Despite being very different characters, Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) of Star Trek: Voyager And Star Trek: The Next Generation Had one surprising thing. On the surface, Neelix and Picard seem extremely at odds with each other. Picard was the reserved, human captain of the USS Enterprise-D and the main character of Star Trek: TNGWhile Neelix was Talaxian and played a supporting role in Voyagers cast of letters like the U.S.E.S. Voyager’s cook, morale officer and all-around ambassador to the Delta Quadrant.
However, a scene in the opening episode of Voyager Season 5 revealed that Neelix and Captain Jean-Luc Picard both shared a taste for one particular beverage. During the Voyager Episode “Night,” the ship traveled through a completely starless region of space that crew members dubbed “the void.” The lack of stars began to have a psychological effect on multiple crew members, including Neelix Who began to experience panic attacks. During one of these, Neelix ordered his replicator to make him a drink with one very familiar ingredient.
Star Trek: Neelix from Voyager likes Earl Gray tea, just like Captain Picard
Neelix orders Picard’s signature tea in the first episode of Voyager season 5
The tea Neelix ordered from his replicator was “Bergamot tea“, a surprising Easter egg to Captain Picard’s favorite Earl Gray tea on Star Trek: TNG. Besides black tea leaves, bergamot extract or oil is the main ingredient in Earl Grey, which gives the tea a distinctive citrus flavor. Although it is not clear that the tea Neelix ordered was Earl Gray specifically, bergamot is not usually used on its own To create a drink. Next, Neelix ordered his tea in a manner very similar to Picard’s signature “Tea, Earl Grey, hot,” said the replicator, “Bergamot tea, hot.”
Earl Gray Tea is also almost certainly the only thing Neelix and Picard have in common as characters, given the differences between their species, jobs, and special personalities.
Given how famous Picard’s tea order is in the Star Trek franchise, it is very likely that Neelix’s line in “Night” was meant as a direct reference to TNG. Earl Gray Tea is also almost certainly the only thing Neelix and Picard have in common as characters, given the differences between their species, jobs, and special personalities. Small references between shows like this are common practice during Star Treks 1990s era, however Voyager Special has more than its fair share of TNG NodsBoth big and small.
Voyager referenced TNG more than any other Star Trek show
Voyager is built from a lot of TNG material
Aside from small references like the Neelix-Picard connection, Voyager was so linked to TNG That it almost became the spiritual successor of the previous show. Voyager And TNGs sister show Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Forged his own path in the franchise with his plot and manner of storytelling, however Voyager was in many ways an attempt to return to TNGs classic style. This showed in a similar aesthetic between the two shows, but it also meant Voyager Picked up and expanded several crucial storylines TNG introduced.
Related
TNG And VoyagerThe biggest connections are a deeper exploration of the Borg and the return of Q (John de Lancie) and the Q Continuum. Voyager was the only other show in the franchise to explore either Q or Borg in-depthwith DS9 Only briefly referencing both. Voyager took the loan and K and expanded that TNG Did it in a way that paid tribute but also gave the franchise more to work with. in this way, Star Trek: Voyager And TNG were more like sister shows than any other two Star Trek series of the time.