Elaine Graham's book "Representations of the Post/Human" uses "Tuvix" to contrast ' with '; "Tuvix" is an example of how the former series tended to incorporate stories that touched on moral and ethically ambiguous situations and decisions. Graham notes how the character of Tuvix was written to encourage audience sympathies, yet was still effectively sentenced to death in contravention of what she describes as the "exemplary "Star Trek" values sentience, self-determination, and personhood".<ref name="2002 Representations of the Post/Human" /> Thomas Richards' "The Meaning of Star Trek" also focused on the morality of decisions in "Tuvix" as compared to and "The Next Generation"; more than "", the is far from the United Federation of Planets and "must address every value of the Federation [... in a universe in which those values may no longer apply." Richards describes the episode as "truly remarkable" for its depiction of Janeway's sentence of capital punishment and her performing the very first execution in all of "Star Trek". Not only is this shocking for the audience in comparison to episodes and series past, but even the fictional "Voyager" crew are stunned. In 2000, David McIntee pointed to these themes and plot points as having made "Tuvix" the most debated episode in "Star Trek" fandom yet, and one of "Star Trek: Voyager" "most thought-provoking, and [...] single most discussed, episode."