only parent on Voyager , Tuvok was often approached by others for advice on being a parent. Talking with Neelix, Tuvok noted that fatherhood brought so many responsibilities that only the most committed should enter into it given the overwhelming nature of the experience, even as he admitted that it could offer infinite rewards and he often thought about his children despite their distance. When Samantha Wildman was concerned about how her daughter would cope if she died on an away mission, Tuvok noted that he had faith that the rest of his family would care for his own children despite his prolonged absence, assuring Samantha that her own daughter would be cared for by the rest of the crew if she died here. When Tom Paris learned that he was going to be a father, Tuvok noted that Paris should expect paradox due to the complexity of having children. ( VOY : " Elogium ", " Once Upon a Time ", " Lineage ")

Romance [ ]

Despite being a married man, Tuvok once did become close to a young woman, Noss , while he and Tom Paris were stranded on an inhospitable planet for a number of months. However, after he was rescued, he explained to her that they could only be friends, although he did form a mind meld with her to share his feelings for her. ( VOY : " Gravity ")

In 2373 , Harry Kim fell in love with a computer subroutine on the holodeck named Marayna . Knowing that his attraction to a hologram was nonsensical and would lead to nowhere, Harry sought the guidance of Tuvok in order to suppress his feelings for her. Tuvok began giving Harry advice on how to detach from those uncomfortable feelings when he himself, upon meeting Marayna, became strangely attracted to her. Marayna's fresh thoughts, pure logic, and intelligence were appealing to Tuvok who began to understand Kim's attraction to her. Much to Kim's dismay, Tuvok spent hours on the holodeck talking to Marayna about anything from hydro sailing to logic . It was soon discovered that Marayna was actually a projection of a lonely alien in a nearby nebula . She became obsessed with Tuvok and wanted him to join her or else she would destroy the ship. After talking to her, Tuvok convinced her that his life on Vulcan and duty to Voyager meant that he would never be able to stay with her for the reasons she wanted him to remain, forcing her to abandon her assault on Voyager . Before departing, Tuvok suggested that she should return home and surround herself with the people in her life as obviously her need to project herself like that into others' lives was evidence of a greater need for companionship. ( VOY : " Alter Ego ")

Mental health [ ]

On many occasions Tuvok, and the crew of Voyager , were subjected to brain trauma and tampering. ( VOY : " Waking Moments ", " Persistence of Vision ", " The Killing Game ", " Scientific Method ", " Workforce ", " Workforce, Part II ", " Bliss ", " Unforgettable ", " Repression ", et al.).

Towards the end of Voyager 's journey it was established that Tuvok's neural peptides were deteriorating due to an unspecified degenerative neural condition that could only be cured by Fal-tor-voh , a particularly intense mind-meld with a compatible Vulcan, usually a blood relative .

In an alternate timeline, his declining mental state could not be treated due to his returning home with Voyager too late for him to receive proper treatment from his family. In this alternate timeline he suffered severe mental damage and lived in a mental hospital, writing an unspecified novel and sometimes experiencing moments where he thought he was still on Voyager . However, due to the intervention of Admiral Janeway from this same alternate timeline, Tuvok arrived back in the Alpha Quadrant with the rest of the Voyager crew in time to receive his treatment. ( VOY : " Endgame ")

Holograms [ ]

Tuvok has been holographically duplicated on a number of occasions.

• Recreations of crew members from Voyager and the Jupiter Station Holoprogramming Center were seen by The Doctor during a holographic malfunction in 2371 . This simulation, or daydream, included Tuvok. ( VOY : " Projections ")
• The entire crew of Voyager was recreated by Tuvok for his Insurrection Alpha program, including himself. In addition to acting as Tuvok would, this version was also a training guide in the program. ( VOY : " Worst Case Scenario ")
• The Kyrian Museum of Heritage in the 31st century used the program The Voyager Encounter to detail their encounter with the warship Voyager , as an aid to a history lesson. In the heavily-flawed version of events, Tuvok was still Voyager 's tactical officer but was shown taking a sadistic glee while attacking the Kyrians. ( VOY : " Living Witness ")
• Lt. Barclay recreated most of the crew of USS Voyager at the Communications Research Center on Earth for the Pathfinder Project in 2376 . ( VOY : " Pathfinder ")
• In 2378 , Seven recreated the crew of Voyager , including Tuvok, to improve her social skills. ( VOY : " Human Error ")
• The Doctor's holonovel Photons Be Free was set aboard the USS Vortex and crewed by characters based on the crew of USS Voyager , albeit the names were changed to protect the innocent. The character of Tulak was based on Tuvok. ( VOY : " Author, Author ")

Alternate timelines [ ]

During the Year of Hell , when the Krenim attacked Voyager with temporal weapons, Tuvok found an active warhead lodged in the hull. Tuvok was sure it would explode in minutes, but Seven wanted to learn its temporal variance so they could perfect shielding against it. She made a determination just before the torpedo blew up, but the explosion blinded Tuvok for the rest of the year. This timeline was undone when the Krenim weapon ship was destroyed and the timeline restored. ( VOY : " Year of Hell ")

In the original test of the quantum slipstream drive , Tuvok and the rest of the crew – with the exceptions of Chakotay, Harry Kim, and (technically) The Doctor – were killed when Voyager crash-landed into an ice planet. ( VOY : " Timeless ")

In Admiral Janeway's timeline, Tuvok's degenerative neurological condition became incurable before they could reach the Alpha Quadrant, with the result that he was confined to a psychiatric facility, his memory erratic as he constantly scribbled down various writings. ( VOY : " Endgame ")

In the mirror universe , Tuvok was a Vulcan member of the Terran Rebellion against the Klingon-Cardassian Alliance . ( DS9 : " Through the Looking Glass ")

Fleet Commander Tuvok in an intelligence briefing

In the alternate 2401 where the Confederation of Earth existed instead of the Federation, Fleet Commander Tuvok was the leader of the Vulcan Defense Forces during the Vulcan War . ( PIC : " Penance ")

Chronology [ ]

Tuvok's personnel file

• 2264 : Born on the Vulcanis Lunar colony on Stardate 38774. ( VOY : " Flashback ", " Unimatrix Zero, Part II ")
• 2289 : Enters Starfleet Academy at his parents' insistence. ( VOY : " Flashback ")
• 2293 : Graduates Starfleet Academy; serves as a junior science officer aboard the USS Excelsior . ( VOY : " Flashback ")
• 2298 : Resigns from Starfleet and returns to Vulcan , where he spends several years immersing himself in the Kolinahr . ( VOY : " Flashback ")
• 2304 : Marries T'Pel . ( VOY : " Ex Post Facto ", " Flashback ")
• 2349 : Returns to Starfleet; serves aboard the USS Wyoming . ( VOY : " Flashback ")
• 2350s - 2360s : Serves as an instructor at Starfleet Academy for a period of sixteen years. ( VOY : " Learning Curve ")
• 2356 : First meets Kathryn Janeway. ( VOY : " Fury ")
• Mid- 2360s : Temporarily assigned to Jupiter Station . ( VOY : " Tuvix ")
• 2371 : Assigned as Chief Tactical Officer of the USS Voyager . ( VOY : " Caretaker ")
• 2371 : Infiltrates a Maquis ship; transported to the Delta Quadrant . ( VOY : " Caretaker ")
• 2372 : For two weeks, Tuvok ceases to exist while Tuvix lives. ( VOY : " Tuvix ")
• 2374 : Promoted to lieutenant commander ; granddaughter T'Meni is born. ( VOY : " Revulsion ", " Hunters ")
• 2377 : Assimilated by the Borg . ( VOY : " Unimatrix Zero, Part II ")
• 2378 : Returns to the Alpha Quadrant . ( VOY : " Endgame ")
• 2381 : Since promoted to commander , assisted in exonerating Captain Carol Freeman . ( LD : " Grounded ")
• 2401 : Since transferred to the command division and promoted to captain . ( PIC : " Dominion ")

Memorable quotes [ ]

" I will never cease to be amazed by the Human capacity for hyperbole. "

" Without the darkness, how would we recognize the light? Do not fear your negative thoughts. They are part of you. They are a part of every living being, even Vulcans. " " You? " " The Vulcan heart was forged out of barbarism and violence. We learned to control it, but it is still part of us. To pretend it does not exist, is to create an opportunity for it to escape. "

" On the contrary, the demands on a Vulcan's character are extraordinarily difficult. Do not mistake composure for ease. How may I be honest with you today? "

" It appears that we've lost our sex appeal, captain. "

" I prefer to read, rather than engage in... what do Humans call it? Short talk? "

" Sitting here, attempting to meditate, I have counted the number of ways I know of killing someone using just a finger, a hand, a foot. I had reached 94 when you entered. "

" That is a most illogical line of reasoning. " " You better believe it. "

" One day your intuition will fail, and you will finally understand that logic is primary above all else. 'Instinct' is merely another term for 'serendipity'. "

" Had I known this commendation entailed ritual humiliation, I might have declined. "

" I don't suppose I should ask why you were undressed. " " I would prefer that you didn't. "

" Where are you going? You don't even know what you're looking for. " " I am looking for Mr. Neelix' instinct. Perhaps it is marked. "

" I do not experience feelings of nostalgia. But there are times when I think back to those days of meeting Kirk, Spock and the others, and I am pleased that I was part of it. "

Appendices [ ]

Appearances [ ].

• " Caretaker "
• " Parallax "
• " Time and Again "
• " The Cloud "
• " Eye of the Needle "
• " Ex Post Facto "
• " Emanations "
• " Prime Factors "
• " State of Flux "
• " Heroes and Demons "
• " Cathexis "
• " Learning Curve "
• " The 37's "
• " Initiations "
• " Projections "
• " Elogium "
• " Non Sequitur "
• " Twisted "
• " Parturition "
• " Persistence of Vision "
• " Cold Fire "
• " Maneuvers "
• " Resistance "
• " Prototype "
• " Alliances "
• " Threshold "
• " Dreadnought "
• " Death Wish "
• " Lifesigns "
• " Investigations "
• " Deadlock "
• " Innocence "
• " The Thaw "
• " Resolutions "
• " Basics, Part I "
• " Basics, Part II "
• " Flashback "
• " The Chute "
• " The Swarm "
• " False Profits "
• " Remember "
• " Sacred Ground "
• " Future's End "
• " Future's End, Part II "
• " Warlord "
• " The Q and the Grey "
• " Macrocosm "
• " Fair Trade "
• " Alter Ego "
• " Blood Fever "
• " Darkling "
• " Favorite Son "
• " Before and After "
• " Real Life "
• " Distant Origin "
• " Displaced "
• " Worst Case Scenario "
• " Scorpion "
• " Scorpion, Part II "
• " The Gift "
• " Day of Honor "
• " Nemesis "
• " Revulsion "
• " The Raven "
• " Scientific Method "
• " Year of Hell "
• " Year of Hell, Part II "
• " Random Thoughts "
• " Concerning Flight "
• " Mortal Coil "
• " Waking Moments "
• " Message in a Bottle "
• " Hunters "
• " Retrospect "
• " The Killing Game "
• " The Killing Game, Part II "
• " Vis à Vis "
• " The Omega Directive "
• " Unforgettable "
• " Living Witness " ( hologram )
• " Hope and Fear "
• " Extreme Risk "
• " In the Flesh "
• " Once Upon a Time "
• " Timeless "
• " Infinite Regress "
• " Nothing Human "
• " Thirty Days "
• " Counterpoint "
• " Latent Image "
• " Bride of Chaotica! "
• " Gravity "
• " Dark Frontier "
• " The Disease "
• " Course: Oblivion "
• " The Fight "
• " Think Tank "
• " Juggernaut "
• " Someone to Watch Over Me "
• " Relativity "
• " Warhead "
• " Equinox "
• " Equinox, Part II "
• " Survival Instinct "
• " Barge of the Dead "
• " Tinker Tenor Doctor Spy "
• " Riddles "
• " Dragon's Teeth "
• " One Small Step "
• " The Voyager Conspiracy "
• " Pathfinder "
• " Fair Haven "
• " Blink of an Eye "
• " Virtuoso "
• " Memorial "
• " Tsunkatse "
• " Collective "
• " Spirit Folk "
• " Ashes to Ashes "
• " Child's Play "
• " Good Shepherd "
• " Live Fast and Prosper "
• " Life Line "
• " The Haunting of Deck Twelve "
• " Unimatrix Zero "
• " Unimatrix Zero, Part II "
• " Imperfection "
• " Repression "
• " Critical Care "
• " Inside Man "
• " Body and Soul "
• " Flesh and Blood "
• " Nightingale "
• " Shattered "
• " Lineage "
• " Repentance "
• " Prophecy "
• " The Void "
• " Workforce "
• " Workforce, Part II "
• " Human Error "
• " Author, Author "
• " Friendship One "
• " Natural Law "
• " Homestead "
• " Renaissance Man "
• " Endgame "
• LD : " Grounded " (background only)
• PIC : " The Last Generation "

Background information [ ]

Tuvok was played by actor Tim Russ . Russ also played the mirror universe Tuvok in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode " Through the Looking Glass ", as well as several other roles in Star Trek . The young Tuvok seen in " Flashback " was played by actor Demetris Lawson and the young one seen in " Gravity " by actor Leroy D. Brazile .

Tuvok was the first Vulcan main cast member to appear on a Star Trek series since Spock in Star Trek: The Original Series and the first fully Vulcan main cast member, given that Spock was half- Human .

An initial notion which led to the invention of the Tuvok character was mentioned in a brief list of handwritten notes Jeri Taylor wrote, one of several compilations of notes about developmental meetings she was having with Rick Berman and Michael Piller about the then-forthcoming-but-not-yet-named Star Trek: Voyager . The notes mentioned, " Old person on show. " This was expanded in another set of notes Taylor wrote a week later, on 3 August 1993 . This document included, in a section called "The Crew", an outline of the character, which stated, " Engineer – An older Human male. Vital and energetic, he has the strength and endurance of the younger officers; but is also a reservoir of wisdom and experience. He takes the rebellious young misfit under his wing and tries to help the angry loner to re-adjust. " ( A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager , pp. 175 & 177)

From that point on, the character became more like the version of Tuvok which was ultimately established. For instance, in another series of notes written by Jeri Taylor and this time dated 6 August 1993, Taylor wrote, " The older Engineer might be something we've never seen before: a black Vulcan. He's about a hundred and seventy, really old, but embraces that. He is a fount of wisdom and strength for the young, angry assistant engineer. " ( A Vision of the Future - Star Trek: Voyager , p. 182)

According to the VOY Season 2 DVD trivia text version of " The 37's ", an early production name for Tuvok was "Vicon". In the first draft script of VOY : " Caretaker ", Tuvok was described as "a 150-year-old Vulcan (in Human appearance terms that's about sixty)." In the final draft of the "Caretaker" script, though, this description was simplified to instead refer to him merely as "a Vulcan man."

Assuming the role of Tuvok was relatively easy for Tim Russ. He recalled, " Most of my friends told me I didn't have to stretch very much because I'm like that character in real life. " Garrett Wang remembered that when he first met Russ, he joked that Tuvok was one letter away from resembling the name " Tupac ", to which he responded, " Rap music is the reason for the fall of Western civilization. " [1]

In "Caretaker" and the first half of season one , Tuvok wore the rank insignia of lieutenant commander , but he was referred to as lieutenant . This costume gaffe was corrected as of " Cathexis ".

A Tuvok action figure by Playmates Toys was the favorite toy of Little Donny in the Upright Citizen's Brigade episode "Little Donny Foundation". Little Donny also drew pictures of Tuvok, exclaiming, " Tuvok is never getting home! "

Tuvok is left-handed and uses a phaser pouch mounted on his right side as opposed to the standard model which mounts the phaser on the left, as can be seen in episodes such as " Unity ", " The Raven ", and " Renaissance Man ".

His Ilari undercover uniform from the third season episode " Warlord " was later sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay. [2]

Apocrypha [ ]

Lieutenant Commander Tuvok in Star Trek: Elite Force II

Tuvok as Second Officer of the USS Titan

According to the Michael Jan Friedman novel The First Virtue (from Pocket TNG 's Double Helix series), Tuvok worked with Jean-Luc Picard and the crew of the USS Stargazer around the time of his rejoining Starfleet in the 2350s .

In the Voyager relaunch series of novels , Tuvok was cured of his illness by his son, and was promoted to Commander . He then began teaching at Starfleet Academy with Admiral Janeway .

The character also appears in the Star Trek: Voyager - Elite Force video game and its sequel Elite Force II as the commander of newly formed Hazard Teams on the USS Voyager and USS Enterprise -E , respectively.

In the Star Trek: Titan book series, Tuvok was tapped as a Starfleet Intelligence officer while teaching at the academy. He was sent undercover to Romulus to make contact with Ambassador Spock . Coincidentally, Shinzon assassinates the Romulan Senate simultaneously and in the ensuing chaos, Tuvok is jailed before being rescued by the crew of the USS Titan . He provisionally joins the crew as tactical officer after the ship's regular tactical officer, Lt. Commander Ranul Keru, becomes comatose as a result of battle damage; he reasoned that his experiences in the Delta Quadrant would be an asset to Titan and its mission. In the end of the second book of the series, entitled The Red King , Tuvok decides to stay aboard the Titan as second officer & primary tactical officer. He is also given permission to bring T'Pel aboard to live with him on the ship.

In the novel series Star Trek: Destiny , Tuvok's son Elieth is one of billions killed during a Borg invasion of the Alpha Quadrant.

In the Star Trek: The Fall novel The Poisoned Chalice , Tuvok assists Nog and Thomas Riker as part of a Starfleet Intelligence black ops team known as Active Four in investigating the recent assassination of the Federation President, although they soon learn that their team was actually set up to be killed as part of a plan to frame the Typhon Pact – a new organization composed of various Federation adversaries such as the Romulans and the Breen – for the assassination while eliminating the true perpetrators of the Cardassian organization the True Way .

In A Pocket Full of Lies , Tuvok temporarily transfers back to Voyager to help the crew talk with an alternate version of Janeway created during the events of " Shattered " through the manipulation of the Krenim , the encounter helping Tuvok deal with his own grief and rage over his son's death during the Borg invasion.

Tuvok was shown aboard the Titan in a short film for Star Trek The Exhibition .

In the background story for Star Trek Online , Tuvok has resigned his commission from Starfleet by the year 2401 when he joins Admirals Janeway and Chakotay in objecting to Starfleet's inaction in the face of proven Alpha Quadrant infiltration by Species 8472 . At a later, unspecified date, Tuvok rejoined Starfleet. He appears as a Rear Admiral and joins the player in the Star Trek Online fourth anniversary episode released as part of the games "Season 8.5" update. He also plays a role in two missions added in the "Season 9: A New Accord" update as the Commanding Officer of the USS Voyager . With the Star Trek Online second expansion, "Delta Rising", Tuvok takes the USS Voyager back to the Delta Quadrant, making contact with a Talaxian colony led by Neelix, and helping to coordinate an alliance of Alpha, Beta, and Delta Quadrant species against a resurgent Vaadwaur threat. As of the release of "Agents of Yesterday," Tuvok and Harry Kim are tied for having appeared in more Star Trek Online missions than any other canon characters.

In an alternate timeline featured in the Star Trek: Myriad Universes novella A Gutted World , Voyager was never stranded in the Delta Quadrant. Tuvok served as chief of security and chief tactical officer until the ship was destroyed by the Cardassians in the Dorvan sector in 2373.

External links [ ]

• Tuvok at Wikipedia
• Tuvok at Memory Beta , the wiki for licensed Star Trek works
• Tuvok at the Star Trek Online Wiki
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'Star Trek: Discovery' ends as an underappreciated TV pioneer

Eric Deggans

Sonequa Martin-Green as Michael Burnham. Michael Gibson/Paramount+ hide caption

First, an admission: Though this column will offer a lot of discussion and defense of Star Trek: Discovery as a pivotal show, it won’t spend much time talking up the series’ current, final season or its finale episode, “Life, Itself,” dropping Thursday on Paramount+.

That’s because, for this critic, the last few seasons of Discovery have been a bit bogged down by the stuff that has always made it a tough sell as a Trek series: overly ambitious, serialized storylines that aren’t compelling; new characters and environments that don’t impress; plot twists which can be maddening in their lack of logic; big storytelling swings which can be confusing and predictable at once.

'Star Trek: Picard' soars by embracing the legacy of 'The Next Generation'

The show’s finale features the culmination of a sprawling scavenger hunt which found the crew of the starship Discovery bounding all over the place, searching for clues leading to a powerful technology pioneered by an alien race which created humanoid life throughout the galaxy. Their goal was to grab the technology before another race, ruthless and aggressive, could beat them to it, laying waste to everything.

It's no spoiler to reveal that Discovery ’s heroes avoid that nightmarish scenario, wrapping its fifth and final season with a conclusion centered on Sonequa Martin-Green’s ever-resourceful Capt. Michael Burnham and fond resolutions for a multitude of supporting characters (there’s even a space wedding!)

Still, this good-enough ending belies Discovery ’s status as a pioneering show which helped Paramount+ build a new vision for Star Trek in modern television – breaking ground that more creatively successful series like Star Trek: Picard and Star Trek: Strange New Worlds would follow years later.

And it all began with a singular character: Michael Burnham.

A take on Star Trek for modern TV

Discovery debuted in 2017 on CBS All Access — the streaming service which would become Paramount+ — facing a serious challenge.

As the first new Trek series in a dozen years, it had to chart a path which offered a new vision of the franchise without going too far — carving out a new corner in the universe of Capt. Kirk and Mr. Spock not long after the release of Star Trek Beyond , the third feature film produced by J. J. Abrams featuring rebooted versions of those classic characters.

Producers set Discovery ’s story 10 years before the days of Kirk and Spock (originally depicted on NBC for three seasons starting way back in 1966). The new series wouldn’t be centered on a starship captain, but its second in command: Burnham, a Black woman who also happened to be the hitherto unknown adopted daughter of Vulcan ambassador Sarek, Spock’s father (she would get promoted to captain of Discovery much later).

A Black human woman who was raised among the emotionally controlling, super-intellectual Vulcans? Who Trek fans had never heard of over nearly 60 years? Before I actually saw any episodes, my own feelings ranged from cautiously intrigued to cynically pessimistic.

But then I saw the first episode, which had an amazing early scene: Martin-Green as Burnham and Michelle Yeoh as Discovery Capt. Philippa Georgiou walking across an alien planet – two women of color marking the first step forward for Star Trek on a new platform.

People once sidelined in typical science fiction stories were now centerstage — a thrilling, historic moment.

Michelle Yeoh as Captain Philippa Georgiou and Sonequa Martin-Green as First Officer Michael Burnham in the very first episode of Star Trek: Discovery. Jan Thijs/CBS hide caption

And it got better from there. Back in the day, Trek writers often felt hamstrung by creator Gene Roddenberry’s insistence that, in the future depicted by the show, humans were beyond social ills like greed, prejudice, sexism, war, money and personal friction. The writers chafed, wondering: How in the world do you build compelling stories on a starship where interpersonal human conflict doesn’t exist?

But Discovery found a workaround, putting Burnham in a position where logic led her to mutiny against her captain, attempting a strategy which ultimately failed — leaving humans in open combat with the legendarily warlike Klingons. Discovery also featured a long storyline which played out over an entire season, unlike many earlier Trek shows which tried to offer a new adventure every week.

'First, Last And Always, I Am A Fan': Michael Chabon Steers Latest 'Star Trek'

The show’s first season had plenty of action, with Harry Potter alum Jason Isaacs emerging as a compelling and unique starship captain (saying more would be a spoiler; log onto Paramount+ and check out the first season). Fans saw a new vision for Trek technology, leveraging sleek, visceral special effects and action sequences worthy of a big budget movie, with design elements cribbed from several of the franchise’s films.

Later in its run, Discovery would debut Ethan Peck as Spock and Anson Mount as Christopher Pike, classic Trek characters who eventually got their own acclaimed series in Strange New Worlds . So far, five other Trek series have emerged on Paramount+ from ideas initially incubated on Discovery – including a critically acclaimed season of Picard which reunited the cast of Star Trek: The Next Generation .

Not bad for a series one TV critic eventually called among “the worst in the [ Trek ] franchise’s history.”

Discovery’s unappreciated legacy

Unfortunately, Discovery has taken some turns which didn’t work out quite so well. At the end of Discovery ’s second season, the starship jumped ahead in time nine centuries – perhaps to remove it from Strange New World ’s timeline? – placing it in an environment only distantly connected to classic Trek .

And while Discovery initially seemed cautious about referencing classic Trek in its stories, later series like Strange New Worlds and Picard learned the value of diving into the near-60-year-old franchise’s legacy – regularly tapping the show’s longtime appeal, rather than twisting into knots to avoid it.

There are likely fans of Discovery who would disagree with this analysis. But I think it helps explain why the series has never quite gotten its due in the world of Star Trek , initially shaded by skeptical fans and later overshadowed by more beloved products.

Now is the perfect time to pay tribute to a show which actually accomplished quite a lot – helping prove that Roddenberry’s brainchild still has a lot of narrative juice left in the 21st Century.

The Acolyte's Osha And Adorable Droid Pip Are Now Star Wars Action Figures [Exclusive]

"The Acolyte" debuted on Disney+ last week, and the new "Star Wars" series provided the streaming service with its biggest premiere of 2024 , even though it wasn't quite as impressive as the "Ahsoka" premiere last year. Critics have lauded the new series from creator Leslye Headland, but of course, the more toxic side of "Star Wars" fandom can't be pleased. At the very least, we're playing in an entirely new sandbox in the galaxy far, far away, one that doesn't require an extensive amount of "Star Wars" knowledge or homework to enjoy it , and that's rather refreshing. 

However, whether you like "The Acolyte" overall or not, I think every "Star Wars" fan can agree that it's always a hoot when the sci-fi franchise introduces a new cool little dude to make us smile. In this case, it's a pocket-sized droid called Pip, who hangs around with Osha Aniseya (Amandla Stenberg) and works almost like a cross between a Swiss Army knife and a Palm Pilot, but with a little bit of feisty droid personality. While we're waiting to get an inevitable life-sized version of Pip that we can put in our own pockets, /Film can exclusively reveal that Hasbro is releasing an official Vintage Collection action figure of Osha, and Pip comes right along with her. 

But that's not all, because there's also a big Retro Collection multi-pack of "The Acolyte" action figures styled after the classic Kenner line that began in 1977. That multi-pack comes with Osha and Pip too, but it also includes Osha's assassin twin sister Mae and their Mother Aniseya. Joining them are also Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, Jedi Master Sol, and Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon. That's a solid starter pack for anyone collecting "The Acolyte" characters in this retro style. 

Take a gander at our exclusive look at these new action figures inspired by "The Acolyte" below!

Read more: 20 Critically-Panned Sci-Fi Movies That Are Actually Worth Your Time

Osha Aniseya And Pip Join The Star Wars Vintage Collection

The Vintage Collection for "The Acolyte" already revealed figures for Jedi Master Sol and the assassin Mae , so it only makes sense that Osha join the ranks. Here's the official description for the figure straight from Hasbro:

Set at the end of the High Republic era, a former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront turn out to be far more sinister and personal than anticipated. Fans can celebrate the legacy of  STAR WARS , the action-and-adventure-packed space saga from a galaxy far, far away, with this premium 3.75-inch scale OSHA ANISEYA figure (VC# 327) inspired by the character's appearance in STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE . This figure features premium detail and design across product and packaging inspired by the original Kenner line, as well as the entertainment-inspired collector grade deco. Includes figure and 4 accessories including a blaster, a communication accessory, bag and holster strap.

Even though the description of the figure only lists the item as a "communication accessory," as you can see, that devices is none other than the helpful droid Pip. Plus, he fits in Osha's holster perfectly whenever she's forced to head into danger. Considering how cute Pip is in "The Acolyte," can you imagine how cute he's going to be in this tiny form? This will have to hold us over until a Black Series version of the figure is (presumably inevitably) announced, when we'll get a slightly bigger version of Pip. 

And if you love Pip, then you may want to get your hands on the Retro Collection version of the character, because he's equally as adorable in that collectible line.

The Acolyte Retro Collection Multi-Pack Is Stacked

The Retro Collection of action figures takes a cue from the classic toys that were first released when "Star Wars" debuted on the big screen. They're a much more simplistic design created to mimic an old school toy style, right down to their packaging, which is made to look a little worn down, as if they've been sitting in your collection for years.

Here's the official description of "The Acolyte" Retro Collection multi-pack from Hasbro:

At the end of the High Republic era, a former Padawan reunites with her Jedi Master to investigate a series of crimes, but the forces they confront turn out to be far more sinister and personal than anticipated. Inspired by the original 1970s Kenner STAR WARS action figures, this STAR WARS: RETRO COLLECTION STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE MULTIPACK features premium design and five points of articulation across all figures. These 3.75-inch-scale figures are detailed to look like the Mother Aniseya, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, Mae (Assassin), Jedi Master Sol, Osha Aniseya, and Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon characters as they appeared in STAR WARS: THE ACOLYTE. These figures feature classic Kenner branding, as well as packaging treated with a weathered look. Imagine the excitement of the '70s when the STAR WARS original trilogy had just begun. Includes 6 figures and 7 accessories.

The above box set includes the six figures pictured on the box: Mother Aniseya, Jedi Knight Yord Fandar, Mae (Assassin), Jedi Master Sol, Osha Aniseya, and Jedi Padawan Jecki Lon. Each of them comes on their own individual figure card, which also includes some signature accessories. 

Jedi, Twins, And One Bad Mother (For Kids!)

Each of the Jedi come with cloth robes and their respective lightsaber color. Meanwhile, Osha comes with Pip and a blaster while Mae has a vinyl cloak and two daggers. Unfortunately, Mother Aniseya comes with zero accessories, but at least she completes the collection as a key character in the story.

There will likely be several more figures to come in this collection, especially since we've yet to see a figure for the show's dark side villain, as well as murdered Jedi Master Indara, played by Carrie-Anne Moss. But we'll have to wait and see who else ends up getting their own toys.

Both the Vintage Collection Osha Aniseya and the Retro Collection multi-pack of characters from "The Acolyte" will be released sometime this fall, and we'll provide a link to pre-orders when that information becomes available, so stay tuned.

Read the original article on SlashFilm

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Star wars' new acolyte black series action figure is one of the best i've ever seen.

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After 5 Years, We Can Finally Put Those Rey Lightsaber Theories In The Bin

I can't believe star wars turned a basic jedi power into something so cool, one acolyte episode 3 easter egg secretly reveals the origin of the force itself - & the true nature of the dark side.

• Osha action figure from The Acolyte is Hasbro's best yet. Face sculpt and details are phenomenal.
• Release date for Osha figure is Fall 2024 with accessories at £24.99. Pre-order available now on Amazon.
• Hasbro's Black Series line continues to impress with incredibly detailed figures. Osha sets a high standard for future releases.

Hasbro has announced a new Black Series action figure based on The Acolyte 's Osha, and it's genuinely the best I've ever seen. The Acolyte is one of the most important Disney+ TV shows to date, an attempt to expand beyond the Skywalker Saga and introduce a whole new time-period in live-action. Given this is the case, it's hardly a surprise Hasbro has already confirmed an impressive range of Black Series and Vintage Collection figures based on The Acolyte .

Hasbro has announced a new Black Series action figure featuring one of the missing characters - Osha. It makes sense that this announcement was held back until after The Acolyte premiere, given Osha's existence was supposed to be a secret as far as the marketing was concerned. The images show one of the most impressive Black Series action figures I've ever seen, including a tremendously accurate face-sculpt.

Hasbro's Black Series Line Is Becoming Incredibly Impressive

It's easy to see why Amandla Stenberg was so impressed with her action figure; the face sculpt in particular is absolutely phenomenal. While it's true these are promotional images, there's a degree of animation and dynamism to them that makes them truly impressive. Meanwhile, the PIP droid is truly remarkable as well; it even features PIP's charging port. Speaking as a collector of Hasbro Black Series and Marvel Legends figures, I'm stunned; it wasn't long ago that gun-shapes were molded into their holsters, but the figures have progressed so far beyond that.

The other Hasbro figures inspired by The Acolyte 's characters featured tremendous designs and attention to detail. But this really does feel like the pièce de résistance, an unmissable figure that complements the whole range. I'd initially been unsure how good the face sculpt for Osha would be, given it can't be reused for the masked Mae (assassin) figure, but Hasbro has done a phenomenal job here. The promotional images showcase the usual poseability , which for me makes the Black Series more interesting than the Vintage Collection when it comes to collecting.

Hopefully the Osha figure sets the standard for future Black Series releases. Face-sculpts have been mproving over the years, with Hasbro investing a great deal into the technology they use to scan actors' faces and recreate them. The Acolyte figures show just how good that technology has gotten, and I'm thrilled to see what comes next.

Source: Hasbro

Sparking STEM dreams: From 'Star Trek' to Neil deGrasse Tyson, minorities find inspiration

Ronald Gamble still remembers sitting up with his mother in the 1960s to watch the exploits of Captain James T. Kirk, Spock and Lt. Uhura on TV's groundbreaking "Star Trek."

“She was a big Trekkie,” Gamble, a theoretical astrophysicist at NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center, said of his mom and a show with barrier-busting messages of unity and mission-driven science.

Uhura — who even once helmed the conn on the animated version of Star Trek — may have been one of the first major visualizations depicting Black people working and solving problems in the future, but she’s not alone.

In the decades since "Star Trek," a number of figures — both real and fictional — have inspired Black people to join science and engineering work fields.

One of the most prominent real-life figures, Black or white, in astrophysicsis is Neil deGrasse Tyson, the 65-year-old astrophysicist and author who appears across media talking on everything from black holes to the possibility of life on other planets.

Tyson, who one day may talk about the rings of Saturn and the next give a shout out to hip-hop, remains a staple on science shows, cable news and in movies.

One of his mentors, prominent author and astronomer Carl Sagan, once chided Hollywood directors for movies like the first "Star Wars," taking them to task over their early failure to depict alien life of all kinds, with no Blacks and other minorities in its fictional universes.

Nearly 30 years later, a plethora of books, movies and videogames depict Black explorers and Black warriors tackling galactic-sized issues in movies like " Black Panther," "Captain Marvel," the Star Wars sequels and blockbusters like the zombie-packed "I Am Legend" and the sci-fi mind-twister, "Tenet."

One of the defining trends depicting Black representation in the science and technology-themed fields of art, literature and movies is Afrofuturism, the cultural movement that combines the Black experience with science and pop culture.

Author Octavia Butler, whose work "Kindred," about a protagonist time traveling to the days of slavery, was adopted for a movie recently, is frequently cited as an influence. Gamble, an established oil painter, graphic designer and consultant, points out that part of making science and STEM-related fields accessible is making them relatable the way Star Trek and other pop culture figures do.

In recent years, groups like Black in Astro, Gamble’s Cosmic Pathfinders Program or podcasts like the Dr. Raven the Science Maven have raised the consciousness of those interested in learning the trappings of space and science.

"The plan is to remove the barriers," Gamble said.

J.D. Gallop is a criminal justice/breaking news reporter at FLORIDA TODAY. Contact Gallop at 321-917-4641 or [email protected]. X, formerly known as Twitter: @JDGallop.

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‘Star Trek’ actor George Takei is determined to keep telling his Japanese American story

“Star Trek” icon George Takei has a new picture book out for children ages called “My Lost Freedom,” tackling the incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans, including children, labeled enemies during World War II. (May 30)

FILE - Members of the “Star Trek” crew, from left, James Doohan, DeForest Kelley, Walter Koenig, William Shatner, George Takei, Leonard Nimoy and Nichelle Nichols, toast the newest “Star Trek” film during a news conference at Paramount Studios in Los Angeles, Dec. 28, 1988. (AP Photo/Bob Galbraith, File)

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FILE - Actor George Takei, who played the role of helm officer Sulu in the original television series, “Star Trek,” gives a “live long and prosper” gesture in front of a model of the U.S.S. Enterprise space ship at an exhibit at the Tech Museum in San Jose, Calif., on Oct. 20, 2009. (AP Photo/Paul Sakuma, File)

FILE - George Takei arrives at the 75th annual Tony Awards on June 12, 2022, at Radio City Music Hall in New York. (Photo by Evan Agostini/Invision/AP, File)

FILE - George Takei arrives at the Star Trek Day celebration in Los Angeles on Sept. 8, 2021. (Photo by Richard Shotwell/Invision/AP, File)

A copy of “My Lost Freedom,” a children’s book by George Takei, is displayed at the section featuring in the “Being Asian in America” at a Kinokuniya bookstore specializing in selling books and magazines written in foreign languages in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, Wednesday, May 29, 2024. (AP Photo/Hiro Komae)

TOKYO (AP) — The incarceration of 120,000 Japanese Americans , including children, labeled enemies during World War II is an historical experience that has traumatized, and galvanized, the Japanese American community over the decades.

For George Takei, who portrayed Hikaru Sulu aboard the USS Enterprise in the “Star Trek” franchise, it’s a story he is determined to keep telling every opportunity he has.

“I consider it my mission in life to educate Americans on this chapter of American history,” he said in a recent interview with The Associated Press.

He fears the lesson about the failure of U.S. democracy hasn’t really been learned, even today, including among Japanese Americans.

“The shame of internment is the government’s. They’re the ones that did something unjust, cruel and inhuman. But so often the victims of the government actions take on the shame themselves,” he said.

Takei, 87, has a new picture book out for children ages 6 to 9 and their parents, called “My Lost Freedom.” It’s illustrated in soft watercolors by Michelle Lee.

Takei was 4 years old when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed Executive Order 9066 on Feb. 19, 1942, two months after the Japanese bombing of Pearl Harbor , declaring anyone of Japanese descent an enemy of the United States and forcibly removing them from their West Coast homes.

Takei spent the next three years behind barbed wires, guarded by soldiers with guns, in three camps: the Santa Anita racetrack, which stunk of manure; Camp Rohwer in a marshland; and, from 1943, Tule Lake, a high-security segregation center for the “disloyal.”

“We were seen as different from other Americans. This was unfair. We were Americans, who had nothing to do with Pearl Harbor. Yet we were imprisoned behind barbed wires,” Takei writes in the book.

Throughout it all, his parents are portrayed as enduring the hardships with a quiet dignity. His mother sewed clothes for the children. They made chairs out of scrap lumber. They played baseball. They danced to Benny Goodman. For Christmas, they got a Santa who looked Japanese.

Takei’s is a remarkable story of resilience and a pursuit of justice, repeated throughout the Japanese American experience.

It’s a story that’s been told and retold, in books like the 1973 “Farewell to Manzanar” by Jeanne Wakatsuki Houston; “Only What We Could Carry,” edited by Lawson Fusao Inada more than 20 years ago; and “The Literature of Japanese American Incarceration,” which just came out, compiled by Frank Abe and Floyd Cheung.

David Inoue, executive director of the Japanese American Citizens League, headquartered in Washington, D.C., believes the message of Takei’s book remains relevant.

He said discrimination persists today, as seen in the anti-Asian attacks that flared with the COVID-19 pandemic . Inoue said his son has been taunted in school in the same way he was growing up.

“One of the important things about having books like this is that it humanizes us. It tells stories about us that show we’re just like any other family. We like to play baseball. We have pets,” Inoue said.

Takei and his family were sent to Tule Lake in northern California because his parents answered “No” to key questions in a so-called loyalty questionnaire.

Question No. 27 asked if they were willing to serve in the U.S. armed forces. Question No. 28 asked whether they swore allegiance to the U.S. and would forswear allegiance to the Japanese emperor. Both were controversial questions for people who had been stripped of their basic civil rights and labeled enemies.

“Daddy and Mama both thought that the two questions were stupid,” Takei writes in “My Lost Freedom.”

“The only honest answers were No and No.”

Takei said the questions did not explain what would become of families with young children. The second question was also a no-win, he said, because his parents felt there was no loyalty to Japan to denounce.

Tule Lake was the largest of the 10 camps, holding 18,000 people.

Young men who answered “Yes” became part of the all-Japanese American 442nd Regimental Combat Team, which fought in Europe while their families remained incarcerated. The 442, with their famous “Go for Broke” motto, is the most decorated unit of its size and length of service in U.S. military history.

“They were determined to prove themselves and get their families out of barbed wires,” Takei said. “They are our heroes. I know I owe so much to them.”

After Japan surrendered, Takei and his family, like all Japanese Americans freed from the camps , were each given $25 and a one-way ticket to anywhere in the U.S. Takei’s family chose to start all over again in Los Angeles.

In 1988, the Civil Liberties Act — after years of effort and testimonies by Japanese Americans, including Takei — granted redress of $20,000 and a formal presidential apology to every surviving U.S. citizen or legal resident immigrant of Japanese ancestry incarcerated during World War II.

Takei’s voice became choked when he recalled how his father did not live to see it.

He noted with pride the diversity depicted in “Star Trek,” a TV series that started in the mid-1960s and developed a devout following. There, the crew that flew together through the galaxies was of various backgrounds.

“Star Trek” writer, creator and producer Gene Roddenberry wanted to portray the turbulent times and the civil rights movement on a TV show but had to do it metaphorically to make it acceptable, Takei said.

“Different people, different ideas, different taste, different food. He wanted to make that statement. Each of the characters was supposed to represent a part of this planet,” Takei said.

Takei recalled how his father taught him how the government “of the people, by the people and for the people,” as Abraham Lincoln put it in his Gettysburg Address, could also prove a weakness.

“All people are fallible, even a great president like Roosevelt. He got stampeded by the hysteria of the time, the racism of the time. And he signed Executive Order 9066,” Takei said.

Yuri Kageyama is on X: https://twitter.com/yurikageyama

Nick Cave’s ‘The Death of Bunny Munro’ Rounds Out Cast With Sarah Greene, Johann Myers and More (EXCLUSIVE)

By K.J. Yossman

K.J. Yossman

• Nick Cave’s ‘The Death of Bunny Munro’ Rounds Out Cast With Sarah Greene, Johann Myers and More (EXCLUSIVE) 3 hours ago
• ‘How to Rob a Bank’ Co-Director Stephen Robert Morse on Constraints of True Crime, What He Learned From Hollywood Bandit Scott Scurlock 2 days ago
• ‘Six Feet Under’ Star Rachel Griffiths Plays an Ethical Brothel Owner in First Image, Trailer From New Drama ‘Madam’ (EXCLUSIVE) 2 days ago

Nick Cave ’s “The Death of Bunny Munro” has added “Bad Sisters” star Sarah Greene and “Without Sin’s” Johann Myers as it finalizes its cast.

Greene and Myers are set to join previously-announced Matt Smith (“House of the Dragon”) in the show, which is a darkly funny yet tender examination of the relationship between a man and his son. Greene will play Libby while Myers takes on the role of Poodle. Smith stars as the titular Bunny Munro.

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“Following his wife Libby’s suicide, sex addict, door-to-door beauty product salesman and self-professed lothario Bunny Munro finds himself saddled with a young son and only a loose concept of parenting. Together with nine-year-old Bunny Junior he embarks on an epic and increasingly out-of-control road trip across Southern England as the two struggle to contain their grief in very different ways,” reads the synopsis.

“As Bunny bounces from one sales pitch to the next, trying to seduce any woman he meets, Bunny Junior kills time talking to the ghost of his mother and distracting himself from the dawning realisation that his dad isn’t just fallible, he’s a fucking mess. As he starts to unravel, Bunny realises he must do something to rescue his son from his own outdated notions of what it is to be a man.”

Cave, Smith, Jackson and Eklöf also executive produce. Matthew Mulot (“Baby Reindeer”) is producer on the show.

Clerkenwell Films is wholly owned by BBC Studios.

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‘The Acolyte’ Review: ‘Star Wars’ an Even Longer Time Ago

The franchise’s latest series on Disney+ is set before there was even an empire to strike back.

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By Mike Hale

“The Acolyte,” the latest product off the Lucasfilm assembly line (it premieres Tuesday night on Disney+), enters territory unfamiliar to the casual follower of “Star Wars.” It is set during a prehistorical period known as the High Republic, until now depicted primarily in short stories, novels and comic books read only by serious fans. (The High Republic stories are to George Lucas’s central works somewhat as “The Silmarillion” is to “The Hobbit” and “The Lord of the Rings.”)

Moving a “Star Wars” story out of the main time stream — no Empire, no R2-D2, a century before Luke Skywalker — has not liberated it from the franchise’s oldest conventions and clichés, however. “The Acolyte” tweaks the formulas here and there, but, to a greater degree than other Disney+ shows like “The Mandalorian” and “Andor,” it falls back on signature moves: the electronic whoosh of the light saber; the outstretched hand summoning the Force; lovable droids and fuzzy holograms; dark masters and chosen children.

Created by a newcomer to the franchise, the writer and director Leslye Headland (“Russian Doll”), the show is focused on twin sisters in their mid-20s, Osha and Mae, both played by Amandla Stenberg. They share a tragedy in their childhoods that has left them with very different feelings about the Jedi knights, who in the High Republic time frame are comfortably ascendant across the galaxy, before their later tribulations in the “Star Wars” films.

That critical moment, revealed in the season’s first half (four of eight episodes were available for review), involves one of Headland’s more noticeable creations: a coven of witches who tap into the Force with a holistic, communitarian ethos. (They feel borrowed from an early episode of “Star Trek,” with a swerve into unintentionally hilarious musical theater when they perform one of their ceremonies.) The nature-principle witches and the power-principle Jedi converge, spawning a vendetta plot centered on the grown twins that allows for plenty of planet hopping action. The fights are copious, and in another new twist for “Star Wars,” many of them take the form of balletic martial arts face-offs.

But the storytelling force is not strong. Putting more female characters, and a stronger female point of view (even if it is sometimes redolent of 1960s earth mother), into an otherwise traditional “Star Wars” framework is worth the attempt. “The Acolyte” doesn’t bring enough energy or invention to the task, though.

It goes through its space-opera paces, offering some blandly pretty forest planets and the occasional impressive landscape. (Location shooting was done in Wales and Portugal.) The “Star Wars” penchant for paying homage to the backlot bazaars and gin joints of classic Hollywood is frequently indulged.

Beneath the familiar trappings, the visceral pull that “Star Wars” can summon in its best moments — “The Empire Strikes Back,” “The Last Jedi,” parts of “Andor” and “The Mandalorian” — doesn’t manifest itself. Characters speak in platitudes about loss, grief, loyalty and revenge, and the cast mostly works down to the level of the dialogue.

Stenberg is capable and charming but can’t make either twin very interesting; Lee Jung-jae of “Squid Game,” who plays a sympathetic Jedi, doesn’t make much of an impact in his first English-language role. The most winning performances of the early episodes are given by Lauren and Leah Brady as the 8-year-old Osha and Mae — the most winning performances by humans, anyway. In the “Star Wars” universe, robots tend to have as much personality as their flesh-and-blood co-stars, if not more, and Osha’s pocket-size droid, Pip, is a trouper. With proper maintenance, he might outlast the High Republic.

Mike Hale is a television critic for The Times. He also writes about online video, film and media. More about Mike Hale

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