The Voyager Conspiracy (episode)

Seven investigates a massive "conspiracy" involving the Federation, the Cardassians, the Caretaker, and numerous other alien races, which indicates that Voyager was deliberately stranded in the Delta Quadrant.

Teaser
Naomi Wildman waits for Seven of Nine in Cargo Bay Two. When Seven arrives, she questions Naomi's presence. Naomi reminds her that it is time for their weekly game of kadis-kot. Seven tells her it is rescheduled for the next day and begins to work. When Naomi asks what she is doing, Seven tells her she is modifying her regeneration alcove to serve as a cortical processing subunit. Naomi is disappointed that she cannot watch, but complies when Seven asks her to leave. Meanwhile, Chakotay and Janeway are dining together in the Captain's quarters, when Chakotay asks if USS Voyager can detour to an interesting Class K nebula twenty-five light years off starboard. Janeway remarks that the decision would be a major course change for a minor nebula, but Chakotay reminds her that they are explorers. Janeway grants the request, then asks Chakotay if he is ready for her home cooking. She remarks that it is a recipe she has never tried, and quips "We are explorers, remember?"

Act One
Seven of Nine completes her regeneration cycle at 0200 and hails Lieutenant Torres, who informs Seven of the time and says that it had better be important. On the bridge, a disgruntled Torres asks Janeway for permission to take the sensor network offline. When Janeway inquires as to the reason, Seven of Nine informs her that she believes a pair of photonic fleas and possibly their offspring have made their home in it. Using her new cortical processing subunit, Seven has assimilated several teraquads of Voyager's database whilst in her alcove, and has constructed a plausible chain of events. An away team from Voyager encountered a Kartelan freighter carrying supplies from a former Talaxian colony. Here Neelix picked up a bucket of amber spice, which contained the larvae of the fleas, and he brought it to the kitchen. At the same time, Ensign Kim was repairing a faulty relay in the mess hall replicator. The newly-hatched fleas left the amber spice and went in search of nutrition, namely plasma particles. The open replicator circuits were a perfect target. Now the photonic fleas have mated and every so often tap into the sensor relays for nourishment. When they do, the sensors momentarily lose their resolution. Tuvok admits that the theory is logical, if far-fetched. Janeway is clearly intrigued - she authorizes the downtime, and accompanies Torres and Seven into a Jefferies tube where they access a sensor node to examine the relays for themselves. Amazingly, several photonic fleas are indeed living in the network. Astonished, Janeway tells Torres to find a new home for them.

Act Two
En route to the nebula, Janeway detects graviton emissions about ten light years away and orders Lieutenant Paris to alter course. Paris reminds the captain that Chakotay had his heart set on the nebula, but Janeway says that he will have to wait. Voyager arrives at an unusual station that no one can readily identify. A power fluctuation causes Janeway to hail a vessel near the station and meets a man named Tash. He tells the crew that if he can't stabilize the power grid, "they will be able to see the explosion back to... where did you say you were from?" Grinning, Janeway replies that she didn't, but that they are from a planet called Earth. Tash remarks that they will be able to see the explosion all the way back to Earth, and then proceeds to tell Janeway what the station really is. He explains that it is a graviton catapult, a device that is capable of catapulting a vessel across space faster than you can say "catapult a vessel across space". Intrigued, Janeway beams Tash aboard and meets with him in her ready room, where Tash tells the crew that he built the catapult to get himself home. He had been exploring an unstable wormhole near his homeworld when he was pulled in by accident, stranding him at least ten years from his home. Kim remarks that Voyager knows the feeling. Tash says that he is going to make his jump if he can fix his station, and then asks Janeway for her help and what she might want in return. The good captain tells him that she isn't asking for anything in return, but Tash catches on and tells her that Voyager could use the catapult after he left. Janeway says that if she can determine that it would be safe for Voyager then she would do just that.

Act Three
Seven of Nine wakes up from her alcove and goes to Janeway's quarters late at night. Once there, she informs Janeway that Tash's graviton catapult uses the same technology the Caretaker used to trap Voyager in the Delta Quadrant five years earlier. Shocked, Janeway asks Seven how she came to this conclusion, to which the ex-Borg replies that she scanned Tash's station and found an epsilon radiation surge emanating from it. Janeway says that it is not unheard of, but Seven retorts that the radiation is a by-product of a tetryon reactor, a device she believes is in the catapult and a device the Caretaker used to capture vessels, including Voyager. Janeway states that the first time she met a Caretaker, she was pulled half way across the galaxy, and the second time she was almost killed. She is not eager for a third round.

Act Four
In engineering, Janeway, Seven, and Torres question Tash about his tetryon reactor and why he hid it from them. Tash informs them that he hid it because there were many species who would try to steal such advanced technology. Janeway believes him and tells him that she sees no reason why their deal can't continue, but does tell him that she will be watching him closely. Pulling Seven away, she tells her that she doesn't truly know if he is telling the truth or not. Seven says that the reactor may be from the Caretaker's array itself, to which Janeway replies that it is a long shot that could be true. However, Seven continues to produce evidence that her statement was fact. Seven of Nine regenerates in her alcove, and wakes up a few hours later looking disturbed. She hails Chakotay and tells him to meet her in astrometrics. Once he arrives, Seven tells the computer to seal the door and turn off all sensors around the room. Amused, Chakotay asks her why she has done this, to which she turns to him and tells him that Voyager's presence in the Delta Quadrant was no accident, but that she was stranded here on purpose. When Chakotay asks her who stranded Voyager there, she replies that it was Captain Janeway. She then proceeds to detail her evidence, suggesting an invasion into the Delta Quadrant by the Federation.

Act Five
Chakotay is talking with Torres about his conversation with Seven. Chakotay tells her to slow down on the shield modifications so that he can have more time to figure everything out. Seven of Nine regenerates in her alcove, and wakes up a few hours later looking disturbed. She hails Janeway this time and tells her to meet her in astrometrics. Once she arrives, Seven tells the computer to seal the door and turn off all sensors around the room. The conversation between Seven and Janeway proceeds similarly to the one between Seven and Chakotay, except Seven now uses the same evidence to accuse Chakotay and the Maquis instead of Janeway and the Federation. Overwhelmed with information and suspicious, Seven walks down the corridor when Naomi finds her. Naomi asks where Seven is going, but Seven tells her it is not her concern. Naomi asks what is wrong, and Seven asks her about her father. She says that the Ktarians were officially with the Federation, but they sympathize with the Maquis. She asks who Naomi is working for, Chakotay or Janeway. Naomi is completely confused, and Seven says to tell them it is too late. Naomi runs, terrified.

Act Six
Janeway and Chakotay meet in the cargo bay and wonder what each is doing. The two end up comparing stories and they realize Seven is acting irrationally. The Doctor determines that Seven has downloaded way more information than even her enhanced systems can handle. Seven then starts suspecting a third conspiracy, that the aim of the last five years was actually to grab a Borg drone, herself, and send her back to the Alpha Quadrant using the catapult. There, Starfleet would study and dissect her in order to retrieve tactical data to fight the Borg. Seven steals the Delta Flyer in order to escape from Voyager. Janeway manages to beam aboard. She tells Seven that there is indeed a conspiracy. Janeway explains to her that the crew "conspired" to help Seven learn how to be human. She also tells Seven that she put in too much information into her brain, which is making her ill and she should return back to the ship for treatment. Seven agrees and the two return to Voyager. Naomi greets Seven in astrometrics, telling her of the books and reports she has recently "assimilated". Seven tells her to go to the mess hall and set up the kadis-kot board. Janeway and Chakotay have coffee and discuss how they actually began to suspect each other when Seven was malfunctioning. Voyager successfully jumps through Tash's station and cuts three years off their journey.

Log entries

 * "Captain's Log, supplemental. After further testing, we activated the catapult and were hurtled across thirty sectors of space. In less than an hour we cut three years off our journey. I'm happy to say the Doctor has repaired Seven of Nine's cortical processor and she's returned to duty."

Memorable Quotes
"Aesthetics are irrelevant."
 * - Seven of Nine

"Can we ask you what it's supposed to do?"

"Catapult a vessel across space in the time it takes to say 'Catapult a vessel across space'."
 * - Commander Chakotay and Tash

"Let's keep this one out of our logs, huh?"
 * - Captain Janeway, to Commander Chakotay

"Are phasers standard equipment on board now?"
 * - Captain Janeway, to Commander Chakotay

"You didn't poison the coffee, did you?"

"Not any more than I usually do."
 * - Commander Chakotay and Captain Janeway

"A secret mission? Starfleet in league with the Caretaker? It's ridiculous!"

"Ridiculous? Seven has some compelling evidence."

"Well then let's go to the captain, get a straight answer."

"Good morning Kathryn. All systems operational, the crew's in good health, and by the way, is it true you've been lying to us for five years?"
 * - B'Elanna Torres and Commander Chakotay

"Warning. Plate is hot."

"Now you tell me. Go for authenticity and what do you get? Second degree burns."
 * - The Computer and Captain Janeway

Background Information

 * This episode states that the time elapsed from is "five years".
 * This is the second time on Voyager that a food Neelix has brought to USS Voyager has caused a problem &mdash; the first time was in.
 * The Artificial Intelligence from the Voyager episode can be seen in a corner of Tash's ship, when he hails Voyager.
 * As Seven of Nine's first regeneration cycle ends, after tying in her alcove to Voyager's library computer to be a cortical processing subunit, we see diagrams of several ships, taken from the Star Trek Encyclopedia, flash by on the display, including: an Academy flight trainer, Jem'Hadar battle cruiser, an starship, a D-7 battle cruiser, a Long range shuttle, the orbital office complex, and a  Starfleet ship.

Continuity
Various evidence is presented as part of the conspiracy, this includes:
 * A Cardassian warship that was taken by the Caretaker in 2371. It was later returned to the Alpha Quadrant where it was destroyed by the Maquis.
 * The destruction of the Caretaker allowed a rip to form in subspace that possibly allowed a tractor beam from a cloaked ship to save the secondary reactor.
 * A number of alliances forged during Voyager's time in the Delta Quadrant with species such as the Borg, the Hirogen, the Terkellian, and the Kolhari.
 * Seska getting pregnant with Chakotay's child, which was in actuality that of First Maje Jal Culluh of the Kazon-Nistrim, in 2372 is used as evidence against him.
 * The captain sending the Doctor to contact Starfleet in 2374 is used as evidence against her.

Video and DVD releases

 * UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, Paramount Home Entertainment): Volume 6.5,
 * As part of the VOY Season 6 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 Ensign 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

 * Albie Selznick as Tash

Co-Stars

 * Scarlett Pomers as Naomi Wildman
 * Majel Barrett as Computer Voice

Uncredited Co-Stars

 * Tarik Ergin as Ayala
 * Laura Stepp as Erin (archive footage)
 * Kirk Baily as Magnus (archive footage)
 * Katelin Petersen as Annika (archive footage)