Despite being very different characters, Neelix (Ethan Phillips) and Captain Jean-Luc Picard (Patrick Stewart) fromStar Trek: VoyagerandStar Trek: The Next Generationhad one surprising thing in common.On the surface, Neelix and Picard seem completely at oddswith each other. Picard was the reserved, humanCaptain of the USS Enterprise-Dand the main character ofStar Trek: TNG, while Neelix was Talaxian and played a supporting role inVoyager’s cast of charactersas the USS Voyager’s cook, morale officer, and all-around ambassador to the Delta Quadrant.
However, a scene in the opening episode ofVoyagerseason 5 revealed that Neelix andCaptain Jean-Luc Picardboth shared a taste for one particular beverage. During theVoyagerepisode “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 Neelixwho began experiencing panic attacks. During one of these, Neelix ordered his replicator to make him a drink with one very familiar ingredient.
Star Trek: Voyager’s Neelix Likes Earl Grey Tea, Just Like Captain Picard
Neelix ordered 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 Grey tea onStar Trek: TNG. Besides black tea leaves, bergamot extract or oil is the main ingredient in Earl Grey, giving the tea a distinctive citrus flavor.Although it wasn’t made clear that the tea Neelix ordered was Earl Grey specifically, bergamot is not usually used on its ownto create a beverage. Further, Neelix ordered his tea in a very similar way to Picard’s signature “Tea, Earl Grey, hot,” telling the replicator, “Bergamot tea, hot.”
Earl Grey tea is also almost certainly the only thing Neelix and Picard have in common as characters, given the differences between their species, jobs, and especially personalities.
Given how famous Picard’s tea order is in theStar Trekfranchise, it’s very likely that Neelix’s line in “Night” was meant as a direct reference toTNG. Earl Grey tea is also almost certainly the only thing Neelix and Picard have in common as characters, given the differences between their species, jobs, and especially personalities. Small references between shows like this were common practice duringStar Trek’s 1990s era, butVoyagerespecially had more than its fair share ofTNGnods, both big and small.
Voyager Referenced TNG More Than Any Other Star Trek Show
Voyager built off of a lot of material TNG originated
Aside from small references like the Neelix-Picard connection,Voyagerwas so linked toTNGthat it almost became the earlier show’s spiritual successor.VoyagerandTNG’s sister showStar Trek: Deep Space Nineforged its own path in the franchise with its plot and manner of storytelling, butVoyagerwas in many ways an attempt to return toTNG’s classic style. This manifested in a similar aesthetic between the two shows but also meant thatVoyagerpicked up and expanded on some crucial storylinesTNGhad introduced.
The Star Trek: TNG Episode That Predicted DS9 & Voyager
One episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation includes two elements that will become major plot points on Deep Space Nine & Voyager.
TNGandVoyager’s biggest connections were a deeper exploration of the Borg and the return of Q (John de Lancie) and the Q Continuum.Voyagerwas the only other show in the franchise to explore either Q or the Borg in-depth, withDS9only briefly referencing both.Voyagertook the Borg and Q and expanded whatTNGhad done in a way that paid tribute but also gave the franchise more to work with. In this way,Star Trek: VoyagerandTNGwere more like sister shows than any other twoStar Trekseries of the time.
