Ethan Phillips revealed that Star Trek: Voyager cut a scene that would have provided more closure for his character Neelix’s relationship with Kes (Jennifer Lein). Neelix and Kes were first introduced in Voyager‘s pilot episode, “Caretaker,” and joined Star Trek: Voyager‘s cast for their journey through the Delta Quadrant after offering aid when they became stranded. Although Neelix and Kes started the show as a couple, circumstances broke them up partway through Voyager season 3, and Kes ended up being written off the show at the start of season 4, putting an end to any possibility of a further romance.
Even before they broke up, Neelix and Kes’s relationship was plagued with issues that caused problems with the characters’ likability. Still, their official parting happened off-screen, leaving the relationship an unresolved point on the Star Trek timeline. However, in an interview with Star Trek Magazine in their 2016 special edition, Ethan Phillips revealed that Kes and Neelix originally did have a scene that cemented their breakup and provided a more satisfying end to their relationship. The actor also shared his thoughts on why Kes and Neelix were incompatible and their slightly nebulous relationship status. Check out Phillips’ full quote below:
“I have… You know… It was… It was never clarified. It was hinted at being romantic, and then sometimes it seemed much more paternal. There was one kiss. So you never really knew what was going down with that. But regardless, there should have been closure, and there was. We filmed the scene in the science lab, and I think the episode was ‘Warlord,’ Kes and Neelix had a five-minute conversation where they acknowledged what had happened and tried to understand each other’s situation, and they agreed to be friends and move on. It was a very beautiful scene, and I think it gave the characters – and certainly would have given the fans – a sense that, ‘Well, it’s over, but at least we know how it ended.’ Then they never included that scene because, I guess, the writers didn’t think the arc was important enough to warrant it. I always thought that was a mistake.”
Every Voyager Character Who Has Returned In Star Trek (& How)
Star Trek: Voyager’s beloved characters have returned in Star Trek: Picard, Star Trek: Lower Decks, and especially Star Trek: Prodigy.
Star Trek: Voyager Did Clarify Kes And Neelix’s Relationship (But Phillps Is Right About Why It Never Worked)
While Phillips’ discussion of the cut breakup scene is interesting, his statement downplays the real intensity of Kes and Neelix’s relationship. Neelix and Kes were more overtly a couple on Voyager than Phillips gives them credit for. They shared more than one on-screen kiss in Voyager‘s early episodes, were clearly very in love with each other in the show’s first couple of seasons, and even discussed the possibility of starting a family in Voyager season 2, episode 4, “Elogium,” when an alien species’ proximity to the ship caused Kes to undergo a rapid shift into the Ocampan version of puberty.
However, Phillips did point out some good reasons why Neelix and Kes were ultimately doomed. The paternal aspect of their relationship sometimes got a little too strong. Given that Kes was from a species that only lived nine years, the significant age gap between her and Neelix was not portrayed in the best light. Along with this, Neelix’s jealousy over Kes’s interactions with other male characters made many of their early storylines unpleasant. Star Trek: Voyager was ultimately right to break up Neelix and Kes, but as Phillips stated, true closure would have helped cement the end of their relationship.
Star Trek: Voyager
- Release Date
- May 23, 1995
- Cast
- Kate Mulgrew , Robert Beltran , Roxann Dawson , Jennifer Lien , Robert Duncan McNeill , Ethan Phillips , Robert Picardo , Tim Russ , Garrett Wang , Jeri Ryan
- Seasons
- 7
- Story By
- Rick Berman, Michael Piller, Jeri Taylor
- Writers
- Rick Berman , Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor
- Network
- UPN
- Streaming Service(s)
- Paramount+
- Franchise(s)
- Star Trek
- Directors
- David Livingston , Winrich Kolbe , Allan Kroeker , Michael Vejar
- Showrunner
- Michael Piller , Jeri Taylor , Brannon Braga , Kenneth Biller
