“The Raven” is episode six of season four of Star Trek: Voyager.
Captain Janeway is in the holodeck in Leonardo’s workshop with Seven of Nine, the latter having switched her form-fitting silver jumpsuit for an equally form-fitting brown one with a lower neckline. Janeway is encouraging her to work on a clay bust. Seven of Nine does not see the point. All that happens at the end of it is time has been expended. The captain says it’s relaxing. Seven of Nine finds relaxation difficult to comprehend. The Borg were efficient. Janeway says that it helps her own efficiency to forget Voyager for a while. As to why here, amongst archaic objects in a disorganised environment, it’s refreshing and encourages the imagination. Seven of Nine should try it. Yes, she could create her own holodeck program to explore aspects of her self that did not fit into her life as a Borg. Captain Janeway also talks about the model of da Vinci’s aeroplane, and Seven of Nine has a vision of Borg grabbing her, telling her she will be assimilated, and a black bird flying down a corridor.
Seven of Nine tells the Doctor this has happened three different times. She doesn’t know if it’s a hallucination, as she’s never hallucinated. She’s aboard a Borg vessel and frightened. Each vision is similar; she’s pursued by Borg who want to assimilate her and there’s a black bird flying towards her shrieking. The Doctor suggests flashbacks and PTSD. Seven of Nine finds this odd, because she was raised by the Borg and doesn’t see them as threatening. The Doctor says she’s also ready to start taking solid and liquid nutrients, and gives her a dish to take to Neelix. Chakotay contacts the captain to say that their guests have arrived. Voyager is attempting to negotiate passage through B’omar space.
At a meeting with Janeway, Chakotay and Tom, Councilor Dumah tells them they have been granted passage through the B’omar Sovereignty. Janeway is pleased, as that will cut three months off their journey. There are certain rules that must be followed, including one of not going above warp 3, and the other B’omar, Gaumen, says they have also plotted a course for Voyager, which they must follow. The course is, well, extremely indirect. So indirect, in fact, that at warp 3 it would probably be faster going around B’omar space than through it, especially with the 17 checkpoints. The B’omar really do not want Voyager near, well, anything. The captain would like a course that is a little more direct.
Seven of Nine heads to the mess hall where Neelix greets her. He wants to have a pleasurable culinary experience. Pleasure is irrelevant, and Neelix tries to explain why it isn’t. Preparation is also irrelevant, and Neelix again differs, at least this time with a reason Seven of Nine can understand; this is her first time ingesting food for a while, so she should have something easy. Seven of Nine recognises Neelix’s species as Talaxian. Species 218. They have been assimilated. Neelix escorts her to a table; it is customary to sit whilst eating. Borg do no sit. Neelix explains how to eat, including chewing and swallowing. Seven of Nine experiences another flashback, and this time a Borg implant grows on her hand. She knocks Neelix down and says that resistance is futile, and leaves.
Captain Janeway is not having much luck getting a new, sensible, course from the B’omar when Tuvok contacts her and tells her to come to the bridge. He explains what has happened with Seven of Nine and Chakotay tells Tuvok to lead a security team.
Seven of Nine is hearing and seeing Borg, including two security officers as such. They use their phasers on her, to no effect then her Borg shields adapt. The B’omar are not happy to hear about a Borg being onboard. Seven of Nine is walking through security fields as if they aren’t there and takes a phaser rifle from the armoury. Tuvok’s security team fails to stop her. She’s heading for the shuttle bay, and when blocked by a forcefield there, simply transports directly onto the shuttle. The shuttle bay door doesn’t prove much of a barrier either. Tom reports that she’s masked her ion trail and headed to warp, into B’omar space.
Dumah is not pleased that Voyager has unleashed a rogue Borg and isn’t impressed with Janeway’s handling of the situation. She reminds him that this is her ship, so not to be rude. It’s only one ship, and the B’omar won’t give permission to enter their territory in pursuit. Seven of Nine will be identified, tracked down and destroyed. The latter part proves to be harder.
Voyager is trying to find out why Seven of Nine did what she did by going over her cargo bay. Which leads to B’Elanna possibly teasing Harry about Seven if Nine. They doubt she’s heading back 10,000 light years to find the Borg. Seven if Nine is becoming more Borg, but she’s also experiencing fear. When Captain Janeway realises what the black bird in Seven of Nine’s visions is – a raven – she realises why she’s acting the way she is. They need to find her before the B’omar kill her though.