Star Trek: 10 Things You Didn't Know About Tuvok

5. The Killer Inside Me(ld)

Meld was one of the first big Tuvok episodes of Voyager, featuring Tim Russ playing almost a two-hander with guest star Brad Douriff as the murderous Betazoid Lon Suder. Suder's Betazoid nature was in fact at Russ's suggestion, which was a small part of a long, arduous writing journey.

Michael Piller bought Mike Sussman's idea of Tuvok encountering an alien serial killer, then expanded it into the episode as seen, though with a lot of help. Piller recalled beginning the script with the question: how would Tuvok, a Vulcan, react to random acts of violence? Though he hired a consultant to help him better understand criminal minds, he found the last act a true test.

Jeri Taylor and Rick Berman helped Piller focus the ending on capital punishment, asking the audience to consider whether it was the search for justice, or their violent impulses, that drove the need for capital punishment. 

Suggesting that Suder be a Betazoid was Russ's explanation of why Tuvok felt the meld so severely. He had melded with Humans before and been shown capable of handling those emotions. Betazoids, passionate and empathic by their nature, offered - to Russ - a greater potential to challenge a stoic Vulcan.