Investigations (Star Trek: Voyager)

Last updated

"Investigations"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 20
Directed by Les Landau
Story by
Teleplay by Jeri Taylor
Featured music Jay Chattaway
Cinematography by Marvin V. Rush
Production code135
Original air dateMarch 13, 1996 (1996-03-13)
Guest appearances
Episode chronology
 Previous
"Lifesigns"
Next 
"Deadlock"
Star Trek: Voyager season 2
List of episodes

"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.

Contents

Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Federation starship Voyager during its journey home to Earth, having been stranded tens of thousands of light-years away. The episode centers around the character Neelix, who while investigating for a report shared on his new daily broadcast to the crew, stumbles upon a traitor who is sending coded messages to the Kazon. A comic subplot involves the Doctor's attempts at getting his medical segments included in Neelix's daily broadcast.

The episode aired on UPN on March 13, 1996. [1]

Plot

Morale Officer Neelix starts a ship-wide information broadcast aboard Voyager as an attempt to raise crew-morale. However, his initial reports are somewhat downbeat as he shares the news that helmsman Tom Paris (whose conduct has become increasingly erratic through several preceding episodes) is to leave the ship permanently to join a Talaxian convoy.

It emerges that someone on board Voyager has been sending information to an enemy-race, the Kazon. After Seska and the Kazon abduct Tom Paris from the Talaxian ship, Neelix suggests on his broadcast that it was Paris who had betrayed them all. Captain Janeway privately reveals to Neelix that Paris's insubordination, departure and joining the Kazon was all part of an act to flush out a suspected traitor on board. Commander Chakotay had not been told as it was suspected that the traitor was from the Maquis, a deception that he indicates he is very disappointed by. She asks Neelix to use his new journalistic role to investigate.

Neelix eventually discovers that the real traitor is Michael Jonas, a Maquis engineer. Jonas locks down Engineering, injures Neelix, and attempts to draw Voyager into a trap laid by Kazon forces. Neelix recovers and attacks Jonas, who falls over a second-floor railing and is disintegrated by plasma leakage below. Tom Paris returns after damaging the Kazon ship and stealing a shuttle. He explains and apologizes to the crew for his recent behavior, revealing that it was a ruse that he and the captain had planned to infiltrate the Kazon and flush out the intruder many weeks ago.

Abdullah of Jordan cameo

The then-Prince, now-King Abdullah II of Jordan, a fan of the show, appears as a non-speaking character. [2] He is glimpsed in the first few minutes - in the cold opening (teaser) - playing an unnamed science officer standing before Ensign Harry Kim during the apparent tail-end of a conversation just before Neelix arrives to speak with Kim.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Chakotay</span> Character from Star Trek: Voyager

Chakotay is a fictional character who appears in each of the seven seasons of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. Portrayed by Robert Beltran, he was First Officer aboard the Starfleet starship USS Voyager, and later promoted to Captain in command of the USS Protostar in Star Trek: Prodigy. The character was suggested at an early stage of the development of the series. He is the first Native American main character in the Star Trek franchise. This was a deliberate move by the producers of the series, who sought to provide an inspiration as with Uhura in Star Trek: The Original Series for African Americans. To develop the character, the producers sought the assistance of Jamake Highwater who falsely claimed to be Native American. Despite first being named by producers as a Sioux, and later a Hopi, Chakotay was given no tribal affiliation at the start of the series, and eventually was assigned ancestry with a fictional tribe in the episode "Tattoo”. It wasn’t until his appearance in Star Trek: Prodigy that he was formally identified as a descendant of the Nicarao people of Central America.

<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 television 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">Kazon</span> Fictional species portrayed as interstellar gangsters in Star Trek: Voyager

The Kazon are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek franchise. Developed by Star Trek: Voyager series' co-creators Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor, the Kazon serve as the primary antagonists during the show's first two seasons. They are represented as a nomadic species divided into eighteen separate sects, and characterized by their reliance on violence. A patriarchal society, the Kazon have a low opinion of women, and place pride in men becoming warriors and proving themselves in battle. The Kazon storylines frequently revolve around the attempts of Jal Culluh and his Kazon sect to steal technology from the USS Voyager, with the assistance of former Voyager ensign Seska. During the second season, the Voyager crew uncover more about the alien species' history and culture through a temporary truce. In their final major appearance, the Kazon successfully commandeer Voyager, but are eventually forced to surrender and retreat. The alien species have minor cameo appearances and references in the show's subsequent seasons, and have also been included in Star Trek Online and novels set in the Star Trek universe.

<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.

"Caretaker" is the series premiere of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It was first broadcast as a double-length episode on January 16, 1995, as the first telecast of the fledgling UPN network. It was later split into two parts for syndication, but released in its original one-episode format on DVD and streaming services. Set in the 24th century, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet and Maquis crew of the starship USS Voyager after they are stranded in the Delta Quadrant far from the rest of the Federation.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidiians</span> Fictional alien race in the Star Trek franchise

The Vidiians are a fictional alien race in the Star Trek franchise. Developed by Star Trek: Voyager series' co-creators Rick Berman, Michael Piller, and Jeri Taylor, they serve as recurring antagonists during the show's first two seasons. They are represented as a nomadic species suffering from a pandemic known as the Phage, which destroys their tissue. A society with highly developed medical technology, the Vidiians harvest organs from corpses and living beings to stall the progression of the Phage, and experiment on other alien species in an attempt to develop a cure. Vidiian storylines frequently revolve around the aliens' attempts to take its Voyager crew members' organs, though a Vidiian scientist named Danara Pel serves as a love interest for The Doctor. The alien species have made minor appearances in the show's subsequent seasons, and have been included in novels set in the Star Trek universe.

"State of Flux" is the eleventh episode of Star Trek: Voyager, which was a science fiction television show that ran from 1995-2001. Recurring Voyager characters Seska and Lt. Carey star, along with the show's main cast, in an episode that sees the return of the Kazon aliens previously introduced in "Caretaker".

"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 American science fiction television Star Trek: Voyager, the cliffhanger between the second season and the third season.

"Jetrel" is the 15th episode of the first season of Star Trek: Voyager. Neelix has mixed feelings as he encounters a former enemy of his alien race.

"Learning Curve" is the 16th episode of Star Trek: Voyager and final episode of the first season. In this episode Tuvok forces some of the Maquis crew into a Starfleet training program and systems malfunction throughout the ship as the bio-neural gel packs begin to fail. It was seen by 8.3 million in the U.S. at its debut in May 1995. This episode has several guest stars including Derek McGrath as Chell, Kenny Morrison as Gerron, and Catherine McNeal as Henley. Tuvok is part of the regular cast and is played by Tim Russ.

"Maneuvers" is the 27th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, and the 11th episode in the second season. This episode continues the narrative of the U.S.S. Voyager and their struggle against the hostile Kazon, with a specific focus on Voyager's First Officer Chakotay. It also features several special effect sequences with various spacecraft.

"Alliances" is the 30th episode of American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network, the 14th episode in the second season.

"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.

"Hunters" is the 83rd episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 15th episode of the fourth season, and the first episode of the Hirogen story arc. The series is about a spaceship returning to Earth, after being flung to the other side of the Galaxy, and is set in the 24th century of the Star Trek science fiction universe.

Harry Kim (<i>Star Trek</i>) Character from Star Trek: Voyager

Ensign Harry S. L. Kim is a fictional character who appeared in each of the seven seasons of the American television series Star Trek: Voyager. Portrayed by Garrett Wang, he is the Operations Officer aboard the Starfleet starship USS Voyager.

References

  1. "Star Trek: Voyager". TVGuide.com. Retrieved February 25, 2021.
  2. "The King of Star Trek". BBC News. February 11, 1999. Retrieved July 23, 2008.