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SUMMARY: The Banean people convict Tom Paris he claims he did not commit. Tuvok must find the truth before the Baneans' unusual punishment causes severe brain damage.
Kim returns to Voyager from the Banean homeworld with shocking news: Paris has been found guilty of murder, convicted by the Baneans using the eye-witness testimony of the victim whose engrams were removed after death. As punishment, Paris has been sentenced to relive the crime from his victim's perspective every 14 hours, due to memory engrams implanted in his brain by a Banean doctor.
Kim recounts how he and Paris had travelled to Banea as planned and been introduced to engineering physicist named Tolen Ren, who could help them repair a damaged piece of equipment. Tolen Ren took Paris and Kim back to his home where they meet Lidell, Tolen's young and attractive wife. They have a dog named Neeka. Paris took an immediate interest in Lidell. They dine together, then Kim and Tolen work on the damaged equipment, while Paris joins Lidell in the atrium. When Ren turned up dead, Paris was arrested.
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| Left: Paris and Kim with Tolen and Lidell Ren. Right: Neeka |
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| supper |
a Numiri patrol captain warns Janeway |
When Janeway orders Voyager to the Banean planet, Neelix warns her that they are likely to be approached by a Numiri patrol vessel. The Numiri are a very aggressive and hostile species at war with the Banea. They are stopped by the Numiri, who merely offer a polite warning and then allow the ship to proceed. |
Janeway meets with the Banean Minister, who explains that the evidence - the murder as seen through Ren's own eyes - undeniably proves Paris' guilt. But when Paris is brought to her later, he acknowledges that he spoke with the widow in the atrium but denies any wrongdoing.
Paris, who is affected constantly by the implants, relates to Janeway his side of the story |
Paris' flashback: he and bored housewife Lidell have an intimate talk |
As Janeway and Tuvok talk to him, he enters another punishment cycle and once again relives the murder, this time losing consciousness. As he is human and not Banean, the Minister grants Janeway permission to take Paris to Voyager's Sickbay for a medical evaluation.
the Banean Doctor scans Paris when he collapses on entering another punishment cycle |
Tuvok, with the Banean Minister |
The Doctor reports that the neurological implant is causing serious brain damage. While Paris remains unconscious, Tuvok launches his own murder investigation. He interviews Ren's wife, who has remained in the matrimonial home, who says she saw Paris kill her husband.
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| Tuvok interviews Lidell |
Voyager fends off an attack by the Numiri |
Paris tells Tuvok that all he can remember of the night of the murder was sitting with Lidell, drinking tea, talking then falling asleep, and when he woke he was in a cell. The Doctor judges from Paris' brain scan that he is telling the truth. The conversation is interrupted by a Numiri attack that the Voyager crew successfully fends off. Tuvok wonders why the Numiri should choose to attack Voyager. |
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| the mind-meld |
Tuvok performs a Vulcan mind-meld with Paris and relives the 14-hour cycle. When he emerges from the experience, Tuvok declares that he is convinced of Paris' innocence and, furthermore, knows why the Numiri chose to attack Voyager.
Janeway informs the Banean Minister and the Banean Doctor of the Doctor's prognosis. The Banean Doctor says it is possible to remove the implants but the Banean Minister warns the substitute punishment may be worse. Janeway says that rather than risk possibly damaging Paris further by using the ship's transporters they will return him by shuttlecraft which will leave in an hour's time.
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| Janeway talks with the Banean Minister and the Banean Doctor |
Paris, accompanied by Kim, sets out in the shuttlecraft as arranged, but are intercepted by a Numiri patrol who identify Paris as being specifically the person they want to seize. Paris and Kim are beamed back to Voyager while Janeway uses bluff to secure the return of the shuttlecraft.
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| the Numiri try to capture Paris; they know who to look for as they have a picture |
Now that this has proved Tuvok's theory, he assembles the key players in the murder mystery at the Ren house. There Tuvok deduces that a Banean traitor altered Ren's memory engrams, since Paris' daily flashbacks include equations taken from Ren's weapons research. They knew that the Banean Doctor would not object to Paris being examined on Voyager, away from Banea, hence Voyager being allowed easy passage to Banea earlier, so that the secret data could be easily intercepted by the Numiri. Having relived the crime from the victim's viewpoint, Tuvok also realises that the real killer was shorter than Paris, and of the same height as Lidell. He exposes the Banean Doctor as a Numiri agent, who implanted the engrams as both Lidell's secret lover and Ren's killer. When the Banean Doctor claims that he never saw Lidell before Tolen's death, Tuvok has the Ren's dog Neeka let into the room. Neeka greets the Banean Doctor as a familiar friend, thereby confirming the his guilt. Lidell and the Banean Doctor are arrested.
Back on Voyager, Paris seeks out Tuvok in the Messhall and thanks him for saving his life.
 | | JANEWAY: Based on your experience, what can we expect the Numiri to do to intimidate us?
NEELIX: To be honest, whenever I saw the Numiri coming I always left before the intimidation began. |
| | BANEAN GOVERNMENT MINISTER: We have the capability of isolating memory engrams in the brain. We take them from the final moments of life. After they're used in the trial they're transplanted into the perpetrator's brain. ..... An artificial lifeforms serves as host to the engrams and testifies as to their content. In this case, the victim's last memories clearly show Mr Paris caught in an embarrassing episode with Mrs Ren. An argument ensues. Paris is then seen by the victim's own eyes killing him. The evidence of his guilt is incontrovertible. |
| | PARIS: There are some who'd say you risked my future on the eye-witness identification of a dog.
TUVOK: It seemed a necessary step to ensure a truthful resolution.
PARIS: Well, I appreciate you sticking up for me. I owe you one.
TUVOK: 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. |
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