Template:Realworld B'Elanna Torres dies in a shuttle accident, and finds herself headed for Gre'thor, the afterlife for dishonored Klingons.
Summary
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B'Elanna Torres goes on a solo away mission in an attempt to retrieve USS Voyager's multispatial probe. As the probe drifts further into an ion storm, Torres tries to follow, but runs into trouble. Torres' shuttlecraft takes heavy damage, and she contacts Voyager. The craft loses helm control, and is venting plasma from the port nacelle. But just in time, the crew assists Torres in landing safely back on Voyager.
Chakotay approaches Torres when she is back in her quarters, and shows her an artifact that was lodged in the port nacelle. The item appears to be Klingon, and quite a few centuries old. After Chakotay leaves, Torres puts the artifact on her table. It begins to bleed and voices of Klingons can be heard. Torres and Ensign Kim analyze the artifact, but can not understand why it did what it did. While analyzing the artifact, Torres is invited to a Klingon party Neelix is throwing.
Torres attends the party, reluctantly, where she reveals to Paris that her mother actually sent her to a Klingon monastery so she could learn "honor." During the party, Klingons arrive and begin killing the crew. Suddenly, Torres finds herself on the Barge of the Dead, where she is branded. She hears the voices of her crewmates from Voyager, but is told not to follow them. There are things there worse than death.
Torres is told it is not her time to be on the barge, but that she has come close several times. Seeing a nearby bat'leth, Torres attempts to escape, but is quickly stopped. Just as another soul appears, Torres awakes in Sickbay. The other soul, though, is Torres' mother Miral.
In sickbay, Paris explains to Torres what really happened: that she was in a coma and almost died. He also reveals that there was no Klingon artifact. While in her quarters, Chakotay comes to check in on Torres. Torres explains to him what she experienced, but Chakotay tells her it's psychosomatic – her brain trying to deal with the trauma of near death. Torres says that her mother has been on her mind and that the experience was very real.
Torres begins to research Klingon myth and finds out that it is her fault her mother is on the Barge of the Dead. She becomes convinced she must accept responsibility for her mother being there and that she must go back. Torres tries to get Janeway's permission to be put back into a coma with the assistance of the Doctor, and after much debate, she's granted permission. With Paris and Janeway by Torres' side, the Doctor proceeds.
Torres finds herself once again on the barge, only now in a Klingon uniform. Torres begins searching for her mother, Miral, finally finding her below decks. Torres tells her she's come to lift her dishonor, but they argue about the past. They even argue about the rescue. Soon, two Klingons bring Miral and Torres above decks. Torres pleads for her mother, even agreeing to die for her, despite Miral's objections. Miral then disappears just as the Barge docks at Gre'thor. In sickbay, Paris, Janeway and the Doctor attempt to bring Torres back, seeing that her synaptic functions are breaking down. But Torres enters Gre'thor, which to her looks like Voyager's sickbay with the Doctor and Neelix as its guides. Torres' Hell is an eternity on Voyager.
The Doctor, Janeway and Paris continue to try to bring her back while Torres is surrounded by her shipmates, who all ridicule her. Miral re-appears and tells Torres that everything she did was meaningless. Torres, no longer knowing what she's supposed to do, askes for guidance. Her mother tells her, again, that this is not her time and she must choose to live. Torres, surrounded by her crewmates and mother, continues to ask what they want from her, swinging a bat'leth around. She finally tosses it into the sea. Miral tells her she's taken her first step and that they will see each other in Sto-Vo-Kor, or when she gets home. Torres re-awakens in Sickbay, where Janeway welcomes her back.
Memorable Quotes
"B'Elanna? Are you alive?"
"You tell me."
- - B'Elanna Torres and Tom Paris
"Remind me to plant a flag on behalf of the Empire."
- - Torres, in regards to Chakotay pointing out the Klingon claim to being the first Alpha Quadrant power in the Delta Quadrant
"Think 'Qapla'!' Think 'Long live the Empire!' "
"Think again."
- - The Doctor and Seven of Nine, discussing Klingon drinking songs
"And if you even think of joining in on this "embrace your heritage" nonsense, I swear I'll rip out your tongue and wear it as a belt."
"Oh no, there's not a lot of Klingon in you!"
"I inherited the forehead and the bad attitude. That's it."
- - Torres and Paris in the mess hall during the Klingon party
"One minute, you're in a coma, the next you're a born-again Klingon? I don't get it!"
- - Tom Paris, to Torres
"You've met Mr. Neelix, our ambassador to the recently deceased. Questions, comments, suggestions, he's your man."
- - The Doctor, to Torres in Voyager/Gre'thor
"Fifteen decks, computers augmented with bio-neural circuitry, top cruising speed of warp 9.975 ... not that you'll be going anywhere."
- - Neelix, describing Voyager/Gre'thor to Torres
"She comes to us with no valor, no glory. Nothing to celebrate in song or story."
- - Captain Janeway, in Torres' hell
"Do you believe in an afterlife?"
"I accept there are things in the universe that can't be scanned with a tricorder."
- - B'Elanna Torres and Chakotay
"What do you want?!"
"Who are you asking?"
"You! Kahless! The tooth fairy! Anybody who will tell me what I am supposed to do!"
- - Torres and Miral
"Tell me what it is that you want from me!"
"We only want you."
- - Torres and Janeway
Background Information
- This is the second of two Voyager episodes written by TNG/DS9 writer Ronald D. Moore and the last Star Trek episode written by him.
- The basic plotline for this episode was originally intended to be seen in DS9: "Soldiers of the Empire". Ronald D. Moore's original idea for the episode was for Worf and the crew of the IKS Rotarran to answer a distress call from a Klingon colony. When they arrive, they find all of the inhabitants missing. Nearby is a lake surrounded in a mysterious fog, and when they approach it, a boatman appears and takes them to the entrance to Gre'thor. Once inside, they meet a friend of Martok's, who wants them to take him with them. And then they meet Worf's father, Mogh. There were a number of reasons that this particular story never made it into production. Firstly, Ira Steven Behr felt that the episode was trying to accomplish too much– showing both the realistic day-to-day operations of a Klingon Bird-of-Prey and a mythic journey to the afterlife. Behr also felt it was too late in the season to do such a philosophical show dealing with life, death and hell. As well as this, the concept proved to be too complex and expensive. After Moore transferred to the Voyager staff following the end of DS9, the basic premise was modified and made to work with Voyager, the end result being this episode. (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine Companion)
- The death of the Klingon gods was first mentioned in DS9: "Homefront" and as part of the Klingon wedding ceremony in DS9: "You Are Cordially Invited".
- Three of the guest stars in this episode appeared on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. John Kenton Shull played K'Temang in "Return to Grace", Karen Austin played Doctor Kalandra in "Nor the Battle to the Strong", and Eric Pierpoint played Captain Sanders in "For the Uniform".
- The Klingon drinking song that The Doctor is trying to teach Seven of Nine in the mess hall is the same song sung by Worf and Huraga in DS9: "The Way of the Warrior".
- Despite playing her mother, Karen Austin is only three years older than Roxann Dawson.
Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 6.2, 3 April 2000.
- As part of the VOY Season 6 DVD collection.
- As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Klingon collection.
Links and References
Guest Stars
- Eric Pierpoint as Kortar
- Sherman Augustus as Hij'Qa
- And
Co-Star
Uncredited Co-Stars
References
afterlife; arresting field; Barge of the Dead; bat'leth; Berlioz; Cavern of Despair; coma; cordrazine; direct neural resequencing; Eleventh Tome of Klavek; Faust; Fek'lhr; gagh; Gre'thor; Kahless; kinesthetic agent; Klingon; Klingon mythology; Knife of Kirom; kos'karii; monkey wrench; Morath; multispatial probe; nacelle; naj; Paq'batlh; petaQ; plasma cooker; pulsar; River Skral; Sarpek the Fearless; Sea of Gatan; spirit realm; Sto-Vo-Kor; submolecular scan; targ; Tooth Fairy; tractor pulse; wolf
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