Ep 8: Ex Post Facto
Production 108
Stardate: 48610.1
Airdate: 02/27/95
Guest Stars: Robin McKee (Lidell),
Francis Guinan (Minister Kray),
Aaron Lustig (Doctor), Ray Reinhardt (Tolen Ren),
Henry Brown (Numiri Captain)
Written By: Evan Carlos Somers
Directed By: LeVar Burton
Teleplay By: Evan Carlos
Somers & Michael Piller
Synopsis:
After Paris is convicted of a
murder he swears he didn't commit, Tuvok must play detective to clear him.
Kim returns to the U.S.S. Voyager
from the Banean homeworld with shocking news: Paris has been found guilty
of murder. As his punishment, he's been sentenced to relive the crime from
his victim's perspective every 14 hours, thanks to memory engrams implanted
in his brain by a Banean doctor. Kim recounts how he and Paris were introduced
to an engineering physicist named Tolen Ren, who they hoped could help
them repair a damaged piece of equipment. Paris took an immediate interest
in Ren's young, attractive wife Lidell, and when Ren turned up dead, he
was arrested.
When Janeway orders Voyager
to the Banean planet, Neelix warns her that they are likely to be approached
by a Numiri patrol vessel, since the Numiri are at war with the Banea.
They are stopped by the Numiri, who offer a warning and then allow the
ship to proceed. Janeway meets with the Banean Minister, who explains that
the evidence — the murder as seen through Ren's own eyes — undeniably proves
Paris's guilt. Paris vehemently denies any wrongdoing. As Janeway and Tuvok
talk to him, he enters another cycle and once again relives the murder,
this time losing consciousness. The Baneans grant Janeway permission to
take Paris back to Sickbay for a medical evaluation.
The Doctor reports that the neurological
implant is causing serious brain damage. While Paris remains unconscious,
Tuvok launches his own murder investigation. He interviews Ren's wife,
who says she saw Paris kill her husband. Later, Paris tells Tuvok that
he thinks she spiked his cup of tea the night of the murder. The conversation
is interrupted by a Numiri attack that the Voyager crew successfully
fends off. Tuvok performs a Vulcan mind meld with Paris and relives the
14-hour cycle. When he emerges from the experience, Tuvok declares that
he is convinced of Paris's innocence. What's more, he knows why the Numiri
chose to attack Voyager.
Eager to clear Paris, and wondering
why the Numiri would assault Voyager, Tuvok gathers the key players
in the murder mystery. He deduces that a Banean traitor altered Ren's memory
engrams, since Paris' daily flashbacks include equations taken from Ren's
weapons research. Thus, Numiri agents used Ren's brain to send secret data
to the enemy. Having relived the crime from the victim's viewpoint, Tuvok
also realizes that the real killer was shorter than Paris, and exposes
the Banean doctor who implanted the engrams as both Lidell's secret lover
and Ren's killer. A grateful Paris later thanks Tuvok for saving his life.