THE 37'S
Episode 20

 

The USS Voyager crew encounter an early 20th century artefact floating in space - a 1930's Ford pick-up truck! They bring it aboard to examine it. Paris, whose hobby is 20th century Earth, knows how to handle a vehicle from that time, and he gets into the driving seat and starts the engine. This startles the other crewmembers. Paris finds that the truck's radio is picking up an SOS call, an ancient Earth distress call, on a frequency which is not one of the standard ones monitored on Voyager as messages on the channel only travel at the speed of light and are too slow for interstellar communications. Obviously curious about the presence here in the Delta Quadrant of an old Earth vehicle, Voyager goes to answer and investigate the distress call, which comes from a continent in the northern hemisphere of a Class-L planet with an oxygen-argon atmosphere. The trinimbic interference from the planet's upper atmosphere blocks sensor readings. It is also impossible to transport through the interference or to safely navigate a shuttle through the currents. Due to these factors, Janeway decides to land Voyager. When Paris says he has never landed a starship before, she confides neither has she. With USS Voyager successfully landed on the planet, the away team trace the SOS distress call and find an abandoned Lockheed L10 Electra aeroplane. That type of aeroplane was constructed during the same era as the truck. Tricorders sense a high concentration of trianium particles and these scans lead the away team to a cryostasis chamber containing eight humans in stasis. All are dressed in 1930's attire. One is Janeway's childhood historical hero, the American aviatrix Amelia Earhart! She disappeared on 2nd July 1937 during an attempt to be the first to circumnavigate the globe at its equator. The downed Lockheed was her aircraft. Unknown to the Voyager crew, they are secretly observed by a stranger, a native of the planet. the stasis units open on some of the eight 37's Voyager's senior staff decide to revive the humans. They do so, and Janeway gets to meet her childhood hero in person. Amelia Earhart wakes in the 24th century At a senior staff meeting on Voyager, the crew decide to revive the humans from stasis. But when they do so, the humans are suspicious. The 37s, who are a mix of nationalities among them a Japanese soldier, are bewildered that the strangers speak their native languages, but Janeway explains about the combadges (there is a universal translator in every combadge) and tries to convince the 37s that they really are on the other side of the galaxy and in the 24th century (she shows Kes to be an alien by showing them one of her ears). The humans reveal they were kidnapped in 1937. Of the 37's, the most unwilling to believe Janeway that they are no longer on Earth in 1937 is Fred Noonan, Earhart's navigator. He pulls out a gun and threatens the away team, demanding of Chakotay that Noonan be put in touch with the USA authorities as at 1937. Chakotay initiates a mission to rescue the away team. Janeway overcomes Earhart's mistrust and a friendship is born. Earhart makes Noonan put away his gun and give up his threats. Hoping to persuade them that she is telling the truth about their being on a distant planet and in the 24th century, Janeway persuades the 37's to accompany the Voyager away team out of the cave and see the starship. At this moment the Voyager rescue team arrives. As Janeway and the 37's venture out of the cave, both parties are unexpectedly fired upon by unseen snipers and Noonan is badly injured by a bullet. With Chakotay and his team providing covering fire, Janeway overcomes the attackers. They turn out to be human! the attackers turn out to be human, named John Evansville and Karyn Berlin Noonan fears he is about to die The 37's are taken aboard Voyager. In Sickbay, Noonan fears he cannot recover from so bad a bullet wound. With Earhart by his side, he takes the opportunity of these his last living moments to confess his love to her. But Noonan is unprepared for the medical advances since the 1937 and the Doctor swiftly treats him. Noonan is embarrassed by his deathbed confession but Earhart tells him it is forgotten. Evansville, one of the earlier attackers, explains that he and his people mistook the Voyager crew for people working for the Briori species. His people are descendants of over 300 people kidnapped from Earth by the Briori in 1937 and brought to this planet as slaves. He explains that after a successful slave revolt chased the Briori off, the humans created a colony. The attack on the 37s and the away team as they were leaving the cryostasis chamber was a mistake - they thought the starship crew were Briori. They believed that the eight "37's" in Earhart's group were dead, and they left them in their cryostasis units for centuries. To them the cave is a shrine containing those bodies, and he is most startled when Janeway informs him that its occupants, people from 1937, have been revived. On the Bridge of USS Voyager, there is an historic meeting between Evansville and Amelia Earhart. Evansville and Amelia Earhart meet Janeway doubts herself After visiting the three beautiful and thriving cities belonging to colonists, Janeway discusses with Chakotay the offer by Evansville for any Voyager crewmember to stay and settle on the planet. Anyone who wishes to stay is instructed to gather in Voyager's Cargobay 1 by a certain time. Janeway confides to Chakotay her fear that she has become obsessed with getting home and wonders if the crew will want to stay. Chakotay reassures her that not a day goes by when he does not think of Earth and believes it is the same for the rest of the crew. However, he is concerned that so many crewmembers might choose to stay that Voyager could not be flown. Two crewmen, Jarvin (seen in [#3 Parallax]) and Walter Baxter (seen in [#7 Eye Of The Needle] and [#19 Twisted]), are particularly noted as being possibles who might stay with Evansville's people. In the Messhall, Neelix provides hospitality for the 37's. At a nearby table, Kim and Torres discuss settling on the planet. Neelix with the 37's in the Messhall. They discuss who among them wants to remain on the planet. Earhart informs Janeway that the 37's will remain on the planet. She herself feels part of them; she is a kind of ancestor of theirs, although she will not now be able to learn about Voyager (and maybe fly her). Janeway tells Earhart that she has ordered those who wish to remain on the planet to report to the cargo bay at 1500 hours. At the appointed time, Janeway and Chakotay go to the cargo bay. She is greatly moved to find it empty - all the crew have chosen to stay on Voyager and trust to her to get them home. Earhart and Janeway the empty cargo bay On the Bridge, the crew there tacitly but overtly also confirm that trust. As ship and crew lift off and head into space, they are watched by well-wishers Earhart, Noonan and Evansville. Noonan Evansville Earhart USS Voyager launches to head back into deep space      JANEWAY TO EARHART: I know what we've told you sounds hard to believe but there was a time when no one believed a woman could fly across the Atlantic. Now people are able to travel between the stars. The galaxy is full of many different species.      CHAKOTAY TO JANEWAY: You're not alone. I want to get home too. And there's not a day that goes by when I don't hear someone mention Earth.      EARHART TO JANEWAY: I must admit the thought of travelling through space, maybe even learning to fly this ship, was very appealing to me."