Changes: Thirty Days (episode)

Revision as of 06:05, 22 March 2007

Tom Paris is demoted to ensign and must spend thirty days in the brig after Voyager finds a vast inhabited ocean floating in space that 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. Paris is doing push ups when Neelix suddenly enters. He jumps from 3 to 98 as soon as he notices. Neelix starts to make small talk about how Paris always exercise well while he is in jail. He then gives Paris his lunch. Tom is dismayed to find out that his lunch is Leola root stew. He informs Tom that the 'warden', Captain Janeway, called for basic nutrition only.

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. Burkus explains to Janeway that the ocean lost seven percent or it's volume last year alone. 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. Seven of Nine informs the crew of the Delta Flyer that the animal is a giant electric eel.

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 Kathryn 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.

Memorable Quotes

"Does the words cruel and unusual punishment mean anything to her. I tell you the inmates are getting restless. She will have a full blown riot on her hands if she doesn't gives them some slack."

-Paris

"It is in my nature to comply with the collective."

- Seven of Nine

Background Information

After 5 years of references, the infamous Delaney sisters appear for the first time.
Because of his actions in this episode, Tom Paris is reduced in rank to Ensign.

Links and References

Guest Stars

Willie Garson as Riga
Benjamin Livingston as Burkus
Heidi Krämer as Megan Delaney and Demonica
Alissa Krämer 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"

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 ==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. Paris is doing push ups when [[Neelix]] suddenly enters. He jumps from 3 to 93 as soon as he notices. Neelix starts to make small talk about how Paris always exercise well while he is in jail. He then gives Paris his lunch. Tom is dismayed to find out that his lunch is [[Leola root stew]]. He informs Tom that the 'warden', [[Captain]] [[Kathryn Janeway|Janeway]], called for basic nutrition only.
+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. Paris is doing push ups when [[Neelix]] suddenly enters. He jumps from 3 to 98 as soon as he notices. Neelix starts to make small talk about how Paris always exercise well while he is in jail. He then gives Paris his lunch. Tom is dismayed to find out that his lunch is [[Leola root stew]]. He informs Tom that the 'warden', [[Captain]] [[Kathryn Janeway|Janeway]], called for basic nutrition only.
 As the story unfolds, we learn that [[USS Voyager|''Voyager'']] has encountered a [[planet]] whose entire surface is covered in ocean and inhabited by a [[species]] called the [[Monean]]s. 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. Burkus explains to Janeway that the ocean lost seven percent or it's volume last year alone. The ocean planet's residents do not have [[ship]]s 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.