Captain’s log: stardate 48623.5

Brannon Braga pens this Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) episode that first aired on 13 March, 1995.

Voyager is investigating mineral deposits in an asteroid field when they discover it also serves as a burial ground for a nearby race. They are teleported into the asteroid by an unknown means, and this same teleport beams Harry out of the asteroid cave while he’s investigating it, delivering him to a planet where he is viewed as proof of an after life.

Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) and the crew attempt to track where Harry has been beamed to, even as they resuscitate a recently buried alien, in the hopes that they can offer a lead to Harry. The alien, Ptera (Cecile Callan), on Voyager, tries to understand that she’s not dead, she’s not in the next emanation (the afterlife), which shakes her religious beliefs, and shakes her to her core.

Jerry Hardin makes an appearance as Dr. Neria, one of the aliens who is trying to integrate his own beliefs about death and the arrival of Harry, and what it means about what happens when we die.

It not only impacts Neria, but the inhabitants of the entire planet, as they try to come to terms with what death means to their society, and by extension, ourselves.

To return to Voyager, Harry first has to die, but not to worry, The Doctor (Robert Picardo) is able to revive him, and Janeway offers him some advice as the starship continues its long journey home.

The episode examines how we approach death, and the beliefs that drive us onward to the next emanation.

Captain’s log: stardate 48642.5

Micheal Perricone and Greg Elliot pen the teleplay for this episode that came from a story by David R. George III and Eric A. Stillwell. It first aired on 20 March, 1995.

Voyager arrives at the planet Sikaris, where they discover a friendly and gift-giving society, that may have a way to send the wayward starship home, or a large portion of the way there… they have technology that allows them to travel great distances quickly.

Despite attempting to negotiate, the crew find themselves on the flipside of a prime directive. As the Sikarians are reluctant to share their technology, and to do so would violate one of the imperatives that rules their society.

Not only the Maquis (including recurring character Seska (Martha Hackett)) but a large portion of the crew make the argument for making a trade for their stories (something the species values) before the idea is floated of stealing the technology from Sikaris (but there are those on the planet who are willing to betray their own laws to get those stories) and the most unlikely person Janeway expects attempts to make the exchange disrupting her trust in a large portion of the crew.

True, they would get home quicker, but would it require the sacrifice of their morals and ethics.  Janeway points out that they are on the other side of the Prime Directive, something that they have had to follow in times past.

In terms of continuity, the Delaney sisters get a mention, as crew members continue to eye each other for potential pairing.

The Human Adventure continues Thursday as I continue to explore Deep Space Nine, and then next week my journey with Voyager continues as I explore both Complete Series on DVD from Paramount Pictures.