When Voyager discovers an apparently large dilithium deposit on a planetoid an away team is dispatched but despite what their scanners say they find no deposits. Neelix calls in to say he has detected a life sign but before the rest of the away team can get to him he is attacked by an alien who shoots him with a strange weapon. When the others get to him he can't breathe; once back on Voyager the Doctor's scans reveal that the alien weapon had transported his lungs out of his body. The Doctor manages to give him a pair of holographic lungs but if he is to survive he will never be able to move again unless Voyager can find the people who stole his lungs. The trail leads them to a hollow asteroid but once inside they can't find the alien ship as the asteroid's inside is like a hall of mirrors. When they ultimately find the aliens they find they are the Vidiians, a race suffering from a terrible disease called the phage. It turns out it is too late for them to give Neelix his lungs back but their advanced medicine means they can save him by transplanting one of Kes's lungs.
This was a pretty good episode; the Vidiians are a especially frightening species as there is something particularly frightening about having ones organs stolen in such a way, more frightening than killing the victim first. As well as having a gripping story this episode provided some nice character development for Kes and the Doctor; Jennifer Lien and Robert Picardo did well in the roles.
This was a pretty good episode; the Vidiians are a especially frightening species as there is something particularly frightening about having ones organs stolen in such a way, more frightening than killing the victim first. As well as having a gripping story this episode provided some nice character development for Kes and the Doctor; Jennifer Lien and Robert Picardo did well in the roles.