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Aliens attempt to spy on Voyager by tapping into the Doctor's program, but they mistakenly access his new "daydream" program instead.

Summary

The Doctor performs La donna è mobile for the senior staff in the mess hall. The crowd is moved; however, all is not right when Tuvok begins to cry and laugh, apparently uncontrollably. The crew notices, then he suddenly bursts out into a fit of rage and holds everyone hostage with a phaser. The Doctor notes that Tuvok must be undergoing pon farr, and the Doctor improvises a new set of lyrics to La donna è mobile to calm him down and distract him. As he does this, Tom Paris tosses the Doctor a hypospray sedative. The Doctor administers the dose by injecting Tuvok in the rear end, dropping him cold. The crew gives a standing ovation.

In sickbay, the Doctor and B'Elanna Torres are discussing an upcoming mission. It turns out that the Doctor's whole scene in the mess hall was a daydream of his. So, in reality, they are planning an away team to Antonia, and the Doctor is disappointed to learn that he won't be joining them. As a result, the Doctor files a formal complaint to Captain Janeway about his treatment and a request to be made Captain in an emergency. This comes somewhat as a suprise to Janeway, and she plans a response, even though that task could be handled by Chakotay or Tuvok. Tuvok volunteers, but Janeway takes personal charge of the reply; Janeway doesn't like any of her crew being unhappy on the ship for whatever reason.

Meanwhile, Voyager passes what appears to be a routine nebula; in reality, though, an alien vessel is spying on them from inside the nebula. The vessel is a Hierarchy raider that disables and plunders vulnerable ships passing by. Initially they pass up Voyager, but the Hierarchy instructs the raider to plan an attack, at the persuasion of Phlox.

Back on Voyager, the Doctor has another daydream set in the briefing room. The crew are discussing the away mission; however, Torres, Seven of Nine, and Janeway are all attempting to seduce the Doctor, competing for him amongst each other. Seven winks at him asking him for dinner, Torres rubs her bare foot on his leg, and Janeway has him massage an 'old Academy injury' in her lower back.

The daydream is broken and we continue to real life, where the Doctor pleads for his request to be made an Emergency Command Hologram (ECH). Janeway, although admitting that it is an interesting idea, kindly denies his request, at which time the Doctor daydreams about a celebration of being made an ECH, viewed from the point of view of the Hierarchy ship. Phlox has tapped into the Doctor's program to spy on Voyager and assess the best way to attack and plunder it. They learn quite a deal about Voyager via the hologram.

While the away team is going down to Antonia in the Delta Flyer, they are attacked by a Borg sphere which destroys the Flyer and assimilates the crew via an assimilation virus. The Doctor and Seven are the only ones left to save the ship, which the Doctor does in prompt order by becoming the ECH and destroying the Borg with the photonic cannon. This is obviously another daydream of his, as he is still at his post on the bridge monitoring the away team's bio signs.

Phlox saw this massacre of the Borg and, believing it to be real and the Doctor in command of Voyager, feels that Voyager would be a good target to attack. A "Type Three Stealth Assault" is approved.

However, the Doctor's daydreams are getting out of hand; he cannot control them and they interfere with his work. He asks Torres and Seven for help, and jumps into yet another daydream. Torres and Seven begin to fight over him, and all of a sudden the warp core is about to explode "a lot sooner than you think," according to the computer. In reality, he tries to tamper with the warp core, believing he is still in the daydream. They are forced to confine him to sickbay, as now he cannot jump back into real life; his fantasies and daydreams have overrun his program.

In an effort to repair him, Harry Kim, Torres, Seven, and Janeway monitor his daydreams on the holodeck, which includes him as an artist drawing a portrait of Seven posing in the nude, as an ECH saving the ship again, and as a 'counselor' of sorts to Torres, who is in love with him, forgetting Paris.

During one daydream, as the Doctor speaks to Janeway as the newly commissioned ECH, the real Janeway watches and realizes his true compassion and love for the Voyager crew. She realizes her decision to deny his request might have been a mistake.

By deactivating the daydream subroutines, the Doctor has stopped daydreaming. However, Phlox comes to the realization that he has been monitoring the Doctor's daydreams. He does not want to get in trouble because of his misinformation, nor does he want Voyager to be destroyed. By reinitializing a daydream, he contacts the Doctor to warn him of the attack. He tells the Doctor that the Doctor must pose as captain to deceive the Hierarchy, and reveals how to detect their cloaked ships.

Just when all the preparations have been made, with Janeway telling the Doctor what to say, Phlox contacts again to say that the attack has been upgraded to a "Type Four Stealth Assault," which could destroy Voyager. When the Hierarchy ships threaten to destroy Voyager if they are not allowed to board, the Doctor has an inspiration and tells Tuvok to activate the fictional photonic cannon. After Phlox reminds the Overlooker how easily the photonic cannon destroyed the Borg, the Hierarchy ships flee.

With the drama over, the Doctor returns to his regular post in sickbay, but is soon summoned by Seven of Nine. Arriving, he finds the crew congratulating him, but this isn't a daydream. In recognition of his actions, Janeway presents him with the Starfleet Medal of Commendation, and informs him that she has reconsidered his earlier request, and will order a research project to explore the possibility of an ECH. Also, Seven of Nine gives the Doctor a kiss on the cheek, and the Doctor realises that sometimes a daydream can become reality.

Memorable Quotes

"Tuvok I understand,
you are a Vulcan man,
you have just gone without,
for seven years about.
Paris please find a way,
to load a hypospray,
I will give you the sign,
just aim for his behind.
Hormones are raging!
Synapses blazing!
It's all so veeeeeeeeeeeryy, illogical!
Illogical! Iiiiiiiiiiiill– Illogical!"

- the Doctor, to Tuvok and crew (to the tune of La donna è mobile)


"Resist!"

- Seven of Nine, to the Doctor, via PADD


"You, are dis-missed!"

- Janeway, to Torres


"We are the Borg..."
"I know very well who you are, stand down your weapons."
"State your designation."
"Emergency Command Hologram, at your service."
"Designation unknown."
"Not for long!"
...
"This is the last time I'm going to ask you. Stand down your weapons! Turn back, while you still can!"
"You will be assimilated."
"Over my dead program! Computer, activate the photonic cannon! Fire!"

- Borg Collective and ECH


"They say a Doctor who operates on himself has a PetaQ for a patient!"

- B'Elanna Torres


"Assimilation is an unpleasant fate!"

- Seven, to Torres


"Warning: Warp core breach, a lot sooner than you think!"

- Computer


"Warning: Last chance to be a hero Doctor, get going!"

- Computer


"He does the hands well."

- Janeway, on the Doctor's nude sketches of Seven


"This is the part I like."
"Nice touch."

- Kim and Janeway, on the ECH and his addition of captain's pips.


"Photonic Cannon?"
"Weapon of Mass Destruction. Invented by the Doctor, of course."
"Of course."

- Janeway and Kim, after observing the Doctor order the Computer to bring the Photonic Cannon online.


"Forget him! He's not half the man you are."

- Torres, on Paris and the Doctor


"It won't bite."

- Chakotay, on the Captain's chair


"That was a platonic gesture, don't expect me to pose for you."

- Seven

"What I wouldn't give for a whoopee cushion right about now."
"A what?"
"Ancient technology."

- Tom Paris and Harry Kim on the bridge after the ECH is activated for the first time.

Background Information

Links and References

Guest Stars

Uncredited Co-Stars

References

antimatter; antonium; argon; Assault class; assimilation virus; Borg sphere; class T nebula; cloaking device; cognitive subroutine; daydreaming algorithm; dilithium; Emergency Command Hologram (ECH); formal grievance; helium; Hierarchy; hydrogen; La donna è mobile; Mantua; micro-tunneling sensor; opera; perceptual subroutine; petaQ; phaser; photon torpedo; photonic cannon; physio-emotive disorder; plasma radiation; pon farr; resonance frequency; Starfleet Medal of Commendation; Talaxia; transport enhancer; type 3 stealth assault; type 4 assault; warp core breach

Previous episode:
"Barge of the Dead"
Star Trek: Voyager
Season 6
Next episode:
"Alice"
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