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==Summary==
 
==Summary==
  +
===Teaser===
  +
A lone female pilot in an alien shuttle is pursued by a larger vessel of the same origin. She manages to disable the pursuing ship, and, in an alien language, asks the the shuttle's computer to locate the [[USS|Voyager]]. In [[English language|English]], she hails the Federation starship.
   
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===Act One===
The episode starts on a shot of an alien shuttle pursued by a larger vessel obviously of the same origin. At the shuttle's helm, an alien (obviously female) manages to disable the pursuing ship; once done, she seems to order the shuttle's computer to locate the [[USS Voyager|USS ''Voyager'']]. Once the [[United Federation of Planets|Federation]] [[Starship|ship]] is located, she starts speaking—in [[English language|English]]—to open a comm link.
 
  +
[[Mezoti]], one of the four [[Borg]] children recently rescued by ''Voyager'', has wandered into the astrophysics lab and intercepts the alien woman's transmission. Mezoti identifies herself by name, age and species designation, and asks the woman her species. The alien responds that it's a complicated answer and requests being allowed to speak to [[Captain]] [[Kathryn Janeway]]. Mezoti attempts to connect her, but is too short to reach the necessary controls and inadvertently cuts the transmission off when she leans on the lower panel.
   
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Tuvok discovers Mezoti and reminds her that she's in a restricted area. He says he won't inform the captain, but does warn Mezoti not to enter the area again. [[Seven of Nine]] enters with the other three Borg children -- [[Icheb]], [[Azan]] and [[Rebi]] -- and berates Mezoti for not follwing her instructions to wait in the [[cargo bay]]. Tuvok asks Seven why she left the children unattended, and she responds that [[CHief Engineer]] [[B'Elanna Torres]] needed her assistance. She was gone for less than 10 minutes. Seven admits to Tuvok that she is having difficulty controlling the unpredictable Borg children. Tuvok starts to offer advice, but is interrupted when Seven notices Mezoti at the communications station, trying to talk to "the woman transmitting from spatial Grid 2369."
[[Mezoti]], who has gotten out of Bay 2 and meandered into the astrophysics lab while [[Seven of Nine]] was out meeting with [[Lieutenant]] [[B'Elanna Torres]], intercepts the transmission, but inadvertently ends it while trying to forward it to [[Captain]] [[Kathryn Janeway]].
 
   
  +
Tuvok hails the vessel, and the alien recognizes his voice and says she's glad to hear him again. She reiterates her request to speak with Captain Janeway.
A few seconds later, [[Lieutenant Commander]] [[Tuvok]] finds her and gives her a warning not to go alone through the ship; right then, Seven enters, followed by the other Borg children. After a few explanations—and some parental advice from Tuvok—they learn of Mezoti's mistake and Tuvok manages to reopen the comm link; there, they learn that the woman in question claims to be [[Ensign]] [[Lyndsay Ballard]], [[Death|deceased]] on [[Stardate]] 51563, three years prior…
 
  +
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On the viewscreen of ''Voyager'''s bridge, the alien tells the captain she's a sight for sore eyes and warmly greets [[Harry Kim]]. Perplexed, the captain asks who she is, and is not amused when the alien identifies herself as [[Ensign]] [[Lyndsay Ballard]], a ''Voyager'' engineering officer who died almost three years earlier on an [[away mission]]. The alien understands the crew's skepticism and offers some limited proof of her identity by naming the exact [[stardate]] of Ballard's death. She asks to come aboard so she can explain her claim.
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Janeway agrees to beam the alien to [[sickbay]], behind a [[Level 10 force field]]. Kim asks to accompany the captain to sickbay. He says he and Ballard were close and if somehow, this alien is her, he will know.
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In sickbay, [[the Doctor]] examines the alien woman as she recounts the circumstances of Ensign Ballard's death. Three years earlier, Ballard and Kim had traveled to a [[Class-M]] planet in the [[Vyntadi Expanse]] to mine [[dilithium]] ore. The planet was a trap set by a [[Hirogen]] hunting party that had reconfigured a [[power cell]] to emit false dilithium readings. Ten feet from their shuttle, Ballard was hit with a [[neural disruptor]] and died from her injuries. Kim confirms the alien's account, and says that he buried Ballard in space.
  +
  +
The alien reveals that she next remembers awaking in a [[stasis chamber]], surrounded by aliens, the [[Kobali]], who had reanimated her. She didn't believe she had died until the Kobali showed her her corpse in the torpedo casing in which she was buried. The Kobali, who procreate by salvaging dead species, spent months altering her DNA and injecting her. She had wanted to contact ''Voyager'', but the Kobali would not allow it, saying that her former relationships were part of her [[kin'staya]], or past life. They tried to make her forget ''Voyager'' and sent her to live with a Kobali family. She spent two years deceiving them into believeing she had accepted her new life, and then stole a shuttle. She spent the next six months searching for ''Voyager.''
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The Doctor cofirms that the alien's remaining Human DNA matches that of Ensign Ballard. With no concrete reason to disbelieve her story, the captain drops the force field and welcomes Ballard home. As Janeway and the Doctor excuse themselves, Kim has an emotional reunion with his former crewmate, who says that she missed him, too.
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===Act Two===
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In the conference room, ''Voyager'''s senior crew welcomes Ballard back to the ship. The captain calls her a fine officer, [[Neelix]] and [[Tom Paris]] have retrieved her personal items from storage, and Torres says when she's ready, her old shift awaits in Engineering. A short discussion ensues on preparing the ship in the event the Kobali attack in an effort to retrieve Ballard. As the briefing ands, Ballard lags behind to thank the captain privately for the compliments she gave. Ballard admits she previously didn't think the captain noticed her.
   
Beamed to sickbay—behind a level 10 forcefield—the [[Kobali]] female is examined by the [[The Doctor|Doctor]], who determines that, although heavily modified, the alien does indeed have similar genetic structures to the late Ensign Ballard, and that this is an indication that she is who she claims to be.
 
   
Ballard explains that she was revived by the Kobali, who have the technology to revive the dead. At first she didn't believe them until they showed her the torpedo casket she was put in. They modified her DNA to exactly like theirs. Despite she was then a different specie, she was determined to return to ''Voyager'' but her new family insisted it was her old life and that her people threw her away. After three years, she gained their trust, stole a ship and came back.
 
   
Janeway remains suspicious, and the alien says that she is right to be, since she could be a [[clone]], or a [[telepath]] with access to Ensign Ballard's memories, but the Captain grants her the benefit of the doubt and welcomes her aboard.
 
   
Nobody seems more upset than Ensign [[Harry Kim]] though, who had always had a crush on Lyndsay and tries as much as he can to make her feel welcome. Paris jokes that he is now in love with "the recently deceased".
 
   
Ballard tries to restart her life on ''Voyager'', even in engineering, she worked on the warp core while speaking in Kobali. However, she screwed up her dinner with Captain Janeway. She later had a nightmare about everyone ready to put her in the torpedo and then a Kobali speaks to her.
 
   
After kissing Kim, the Kobali had located her. Her adoptive father, Q'Ret, demanded his daughter back and was horrified at the sight of Ballard looking human. Though she decides to remain on ''Voyager'', Q'Ret vowed he will return, and not alone.
 
   
Seven was having trouble managing the former Borg children. She imputed a schedule, which caused only more disobedience and punishment. Chakotay suggest she let them be themselves. During art class, Seven is impressed with Mezoti carving a clay model of her head and tells the children to "''continue your disorder''".
 
   
The Doctor's treatments on Ballard were falling apart, meaning he would have to make the treatments more used. Suddenly, the Kobali attacked, forcing Ballard to return to them.
 
   
 
*''[[Captain's log]], Stardate 53679.4. The Doctor has stopped Ensign Ballard's treatments, and her Kobali physiology is already beginning to reassert itself. All but one of us have said our goodbyes. ''
 
*''[[Captain's log]], Stardate 53679.4. The Doctor has stopped Ensign Ballard's treatments, and her Kobali physiology is already beginning to reassert itself. All but one of us have said our goodbyes. ''

Revision as of 21:28, 8 September 2007

A long-presumed-dead crewmate returns to Voyager, pursued by the aliens who revived her; Icheb, Azan, Rebi and Mezoti act rebellious against Seven of Nine.

Summary

Teaser

A lone female pilot in an alien shuttle is pursued by a larger vessel of the same origin. She manages to disable the pursuing ship, and, in an alien language, asks the the shuttle's computer to locate the Voyager. In English, she hails the Federation starship.

Act One

Mezoti, one of the four Borg children recently rescued by Voyager, has wandered into the astrophysics lab and intercepts the alien woman's transmission. Mezoti identifies herself by name, age and species designation, and asks the woman her species. The alien responds that it's a complicated answer and requests being allowed to speak to Captain Kathryn Janeway. Mezoti attempts to connect her, but is too short to reach the necessary controls and inadvertently cuts the transmission off when she leans on the lower panel.

Tuvok discovers Mezoti and reminds her that she's in a restricted area. He says he won't inform the captain, but does warn Mezoti not to enter the area again. Seven of Nine enters with the other three Borg children -- Icheb, Azan and Rebi -- and berates Mezoti for not follwing her instructions to wait in the cargo bay. Tuvok asks Seven why she left the children unattended, and she responds that CHief Engineer B'Elanna Torres needed her assistance. She was gone for less than 10 minutes. Seven admits to Tuvok that she is having difficulty controlling the unpredictable Borg children. Tuvok starts to offer advice, but is interrupted when Seven notices Mezoti at the communications station, trying to talk to "the woman transmitting from spatial Grid 2369."

Tuvok hails the vessel, and the alien recognizes his voice and says she's glad to hear him again. She reiterates her request to speak with Captain Janeway.

On the viewscreen of Voyager's bridge, the alien tells the captain she's a sight for sore eyes and warmly greets Harry Kim. Perplexed, the captain asks who she is, and is not amused when the alien identifies herself as Ensign Lyndsay Ballard, a Voyager engineering officer who died almost three years earlier on an away mission. The alien understands the crew's skepticism and offers some limited proof of her identity by naming the exact stardate of Ballard's death. She asks to come aboard so she can explain her claim.

Janeway agrees to beam the alien to sickbay, behind a Level 10 force field. Kim asks to accompany the captain to sickbay. He says he and Ballard were close and if somehow, this alien is her, he will know.

In sickbay, the Doctor examines the alien woman as she recounts the circumstances of Ensign Ballard's death. Three years earlier, Ballard and Kim had traveled to a Class-M planet in the Vyntadi Expanse to mine dilithium ore. The planet was a trap set by a Hirogen hunting party that had reconfigured a power cell to emit false dilithium readings. Ten feet from their shuttle, Ballard was hit with a neural disruptor and died from her injuries. Kim confirms the alien's account, and says that he buried Ballard in space.

The alien reveals that she next remembers awaking in a stasis chamber, surrounded by aliens, the Kobali, who had reanimated her. She didn't believe she had died until the Kobali showed her her corpse in the torpedo casing in which she was buried. The Kobali, who procreate by salvaging dead species, spent months altering her DNA and injecting her. She had wanted to contact Voyager, but the Kobali would not allow it, saying that her former relationships were part of her kin'staya, or past life. They tried to make her forget Voyager and sent her to live with a Kobali family. She spent two years deceiving them into believeing she had accepted her new life, and then stole a shuttle. She spent the next six months searching for Voyager.

The Doctor cofirms that the alien's remaining Human DNA matches that of Ensign Ballard. With no concrete reason to disbelieve her story, the captain drops the force field and welcomes Ballard home. As Janeway and the Doctor excuse themselves, Kim has an emotional reunion with his former crewmate, who says that she missed him, too.

Act Two

In the conference room, Voyager's senior crew welcomes Ballard back to the ship. The captain calls her a fine officer, Neelix and Tom Paris have retrieved her personal items from storage, and Torres says when she's ready, her old shift awaits in Engineering. A short discussion ensues on preparing the ship in the event the Kobali attack in an effort to retrieve Ballard. As the briefing ands, Ballard lags behind to thank the captain privately for the compliments she gave. Ballard admits she previously didn't think the captain noticed her.





  • Captain's log, Stardate 53679.4. The Doctor has stopped Ensign Ballard's treatments, and her Kobali physiology is already beginning to reassert itself. All but one of us have said our goodbyes.
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Memorable Quotes

"Fun will now commence."

- Seven of Nine


"Hair is one of my specialties, despite evidence to the contrary."

- The Doctor


"Resume your disorder."

- Seven of Nine


"Commander Tuvok finished his analysis of your shuttle and presented me with 37 different ways of repelling a Kobali attack."
"Did he include your pot roast?"

- Kathryn Janeway and Lyndsay Ballard


"Vien'ke debala, Jhet'leya. (beat) I taught myself to speak a few words of Kobali."
"That's very sweet of you, but you just told me 'The comets are tiresome.' "

- Harry Kim and Lyndsay Ballard

Background Information

  • The stardate given for Ballard's death, 51563, places it between the fourth season episodes of "Hunters" and "Prey". However she is unaware of Tuvok's promotion in "Revulsion", which takes place much earlier in the same season.
  • The model Cubes made by the twins are too small to be 1/1000th scale models of a Borg cube. A Borg Cube is over three kilometers long, a 1/1000th scale model would be at least three meters.
  • At one point, Tom Paris recites Harry's romantic exploits. He did the same in "The Disease", however he does not add the woman from that episode to the list.

Awards

  • This episode was nominated for an Emmy Award for Outstanding Makeup for a Series.

Links and References

Guest Stars

References

Ayala; baryon sweep; Bolian; brain; cardiovascular system; clarinet; dilithium; dilithium matrix; DNA; force field; Grid 2369; Hirogen; hockey; ice skating; inaprovaline; Ferengi; genetic pathogen; inaprovaline; Jibelian berry salad; kadis-kot; Kobali; Kobali language; Kobali starship; Kobali shuttle; limerick; meditation; music; neural disruptor; neural interface; Norcadian; ocular implant; peanut butter; peanut butter and jelly sandwich; polaron; polyhedron; pot roast; power cell; protein; saxophone; Species 689; stasis chamber; tea; Temple of T'Panit; Tynsiya; vyk'tiote; Vyntadi Expanse; warp core

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Star Trek: Voyager
Season 6
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