TWITrek Character Insight No. 24: Kes

This is the latest installment in a series of "Character Insight" articles regarding the rich history of characters in the Star Trek universe.  An audio version will appear on the This Week in Trek podcast, available for direct download here.
--------------------
Welcome back to Character Insight!  This week, our subject is Kes from Voyager.



Kes comes aboard Voyager with Neelix during the pilot episode following Voyager's stranding in the Delta Quadrant. Kes serves as a field medic under the holographic doctor and as the caretaker of the airponics bay, which is used to grow edible vegetation for the crew.

Kes is an Ocampa, which is the race that was sheltered and guided by the Nacene Caretaker follownig the accidental damage caused to the atmosphere of the planet Ocampa caused by the Nacene.  Ocampa have a short lifespan of about nine years, and females like Kes only have the opportunity to give birth once in their short lives.

Kes has telepathic abilities similar in function to Betazoids, but she also possesses other abilities like precognition, telekinesis, and the ability to manipulate matter on a subatomic level.  After three years on the ship, Kes begins to transform as a result of her blossoming mental abilities, and she left the ship to evolve into a being of pure energy. In some respects, Kes is reminiscent of a member of the Q continuum, but without the arrogance.

While aboard Voyager, Kes had a long-term romantic relationship with Neelix that only ended because Kes was possessed by an alien named Tieran. When this relationship fell apart, many of the story lines surrounding Kes fell by the wayside. That helped lead to her removal from the show around the same time Seven of Nine became a new major character on the series.

Kes is a fan of spinach juice with a touch of pear, a drink introduced to her by Tom Paris. During her short time aboard Voyager, Kes stands up for the right of the holographic doctor and proves that the Voyager crew will sometimes have to think outside the box to get home to the Alpha Quadrant.

The best episodes featuring Kes include Time and Again, Elogium, Darkling, and The Gift.

Our notable quote this week comes from the episode Tuvix:

It's funny. If something happened to Tuvok, if Neelix were here, he'd be the first person to comfort me. And if I lost Neelix, Tuvok would be the first person to guide me spiritually. Now I don't have either of them.  

Actress: Jennifer Lien played Kes and she has not acted regularly since 2000.  Lien also appeared on the Men in Black TV series and on American History X.

Until next time, live long and prosper...