Synopsis:
Tuvok incurs the wrath of Maquis crewmembers when he's put
in charge of a "boot camp" designed to bring them up
to Starfleet standards.
When a Maquis engineer named Dalby disrupts power to the
ship's energy grid by making an unauthorized repair, Janeway
realizes that she can't expect Starfleet behavior from people
who never went to the Academy. To bring the Maquis officers up
to speed on Starfleet protocol, Janeway asks Tuvok to train a
group of four recruits, including Dalby. Predictably, the Maquis
recruits balk at Tuvok's by-the-book discipline until Chakotay
forcefully gets the point across that this is not a voluntary
exercise.
Like any good drill sergeant, Tuvok comes down hard on his
Maquis charges, demanding regulation attire and behavior. Dalby
complains to Torres about Tuvok's tough tactics, but Torres
suggests that Dalby is afraid he can't cut it. The conversation
is abruptly halted, however, when one of the ship's bio-neural
gel packs malfunctions, the second time in days. Torres takes
the pack to Sickbay, and the Doctor notes that the partially
biological component has an infection and must be
"cured" before it spreads to the rest of the ship's
systems.
Tuvok's rigorous training sessions seem to work at a
superficial level, but the Maquis are easily discouraged. Tuvok
confesses to Neelix that he doesn't understand why his
techniques, honed through years of instructing cadets at the
Academy, aren't working. Neelix advises Tuvok to be more
flexible in his approach.
While pondering the Talaxian's advice in the mess hall, Tuvok
wonders if bacterial spores from Neelix's newly made homemade
cheese is being absorbed by the ship's ventilation ducts,
serving as the source of the gel pack's infection. The Doctor
inspects the cheese, and Tuvok's hunch turns out to be correct.
Not long after, Tuvok and his students find themselves
trapped in a cargo bay when another system falls victim to the
virus. When the Voyager crew infuses the gel-packs with a plasma
burst of heat to kill the infection, noxious vapors leak into
the cargo bay where Tuvok and his recruits are stranded. Nearly
overcome by the fumes, Tuvok helps three of the four cadets
escape, then goes back for the incapacitated fourth. As the
toxic gas ultimately overcomes him, his three black sheep
finally band together to become an effective team, forcing open
the door and rescuing both men. Later, Dalby notes that if Tuvok
can break the rules sometimes, then maybe they could learn to
follow protocol under his tutelage after all.
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Cast:
Kate Mulgrew as Kathryn Janeway™
Robert Beltran as Chakotay™
Roxann Biggs-Dawson as B'Elanna Torres™
Robert Duncan McNeill as Tom Paris™
Jennifer Lien as Kes™
Ethan Phillips as Neelix™
Robert Picardo as The Doctor
Tim Russ as Tuvok™
Garrett Wang as Harry Kim™
Guest Cast:
Armand Shultz as Dalby
Derek McGrath as Chell
Kenny Morrison as Geron
Catherine MacNeal as Henley
Thomas Alexander Dekker as Henry
Lindsey Haun as Beatrice
Creative staff:
Director: David Livingston
Written By: Ronald Wilkerson & Jean Louise Matthias
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