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In the Flesh (Voyager episode)
Encyclopedia
"In the Flesh" is the fourth episode of Star Trek: Voyager
s fifth season. It originally aired on November 4, 1998. As of July 2010, the episode had an average rating of 3.9/5 on the official Star Trek
website. It was written by Nick Sagan
, the son of astronomer Carl Sagan
.
and Tuvok
observing a facility on a planet that appears to be a Starfleet training compound. Chakotay encounters a population of aliens who have assumed human form and created a simulation of Starfleet Academy
. During his initial visit to the compound, Chakotay meets the groundskeeper, Boothby, a character originally seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation
. The inhabitants of the Academy appear to be human, and have the knowledge expected of a typical Starfleet cadet. During a conversation, however, one of the cadets, Valerie Archer, declares her displeasure with breathing oxygen and sleeping. Chakotay then witnesses an alien beginning to revert from human form. Chakotay and Tuvok end their surveillance when confronted by one of the aliens, who insists they attend a meeting for unauthorized personnel. They render the alien unconscious and take him back to Voyager. When the Doctor
attempts to extract DNA
from the captured alien, the alien commits suicide.
Janeway
and the crew are disturbed at the accuracy of the re-creation, expressing concern that the facility is a training ground for impersonating Starfleet personnel. The Doctor discovers that the aliens' guise is very difficult to detect. One would need to run a microcellular scan to identify any disguised alien as non-human. With some work, the Doctor manages to revert the corpse, revealing its true nature. The aliens are from a species known to the Voyager crew only by their Borg
designation: Species 8472
. The crew considers them the most dangerous and malevolent race ever encountered by humanity. Seven of Nine
and the Doctor prepare enhanced nanoprobes and create warheads in case battle arises. Captain Janeway
still wants to opt for a diplomatic solution, but Seven presses the danger of the species, saying that it should be eradicated.
Janeway is convinced that Species 8472's simulation is a precursor for an invasion of Earth. Since they have no means to warn Starfleet, it is up to Voyager and her crew to prevent the invasion before it begins. Chakotay decides to follow up on his date with Valerie Archer to learn more. Harry Kim
and Tom Paris
wait in the Delta Flyer in case he needs assistance. During their date, Valerie reveals her mixed feelings about humans, remarking that they are genetically impure, but can still create beautiful works. Chakotay remarks that perhaps humans are not as violent as Species 8472 thinks. Valerie kisses him good-bye when they part. She is suspicious of Chakotay, and kissing him allows her to obtain a DNA sample. Once she discovers that Chakotay is human, she alerts the authorities, who capture Chakotay as he attempts to flee.
Chakotay is interrogated by "Boothby", who is convinced that Starfleet is sending ships to attack. Voyager arrives at the recreation facility, demanding that Chakotay be released. Tensions rise and weapons are aimed at each other, but no shots are fired. Janeway continues to press for a non-violent solution and invites the aliens aboard Voyager to discuss alternatives to war.
The talks start roughly. The aliens blame the Voyager crew for invading their fluidic space and destroying their ships. Chakotay tells Janeway that the aliens expect an invasion from Starfleet. Janeway does not manage to convince the aliens that Starfleet is unaware of their species. The aliens reveal that there are multiple training grounds, and Voyager would be unlikely to find them all before an invasion. The aliens insist that they only defended themselves during previous encounters; Tuvok then asks, if this is true, why are they still in the galaxy, obviously planning an invasion of Earth?
When the tension rises higher, Janeway lowers Voyagers weapons, saying: "One of us must take his finger off the trigger, it might as well be me". This gains the trust of Valerie and, against Bullock's direct order, she reveals that their planned infiltration of Starfleet Command is only a reconnaissance mission so that they will be informed about an anticipated eventual planned aggression from Starfleet.
Bullock strongly warns against trusting humans, but "Boothby", who is actually his "superordinate", chooses to trust them. A truce is secured when Janeway agrees to provide information on their nanoprobe technology in exchange for the aliens' information on genetic alteration techniques. "Boothby" admits that it can be difficult to convince his superordinates, but says he will try. Janeway and "Boothby" shared a discussion of peaceful co-existence, Chakotay and Valerie parted with a farewell kiss, and Voyager sees the last of Species 8472 for the remainder of their voyage home.
parable, using his father's work toward détente
as inspiration.
Sagan says the episode originally "didn't end quite so 'happy happy'"; it had a more ambiguous ending. Producer Brannon Braga
wanted to resolve the issue.
Originally, the script called for a dream sequence where Species 8472 razed Janeway's hometown on Earth. However, due to the very high cost of the computer animation used for Species 8472, the scene was scrapped.
Sagan believes that the character of Valerie Archer "is in some way a connection to Captain Archer on Enterprise." Archer's name is an homage to two other science-fiction characters: Dave Bowman, the lead character of 2001: A Space Odyssey; and Ellie Arroway, the lead character in Carl Sagan's novel Contact
. "You put bow and arrow together and you get Archer", said Sagan.
Actor Robert Beltran
, who played Chakotay, listed "In The Flesh" among his favorite episodes of the series.
The computer monitor used by Species 8472 in this episode is largely composed of parts from an earlier prop: a Krenim game used in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "The Year of Hell, Part II". This monitor reappears in the later episodes "Life Line" and "Nightingale
"; in both episodes, it still displays symbols associated with Species 8472.
TrekWeb gave the episode an "A-/A" rating, calling it "Voyagers best this year, with a nice twist and a wonderful message" despite what "really was a bad premise".
Jim Wright "enjoyed it immensely", saying that the episode "has a real TOS
feel to it" and declaring it "one of those episodes I watched repeatedly."
David Sluss at The Cynics Corner gave the episode a 6.0 (D-) rating, calling it "A reasonably well-executed episode, but the ideas behind it are suspect, to say the least." Sluss faulted the "ongoing emasculation" of Species 8472; the aliens' unexplained, extensive knowledge of Starfleet; and Janeway's diplomatic techniques.
The Trek Nation found the episode "engrossing... apart from unfortunate similarities with the excellent Deep Space Nine episode 'Homefront,' which also took place at Starfleet Command and focused on shapeshifting aliens who were planning to infiltrate Earth." Reviewer Michelle Erica Green found that the episode "had nice balance and some clever wit".
Star Trek: Voyager
Star Trek: Voyager is a science fiction television series set in the Star Trek universe. Set in the 24th century from the year 2371 through 2378, the series follows the adventures of the Starfleet vessel USS Voyager, which becomes stranded in the Delta Quadrant 70,000 light-years from Earth while...
s fifth season. It originally aired on November 4, 1998. As of July 2010, the episode had an average rating of 3.9/5 on the official Star Trek
Star Trek
Star Trek is an American science fiction entertainment franchise created by Gene Roddenberry. The core of Star Trek is its six television series: The Original Series, The Animated Series, The Next Generation, Deep Space Nine, Voyager, and Enterprise...
website. It was written by Nick Sagan
Nick Sagan
Nick Sagan is an American novelist and screenwriter. He is the author of the science fiction novels Idlewild, Edenborn, and Everfree, and his screen credits include episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation and Star Trek: Voyager...
, the son of astronomer Carl Sagan
Carl Sagan
Carl Edward Sagan was an American astronomer, astrophysicist, cosmologist, author, science popularizer and science communicator in astronomy and natural sciences. He published more than 600 scientific papers and articles and was author, co-author or editor of more than 20 books...
.
Plot
The episode opens with ChakotayChakotay
Chakotay , played by Robert Beltran, is a character in Star Trek: Voyager. He is the First Officer of the USS Voyager.-Character biography:...
and Tuvok
Tuvok
Tuvok is one of the main characters on the television series Star Trek: Voyager. Tuvok is a Vulcan who serves as the ship's chief of security and its chief tactical officer. Tim Russ portrayed Tuvok throughout the show's run, from 1995 to 2001....
observing a facility on a planet that appears to be a Starfleet training compound. Chakotay encounters a population of aliens who have assumed human form and created a simulation of Starfleet Academy
Starfleet Academy
In the fictional universe of Star Trek, Starfleet Academy is where the future's recruits to Starfleet will be trained. It was created in the year 2161, when the United Federation of Planets was founded...
. During his initial visit to the compound, Chakotay meets the groundskeeper, Boothby, a character originally seen in Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation
Star Trek: The Next Generation is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry as part of the Star Trek franchise. Roddenberry, Rick Berman, and Michael Piller served as executive producers at different times throughout the production...
. The inhabitants of the Academy appear to be human, and have the knowledge expected of a typical Starfleet cadet. During a conversation, however, one of the cadets, Valerie Archer, declares her displeasure with breathing oxygen and sleeping. Chakotay then witnesses an alien beginning to revert from human form. Chakotay and Tuvok end their surveillance when confronted by one of the aliens, who insists they attend a meeting for unauthorized personnel. They render the alien unconscious and take him back to Voyager. When the Doctor
Doctor (Star Trek)
The Doctor, an Emergency Medical Hologram Mark I , is a fictional character from the television series Star Trek: Voyager, played by actor Robert Picardo...
attempts to extract DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
from the captured alien, the alien commits suicide.
Janeway
Janeway
-Medical:*Janeway Children's Health and Rehabilitation Centre, Canada*Janeway lesion, type of skin lesion-People:*Carol Brown Janeway, British editor and translator of many novels, including The Reader*Charles Janeway , American immunologist...
and the crew are disturbed at the accuracy of the re-creation, expressing concern that the facility is a training ground for impersonating Starfleet personnel. The Doctor discovers that the aliens' guise is very difficult to detect. One would need to run a microcellular scan to identify any disguised alien as non-human. With some work, the Doctor manages to revert the corpse, revealing its true nature. The aliens are from a species known to the Voyager crew only by their Borg
Borg (Star Trek)
The Borg are a fictional pseudo-race of cybernetic organisms depicted in the Star Trek universe associated with Star Trek.Whereas cybernetics are used by other races in the science fiction world to repair bodily damage and birth defects, the Borg use enforced cybernetic enhancement as a means of...
designation: Species 8472
Species 8472
Species 8472 is a fictional extraterrestrial race in the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. They inhabit another dimension called fluidic space. These beings are rendered by animation from Foundation Imaging, Inc...
. The crew considers them the most dangerous and malevolent race ever encountered by humanity. Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine
Seven of Nine is a fictional character on Star Trek: Voyager, portrayed by actress Jeri Ryan. Born human, she was assimilated by the Borg at the age of six. Eighteen years later, Voyager left Borg space with Seven on board, after attempts to negotiate passage through Borg space proved only...
and the Doctor prepare enhanced nanoprobes and create warheads in case battle arises. Captain Janeway
Kathryn Janeway
Kathryn Janeway, played by Kate Mulgrew, is a fictional character in the Star Trek franchise. As the captain of the Starfleet starship USS Voyager, she was the lead character on the television series Star Trek: Voyager, and later, a Starfleet admiral, as seen in the 2002 feature film Star Trek...
still wants to opt for a diplomatic solution, but Seven presses the danger of the species, saying that it should be eradicated.
Janeway is convinced that Species 8472's simulation is a precursor for an invasion of Earth. Since they have no means to warn Starfleet, it is up to Voyager and her crew to prevent the invasion before it begins. Chakotay decides to follow up on his date with Valerie Archer to learn more. Harry Kim
Harry Kim (Star Trek)
Ensign Harry S. L. Kim, played by Garrett Wang, is a character in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. He serves as the USS Voyagers operations officer.-Depiction:...
and Tom Paris
Tom Paris
Thomas Eugene "Tom" Paris, played by Robert Duncan McNeill, is a character in the television series Star Trek: Voyager. Paris serves as the chief helmsman and an auxiliary medic aboard the USS Voyager...
wait in the Delta Flyer in case he needs assistance. During their date, Valerie reveals her mixed feelings about humans, remarking that they are genetically impure, but can still create beautiful works. Chakotay remarks that perhaps humans are not as violent as Species 8472 thinks. Valerie kisses him good-bye when they part. She is suspicious of Chakotay, and kissing him allows her to obtain a DNA sample. Once she discovers that Chakotay is human, she alerts the authorities, who capture Chakotay as he attempts to flee.
Chakotay is interrogated by "Boothby", who is convinced that Starfleet is sending ships to attack. Voyager arrives at the recreation facility, demanding that Chakotay be released. Tensions rise and weapons are aimed at each other, but no shots are fired. Janeway continues to press for a non-violent solution and invites the aliens aboard Voyager to discuss alternatives to war.
The talks start roughly. The aliens blame the Voyager crew for invading their fluidic space and destroying their ships. Chakotay tells Janeway that the aliens expect an invasion from Starfleet. Janeway does not manage to convince the aliens that Starfleet is unaware of their species. The aliens reveal that there are multiple training grounds, and Voyager would be unlikely to find them all before an invasion. The aliens insist that they only defended themselves during previous encounters; Tuvok then asks, if this is true, why are they still in the galaxy, obviously planning an invasion of Earth?
When the tension rises higher, Janeway lowers Voyagers weapons, saying: "One of us must take his finger off the trigger, it might as well be me". This gains the trust of Valerie and, against Bullock's direct order, she reveals that their planned infiltration of Starfleet Command is only a reconnaissance mission so that they will be informed about an anticipated eventual planned aggression from Starfleet.
Bullock strongly warns against trusting humans, but "Boothby", who is actually his "superordinate", chooses to trust them. A truce is secured when Janeway agrees to provide information on their nanoprobe technology in exchange for the aliens' information on genetic alteration techniques. "Boothby" admits that it can be difficult to convince his superordinates, but says he will try. Janeway and "Boothby" shared a discussion of peaceful co-existence, Chakotay and Valerie parted with a farewell kiss, and Voyager sees the last of Species 8472 for the remainder of their voyage home.
Production
According to writer Nick Sagan, the original concept for "In The Flesh" had the Voyager crew discovering a picture of Species 8472 in an ancient Earth culture, leading them to discover that some human legends of demons and devils grew out of early contact with Species 8472. When the writers couldn't work this idea out, Sagan wrote the episode as a Cold WarCold War
The Cold War was the continuing state from roughly 1946 to 1991 of political conflict, military tension, proxy wars, and economic competition between the Communist World—primarily the Soviet Union and its satellite states and allies—and the powers of the Western world, primarily the United States...
parable, using his father's work toward détente
Détente
Détente is the easing of strained relations, especially in a political situation. The term is often used in reference to the general easing of relations between the Soviet Union and the United States in the 1970s, a thawing at a period roughly in the middle of the Cold War...
as inspiration.
Sagan says the episode originally "didn't end quite so 'happy happy'"; it had a more ambiguous ending. Producer Brannon Braga
Brannon Braga
Brannon Braga is an American television producer and screenwriter, currently working as showrunner and executive producer on Terra Nova...
wanted to resolve the issue.
Originally, the script called for a dream sequence where Species 8472 razed Janeway's hometown on Earth. However, due to the very high cost of the computer animation used for Species 8472, the scene was scrapped.
Sagan believes that the character of Valerie Archer "is in some way a connection to Captain Archer on Enterprise." Archer's name is an homage to two other science-fiction characters: Dave Bowman, the lead character of 2001: A Space Odyssey; and Ellie Arroway, the lead character in Carl Sagan's novel Contact
Contact (novel)
Contact is a science fiction novel written by Carl Sagan and published in 1985. It deals with the theme of contact between humanity and a more technologically advanced, extraterrestrial life form. It ranked No. 7 on the 1985 U.S. bestseller list....
. "You put bow and arrow together and you get Archer", said Sagan.
Actor Robert Beltran
Robert Beltran
Robert Adame Beltran is an American actor, known for his role as Commander Chakotay on Star Trek: Voyager.-Early life:...
, who played Chakotay, listed "In The Flesh" among his favorite episodes of the series.
The computer monitor used by Species 8472 in this episode is largely composed of parts from an earlier prop: a Krenim game used in the Star Trek: Voyager episode "The Year of Hell, Part II". This monitor reappears in the later episodes "Life Line" and "Nightingale
Nightingale (Star Trek: Voyager)
"Nightingale" is an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the eighth episode of the seventh season.-Synopsis:Voyager sets down on a planet for a major maintenance overhaul while away teams in shuttles are sent in search of supplies. As B'Elanna Torres informs Captain Janeway that repairs will take days...
"; in both episodes, it still displays symbols associated with Species 8472.
Reception
At tv.com, fan votes rated the episode 8.8 out of 10 (great). In January 2008, Startrek.com readers rated the episode 3.9 out of 5.TrekWeb gave the episode an "A-/A" rating, calling it "Voyagers best this year, with a nice twist and a wonderful message" despite what "really was a bad premise".
Jim Wright "enjoyed it immensely", saying that the episode "has a real TOS
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
feel to it" and declaring it "one of those episodes I watched repeatedly."
David Sluss at The Cynics Corner gave the episode a 6.0 (D-) rating, calling it "A reasonably well-executed episode, but the ideas behind it are suspect, to say the least." Sluss faulted the "ongoing emasculation" of Species 8472; the aliens' unexplained, extensive knowledge of Starfleet; and Janeway's diplomatic techniques.
The Trek Nation found the episode "engrossing... apart from unfortunate similarities with the excellent Deep Space Nine episode 'Homefront,' which also took place at Starfleet Command and focused on shapeshifting aliens who were planning to infiltrate Earth." Reviewer Michelle Erica Green found that the episode "had nice balance and some clever wit".