“Revulsion” is episode five of season four of Star Trek: Voyager.
The episode on a stationary ship with a man slumped against a wall. He is dragged away, leaving a bloody trail. The person who did the dragging starts fuzzing out, suggesting he’s a hologram. He goes to the communicator and sends out a distress call. He’s an HD25 isomorphic projection, his crew is dead in an accident – probably a euphemism – and he needs help.
In the mess hall on Voyager, Tom and Harry are recounting how they reprogrammed Tuvok’s station so that, no matter what he did, the computer said ‘Live long and prosper.’ Captain Janeway recounts how the first time she met Tuvok, he dressed her down in front of three admirals for failing to follow proper tactical procedure. He was right. The occasion is Tuvok’s promotion to Lieutenant Commander. Tuvok says that, had he known this would involve ritual humiliation, he might have declined. Over the three years he’s spent on Voyager, he’s learned to respect a great many of the crew. Others, looking at Tom and Harry, he’s learned to tolerate. Meanwhile, he’d like to share a Vulcan sentiment. Live long and prosper.
B’Elanna is heading out and Tom follows. They haven’t spoken about what happened in “Day of Honor”, when B’Elanna made a dying declaration of love for Tom which was a bit spoiled when they didn’t die. Tom realises she probably didn’t mean it. No, B’Elanna meant it, but she doesn’t expect him to reciprocate. The Doctor shows up as Tom is showing that yes, he does feel the same. He needs help in sickbay – Kes having left in “The Gift” – and, unfortunately, Tom is the most qualified.
Chakotay is telling Harry the astrometrics lab needs enhancing and he wants Harry to look into it, with help from Seven of Nine. The captain is speaking to Neelix about his first official assignment as ambassador when the bridge contacts her. They’re received an automated distress call and she should probably bring the Doctor. The Doctor, on seeing the message is coming from a hologram, wants to lead an away team to help. The captain doesn’t recall promoting him. Yes, but he’s the most logical choice. Though the captain is worried about the Doctor damaging his mobile emitter, he does manage to talk her into letting him go with B’Elanna.
Harry has gone to the cargo bay to find Seven of Nine. She reassures him, on Harry seeming apprehensive, that, though last time they worked together she hit Harry and tried to call the Borg, it won’t happen again. The subject of humour comes up and Seven of Nine doesn’t say ‘Humour is irrelevant’ as might be expected from a former Borg. Instead, she’s often amused by human behaviour.
On the shuttle, the Doctor is worrying about leaving Tom in charge of sickbay. B’Elanna reassures him about Tom, which leads to a response from Doctor about how she would know Tom better than him and a snap back asking what that’s supposed to mean from B’Elanna.
Main power is down on the ship when they approach and there are no lifesigns. Which wouldn’t be expected. They beam aboard and are checking out the ship as the HD25 hologram is approaching them with a weapon. Until B’Elanna mentions the Doctor’s holographic matrix. The HD25 disappears, and the hammer drops, then reappears and greets them. He asks the Doctor if he’s an isomorph like himself. They use the term hologram. No, B’Elanna isn’t one. The HD25 fuzzes and B’Elanna scans him. She might be able to fix him. The Doctor asks what happened and the HD25 claims his crew all became sick and died. He wasn’t designed for medical use. B’Elanna wants to take a look at the isomorph’s primary console, but he tells her that deck is flooded with antimatter radiation.
The Doctor is talking to the HD25 who describes what his situation was like and asks if the Doctor knows what that’s like. The Doctor does; that was his early life after activation. But the crew now treat him as an equal and he’s developed personal interests. The isomorph spies blood on the console and cleans it away before the Doctor notices.
B’Elanna is working when the HD25 startles her. He seems to like fish. Then he goes on one about organics, but apologises at the end saying that he has acquihired some hostility towards organics. An understatement. It seems his crew treated him very badly and he has essentially gone psychotic. Leaving the Doctor and B’Elanna on a ship with a hologram who really, really doesn’t like organics.
Harry is becoming attracted to Seven of Nine. Though the reasons he gives to Tom as to why he likes her do not include ‘skin-tight catsuit.’ Seven of Nine detects his attraction and has a pretty straightforward approach when it comes to suggestions to resolve it. In order to explore her humanity.