Synopsis:
Neelix faces certain death when an alien race stricken by
a devastating plague "harvests" his lungs.
During an Away Team survey of a planetoid that seems to be
rich in raw dilithium, Neelix is attacked and left for dead. The
other members of the team find him and beam him up to Sickbay,
where the Doctor reports that the Talaxian's lungs have been
removed. With no other alternatives, the Doctor fits Neelix with
a set of holographic lungs. They'll keep him alive, but require
him to remain confined in an isotropic restraint in Sickbay for
the rest of his life.
Janeway leads an Away Team back to the planetoid, where they
discover a medical lab filled with harvested organs.
Unfortunately, Neelix's lungs are not among them. Minutes later,
an alien ship speeds away from the planet, with Voyager hot in
pursuit.
In Sickbay, a despondent Neelix is having difficulty
adjusting to his situation, but he urges Kes to still go on with
her life regardless. Voyager's Emergency Medical Hologram, still
serving as the starship's only doctor, admits to Kes that he's
having difficulty adjusting to the demands of being a full-time
physician. Kes' intelligent, soothing advice makes the Doctor
think that the Ocampan might make a good medical assistant.
When confronted, the aliens admit that they stole Neelix's
lungs, but defend their actions by recounting the battle that
their species -- the Vidiians -- have fought for years against
the "Phage," a gruesome disease that destroys their
genetic codes and cellular structure. Unable to defeat the
Phage, they have learned to survive by scavenging organs from
healthier species to replace their own diseased tissues.
Unfortunately, Neelix's lungs have already been transplanted
into one of the Vidiian's bodies. Unwilling to sentence the
Vidiian to death to regain Neelix's chance for life, Janeway
reluctantly releases the scavengers.
Grateful to the Captain for sparing them, the Vidiians offer
to help Neelix with their superior medical technology. With
their assistance, Kes is able to donate one of her lungs to
Neelix, allowing him to live a normal life. After the successful
procedure, the Doctor tells Kes that Janeway has granted
permission for the Ocampan to begin training as a medical
assistant.
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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:
Martha Hackett as Seska
Cully Fredericksen as Alien #1
Stephen Rappaport as Alien #2
Creative staff:
Director: Winrich Kolbe
Story By: Timothy De Haas
Teleplay By: Skye Dent and Brannon Braga
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