Homestead (Star Trek: Voyager)

Last updated
"Homestead"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 7
Episode 23
Directed by LeVar Burton
Written by Raf Green
Featured music David Bell
Production code269
Original air dateMay 9, 2001 (2001-05-09)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
← Previous
"Natural Law"		Next →
"Renaissance Man"
Star Trek: Voyager season 7
List of episodes

"Homestead" is the 169th episode of Star Trek: Voyager and the 23rd episode of the seventh season. One of the final episodes of the series, it marks the departure of Neelix from the crew of the Starship Voyager.

Contents

The episode was directed by LeVar Burton and aired 9 May 2001 on UPN.

Director

This episode was directed by LeVar Burton, who directed several other episodes in this television series. Burton played Geordi La Forge, first appearing in the series Star Trek: The Next Generation and reprising that role in the episode "Timeless", which he also directed. [1] Overall Burton would direct eight episodes of this series. [2]

Plot

Voyager is holding a party to celebrate "First Contact Day", the day Earth was first openly contacted by an alien civilization (the Vulcans). Included in the celebration is an ancient jukebox playing the favorite music of warp drive pioneer Zefram Cochrane along with his favorite food (cheese pierogi). It has been 315 years since then, thus making this day April 5, 2378.

During the party, the crew of Voyager is surprised to detect a Talaxian settlement hidden within an asteroid belt which is thousands of light-years away from the nearest Talaxian territory.

A curious Neelix travels toward the Talaxians' asteroid along with Paris and Tuvok aboard the Delta Flyer , but they are shot down and crash before they can make contact. A company of miners claims the asteroid belt, and they are hostile toward any intruders into their territory.

The Talaxians rescue the Voyager crew, and Dexa, a widowed mother, takes a liking to Neelix. The feeling becomes mutual as the two get to know each other. He learns that Dexa's people emigrated to the asteroid and constructed a small city by dismantling all but one of the very spacecraft that brought them there. The miners have been pressuring the Talaxians to leave the asteroid which they would like to take for its minerals.

Having been repeatedly driven from one planet to another, the Talaxians would prefer to stay and make the asteroid their permanent home but have no way to defend themselves against the miners' cooperative and no means for leaving if they wanted to. Neelix asks Tuvok to help the Talaxians but Tuvok declines because of the Federation's Prime Directive of noninterference; however, Tuvok remarks that Neelix could help the Talaxians himself as he is the most resourceful person Tuvok knows of. Neelix being the resourceful person he is, begins to devise a plan for the colony to defend themselves. Using the miners' existing shield technology, they plan to erect a defensive shield around the asteroid. They must act quickly as not to arouse suspicion. Neelix coordinates the shield placements by using his old shuttle which Voyager has had docked away. Neelix deflects bomb attacks from the miners, loses weapon control and attempts to ram the last mine. The Delta Flyer springs to aid Neelix and helps destroy the bomb. Together they fend off the miners' attacks.

After the miners retreat, Neelix returns to Voyager. He is distressed that he must leave Dexa and her son, Brax, and his fellow Talaxians on the asteroid. After a bit of soul-searching, he decides that Voyager will be all right without him, and he joins the Talaxians on the asteroid. Voyager continues toward home, and Captain Janeway bestows on Neelix the title of Official Starfleet Ambassador to the Delta Quadrant.

The crew honor Neelix with a ceremony to mark his departure. The crew lines up in the corridors from the turbo lift to the shuttle bay. Tuvok surprises Neelix by doing a small dance step, something the Talaxian had unsuccessfully tried to convince him to do earlier. Neelix, touched by the final gesture, leaves Voyager.

Reception

In 2015, SyFy ranked the departure of Neelix in this episode as one of the top ten best moments of Star Trek: Voyager. [3] They note how this marked the "beginning of the end" of the show's run. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tom Paris</span> Fictional character from Star Trek

Lieutenant Thomas Eugene "Tom" Paris is a fictional character in the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager and is portrayed by Robert Duncan McNeill. Paris is the chief helmsman, as well as a temporary auxiliary medic, of the USS Voyager, a Starfleet ship that was stranded in the Delta Quadrant by an alien entity known as the Caretaker.

Star Trek: Voyager is an American science fiction series created by Rick Berman, Michael Piller and Jeri Taylor. It aired from January 16, 1995, to May 23, 2001, on UPN, with 172 episodes over seven seasons. The fifth series in the Star Trek franchise, it served as the fourth after Star Trek: The Original Series. Set in the 24th century, when Earth is part of a United Federation of Planets, it follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager as it attempts to return home to the Alpha Quadrant after being stranded in the Delta Quadrant on the far side of the galaxy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tuvok</span> Fictional character in Star Trek: Voyager

Tuvok is a fictional character in the Star Trek media franchise and a main character in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. Tuvok is a Vulcan who serves as the ship's second officer, Chief of Security, and Chief Tactical Officer. He was portrayed by Tim Russ throughout the show's run from 1995 to 2001, as well as in subsequent portrayals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Neelix</span> Fictional character in Star Trek: Voyager

Neelix is a character in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, played by actor Ethan Phillips since the series' inception. Neelix is an alien native to the far side of the galaxy, who joins the crew of the United Federation of Planets starship USS Voyager after it is captured and flung to the Delta Quadrant by a mysterious shockwave. He serves as a cook, morale officer, and eventual ambassador for the crew.

"Tuvix" is the 40th episode of the science fiction television program Star Trek: Voyager. The episode originally aired on May 6, 1996, and tells the story of Tuvok and Neelix being merged into a unique third character named Tuvix.

"Investigations" is the 36th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager which aired on the UPN network. It is the 20th episode of the second season.

"The Raven" is the 74th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the sixth episode of the fourth season. The episode was directed by LeVar Burton, and was broadcast on UPN in October 1997.

"Dragon's Teeth" is the 127th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network. It is the seventh episode of the sixth season.

Basics (<i>Star Trek: Voyager</i>) 26th episode of the second season and 1st episode of the third season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Basics" comprises the 42nd and 43rd episodes of the science fiction television Star Trek: Voyager, the cliffhanger between the second season and the third season.

"Workforce" is a two-part episode from the seventh and final season of the TV series Star Trek: Voyager. Part one was directed by Allan Kroeker, and part two by Roxann Dawson. The crew of the USS Voyager finds themselves working on a planet, but troubling memories are resurfacing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Live Fast and Prosper</span> 21st episode of the 6th season of Star Trek: Voyager

"Live Fast and Prosper" is the 141st episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 21st episode of the sixth season. In the 24th-century science fiction universe of Star Trek, the crew of the USS Voyager must contend with identity thieves in the Delta Quadrant.

"Warlord" is the 52nd episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the tenth episode of the third season. This is a science fiction television episode, part of the Star Trek franchise, that aired on UPN on November 20, 1996. This is the story of USS Voyager, a Federation starship stranded in the Delta Quadrant with a motley crew of Star Trek aliens, Maquis, and Starfleet. In this chapter the crew encounters the Ilari aliens, which commandeer Kes's body during political struggles on their homeworld. The crew works with factions of the aliens as Kes struggles to maintain control of her mind.

"Fair Trade" is the 55th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 13th episode of the third season. This is a science fiction television show, and in this episode it focuses on the character Neelix. The Federation starship USS Voyager has reached a trade outpost station at the edge of a new region of space. Neelix, a Delta quadrant native that has been working as a guide and liaison for the spaceship, is concerned he has outlived his usefulness aboard the ship because the new region is as far as he has traveled. James Nardini guest stars as the character Wixiban.

"Rise" is the 61st episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 19th episode of the third season. The episode debuted on February 26, 1997 on UPN. This episode focuses on the characters Neelix and Tuvok on an away mission. It was written by Brannon Braga from a story by Jimmy Diggs, and directed by Robert Scheerer.

"Once Upon a Time" is the 99th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the fifth episode of the fifth season.

"Riddles" is the 126th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the sixth episode of the sixth season. Roxann Dawson makes her directorial debut. The episode follows a crewmember of a spaceship in the 24th century who has his mind attacked by aliens; upon his return, his shipmates try to help him recover. Set in the Star Trek universe, the episode takes advantage of previously established lore about Vulcans, to explore emotions, recovery, and friendship.

"Tsunkatse" is the fifteenth episode of the sixth season of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they were stranded in the Delta Quadrant far from the rest of the Federation.

"Nightingale" is the 154th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the eighth episode of the seventh season. This science fiction television show tells the story of the USS Voyager, a 24th century Starfleet vessel stranded on the wrong side of the galaxy. Even with their faster-than-light warp drive, it will take several decades to get back.

References

  1. ↑ Ruditis, Paul (2003). Star Trek Voyager Companion. Simon and Schuster. ISBN   9780743417518.
  2. ↑ "Star Trek: Every Actor Who Also Directed Episodes Or Movies". ScreenRant. 2021-04-09. Retrieved 2021-05-17.
  3. 1 2 Granshaw, Lisa (2015-01-16). "Remembering Star Trek: Voyager: 10 standout moments from the series". SYFY WIRE. Archived from the original on 2021-05-09. Retrieved 2019-07-11.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.