The 37's : Episode 20 Part A :: EPISODE GUIDES :: Janet's Star Trek Voyager Site

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THE 37'S: Episode 20

Part A

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On Voyager's bridge, Kim reports something unusual picked up by the ship's sensors.
Janeway: "Rust?"
Kim: "That's right, Captain - high levels of ferric oxide, corroded iron particles."
Janeway: "Would you mind telling me how iron could rust in space without oxygen?"
Kim: "I wish I could."

Janeway: "Mr Paris, alter our course to follow that trail of rust, one quarter impulse."
Paris: "Aye, Captain."

Later Kim alerts Janeway. "Captain, look at this," indicating a monitor scan. "I'm picking up traces of complex hydrocarbons in the rust - benzene, ethylene, acetylene."
Paris turns. "It sounds like gasoline."
Kim: "Gasoline?"
Paris: "It's a liquid fuel that was used centuries ago on Earth. They burned it to drive internal combustion engines."
Janeway: "How did it get out here?"

Tuvok: "I'm detecting a small object. It appears to be the source of the rust's hydrocarbons."

Janeway: "Put it on screen. Magnify."
It is an artefact of some kind. Paris knows what it is, but the rest of the crew do not. The television viewer also knows - it is a Ford pick-up truck from Earth's 1930s!

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The artefact has been stored in the cargo bay. Janeway, Tuvok, Torres, Paris and Kim are there, as are two other personnel including Lieutenant Ayala. They use tricorders as they start analysing their find.
Tuvok: "Apparently it is a ground vehicle from mid-20th century Earth."
Paris: "Phew. It's a 1936 Ford, actually."
Janeway: "Mr Paris?"
Paris: "That was the manufacturing date, 1936. Ford was the name of the company that built it. Antique vehicles are a hobby of mine."

He opens up the bonnet to look at the engine. He whistles with the admiration of a keen hobbyist seeing a real original. "Internal combustion engine, a reciprocating piston cylinder design, fuel source was a refined petroleum - gasoline."
Kim: "So is this an early hovercar?"
Paris: "Oh, they were about a century too early for that. This is about one step ahead of the horse-drawn carriage."

Torres: "Traces of potassium nitrate, ammonium and methane back here."
Janeway: "I think you'll find that's manure. Horse manure, if I'm not mistaken. Judging the mud on the wheels and the alfafa seedlings stuck in the metal frame, I'd say this vehicle belonged to a farmer, or at least someone who lived in a rural area. But the question is: how did it get here? I doubt there are many 20th century farmers driving around the Delta Quadrant."

Tuvok: "There are no signs of any wormholes or temporal anomalies in this region of space."
Janeway: "Let's run a metallurgical analysis of the vehicle."

Meanwhile, Paris is in a world of his own - that of the afficionado with a dream come true, and he is talking more to himself than to anyone else. He has been carrying out his own analysis! "There's still oil in the crank case, water in the radiator. I wonder if the battery's still charged."

He opens the driver's door, and sits in the seat. "Ah now, let's see. This was before voice command activation, so there should be something in here called a key. A key..."
Kim opens the passenger door and looks in. "What are you doing?"

Paris: "Trying to bring this beauty back to life." He talks to himself: "Now where are the keys? Ah, here they are. Ok, choke out, clutch in, give her a little gas, turn the key and step on the starter."

The ancient vehicle judders....

...and fumes pour out of the exhaust pipe.

The vehicle backfires, making the others dive for cover! Tuvok draws his phaser.
Paris: "Sorry!"

The others recover. Janeway goes over to Paris. "Next time, you might give us a little warning, Mr Paris."
Paris: "Aye, Captain."

Tuvok: "I suggest we increase the ventilation in the cargo bay before we are asphyxiated."

Janeway, looking inside the cab. "What's that?"

Paris: "That is an amplitude modulation receiving device - AM radio." He cannot resist fiddling with the controls. "Not sure we'll pick up much out here." Suddenly there is a loud sound. "Oh, what was that?" It is morse code but the crew do not recognise it.
Torres: "What is that?"
Kim: "It's too regular to be random interference."
Torres: "I'm running the signal through the ship's database. It's an ancient Earth distress call known as an S.O.S."

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	On Voyager's bridge, Kim reports something unusual picked up by the ship's sensors. Janeway: "Rust?" Kim: "That's right, Captain - high levels of ferric oxide, corroded iron particles." Janeway: "Would you mind telling me how iron could rust in space without oxygen?" Kim: "I wish I could."
	Janeway: "Mr Paris, alter our course to follow that trail of rust, one quarter impulse." Paris: "Aye, Captain."
	Later Kim alerts Janeway. "Captain, look at this," indicating a monitor scan. "I'm picking up traces of complex hydrocarbons in the rust - benzene, ethylene, acetylene." Paris turns. "It sounds like gasoline." Kim: "Gasoline?" Paris: "It's a liquid fuel that was used centuries ago on Earth. They burned it to drive internal combustion engines." Janeway: "How did it get out here?"
	Tuvok: "I'm detecting a small object. It appears to be the source of the rust's hydrocarbons."
	Janeway: "Put it on screen. Magnify." It is an artefact of some kind. Paris knows what it is, but the rest of the crew do not. The television viewer also knows - it is a Ford pick-up truck from Earth's 1930s!

	He opens the driver's door, and sits in the seat. "Ah now, let's see. This was before voice command activation, so there should be something in here called a key. A key..." Kim opens the passenger door and looks in. "What are you doing?"
	Paris: "Trying to bring this beauty back to life." He talks to himself: "Now where are the keys? Ah, here they are. Ok, choke out, clutch in, give her a little gas, turn the key and step on the starter."

	The others recover. Janeway goes over to Paris. "Next time, you might give us a little warning, Mr Paris." Paris: "Aye, Captain."
	Tuvok: "I suggest we increase the ventilation in the cargo bay before we are asphyxiated."
	Janeway, looking inside the cab. "What's that?"
	Paris: "That is an amplitude modulation receiving device - AM radio." He cannot resist fiddling with the controls. "Not sure we'll pick up much out here." Suddenly there is a loud sound. "Oh, what was that?" It is morse code but the crew do not recognise it. Torres: "What is that?" Kim: "It's too regular to be random interference." Torres: "I'm running the signal through the ship's database. It's an ancient Earth distress call known as an S.O.S."