This Tuvok Moment In Star Trek: Voyager Always Brings A Tear To My Eye

Tim Russ' Star Trek: Voyager character was often difficult to read because he was a Vulcan, but he showed his buried feelings in brilliantly subtle ways, and one of those displays always chokes me up when I watch it. Tuvok is a key member of the crew in every season of Star Trek: Voyager. His logical mind and Stoic nature made him a perfect chief of security aboard the show's titular vessel. However, his Vulcan demeanor also ended up ruffling a few feathers throughout the show, even when he didn't mean to.

Huge portions of Tuvok's Star Trek timeline happen offscreen, making Russ' presence among the Star Trek: Voyager cast the best way to learn about his character. Regardless, despite a few standout episodes where Tuvok can act very differently for narrative reasons, he's one of the show's most consistent characters. So, it's always a notable scene whenever he does something that seems out of character. That being said, those unexpected actions were arguably part of Tuvok's personality all along, and it just takes more effort for them to be drawn to the surface.

Tuvok's "Dance" When Neelix Leaves Star Trek: Voyager Is A Well-Earned Emotional Moment

Neelix's depature from Voyager come with a surprise from Russ' character

Ethan Phillips' Neelix is another Star Trek: Voyager character who is present throughout the show, with his departure in the final season marking the start of the story drawing to a close. His exit comes in Star Trek: Voyager season 7, episode 23, "Homestead." Neelix begins the episode trying to get Tuvok to dance at a function the Talaxian is holding in the mess hall. Tuvok declines, but Phillips' character makes a bold prediction later on that he'll one day see the Vulcan dance. Surprisingly, it comes true at the end of "Homestead." It's a brief but poignant moment.

NEELIX: It wouldn't have hurt you to do a few steps.

TUVOK: I am trying to concentrate on the shields, Mr. Neelix.

NEELIX: I think you were just afraid.

TUVOK: That's absurd.

NEELIX: It's understandable, there were a lot of people watching.

TUVOK: Vulcans don't experience fear.

NEELIX: I'm gonna make it my personal mission to get you to dance at least once before we reach Earth.

TUVOK: Then I suggest you find a more productive hobby.

Sure, it isn't the most impassioned dance, but what it represents is far more than what it actually is. There was a time when Tuvok would have let Neelix leave the ship without making such a coy little joke. The wiggle of his foot is enough to bring a look of unbridled joy to Neelix's face, as he probably never truly believed his prediction would come true. The fact Tuvok took this action of his own volition quietly proves how much he's come to like Neelix, which pays off their rocky journey from clashing colleagues to surprisingly close friends.

Plus, Tuvok offering the Vulcan salute and uttering the immortal words, "Live long and proper" mirrors his actions from the beginning of the episode. Neelix asked Tuvok to recite the first words Vulcans spoke to humans upon First Contact, which Russ' character begrudgingly did. So, just as the words were intended as a first hello between Vulcans and their new allies, they also created an artful parallel by serving as a farewell between Tuvok and Neelix.

Neelix & Tuvok Is One Of Star Trek: Voyager's Most Unexpected Friendships

I never expected these 2 Voyager crew members to see eye to eye

Tuvok and Neelix are about as different as two Star Trek characters can be. Neelix wears his heart unapologetically on his sleeve, so it's impossible not to know what the eccentric Talaxian is feeling at any given moment. He's also openly passionate about pretty much everything. Inversely, Tuvok, like most Vulcans, is pretty much impossible to read. That being said, no one pushes Tuvok's buttons more or tests his commitment to remaining level-headed more than Neelix. Watching Tuvok's facial expression trying to ward off annoyance under Neelix's barrage of comments always makes me laugh.

To watch them interact for the first several stages of their time together, it's pretty much impossible to imagine the two characters becoming friends. If they hadn't been forced together by Voyager's circumstances, it's likely they would never have even met, let alone got along. So, seeing Neelix gradually chip away at Tuvok's veneer is one of the most slow-burning arcs in all of Star Trek: Voyager, and seeing it all pay off with Tuvok's dance in "Homestead" is the perfect way to punctuate their dynamic.