6.04 tinker, tenor, doctor, spy

The doctor is singing an opera before an enraptured crew in the mess hall, a moving performance - so moving that Tuvok is crying. Then Tuvok becomes violent, a victim of Pon Far. But the doctor has it under control; he changes the words to the opera to match the circumstances, and injects Tuvok - 'in his behind' - with a hypospray, then finishes his solo to applause. It's only a daydream; he has enhanced his program to allow himself to dream. His little fantasy is interrupted by the reality of Torres telling him that he is no longer going on an away mission that he wanted to join. Wanting to do more, he makes a formal proposal to the captain, asking for more duties, and even requesting that a new post - Emergency Command Hologram - be created, with the doctor taking over command should the need arise. Janeway isn't quite ready for that. The doctor's fantasies continue. In the meeting room, Be'lanna is playing footsie with him, Seven is surreptitiously asking him to dinner via a padd, and Janeway, also craving his affection, feigns a back problem, asking the doctor to feel the spot where it hurts, which happens to be right on her butt. This causes a little catfight between Be'lanna and Janeway. In his other fantasy, he is given the ECH post, and, during a Borg attack that turns the other bridge officers into drones, his uniform morphs to red, he sprouts 4 pips, and he blasts a Borg sphere into oblivion using a weapon of mass destruction he invented called a photonic cannon.

His fantasies are not so private, however. An alien ship is hidden in a nearby nebula. Its aggressive inhabitants are using their advanced technology to monitor Voyager. One alien thinks he has achieved a breakthrough, viewing Voyager through the eyes of a multi-talented holographic officer who does very well with the ladies. He finds out enough about the ship to convince his commander that they should attack.

Meanwhile, the doctor’s program enhancements have become non-stop and uncontrollable, taking over his entire program. He asks the crew for help. They begin to monitor his fantasies. Some of the crew are amused by this glimpse into the doctor’s subconscious, like when Seven finds herself modelling topless for a goatee-clad doctor artist; some are annoyed, like when B’Elanna finds herself begging the doctor not to break up with her, and some are touched and made to question their decisions, like when Janeway watches the doctor’s sincere thank you for being made ECH. The doctor’s dream subroutines are purged, and he feels embarrassed at being exposed. But Janeway assures him that everyone fantasizes, and that his ability to do so will be restored once it can be done safely.

As the aliens begin moving toward Voyager to attack, the alien who has been monitoring uncovers the truth; that he has been viewing the doctor’s dreams. This is disastrous for him; when it is discovered that he has delivered misinformation, he will be ruined. He creates another daydream, this one with him in it, so he can communicate with the doctor and warn of the attack and how to avoid it. Now the doctor must convince Janeway that he has not been dreaming again – he does so by providing a sensor enhancement that suddenly reveals three cloaked ships approaching. The doctor also reveals that he will be fed the shield frequencies of the ships by his friend, but only if it can be made to look like the fantasy is real – the doctor must be captain on the bridge. Adorned in his red uniform, the doctor is nervous and doesn’t act very captain-like, as he is fed instructions by Janeway in Astrometrics via an audio link. The plan to thwart the attack is foiled, too, when the alien commander sees that Voyager has not been damaged by the earlier Borg attack. They now plan to modulate their shields every ten seconds. Faced with imminent destruction, the doctor springs into action, assuming his fantasy role, and gives the order to arm the photonic cannon – but does it so convincingly that the cautious aliens decide it would be better to retreat. Impressed with his resolve, Janeway awards the doctor a medal of honor, and states that she has commissioned a study on the ECH idea. Seven kisses the doctor on the cheek to congratulate him, then states, "That was a platonic gesture – don’t expect me to model for you."

Written by Joe Menosky from a story by Bill Vallely, this is probably my favorite episode of the series. It is cleverly structured so that not only do we care about the doctor, but we also want to know more about the alien who is spying on him. It is touching, silly, exciting, and funny. This is the Voyager cast and production crew at its best; polished performances and good editing add to the episode.