Neelix finds a community of Talaxians.
During a First Contact Day celebration, Voyager finds a Talaxian settlement hidden in an asteroid field far from Talaxian space. Neelix, Tom Paris and Tuvok take the Delta Flyer to make contact but are shot down by miners who want the asteroid for themselves. The settlers rescue them, and Neelix becomes close to Dexa, a widow, and her son, Brax.
The Talaxians have been driven from planet to planet and have no way to resist the miners. Tuvok refuses to break the Prime Directive, but Neelix helps the settlers raise a shield around the asteroid, and with help from the Delta Flyer they fend off the miners. Realising he has found a home and a family, Neelix decides to leave Voyager and stay, and Janeway names him the Federation's ambassador to the Delta Quadrant. The seventh-season episode is Neelix's farewell, and it ends with the crew lining the corridors to see him off, with Tuvok even attempting a dance step.