Life Line (episode)
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
 |
| "Life Line" | ||
|---|---|---|
| VOY, Episode 6x24 Production number: 243 First aired: 10 May 2000 | ||
| ← | 141st of 168 produced in VOY | → |
| ← | 142nd of 168 released in VOY | → |
| ← | 602nd of 726 released in all | → |
 | ||
| Teleplay By Robert Doherty, Raf Green, and Brannon Braga Story By John Bruno & Robert Picardo Directed By Terry Windell | ||
| Unknown (2376) | ||
| ← | Arc: The Pathfinder Project (2 of 4) | → |
The Doctor is sent to the Alpha Quadrant to cure the dying creator of his program, Lewis Zimmerman, but the inventor is completely unwilling to be treated.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
[edit] Teaser
Lieutenant Reginald Barclay arrives at Jupiter Station on a shuttlecraft. He is there to visit Dr. Lewis Zimmerman, who is ill from a terminal disease that has puzzled Starfleet Medical. Barclay tries to cheer him up, but to no avail – Zimmerman says that he is going to die and there's nothing anyone can do about it.
[edit] Act One
A subspace transmission travels to the USS Voyager through the MIDAS array and a cyclic pulsar. The pulsar amplifies the message to the Delta Quadrant, allowing Seven of Nine to receive it in astrometrics. Seven informs Captain Janeway, who wants the message routed to the bridge; however, it is just a compressed data stream. After downloading the message into a PADD, Captain Janeway convenes a briefing in the conference room. She informs the senior staff that the message was all Starfleet could send – this month. The cyclic pulsar Starfleet is using to send a message will allow two-way communication between Voyager and Starfleet Command, although they will only be able to communicate every 32 days in a seventeen-hour window. Captain Janeway instructs the crew to assemble a short message to family (specifically poking Lieutenant Commander Tuvok) to send in the data stream back to the Alpha Quadrant.
Neelix is making the rounds of mail call to members of the crew. He stops in sickbay to give the sad news about Dr. Zimmerman to The Doctor. Neelix informs him that he has until 1900 to send a reply. The Doctor looks through Dr. Zimmerman's medical history and Voyager's medical files in an attempt to find a medical treatment. He finds one based on his experience with Borg nanoprobes, but he realizes that he can't just send the medical data. It would take too long for the doctors in the Alpha Quadrant to learn the treatment and prescribe it to Dr. Zimmerman. The Doctor goes to Captain Janeway to ask her to let him go to the Alpha Quadrant to save Dr. Zimmerman's life. Janeway refuses at first; after all, it is the first attempt to respond using the datastream. It would also be a great sacrifice to the crew because after sending The Doctor in the data stream, there wouldn't be any room left. After hearing The Doctor's plea and finding out that Tom Paris has agreed to take over sickbay for the month, she finally relents. As a final request, Janeway asks The Doctor to tell Dr. Zimmerman that "Captain Jane" (what Dr. Zimmerman kept calling her at a conference, probably to annoy her, she thinks) says hello.
The Doctor goes back sickbay, singing to himself, when all of the sudden he loses his singing abilities mid-lyric. He finds Seven of Nine working at a control panel in the adjacent room. She informs him that his program must be compressed twelve megaquads to fit into the data stream. The Doctor and Seven decide what elements to remove. The Doctor convinces Seven to keep his holophotography routines intact so he will be able to capture some memories of his trip.
Back on Jupiter Station, Haley, a holographic young woman in Dr. Zimmerman's lab, swats away a fly on Dr. Zimmerman's salad. Zimmerman is angry because Haley is late with his lunch. Barclay arrives, but Haley says Zimmerman is in a bad mood and doesn't want to be disturbed. Barclay is insistent so Haley agrees to tell Dr. Zimmerman that he is there. Haley walks into Zimmerman's lab with his salad. This upsets Zimmerman because she doesn't have pork chops. Haley says it's healthier for him and that Barclay wants to see him. Zimmerman gives Barclay three minutes. Barclay walks in and shows Dr. Zimmerman his surprise... The Doctor. Doctor Zimmerman is not amused. He believes that The Doctor, an EMH-Mark I, is a joke. When The Doctor asks to be let in on the joke, Zimmerman explains that EMH-Mark Is are now scrubbing plasma conduits on waste transfer barges. He angrily explains that the EMH-Mark III and Mark IV, as well as other real doctors, tried to treat him, but no one could help. The Doctor says that he's not your typical EMH and is full of surprises. Doctor Zimmerman is still angry at The Doctor and tells him to find him a plasma conduit. After some coaxing from The Doctor and Barclay, Doctor Zimmerman finally relents and allows The Doctor to examine him, but he quickly grows annoyed with his questions. The Doctor says he's just being thorough. Leonard, his holographic iguana, repeats The Doctor's statement of "just being thorough." The Doctor deactivates Zimmerman's iguana. This infuriates Zimmerman, who argues with The Doctor again and finally, in disgust, instructs the computer to transfer him back into the living quarters. Barclay asks optimistically how the experience went.
[edit] Act Two
The Doctor is furious that Dr. Zimmerman is being so difficult. He says that early on during an analysis of Dr. Zimmerman's data, he found some weird results. The Doctor couldn't figure it out until he realizes Dr. Zimmerman is a Vulcan marsupial. Zimmerman had reconfigured his tricorder. The Doctor then issues a diagnosis of a severe case of arrogance. He hears "Roy", a micro-surveillance test project by Starfleet Intelligence that Dr. Zimmerman keeps as a pet, buzzing around the room. The Doctor calls Jupiter Station a "zoo" and claims that Zimmerman needs a counselor. He finally ends up "killing" Roy with a book (the buzzing stops once he slams the book down on Roy). In desperation, Barclay contacts Counselor Deanna Troi on the USS Enterprise-E, who is on a mission seven light years away. She finally agrees to ask Captain Picard if she can leave the ship to see Dr. Zimmerman. She says if Picard agrees, she'll be there by early next week.
Back on Voyager, Janeway is reading a message from Admiral Hayes of Starfleet Command. Admiral Hayes has a long message, in which he says that Starfleet has launched two deep space vessels and, optimistically, they would rendezvous with Voyager in five to six years. She advances the message to time reference 121.4, where Hayes makes a reference to the status of her crew, and the Maquis. Janeway is irritated by this, but Chakotay says that he and the Maquis crew haven't forgotten who they were. Chakotay says that it will be years before they have to deal with those kinds of issues, and besides, did she really think that those issues were going to go away? Janeway asks Chakotay if he wants to work during lunch composing a response to Admiral Hayes. Chakotay agrees.
Back on Jupiter Station, Zimmerman is getting a massage from an alien "woman", where he is complaining to her about The Doctor standing over his bed with a hypospray the previous night. The woman stops massaging his back and ends up scanning him with a medical tricorder. Zimmerman discovers that it's The Doctor and instructs the computer to change his holomatrix back to the EMH. Zimmerman is furious. The Doctor says that for some reason, he cares about Zimmerman and wants to help him. Zimmerman tells The Doctor that he can be at ease... Zimmerman doesn't want anything from him. Haley interrupts their argument over the comm system. She says that Dr. Zimmerman has a visitor. Counselor Troi has arrived; she comes in and asks who is Dr. Zimmerman.
[edit] Act Three
Dr. Zimmerman thinks Counselor Troi is a hologram, so he pinches her to make sure she's real. Counselor Troi assures Zimmerman that she's real. Zimmerman says to excuse him, the last beautiful woman was The Doctor. A counseling session begins between Troi, the Doctor, and Zimmerman. Troi tries to get the two to see the situation from the other's shoes. What would happen if the EMH was to be worked on from an engineer from 100 years ago? Also, what would happen if Dr. Zimmerman tried to work on a fictional EMH Mark XII who thought he was obsolete? The Doctor thought that there was an opportunity to make amends, but Dr. Zimmerman still refuses to have The Doctor treat him. Counselor Troi is frustrated, and calls them both jerks. Leonard repeats "jerks."
Back in the living quarters with Barclay and Haley, Troi feels defeated because she feels that she's made things worse. Haley makes Troi chocolate ice cream, which she reluctantly accepts. Troi says that Haley's a hologram, as she can't read any emotions from her. Troi asks Haley why after nine years of being online does Dr. Zimmerman still listen to her? After all, she's even older than the EMH-Mark I. Haley, who was around during the EMH-Mark I's development, explains that Zimmerman put so much of himself into the EMH-Mark I. After Starfleet reconfigured his holograms, he was devastated and worked for two years to perfect the holomatrix of the Mark I, but he couldn't, so he started from scratch. All of the future models of the EMH, the Marks II through IV didn't have his face because he didn't want to make the same mistake twice. Troi observes that it's like looking in a mirror at a reflection you don't want to see.
Later, in the lab, Zimmerman is writing his last will and testament. Subsection VIII consisted of his engineering research, which he left to Barclay. He moves on to subsection IX, his holographic art collection, which he leaves to Barclay as well. Subsection X regarded Haley. He wanted her to run as long as Jupiter Station exists. He laments that he's created most of his friends, then begins writhing in pain. He has to pause his recording to compose himself. He then assures Leonard that he will find a home for him as well.
The Doctor is working in a holographic simulation of Voyager's sickbay. Troi goes to meet him. The Doctor says that Barclay's holosimulation was accurate, except for a few things. For example he comments that Neelix doesn't purr. Troi says that probably had something to do with Barclay's cat (who is also named Neelix). Troi invites him to dinner, but refuses... unless Zimmerman is eating crow, The Doctor isn't interested. Troi pleads with The Doctor to go to dinner, but he continues to refuse. The argument continues until The Doctor's matrix begins to flicker. Troi contacts Barclay for help. Barclay transfers The Doctor out of the Voyager simulation, where Barclay states that his program is destabilizing and that he should have known that there might have been problems after a 30,000 light year trip. The Doctor tries to comfort Barclay and tells him all he has to do is calm down and fix the problem. Barclay has worse news... his primary matrix is degrading and there is nothing he can do.
[edit] Act Four
Barclay, Troi, and Haley are in the lab pleading with Zimmerman to help The Doctor. Zimmerman still doesn't want to help; he says that he'll send a Mark IV back to Voyager instead. Barclay says that they don't want a Mark IV, they want their friend. Zimmerman says without thinking that holograms aren't programmed to be friends. Haley then reminds Dr. Zimmerman that he left a lecture with a group of Vulcan scientists just to repair her. Zimmerman feels bad and reluctantly agrees to help. He briefly reactivates The Doctor to inform him of what he's doing, but quickly becomes annoyed when The Doctor protests Zimmerman's use of a fractal algorithm. Zimmerman deactivates the EMH. Seventeen hours later, Dr. Zimmerman repairs The Doctor's program and brings him back online. He's as good as new, but Zimmerman doesn't plan to stop there. Zimmerman will be installing new subroutines to make him more "presentable." The Doctor protests asking why Zimmerman can't just accept him for who he is. Zimmerman exclaims, "Because you're defective!" and explains how Starfleet gave the EMH-Mark I nicknames such as "Emergency Medical Hotheads" or "Extremely Marginal House-calls" until the medical corps became fed up with the Mark I. Zimmerman tried to get the Mark I decommissioned, but Starfleet overruled him, instead reconfiguring them to waste transfer barges. He then asks if The Doctor knows how humiliating it is to have 675 holograms out there scrubbing plasma conduits... all with his face. After The Doctor says that he is a really good doctor and to let him try, Dr. Zimmerman finally lets The Doctor treat him, stating that it's good that at least one of his program did what it was designed to do.
After 32 hours, The Doctor walks out of the laboratory and talks to Barclay. The Doctor says that Dr. Zimmerman ran a scan of his optotronic relays, where he found an algorithm was deliberately input into his program to degrade his program. Troi says that traditional medicine wasn't working, so they had to improvise. The Doctor says that the "treatment" worked, and he's optimistic that the treatment regimen he prescribed for Dr. Zimmerman will be successful and he should make a full recovery.
Later, The Doctor is getting ready to go back to Voyager on the data stream. Zimmerman catches The Doctor taking holophotos of his lab. Zimmerman tells The Doctor to send him a message during one of the next data streams to let him know how he's doing from time to time. Before The Doctor leaves to go back to the Delta Quadrant, Barclay takes a holophoto of Dr. Zimmerman and The Doctor together.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
"Can't it wait until I'm dead?"
- - Doctor Zimmerman
"Just being thorough."
- - Leonard the iguana
"Computer, deactivate iguana."
- - The Doctor
"I'm a doctor, not a zoo-keeper."
- - The Doctor
"A smattering of photons; that's all he is!"
- - Doctor Zimmerman, speaking about the Doctor
"I found a friend waiting for me at home."
"You don't have any friends."
- - Reg Barclay and Doctor Zimmerman
"Enough questions! Finish your scans and get out of here!"
"Doctor–"
"I said get out of here!"
"I traveled halfway across the galaxy to treat you. The least you could do is show a little gratitude!"
"Thank you. GET OUT OF HERE!"
- - Doctor Zimmerman and The Doctor
(Furious) "YOU!"
"Remain calm. Emotional outbursts will only aggravate your condition."
(Furious) "I'll tell you what's aggravating my condition: YOU!"
- - Doctor Zimmerman and The Doctor
"The Enterprise is in the middle of a mission..."
"An important mission?"
"They're all important, Reg."
- - Deanna Troi and Reginald Barclay
"Oh, spare us your psychobabble!"
"I came here thinking that you were opposite sides of the same coin; identical, but different. Now I see you're both exactly the same. You're both jerks!"
"Jerks."
- - Doctor Zimmerman, Deanna Troi, and Leonard the iguana
(Quietly, depressed) "Do you know how humiliating it is to have 675 Mark Ones out there, scrubbing plasma conduits... all with my face?"
- - Doctor Zimmerman
"Please state the nature of the medical emergency."
"You are the emergency."
- - The Doctor and Doctor Zimmerman, after the Doctor's activation
"I can assure you I'm quite real."
"Oh, well, the last beautiful woman to walk in here turned out to be him."
"I'll take that as a compliment."
- Deanna Troi, Doctor Zimmerman and The Doctor
"So this is Voyager. I like it."
"It's a remarkable facsimile. But Mr. Barclay did get a few of the details wrong. For one thing, Neelix doesn't purr."
"I think that may have something to do with Reg's cat. He named it after your friend."
"Neelix would be honored."
- - Deanna Troi and The Doctor
"Is that a fractal algorithm?"
"Yes. Good job..."
"But fractal algorithms are notoriously unstable!"
"In the hands of a novice...whoops."
"Whoops?! What's 'whoops'?"
"Computer, deactivate EMH."
- - Doctor Zimmerman and The Doctor, while Zimmerman was repairing The Doctor
"You're arrogant! Irritable! A jerk, as Counselor Troi would say."
"I believe she was describing you as well."
"Don't change the subject."
- - Doctor Zimmerman and The Doctor, arguing about The Doctor's personality subroutines.
[edit] Background Information
- Lewis Zimmerman, previously appearing in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "Doctor Bashir, I Presume", and Star Trek: Voyager episodes "Projections" and "The Swarm", makes his final Star Trek appearance (although, strictly speaking, he has only appeared in this episode and "Doctor Bashir, I Presume"; the other two occasions were holographic versions of himself).
- Marina Sirtis (Counselor Deanna Troi), Robert Picardo (the Doctor), Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Dwight Schultz (Lt. Reginald Barclay) and Jack Shearer (Admiral Hayes) all previously appeared in Star Trek: First Contact together.
- This episode takes place over the course of a little more than 32 days.
- The EMH disguises himself as a female member of the Tarlac species from Star Trek: Insurrection in order to examine Dr. Zimmerman.
- This episode is the first time a piece of the USS Enterprise-E is seen on a Star Trek television show, in this case, Counselor Troi's quarters or office.
- Though The Doctor is already aware of a newer EMH Mark II program from his time on board the USS Prometheus, he is surprised to learn that Starfleet has gone so far as to retire all EMH Mark Is from medical duty, judging them "obsolete", as Zimmerman puts it.
- This episode remains the only Star Trek episode written by a castmember, as it was written by Robert Picardo, who played Voyager's EMH.
- Dr. Zimmerman comments that he hasn't left Jupiter Station in "over four years", however he had visited Deep Space 9 to interview Julian Bashir for the Long-term Medical Hologram between Stardates 50564 and 50712. This was approximately three years earlier from The Doctor's visit.
[edit] Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 6.12, 27 December 2000.
- The video sleeve gives this episode's name as "Lifeline".
- As part of the VOY Season 6 DVD collection.
[edit] Awards
- This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Special Visual Effects for a Series.
[edit] Links and references
[edit] Special Guest Star
- Dwight Schultz as "Barclay"
[edit] Guest Stars
[edit] Special Guest Appearance By
[edit] Co-Star
[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars
- Robert Picardo as Lewis Zimmerman
- Unknown actress as Jupiter Station control (voice)
[edit] References
agoraphobia; Bolian; Dawkins; Daystrom Prize for Holography; Emergency Medical Hologram (EMH); Enterprise, USS (NCC-1701-E); Federation attack fighter; field medic; hologram; iguana; Jem'Hadar battle cruiser; Jenzo; Jupiter Station; Jupiter Station Holoprogramming Center; Leonard; Maquis; MIDAS array; Pathfinder Project; phage; Picard, Jean-Luc; plasma conduit; pork chop; pulsar; Roy; salad; Starfleet Intelligence; Starfleet Medical; Tarlac; theta radiation; Trojan Horse Project; Vulcan; Woman in Four Dimensions; Zimmerman, Lewis
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