I Can’t Believe Star Trek: Voyager Didn’t Switch Two Important Neelix Episodes

Summary Switching two Neelix episodes in Voyager's seasons 1 and 3 would have improved his character development.

"Jetrel" and "Fair Trade" revealed Neelix's tragic past, but should have been aired in reverse order.

Airing "Jetrel" in season 3 would have made Neelix more likable and even improved his story arcs in later seasons.

Star Trek: Voyager made a mistake by not switching two important Neelix (Ethan Phillip) episodes in seasons 1 and 3. Neelix was Voyager's Talaxian cook, morale officer, and unofficial ambassador to the Delta Quadrant throughout the show's seven seasons. Introduced in season 1 alongside his then-girlfriend, Kes (Jennifer Lien), Neelix became a more permanent fixture in Voyager's cast of characters, and his storylines improved exponentially after he and Kes broke up and Lien left the show.

Although Neelix was often Voyager's comic relief, he also had a tragic backstory that was revealed throughout the show's early seasons. Two episodes in particular, "Jetrel" in season 1 and "Fair Trade" in season 3, helped flesh out Neelix's backstory and laid the groundwork for other significant episodes in later seasons. "Jetrel" revealed that Neelix's family was killed in a brutal conflict with a race called the Haakonians, while "Fair Trade" dealt with some of his sordid past as a contraband smuggler before he joined Voyager's crew. However, the two episodes should have been aired in a different order.

Star Trek: Voyager Should Have Switched The Order Of Two Important Neelix Episodes

Neelix's character development would have been improved

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If Voyager had switched which seasons "Jetrel" and "Fair Trade" appeared in, it would have improved the show's storyline and Neelix's character exponentially. Voyager's creative team conceived the story idea for "Fair Trade" as early as season 1, but the episode was put on the back burner to make room for "Jetrel" in the season's lineup. This was a mistake, given that both episodes' reveals about Neelix would work much better in reverse.

Neelix's over-the-top personality in Voyager season 1 would have benefitted greatly from some tempering, and seeing him struggle with self-doubt and how to do the right thing in "Fair Trade" could have made him more likable

"Fair Trade" was a very human story for Neelix. If the episode had aired in season 1, the exploration of Neelix's previous life outside the law, coupled with his genuine desire to help Voyager's crew, would have grounded the character at a time when he was a caricature of himself. Neelix's over-the-top personality in Voyager season 1 would have benefitted greatly from some tempering, and seeing him struggle with self-doubt and how to do the right thing in "Fair Trade" could have made him more likable. Unfortunately, both "Jetrel" and "Fair Trade" did more harm to Neelix than good.

Why “Jetrel” Would Have Worked Better In Star Trek: Voyager Season 3

"Jetrel" could have been a great season 3 episode

In season 1, at a time when Neelix was on shaky ground in terms of character growth and popularity, "Jetrel" did him no favors. In the first place, "Jetrel" was a bad copy of "Duet" from Star Trek: DS9, and the episode being so early on in the series when audiences knew very little about Neelix only served to make his tragic backstory fall flat. There was not much reason to care about what Neelix and his family had suffered, and as such, scenes that were meant to be particularly emotional or impactful packed less of a punch.

If "Fair Trade" had aired first and "Jetrel" had been a season 3 episode, both would have been significantly improved. Neelix's flaws and strengths could have been thoroughly explored before introducing an episode so clearly designed to tug at the audience's heartstrings. Star Trek: Voyager could have built much more sympathy and compassion for Neelix by giving time to make audiences like him. As it was, "Jetrel" in particular failed on several storytelling levels, and Neelix had to wait until later seasons to get more well-rounded storylines.

Star Trek: Voyager is available to stream on Paramount+.