Thirty Days (episode)

Series:	VOY
Episode:	5x09
Original Airdate:	09 December 1998
Production Number:	202
Year:	2375
Stardate:	52179.4
Story by:	Scott Miller
Teleplay by:	Kenneth Biller
Directed by:	Winrich Kolbe

Voyager finds a vast inhabited ocean floating in space, but it is in danger of destruction.

Summary

The episode begins with Tom Paris dictating a letter to his father explaining why he has been sent to the brig for thirty days. The story of his misadventure is interlaced with scenes over the course of his month-long confinement.

As the story unfolds, we learn that Voyager has encountered a planet whose entire surface is covered in ocean and inhabited by a species called the Moneans. The crew make contact with two representatives of the planet, Burkus and Riga, who explain that their lifestyle is based on harvesting oxygen from the ocean and living in contained underwater cities. Unfortunately, they also learn that the force keeping the ocean in place is weakening and that it may soon lose containment. The ocean planet's residents do not have ships that can probe deep enough to determine the root of this containment problem. Fascinated with the planet due to his childhood fantasies of becoming a naval officer, Paris decides to take the Delta Flyer down to the depths to explore a possible solution.

Deep underneath the ocean's surface, Paris and the away team discover a hundred-thousand-year-old reactor, responsible for generating the containment field, which is somehow malfunctioning. However, they are forced to surface before fully downloading the information from the reactor due to a hull breach caused by a sea-dwelling predator.

Back on Voyager, the crew delves deeper into the mystery of the reactor problems, and ultimately determines that they are in fact caused by the Moneans' oxygen mining operations. Tom suggests to Burkus that some of these operations should be closed down to prevent containment loss that would result in evacuation, but he realizes that Burkus is a member of an inefficient bureaucracy that is not likely to take action.

Frustrated by this, he and Riga decide to return to the ocean in the Delta Flyer and attempt to shut down some of the oxygen mines using missiles. Once Captain Janeway discovers that the shuttle is missing, she orders him to immediately return to Voyager and not meddle further in the affairs of this planet. Tom disobeys and fires the missiles anyway, but they are intercepted by torpedo fire from Voyager and the mission is a failure.

Paris returns to Voyager and is not received warmly by the Captain. She orders him to be confined to the brig, and demotes him to the rank of Ensign. At the conclusion of the episode, Paris is released, and makes sure to file the letter to his father away so that it can be delivered to him one day on Earth.

• Captain's log, stardate 52179.4. After salvaging the Delta Flyer, we've resumed our course toward the Alpha Quadrant. I now have to turn my attention to a matter of discipline.

Background Information

• After 5 years of references, the infamous Delaney sisters appear for the first time.

Links and References

Guest Stars

• Willie Garson as Riga
• Benjamin Livingston as Burkus
• Heidi Kramer as Megan Delaney and Demonica
• Alissa Kramer as Jenny Delaney and Malicia

References

20,000 Leagues Under the Sea; brig; Culhane; Jenny Delaney; Megan Delaney; Delta Flyer; Demonica; Federation Naval Patrol; Constance Goodheart; Immersive shielding; Leola root; Malicia; Monean; Monean Maritime Sovereignty; Owen Paris; Prime Directive; Captain Proton; Twin Mistresses of Evil, The; Jules Verne

Previous episode: Nothing Human

Star Trek: Voyager Season 5

Next episode: Counterpoint