“Tuvix” is episode twenty-four of season two of Star Trek: Voyager.
Voyager is orbiting a planet and Tuvok and Neelix have beamed down to it to look for a plant that could be a valuable nutritional supplement. Neelix is enjoying himself; Tuvok, naturally, is not. Neelix thinks he is being more Tuvokian than usual. They both love, or appreciate, nature, it’s a perfect day and they are collecting an orchid, Tuvok’s favourite flower, and all he thinks is it’s adequate. Neelix has also been researching Vulcan music, and he wants Tuvok to join in with a song. A funeral dirge, as it happens; Neelix knows this but it was the most cheerful Vulcan song he could find. Tuvok would like Neelix to be less like himself.
On Voyager, they are having problems with the transporter but Harry is working on it. The problem is fixed and Neelix and Tuvok are beamed back aboard. But there’s only one pattern and it’s too late to abort. One person appears on the transporter pad, and it’s neither Neelix nor Tuvok. Harry thinks it’s an intruder; the person says he is Tuvok. And Neelix. Their patterns have merged. The merged person thinks the logical thing would be to go to sickbay.
The merged person recognises everyone, and the Doctor says that all of Tuvok’s and Neelix’s biological matter has merged at a molecular level. He’s also surprisingly healthy. There’s also a third genetic pattern in the mix, one that’s plant based. The orchids that they were collecting. The captain wonders if the plant could have affected their scanners. Kes seems to be finding this a bit awkward.
She says to the merged person that it must be very difficult for him. He is not worried, because worrying is illogical. No, he doesn’t have multiple personalities, or at least he doesn’t think so. He has the memories of both Neelix and Tuvok, but a single consciousness. Kes asks what they should call him. He says now he can see why it is so difficult for the Doctor to find himself a name. He suggests Neevok, then settles on Tuvix.
The Doctor has no idea as to how to separate the two. Tuvix states to Janeway that he feels well and wants to get back to work. Not the mess hall, but to resume his tactical post. The Doctor agrees that Tuvix is in perfect health. He has got all the data needs and can continue without Tuvix’s presence. Tuvix does possess all the knowledge of the two who formed him, and also their most annoying traits. The Doctor would like to see Tuvix assigned duties. Any duties. Somewhere else.
The senior staff meet to discuss the accident. B’Elanna says it was perfectly routine. There were no anomalies, overloads or malfunctions. Their scans indicated nothing out of the ordinary and no evidence of alien interference. Kes says there was nothing unusual about the orchids. Captain Janeway has never heard of a similar accident int eh entire history of transporter usage. Chakotay is suggesting they try to recreate the accident when Tuvix interrupts. Something Kes mentioned about the plants makes him suggest symbiogenesis, a rare reproductive process where one species merges with a second to form a hybrid. This has only been known to happen at the molecular level, but Neelix and Tuvok were at that level during the transport. This could have merged their patters. The captain thinks it’s the best theory – the only theory, at that – and worth investigating.
Tuvix seems able to do both Tuvok’s and Neelix’s jobs better than either of them could, through the combination of personalities. Kes is still finding things odd and awkward.
Seeing if the orchid will combine with another plant during transport works; it forms a hybrid. The problem is, the Doctor can’t reverse it. At least, not without killing the component plants. He says it could be some time, perhaps years, before he can find a solution. It might be never.
Kes has to continue dealing with the difficulties caused by the merge and then there’s another problem. If they do find a way to reverse the accident, what about Tuvix? He’s a separate individual. A moral dilemma.