Although he’s best known for playing Tuvok inStar Trek: Voyager, Tim Russ actually played another character within the franchise two years before he stepped into the shoes of Voyager’s Chief of Security, and hisStar Trekdebut included a meta wink to what would become the actor’s most famous role.
Tim Russ played Tuvok inevery season ofStar Trek: Voyager, and his character was instrumental in the crew’s success in surviving the Delta Quadrant and reaching Earth. Before his time amongStar Trek: Voyager’s cast, Russ was no stranger to the iconic sci-fi saga, but he had yet to snag a recurring role. Tuvok became and remains a key figure in theStar Trektimeline.
Captain Picard Took Out Tim Russ' Human TNG Character With A Vulcan Nerve Pinch
Tuvok used the same move many times in Star Trek: Voyager
Tim Russ' firstStar Trekappearance was inThe Next Generationseason 6, episode 18, “Starship Mine.” He played a human character called Devor, one of a group of mercenaries that served as the installment’s villains. During an altercation with Devor, Captain Jean-Luc Picard incapacitates Devor using a Vulcan Nerve Pinch. While it’s a move not commonly used by humans, Picard is proficient at it.
“Starship Mine” first aired in 1993, andStar Trek: Voyagerwouldn’t make its debut until 1995. So, Tim Russ being taken down by a move of Vulcan origin becomes especially interesting when it’s considered that the actor would go on to play a Vulcan as a member of the coreVoyagercast.
Tuvok was the first regularly-appearing Vulcan inStar Treksince Leonard Nimoy’s Spock, and remains one of the most heavily-covered members of his race to date.The Tuvok-centric episodes ofStar Trek: Voyageroften taught audiences a lot about Vulcan culture, as well as recontextualizing what had been learned from Spock’s presence inStar Trek: The Original Series.
Another Tim Russ Star Trek Character Could Also Have A Strong Tuvok Connection
Voyager retconned Russ' Generations character to make Tuvok a member of the USS Excelsior’s crew
Devor wasn’t the onlyStar Trekcharacter Russ played before being cast as Tuvok, as he would appear once more in a bit part in another corner of the franchise. In 1994’sStar Trek Generations,Russ appears as an unnamed human lieutenantas part of the crew of Captain Hikaru Sulu (George Takei).
At the time, Russ’Star Trek Generationscharacter had no canonical connection to either Devor or Tuvok. However,Star Trek: Voyagercould easily be rectonning hisGenerationsappearance so that he was always playing Tuvok, despite his lack of pointy ears in the 1994 movie.
Star Trek: Voyagerseason 3, episode 2,“Flashback,” saw Tuvok and Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) journey into the Vulcan’s memoriesand explore an era that could be before or afterGenerations. So, airing in 1996, my theory is that “Flashback” retroactively made it so that theStar Trek: Voyagerpilot episode in 1995 was not Russ' first appearance as Tuvok.
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Cast
Star Trek: The Next Generation follows Captain Jean-Luc Picard and his crew aboard the USS Enterprise NCC-1701D as they embark on interstellar explorations, seeking out new worlds and civilizations.
Star Trek: Voyager
In this sci-fi series, the starship Voyager becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant, 70,000 light-years from Earth. The diverse crew, led by Captain Janeway, embarks on a perilous journey home, encountering unfamiliar species and challenges while adhering to Federation principles in uncharted space.
