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[Mama Robotnik]

In Tuvix, something horrible happens on the Starship Voyager. Due to a transporter accident, two of Captain Janeway’s best friends are killed. Tuvok and Neelix cease to exist.

Their matter and memories coalesce into a new living being called Tuvix. He is a unique creature, there is no species like him anywhere in the universe.

Over the next few weeks, he becomes a valued member of the crew. He joyfully acts as ship chef, and professionally fulfils his duties as security chief. He is kind, competent, jovial and liked. He has feelings of friendship and romance. He loves his life, and his family aboard the Starship Voyager. He is an entirely separate being and consciousness from Neelix and Tuvok, and is a thoroughly good and nice person.

Then, a discovery! The ship’s doctor discovers he can bring Tuvok and Neelix back from the dead – but the only way to do this is to kill Tuvix.

The option is presented to Tuvix, who tearfully and honestly says...

Captain Janeway has two choices:

(1) Accept the loss of Neelix and Tuvok, and allow Tuvix to live.


(2) Kill Tuvix and bring Neelix and Tuvok back from the dead.


What would you choose? Try to remember that in the context of the scenario, Neelix and Tuvok are highly valued and loved by Janeway – no matter how annoying Neelix is to the rest of the universe.

 

[Branduil]

Kill it with fire.

And I don't mean option 2. I mean just killing him.

 

[kirblar]

Get two Riker clones instead.

 

[Harry Dresden]

My memory of this episode is fuzzy.

Was there a reason stated why they couldn't use the transporter to split Tuvix up and keep a copy of him?

There are two Riker's running around.

 

[Mama Robotnik]

Get two Riker clones instead.

That episode was the one that convinced me that Transporters literally kill and clone everyone who uses them. The Federation is an orgy of mass death.

My memory of this episode is fuzzy.

Was there a reason stated why they couldn't use the transporter to split Tuvix up and keep a copy of him?

There are two Riker's running around.

Technobabble prevented it.

 

[StalkerUKCG]

Look up the Riker clone incident in the starfleet database. Recreate the conditions. Clone Tuvix and Then Kill the none clone.

 

[Wag]

Go back to 1996 and make believe it never happened.

 

[Stinkles]

I would simply make a ton of Seven of Nines.

 

[lastplayed]

It would be Tuvix's decision and his alone.

Spoiler

Fuck Janeway.

 

[AkuMifune]

Get two Riker clones instead.

 

[kirblar]

That episode was the one that convinced me that Transporters literally kill and clone everyone who uses them. The Federation is an orgy of mass death.

Yup. No way do I ever voluntarily use one.

 

[Commander Jameson]

Kill Tuvix, then kill Neelix and Tuvok. Everyone's happy.

(Except for Tuvix, Neelix and Tuvok).

 

[Divvy]

Kill Tuvix, then kill Neelix and Tuvok. Everyone's happy.

(Except for Tuvix, Neelix and Tuvok).

Also, kill Janeway while you're at it

And Harry Kim

 

[Wag]

That episode was the one that convinced me that Transporters literally kill and clone everyone who uses them. The Federation is an orgy of mass death.

How about this one. That was pretty fucked up right there.

 

[Fragamemnon]

Are we talking making the decision in a vacuum, or are we working under Janeway's unique staffing situation?

If I'm in Janeway's position I'd kill him to have the other crew members returned. I'd totally own the decision and let the crew judge the ethics of it-the most important thing for that crew is day in and day out maximum crew stability, and a roster change from Tuvok to Tuvix doesn't really suit that.

 

[NotTheGuyYouKill]

I would simply make a ton of Seven of Nines.

My man.

 

[StopMakingSense]

3) Put Janeway in jail for murder.

 

[Keikaku]

I would ask Janeway for her opinion and then do the exact opposite because, if Voyager proved anything, it's that she is a terrible commander.

The worst Star Trek captain by a country mile.

 

[diggmcbadass]

Logically two entities are able to do more units of work than one single being. This emotion thing of you humans are of little understanding or consequence.

 

[way more]

That episode was the one that convinced me that Transporters literally kill and clone everyone who uses them. The Federation is an orgy of mass death.

I'd still use one. From the users perspective it's no different than falling asleep on a plane and waking up in a new city.

 

[XiaNaphryz]

That episode was the one that convinced me that Transporters literally kill and clone everyone who uses them. The Federation is an orgy of mass death.

There was a book that touched on this. Federation, where Cochrane is shocked about learning of transporter technology thinking it worked through cloning, leaving the original dead.

I still prefer that book over what First Contact ended up doing with his backstory.

 

[davepoobond]

Probably 1 but if I had to pull the trigger at a later time I'd keep that in my back pocket.

 

[DarthWoo]

I'd still use one. From the users perspective it's no different than falling asleep on a plane and waking up in a new city.

Didn't the episode pictured above (the one with Barclay) show that the user pretty much retains consciousness through the whole process?

 

[vivftp]

Are we talking making the decision in a vacuum, or are we working under Janeway's unique staffing situation?

If I'm in Janeway's position I'd kill him to have the other crew members returned. I'd totally own the decision and let the crew judge the ethics of it-the most important thing for that crew is day in and day out maximum crew stability, and a roster change from Tuvok to Tuvix doesn't really suit that.

This is the correct answer IMO. If I'm in charge, Tuvix is gonna die. The reality of his situation sucks, but he existed at the expense of 2 other valuable people to the crew who had their own lives and families. It's understandable he wanted to live, and I can't fault him at all, but in the end he was not meant to exist and his continuing to exist would mean 2 other people would no longer exist.

As for the Riker transporter clone incident, that was only possible due to the unique properties of the storm on that planet. It's not a duplicatable occurance.


EDIT:
As for transporters killing you, nope. From the man who invented the modern transporter in the Enterprise episode Daedalus:

EMORY: I'll never forget the protests when the transporter was first approved for bio-matter.
DANICA: Oh, God. Here we go.
EMORY: People said it was unsafe, that it caused brain cancer, psychosis, and even sleep disorders. And then there was all that metaphysical chatter about whether or not the person who arrived after the transport was the same person who left, and not some weird copy.
TUCKER: Which would make all of us copies.
EMORY: I had to fight all of that nonsense, and I'm not going to tell you there weren't costs. I'm living proof of that, but I won. Mankind is better off. Makes everything I've fought for worthwhile.




TUCKER: Is it true you're the first person to go through?
EMORY: I wasn't about to let anyone else do it.
TUCKER: You must've been scared.
EMORY: Terrified. That original transporter took a full minute and a half to cycle through. Felt like a year. You could actually feel yourself being taken apart and put back together. When I materialised, first thing I did was lose my lunch. Second thing I did was get stone drunk.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Fuck Tuvix. Lame character. The only upside is that it would have got rid of Neelix much earlier in the series.

 

[Darth Pinche]

Keep Tuvix and rent out Neelix's room. Profit.

 

[Septimius]

I'd still use one. From the users perspective it's no different than falling asleep on a plane and waking up in a new city.

No. From the user's perspective, it's not different than dying on a plane. Then someone else wakes up in a new city. With your memories. Not you.

 

[Darkmakaimura]

It was like Qui-Gon Jin and Jar-Jar Binks combined into one entity.

Tuvok and Neelix died and was reborn in one body that formed Tuvix. She had a chance to bring them back. Sure Tuvix is one being but it's really just two so in truth, they really weren't killing him but just separating them once again like it should be.

 

[Novocaine]

2 for sure. Tuvok is part of the very short list of good characters in Voyager.

 

[FairyD]

Are we talking making the decision in a vacuum, or are we working under Janeway's unique staffing situation?

If I'm in Janeway's position I'd kill him to have the other crew members returned. I'd totally own the decision and let the crew judge the ethics of it-the most important thing for that crew is day in and day out maximum crew stability, and a roster change from Tuvok to Tuvix doesn't really suit that.

You know what? You just convinced me. This episode always bothered me, I never really saw her perspective about the limited staff until now.

 

[KidGalactus]

I'd still use one. From the users perspective it's no different than falling asleep on a plane and waking up in a new city.

Except that you (presumably) never wake up.

 

[Partial Gamification]

Janeway is coming form the perspective that Tuvoc and Neelix are still alive, trapped, within the abomination of Tuvix. She's is proved right, as they are returned to their normal selves. I would do the same but clone and brainscan/mindmeld (isn't there another vulcan on Voyager or are there pon farr pangs I'm forgetting) the abomination and technobabble a new character into the mix that Janeway could then kill off in a couple episodes.

 

[DrSlek]

Yes, Tuvix has all the skills of both crew members, but the ship is still down a man and therefore less efficient.

Kill Tuvix and get Tuvok and Neelix back.

 

[WhiskeyDiver]

Option 2. Get Tuvok and Neelix back, then launch Neelix out of a torpedo tube. I never liked him.

 

[KidGalactus]

EDIT:
As for transporters killing you, nope. From the man who invented the modern transporter in the Enterprise episode Daedalus:

EMORY: I'll never forget the protests when the transporter was first approved for bio-matter.
DANICA: Oh, God. Here we go.
EMORY: People said it was unsafe, that it caused brain cancer, psychosis, and even sleep disorders. And then there was all that metaphysical chatter about whether or not the person who arrived after the transport was the same person who left, and not some weird copy.
TUCKER: Which would make all of us copies.
EMORY: I had to fight all of that nonsense, and I'm not going to tell you there weren't costs. I'm living proof of that, but I won. Mankind is better off. Makes everything I've fought for worthwhile.




TUCKER: Is it true you're the first person to go through?
EMORY: I wasn't about to let anyone else do it.
TUCKER: You must've been scared.
EMORY: Terrified. That original transporter took a full minute and a half to cycle through. Felt like a year. You could actually feel yourself being taken apart and put back together. When I materialised, first thing I did was lose my lunch. Second thing I did was get stone drunk.

Yes, but since the copy has the same memories, it would of course believe it was the original... even if it were a copy of the original inventor.

 

[FStop7]

Captain Hepburn should have just airlocked herself

 

[Escape Goat]

Janeway was right

 

[kharma45]

Can I bring back Tuvok but kill Nelix?

 

[vivftp]

Yes, but since the copy has the same memories, it would of course believe it was the original... even if it were a copy of the original inventor.

The quote specifically mentions he had to fight the theory that the transportee is a copy back in the earlier days of transporter tech, and judging by the conversation, he was able to prove himself correct.

 

[ckohler]

Most people don't like Janeway as a character but I do and this episode is one of those reasons. She made some damn hard choices for her crew. I agreed with her on this.

 

[sonikokaruto]

i'd like to go to space

 

[Almighty]

It would be Tuvix's decision and his alone.

Spoiler

Fuck Janeway.

This right here. As far as I am concerned Janeway murdered him in cold blood. Sure she would of been down a crewman, but you get pounded over the head throughout all the series that Starfleet officers do the right thing even if it makes things harder.

 

[Coffee Dog]

It's beyond reprehensible to kill Tuvix, but given the situation Janeway was in, a case could be made to needing the sheer numbers of 2 crew compared to 1 if you wanted to argue out of cold, mechanical logic.

In my opinion it's entirely immoral to kill someone that's presenting no threat to you, so I would not kill an innocent to gain a single crew member.

 

[Big-E]

Tuvix had the right to live. Less drain on resources too. No crazy pon farr shit to deal with either. Also, no more Neelix.

 

[akira28]

It's not a question for me. Certainly wouldn't be any dilemma. Split them up.

 

[Slayven]

Sorry dude but I don't know you. Plus Tuvok was damn near the only competent dude on the ship.

 

[zomgbbqftw]

Can I bring back Tuvok but kill Nelix?

Nope.

Tuvok was one of few actually good characters on VOY. The show couldn't afford to lose him.

 

[Escape Goat]

This right here.

Janeway had no idea what the individual wishes of Neelix or Tuvok were. She had no way to consult with them. She had no idea if Tuvix was truly one voice speaking for both men or someone entirely new acting out of its own self preservation.

The merging was an accident and she had a way to bring both of them back.

Janeway needed her security chief and cook (such as he was) for the greater good of Voyager. Janeway also had to fight her own personal reasons for wanting Tuvok, her long time friend and confidant, back at her side.

 

[Mashing]

And this stupid bitch ends up as an Admiral. WTF. She should have been court martialied for her decision as she murdered an innocent. What happened to Neelix and Tuvok was an accident and she was not legally bound to do anything to bring them back. However, doing what she did should of had her thrown in prison when she got back to Earth.

 

[Mudkips]

A two for one swap is a no brainer.
Can I splitlicate any existing members this way? Throw some ensign piece of shit in there and see if we can get a decent character and a even shittier character out of it, keep the decent one and make the shittier one scrub space toilets.