When an alien being attaches itself to B'Elanna's nervous system, the Doctor seeks an unusual helper to try and save the engineer.
This is a very unusual episode for Voyager, and from the start to the end, you can't guess what will happen next. The creation of a holographic Cardassian, although seeming highly insensitive on the Doctor's part, allows for plenty of introspection for the hologram, and the rest of the crew when they discover the Doctor's new assistant is actually a mass-murderer.
This examination of medical ethics (is it wrong to use methods that work when they have been tested on living specimens?) is extremely well written, never preaching, and examines the issue from several different perspectives in a believable way without telling the audience who is right, because there is no easy answer.
The Cardassian hologram is also well-portrayed, subtly showing his true personality through a likeable demeanour, and Robert Picardo handles his more thoughtful material well, as always. Although we all know B'Elanna will survive, the way it happens and the future tension it will cause should hopefully be interesting to watch.
****
Back to the Star Trek: Voyager guide, head back to the main TV reviews page, or return to the main page?
