Workforce, Part II (episode)

Quarren forces close in as Chakotay and the others try to rescue the crew.

Summary

 * This is part 2 of a two part episode. For Part I, see .

Teaser
Chakotay damages the power grid in his attempt to escape, thus diverting the attention of the pursuing guards, and appears to jump off the edge of a building after disabling the force field. However, he manages to ambush the guards, grabbing a weapon and getting rid of them all.

Meanwhile, Voyager is under attack by two Quarren ships, with the ECH and Harry Kim in joint command. They manage to disable two pursuing ships by using a photonic shock wave, by firing a photon torpedo then detonating it with a phaser beam when it is in between the two ships. Harry Kim says that they should go back and get Chakotay, but just as he does, The Doctor detects five more incoming enemy ships. The Doctor decides the best course of action is retreat, and Harry Kim agrees.

Chakotay escapes, and arrives at a local establishment where he meets with Kathryn Janeway. She apologizes to him about her friend, Jaffen, being so rude before, but she still doesn't recognize him as 'Voyager's first officer' Chakotay. She is celebrating moving in with Jaffen. Janeway offers to let him share in the celebration with them, but Chakotay declines. He looks shocked at the news but his shoulder wound is more distracting.

Act One
Yerid and an officer appear and begin looking for Chakotay. They ask Tom Paris, who works at the bar, about the disappearance of two people, B'Elanna Torres and Neelix. Paris is concerned for Torres, barely remembers Neelix, and is about to point out Chakotay, when Chakotay leaves.


 * "ECH log, Stardate 54622.4. I've found an ingenious place to hide while we make repairs - a moon with a para-magnetic core that masks our energy signature. I've turned my attention to Lieutenant Torres, whose treatment will also require ingenuity."

According to his scans, the memory centers of Torres' brain have been radically altered. It was very selective manipulation of memory engrams. The damage could be repaired, but it will take some time.

Meanwhile, Tuvok is being examined by two Quarren doctors, Ravoc and Kadan. They are trying to "diagnose" Tuvok, whose condition of claiming not who he should be perplexes Ravoc. Kadan explains his research into Dysphoria Syndrome, a rare condition. He has been treated for it before, through engramatic resequencing, but since this syndrome is so insidious, it must be done again. Ravoc has doubts, but Kadan convinces him it is the right thing to do.

Seven of Nine reports to the supervisor's office shortly after that. She asks about Tuvok - by employee number, #8583 - and says some of the workers are concerned that his disease may be contagious. The supervisor tells her to say everything is fine. Yerid then appears, and asks them about Neelix and B'Elanna Torres. Seven of Nine says they didn't report for work today. He also asks about Chakotay (employee #9363), and they pull his file.

Meanwhile, Janeway is moving in with Jaffen. He asks why she has so many things after just a three weeks, to which she replies that she likes to collect things. Jaffen asks what she could possibly want with a spent Plasma relay, to which Janeway replies that she thinks spent plasma relays are a work of art. When she goes back to her apartment to get the rest of her things, she discovers a piece of cloth with blood on it. She activates the lights, and finds Chakotay is waiting for her, collapsed against the wall, wounded, holding a weapon.

Act Two
Janeway demands to know what he wants. He turns off the lights, and tries to persuade her that she and many others were brainwashed. He eventually convinces her that innocent people will suffer if he is turned in and she offers to fix his wounds.

In the meantime, Neelix shows Torres her old quarters. When she sees items reminding her of her marriage to Paris, her memory slowly begins to return.

Janeway goes to the plant to borrow something to heal Chakotay's cut. Seven of Nine catches her, and reminds her that is against regulations. When Janeway says that Jaffen cut himself and he's too stubborn to go to the hospital, she allows it. Seven goes and looks up Tuvok in the computer, bypassing security, and finds data lacking on his species. She also finds that he has been accessing files for the entire crew.

Janeway heals Chakotay's wounds, and Chakotay tries to persuade her that she isn't happy with her job. Kim contacts Chakotay to make sure he is safe. Chakotay tells him that he has found many members of the crew and that he is sitting with Captain Janeway. When she is about to call security, he regenerates his face to remove his disguise to try to prove that they know each other.

Act Three
Janeway tells Jaffen about Chakotay and USS Voyager, but he doesn't believe her. Jaffen convinces her to call security, and security officers burst into Janeway's apartment.

When he is being questioned, and examined in a hospital, three security officers tell the doctor to transfer him to the neuropathology division, since he is mentally ill. Yerid protests, but since the order is signed by his superiors, he is forced to let them take him. On his way out of the room, Chakotay tells the Quarren investigator everything he can.

On Voyager, Neelix cooks Torres her favorite breakfast, pancakes and syrup, and she reads Paris' personal logs, amazed at how much he loves her, and wondering if he ever will again. The Doctor and Harry Kim, meanwhile, after finding a way to evade Quarren patrol ships' sensors, argue about whether The Doctor will return to being the Emergency Medical Hologram. That's when they receive a transmission from Chakotay, saying they should go into orbit at an exact location, since he is ready to shut down the shield grid. Unknown to the Voyager crew, Chakotay was speaking on behalf of Kadan so they can assault Voyager.

Ravoc asks Kadan about whether or not this disease is spreading; after all, two workers in two days have come in with it. Kadan says he has already talked to the supervisor of the plant, and measures have been taken.

Seven of Nine brings several of the discrepancies she has discovered to Yerid: Why were all 138 of these aliens processed through Division Six, and how were they all hired on the same day? Unfortunately, he can't do anything; the Director of Investigations relieved him of duty that morning. Seven of Nine decides she will go to the hospital to help with Yerid's investigation, since Yerid's presence would arouse suspicion.

Act Four
Seven of Nine goes to see Ravoc at the hospital, and says she has been having disturbing thoughts. When he looks up her record, he notes that she has been treated for Dysporia Syndrome. Ravoc says that she came to the right place, since they have one of the foremost experts on the disease here, referring to Kadan. With some badgering, she gets Ravoc to fetch Kadan. While he is gone, she starts going through the hospital database.

Meanwhile, at Jarren's residence, Yerid asks him and Janeway a few questions. He asks Janeway if she knew Chakotay. While she initially says no, he points out details about him that show she is lying, so she tells the truth. Jarren fails to brush the whole thing off, and Yerid has her tell him everything Chakotay said.

Kadan is furious once he learns that Ravoc didn't stop Seven when she walked out. Ravoc says she was a voluntary patient, so there was no reason to stop her. They find she accessed 64 secret files, all of the cases of Dysporia Syndrome admitted on the same day. Ravoc says Kadan never mentioned it. Ravoc continues to ask questions, and finally begins to put together a picture of selective diagnoses. Kadan admits what he is doing and Ravoc can't believe it, threatening to report him. However, Kadan points out there isn't anyone for him to be reported to.

When security next asks Tom Paris about Seven of Nine, he lies about knowing her. After they leave, Seven, Jaffen, Janeway, and Yerid all meet. With Seven's evidence, Janeway begins to believe that something is going on. She remembers that Chakotay had proof of her identity about a ship called Voyager, and they could be contacted with a triaxilating frequency on a covariant subspace band. They plan to get into the Quarren power plant and use the subspace transceiver in there, while Yerid and Seven go to the hospital.

Seven of Nine and Yerid successfully break in and confront Kadan. Meanwhile, Janeway, Paris and Jaffen have similar luck. Voyager enters orbit just as their message gets through. Janeway talks to them, and sees Torres, much to her surprise. Since this is enough proof, she agrees to help them with their plan to beam out all of those abducted. However, three ships attack Voyager in orbit, and cut off their transmissions.

Act Five
Security forces attack Janeway and Jaffen. Since they can't get to the power grid, she makes the computer think the core is going to overload, automatically shutting down main power. Back on Voyager, the crew figure out they have been lured into a trap. Thanks to a bit of Ensign Kim's ingenuity (he ejects three escape pods and puts a dampening field around the briefing room to mask their life signs), they damage the three ships once again. When the shield grid fails, all members of Voyager's crew are beamed off of the planet.


 * "ECH log, supplemental. All the crew have been transported back to Voyager, and thanks to my experience with Lieutenant Torres, their treatment is proceeding rapidly. While they're recovering, I still have a few command duties left to perform."

The Quarren ambassador says the whole thing has been a conspiracy, and that the thousands of workers who were once patients of Dr. Kadan will be repatriated.

Torres and Paris make up, and Jaffen says goodbye to Captain Janeway.

Some time later, Janeway enters the bridge and tells Chakotay that while her memories may not have been real, Quarren did really feel like home. If he hadn't come to rescue them, she never would have known the difference.

Memorable quotes
"I'm not here to hurt anyone. You have to trust me."

"You're pointing a weapon at me."
 * - Chakotay and a brainwashed Janeway

"I wondered why he was so protective of me."
 * - Torres, describing how Tom Paris always looked out for her on Quarra when they were both brainwashed

"You seem happy here."

"I've got a good job."
 * - Chakotay and Janeway

"Have you located anyone else from the crew?"

"As a matter of fact, I'm sitting with Captain Janeway right now."
 * - Harry Kim and Chakotay

"We're the same race!"

"We're more than that. We're friends."
 * - Janeway, after Chakotay removes his alien disguise, showing her who he really is

"Ow! What was that for?"

"Flirting with your customers."

"I was the victim of mind control."

"Mm-hmm."
 * - Tom Paris when B'Elanna Torres punches him in the arm after their memories had been restored

"If you hadn't come after me, I never would have known that I had another life."

"Are you sorry I showed up?"

"Not for a second."
 * - Janeway and Chakotay, as Voyager prepares to depart Quarra

Background

 * This episode was the second of two Star Trek: Voyager installments (the other being Season 6's ) that were directed by Roxann Dawson, who usually played B'Elanna Torres in the series. She found that being assigned, by Rick Berman, to direct this episode was a memorable moment. "I remember when he handed me my second episode, because he said something I'll never forget," Dawson revealed. "We were at some function and I was very curious as to whether he thought I did a good job on my first one and was ever going to give me another chance. He came up to me and said, 'So, I'm going to give you another opportunity to fail' [....] I think it was sort of a compliment, but I think he was giving me another opportunity and saying, 'There's nothing guaranteed. You did OK on this one, but you could fail on the next one.' So I think it was a 'Don't get too full of yourself' kind of thing."
 * The bat'leth seen mounted on the wall of Torres' quarters while Neelix is giving her a tour of the ship in Part II is a standard model, and not the black, angular version she received as a gift from the Klingons in.
 * Seven's flashback of the Borg cube is a reuse of a shot from.
 * The photo the Quarren computer identifies as Kashimuro Nozawa is of a woman instead of the recurring character played by John Tampoya.
 * The Quarren patrol ships are a reuse of the Breen warship model.
 * The toy ships hanging on the baby mobile in Torres' quarters look suspiciously similar to Star Trek Hallmark Christmas ornaments.
 * Jay Harrington's costume lot from this episode was sold off on the It's A Wrap! sale and auction on eBay.
 * The final line of the episode is Paris calling Janeway "sir," in spite of her contravention of Starfleet protocol expressed in the pilot episode.

Video and DVD releases

 * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 7.9,
 * As part of the VOY Season 7 DVD collection

Starring

 * Kate Mulgrew as Captain Kathryn Janeway

Also starring

 * Robert Beltran as Commander Chakotay
 * Roxann Dawson as Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres
 * Robert Duncan McNeill as Lieutenant Junior Grade 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

 * James Read as Jaffen
 * Don Most as Kadan
 * John Aniston as Quarren ambassador
 * Tom Virtue as Supervisor
 * Robert Joy as Yerid

Co-stars

 * Jay Harrington as Ravoc
 * Michael Behrens as Coyote
 * Joseph Will as Security Officer #3
 * Matt Williamson as Security Officer #2
 * Damara Reilly as an alien surgeon
 * Majel Barrett as the narrator

Uncredited co-stars

 * David Keith Anderson as Ashmore
 * John Austin as a Starfleet officer
 * Tarik Ergin as Ayala
 * Joyce Lasley as Crewman Lydia Anderson
 * James Pearson as an alien
 * Katie Rowe as Benkaran supervisor
 * Brian Simpson
 * Unknown actress as Golwat