Tuvok’s (Tim Russ) saddest storyline in Star Trek: Voyager season 4 also acts as a reference to Star Trek: The Next Generation. Russ was a veteran Star Trek actor when he joined the main cast of Voyager in 1995, but Tuvok quickly became his most recognizable and popular role in the franchise. As the first Vulcan to be a main character on a Star Trek show since Star Trek: The Original Series, Tuvok was one of Voyager’s most interesting characters and brought a delightful familiarity to the show with his logical personality and close friendship with Captain Janeway (Kate Mulgrew).
Although Tuvok was perhaps not Voyager’s most popular character, the show wouldn’t have been the same without him, and he experienced some truly memorable storylines during its run. Some of these were more light-hearted, but one of Tuvok’s darkest arcs came in the season 4 two-part episode “Year of Hell,” which saw the USS Voyager under extended attack by Annorax (Kurtwood Smith) of the Krenim Imperium. During one of these attacks, Tuvok was tragically blinded by an explosion. Tuvok’s blindness was arguably the saddest part of “Year of Hell,” but may have also been a subtle TNG reference.
Tuvok’s Blindness In Star Trek: Voyager Season 4 May Be A Geordi La Forge Reference
Tuvok lost his sight in the Voyager season 4 episode “Year of Hell”
Making Tuvok blind in “Year of Hell” may have been Voyager’s way of paying tribute to Tim Russ’s audition to play Geordi La Forge in Star Trek: The Next Generation. As mentioned, Russ had acted in several smaller parts in the Star Trek franchise before landing Tuvok, and along with these had previously auditioned for the role of Geordi during TNG’s casting process. The role ended up going to LeVar Burton, but Star Trek’s core creative team would certainly have known that Russ had been on the shortlist to play the famous TNG character.
Given the overlap in writers and producers across the 1990s era of Star Trek , much of Voyager ‘s creative team would likely have been aware and may have decided to use Tuvok’s arc in “Year of Hell” as a form of inside joke.
The choice to make Tuvok blind in “Year of Hell” could have been Voyager’s way of acknowledging Russ’s TNG audition, given that Geordi was also famously blind. Similar references are not unheard of in the Star Trek timeline’s history. The fact that Russ had hoped to play Geordi might not have been known by a wider audience, but given the overlap in writers and producers across the 1990s era of Star Trek, much of Voyager’s creative team would likely have been aware and may have decided to use Tuvok’s arc in “Year of Hell” as a form of inside joke.
Why Tim Russ Lost Out On Playing Geordi On Star Trek: TNG
LeVar Burton beat Russ for Geordi during the auditions for TNG
The fact that Tim Russ lost out on playing Geordi on TNG may seem surprising now, but at the time, casting LeVar Burton in the role likely made more sense. Burton was a more experienced actor and familiar face for audiences, having already made a name for himself in Roots and Reading Rainbow. Although Russ was an equally strong actor in his own right, it seems the casting process came down to visibility, something Russ had yet to cultivate a lot of with his other roles.
While losing the role was likely disappointing for Russ, time has proven that Geordi’s casting decision was undoubtedly the right choice. Burton continues to embody the role, making it hard to imagine anyone else in it, and the same can be said for Tvuok on Star Trek: Voyager. Both Tuvok and Geordi have become incredibly important parts of the Star Trek franchise, and neither role would be the same without Tim Russ or LeVar Burton having been cast exactly as they were.