Vis à Vis (Star Trek: Voyager)
Encyclopedia
"Vis à Vis" is an episode of Star Trek: Voyager
, the 20th episode of the fourth season. The episode has an average rating of 3/5 on the official Star Trek
website (as of May 19, 2007).
has become restless and uninspired by life on Voyager. Lately he's been spending a lot of time in a holodeck program restoring a 1969 Camaro
. He hasn't been paying much attention to his girlfriend B'Elanna Torres
and he's been skipping out on his shifts in Sickbay as The Doctor's assistant.
His attention is sparked, though, when he's called to the bridge to help identify an anomaly. It turns out that the anomaly is being caused by a ship with a working coaxial warp drive
, a technology previously thought to be only hypothetical. A vessel equipped with such a system would be able to leap great distances almost instantaneously. The ship is malfunctioning and the crew of Voyager welcomes the pilot on board and offers to help fix his fascinating ship. Tom Paris is the first to volunteer.
The pilot, Steth (Dan Butler
), is an adventurer of sorts making a living as a test pilot taking new ship designs out on their first flights. Tom and Steth become fast friends, and Tom requests time off from his boring Sickbay job to help figure out Steth's flashy new ship. Steth invites Tom on a road trip, offering him a chance to fly new kinds of vessels and see the sights, but when he considers his obligations on Voyager, Tom regretfully declines.
Tom is just finishing repairs on Steth's ship and is preparing to bid the interesting fellow goodbye when Steth grabs him and somehow switches bodies with him. Steth has lost his ability to keep his consciousness and body combined, and must take a new body. Steth remains on Voyager in the body of Tom Paris, and sends his ship, and Tom's mind, away at high speed.
Safely hidden behind Tom's friendly face, Steth assumes a new life. He has none of Tom's memories and a different personality, so fitting into the crew proves to be challenging. This new Tom Paris confounds the Doctor, whom he flatters into giving him a vacation, and B'Elanna, who he charms with affection.
Back on Steth's ship, Tom awakens in a new body. He's almost immediately captured by a woman who has a major grievance with Steth (or the alien who had been posing as Steth). It seems that the real Steth is inside the body of female alien named Daelen, and the real Steth wants his body back.
Meanwhile, the alien posing as Tom on Voyager has begun to exhibit behavior that makes the crew suspicious. He is cruel to B'Elanna, starts drinking alcohol on duty, and snoops into Captain Janeway
's log. When she demands an explanation for these actions, he jumps her. Tuvok
shoots him before he can choke her to death, and she bolts from the room.
Tom has convinced the real Steth that the alien has done both of them wrong, and suggests they join forces to find Voyager and fix the situation. They reach the ship just as the alien flies off with a shuttlecraft, in Captain Janeway's body. Tom disables the shuttle and brings the alien back in. Steth's original body, the one that the alien and Tom had been using, is restored to Steth, and the alien - now trapped back in Daelen's female body - is taken into custody, so all of his/her previous victims can be restored to their original bodies.
Grateful to be back in his own life again, Tom heads off to make up with B'Elanna.
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...
, the 20th episode of the fourth season. The episode has an average rating of 3/5 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 (as of May 19, 2007).
Plot
Tom ParisTom 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...
has become restless and uninspired by life on Voyager. Lately he's been spending a lot of time in a holodeck program restoring a 1969 Camaro
Chevrolet Camaro
The Chevrolet Camaro is an automobile manufactured by General Motors under the Chevrolet brand, classified as a pony car and some versions also as a muscle car. It went on sale on September 29, 1966, for the 1967 model year and was designed as a competing model to the Ford Mustang...
. He hasn't been paying much attention to his girlfriend B'Elanna Torres
B'Elanna Torres
B'Elanna Torres is a main character in Star Trek: Voyager played by Roxann Dawson. She is portrayed as a half-human half-Klingon born in 2349 on the Federation colony Kessik IV. Torres joined the Maquis in 2370 and was serving on the Val Jean when brought to the Delta Quadrant...
and he's been skipping out on his shifts in Sickbay as The Doctor's assistant.
His attention is sparked, though, when he's called to the bridge to help identify an anomaly. It turns out that the anomaly is being caused by a ship with a working coaxial warp drive
Warp drive (Star Trek)
Warp drive is a faster-than-light propulsion system in the setting of many science fiction works, most notably Star Trek. A spacecraft equipped with a warp drive may travel at velocities greater than that of light by many orders of magnitude, while circumventing the relativistic problem of time...
, a technology previously thought to be only hypothetical. A vessel equipped with such a system would be able to leap great distances almost instantaneously. The ship is malfunctioning and the crew of Voyager welcomes the pilot on board and offers to help fix his fascinating ship. Tom Paris is the first to volunteer.
The pilot, Steth (Dan Butler
Dan Butler
Daniel Eugene "Dan" Butler is an American playwright and actor known for his role as Bob "Bulldog" Briscoe on the TV series Frasier.- Life and career :...
), is an adventurer of sorts making a living as a test pilot taking new ship designs out on their first flights. Tom and Steth become fast friends, and Tom requests time off from his boring Sickbay job to help figure out Steth's flashy new ship. Steth invites Tom on a road trip, offering him a chance to fly new kinds of vessels and see the sights, but when he considers his obligations on Voyager, Tom regretfully declines.
Tom is just finishing repairs on Steth's ship and is preparing to bid the interesting fellow goodbye when Steth grabs him and somehow switches bodies with him. Steth has lost his ability to keep his consciousness and body combined, and must take a new body. Steth remains on Voyager in the body of Tom Paris, and sends his ship, and Tom's mind, away at high speed.
Safely hidden behind Tom's friendly face, Steth assumes a new life. He has none of Tom's memories and a different personality, so fitting into the crew proves to be challenging. This new Tom Paris confounds the Doctor, whom he flatters into giving him a vacation, and B'Elanna, who he charms with affection.
Back on Steth's ship, Tom awakens in a new body. He's almost immediately captured by a woman who has a major grievance with Steth (or the alien who had been posing as Steth). It seems that the real Steth is inside the body of female alien named Daelen, and the real Steth wants his body back.
Meanwhile, the alien posing as Tom on Voyager has begun to exhibit behavior that makes the crew suspicious. He is cruel to B'Elanna, starts drinking alcohol on duty, and snoops into 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...
's log. When she demands an explanation for these actions, he jumps her. 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....
shoots him before he can choke her to death, and she bolts from the room.
Tom has convinced the real Steth that the alien has done both of them wrong, and suggests they join forces to find Voyager and fix the situation. They reach the ship just as the alien flies off with a shuttlecraft, in Captain Janeway's body. Tom disables the shuttle and brings the alien back in. Steth's original body, the one that the alien and Tom had been using, is restored to Steth, and the alien - now trapped back in Daelen's female body - is taken into custody, so all of his/her previous victims can be restored to their original bodies.
Grateful to be back in his own life again, Tom heads off to make up with B'Elanna.