The crew is forced to abandon ship while Chakotay, Kim and Neelix are on an away mission, and when the away team returns, the Emergency Command Hologram is trying to repai the ship to track down the crew, who have been put to work on a planet without no knowledge of who they are.

At last, a Voyager story I can get behind. As usual, taking the crew out of their natural environment does wonders for them. The more fun Tuvok is a far more interesting character, Janeway gets to let her hair down at last and I finally believe Paris and Torres as a couple. The problem is that I'd rather see them all like this than back on Voyager having dull adventures. This is mainly fun with an undertone of nastiness as we realize the crew have been brainwiped. Of course, having said that they seem to be perfectly happy doing what they're doing and it seems rather churlish of Chakotay to insist on a rescue.

Overall, it works well. It's debatable if there's a need for this story to be a two-parter and the cliffhanger is diabolical, but there's certainly plenty to enjoy here as the crew relearn how to interact with normal humans. It's amazing how strongly I felt that Janeway had finally found a man to have a relationship with after her previous poor efforts and I love the ECH, although I have to agree with his theory that he should be higher ranked than Kim, which would be the case if he were a real doctor. Chakotay is obviously just hologram-ist when he puts Kim in charge.

It's fast-paced, has some nice gentle moments scattered throughout, and tells a simple and unassuming, if predictable, story. But it's certainly enjoyable.

****

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