Changes: Bride of Chaotica! (episode)

Revision as of 20:09, 29 January 2011

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Photonic life-forms on an exploratory mission from the fifth dimension become entangled in a war with the characters from Tom Paris' "Captain Proton" program after mistaking Voyager's holodeck for reality.

Summary

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Tom Paris and Harry Kim are enjoying a chapter of The Adventures of Captain Proton on the holodeck as Proton and Buster Kincaid respectively, trying to save Proton's secretary, Constance Goodheart. Things are going according to the script until a (coloured) subspace distortion appears in the middle of their black-and-white program. Meanwhile, the USS Voyager becomes trapped in a layer of subspace.

Unable to end the program, they leave the holodeck running and exit the holodeck via site-to-site transport. After being trapped on the subspace sandbar for several days, weapons fire is detected on the holodeck. Paris and Tuvok investigate and discover that photonic lifeforms have mistaken the holodeck program for reality and are now at war with Doctor Chaotica. Apparently, these lifeforms are explorers and believe that they are making their first contact with humans. Unfortunately, Chaotica believed they were aliens of the fifth dimension and killed one of the lifeforms' emissaries. Tuvok and Paris try to explain to the lifeforms that they are in a simulation but the aliens refuse to believe, as their "sensors" can't pick up "biochemical lifeforms", which they think are artificial.

Paris and Tuvok brief the senior staff on what they've found. They decide the only way out is to play along as the characters in Captain Proton. Paris and Kim resume their previous roles. Captain Janeway is enlisted to play Queen Arachnia. Her assignment is to get Doctor Chaotica to lower his lightning shield. With some help from B'Elanna Torres, The Doctor will pose as the President of Earth. In the program, he encounters one of the photonic aliens and convinces them that Captain Proton is an agent of Earth and is not a threat to them, but Doctor Chaotica is. He is able to convince the photonic aliens to leave once Captain Proton defeats Doctor Chaotica.

Janeway, as Queen Arachnia, eventually completes her mission only after agreeing to become Chaotica's bride and unleashing the pheromone on his right hand. Unfortunately, she tries to have him deactivate the shield by force but he imprisons her. But she is able to use the pheromone on his henchmen. Afterward, Paris, as Captain Proton, destroys Chaotica's death ray. Janeway then kills Chaotica and his guards. As the others arrive, Chaotica declares that this isn't the last they will see of him.

Once the photonic aliens have left, Voyager is able to continue on its way.

Log Entries

"Captain's log, supplemental. We've been spinning our wheels for three days now and still no progress in breaking free of the subspace layer."

Memorable Quotes

"Chaotica fires his fiendish death ray! Certain death for Proton, as his rocket ship bursts into flames!!!"
"We didn't burst into flames in the last chapter. Why are these recaps always so inaccurate?"
"Well, they brought people back into theaters."
"Cliffhangers!"
"The lost art of hyperbole."

- An episode trailer for Captain Proton, followed by Kim and Paris

"Coffee, black."
"I'm sorry, Captain. We've lost another two replicators –"
"Listen to me very carefully because I'm only going to say this once. Coffee. Black."
"Yes, ma'am." (To replicator) "Coffee, black. While I've got your attention there are –"
(Holds up hand) "Coffee first." (drinks) "...Now, what's the problem?"

- Janeway and Neelix

"Invaders from the Fifth Dimension!"

- Satan's Robot

"Intercepted communications between Doctor Chaotica and Arachnia. Stop. Chaotica at war with aliens from fifth dimension. Stop. Must strike now to disable death ray."
"Stop. Please summarize the message."

- Paris and Tuvok

"Invaders from the Fifth Dimension! Invaders-"
(thumps the Robot) "Quiet!"
(mutters) "Invaders..."

- Satan's Robot and Paris

"Let me get this straight: trans-dimensional aliens have mistaken your Captain Proton simulation for reality."
"Yes ma'am."
"And now an armed conflict has broken out between these aliens, and Chaotica's holographic army."
"Yes ma'am. His army of evil."

- Janeway and Paris

"The Destructo beam on my rocket ship can disable the death ray, but only if someone gets inside the Fortress of Doom and can shut down the lightning shield."

- Paris

"Well, he's been attacking the aliens with his death ray."
"It's a shame we don't have one."

- Paris and Tuvok

"Think of it as Starfleet's first encounter with Planet X."

- Seven of Nine

"I'm a size four."

- Janeway after accepting the part.

"Ah, I see you've kept my pheromones. I didn't realize you were the scent-imental type."

- Janeway as Queen Arachnia

"The first minute I restore holodeck controls, I'm going to delete this guy."
"Delete – this – guy!"

- Paris and Satan's Robot

"I'll see you at the Fortress of Doom. And remember, you're the Queen!"

- Paris to Janeway

"Isn't anybody going to sing 'Hail to the Chief'?"
"Mr President! How'd it go?"
"My performance was uninpeachable."

- The Doctor and Kim

"Doc, activate the destructo beam!"
"The what?"
"The big button in the middle of that panel."

- Paris and The Doctor

"Destructo Beam activated."

- The Doctor

(locating the source of voice) "Satan's Robot!'"
"Naturally."

- Paris and Tuvok

"HAH! You're no match for Arachnia!"

- Janeway as Queen Arachnia after harmlessly absorbing a holographic blast from one of Chaotica's goons.

" I don't know how to tell you this..."(shoots Chaotica with ray gun)"but the wedding's off!"

- Janeway as Queen Arachnia to Dr. Chaotica

"Looks like he burned out a resistor.'"
"A what?

- Paris and Tuvok, as Paris repairs Satan's Robot

Background Information

The story was conceived as a way to keep as much action as possible off the bridge, as the Deck 1 sets had suffered smoke and sprinkler damage as a result of a small fire on 2 October 1998. The bridge scenes in the episode were actually shot weeks after the rest of the episode. Robert Picardo jokingly claimed he had started the fire with a lit cigar. Template:Brokenlink
Kate Mulgrew on playing Queen Arachnia: "That was the greatest fun. That was just wild fun. That was cut loose fun time. I mean those opportunities are few and far between for the captain. And I think everybody said, 'Oh well, let's just let Kate have a ball.' And I did." (Star Trek: Voyager Companion)
Nicholas Worth previously played Sorm in the Star Trek: Deep Space Nine episode "A Simple Investigation".
The Bride of Chaotica was also a science fiction film referenced in the Star Trek: Enterprise episode "Cogenitor".
In the teaser, Harry Kim comments to Paris that the surface of Planet X looks suspiciously like the "Mines of Mercury" they had seen in a previous episode. This is an in-joke reference to the "Planet Hell" set used to depict many different subterranean or "cave" scenes since the first season of Star Trek: The Next Generation, including this one.
Chaotica's Death Ray was previously seen as a weapon in the forests of Minos in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Arsenal of Freedom".
The book Star Trek 101, by Terry J. Erdmann and Paula M. Block, lists this episode as one of the "Ten Essential Episodes" from Star Trek: Voyager.

Video and DVD releases

UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 5.6, 21 June 1999.
As part of the VOY Season 5 DVD collection.

Links and references

Previous episode:
"Latent Image"

Star Trek: Voyager
Season 5

Next episode:
"Gravity"

@@ Line 153: / Line 153: @@
 == Background Information ==
-* The story was conceived as a way to keep as much action as possible off the bridge, as the Deck 1 sets had suffered smoke and sprinkler damage as a result of a small fire on {{d|2|October|1998}}. The bridge scenes in the episode were actually shot weeks after the rest of the episode. [[Robert Picardo]] jokingly claimed he had started the fire with a lit cigar. [http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/community/chat/archive/transcript/1241.html]
+* The story was conceived as a way to keep as much action as possible off the bridge, as the Deck 1 sets had suffered smoke and sprinkler damage as a result of a small fire on {{d|2|October|1998}}. The bridge scenes in the episode were actually shot weeks after the rest of the episode. [[Robert Picardo]] jokingly claimed he had started the fire with a lit cigar. {{brokenlink|url=http://www.startrek.com/startrek/view/community/chat/archive/transcript/1241.html}}
 * [[Kate Mulgrew]] on playing [[Queen Arachnia]]: "''That was the greatest fun. That was just wild fun. That was cut loose fun time. I mean those opportunities are few and far between for the captain. And I think everybody said, 'Oh well, let's just let Kate have a ball.' And I did.''" (''[[Star Trek: Voyager Companion]]'')
 * [[Nicholas Worth]] previously played [[Sorm]] in the ''[[Star Trek: Deep Space Nine]]'' episode {{e|A Simple Investigation}}.

Changes: Bride of Chaotica! (episode)

Revision as of 20:09, 29 January 2011

Summary

Log Entries

Memorable Quotes

Background Information

Video and DVD releases

Links and references

Starring

Also starring

Guest stars

Co-stars

Uncredited co-stars

References