Heroes and Demons
Stardate 48693.2: As Voyager passes near a protostar, Janeway and Torres try to beam some samples of its photonic material aboard. When they try to enlist Harry’s help in studying it, they find that he has disappeared from the ship. Chakotay and Tuvok go to where Harry was last found – the holodeck – and try to learn what happened to their comrade by interacting with Harry’s Beowulf holodeck program. Even Chakotay and Tuvok vanish when Grendel comes to ravage the Hall Heorot. Someone needs to venture into the holodeck to find where the missing crewmen are going, or if they’re still alive. Into Hrothgar’s keep steps a new warrior, the only member of Voyager’s crew immune to the threat of being snatched out of the holodeck. The affair of Grendel was made known to him on his native soil; space travelers said that this hall, best of holo-scenarios, stands empty and useless to all warriors after the evening light becomes hidden beneath the cover of the sky. Therefore his people – or specifically Captain Janeway – advised that he should investigate because they know what his strength can accomplish…but can the holographic doctor grapple with something other than a medical emergency?
written by Naren Shankar
directed by Les Landau
music by Dennis McCarthyCast: Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway), Robert Beltran (Chakotay), Roxann Biggs-Dawson (B’Elanna Torres), Jennifer Lien (Kes), Robert Duncan McNeill (Tom Paris), Ethan Phillips (Neelix), Robert Picardo (The Doctor), Tim Russ (Tuvok), Garrett Wang (Ensign Harry Kim), Marjorie Monaghan (Freya), Christopher Neame (Unferth), Michael Keenan (Hrothgar)
LogBook entry by Earl Green
(featuring a paraphrase from the 1966 English translation of “Beowulf” by Prof. M.H. Abrams, based on F. Klaeber’s third edition in 1950)
Stardate 9029.2: The Excelsior is assigned to visit the warring worlds of Krikiki and Den-Kai to negotiate a peace – and possibly to make overtures that could lead to both civilizations joining the Federation. Captain Sulu’s orders from Starfleet are clear: adhere to both worlds’ customs and protocols, and establish a dialogue. But paradoxically, Sulu is supposed to start this dialogue without being able to directly address anyone he meets at first. The first person he meets turns out to be a walking peace offering – the son of the Krikiki ruler is being sent to the Den-Kai Queen, but only after he has already been tortured, his vocal cords cut and his legs broken. Sulu struggles to maintain his imprtiality in his mission and his silence, and learns from the song of a trio of Krikiki that the young prince is certain to face more of the same treatment when he arrives at the Den-Kai palace. But Sulu doesn’t have to worry about his misgivings over his assignment for long: the Den-Kai send a group of extremists to collect the peace offering, and they attack the Starbase where the handover is to take place. Sulu sees an opportunity to take matters into his own hands, regardless of the Den-Kai’s customs, even though doing so may make the diplomatic situation considerably worse.
