Ex Post Facto (Star Trek: Voyager)
"Ex Post Facto" is the eighth episode of Star Trek: Voyager.
| "Ex Post Facto" | |
|---|---|
| Star Trek: Voyager episode | |
| Episode no. | Season 1 Episode 8 |
| Directed by | LeVar Burton |
| Story by | Evan Carlos Somers |
| Teleplay by | Michael Piller Evan Carlos Somers |
| Featured music | Dennis McCarthy |
| Production code | 108 |
| Original air date | February 27, 1995 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
| |
Plot
While on a visit to the home planet of the Baneans, Lieutenant Tom Paris is convicted of the murder of engineering physicist Tolen Ren and as punishment has to relive Ren's last moments over and over again. As Ren's memory plays back in Paris's mind, he sees himself with Ren's wife before stabbing Ren in his living room.
Voyager discover Paris's fate after Ensign Harry Kim returns to the ship in a damaged shuttlecraft. Kim relates that Ren was helping him and Paris with a damaged piece of equipment, and invited them for dinner at his house. While there, Paris got bored and spent some time with Tolen's young wife Lidell Ren. Soon after, Tolen was stabbed to death in his living room in front of Lidell. Paris was arrested and Kim forced to leave without him.
Voyager heads to the Banean homeworld and soon arrives despite encountering the Numiri, another space-faring race the Baneans are at war with. The Baneans allow Captain Kathryn Janeway to see Paris, who denies killing Tolen even though he did spend some time with Lidell. Immediately afterward, Paris relives Ren's memory once again and loses consciousness. The Voyager crew finds Paris suffering ill effects of the treatment, and the Banean minister allows them to return Paris to the ship for medical care, on the advice of the Banean doctor who implanted Ren's memory into Paris.
Soon after, Voyager's Chief of Security Tuvok visits the murder scene and speaks with Mrs. Ren. She says that she witnessed the murder and that it was committed by Tom. Meanwhile, Voyager is attacked in orbit by the weaker Numiri, but is able to easily stop the assault.
Back on the ship, Tuvok decides he must perform a mind meld with Paris to witness Ren's memories. As he experiences the memory for himself, Tuvok notices a strange alien script overplayed on top of the visions. From the memories, Tuvok establishes that Paris is innocent, recognizing that the height difference between Paris and Lidell in the memory is different from reality, and the murderer must have had knowledge of Banean anatomy to kill Ren with a stab. Tuvok reveals the strange glyphs in the video are confidential technical information important to the Banean war effort against the Numiri. Tuvok has uncovered a conspiracy: the Banean doctor, who is Lidell's lover, has altered the memory implants to implicate Paris and use him as a means of smuggling data to the Numiri attackers. Lidell and the doctor are arrested by the Banean authorities, and the memory implanted into Paris is reversed.
Reception
The episode has similarities to the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "A Matter of Perspective".[1]
This episode is also noted for the Star Trek Vulcan "mind meld" between the characters Tuvok and Tom Paris.[2] In this alien procedure their two minds are connected, and its noted how this is a plot device that advances the final stages of the story.[2] The show is noted among Star Trek episodes along with "Hard Time" (Star Trek: Deep Space Nine S4E19 / airdate April 15, 1996 ) as an example where the manipulation of a person's memories is used as punishment for a crime.[3]
References
- Jones, Mark; Parkin, Lance (2003). Beyond the Final Frontier: An Unauthorised Review of the Trek Universe on Television and Film. London: Contender Books. p. 277. ISBN 978-1-84357-080-6.
- Ruditis, Paul (1 June 2019). "Star Trek Voyager Companion". Simon and Schuster – via Google Books.
- Allrath, G.; Gymnich, M. (10 August 2005). "Narrative Strategies in Television Series". Springer – via Google Books.