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SUMMARY: Kathryn Janeway discovers there was less to her ancestor than she originally believed.
"Janeway" = "Kathryn Janeway" (as per convention throughout this site). "Henry"= "Henry Janeway".
| Neelix has been learning as much as he can about Earth's history - he and Paris even have a friendly contest running to see how much Neelix knows (part of the contest is seen later, in the Messhall). As they chat in her Ready Room, she reminisces about one of her ancestors, Shannon O'Donnel, whom, she tells him, worked on the famous Millennium Gate and the early Mars space projects. |  |
Shannon was driving through in Indiana in late December of the year 2000. She was on her way to Florida when, after a minor car accident and a failed engine, she became stranded in the little town of Portage Creek waiting for the breakdown truck to arrive. She discovered that the downtown area of Portage Creek was about to be demolished and replaced by the Millennium Gate. The world's first self-sustaining civic environment, the Millennium Gate's builders had offered the residents of Portage Creek generous compensation to close down their businesses to allow the construction project to take place, provided that they all do so by the end of 31st December 2000. However, one shop owner had refused the offer. By refusing to close his bookshop, Alexandria Books, Henry Janeway was unpopular among the townsfolk. Shannon took shelter in Alexandria Books where Henry and his son Jason gave her hospitality as she waited for the tow truck.
In Alexandria Books, Shannon shakes hands with Jason, Henry's son. |
Shannon |
| Observing that Henry was conducting a leaflet campaign against the Millennium Gate, Shannon got him to give her a job helping him as she could contribute by using her laptop computer. When Henry and Shannon leave the local bar after sharing a drink together, they are disturbed to find that numerous heavy construction vehicles for the Millennium Gate have already started to arrive in Portage Creek. | 
Henry Janeway |
Shannon and Henry dine "in Paris" | As they worked together, Shannon and Henry became close friends. Soon after meeting they shared an intimate candlelit picnic-style supper in Alexandria Books. Henry opened a book about France and concocted the conceit that they were dining in Paris. |
| In Voyager's Astrometrics Lab, Janeway enlists the aid of Seven to research her ancestor. The senior crew, during a social gathering in Janeway's quarters, discuss their own distinguished and/or memorable ancestors. Paris, whose interest in history includes expert knowledge on the early Mars explorers, says that one of his ancestors was one of those explorers. But when Janeway mentions Shannon O'Donnel, she is shocked to learn from Paris that Shannon was not one of those explorers. | 
the Millennium Gate's picture and schematics appear on Voyager's Astrometrics Lab's viewscreen |
Seven's research unearths information her own ancestors but she can find nothing about Shannon O'Donnel in the Federation databases. Neelix widens the search to non-Federation databases, and discovers in a Ferengi database a picture of Shannon and her children. When he shows it to Janeway she expresses a desire to have it downloaded so that she can frame it.
Moss offers Shannon a job | Janeway explains that she grew up admiring Shannon and her bravery in overcoming difficult "opposition" in order to build the Millennium Gate, which became the model for the first habitat on Mars. Back was 2000, Shannon was approached by Gerald Moss, the project supervisor, who investigated her and found out that she worked at NASA but was made redundant when they downsized. Moss offered her a job as a consulting engineer on the Millennium Gate, and asked her to convince Henry to give up his shop to the project. |
| Shannon looked more closely into the nature of the Millennium Gate, which Henry had told her would be a glorified shopping mall. When she tried to talk Henry into considering the benefits of the Millennium Gate, she admits that Moss offered her a job. He became angry at what he considered to be a betrayal, and they both agree it was best that she leave. Disgusted, Jason left to stay with a relative. Outside the shop, the local television station watched the shop live, with a countdown to the deadline. | 
following an argument with Henry, Shannon collects her belongings and leaves while Henry and a shocked Jason look on |
Shannon told Moss that she did not hold up her end of the bargain, in getting Henry to close his business, but Moss told he wanted to employ her anyway, at whichever location they are eventually allowed to build the Millennium Gate. However, Shannon decided to leave.
Late on New Year's Eve, Shannon drove out of Portage Creek in her now repaired car, but realised that her feelings for Henry made her want to return. On her return shortly before the midnight deadline, she found many of the townsfolk, as well as a crew and reporter from the local television station, waiting outside Alexandria Books. Henry had stubbornly retained the "Open" sign on the door. When Shannon arrived, Moss, hopeful that she might still persuade Henry to change his mind, orders the policeman to lift the cordon tape and let her pass to go into the shop. She and Henry had a heart-to-heart discussion inside the shop, and made a commitment to stay with each other permanently - they came to a compromise: Shannon said she could not live in the past, Henry could not live in the future, but they agreed they will meet in the present. At this, Henry decided to close his shop and make way for the Millennium Gate. At 11:59, one minute to the midnight deadline, he and Shannon left the shop. He turned the "Open" sign around, to read "Closed", to the delight of the waiting crowd. He, Shannon and Jason walked away from the shop, surrounded by the applauding townsfolk.
Henry and Shannon commit to a joint future together |
Henry, Shannon and Jason are applauded by the delighted townspeople |
Janeway arrives for the surprise party in the Messhall | Further research reveals for Janeway that Shannon did not overcome any great obstacles to build the Millennium Gate, as she had believed - she was only a consulting engineer, and the sole "opposition" she faced was Henry, who became her husband. Janeway is disappointed but is cheered when Neelix summons her to the Messhall where she finds the senior staff assembled with champagne for an impromptu "Ancestors' Eve", an occasion invented by Neelix. On behalf of everyone, Neelix presents Janeway with the picture she had wanted, beautifully presented in a frame which he notes would look good in her Ready Room. The happy occasion includes the Doctor taking a holophotograph for posterity. |
group holophoto | 
the framed photograph of Shannon Janeway and her family in 2050 |
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