#talaxians

[defconprime]

Talaxians from Star Trek Online

[aurora-nova-fic]

I understand the value of “Homestead” narratively, to close out Neelix’s arc. But I really don’t see how there would be a Talaxian settlement located that far in Voyager’s journey.

Before that episode, it’d been over four years since we saw another Talaxian, and for the very good reason that Voyager has traveled really, really far. In “The Gift” Kes shaves over 9,500 light-years off their journey, almost ten years. “Timeless” sees another 10,000 light-years and ten years skipped. Spatial vortex in “Night,” 2,500 light-years, two and a half years. “Dark Frontier” screws with the time and distance ratio because 20,000 light years somehow only equals fifteen years (but that is the least of that episode’s flaws, so let’s move on). “The Voyager Conspiracy” sees another three years taken off the journey.

This is over thirty years’ of travel time from where Neelix started and something like twenty-seven from the furthest reaches of where Neelix had previously traveled, even slightly more if you add in the time-saving course corrections Seven and Q provided... and this is at Voyager’s speed. It’s well-established in season 1 that Voyager’s technology is considerably superior to anything in the region of the Delta Quadrant where they arrived.

And the group of Talaxians in “Homestead” was supposed to have arrived that far in something like seventeen years. I’ll grant that maybe they found the spatial vortex and the catapult, but I doubt they had the assistance of any evolving Ocampans, or got their hands on a slipstream drive, or were stupid enough to think stealing a Borg transwarp coil made any amount of sense. So at best, if they started out right after the Talaxians lost the war and the diaspora started, they should arrive approximately three years after Voyager passed through, if they somehow manage to match Voyager’s speed. And, you know, avoid all those Borg cubes flying around.

Or is the Delta Quadrant really just that full of shortcuts to the general direction of the Alpha Quadrant?

[sshbpodcast]

Top 3 Star Trek Voyager alien races

By Ames

Now that we’re almost back in the Alpha Quadrant, we at A Star to Steer Her By have got a little time to reflect back on our time in the Delta Quadrant. As we saw in our two recent posts, we made a lot of really fascinating friends and really diabolical enemies, but possibly the most refreshing thing about being so far from the familiar faces of home is just how many unfamiliar faces we get to meet! Truly, the aliens we meet 70,000 light years from home are simultaneously wildly varied and also bear the same resemblances to the kinds of people that are truly universal, in every respect of the word.

And sure, the show goes out of its way to introduce some of the staple alien races we know from the other shows, sometimes in more contrived ways than others. But in my humble opinion, it’s when we meet these unique races that are like nothing else that the show really shines. So let’s whip out our First Contact handbook, try not to break the Prime Directive too much, and meet our favorite alien races from Voyager as you scroll on below or listen to this week’s triple-header episode (discussion starts at 1:22:56). Live long and prosper!

[Images © CBS/Paramount]

Jake – More than meets the eye

Vidiians

Species 8472

Voth

These three alien races prove to be more than they seem, as Jake tends to spotlight characters who surprise you with their hidden depths. The Vidiians may be pushed to forcible organ harvesting to survive, but they become fascinating when you see that not all of them are ruthless. Everything about Species 8472 is cool: they live in fluidic space, their bio-ships take out Borg cubes, AND they adapt enough to disguise themselves as Starfleet! Finally, the Voth are freakin’ dinosaurs! What’s not to love about that Galileo allegory story? Rawr!

—

Caitlin – Best friends forever!

Talaxians

Ocampans

Hirogens

It may have taken a while, but even Caitlin’s heart was melted by the hardy people of Talax, most notably their Starfleet ambassador who won us over through his consistent writing, never-ending kindness, and character growth throughout the seasons. Another familiar face came in the Ocampans, whose contrast between their short lives and potential for supernatural powers made them phenoms (when the writers remembered). And while they never made it to the point of allies, we still enjoyed seeing the variety of Hirogens we met, especially J.G. Hertzler’s Tsunkatse fighter! 

—

Ames – Pour one out for…

Vidiians

Borg

Silver Blood Duplicates

My three picks all make you empathize with them because Voyager shows you such a multifaceted and complete picture of their society. Like Jake, I’m shining some spotlight on our Phage-riddled friends whose actions you can’t help but be both sympathetic for and horrified by. I’ll also always put Borg on my list evidently because every new thing we learn about their nature has me transfixed. And the doppel-crew from “Course: Oblivion” create such an effective story and such an original take on an alien race that I just had to include them.

—

Chris – There’s a little rebel in you

Borg

Takarians

Vidiians

Something I’ve noticed about Chris’s favorites is he always loves it when the little guy fights back. We see so many sides of the Borg and yet we are always engaged by them, especially when it becomes a theme that humanity can be brought back to those who resist. It was also easy to side with the Takarians from “False Profits” because they were so quick to immolate the Ferengi (who can blame them?). And here’s a little more love for the Vidiians, especially Danara Pel who proves there can still be humanity underneath a monster face.

— Say good-bye to some of our favorites as we leave them in the dust in the Delta Quadrant where they’ll be no tribble at all. We’ve only got one more episode of Voyager left in our watch-through over on the podcast, so don’t miss our final thoughts over on SoundCloud or wherever you listen and follow along here on the blog for our series wrap! Come in for a landing with us on Facebook and Twitter, and keep an eye on your organs. There may be Vidiians about.

[feral-ferengi]

Guyss, i drew Neelix! 🦁🌼

The progress took me forever, but he was so much fun to draw!! I adore him, he's my fav guy on Voyager 💛💛💛 the crew would be nothing without their delta quadrant space tomcat

[captaincrusher]

If you ever have a bad roommate you can at least take comfort in knowing they didn't violently have sex all over your furniture and trashed your place in the process (At least I hope they didn't).

[planetlongjourney]

Doodles I randomly did!

(I cannot draw the characters nor can I use a better camera I’m allergic I promise)

Basically what if Quark was really small

I just wanted to put these somewhere 🫠😓

[tribblesoup]

Accepting help from Neelix was inexcusable.

Not because he's annoying. Or because he resembles the offspring of a goldfish and a flying monkey. But because he was problematic.

Neelix was a trader, working for profit, which went against the Federation's goals. He was also a fart to Kes, despite rescuing her. And he was sometimes an idiot.

Janeway should not have accepted an imperfect individual to guide her ship safely through the Delta Quadrant. She should have torpedoed the hedgehog on sight, and waited for a better option to come along.

Accepting that flawed Furby of an individual as Voyager's guide through hostile space would be like accepting a less-than-perfect candidate such as Kamala Harris to guide us safely away from Project 2025.

[baylardian-1]

i feel like Neelix post-Parturition and Elogium would FLIP over janeway having three lil babies heheeeeeehhhhhh

and he's yknow Morale Officer so trying to help kathryn out while she's moping about everything post-Threshold. :) but he'd especially the babies since he'd gotten his hopes up for one in Elogium.

i just be thinking about chakotay and neelix frantically trying to figure out how to take care of three babies at once lol.

[bumblingbabooshka]

[TUVOKTOBER: Day 16] Mr. Human!

[valhahazred]

Some slightly more alien Delta Quadrant folks for Voyager to bump into.

[scuzbrains]

Sometimes you just need to draw Neelix as a silly little dog

[greenflower21]

DAMN I genuinely love it when Star Trek episodes are Jewish trauma AND resilience coded

[codenameregnar]

Was trying to look up alien breakfast foods for a fic and

He really was in there making concoctions huh

[quinn-of-aebradore]

Next Generation “every admiral is an asshole” 🤝 Voyager “every new alien species the crew encounters are assholes”

[crowfootwrites]

Warm Welcome

Day 2 from @creativepromptsforwriting's December Prompt List! I have this fanfic plot bunny of Neelix and a baker falling in love. I'm not in a place to write that whole thing right now, but this felt cute and on-topic, so.

December 2: Baking (Neelix x GN!Reader)

Also, I've written this so that the reader-insert character is Banean, a feathered humanoid species that looks like this:

Warnings: none; not beta'd we die like men. | Words: ~975

As you settled yourself in your new quarters, you found you couldn’t keep your mind off the awful business with Tolen and Lidell Ren. It had opened your eyes to just how cruel the Banean penal system had become as fear and suspicion towards the Numiri grew on your homeworld. Even your lifelong friend Kray had fallen victim to his own distrust, using his power as Minister of Science to deliver a cruel punishment to an innocent man. Kray hadn’t known that Lieutenant Paris was innocent at the time, but that hardly made you feel better. The constant tension and cynicism swallowing Banea whole felt foreign to you, antithetical to everything you were raised to believe in – compassion, exploration, goodwill, trust. You found that you barely recognized your homeworld anymore. 

And so it was time to go. You’d approached Lieutenant Paris and Commander Tuvok before their departure, requesting an audience with the captain. You’d asked her about the prospect of joining Voyager and, as you’d assured her of your ability and desire to learn and become a useful member of their crew, she’d agreed. 

The chime sounded at your door. 

“Come in!” You rose from where you were unpacking the few personal effects you’d brought with you.

The door slid open, revealing a smiling Ensign Kim. 

“Welcome aboard,” he offered. “The captain has asked me to give you a tour and introduce you to some of the crew. Is now a good time?”

You nodded eagerly, ready to try making some friends. 

The ensign towed you around the ship, presenting various departments, decks, and friendly faces in uniform. You made small talk in the corridors and, if you weren’t mistaken, Ensign Kim appeared to be trying to flirt with you. Biting back a grin, you did your best to steer the conversations back to more neutral topics.

As you approached what your companion had identified as the mess hall, a delectable scent wafted through the corridor, stopping you in your tracks.

Following your nose, the ensign allowed you to lead as you entered the mess, revealing a stocky Talaxian male frantically stirring pots and flipping something in flaming pans. 

His eyes and smile widened as he noticed you. He scurried around the corner out of the kitchen to grasp your hand eagerly in his. “You must be our new Banean crew member! Welcome aboard!” He shook your hand firmly, glancing between you and Ensign Kim. “I’m Neelix, I’m the cook here on Voyager – lots of mouths to feed here!”

A burst of flame erupted around one of the pans in the kitchen and with a yelp, Neelix hurried back to it. Grinning amusedly, you followed after him. The heat of multiple cooking sources going at once pressed down on you and you fluttered the feathers around your face to combat it. 

“It smells incredible in here,” you exclaimed, a swell of warm spice and baking bread rolling over you. 

“Thank you!” Neelix replied, whirling around the kitchen confidently, somehow managing multiple pots and pans over the fire, packed chopping boards, and a crammed oven. 

“We have replicators on Voyager,” he continued, stirring a pot that was perilously close to boiling over. “But they’re something of an energy drain, so usage has been rationed, and I run the kitchen to make sure the crew is fed without depleting energy reserves!”

“Seems like a big job,” you commented, your fingers itching to help as Neelix flitted between chopping and flipping and stirring. 

“Oh, completely!” His response sounded cheerful. “But I enjoy it, and it’s my way of contributing to th-” 

“Your bread’s about to burn,” you interjected, wincing as you did. “I apologize,” you added as you made your way toward the oven, grabbing an oven mitt before yanking several loaves out and placing the pans on an overhead rack to cool. 

“I didn’t mean to interrupt, but it was just a few seconds from being too overdone, and I-.” You shook your head, suddenly self-conscious, and backed away.

“I’m sorry, I overstepped. This is your domain, I-I only meant to help.” You lingered near the entrance to the kitchen, your hands wide and open in surrender. Glancing over your shoulder, you noticed Ensign Kim was nowhere to be found.

Neelix watched you with wide, kind eyes, not appearing angry in the slightest.

“No, no! I appreciate your help!” He sounded earnest, which soothed some of your embarrassment. “If I may ask… how did you know it was about to burn? You only just arrived.”

You shrugged awkwardly. “By the smell… I used to do a lot of baking on Banea.”

You watched as Neelix’s whole face lit up, his jovial smile erasing the remainder of your uncertainty. He picked up his ladle and resumed stirring the bubbling pot. “You know, I could certainly use a hand in here, if that was something you’d like to do,” he suggested gently. “And aside from birthday cakes, I’m not much of a baker, myself.”

He fixed you with a knowing stare. “I happen to know the crew would appreciate someone to… temper some of my own creations.” He set the ladle back down and wiped his hands on his gaudy apron. “And they would certainly never turn down consistent desserts.”

He held his hand out toward you again, waiting with an eager smile. 

Your confidence bolstered somewhat, you slid your hand into his. “I’d love to help.”

“Wonderful!” After a vigorous handshake, he launched into a monologue about the evening’s dinner and you found yourself good-naturedly cutting in. 

“Back on Banea, I made this pipfruit and roasted leola root cake with parra creme sauce-”

“Leola root? Oh, I’ve always said that leola root is one of the most versatile vegetables in this quadrant. There's no better source of vitamins or minerals!” Neelix raved as he coaxed you back into the kitchen.