The Omega Directive (episode)

"The Omega Directive"
VOY, Episode 4x21
Production number: 40840-189
First aired: 15 April 1998
←  88th of 168 produced in VOY  →
←  88th of 168 released in VOY  →
←  514th of 911 released in all  →

Captain Janeway must carry out a top secret Starfleet directive regarding the most powerful substance known to exist, one that threatens interstellar travel throughout the Delta Quadrant, and could end all hope of Voyager ever returning home.

Summary

Teaser

It is another 'day' aboard the USS Voyager. Former Borg drone Seven of Nine, the ship's Chief Astrometrician, wakes up from her 'nightly' regeneration and heads for the mess hall to fetch Operations Manager Ensign Harry Kim. They have a scheduled maintenance of the aft sensor array. She finds Kim playing Kal-toh with Chief Tactical Officer Lieutenant Commander Tuvok. Kim asks her to wait a few minutes, convinced he is about to defeat the Vulcan. Seven does not; games can wait; they have work to do. She takes the piece he is about to place and does it for him, finishing the game and defeating Tuvok in one move. Chagrined, he follows her as she leaves. As they walk along a corridor, he is exasperatedly inquiring if there is anything she does not know how to do, when suddenly the ship is shaken.

The Omega symbol displayed by the locked computer system.

On the bridge, a confused Flight Controller Lt. (J.G.) Thomas Paris reports to First Officer Commander Chakotay that the ship hit some sort of shockwave and the warp drive suddenly cut out. He begins to scan for the source of the wave, but the conn displays, along with all the others, go blank and then show the Greek letter omega. All controls at all consoles become locked, including the command console between the First officer's and Captain's seats. Not even Chakotay's First Officer command codes can unlock any of them. He is about to call Ensign Kim to have him try to figure out what is happening when Captain Janeway steps out from the turbolift and crisply orders him not to do anything. She goes to a console and enters a command code known only by her. This unlocks the consoles, but they remain blank. She orders Paris to hold all-stop and disengage the impulse engines. Warning all the duty officers not to discuss any of this with the rest of the crew, she disappears into her ready room.

Act One

File:JanewayGrim.jpg

A grim Janeway listens to the computer's Omega detection alert.

The moment she enters her ready room, Janeway has the computer lock the doors. She sits at her desktop monitor and, extremely grim-faced and grim-voiced, gives the computer a series of very high level security clearances. The computer accepts them and reports to her that sensors have detected the 'Omega phenomenon' 1.2 light years away from the ship. She is to immediately implement the 'Omega Directive'; all other directives and priorities are null and void, including the Prime Directive. She has the computer show her the sensor data.

In Engineering, Chakotay gives instructions from Janeway to Paris, Seven of Nine, and B'Elanna Torres. He stresses that these instructions, and the mission they are for, are highly classified; need-to-know only. He issues to Torres Janeway’s instructions for her: install multi-phasic shielding around the warp core by 1100 hours. Torres doubts this is possible, but Chakotay tells her the Captain wants it done at any cost. Seven of Nine, knowing that this type of shielding protects against subspace radiation, asks Chakotay if this is what Captain wants to do to for the reactor. He does not know, but, as he said, it is ‘need to know’.

Torres and Paris comment on rumors they have been hearing; rumors that the Captain has been locked in her ready room for the past 16 hours; rumors of something called the 'Omega Directive'. This instantly gets Seven’s full attention. But Chakotay sharply warns against any such talk. He admits to being mystified himself, but stresses the Captain’s adamance about discouragement of any rumors or talk about what is happening. Before he dismisses them, he informs Seven that the Captain wants to see her. Interestingly, she is not surprised.

File:JanewaySevenDiscussOmega.jpg

Janeway and Seven discuss the detection of Omega

Seven enters the Captain's ready room. As soon as the doors close behind her, Janeway immediately gets to the reason she asked for her, without preamble. "How much do you know about Omega?" she demands to know. Seven responds that it is most likely everything Janeway knows. Janeway is not surprised; the Borg have assimilated Starfleet captains, thus Seven, as a former drone, would possess all of their knowledge. Seven confirms this, and asks her if she intends to carry out the 'Omega Directive'. Janeway responds that she indeed does. The directive forbids her from speaking about it or what it concerns to any member of her crew. But, since Seven already knows about it, she intends to either have her help her, or confine her to her Cargo Bay 2. Seven stoutly responds that she then should do the latter; she will not help her destroy Omega, she says; it should be harnessed instead.

She explains that, while she was a drone, the Borg Collective had managed to stabilize a single Omega molecule for one-trillionth of a nanosecond before it destabilized. The experiment allowed them to refine their theories about how to permanently stabilize it. Janeway, however, is unimpressed, and gets her to admit the cost of that experiment: 29 vessels and 600,000 drones. Janeway uses this to emphasize her point: the substance is simply too dangerous; experimenting with it could risk the whole quadrant. Whoever is working with it must be stopped, and she is going to do it, both to satisfy the directive, as the only Starfleet captain in the quadrant, and out of a very healthy fear of what could happen if these experiments go wrong. Seven considers: as a drone, her highest goal, besides 'perfection', which she had shared as part of the collective will of the Borg hive mind, was to see this molecule first-hand. Helping Janeway's implementation of the Omega Directive would allow her to do this. Thus, she changes her decision, much to Janeway's surprise, and agrees to help her, explaining her rationale to her. Janeway orders her to assemble all the data she has on the molecule, to present to her in a report within the hour. Seven acknowledges and leaves.

Act Two

File:JanewayDemandsArithrazine.jpg

"The arithrazine, Doctor."

In the Sickbay, the Doctor, stares incredulously at Janeway in response to an order she has given him to provide her with a certain drug, arithrazine, used for the most severe cases of radiation poisoning. She tells him it is for 'a mission' and says no more. He asks her if she intends to 'stroll through a supernova', and insists that a physician has to be present to supervise its use. If not, then he cannot obey, as that would violate Starfleet medical protocols. Janeway curtly responds that she is overriding those protocols. At this he rolls his eyes. "Don't tell me: the 'Omega Directive'." he responds exaggeratedly. "Whatever that might be."
"The arithrazine, Doctor," she orders in a tone that brooks no refusal, fixing him with a forceful stare. He responds that it will be ready the next 'morning'. As she leaves, he urges her to be careful, whatever it is that is happening. She smiles and says she will.

In Cargo Bay 2, Janeway gets Seven's report. She has analyzed the shockwave; it indicates not one, but hundreds of Omega molecules destabilized within a radius of 10 light years from their current position. Janeway is stunned; this is far, far larger and more dangerous a threat than previously thought. Seven tells her that it requires the resources of the entire crew, not just a shuttle mission with the two of them. Janeway orders her to transfer the data to Astrometrics, where she will work on it.

Lt. Commander Tuvok and Ensign Kim are modifying one of the ship's photon torpedoes, as per Janeway's orders, increasing its explosive yield. Kim comments, amazed, on the level they are raising it to: 50 isotons, enough to destroy a small planet. Tuvok corrects him: it is 54. Kim begins to speculate aloud on what is happening, but Janeway enters, hears him and rebukes him. She modifies her order: they are to increase the yield to 80 isotons, and then Kim is to help Lt. Torres reinforce the hull of the shuttlecraft Janeway intends to use. Kim is now totally unable to keep himself from speculating. After Janeway leaves, he relates to Tuvok the various theories circulating among the crew, such as one that says Species 8472 has opened a singularity from fluidic space to mount another invasion of the galaxy after they were driven back before, and the torpedo is to close it (VOY: "Scorpion"). Another states Janeway has discovered a type-6 protostar and plans to detonate it to open a wormhole back to the Alpha Quadrant; she does not want to get anyone's hope up, hence the secrecy. Tuvok tries to ignore him, but finally admits that he too is curious. But, he orders, they have no time for speculation, and so Kim stops and fully focuses on the work.

File:LetUsHelp.jpg

"Please...let us help you!"

Janeway is in Astrometrics, studying Seven's data, with the doors locked. The chime sounds and she bids the person to enter. It is Chakotay. He reports that everything is proceeding according to schedule. She acknowledges. Then she looks him in the eye and, in a deadly-serious tone, gives him the following instructions: she and Seven are departing in a shuttlecraft at 0600 the next 'day'. If they are successful in what they are leaving to do, they will return in a few days. If not, the long-range sensors will detect a large subspace explosion; he is to immediately have the ship go to maximum warp and leave the area at once. Chakotay does not at all like this. He presses her to tell him what this is about. She responds that she cannot, and tries to end it by telling him he has his orders. But he refuses to let it drop. He makes an impassioned plea: Voyager is alone, with no Starfleet contact. The entire crew is behind her and willing to help her face any threat they encounter. He urges her to let them help, suggesting that classified information could be kept only among the senior staff. "Just don't try to do this alone!" he pleads. Janeway is touched. She relents and orders him to assemble the senior staff.

File:JanewayStaffOmegaBriefing.jpg

Janeway briefs her staff about Omega.

In the briefing room, the senior staff is thunderstruck as Captain Janeway briefs them about Omega and the Omega Directive. She explains that Omega is a molecule. It is the most powerful substance known; a single Omega molecule has the same amount of power as a warp core. It was first synthesized by a Federation scientist named Ketteract in the late 23rd century. It exploded, destroying the entire facility. But something happened that was far worse: the explosion tore up subspace in the region over a radius of several light years. Thus in that area it is impossible to attain warp speed, as warp drive cannot work without subspace from which to create a warp field.

Starfleet Command recognized the unimaginable implications: an explosion of a large enough number of these molecules would annihilate subspace throughout the Federation, or even the entire Alpha Quadrant. If that happened, warp speed anywhere in the quadrant would become impossible, and subspace communication would no longer work. This would mean the utter obliteration of every interstellar civilization in the quadrant; the Federation; the Klingon and Romulan Empires; the Cardassian Union; the Ferengi Alliance; all would be instantly and completely destroyed as their worlds' peoples suddenly found themselves no longer able to cross or communicate over the light years of distance between them. Every single planet in the quadrant would be instantly and permanently isolated, cut off from all others. Those civilizations that did not yet have warp drive would never discover it. The final frontier would become unreachable, forever.

Thus Starfleet Command classified all information about the experiment and the molecules as a military secret of the highest order; only officers with the rank of captain and above would be privy to it. Calling the molecule 'Omega', for the ultimate threat to space-faring civilization it represented, it issued the Omega Directive, a top-secret order instructing that if so much as one Omega molecule is encountered, it was to be destroyed it at any cost, including ignoring any and all other orders and instructions, such as the Prime Directive.

Janeway finishes the briefing to the stunned officers with a warning that none of them, after hearing what she has just said, need to hear: if whoever is experimenting with Omega here causes a large-scale explosion of it, then they, caught in the midst of the subspace destruction, will never be able to attain warp speed again. All hope of ever returning home would be forever lost. They now fully understand the secrecy and urgency, and are in full agreement with her: this person, whomever he or she is, must be stopped, fast.

Act Three

The ship approaches the system where sensor data indicates the Omega explosion originated. In Cargo Bay 2, Janeway finds Seven working on a resonance chamber that will dissolve the inter-atomic bonds of the Omega molecules, destroying them. Janeway starts to help her, but then Chakotay hails her and informs her they are entering the system. She acknowledges and heads for the bridge.

On her arrival, Lt. Paris informs her that the area's subspace has been ripped to shreds; warp speed is impossible. Tuvok and Kim trace the source of the explosion to a small M-class moon, with a pre-warp civilization on it. Janeway orders an on-screen view. A harsh-looking planetoid appears, with a massive bluish cloud over one part of it. Tuvok reports a subnucleonic radiation in the upper atmosphere, coming from a structure on the surface. Janeway orders an on-screen view of the structure.

File:OmegaCraterViewscreen.jpg

The visible results of an Omega explosion.

The horrific image shows the same kind of devastation that occurred at the Starfleet facility that had synthesized Omega. Kim reports the devastation as being over 300,000 km. wide. Janeway orders a scan for Omega. Tuvok finds none, but reports that some areas of the facility are semi-intact and shielded. Janeway inquires about the use of the transporters. Kim affirms that they can work through the subnucleonic cloud, but warns about the high levels of radiation. Janeway orders Tuvok to assemble an away team, inoculated with arithrazine by the Doctor. She will be joining them. She orders Paris to put the ship into high orbit and then come with her and the away team as a field medic. She then gives Chakotay the bridge and heads for the turbolift.

The team beams into one of the facility's semi-intact areas and find it a ruin, as expected. They find the dead bodies of many aliens, but some others are alive, though badly injured. Crewmen rush to their aid, as Tuvok informs Janeway he is picking up Omega's resonant frequency, but cannot locate it. Janeway approaches a wounded alien and asks him what happened to 'the substance you were trying to create'. He weakly responds that there was an accident which caused a loss of containment and resulting explosion. She asks him if any of the substance survived. He points to a large, sealed enclosure he calls the primary test chamber. She orders him beamed up to the ship for treatment, and goes to the chamber. Tuvok reports that the material it is composed of, duritanium, has fused to the door. Janeway orders the use of phasers to cut through it. Tuvok feels that it is his duty to remind her that what they are about to do is a clear breach of the Prime Directive. She matter-of-factly responds that, for the duration of the mission, the Prime Directive is rescinded.

In Cargo Bay 2, Seven of Nine has organized 10 crew members to help her complete the resonance chamber. She has even gone so far as to give them Borg-type designations; 'One of Ten, Two of Ten' etc., assigning each to a specific task to increase efficiency. Ensign Kim, part of the team, greatly resents being referred to in this manner, and complains to Chakotay, but gets no sympathy; Seven has told him the chamber will be ready within the hour; if organizing them as drones is getting the work done efficiently, then more power to her.

Allos, the chief scientist of the aliens experimenting with Omega.

Seven enters the Sickbay and finds the Doctor treating the injured aliens from the facility. She tells him she needs to speak with the senior researcher, who is the one whom Janeway had spoken to. His name is Allos. The Doctor points him out, but insists that he is in no condition to speak to her. The Doctor attempts to prevent her from going to his bio-bed; she stares him down until he relents, but not without asking him first to see if he is up to answering questions. Seven learns from him that they were able to synthesize a staggering 200 million of the molecules, using the molecules’ own resonance frequencies. Synthesizing them was one thing, however; stabilizing them was quite another. Seven muses, however, that she may be able to adapt their technique to do just that. Thinking that she intends to save the molecules, he suggests transferring the remaining ones to the ship. He is bitterly disappointed and angry when Seven flatly tells him her orders are to destroy them. He accuses them of being small-minded, destroying what they do not understand. Rescue ships, he threatens, are on their way and will stop them. He gets so agitated that the Doctor immediately steps in and insists that Seven leave. "You don’t know what you are doing! You don’t know what this means...!" Allos shouts behind her. Seven quietly responds that she understands perfectly.

File:TooDangerous.jpg

Behold, Omega...

In the remains of the facility, Captain Janeway and Tuvok reach the inner chamber containing the molecules. They approach an observation imager and are bathed in piercing, aquamarine light from it. They stare into it, at Omega. Janeway tensely notes that there is enough here to destroy the subspace in half the quadrant. Tuvok suggests returning to Voyager and targeting the facility with a gravimetric charge. Janeway responds that that will not be enough; they will have to use Seven of Nine’s resonance chamber. She orders him to prepare to beam it up to Voyager. He muses that it is a pity they cannot study it more thoroughly before destroying it. But Janeway is not interested: some boundaries, she insists, should not be crossed, and this, with its potential to forever destroy all space-faring civilization, is one.

Seven’s device is completed and stands ready in the cargo bay. Chakotay comes to relay Janeway's orders to her: Omega will be beamed directly into it, and she will begin destroying the molecules. However, in a voice that is, for her, quite excited, she begins to tell him that they do not need to destroy them; using the information she got from Allos, she believes she can stabilize them. But Chakotay, annoyed, tersely cuts her off in mid-sentence. “Those weren’t your orders," he says. "The Captain wants Omega eliminated."

File:SevenPleads.jpg

"Allow me to proceed. Please."

Upset, Seven responds that she has never, in nine months of service aboard Voyager, asked a single favor. She is asking now. "Allow me to proceed. Please." she begs. Chakotay, never having seen her this passionate about anything, is curious to know why this means so much to her. She explains that, as a drone, she, like every one of the trillions of drones that comprise the Borg Collective, was instructed to assimilate Omega, which they call Particle 010, at all costs. It is, they believe, perfection embodied; the molecules exist in a flawless state; infinite parts functioning as one. She has never seen it; but, though she is no longer Borg, she needs to understand that perfection; she will never be complete without it. She compares it to Chakotay's own spirituality; if he had the chance, she asks him, to see his Great Spirit, what would he do? He responds that he would pursue it with all his heart. He does indeed understand, and promises to inform the Captain of her idea. But for now, he stresses, her orders stand. She thanks him, truly grateful.

In the facility, Janeway is overseeing final preparations to transfer the molecules to Voyager, when Chakotay hails her: two ships have been detected, closing fast. It is time to leave. Janeway orders the molecules and away team be beamed aboard at once. Chakotay relays the order to Seven, but the Seven responds that they need to get closer for a better transporter lock; the subnucleonic interference in the atmosphere will not affect the transporter signal enough to hinder the transport of the away team, but the molecules may explode. She recommends getting 5000 km from the surface. This is dangerous, however, as they will have to go in without shields, which would cause them to burn up; but they have no choice. On Chakotay's order, Lt. Paris starts the decent.

Voyager starts going down. Kim locks the transporter onto the team and molecules. As they descend, the atmospheric friction on the hull starts to tell, until, at 9000 km, Kim reports that the ship is beginning to break up. Janeway says they are close enough and orders Kim to commence the transport. It succeeds; the away team is safely brought aboard, and Seven reports the molecules are in the chamber. Paris immediately pulls the ship back up, and they retreat from the moon at maximum impulse.

Act Four

Janeway is back on the bridge. Chakotay reports that they are approaching the limits of the subspace destruction, beyond which is an uninhabited region where they should be able to destroy Omega without condemning any world’s population to never discovering warp drive or bathing them with deadly theta radiation should something go wrong. The ships behind them, however, will reach them before they are clear of the subspace destruction. Janeway is confident that they will not fire, since Voyager has their Omega. Chakotay, however, raises another issue: Seven of Nine. He informs Janeway about her idea on how to stabilize the molecules, as he promised he would. But she is unmoved, and heads for the turbolift to go and deal with the obstinate former drone.

File:GetRidOfOmega.jpg

"I don't care if you can make it sing and dance; we're geting rid of it."

Janeway enters Cargo Bay 2, where Seven reports to her that 11% of the molecules have been neutralized. She then asks if Chakotay spoke to her about her idea. Janeway affirms that he has. Seven expectantly asks if she can proceed. Janeway tells her no. Seven is stunned; the Omega Directive is no longer relevant, she insists; she has found a way to control the molecules. "I don’t care if you can make it sing and dance; we’re getting rid of it," Janeway responds, in a tone that translates into "End of discussion". Angry, Seven retorts that she chose to follow her command structure instead of just going ahead. "I should have made the attempt," she bitterly says. "I still can," she finishes challengingly. Janeway does respond to it; she simply appeals to what Seven is already well-aware of: she is not trying to stop her from finding perfection, but the safety of the quadrant is at stake. Her idea is sound, but, as sure as she is that it will work, she has no guarantee that it will. If it does not, it would be the end of them and doom for the quadrant. Seven gazes at her hard... then relents, knowing Janeway is right. She goes to monitor the molecules at the chamber's imager, while Janeway replaces her at the controls.

But even then, it is evident that it will take hours to destroy all of the molecules. Janeway has no intention of waiting that long, especially with hostile forces coming to engage them. She turns the resonance frequency up to maximum, which would destroy up to half of the molecules almost immediately. A gravimetric charge on the ejected chamber will take care of the rest. She orders Tuvok to ready the charge, and Chakotay to prepare to decompress the bay.

On the bridge, the aliens hail Voyager and angrily demand the returns of the molecules. Chakotay refuses, and they open fire. In the cargo bay, the molecules have been 72 percent destroyed. Janeway decides that that is close enough, and orders Chakotay to begin the decompression sequence.

File:SevenRapt.jpg

Seven sees 'perfection'...

But, as the computer beings counting down until the outer doors open, the device starts beeping. Janeway demands to know what is happening. Seven is gazing into the imager in shock.

The molecules are stabilizing.

Janeway sharply orders Seven to follow her out of the bay before the inner doors seal shut. But the former drone does not hear her. She does not hear the computer counting down. She does not hear anything. All her attention is riveted on the imager, as she watches the molecules' component atoms dance and twirl, until they form a perfect, incalculably complex, molecular lattice structure.

She is viewing 'perfection'.

It is Janeway who, after several seconds of calling her without a response, has to come and take her by the arm and pull her away from the imager. They dash out of the bay ten seconds before the doors seal shut. The outer doors open and the chamber is blown out in a powerful blast, into space.

On the bridge, Chakotay tensely asks if they are clear of the subspace ruptures. Almost, Paris responds. Chakotay orders him to engage warp drive ten seconds after the molecules are detonated, or they will be caught in the ensuing subspace destruction. Tuvok reports that the resonance chamber has been jettisoned. Chakotay orders him to fire. He launches the torpedo at the chamber just as the ship clears the subspace ruptures. The torpedo strikes. A massive explosion ensues. As the shockwave spreads out toward them, shredding the subspace in its wake, Chakotay orders Paris to engage maximum warp. He does. Faster than the eye can blink, the ship surges forward, away from the damage, leaving two very stunned non-warp capable alien crews, who have never seen a ship do anything like that, behind.

Epilogue

It is 'late'. Captain Janeway discovers that someone is running her Leonardo Da Vinci holodeck simulation. Curious, she enters and finds Seven of Nine in Da Vinci's simulated workshop, looking up at a crucifix on the wall. The room is dark, the only light coming from the fireplace and candles. Janeway inquires why she is there. She explains that she is studying the religious elements in the room to try to understand her reaction to what she saw in the resonance chamber’s imager.

File:JanewaySevenSpiritualExperience.jpg

Seven talks about her experience.

"When Omega stabilized," she elaborates softly, a tremble in her voice, "I had a curious sensation: as I was watching it, it seemed to be watching me."

They sit together by the fireplace. Seven explains further that the Borg have assimilated many species with religious explanations for such moments. After her de-assimilation, once she could choose to retain what information she thought important instead of what the collective dispensed to her, she had always dismissed such things as irrelevant. Perhaps, she admits, she was wrong.

Janeway smiles; this is a major experience for the ex-drone. "If I didn’t know better," she tells her, "I'd say you just had your first spiritual experience."

Log Entries

• Daily log, Seven of Nine, stardate 51781.2. Today, Ensign Kim and I will conduct a comprehensive diagnostic of the aft sensor array. I have allocated three hours, twenty minutes for the task and an additional seventeen minutes for Ensign Kim's usual conversational digressions. I am scheduled to take a nutritional supplement at fifteen hundred hours, engage in one hour of cardiovascular activity, then I intend to review a text the Doctor recommended, entitled, "A Christmas Carol." He believes it will have educational value. End log.
• Captain's log, supplemental. Encrypt log entry. We're approaching the star system where we believe we'll find Omega. I have to admit, I have never been this apprehensive about a mission. I know how Einstein must have felt about the atom bomb or Marcus when she developed the Genesis device. They watched helplessly as science took a destructive course, but I have the chance to prevent that from happening. I just hope it's not too late.
• Captain's log, stardate 51793.4. We've arranged for our guests in sickbay to be taken back to their home world, and we can finally put this mission behind us. This will be my last encrypted log concerning the Omega Directive. The classified data files will now be destroyed.

Memorable Quotes

"The Final Frontier has some boundaries that shouldn't be crossed. We're looking at one."

- Captain Janeway

" Your new designation is Two of Ten."
" You demoted me?! Since when did the Borg pull rank?"
" They do not. It is a Starfleet Protocol I have adapted. I find it most useful."

- Seven of Nine and Harry Kim

"When in the Collective... adapt!"

- Commander Chakotay, to Harry Kim

"I won't ask the crew to risk their lives because of my obligation."
" 'My obligation.' That's where you're wrong. Voyager may be alone out here, but you're not. Let us help you."

- Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway

"Your Starfleet directive is no longer relevant; I have found a way to control Omega."
"I don't care if you can make it sing and dance. We're getting rid of it."

- Seven of Nine and Captain Janeway

"For 3.2 seconds, I ... saw perfection."

- Seven of Nine to Captain Janeway

Background Information

• Seven of Nine probably meant to record the stardate in her log entry as 51781.2, but she says 15781.2.
• This is the only time Janeway, or any other captain, officially rescinds the Prime Directive. In the apocryphal novel Cloak, Starfleet is described as classifying the secret Omega Directive as General Order 0, thereby placed before the first General Order.
• Janeway's log entries are encrypted throughout this episode.
• The reason why Torres was not at the Omega briefing was due to Roxann Dawson going into labor during the shooting of the episode.
• Jeff Austin previously played a Bolian security officer in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "The Adversary".
• Brannon Braga said regarding this episode "It's not about science and the hackneyed concept of whether or not we should cross the line and explore what should not be explored. It is about, in the end, religion. Seven of Nine, we reveal, has an interest in Omega that borders on religious obsession. To her, Omega represents "Perfection". And in this way, we explore themes of religion in an unexpected way." [1]
• Omega particles first featured in this episode are reported to play a major role in the upcoming new animated Trek series.
• The Omega Directive is mentioned by Captain James T. Kirk in the 2006 video game Star Trek: Legacy after a devastating attack spreads thousands of omega particles into a star system. Kirk asked Starfleet to develop the directive.
• In an example of Voyager-series continuity, Harry Kim is seen playing kal-toh, after Tuvok offered to teach him the game during "Alter Ego".
• In one of her log entries, Janeway references Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan when she makes mention of Dr. Carol Marcus and the Genesis Device.

Video and DVD releases

• UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 4.11, catalogue number VHR 4632, 2 November 1998.
• As part of the VOY Season 4 DVD collection.
• As part of the Star Trek: Fan Collective - Captain's Log collection.

Links and References

Guest Stars

• Jeff Austin as Allos
• Kevin McCorkle as Alien Captain
• Tarik Ergin as Ayala (uncredited)

References

arithrazine; atom bomb; Borg; Borg philosophy; boronite ore; cosmologist; Dell; Delta Quadrant; duritanium; Einstein, Albert; field medic; flag officer; fluidic space; Genesis Device; gravimetric charge; gravimetric torpedo; ground zero; harmonic resonance chamber; Hickman; Holy Grail; isoton; isolinear processor; Jesus Christ; Kelvin; Lantaru sector; Lantaru sector research station; Marcus, Carol; Omega Directive; Omega molecule; Omega one; pattern enhancer; phase modulator; Species 262; Species 263; Species 8472; subspace; terahertz; type-6 protostar; Vulcan; warp drive; Wildman, Samantha

Previous episode: "Vis à Vis"

Star Trek: Voyager Season 4

Next episode: "Unforgettable"