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Innocence (episode)edit

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"Innocence"
VOY, Episode 2x22
Production number: 138
First aired: 8 April 1996
← 37th of 168 produced in VOY →
← 37th of 168 released in VOY →
  {{{nNthReleasedInSeries_Remastered}}}th of 168 released in VOY Remastered  
← 409th of 727 released in all →
Teleplay By
Lisa Klink

Story By
Anthony Williams

Directed By
James L. Conway
49578.2 (2372)
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Tuvok is trapped on a moon with a group of alien children who are disappearing, one by one.

Contents

[edit] Summary

[edit] Teaser

Tuvok emerges from a crashed shuttlecraft, unable to contact USS Voyager, and attempts to tend to an injured crewman, Ensign Bennet. The shuttlecraft's medical supplies are insufficient to deal with Bennet's wounds, however, and Tuvok says that he must get back to Voyager to be treated. Bennet says that he always considered himself lucky because he had no family back home to miss, but now he feels sad that he has no one to leave behind. Tuvok comments that Ensign Macormak will miss him a great deal, but Bennet dies before he can reply. As Tuvok activates a stasis field over Bennet, he hears a rustling in the foliage behind him. Tuvok turns and draws his phaser, and a young girl named Tressa runs out from the bushes. Tuvok catches the girl as she tries to get by him, and holds her until she promises not to run. Tressa comments that Tuvok does not look like her, and tells Tuvok that she also came on a ship that crashed. She says that her parents were dead, and asks about the nearby dead body of Bennet as well. Tuvok asks Tressa if there is anyone else here with her, and two more children, Corin and Elani, emerge from the bushes. Tressa says that everyone else died in the crash. Tuvok tells the children that there is no need to be afraid and that he will take care of them, upon which all three children run to Tuvok and throw their arms around him.

[edit] Act one

"Captain's log, supplemental: I've sent out scouting parties to analyze the mineral deposits in the moons around Drayan II. Meanwhile, I've arranged a meeting with the planet's leaders."

Captain Janeway and Chakotay walk through the corridors, as Chakotay tells the captain that, according to Neelix, no one has had direct contact with the Drayans for decades. There have only been rumors, though fortunately none of the rumors describe them as hostile, just very private. As they board a turbolift for Deck 4, Chakotay and Janeway discuss first contact protocols and some of their experiences with such situations. Chakotay relates a story in which he accidentally "propositioned" the Tarkannan ambassador. They arrive at the transporter room, where they beam aboard First Prelate Alcia, who greets them with a traditional blessing. Chakotay responds with a greeting from his people's spirits. Alcia states that her people do not usually have contact with outsiders, but Voyager's story intrigued her. Janeway offers to tell her all about it as they tour the vessel.

The first stop is engineering, and Alcia wonders if they chose to show her the warp core first because their civilization considered technology to be their greatest achievement. Janeway explained that the technology was not an end to itself, but helped them explore the galaxy and gain knowledge about the universe. Alcia says that her ancestors had been obsessed with advancing technology and building ever-more efficient machines, until the technology became more important than the people. Alcia's great-grandfather had been one of the leaders of a reformation which did away with the emphasis on technology, and since that time the Drayans avoided contact with outsiders in order to keep from being led back down the same path.

Meanwhile, back on the moon, Tuvok has stowed Bennet's body in the shuttlecraft, and comments on how fortunate the children were not to be hurt when their ship crashed. Tressa explains that the Attendants got them to the escape pods. Tuvok believes he can repair his shuttle, but he will also have to find a way to get through the electrodynamic turbulence in the atmosphere. The children are impatient to leave, but Tuvok states that their displeasure does not change the circumstances. His terse response upsets the children, but he states that Vulcan parents never shield their children from the truth. Tuvok estimates that there are only a few hours of daylight left, and the children become very upset, explaining that the Morrok, a monster which lives in a nearby cave, will come at night to kill them. As the children describe the Morrok, Tuvok starts to believe that they are describing an imaginary monster, or at least exaggerating the danger, but Corin says that the Morrok already took Jarren and Fayla, the other children from their ship, and Tressa believes that it will return tonight to take the rest of them.

[edit] Act two

Aboard Voyager, Alcia's tour continues with sickbay, where The Doctor explains the ship's medical capabilities. Janeway says she might also be interested to learn that the doctor is a hologram, and Alcia says that her people believe that physical matter is only an illusion. Janeway likens these beliefs to the teachings of Plato, but their philosophical discussion is interrupted by an incoming transmission for the First Prelate. As Alcia goes into The Doctor's office to receive the transmission, Kes congratulates him on his diplomatic skills, and Janeway contemplates the next step in their relations, opening negotiations for mining polyferranide deposits on Drayan's moons. However, Alcia has been called back to deal with an emergency. Janeway offers to help, but Alcia says it would be better if Voyager continued on its way, as the Drayans had no interest in further contact. Alcia leaves sickbay, and a disappointed Janeway concludes that they will have to find their polyferranide somewhere else.

Back on the moon, Tuvok takes the children back to the place where they slept the night before in search of Jarren and Fayla, but the children are convinced that the Morrok took them, and are very afraid. Tuvok leads the children in a Vulcan exercise to control their fear by detaching themselves from their emotional responses, but the children find the concept difficult to grasp. As Tuvok resumes work on the shuttle, he grows increasingly exasperated with the children's inability to sit still and keep their hands off of things. Eventually he leads the children in another exercise to attain a meditative state, and explains more about Vulcan philosophy. Suddenly, they hear a ship overhead, and Tuvok uses the shuttle's sensors to determine that it was a Drayan craft, presumably searching for the children. Tuvok expects the children to be happy that their people have come looking for them, but is surprised when they become even more afraid, telling him that their people were the ones who sent them here to die.

[edit] Act three

Tuvok is confused, but the children are adamant that they need to be hidden from the Drayan search party. Tuvok uses a tricorder to hide the children from the Drayans' scanners, and they all hide in the underbrush to wait for the search party to pass by. The children explain that the Drayans bring their children here to perform the final ritual, after which the Morrok takes them away, never to return. Tuvok finds this hard to believe, stating that it would be illogical for a society to kill its own children, but Tressa explains that the scrolls say they should be happy about dying because it releases the energy inside them. Corin asks if that's what really happens, and Tuvok tells them about the Vulcan belief in the katra, though in recent years he admits he has had doubts about some of the Vulcan teachings. However, Tuvok tells the children that there is nothing wrong with choosing to live, and based on the information he has, he believes that the best course of action would be to get the children to Voyager. The children again embrace Tuvok for offering to help them, much to his discomfort.

On the ship, Chakotay reports that one of the scout teams had returned, but there was still no word from Tuvok's shuttle. Due to solar flare activity, the shuttle was not showing up on the ship's sensors, and Voyager sets a course for the moon they were surveying in order to start a search. The Drayan ship is also orbiting the moon, and Alcia contacts Voyager to admonish Janeway for the desecration of the moon, their crysata, which is sacred ground to the Drayans. Alcia tells Janeway that her people had found the shuttle with Bennet's body inside, but no sign of Tuvok, and angrily orders Janeway to find her other crewman and leave. Due to atmospheric interference, Torres cannot get a transporter lock on anything on the surface, and the crew is at a loss for how to retrieve Tuvok.

Night has fallen on the moon, and while Tuvok continues to work on the shuttlecraft, the children are having difficulty sleeping. While Tuvok tucks the children into their blankets, he tells them that when his children had trouble sleeping, he would play music for them. His youngest son's favorite song was "Falor's Journey," a tale of enlightenment consisting of 348 verses. Tuvok sings one of the verses (listenfile info), finally lulling the children to sleep, and he then goes back to work on the shuttle. The next morning, when Tressa wakes up, she finds that the other two children are gone.

[edit] Act four

On Voyager, Torres has finally managed to find their shuttle and a Drayan shuttle on the sensors, and Harry Kim is reading two life signs on the surface, but it is still impossible to transport through the atmosphere. Janeway considers that they may have to take a shuttle down, despite Alcia's orders to the contrary, but instructs Torres and Kim to keep looking for other options.

Meanwhile, Tuvok uses the shuttle's sensors to search the area for Corin and Elani, but to no avail. Sensors recorded no other lifeforms or unusual energy readings in the area all night, and Tuvok reluctantly has to accept the possibility that the Morrok may have been responsible. He resolves to investigate the nearby cave, and gives Tressa a phaser to protect herself while she waits in the shuttle. Tuvok enters the cave and finds the discarded clothes of several children, lending credence to their story, and returns to give Tressa the bad news. Tressa is now certain that she will be next to go, but Tuvok promises to do everything in his power to get them off the surface before nightfall, with Tressa's help.

Back on Voyager, Tom Paris notes that the Drayans have sent yet another search party to the surface, and Chakotay wonders how hard it could be to find two crash victims. Just then, a break in the turbulence allows Tuvok to get a comm signal through from the surface, and he tells Janeway that he has been avoiding the Drayan search parties because he is concerned for the children. The comm signal starts to break up as Tuvok explains the situation, and Janeway contacts Alcia one last time to try and work things out. When Alcia still refuses to allow them to take a shuttle to the surface, Janeway tells her she believes it is necessary anyway. Janeway and Paris take a shuttle from Voyager, and are quickly pursued by a Drayan shuttle.

[edit] Act five

Tuvok is finally ready to try to lift off in his shuttle, but has trouble with the thrusters as the Drayan search parties close in on the surface and the Drayan shuttle continues to close in on Janeway and Paris. Tuvok finally gets the shuttle airborne, and offers Tressa asylum on Voyager, but he is contacted by Alcia and warned to return to the surface. When Tuvok refuses, Alcia opens fire, forcing him back to the surface. Janeway and Paris follow, and meet up with Tuvok and Tressa just as the Drayans catch up to them. Alcia tells Janeway to take Tuvok and leave, but he refuses to go without Tressa. Finally, Alcia explains that the Drayan aging process is reversed, that Tressa is in fact 96 years old, and the energy in her body will soon be released as part of their natural life cycle. Tressa and the other children were sent to the crysata in order to pass from this life to the next, but the children become easily confused and their memories are clouded at this late stage in their lives. The attendants were to help prepare them, but were killed when their shuttle crashed, leaving the children to face this time alone. Alcia explains that her race is compelled to return to this moon, where they believe life began, so that they can rejoin the infinite energy and continue the cycle. Tressa turns to Tuvok, who comforts her and promises to stay with her as she faces her final moments. Janeway apologizes to Alcia for disturbing their traditions, and Alcia concludes that perhaps each of them had misjudged the other, leaving the door open for friendship between their two peoples. Janeway, Paris and the Drayans leave to allow Tressa and Tuvok to face her final moments in privacy. Tressa has accepted her fate and realizes it is her time, though she will regret leaving her family, and says that Tuvok reminds her of her grandson. Tuvok says that she will remain in her family's thoughts, and in his, and with that they walk together into the cave.

[edit] Memorable quotes

"We often fear what we do not understand. Our best defense is knowledge."

- Tuvok


"My attachment to my children cannot be described as an emotion. They are a part of my identity, and I am... incomplete without them."

- Tuvok


"Elani, I asked you not to play with that!"

- Tuvok


"Don't Vulcans tell bedtime stories?"

- Corin


"It is illogical for a society to kill its own children."

- Tuvok


"“May this day find you at peace and leave you with hope”, that is a blessing from our ancient scrolls."

- First Prelate Alcia


"Close your eyes and imagine all the energy in your body is floating to the point where your fingertips meet. Nothing else you hear or feel is important. Let the outside-world fade away. You exist only inside your mind."

-Tuvok to Tressa


"'Peace in your heart, fortune in your steps', that is from the spirits of my people."

- Chakotay

[edit] Background information

[edit] Video and DVD releases

[edit] Links and references

[edit] Starring

[edit] Also starring

[edit] Guest stars

[edit] Co-star

[edit] Uncredited co-stars

[edit] References

asylum; attendant; base pair; cherel sauce; class 2 shuttle; class 9 warp drive; crysata; diatonic scale; dielectric field; Drayan; Drayan II; Drayan moons; Drayan Reformation; Drayan scrolls; Drayan shuttle; Drayan starship; electrodynamic turbulence; escape pod; Falor; Falor's Journey; Fayla; Federation; Fire Beast of Sullus; Fire Plains; first contact; First Prelate; ionosphere; Jarren; katra; Kir; Macormak; meditation; morrok; Plato; polyferranide; Raal; ration; reaction chamber; shield harmonics; solar flare; stasis field; T'Para; takka berry; tardeth; targeting scanner; Tarkannans; theta-matrix compositor; type-6 shuttlecraft; Voroth Sea; Vulcan; Vulcan (planet); Vulcan lute; warp coil


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