In the Flesh (episode)
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference
| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
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| "In the Flesh" | ||
|---|---|---|
| VOY, Episode 5x04 Production number: 198 First aired: 4 November 1998 | ||
| ← | 97th of 168 produced in VOY | → |
| ← | 97th of 168 released in VOY | → |
| ← | 536th of 726 released in all | → |
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| Written By Nick Sagan Directed By David Livingston | ||
| 52136.4 (2375) | ||
Voyager finds a station containing a disturbingly accurate re-creation of Starfleet Command and Starfleet Academy, which is being used by Species 8472 to prepare for an infiltration of Earth.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
[edit] Teaser
A distinguished looking Starfleet admiral addresses a group of just graduated and commissioned officers. With him is a Vulcan Starfleet lieutenant. In a no-nonsense tone, the admiral introduces himself as Admiral Bullock. He welcomes them and invites them to direct any questions or comments they have to him; problems, however, should go to the lieutenant. He then issues duty assignments to them. From afar, an officer is seen to be watching them using a holo-imager. It is revealed to be the USS Voyager's First Officer, Commander Chakotay.
But he looks downright suspicious of everything he is seeing. He snaps images of the group with the admiral, as well as other groups, officers and cadets. Shouldering his holo-imager, he walks off.
[edit] Act One
Chakotay is scanning some bamboo with a tricorder when the same old man who was tending the flowers comes up behind him, jokes that his tricorder scans are unnecessary, and identifies the plants. Chakotay chuckles, and smoothly responds that his tricorder is malfunctioning. The old man introduces himself as Boothby. This is a name that is known and loved by many Starfleet officers: he has tended the academy grounds for the last 54 years, and been friend and confidant to some of the service's most respected names such as Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and Chakotay's own commanding officer, Captain Kathryn Janeway. Chakotay responds that he has indeed heard of him.
Boothby asks him about his posting. Chakotay makes up a story about being assigned to the USS Intrepid patrolling the Romulan Neutral Zone. Boothby advises him to get a new tricorder from Logistical Support. He is on the way to that area himself; would Chakotay like some company? Chakotay agrees and thanks him. But before they start off, Chakotay makes sure to get an image of him by ostensibly asking him for a picture of "The one-and-only Boothby" to show his shipmates. Boothby agrees and has a cadet take a picture of them together.
Chakotay enters the officers' club, the Quantum Café, sits in an empty seat and thumbs through a book. A Human female commander approaches him. She seems interested in him, and he in her when he sees her. She introduces herself as Valerie Archer. He gives his name as Jason Hayek.
They sit and talk amicably when suddenly an officer sitting in a corner suddenly begins gagging. His face begins to expand and takes on a pinkish-red color and a hideous expression. But no one seems alarmed; two officers drag him away and that is all. Archer turns back to Chakotay and tensely asks him a question: has he ever reverted? He responds nonchalantly, not yet. She identifies the officer as Ensign O'Halloran, and comments that he will be pulled out of training if this happens to him again.
Chakotay notes this and asks Archer if she has ever reverted. She responds that she can keep her Human form, but complains about things she has to put up with in that form; things that, apparently, are completely alien to such as sleeping, breathing oxygen and bipedal locomotion. Chakotay merely smiles. He then tells her that he is new, and she makes a date with him that evening to show him around.
Lt. Commander Tuvok, Voyager's chief tactical officer and security chief, approaches them and politely tells Chakotay that they have to leave. Archer reminds him of their date with a smile. After the two Voyager officers get out of earshot, Chakotay tells him he has gained useful information about what is happening here.
They leave the club, heading to pre-arranged transporter coordinates. Suddenly an ensign accosts them, telling them they are in a restricted area and need to accompany him. They refuse, but the ensign insists, punctuating his instruction with a view of his holstered phaser. They glance at each other with a "planning" look, and agree to go with him. Chakotay walks forward, and the ensign moves to follow him, with Tuvok bringing up the rear. But as soon as the ensign turns his back to him, Tuvok drops him with a Vulcan nerve pinch. They catch him as he falls and Chakotay taps his combadge: "Chakotay to Paris; three to beam up."
Lt. (J.G.) Thomas Paris, Voyager's flight controller, queries the number: three? Chakotay confirms and they are beamed out with the ensign. They materialize on the Delta Flyer, one of Voyager' shuttles. Present are Paris and Voyager's operations officer Ensign Harry Kim. They are surprised by the unexpected third party, and ask Chakotay and Tuvok what they found. "Earth," Tuvok responds. The two junior officers look very startled.
The Flyer turns and leaves orbit, not around Earth, but an alien space station. Earth is nowhere to be seen.
[edit] Act Two
The ensign wakes up to find himself in Voyager‘s sickbay. Two armed security officers watch him like hawks, while Chakotay and Captain Janeway regard him sternly. Janeway, with cold sarcasm, welcomes him aboard. His eyes dart around, terrified, and he agitatedly asks where he is. Janeway tells him he is on a starship. He begins to act angry, threatening to report his abduction to 'the admiral'. Chakotay impatiently tells him to cut the act; they know he is not Human.
Janeway demands his identity. He identifies himself prisoner-of-war style: Name: David Gentry, rank: ensign, serial number: 99-Beta-3278, planet of origin: Earth. Janeway coldly responds that they are uninterested in his knowledge of Human culture; they are not part of the aliens' re-creation. She identifies herself and Voyager. She is from Earth; he is not, she tells him. The petrified ensign repeats his POW-style self-identification, maintaining that Earth is his homeworld.
Janeway's eyes register her annoyance. She motions to The Doctor, the holographic Chief Medical Officer, who moves toward him. The ensign agitatedly demands to know what he is doing. Janeway informs him that, since he refuses to reveal who and what he is, they will find out for themselves, by taking a genetic sample from him.
The ensign desperately taps his combadge, to no avail. But, as The Doctor moves in, he suddenly springs off the bio-bed and backs against a wall. "No! Don't touch me!" he screams, looking around at them. "Disease! HUMANS!" His head snaps back and a most inhuman-sounding gurgling, gagging noise erupts from his throat. He collapses. The Doctor rushes to him, scans him, and reports that he has committed suicide by releasing a cellular toxin into his bloodstream.
In astrometrics, Chakotay and Tuvok show Janeway and the other senior officers the images that Chakotay had taken, and report on what they have learned. These aliens, whoever and whatever they are, have carefully reconstructed not just Starfleet Academy, but the entire Starfleet Command complex. Janeway recognizes the ersatz Boothby immediately, commenting that the real one used to give her fresh roses for her quarters when she was a cadet. But for what purpose is this charade? And how did they get the information they needed to produce it? They consider these questions. Seven of Nine, former Borg drone and head of Astrometrics, reports that she has determined the nature of the alien station: it is essentially a huge holographic facility. The Doctor hails Janeway and reports that he is ready to begin his autopsy of the alien. Before she leaves to go to the sickbay, she orders them to search for any tactical vulnerabilities the station may have.
The corpse of 'Ensign Gentry' is revealed to be Species 8472.
In sickbay, The Doctor informs Janeway that, make no mistake, though the dead alien looks and maybe even smells Human, it most definitely is not. It has, he continues, been altered genetically on an extremely sophisticated level; only micro-cellular scans could distinguish it from a real Human. But a cytokinetic injection should reverse the process. On Janeway's order, he administers it.
Almost immediately, the corpse begins to change. Janeway and The Doctor jump back in shock as it becomes much larger. The human visage completely vanishes, replaced by a well-muscled, mantis-like appearance. Two legs turn to three. They recognize the species immediately. They walk forward slowly, gazing with great dismay at the Species 8472 corpse.
Janeway immediately calls a meeting of her senior staff and informs them of the aliens' identity. They now have no doubt the re-creation is for sinister motives. Species 8472 had made their intention to purge the Milky Way of all life very clear. Their first attempt to do so began with a campaign to annihilate the Borg, who had invaded their realm in a failed effort to assimilate them. It was Captain Janeway and her Starfleet crew who produced the weapon that defeated them: modified Borg nanoprobes. (VOY: "Scorpion", "Scorpion, Part II") Now, they have re-created Starfleet Command and are training to pose as Starfleet officers. The whole thing reeks of preparation for invasion; they intend to try again to destroy all the galaxy's life, this time starting with the Federation's center, Earth.
Janeway orders Tuvok to continue searching for a tactical weakness in the station, and orders Seven to immediately begin re-manufacturing the modified Borg nanoprobes, in large numbers. She dismisses the meeting with a warning that none of them need: if Species 8472 launches an invasion of Earth, Starfleet would be powerless to stop it, and there is no way Voyager can warn them. Voyager may be Earth's last line of defense.
[edit] Act Three
Chakotay is in astrometrics, reviewing the re-created layout of the Starfleet Command complex. Janeway enters and they begin talking about their time at the Academy. However, it soon becomes obvious to Chakotay that this is more than a trip down memory lane; she is testing him, to make sure he is not, in fact, an 8472 posing as Chakotay. He understands this and takes no offense; given their demonstrated ability to nearly-perfectly mimic Humans, they have to be careful. In fact, Janeway has ordered the entire crew to report to the Doctor for DNA testing, to ensure that no impostor is aboard.
The Doctor certifies Chakotay and Tuvok respectively as genuinely Human and Vulcan. With that settled, Chakotay goes off to keep his date with 'Commander Valerie Archer'. He had planned to stand her up, but given the revealed gravity of the situation, every bit of intelligence counts. He, Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim return to the facility on the Delta Flyer. They arrive, remaining beyond sensor range, but within transporter range, and Chakotay beams in.
In Voyager's sickbay, Seven and the Doctor observe the newly-manufactured modified Borg nanoprobes. She has taken the precaution of increasing their mobility and efficiency in case the aliens developed a defense against them in the year since their first encounter. As they test them on the 8472 corpse, the Doctor voices hope that it will yet not come to belligerence, and a diplomatic solution can be found. Seven scoffs at the idea that Species 8472 would even acknowledge the concept of diplomacy.
It is "night" in the re-creation. Chakotay enters the 'Quantum Cafe' and finds 'Archer' sitting at a table with 'Boothby'. 'Boothby' takes his leave and Chakotay sits with 'Archer'. They decide to go dancing.
Sometime later, they return to her quarters. The date has apparently gone well. The conversation turns to Humans. She marvels at the ability of "such a violent species" to create so many "beautiful ways to express their ideas": art, music, literature etc. But, she insists, they are dangerous, quick to attack any species that is not part of "their Federation". Chakotay does not respond. Telling him she feels the need for an isomorphic injection to preserve her Human form, she excuses herself and leaves the room. While she is gone, Chakotay goes to her computer terminal and downloads all data in it.
When she returns, they go outside on the balcony and look at the 'moonlit, starry sky'. Chakotay takes this opportunity to try to introduce doubt about her perception of humans, wondering aloud about the certainty of the threat humans pose. She insists their threat is grave; they allied themselves with the Borg and invaded their realm. He drops the subject, not wanting to push too much and possibly arouse suspicion. He excuses himself, telling her he has a tactical report to finish for the next morning. She walks him to the door.
Before he leaves, she touches his face and kisses him, saying that Human dating rituals are part of their training. He does not object. And she greatly enjoys it.
But after he has gone, she goes to a scanner and passes the hand with which she touched his face over it. It glows green. She immediately contacts 'Boothby'; Chakotay's cover has been blown wide open. He asks her how much she thinks he knows. She cannot say, but recommends his capture and interrogation. To facilitate the first part, she recommends switching to 'daylight'. 'Boothby' agrees.
Chakotay is walking past an ornamental lake when the sky instantly shifts from dark night to bright day. He looks around, startled, to see he is being followed. Worse, along all the paths, several of the aliens in their ersatz forms are converging on him. Realizing immediately his cover is no more, he tries to hail the Flyer, but gets no response. He pulls his phaser and stuns a few of the aliens, then tries to get away. But there is nowhere to run; all paths are blocked, and he is captured.
[edit] Act Four
Captain Janeway is in her ready room. Seven of Nine enters and reports that 19 standard torpedoes and 3 class tens have been fitted with modified nanoprobe warheads. Janeway brusquely orders more. Seven responds that they have no more nanoprobes, but Janeway insists that more be gotten from somewhere; grown in a Petri dish, extracted from her bloodstream, whatever; just get them. She has no intention of suddenly coming up short of ammunition in mid-battle, should battle ensue. Seven, she sternly asserts, should understand this more than anyone else; the final death toll among Borg drones during the Borg-Species 8472 War was over four million. She rises and furiously walks to the windows.
And, yet she is troubled. Starfleet Directive 010, she tells Seven, mandates that any and all attempts at diplomatic resolution must be made before engaging an alien species in battle. In Species 8472's case, they did that and barely survived. Military engagement is therefore the only course.
So why can she not get this directive out of her mind?
Tuvok calls her to the bridge. There, she finds Lt. Paris on the viewscreen from the Flyer. He informs her of losing contact with Chakotay. A force field has risen around the facility, preventing a transporter lock on him. Janeway orders red alert and the nanoprobe torpedoes brought online. On her order, Voyager breaks orbit from the moon she was hidden behind and heads for the station.
Chakotay is interrogated by 'Boothby' in the empty 'Quantum Cafe'. 'Archer' is present. 'Boothby' demands to know how they found them. Chakotay responds that it was due to the detection of what appeared to be a Federation frequency. Of course, they tracked its source. 'Boothby' demands other information, such as how many Federation ships are in the Delta Quadrant, and notes that a Federation fleet is bound to be on its way now that they have been discovered. Chakotay insists that a war is not being planned against them.
The same 'admiral' seen earlier, 'Admiral Bullock', enters. He acts deferentially toward 'Boothby', indicating that this alien is, in fact, the operation's commander. He informs 'Boothby' of Voyager's approach. 'Boothby' orders battlestations, ignoring Chakotay's insistence that Captain Janeway is coming only to retrieve him, not attack. He orders 'Archer' to perform a genetic extraction on him, to analyze his DNA and learn how to better maintain their Human forms. 'Archer' gives Chakotay an icy look and acknowledges.
On Voyager's bridge, Janeway orders battlestations and weapons ready. The Delta Flyer returns to the shuttlebay. Janeway orders Voyager brought into weapons range, and orders Seven, at the auxiliary tactical station, to target the facility's weapons array. Seven suggests that its power systems be targeted as well. But, even on the brink of hostilities, Janeway looks, as she always does, for a way to avoid casualties, if not belligerence altogether. She does not want to risk harming the aliens' life support. Seven insists that they are undeserving of compassion. Janeway sharply responds that this is not the time for an ethical debate and angrily repeats the order: the weapons array only. Seven obeys.
Chakotay and 'Archer' are now alone. She prepares the extraction device. Chakotay insists that they are wrong about Humans, that they are not out to destroy their species. He urges her to let them prove it by speaking to them directly. She does not respond and takes the sample. But he then quotes Bernard Shaw, a copy of whose collected works was on a shelf in her quarters: 'There are no secrets except the secrets that keep themselves'. This makes her pause; she admires Shaw's mind, considering it complex "for a Human". Chakotay insists that the point Shaw was making applies here: if they keep spying on each other and acting on the basis of assumptions, war between them is inevitable. She considers this as alarms sound, indicating Voyager's arrival.
On Voyager's bridge, Lt. Paris and Ensign Kim arrive and take their stations. A hail comes through. Janeway orders an on-screen answer. 'Boothby' appears on the viewscreen. He greets her cordially. She returns the greeting, but her scowl is fierce. She sarcastically asks him if he is enjoying the Delta Quadrant. In response, he snaps that the weapons at his disposal allow him to destroy Voyager with but a single command. "Run along now," he dismisses her.
Run along now? The nerve! The fierceness of Janeway's scowl deepens as she responds that she is not going anywhere until he returns her First Officer and provides "a damn good explanation" for why they are again in the Milky Way. She informs him of the weapons she has trained on them; weapons whose potency against them he is well aware of. He tries to bluster that he can have their tactical systems disabled, but she cuts him off, reminding him of the heavy casualties his species suffered the last time they engaged each other.
He falls silent. She has him over a barrel. But then she comments that an armed conflict is not going to solve their problems. She proposes a meeting; instead of combat, they can sit down and talk their differences through. A 'class reunion', she terms it, in allusion to the form he has taken.
[edit] Act Five
In Voyager's briefing room, representatives of the two sides sit on opposite sides of the briefing room table. Janeway, Chakotay, Tuvok and Seven sit on one side, their backs to the wall with the consoles. 'Boothby', 'Bullock' and 'Archer' sit on the other side. 'Boothby' is on his feet, stalking around angrily, denouncing the Federation and its values of tolerance for all species and the Prime Directive as "targ manure, every word of it." As he returns to his seat, Tuvok describes his metaphor as "colorful, but inaccurate". He sourly responds that Vulcan logic should be on the list as well.
Janeway insists that the Federation adheres to its directives. 'Bullock' counters that her actions say differently, and accuses them of infiltrating their re-creation, capturing and killing one of their people. Janeway impatiently but calmly responds that, as she has already told them, he committed suicide. 'Bullock' angrily continues, accusing them of creating biological weapons to use against them, and being allies of the Borg. Janeway denies both charges. 'Boothby' cites Seven as proof: a drone sitting there with them at the table, all "gussied up" to make her look like a Human. Seven protests she is no longer part of the Borg collective, no longer a drone. Boothby is unimpressed: once a Borg, always a Borg, he insists.
Chakotay explains to Janeway the aliens' belief that the Federation is a hostile force out to destroy their species. Janeway tries to convince 'Boothby' that this is untrue; that, in fact, nobody on Earth has even heard of them. He scoffs at that. She cites as proof the fact that the Federation database they have makes no mention of them or their realm. 'Bullock' counters that this is merely because of classification by Starfleet Intelligence.
Janeway sees this is getting nowhere. There is only one way to prove that they speak the truth. She comments that this whole paranoid debate can be kept going all day; neither side has any reason to trust the other. 'Boothby' agrees sourly, and he and his party rise to depart.
Then Janeway orders Seven to disarm the nanoprobe warheads. Seven is shocked, but Janeway repeats the order in a tone that brooks no discussion. Seven goes to the wall console and obeys. The aliens look at each other, then at Janeway uncertainly. 'Bullock' motions 'Archer' to go and check. She does and confirms it. 'Boothby' demands to know of Janeway what she is trying to prove. Janeway calmly responds that one of them has to take their finger off the trigger; she will do it. How will he respond, now? Will he order Voyager destroyed or do they keep talking?
'Boothby' is struck by her action. He agrees to continue, but insists that they get to the issues that are the bones of contention. Janeway explains that, far from informing Starfleet about them, Voyager is, in fact, alone in the quadrant and has not had any contact with the Federation for the past four years. 'Boothby' demands an explanation as to why they attacked their realm with the Borg. Janeway explains that at the time they were unaware that the Borg had started the war against them. They allied with them because it was thought that they were the threat.
Seven emphasizes the point with a reminder of what they had said: "Your galaxy will be purged." 'Bullock' hotly insists that they were only trying to defend themselves. Tuvok asks them to explain why, then, they are again in the Milky Way, as their conflict with the Borg ended over a year ago. Janeway adds to the question: why recreate Starfleet and pose as humans? It seems, she tells 'Boothby', that they are the ones planning an invasion. She awaits a response.
'Bullock', unimpressed by Janeway's standing down of Voyager's weapons, urges 'Boothby' to say nothing. 'Archer', however has been won over and she answers. 'Bullock' warns her, but she ignores him. She informs the Starfleet side that their mission is solely reconnaissance; they are to infiltrate Starfleet at its highest levels and monitor military movements and installations, watching for possible plans for military action against them, nothing more. Chakotay urges Janeway to listen to her; they are being driven by fear, just like them.
But 'Bullock' angrily rises and storms off to one side of the room, insisting that they should not negotiate with "these creatures". 'Boothby' orders him to return to his seat. He looks at 'Boothby' and 'Archer' in horrified anger, and accuses them of having been seduced. 'Archer' stands her ground. She tells them that after seeing "through Human eyes," she now wonders as to the veracity of their belief of the Humans' violent nature. 'Bullock' insists that they cannot risk trusting them. She retorts by demanding of him if he would rather risk another war.
'Boothby' is listening. He tells Chakotay to keep speaking. Chakotay eloquently puts the point across that they have to discard their preconceptions about each other. Granted, he says, their species did not meet under the best of circumstances, but, he insists, they can try again. "Maybe this time we'll get it right," he finishes. 'Boothby' regards him, then asks 'Archer' if she believes in him. She affirms with conviction. He turns back to Janeway. He is ready to go along, but insists some pre-conditions must be met, namely she must grant them access to the modified nanoprobe technology to study it. Janeway agrees, in return for access to the genetic manipulation techniques they use for appearing Human. He agrees. The spirit of détente has been created. Chakotay and 'Archer' smile at each other.
Seven and a very upbeat Janeway walk down a corridor. Seven gives her a PADD with the schematics for the nanoprobe weapons, as she had ordered prepared. Seven is not at all convinced that this diplomatic dealing will work. Janeway exhorts her to "have a little faith" and asks her if she wants to come to the facility; it would be her first look at Earth. Seven declines; she prefers to stay aboard in case any problems arise. Janeway confidently assures her there will be none. Seven confesses that she was certain that when Janeway ordered her to disarm the warheads she had doomed them all. She believed the aliens would take advantage of her "Human weakness". She admits she was wrong, and asks Janeway how she knew they would not attack. Janeway smiles and Seven guesses the answer as the Captain enters a transporter room: faith.
Species 8472 Terrasphere 8, the Delta Quadrant. On the grounds of the Starfleet Command re-creation, a distinguished looking 'Starfleet admiral' addresses Tuvok and Neelix, Voyager's Talaxian chef and captain-appointed Federation ambassador to the quadrant. They are here to see some of the facility's technology. With the 'admiral' is a 'Vulcan Starfleet lieutenant'. In a no-nonsense tone, the 'admiral' introduces himself as Admiral Bullock. He welcomes them to the facility and invites them to direct any questions or comments they have to him; problems, however, should go to the 'lieutenant'.
Tuvok wants to see their thermionic generators; 'Bullock' offers to take him there personally. Neelix, Voyager's Talaxian chef, acting, as he has done several times, as the ship's diplomatic liaison to alien species, is there to see their environmental control technology. 'Bullock' assigns the lieutenant to show him. As they leave together, Neelix voices his anticipation of hearing his perspective on Vulcans. Tuvok watches them go, a concerned look on his face, despite his Vulcan emotional control, over how that conversation may go.
Janeway and 'Boothby' walk along a path, talking. He welcomes them to stay for a while as they will not be returning to fluidic space for a few days yet, but she declines, saying she would like to get back on course for the real Earth. As they stop at a fence by an ornamental lake, she asks him concernedly about the chances of him being listened to. He responds that he cannot promise anything; his superiors will hit the roof when they hear of this. Peace with Humans? But he will tell them what has happened, and perhaps that will win some of them over.
Janeway expresses hope that the process will lead to full diplomatic relations. He has Voyager's com frequency, she tells him should he need to contact them.
Voyager resumes course.
Chakotay and 'Archer' walk together one last time. She tells him she is looking forward to returning home to fluidic space and resuming her true form; no more sleeping etc. He compliments her on making a terrific human, and she offers to give him a tour of their realm sometime. Before parting, she kisses him again and asks him this attempt was better than her first. His smile says "Yes".
Voyager is seen pulling away from the station, resuming course for home.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
"Captain Janeway."
"Mr. Boothby. Nice to see you. (Sarcastically) Enjoying the Delta Quadrant?"
"Don’t get sassy with me, young lady! This re-creation may be Starfleet but our weapons are far more sophisticated. I can destroy your vessel with a single command. Run along, now."
(Icily) "I'm not going anywhere; not until you return my First Officer and give me a damn good explanation for what you're doing in our galaxy."
- - 'Boothby' Replicant and Captain Janeway
" Targ manure! 'United Federation of Planets'...'tolerance for all species'...the 'Prime Directive'...targ manure, every word of it!"
"Your metaphor is colorful, but inaccurate."
(Sourly) "Vulcan logic; add that to the list..."
- - 'Boothby' Replicant and Lt. Commander Tuvok
"Enough! We must not negotiate with these creatures!"
"Sit down, Admiral."
(Surprised) "Sir?"
"I said 'sit down'! Or I'll knock you right on your Human butt!"
- - 'Admiral Bullock' Replicant and 'Boothby' Replicant
"Humans! You've got a flair for the dramatic, I'll give you that. You want to keep talking? Fine by me. But no more beating around the bush! Now what do you want from us? The truth, Captain!"
- - 'Boothby' Replicant, to Captain Janeway
"At the time, we didn't know the Borg had started the war against you. We forged a temporary alliance with them because we thought you were the threat."
(Sarcastically) "'Your galaxy will be purged'. Sound familiar?"
- - Captain Janeway and Seven of Nine, to 'Boothby' Replicant
"There's a drone sitting at this very table. Look at her; all gussied up to make her look like a Human being."
"I am no longer part of the Collective."
(Sourly) "Once a Borg... always a Borg."
- - 'Boothby' Replicant and Seven of Nine
"First of all, I want to take a look at that nanoprobe technology - it scares the hell out of me!""
- - 'Boothby' Replicant to Janeway, laying some 'ground rules'.
"Just be home before midnight."
- - Captain Janeway to Chakotay (A reference to Cinderella)
[edit] Background Information
- This episode is the last time Species 8472 appears.
- According to the Doctor, when testing the crew, Voyager has 128 crew members on board, including himself.
- It has been speculated that Commander Valerie Archer is a descendant of Captain Jonathan Archer. Of course this cannot be definitely proven, as the character of Captain Jonathan Archer was created after the end of VOY.
- Since the recreation of Starfleet HQ is so perfect that it contains a duplicate of an actual person, Boothby, it is theorized that Archer, Gentry, and Bullock are also representations of real people in Starfleet at the time.
- The Starfleet Headquarters simulation isn't 100% perfect or up to date, as there are Ferengi Starfleet members in pre-2373 uniforms, even though the first Ferengi to enter Starfleet was Nog and he didn't do so until 2373, when the new uniforms were in use with Starfleet. Also, the mention of Pon Farr Night at the Vulcan nightclub, and particularly that there will be dancing, indicates a fundamental misunderstanding of that condition, perhaps due to the extreme reticence of Vulcans to discuss or document the matter.
- Seven of Nine wears a new style of bodysuit in this episode. This two-tone blue bodysuit, which is the fifth different style for her, is a departure from her past ones, as this is the first one to have large sections in different colors: light blue sleeves and a darker blue for the torso and legs. It has a lower neckline compared with the silver version.
- Valerie Archer's prop book A Cave Beyond Logic: Vulcan Perspectives on Platonic Thought is a reuse of the Selected Works of Jirex seen in VOY: "Demon", which itself is a reuse of Kamin’s diary from TNG: "The Inner Light".
- In a continuity glitch, Chakotay mentions that his last visit to the real Starfleet HQ was on March 3, 2368, in order to resign his commission and fight with the Maquis. The Maquis did not actually come into being until after the formation of the DMZ in 2370. Furthermore, Ro Laren in the TNG episode "Preemptive Strike" describes a Lieutenant Commander who was in Advanced Tactical Training with her and resigned to join the Maquis; this was supposedly a reference to Chakotay.
- The Starfleet cadets in the simulation wear the TNG-era cadet uniform that has a Mandarin collar and is black with a yoke of the divisional color instead of the gray uniform with a yoke of the divisional color that was later introduced in DS9. In addition, it does not have insignia for the cadet's class as seen in TNG: "The First Duty".
[edit] Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 5.2, 12 April 1999.
- As part of the VOY Season 5 DVD collection.
[edit] Links and References
[edit] Guest Stars
[edit] Special Guest Star
[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars
[edit] Stand-ins
- Marshal Silverman as stand-in and photo double for Ray Walston
[edit] References
2368; A Cave Beyond Logic: Vulcan Perspectives on Platonic Thought; Archer, Valerie; bamboo; Beyond the Galactic Edge, Humanity's Quest for Infinity; bioscan; Bolian sector; Boothby; Bullock; capillary scan; cellular toxin; chopsticks; class 3 moon; class 10 photon torpedo; class reunion; colorful metaphor; Constitution-class; cytokinetic injection; Deep Space 7; Delta Flyer; Directive 010; Earth; Embarcadero; Excelsior-class; Federation Council; Federation database; Ferengi; field commission; fluidic space; gagh; Galaxy-class; genetic extraction; Gentry, David; gin; Hayek, Jason; Hesterman; hologram; holo-imaging device; Hor'Cha, IKS; Interspecies Ethics; Intrepid, USS; isodyne relay; isomorphic injection; Japanese; Kinis; Klingon bloodwine; Klingon martini; Larsen; Lawrence, D.H.; Logistical Support; Lopez; maple tree; Market Street; microcellular scan; midnight orchid; nanoprobes; Night Owl; Namimby; Norway-class; O'Halloran; Orbital Flight Control; particle synthesis; pattern buffer; Petri dish; Picard, Jean-Luc; pon farr; Quantum Café; Reiskin; replimat; Richardson; Romulan; Romulan Neutral Zone; San Francisco; Shaw, George Bernard; sheep; single malt; Soviet Union; Species 8472; Starfleet Astrophysics; Starfleet database; Starfleet Intelligence; Starfleet Medical; tactical alert; Tactical Analysis; targ; Terrasphere 8; thermionic generator; transoptic datalink; type 1 phaser; vermouth; Vulcans; Vulcan nightclub; wolf; World War III; Young
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