“Year of Hell, Part II” is episode nine of season four of Star Trek: Voyager.
In the previous episode, “Year of Hell”, Annorax had Tom and Chakotay beamed off Voyager before his attack. However, Voyager‘s temporal shields meant that the weapon wasn’t able to erase them and Voyager could flee faster. Captain Janeway ordered most of the crew to abandon ship.
It’s Day 133 and Voyager, being vulnerable to almost everything, is hiding in a nebula. The nebula has got into the ship, though, and Harry and the captain are fixing it. Afterwards, the Doctor really wants the captain to be treated like Harry was; they were in the area far longer than he told them was safe. B’Elanna reports that one nacelle is still offline and the4 other is a lost cause. Janeway isn’t going to be off her feet for 48 hours, or delegate more, and demands a temporary treatment. The Doctor gives her one. Accompanied by appropriately sarcastic comments.
Chakotay is removed from a holding area, cleaned up and taken to see Annorax. Tom, apparently, is being difficult, but is on his way. Chakotay says they’ve been in isolation for two months; what does he expect? Dignity and restraint, and Tom has none. Annorax wants information and, when Tom joins them, offers them to join him to eat. He hadn’t realised how far from home they were and they are an anomalous component, impossible to predict. That makes Tom happy.
Annorax says he can restore Voyager to its former condition, make it so they’ve never met and perhaps even closer to home. Yes; use the weapon to alter history. He indicates all the food. All of it comes from races that have been erased from history. Annorax will spare their vessel. They are both trying to reach home. He just needs to know how they interacted with others.
Tom realises that Annorax can’t find Voyager, otherwise he’d have destroyed the ship. He wants to storm off but Chakotay wants to hear more. He asks if Annorax can restore Voyager without harming anyone else. Possible, but extremely difficult. Tom doesn’t trust Annorax. Annorax agrees he shouldn’t. He has Tom escorted to his new quarters so he can talk to Chakotay.
The entire crew of Voyager is Harry, Neelix, Tuvok, Captain Janeway, Seven of Nine, B’Elanna and the Doctor. Neelix has made them a terrible drink from ration cubes. Everyone but Seven of Nine is diplomatic, but she finds taste irrelevant. The captain wants an update on repairs. She has decided they are going to leave the nebula and seek allies against Annorax. Seven of Nine believes this to be an error. Afterwards, Tuvok tells her she shouldn’t contradict the captain in front of the crew. She says that Tuvok thought the same. Seven is finding individuality difficult; she isn’t clear when to be individual and when not. Tuvok tells her that the captain is always right. Even when her logic is flawed? Perhaps.
Day 161 and Chakotay is talking to Annorax about a comet Voyager encountered that diverted them into Krenim space. Annorax suggests Chakotay run a simulation on erasing the comet from history. That erases 8,000 civilisations too. Chakotay hadn’t considered the entire history of the comet. It started life on several planets which then spread across the region. What looks simple is not simple.
Annorax explains how he turned the weapon ship against the Krenim’s greatest enemy. In an instant, the Krenim were powerful again. Unfortunately, colonies started being struck down by a rare disease. The enemy had contributed an antibody that prevented it. No enemy, no antibody. Annorax has been trying to fix things for 200 years. Chakotay asks why he thinks he will succeed. What makes Voyager think it will ever get home? The odds are astronomical but they keep trying. Yes, but without destroying everything in their way.
Day 180 and Voyager is dead in space with incoming micrometeoroids and no deflector. The hull is being eroded so Captain Janeway heads to deflector control to do it manually. Deflector control is on fire. The deflector is restored but the captain is badly injured and the Doctor lacks the technology needed to repair all the damage. He wants to relieve her from command, because she is in desperate need of a break. Janeway, when the Doctor actually does relieve her, refuses to comply. He’ll have to shoot her.
Voyager is going to lead a small alliance against the weapon ship. Chakotay seems to be working with Annorax and Tom is getting Obrist to help him. There is a rather obvious question: What happens when a weapon that erases things from history erases itself?