Episode Synopsis : Season 6
Tsunkatse
Episode 135

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SUMMARY: Seven is forced to fight before a crowd in a martial sport called Tsunkatse. The stakes are her life and that of Tuvok. While on shore leave, Chakotay and Torres attend a Tsunkatse match on the Norcadian homeworld. Tsunkatse is a martial art whose bouts are shown for entertainment to Norcadians and other enthusiasts. Meanwhile, Janeway takes the Delta Flyer for a visit to a planet in a neighbouring system. Having no need for shore leave, Seven and Tuvok take a shuttlecraft to study a micronebula. The shuttlecraft is captured by an alien vessel, and both Tuvok and Seven are rendered unconscious. When Seven regains consciousness, an alien named Penk welcomes her as the newest participant in his Tsunkatse matches, saying that as a former Borg she is going to be a very popular attraction. Seven demands to see Tuvok, who was injured when their shuttle was hit. While attending to him, Seven tells Penk that she has no intention of participating in his game. But Penk gives her no option, compelling her to agree to fight in exchange for Tuvok's medical care. Seven with Penk There are 33 sanctioned maneuvers in Tsunkatse. A fighter wears a polaron disruptor on both hands and feet. Each disruptor delivers a bio-plasmic charge when it comes in contact one of the opponent's target sensors. A fighter has to attack his rival's sensors without exposing his own. At the next match, a Blue Match, the Voyager crew in the audience are shocked to discover Seven is one of the fighters. She is the reluctant challenger of a Tsunkatse champion, a Pendari. Chakotay contacts Torres on Voyager, telling her to beam Seven out of the ring, but the transport is unsuccessful. The reason is that the figures in the Tsunkatse ring are not really there - they are photonic projections transmitted from a different location. The crew watch helplessly as Seven is hurt as she is decisively beaten. Seven dressed as a Tsunkatse fighter, and the audience above 2 screenshots: Neelix and Paris are horrified to see Seven in the Tsunkatse ring the Pendari champion floors Seven the injured and defeated Seven, and the triumphant Pendari champion acknowledging the cheering crowd the Pendari champion acknowledges the Tsunkatse crowd's applause Chakotay updates Janeway, but it will take almost two days for her to return. While Seven of Nine nurses her injuries, Penk tells her that his audience will pay handsomely to see a former Borg killed and accordingly he is entering her in a Red Match. A Red Match is one in which only one of the opponents leaves the ring alive. Penk tells her: "If three billion people paid to see you hurt, imagine how many will pay to see you die." One of the seasoned Tsunkatse veterans, a Hirogen hunter, trains Seven for the match, reminding her that the only way to survive in Tsunkatse is to win. Continuing the effort to rescue Seven of Nine, the Norcadian ambassador tells Neelix that he will begin an immediate investigation. However, with a portion of the Norcadian economy based on Tsunkatse matches, Neelix believes that little will be done. The Voyager crew conduct their own investigation. Torres and Kim discover that the Tsunkatse bout transmissions emanate from a ship which is protected by neutronic weaponry. On Penk's ship, the Red Match begins. Seven is shocked and horrified when her trainer, the Hirogen hunter, enters the ring. The hunter tells Seven that he was training her so that she could kill him and give him an honourable death. As Seven tries to convince the hunter that they both should refuse to fight, Voyager arrives and exchanges fire with the Tsunkatse vessel. But Penk's ship is large and well-defended. At a critical moment, Janeway in the Delta Flyer arrives to join the uneven fight, and Voyager is able to beam Tuvok to safety. However, they are unable to get a lock on Seven's position, so they beam both Seven and the Hirogen hunter onto Voyager The hunter returns to his people, while Seven reflects on the actions she was forced to take in the ring.      HIROGEN HUNTER TO SEVEN: Stop thinking like a drone! Sanctioned maneuvers, perfecting defences.... You cannot assimilate Tsunkatse from a book. You must live it, feel it, in here (inside oneself), your movements must become instinct. An attack can come at any time from any direction. You must learn to improvise.    NEELIX: It's hard to believe - a civilisation whose favourite pastime is cheering while innocent people fight each other. CHAKOTAY: If Seven and Tuvok hadn't been abducted, we might still be cheering too.