“Phage” is episode five of season one of Star Trek: Voyager.
The episode opens with Captain Janeway narrating her log. They are heading for a rogue planetoid which Neelix says is an extremely rich source of raw dilithium, which would go a long way to resolving their power shortage. The captain talks to Chakotay about setting up a refining facility; it seems B’Elanna has already looked into modifications on the auxiliary impulse reactor. Janeway thinks that sometimes B’Elanna goes out of her way to ignore Starfleet procedure. Chakotay replies that it can be done safely; Janeway wants to be given regular updates.
She is heading for breakfast – a ration pack – and invites Chakotay to join her. He has already had his. When the captain enters the cabin, there is steam and Neelix cooking over open flames. He knows how the senior staff have been disappointed with the ration packs so he decided to cook some of the stuff grown in the hydroponics bay. Yes, Neelix has turned the cabin into a galley, and it wasn’t easy. The captain wants to know who gave permission for this. Well, no-one. Janeway feels that Neelix could have asked her – given that this used to be her private dining toom. Chakotay contacts them from the bridge at this point; they are approaching the planetoid and Janeway wants Neelix to come with her.
There are definitely dilithium signatures from the planetoid and it also has subterranean caves filled with a breathable atmosphere. Which will make mining easier. There appear to be between 500 and a thousand metric tonnes of dilithium. Chakotay is to lead an away team, which consists of Harry and Neelix; he has been learning and wants to come with.
Inside the planetoid, they split up to scan the place. Behind Neelix, a rock wall turns into an artificial tunnel. They are still picking up dilithium signatures but no actual dilithium. Neelix thinks he’s found something; a large cavern. Again, with no actual dilithium. Chakotay wants them to head back to the ship. Neelix has also found traces of organic bioelectrical energy within the rock face. He turns away, the rock becomes another tunnel and a figure ducks out. When Neelix turns around again, the figure shoots him. As Harry and Chakotay arrive, Neelix is on the ground. Chakotay has them beamed directly to sickbay.
The Doctor gets Neelix stable, and he will live for the next hour. After that, he will die. Because his lungs have been removed. Transported directly out of his body it seems. They need to get Neelix’s own lungs back. When asked if artificial lungs will work, the short answer is no. Janeway wants to return to the surface – because where else would you send the captain than a planetoid where a crewmember just got potentially fatally attacked – with a security detachment. On the planetoid, the team detect one of the odd rock faces and disrupt what Tuvok says is a highly sophisticated forcefield.
Tom is helping the Doctor, thanks to being volunteered for the job in “Parallax”. The Doctor is not that impressed; he says that just because the man drives a 7,000 tonne starship, someone thinks he would make a good medic. Kes wants to know if she can donate a lung to Neelix. Unfortunately, not; no-one on board is compatible with a Talaxian. The Doctor then has an idea; he gets the exact specs of Neelix’s lungs from the transporter. They can’t replicate the lungs, but he can create a pair of holographic ones. Tom asks how that can work, given there is no real matter involved. The Doctor demonstrates that it can still feel solid. By slapping Tom. Kes wants to know more, what the risks are. The risks? If it fails, Neelix will die. This is his only immediate chance for survival and he will need to remain perfectly motionless. He will also stay that way for the rest of his life, and will not be able to leave sickbay, unless the holographic lungs are replaced with real ones.
On the planetoid, a room is discovered that is the source of the dilithium signature – from a power source. There are organs and body parts in jars, but no sign of Neelix’s lungs. They fail to get any further and a ship is detected leaving the planetoid.
Neelix is stable, for now, on the holographic lungs, and takes the opportunity to critique the sickbay ceiling. Voyager sets off in pursuit of the ship that presumably has Neelix’s lungs on it. Neelix gets a little paranoid about Tom, then stir crazy because he literally can’t move.
The Doctor seems to be feeling a bit overwhelmed; he is an emergency medical supplement; he isn’t supposed to be the ship’s entire medical staff. Once again, Kes helps him, because she seems to treat the hologram more like a person than anyone else on the ship. Captain Janeway ends up facing a bit of a moral dilemma.