Cold Fire
- FIRST SHOWN (US)
- 13 November 1995
- ON
- UPN
- STARDATE
- None given
- DIRECTED BY
- Cliff Bole
- PRODUCTION NO.
- 126
WRITTEN BYTeleplay by Brannon Braga; story by Anthony Williams
Energy from the Caretaker's remains leads Voyager to a colony of Ocampa with remarkable mental powers, and perhaps to a chance of getting home.
Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS
The Caretaker's remains, kept aboard Voyager, begin to react to a distant energy source, raising hopes that his mate, Suspiria, is nearby and might send the ship home. Following the signal, Voyager finds a space station whose Ocampa inhabitants, after an initial show of hostility, welcome Kes. Their leader, Tanis, explains that Suspiria has cared for them for 300 years and developed their mental abilities far beyond anything Kes's people possess. Tanis offers to train Kes, but her new powers prove dangerous: she destroys a garden when she loses control, and in a practice session with Tuvok she nearly boils his blood. When Suspiria finally appears, she blames Voyager for the Caretaker's death and attacks the ship. Kes turns her powers on Tanis, whose pain distracts Suspiria long enough for Janeway to subdue her with a toxin. Janeway then lets her go, and Suspiria leaves with Tanis. Kes stays aboard, and the hope of getting home fades again.
- 01Rick Berman said Suspiria was a safety net, allowing the show's premise to change if audiences found the crew's separation from home too depressing.
- 02Gary Graham, who plays Tanis, later played the Vulcan Ambassador Soval in Star Trek: Enterprise.
- 03Developed under the working title “Untitled Kes Firebug”. Story writer Anthony Williams worked in advertising at Paramount Pictures.