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| − | + | Trans-dimensional photonic life-forms on an exploratory mission become entangled in a war with the characters from Tom Paris' "Captain Proton" program after mistaking ''Voyager''{{'}}s holodeck for reality. |
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== Summary == |
== Summary == |
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Revision as of 23:43, 12 March 2011
Template:Realworld Trans-dimensional photonic life-forms on an exploratory mission become entangled in a war with the characters from Tom Paris' "Captain Proton" program after mistaking Voyager's holodeck for reality.
Summary
- Note: Please obey copyright policy; do not copy material from other sources without permission.
Tom Paris and Harry Kim are enjoying a chapter of The Adventures of Captain Proton on the holodeck as Proton and Buster Kincaid respectively, trying to save Proton's secretary, Constance Goodheart. Things are going according to the script until a (coloured) subspace distortion appears in the middle of their black-and-white program. Meanwhile, the USS Voyager becomes trapped in a layer of subspace.
Unable to end the program, they leave the holodeck running and exit the holodeck via site-to-site transport. After being trapped on the subspace sandbar for several days, weapons fire is detected on the holodeck. Paris and Tuvok investigate and discover that photonic lifeforms have mistaken the holodeck program for reality and are now at war with Doctor Chaotica. Apparently, these lifeforms are explorers and believe that they are making their First Contact with humans. Unfortunately, Chaotica believed they were aliens of the fifth dimension and killed one of the lifeforms' emissaries. Tuvok and Paris try to explain to the lifeforms that they are in a simulation but the aliens refuse to believe, as their "sensors" can't pick up "biochemical lifeforms", which they think are artificial.
Paris and Tuvok brief the senior staff on what they've found. They decide the only way out is to play along as the characters in Captain Proton. Paris and Kim resume their previous roles. Captain Janeway is enlisted to play Queen Arachnia. Her assignment is to get Doctor Chaotica to lower his lightning shield. With some help from B'Elanna Torres, The Doctor will pose as the President of Earth. In the program, he encounters one of the photonic aliens and convinces them that Captain Proton is an agent of Earth and is not a threat to them, but Doctor Chaotica is. He is able to convince the photonic aliens to leave once Captain Proton defeats Doctor Chaotica.
Janeway, as Queen Arachnia, eventually completes her mission only after agreeing to become Chaotica's bride and unleashing the pheromone on his right hand. Unfortunately, she tries to have him deactivate the shield by force but he imprisons her. But she is able to use the pheromone on his henchmen and disable the men and the Lightning shield. Afterward, Paris, as Captain Proton, destroys Chaotica's death ray. Chaotica is then fatally wounded with the destruction of the death ray. As the others arrive, Chaotica declares that this isn't the last they will see of him.
Once the photonic aliens have left, Voyager is able to continue on its way.
Log Entries
- "Captain's log, supplemental. We've been spinning our wheels for three days now and still no progress in breaking free of the subspace layer."
Memorable Quotes
"Well, he's been attacking the aliens with his death ray."
"It's a shame we don't have one."
- - Paris and Tuvok
"Ah, I see you've kept my pheromones. I didn't realize you were the scent-imental type."
- - Janeway as Queen Arachnia
"Isn't anybody going to sing 'Hail to the Chief'?"
"Mr President! How'd it go?"
"My performance was uninpeachable."
- - The Doctor and Kim
(locating the source of voice) "Satan's Robot!'"
"Naturally."
- - Paris and Tuvok
"HAH! You're no match for Arachnia!"
- - Janeway as Queen Arachnia after harmlessly absorbing a holographic blast from one of Chaotica's goons.
" I don't know how to tell you this..."(shoots Chaotica with ray gun)"but the wedding's off!"
- - Janeway as Queen Arachnia to Dr. Chaotica
"Looks like he burned out a resistor.'"
"A what?
- - Paris and Tuvok, as Paris repairs Satan's Robot
"Intercepted communications between Dr Chaotica and Arachnia. Stop. Chaotica at war with aliens from Fifth Dimension. Stop. Must strike now to disable Death Ray.'"
"Stop."
- - Paris, reading a telegram, and Tuvok
Background Information
- The story was conceived as a way to keep as much action as possible off the bridge, as the Deck 1 sets had suffered smoke and sprinkler damage as a result of a small fire on 2 October 1998. The bridge scenes in the episode were actually shot weeks after the rest of the episode. Robert Picardo jokingly claimed he had started the fire with a lit cigar. Template:Brokenlink
- Kate Mulgrew on playing Queen Arachnia: "That was the greatest fun. That was just wild fun. That was cut loose fun time. I mean those opportunities are few and far between for the captain. And I think everybody said, 'Oh well, let's just let Kate have a ball.' And I did." (Star Trek: Voyager Companion)
- Nicholas Worth previously played Sorm in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "A Simple Investigation".
- The Bride of Chaotica was also a science fiction film referenced in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Cogenitor".
- In the teaser, Harry Kim comments to Paris that the surface of Planet X looks suspiciously like the "Mines of Mercury" they had seen in a previous episode. This is an in-joke reference to the "Planet Hell" set used to depict many different subterranean or "cave" scenes since the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, including this one.
- Chaotica's Death Ray was previously seen as a weapon in the forests of Minos in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Arsenal of Freedom".
- The book Star Trek 101, by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, lists this episode as one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: Voyager.
Video and DVD releases
- UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 5.6, 21 June 1999.
- As part of the VOY Season 5 DVD collection.
Links and references
Starring
Also starring
- Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay
- Roxann Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
- Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Tom Paris
- Ethan Phillips as Neelix
- Robert Picardo as The Doctor
- Tim Russ as Lieutenant Commander Tuvok
- Jeri Ryan as Seven of Nine
- Garrett Wang as Ensign Harry Kim
Guest stars
Co-stars
Uncredited co-stars
- Andrew English as an operations division officer
- Tarik Ergin as
- Mark Hoffman as Lonzak's henchman
- Kirsten Turner as Constance Goodheart
- Unknown performers as
- Lonzak's second henchman
- Second photonic alien
- Voice of the announcer
- Voice of Satan's Robot
References
1930s; The Adventures of Captain Proton; access port; Al-Batani, USS; Army of Evil; biochemical lifeform; Bolians; brain probe; Captain Proton; "Captain Proton Versus the Cosmic Creature"; carbon-based lifeform; cliffhanger; confinement rings; cosmetic surgery; Cradle of Persuasion; crocodile; death ray; Den of Crocodiles; destructo beam; deutronic circuitry; Dungeon of Pain; Earthling; fifth dimension; Fortress of Doom; gravimetric force; "Hail to the Chief"; Hollywood; imagizer; impulse reactor; intruder alert; Kincaid, Buster; lavatory; lightning shield; Mines of Mercury; pain modulator; pheromone; Planet X; President of Earth; protonebula; photonic charge; photonic lifeform; Proton's rocket ship; queen; Queen Arachnia; ray gun; resistor; rocket ship; science fiction; science officer; silk; Sire; sonic shower; space drive; "Spell of the Spider"; Spider People; subspace; subspace sandbar; telegram; Terran
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