

(written from a Production point of view Real World article

Tom Paris is convicted of murder. He denies having committed the crime, even though the images extracted from the victim's own memory seem to prove his guilt.

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Summary

Teaser

On an alien world, a weary Tom Paris lies down on a bed, his combadge missing from his uniform, while another man asks him what he sees in his mind. Paris replies that he sees "shoes, muddy shoes. The dog." The man in the room tells him that this is exactly what he should be seeing. In Paris' mind, he sees himself kissing an alien woman passionately. Another person, whose point of view Paris is seeing, upon making his presence known, states that he now understands. Paris tells the woman he is with that he had better be on his way. She holds him close and tells Paris that the man has no right. "No right?! You come into my home, steal my wife, and I have no right?!" In reality, Paris insists that this is not the way the incident happened, but the man in the room with him informs Paris that the trial is over and there is no point to further denials. Back in the "memory", the man tells Paris he knows of his past spent in prison and that once he informs Paris' commanding officer of his indiscretion, he will never wear his uniform again. Paris insists he cannot let him do that, rushes towards the man and stabs him fatally with a knife.

All these "memory" images are seen in black and white, with alien symbols superimposed on them.

In reality, Paris lies on the bed, seemingly feeling the stabbing. The man with Paris announces that for "the rest of his natural life, once every fourteen hours, Thomas Eugene Paris will relive the last moments of his victim's life. May the fates have mercy on you, sir." Paris is led away by a guard.

Act One

Aboard the USS Voyager, The Doctor and Kes are in the chief medical officer's office reviewing medical texts. Kes is in training to become The Doctor's medical assistant aboard. During their review, Kes asks the holographic physician if he has given further thought to giving himself a name. The Doctor says he has trouble with making a choice, as holograms do not usually make them. Kes disagrees, mentioning that The Doctor chooses which treatment to give his patients. The Doctor tells her that he is programmed to do that, and that there is no independent decision making involved, but Kes cannot see the difference. She then tells him he should simply pick a name, but tells him to take his time, as he will be known by that name for the rest of his existence. Shortly thereafter, Captain Janeway hails sickbay and tells The Doctor to expect an injured crewman – either Lieutenant Paris or Ensign Harry Kim.

Kim is beamed directly to sickbay and informs Janeway of some horrifying news: Tom Paris has been convicted of murder and as punishment he has to relive his victim's last moments over and over again. Informing Janeway of their activities prior to Paris' conviction of murder, they visited the homeworld of the Banea and met an engineering physicist Tolen Ren. The Voyager crewmen approach Doctor Ren for assistance because the ship has a damaged collimator that requires expert assistance. After an initial meeting, Kim and Paris are invited to the professor's home for dinner that evening. While there, the officers meet the professor's young wife Lidell, who is irritated with her husband's lack of manners at not calling first when bringing home guests.

After a brief and tense meal, Kim, the professor and Paris retire to another room to begin work. Paris allegedly got bored and spent some time with Tolen's young wife Lidell. That night, Professor Ren was murdered. Kim tells Janeway that the Banea questioned him for two days straight, asking him many inquiries about the Banea's enemy, the Numiri. Kim surmises that the Banea must have thought he and Paris were Numiri agents spying on them. Kim also informs Janeway that Professor Ren was the inventor of Banean warship technology. The Doctor wants Kim to get some rest, so Janeway has her first officer, Commander Chakotay, set Voyager on a course for the Banean homeworld to find some answers.

Act Two

Once they arrive, Janeway and chief of security Tuvok beam down to talk with Paris about the crime. They meet with Minister of Science Kray. Kray explains that Tolen Ren was stabbed to death in his living room in front of Lidell. Paris was arrested and convicted of the murder. Kray tells the Starfleet officers of Paris' sentence: to relive the crime through the victim's eyes once every fourteen hours for the rest of his life. This was done by examining the victim's memories and implanting them into Paris' brain. Janeway and Tuvok later meet with Paris, and he tells them the "rehab colony back in New Zealand doesn't seem so bad right now." Tuvok asks Paris if he killed Professor Ren and he forcefully denies having killed him even though he did spend some time with his wife Lidell. Paris recalls finding Lidell looking up at the sky and smoking, stating that "her eyes were a million kilometers away, staring at stars I'd just flown by a day before," and engages her in polite conversation in the atrium. He tries to comfort her over her marital problems wherein she admits she married the much older Professor Ren because he was kind to her.

Lidell apparently ended her marriage to the professor and proceeded to pursue Paris. Paris and Lidell spend more time together. Soon after, Tolen heard about Lidell's relationship with Paris and confronted her. Immediately afterward, Paris relives the murder once again and loses consciousness. Janeway asks the Banean minister to take him to their ship for a medical evaluation from Voyager's chief medical officer. Kray reluctantly agrees but warns Janeway not to leave orbit. Janeway retorts that they do not plan on leaving until they prove Paris' innocence and Tuvok calls Voyager for three to beam aboard.

Act Three

Soon after, Tuvok visits the murder scene and speaks with Mrs. Ren. She says that she witnessed the murder and that it has in fact been committed by Paris. Tuvok notes that he finds Mrs. Ren to be dispassionate and she engages him in playful verbal sparing. She asks Tuvok if he has ever had to end a marriage. He tells her he has not; his wife and he have been married for sixty-seven years. She tells Tuvok she was about to leave her husband of ten years for Paris, which Tuvok finds hard to believe as Paris was to depart the planet for good in only a few days. She tells Tuvok that meeting Paris gave her "the push I needed." She recalls seeing Paris again the day of the murder, knowing that he wanted to see her. She recalls kissing him during a cloud burst of rain. While outside kissing her, Paris did not think it was appropriate, as she was still married to her husband. She told Paris that he did not treat her like a woman since the day they had viewed an eclipse together in four years previously.

Lidell tells Tuvok she made him Marob root tea to warm themselves up, they watched the storm from the atrium… and the rest Tuvok knows. Tuvok receives a signal through his combadge; Chakotay informs him that Paris has regained consciousness and thought he would like to know. Tuvok prepares to be beamed up to Voyager but before he leaves, Lidell asks Tuvok if he could tell Paris that she forgives him for her husband's murder.

Back on Voyager, Tuvok decides to conduct an autonomic response analysis scan on Paris to determine if he is telling the truth. The ARA scan confirms that Paris is being truthful when he says he didn't murder Tolen, but can't offer another explanation. The Doctor asserts that there were no drugs in Paris' system. Suddenly, the Baneans' enemy, the Numiri, attack Voyager. Chakotay hails Tuvok and tells him to report to the bridge.

Act Four

Chakotay, who is handling the helm controls in Paris' absence, manages to defeat the Numiri with an old Maquis trick. He reminds a nearby B'Elanna Torres of their defeat of Starfleet runabouts at Teluridian IV. She understands immediately and from her station on the bridge, orders engineering to vent Voyager's LN2 exhaust conduits along the dorsal emitters to make the ship look like it is in serious trouble. The plan works and the Numiri patrols are disabled by Voyager's phasers. Janeway tells Chakotay that that is one trick he will no longer able to perform when they return home. He remarks that he has more. Janeway has the ship stand down from red alert. Tuvok informs Janeway that due to the urgency of Paris' situation, he proposes he observe the crime himself by performing a mind meld on Voyager's helmsman.

In sickbay, Tuvok is preparing to perform the mind meld with Paris, over The Doctor's strenuous objections. The Doctor reminds Tuvok that Paris' brain is suffering from degradation from the implanted memories and he has no idea what melding with it will do to a Vulcan brain. Tuvok believes the risks are acceptable. During the mind meld, Tuvok makes note of several points of interest in the "memory", such as the height of both Paris and Lidell, the alien symbols and numbers, and the location of the knife on Professor Ren's body. Breaking the meld, The Doctor examines Tuvok and can find no brain damage. Tuvok tells Janeway he now understands why Paris is convicted of the murder and why the Numiri chose to attack Voyager. Tuvok subsequently confers with Ensign Kim to confirm his suspicions. To further confirm his suspicions, Tuvok has the captain use Tom Paris as bait.

Act Five

Specifically, Janeway sends Kim and Paris back to the planet in a shuttle under the pretext that further use of the transporter could cause medical complications to Paris. This draws out the Numiri and they seize the shuttle and try to take Paris hostage. The two crewman are beamed away. Janeway threatens to detonate a cache of explosives hidden on the shuttle unless it is released.

At a meeting at the scene of the crime the following day, Tuvok reveals that Lieutenant Paris was not the man the professor saw before he was murdered. Tuvok elaborates that he believes that someone altered the memory engrams of the professor's brain. He points out the stream of numbers and text which appear in the memory which he believes is from the professor's weapons research.

The Evidence The Murder

Same height Paris and Lidell

Paris several centimeters taller Lidell and Doctor

Same height

He also reveals that Lidell's statement was false: the man the professor observed with his wife was virtually equal in height with her, however, Tom Paris is clearly several centimeters taller. Moreover, the killer – unlike Paris – knew Banean anatomy, for he knew exactly where to stab the professor to ensure a fatality. Lastly, the equations Paris sees in his memory are not at all typical to the procedure but rather equations taken from Dr. Ren's weapons research: someone intended them to be delivered to the Numiri – thus sending secret data to the enemy by using Paris' presence to their advantage. In other words, he would never be suspected of aiding an enemy because he is not a native of the planet and has no vested interest one way or another. That is why they were attempting to attack Voyager: they wanted to board the ship and take Paris by force.

Tuvok names the doctor who performed the memory transplant on Paris as the real killer of Dr. Ren, and Lidell as his accomplice. He proves this final point by referring to the second witness to the murder: the victim's pet dog Neeka that clearly recognized the doctor and was familiar with him when he entered the room. Lidell tries to tell Paris before she is led away that she never meant to hurt him but he takes her hand away from him and tells her she did.

Later in Voyager's mess hall, Paris thanks Tuvok for having saved his life but Tuvok states that he merely conducted a criminal investigation searching for the truth and that Paris doesn't owe him anything. Paris thanks him anyway, stating that whether Tuvok likes it or not, he made a friend today.

Memorable quotes

"Smoking is a bad habit. My species gave it up centuries ago when we finally got it into our heads it was killing us."

"Maybe I kill myself slowly because I don't have the courage to do it quickly."

- Tom Paris and Lidell Ren



"What are you looking at?"

"Not the same thing you're looking at, that's for sure."

- Tom Paris and Harry Kim, after Kim notices Paris' interest in Lidell Ren



"What are you looking at?"

- Tom Paris, to Neeka, the Ren's canine



"Besides, out here in the Delta Quadrant every old trick is new again."

- Chakotay



"What do you see?"

"Shoes… muddy shoes. The dog."

"Good. That's exactly what you should see."

- Banean doctor and Tom Paris, as Paris relives Tolen Ren's last memory



"You don't have to go, Tom. He has no right."

"No right? This is my home, you come into my home, steal my wife and I have no right?!"

- Lidell and Tolen Ren in Paris' "memory"



"I propose a mind meld with Lieutenant Paris."

"A… a what? What did he say? A mind what?"

- Tuvok and Neelix



"There are some who'd say you risked my future on the eyewitness identification of a dog."

- Tom Paris, to Tuvok



"Her eyes were a million kilometers away, staring at stars I'd flown by the day before."

- Tom Paris, on Lidell Ren



"I was bored. You know how it is when two science guys get together."

- Tom Paris



"I appreciate you sticking up for me. I owe you one."

"I conducted a criminal investigation. If you had been guilty, I assure you, I would have pursued the truth just as vigilantly. You have no debt to me, Mr. Paris."

- Tom Paris and Tuvok



"How come I always see you down here eating alone, Lieutenant?"

"I prefer to read rather than engage in… what do Humans call it… short talk?"

"Close enough."

- Tom Paris and Tuvok



"Blowing out the dorsal phase emitters. Torres to engineering."

"Go ahead."

"Vent a couple of LN 2 exhaust conduits along the dorsal emitters. Make it look like we're in serious trouble."



- Torres and unidentified comm voice; the line that gave Roxann Dawson difficulty (see below).



"That's one trick you won't be able to use again when we get back."

"I have more."



- Janeway and Chakotay



"Very, very curious. In Numiri terms, that greeting was downright friendly."

- Neelix



"That rehab colony back in New Zealand doesn't seem so bad right now."

- Tom Paris

Background information

Title, story, and script

Cast and characters

Makeup

Makeup supervisor Michael Westmore said of his Numiri design for this episode, "They're a bit on the reptilian side, and it's a full head with a lower lip and very interesting nose to it." (The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 2, p. 41)

Production

Sets and props

Visual effects

Music

The music for this episode was composed by Dennis McCarthy. He invested a lot of energy in the episode, even more so than he had for Star Trek Generations . He commented, " I even worked harder on 'Ex Post Facto' than I did on the movie. I mean, that episode was a murder trial with the dog as the surprise witness! I really had to sell that. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 4, pp. 63-64)

. He commented, " " ( issue 4, pp. 63-64) Of the seven scores that Dennis McCarthy wrote for Star Trek: Voyager 's first season, he ultimately considered this episode to be his favorite as well as the one that involved the most unusual Star Trek music. He noted, " It was a very late 19th Century Impressionist-style score. It was something so different from the normal Star Trek score that, until 'Heroes and Demons,' I was going to submit that one for Emmy consideration. " ( The Official Star Trek: Voyager Magazine issue 4, p. 63)

's first season, he ultimately considered this episode to be his favorite as well as the one that involved the most unusual music. He noted, " Star Trek " ( issue 4, p. 63) Michael Piller was pleased with the music for this episode. He noted, "It had a wonderful score." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 27, No. 4/5, p. 47)

Reception and aftermath

Continuity

Trivia

Among the names The Doctor considers for himself are "Dr. Galen," "Dr. Salk" and "Dr. Spock" (although the scene is scripted in such a way that the viewer might think he is referring to Mr. Spock.)

Video and DVD releases

Main cast

Guest stars

Co-star

Uncredited co-stars

Stand-ins

References

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