“The Killing Game” is episode eighteen of season four of Star Trek: Voyager.
A Klingon woman is fighting two male Klingons and doing well when a Hirogen, dressed like a Klingon, also attacks. He congratulates her on being resilient prey and stabs her. Then contacts sickbay, saying this is Holodeck 2 and Captain Janeway requires medical assistance. Voyager is surrounded by Hirogen craft.
In sickbay, Janeway is now human again and the Hirogen, the Alpha, is told that she’ll survive. The Alpha asks about the neural interface because it seemed at times that the captain was aware of who she really is. He’s told it’s impossible; the interface means that she believes she’s whoever the program intends her to be. The Alpha wants to try Janeway out on a new sim, a conflict that took place on her home planet.
Seven of Nine is singing in a bar of German soldiers. Tuvok is working behind the bar. Captain Janeway is welcoming people to the bar; Tuvok nods at her when two Hirogen, one the Alpha, enter in SS uniform. She heads over to speak to Tuvok who tells her that’s the new Commandant. British Intelligence believes he was sent to oversee the occupation of the city. He’s notorious for his cruelty.
Seven of Nine finishes singing, but the Hirogen grab her and tell her to continue. One tells her to continue or she will be mounted as trophies on his ship. The Alpha tells him to sit down and play the game; they have no ships. The captain arrives and says Seven will sing again after freshening up, and greets the Alpha, as the Commandant.
The Alpha wants to speak to the captain alone. He mentions the Resistance; Janeway says they are a small city, defenceless. They want to remain on good terms with the victor when the war is over. And agrees with the Alpha when he says whoever that is. The Alpha says the city may be defenceless, but it’s crucial. The Resistance will come. Janeway will tell them what she tells everyone; leave the war outside. The other Hirogen returns; there’s a problem in engineering. The Alpha mentions how he will take great pleasure in tracking down and killing the Resistance, then leaves.
Seven of Nine is counting the take. It’s enough, according to the captain, to buy a component to extend the range of their radio. She wants Seven to go and get a part. Seven of Nine would prefer explosives. When the Americans arrive, she doesn’t intend to be singing next to a piano. Janeway replies that the Americans can’t get in without them and currently no-one suspects them. After Seven of Nine leaves, Janeway and Tuvok have an in-character conversation about Seven disobeying direct orders – something she does when she’s herself. Looks like that carried over. However, they suspect she may be a spy and will watch he, and kill her if needed.
Neelix is on a bike when pulled over by a Hirogen SS officer, who empties his wine and breaks his bread. B’Elanna is on the radio when there’s a knock on the door. Janeway brings Neelix in; he was smuggling a message but it was on the label on the wine bottle. This is used to decrypt a message from the radio. Tuvok and Neelix end up having a conversation about the merits of logic. The Americans are going to invade in two days and want the German communications to be destroyed. Which are in the headquarters. B’Elanna will head there to speak to her ‘special friend.’ Janeway is concerned but B’Elanna says he won’t do anything to harm his own child (Roxann Dawson’s actual pregnancy is show for the first time).
B’Elanna heads to the headquarters. Inside, an SS officer is talking to the Alpha about the trophies of the hunt. The Alpha doesn’t appear terribly impressed with the Master Race; he seems to think that they are only willing to fight when they have superior force, and that the officer wouldn’t be as brave if by himself against an armed foe. B’Elanna arrives at this point and the Alpha leaves.
At least some of the Hirogen are unhappy with how the Alpha is handling things. They want to start the hunt. The Alpha wants to learn more about their prey; he has bigger designs than that as well. The Hirogen have also shrunk a bit. About half the crew are performing in holo sims; the others are maintaining the ship. And there’s a problem when you’re in such a sim, are no longer acting in character and everyone else was suspicious of you in the first place.
The episode continues in “The Killing Game, Part II”.