“Ex Post Facto” is episode eight of season one of Star Trek: Voyager.
The episode opens with a voice asking Tom what he sees. Shoes. Muddy shoes. The entire scene is in greys. Then a dog, and the voice says good; that’s exactly what he should see. Then Tom sees himself kissing an alien woman. Which he says isn’t possible. The voice says it can be disorienting, seeing yourself through another man’s eyes. The woman tells the person whose viewpoint Tom has, Tolen, that he should go. Tolen replies he doesn’t have to go; it’s his house. And Tom is stealing his wife. Tom states that this isn’t how it happened, but is told the trial is over; there is no point of further denials. Tolen states he knows Tom was in prison, and they will see what his captain has to say about that. Tom will never wear that uniform again. Tom goes after Tolen, and stabs him with a knife. Tolen collapses. It is then stated that the sentence of the court has been carried out. For the rest of Tom’s natural life, he will relieve the last moments of his victim’s life every 14 hours.
The Doctor is reviewing Kes’s progress and she asks him if he has thought any more about a name. The Doctor has asked the captain for one. Kes asks why he doesn’t choose one for himself. Holograms are programmed; they don’t choose. Because they aren’t capable of choosing. Choosing a medical treatment is just programs on programs. Kes asks how that is different from her making decisions on the information stored in her brain. Well… if she puts it that way. The Doctor does know a lot of names, all related to doctors, real and literary. Kes suggests he take his time, because once he chooses his name, it will be it for the rest of his life. The Doctor had never considered having a life before. Then Janeway contacts them. A shuttlecraft is incoming with an injured crewman, either Harry or Tom. They don’t know which. The shuttle is damaged and can’t be raised, but there’s only one lifesign on it.
Harry is the one onboard, and he was made to leave without Tom. Because they said he had killed someone. The victim was Tolen Ren, the physicist they were dealing with that the Minister of Science introduced them too. Tolen invited Harry and Tom to dinner at his home; he’s sure his wife will be delighted with company. That doesn’t appear to be the case with his, significantly younger, wife, who Tom is looking at. Harry gives him a look in return.
Tolen asks how they got past the Numiri patrols; there is a war going on. Harry says that Tom is their best pilot and Captain Janeway decided to just send a shuttlecraft rather than get the Voyager involved in the war. Harry and Tolen were going over the engineering details and Tom wandered off in boredom. He went to see Mrs Ren – and this is a woman who doesn’t appear to be happy in her marriage. Harry knows Tom saw her again the next day, which was the night Tolen was murdered. Harry never saw Tom again after he was detained, and was himself interrogated for two days. Captain Janeway orders a course be set for the planet.
The captain asks Neelix for information. He tells her that they should prepare to be intercepted by Numiri patrols, who will try to intimidate them. Neelix always left before that part. He does think the Numiri ships could give them a problem. The Numiri and the Baneans once coexisted on the same planet; Numiri society is very covert. They are hailed by a Numiri vessel, and Neelix is surprised that it’s only one standard patrol ship. He expected more. The captain of the vessel contacts them and, despite his behaviour, Neelix states that, in Numiri terms, that was downright friendly.
Captain Janeway and Tuvok head to see the Minister. Tom has been more than just accused of murder; he has been tried, found guilty and punished according to the law. Which is to force him to relive his crime through the eyes of his victim. Tolen’s memories were used in the trial as evidence and incontrovertibly prove Tom guilty.
Tom is brought and he says he didn’t murder Tolen. He knows what he saw, but he doesn’t understand it. Mrs Ren had told him that the marriage was over and told Tolen that it was finished. The same day Tolen was killed. Nothing happened between her and Tom. Well, almost nothing. Tom gives his own perspective on what happened, recounting his conversations, and slightly more, with Mrs Ren.
When Tom experiences the memories again, he passes out. This isn’t supposed to happen. There were problems incorporating Banean memory engrams, and the issue is going to get more serious, causing Tom brain damage. The original punishment for murder was lethal injection, so if this punishment is stopped, Tom will probably be executed. There’s a limited amount of time and Tuvok investigates. Tom has no memories at all of what happened during the actual crime, and he seems to be telling the truth. So, someone else must be lying, but can the dead victim lie?