STAR TREK: VOYAGER: LIFESIGNS (TV)
Summary
One in this series of programs about the outer space adventures of the USS Voyager and its commander, Captain Kathryn Janeway, in the twenty-fourth century.
Lieutenant Paris has been late for his shifts recently, and Chakotay is not pleased. The Voyager crew discovers a lone Vidiian sending out a distress call and beam her to sick bay. The Doctor discovers a cybernetic implant in her brain assisting her mental functions and uses it in tandem with sick bay's holo-projector to transfer the Vidiian's mind into a holographic projection of her body, free of the Phage. Voyager heads towards her home colony to drop her off; Chakotay tells Janeway about his disciplinary problems with Paris and she makes Paris his responsibility.
The Doctor awakens the Vidiian woman, who weeps with joy upon seeing herself in the healthy holographic body. She introduces herself as Denara Pel and tells the Doctor that she had been diagnosed with the Phage at age seven and started receiving replacement parts around that time. She works as a hematologist trying to combat the Phage. The Doctor notes that her holographic body is only a stopgap measure and that she will have to be transferred back to her real body before her neural patterns degrade. Denara is uncomfortable upon seeing her real, disease-ridden body. The Doctor asks Torres for a tissue sample from her brain, as he believes that her prior experiences with the Vidiians indicates that Klingons possess some sort of immunity to the Phage. Torres, still angry over the experiments the Vidiians performed on her, refuses until Denara convinces her otherwise.
The Doctor grafts Torres's brain tissue into Denara's real body, although it will take several days for any results to occur. In the meantime, he takes Denara to the holodeck, where the French pool hall program is running. Neelix introduces himself to her, as well as a French alien holodeck character. The Doctor sends them away and Denara remarks that she's not used to the attention, as there is a negative social stigma attached to Vidiians suffering from the Phage. She and the Doctor quickly become friends; she decides to name the Doctor "Shmullus," after her uncle. Upon their return to the holodeck, there is clear romantic tension between the two, but neither of them acknowledges it and the Doctor temporarily shuts off her program to slow the degradation of her neural patterns.
Chakotay sits down with Paris in the mess hall to talk about his recent disciplinary problems. Paris replies that his problem is with Chakotay and his restrictive command style. They argue before Paris storms out. Jonas having seen the whole thing, reports the conflict to his Kazon contacts. They ask him to sabotage Voyager, but he refuses and demands to speak to Seska. The Doctor finds that he is losing his ability to concentrate and Kes believes it is because he is attracted to Denara. She theorizes that his program is adapting to include notions of romance, and she advises that he tell her how he feels. The Doctor decides to tell Denara about his feelings off-handedly and bluntly, while operating on her real body's brain. Denara, taken aback, tells him they should keep their relationship "professional."
Upset, the Doctor visits Paris in the holodeck, asking him for advice about dealing with rejection. Paris relates some of his own experiences, but notes that it's impossible to get over someone completely. Paris advises the Doctor that he probably scared Denara off and advises him to approach her in a more romantic fashion. Meanwhile, Kes speaks to Denara about the Doctor and realizes she reciprocates his feelings. She says she didn't quite know how to react; Kes advises her not to miss her opportunity with the Doctor. Following Paris's advice, the Doctor arranges a "date" on the holodeck with Denara. Slowly they warm up to each other until they finally kiss.
Paris arrives to his shift to find he has been replaced at the helm. Frustrated, he pushes Chakotay to the floor and Janeway has him taken to the brig. Jonas gets in touch with Seska, who convinces him to cooperate in her plan to sabotage Voyager, as she intends to take the ship for herself. The Doctor attempts to transfer Denara's brain back into her real body, but it's rejecting the Klingon graft. Denara reveals that she deliberately prevented it from happening, as she would rather spend a few days in her healthy holographic form than a lifetime in her actual, disease-ridden body. She claims that her life among the Vidiians is nothing but misery, and that she can't help them against the Phage; she says that before she met the Doctor she was viewed as "just a disease" and that he treated her with real respect.
The Doctor counters that she has changed him as well, allowing him to think of himself as more than a mere holographic projection. Denara reveals that her main concern is that the Doctor will no longer love her in her real body, but he assures her that he will, and urges her to comply so that they can spend more time together. The episode ends as Denara in her real body meets the Doctor on the holodeck and they share a dance. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: UPN
- DATE: February 26, 1996 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:46:10
- COLOR/B&W: Color
- CATALOG ID: B:43632
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SERIES RUN: UPN - TV series, 1995-2001
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Michael Piller … Executive Producer, Created by
- Jeri Taylor … Executive Producer, Created by
- Rick Berman … Executive Producer, Created by
- Wendy Neuss … Producer
- Merri Howard … Producer
- Kenneth Biller … Co-Producer, Writer
- Peter Lauritson … Supervising Producer
- Brannon Braga … Supervising Producer
- Brad Yacobian … Line Producer
- Cliff Bole … Director
- Gene Roddenberry … Based upon "Star Trek" created by
- Paul Baillargeon … Music by
- Jerry Goldsmith … Theme Music by
- Kate Mulgrew … Cast, Captain Kathryn Janeway
- Robert Beltran … Cast, Commander Chakotay
- Roxann Biggs-Dawson (See also: Roxann Dawson) … Cast, Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
- Jennifer Lien … Cast, Kes
- Robert Duncan McNeill … Cast, Lieutenant Tom Paris
- Ethan Phillips … Cast, Neelix
- Robert Picardo … Cast, The Doctor
- Tim Russ … Cast, Lieutenant Tuvok
- Garrett Wang … Cast, Ensign Harry Kim
- Susan Diol … Cast, Denara Pel
- Raphael Sbarge … Cast, Michael Jonas
- Martha Hackett … Cast, Seska
- Michael Spound … Cast, Lorrum
- Rick Gianasi … Cast, Gigolo