Revulsion (episode)
From Memory Alpha, the free Star Trek reference.
| This article is written from the Real World point of view |
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| "Revulsion" | ||
|---|---|---|
| VOY, Episode 4x05 Production number: 173 First aired: 1 October 1997 | ||
| ← | 72nd of 168 produced in VOY | → |
| ← | 72nd of 168 released in VOY | → |
| ← | 481st of 726 released in all | → |
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| Written By Lisa Klink Directed By Kenneth Biller | ||
| 51186.2 (2374) | ||
The Doctor tries to help another sentient hologram deal with its existence; Harry Kim and Seven of Nine become friends.
Contents |
[edit] Summary
[edit] Teaser
An isomorphic projection drags a corpse through a corridor on a ship, and scrubs the corpse's blood off of a wall. He flickers. He sends a distress call, saying that there has been an accident and his crew is dead.
[edit] Act One
In USS Voyager's mess hall, Tom Paris and Harry Kim tell the rest of the crew about the time they rigged the ship's computer to say "live long and prosper" every time Tuvok used it. Captain Janeway talks about the first time she met Tuvok: he dressed her down in front of three Starfleet admirals for failing to observe proper tactical procedures during her first command. "My Human ego took a little bruising, but of course, he was right." Janeway promotes Tuvok to lieutenant commander for outstanding service as chief tactical officer and chief of security. Tuvok remarks that he might have declined if he had known that the ceremony entailed "ritual humiliation".
B'Elanna Torres leaves the mess hall immediately after the promotion ceremony is over, and Paris follows her out. Paris surmises that Torres didn't really mean her confession of loving him, since she was seconds away from death by oxygen deprivation at the time. Torres says she did mean it, but that she doesn't expect him to reciprocate and he should just forget she said it. Paris interrupts and kisses her.
The Doctor emerges from the mess hall a second later and tells Paris that he needs a new medic now that Kes is gone, and recruits Paris for the job, since he is the most qualified officer.
In the mess hall, Chakotay tells Kim that he wants to enhance Voyager's astrometrics lab, and assigns him to work with Seven of Nine. Kim reacts nervously.
Janeway congratulates Neelix on his preparatory efforts for an upcoming trade negotiation and suggests they consider it his first official assignment as ambassador. Ensign Culhane contacts Janeway to tell her about the automated distress call that they have just received, and tells her to bring the Doctor.
On the bridge, Janeway and the Doctor watch the isomorph's message. The Doctor immediately orders Culhane to track the source of the message and volunteers to lead an away mission. Janeway tells the Doctor that she doesn't remember giving him a promotion, and that she doesn't want him leaving the ship because she doesn't want to risk damaging his mobile emitter. He convinces her to let him go as long as he brings Torres with him.
Kim comes to cargo bay 2 to start work on the astrometrics lab with Seven. Seven notices that Kim is apprehensive and assures him that this time, she will not strike him at the base of his skull and attempt to contact the Collective. Kim tries unsuccessfully to diffuse the tension with a joke. Seven tells him that she does understand the concept of humor: she is often amused by Human behavior.
On a shuttle with Torres, the Doctor frets about having left Paris in charge of his sickbay. Torres tells him that Paris is a responsible guy, and the Doctor answers, "I suppose you would know better than I would." Torres reproves him for speculating on the nature of her "friendship" with Paris. They reach the isomorph's ship and try hailing it. They get no response, and read no life signs.
Torres and the Doctor transport aboard. The ship seems deserted. The isomorph sneaks up behind them with a hammer, but dematerializes and drops it. Finally, he shows himself, and sees that the Doctor is an isomorph like he is.
[edit] Act Two
The isomorph, named Dejaren, is disappointed to find out that Torres is "organic". She offers to repair him, since he is malfunctioning. The Doctor asks him what happened to his crew. He says that they died of a virus, and there was nothing he could do since he was programmed for maintenance, not medicine. Torres asks for access to Dejaren's primary isomatrix. He says that it is on the lower deck, but doesn't want her to go down there because it has been flooded with radiation. He shows her an interface junction on the upper deck that she can use. The Doctor runs a diagnostic on Dejaren, who asks to hear more about him.
The Doctor tells Dejaren about his mobile emitter and how he earned the respect of Voyager's crew and the right to control his program and pursue personal interests. He encourages Dejaren to do likewise.
As Torres works at the interface junction, Dejaren surprises her and offers her some rations. Dejaren tells Torres that he feels a special affinity for his ship. As an engineer, Torres empathizes, but Dejaren is offended and gives her an earful about how "filthy" and "repulsive" organic lifeforms are. He apologizes and says that the crew treated him badly.
[edit] Act Three
Torres complains to the Doctor about Dejaren's attitude about organics and tells him that she has discovered that the lower deck isn't flooded with radiation as Dejaren said it was, and that she believes Dejaren has been lying to them. The Doctor defends Dejaren, pointing out that he, too, was "socially inept" when he was first activated. Torres tells him that she wants the ability to deactivate Dejaren's program if necessary, and goes to the lower deck to try to access his primary isomatrix. She tells the Doctor to keep Dejaren busy. Dejaren shows the Doctor his holographic pet fish, Spectrum.
In cargo bay two, Seven and Kim need to remove a Borg navigational node from a panel. Seven no longer has the appropriate tool, since the Doctor removed it with most of the rest of her Borg implants. She suggests that they simply pull it out. They remove the node, but Seven gets a nasty gash on her hand.
In sickbay, Paris jocularly tells Seven that if the cut had been a little deeper, she would have severed her carpal nerve and needed surgery. He tells her to be more careful now that she is a "mere mortal". As Seven returns to the cargo bay, Kim criticizes Paris' bedside manner. Paris tells Kim that he seems protective of Seven and guesses that he has a crush on her, and advises him not to fall for her.
[edit] Act Four
As the Doctor shows him how to use his ship's control systems, Dejaren complains that life support uses 59 percent of the ship's power. He tells the Doctor that he doesn't want to go back to his existence among organics and asks him to leave Voyager and explore the galaxy with him.
Torres locates the primary isomatrix on the lower deck and turns on the lights, and notices that the lower deck is filled with corpses.
Dejaren, realizing that Torres is tampering with his isomatrix, appears on the lower deck and attacks her. She manages to reach a control panel and deactivate him. The Doctor arrives and finds her unconscious.
[edit] Act Five
- Ensign Kim, personal log, stardate 51186.2. Working with Seven of Nine is starting to get a little awkward. Tom's right, anything more than friendship is a bad idea. But I can't stop thinking about her.
Kim calls Seven to the mess hall late at night, saying that he had a "midnight inspiration" and wants Seven's perspective. The mess hall lights are dimmed, and Kim suggests watching a Ktarian moonrise simulation on the holodeck afterwards. Seven realizes that Kim is attracted to her and tells him to take off his clothes so she can "explore [her] Humanity" with him. Kim panics and tells her that maybe they should just quit for now.
On Dejaren's ship, the Doctor resuscitates Torres and tells her that he found six murdered corpses on the lower deck, and that when Dejaren attacked her, he reached inside her chest, grabbed her heart, and perforated her fourth ventricle. She is bleeding internally and needs to get back to Voyager's sickbay for medical treatment, but Dejaren has disabled their comm link to the shuttle.
As Torres tries to cut through Dejaren's dampening field, the Doctor notices that Spectrum is in the command chamber and realizes that the isomorphic emitters are still online. Dejaren reappears and knocks Torres unconscious with a spanner. The Doctor and Dejaren trade blows, but neither one can harm the other since they are both holograms. Dejaren knocks the mobile emitter off of the Doctor's arm, causing him to go offline, and steals it.
Torres regains consciousness and Dejaren tries to "deactivate" her, but she locks herself in the interface junction. He follows her inside, and she destabilizes him with an isomagnetic conduit. She reactivates the Doctor, and they leave.
Kim meets with Chakotay in his office. The schematics for the astrometrics lab are completed, and Kim suggests bringing in an engineering team for the construction, and having them take over the project entirely. Chakotay asks Kim if he is having a personal problem with Seven, and he says they had a "misunderstanding". Chakotay says that Seven told him that Kim has been helping her learn more about Humans' "complex social interactions", and that he wants them to continue working together.
In sickbay, the Doctor repairs the damage to Torres' pericardium, and chastises Paris for making a mess in his sickbay. Torres asks Paris to meet her later in her quarters, and the Doctor teases them about "elevated hormonal levels". Paris says he has to go check on Kim, who is having a nervous breakdown, but the Doctor orders him to help him clean all of his "oily residue" and "sloughed secretions" off of every millimeter of the sickbay... "Just kidding." He suggests giving sickbay a more organic touch, instead.
[edit] Memorable Quotes
"When I was first activated I was regarded as little more than a talking tricorder."
- - The Doctor
"This is going to get tedious."
- - The Doctor, fighting Dejaren.
"I exist as pure energy, but you depend on food and water to survive. Frankly, I find it disgusting. Look at you. Look at you! Grinding up bits of plants and animals with your teeth. Secreting saliva to force it down your esophagus into a pit of digestive acids. You can't even stand to think about it yourself. What a repulsive creature you are, constantly shedding your skin and hair, leaving your oily sweat on everything you touch! You think that you are the height of intellect in the universe but you are no better than any filthy animal! And I am ashamed to be made in your image!"
- - Dejaren
"I see the way your pupils dilate when you look at my body."
- - Seven of Nine, to Ensign Kim
"Are you in love with me, Ensign?"
"Well... no."
"Then you wish to copulate?"
"No! I mean... I ... I don't know what I mean."
- - Seven of Nine and Ensign Kim
"All of these elaborate rituals of deception... I didn't realize becoming human again would be such a challenge. Sexuality is particularly complex. As Borg, we had no need for seduction, no time for single-cell fertilization. We saw a species we wanted, and we assimilated it. Nevertheless, I am willing to explore my humanity. Take off your clothes."
"Uh... Seven..."
"Don't be alarmed. I won't hurt you."
- - Seven of Nine and Ensign Kim
"I'm detecting elevated hormonal levels. If you two don't take it easy I'll have to declare a medical emergency."
- - The Doctor, to Torres and Paris, who were flirting
[edit] Background Information
- Tuvok is promoted to the rank of lieutenant commander even though for the first several episodes of the series the creators mistakenly give him the rank insignia of a lieutenant commander.
- Before this episode, Leland Orser guest starred in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine twice. He played Gai in "Sanctuary" and Colonel Lovok in "The Die is Cast". He later appears as Loomis in ENT: "Carpenter Street".
- Paris states that the events of "Day of Honor" occurred three days earlier.
- The console on the alien ship is a reuse of the Ferengi Thought maker from TNG: "The Battle".
[edit] Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 4.3, 6 April 1998.
- As part of the VOY Season 4 DVD collection.
[edit] Links and References
[edit] Guest Stars
[edit] Uncredited Co-Stars
- Louis Ortiz as Ensign Culhane
- Sue Henley as Brooks
[edit] References
alphanumerics; antimatter radiation; antimatter waste; Arrithean; astrometric projector; astrometrics; USS Billings; Borg; carpal nerve; distress call; exoskeleton; fish; HD25 Isomorphic Projection; heart; hologram; holographic matrix; internal sensor; isomimetic conduit; isomorph; Jeffries tube; Ktarian moonrise simulation; "live long and prosper"; mobile emitter; optical assembly; power cell; primary isomatrix; reactor core; Seros; Serosians; Spectrum; thoracic assembly; type-9 shuttlecraft; virus; Vulcan tea; watt
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