On Neelix
I'll be the first to admit Neelix is rather annoying in the first three seasons or so. But he does get better over the course of the series, and as early as season 1 ("Jetrel") we were starting to see who Neelix really was. In "Jetrel," Neelix is confronted by the scientist who created the weapon of mass destruction that destroyed his home and killed his family. It's essentially the same kind of episode as Deep Space Nine's "Duet," which deals with Holocaust parallels while "Jetrel" is an allegory about the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki. We learn that Neelix was a deserter from his army during the war and thus survived because he had been away from his home at the time of the explosion. And he has never gotten over this. Every single thing we see Neelix do or say is a direct result of the horrors he's been through and seen, and he covers that up with a smile and a need to make others' lives better. You could argue this doesn't make him any less annoying, and, well, that's a matter of opinion. But I don't think anyone can say he's a bad character because this is such an important trait of his character that is done so well. The way Neelix acts in spite of what he's feeling is something people actually do. I think anyone who has had depression would agree with me, and this makes Neelix for an excellent character to study for any writer.
"Mortal Coil" may be offensive to some, but it certainly is another example of the depth of Neelix's character. In this episode, Neelix dies for several hours before being revived, and to his immense disappointment he does not experience the Talaxian afterlife. We see and can feel how torn up he is by this revelation - that the idea that he will see his loved ones again is part of the reason he's been able to keep going for so long. While the episode may end with a depressing message, it also teaches Neelix something important - that he needs to stop longing for the people he lost and focus on the new ones in his life that are right in front of him.
And focus on them he does. "Once Upon A Time," while mostly forgotten by the fans, is one of those episodes that I would argue is criminally underrated. For those of you who don't know, in "Once Upon A Time," Neelix's goddaughter, Naomi Wildman, is in his care while her mother is on an away mission. Things go wrong and it quickly becomes clear the away team may not make it back alive. Neelix is then faced with a dilemma: to tell Naomi or hide the truth from her. Without much thought he immediately chooses the latter option. This isn't because he rationally thinks she can't handle it. It's because he wants to shield her because he was never shielded from such pain during his youth. It's his own feelings he's thinking about throughout the course of the episode - not her's. And he does realize this by the episode's conclusion.
In summary, Neelix is actually a very deep character with relatable traits and flaws, and I wish more people acknowledged this.
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