VOY · SEASON 55×12

Bride of Chaotica!

NOMADIC PICK · FUN PICKArachnia, Queen of the Spider People, reigns supreme.

FIRST SHOWN (US): 27 January 1999
ON: UPN
STARDATE: None given
DIRECTED BY: Allan Kroeker
PRODUCTION NO.: 207

WRITTEN BYTeleplay by Bryan Fuller & Michael Taylor; story by Bryan Fuller

IN BRIEF

SPOILER-FREE

Stuck in a strange layer of space, Voyager finds that aliens have wandered into Tom Paris's black-and-white Captain Proton adventure, and they take the evil Dr Chaotica very seriously indeed.

SYNOPSIS

SPOILERS

Red alert: the full plot, ending included. Haven't watched yet?REVEAL SYNOPSIS

Voyager becomes stuck in a layer of subspace while Tom Paris and Harry Kim are enjoying their Captain Proton holodeck serial, a black-and-white tribute to old cinema adventures. Photonic beings from another dimension make contact through the holodeck and, unable to tell fiction from reality, find themselves at war with the dastardly Dr Chaotica. The program cannot be shut down, and the ship cannot move until the aliens are satisfied. The crew decide the only way out is to play along. The Doctor takes the role of the President of Earth, and Janeway reluctantly steps into the part of Arachnia, Queen of the Spider People, to seduce Chaotica into lowering the lightning shield around his fortress. Her performance works, the aliens strike, Captain Proton destroys Chaotica's death ray, and the grateful aliens withdraw, allowing Voyager to break free.

DID YOU KNOW?

01A fire on the bridge set during production meant the story was built to keep the action away from the bridge. The bridge scenes were filmed weeks later.
02The Captain Proton scenes are shot in black and white, spoofing old serials such as Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.
03Chaotica's death ray was a prop recycled from TNG's “The Arsenal of Freedom”.

SOURCES WE CHECKED