Synopsis:
An alien leader has the technology that could send the
crew 40,000 light years closer to home -- but refuses to share
it with them.
The crew beams aboard Gath Labin, a representative from
Sikaris, a planet known for its outstanding hospitality. Gath
invites the weary travelers to take a break from their duties on
his homeworld. Knowing shore leave would do the crew good,
Janeway orders Voyager to follow Gath back to Sikaris, where
residents welcome them with open arms.
The Sikarians love to hear stories of other places and
travels from visitors, and following Gath and Janeway's lead,
the groups begin mixing. Kim is soon telling the Voyager story
to a young woman named Eudana, who suggests they go somewhere
else to be alone. Little does he realize she means a planet more
than 40,000 light years away, thanks to the Sikarians' spatial
trajector -- technology which can "fold" space to
allow long-distance travel in an instant.
The Voyager crew are overjoyed, but then learn the Sikarians
have their own prime directive which prevents them from sharing
their technology with less advanced races. One Sikarian, Jaret
Otel, offers Kim the technology in exchange for more Voyager
"stories." But Janeway feels it's unethical to accept
the technology from anyone other than Gath, the Sikarian leader.
She decides to ask him to send Voyager as far as he can in
exchange for the "stories." He refuses but invites
Janeway and the crew to stay on his planet instead. The meeting
ends on a sour note, and Janeway realizes they are no longer
welcome.
After that, B'Elanna, Carey and Seska conspire to ignore
Janeway's orders and take Jaret's offer -- and are shocked when
Tuvok shows up to make the exchange and sacrifice his career if
caught. The gamble is for naught when they find the trajector is
incompatible with Federation technology. Janeway finds herself
reprimanding not only her new hot-headed Engineer but her old
and logical friend Tuvok. The Vulcan explains he sacrificed his
own career so the crew could get home without Janeway
compromising her ethics, but she rejects that "logic"
and asks her confidant to never let her down again.
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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
Josh Clark as Carey
Andrew Hill Newman as Jaret
Ronald Guttman as Gath
Yvonne Suhor as Eudana
Creative staff:
Director: Les Landau
Story By: David R. George III & Eric Stillwell and
Michael Perricone & Greg Elliot
Teleplay By: Michael Perricone & Greg Elliot and Jeri
Taylor
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