Reg has been running holodeck simulations of Voyager -- where he pretends to be a member of the crew -- and looking for a way to contact the lost starship.

After painstaking work, he has come up with an idea: A tachyon beam aimed at a pulsar could open an articifical wormhole that would in turn enable two-way communication with the Delta Quadrant.

Unfortunately, Pete, his supervisor, is skeptical and refuses to raise the hopes of their superior, Adm. Paris, that it might be possible to finally reach Voyager and his son, Tom.

To ease the apparent workplace pressure on his fragile subordinate Pete invites Reg to come over after work and meet his sister-in-law. However, Reg prefers to stay home with his oddly named cat, Neelix.

As luck would have it, he seems to be something of a local hero aboard the simulated Voyager, and his sleep there is blissful and refreshing.

Walter Mitty to the rescue
But on Earth, he gets less respect. He breaks in on a briefing of Adm. Paris to explain his tachyon idea, even though Pete says it's premature.

Reg blurts out that 150 people are lost on Voyager. The admiral tensely notes that he needs no such reminder, as one of them is his own son.

Despite Pete's order to take a much-needed day off, Reg goes back to his holodeck research.

(Counselor Troi, hearing Reg's story, worries that this is escapism, but Reg says it's not "a relapse of my holo-addiction.")

Back in the Voyager simulation, Reg realizes cross-galactic communication requires not just any old wormhole but a microwormhole. The simulated crew is deeply impressed by his insight.

The chance of a lifetime
But Pete enters the simulation and says "You call this work?" Realizing how much time the engineer has been spending aboard the ersatz Voyager, he pulls Reg off the project and refers him to counseling.

Reg returns to Adm. Paris's office, but the admiral finds Reg's attachment to the hologram crew "rather disturbing." However, he agrees to review the microwormhole plan and possibly have Pete implement it.

But that's not good enough, Reg insists to Troi as he narrates the story so far. He wants her to tell the admiral he's fit to do the work himself.

Troi, coolly noting Reg's agitated mental state, declines to do that, but she says she'll ask Capt. Picard for a leave of absence to spend some time helping Reg with his social isolation.

Reg has little time for this. An "itinerant pulsar" is about to pass by the vicinity of Earth, giving the perfect opportunity to test his theory.

A lonely crusade
Without telling Troi, he awakens in the night and goes back to the lab -- even breaking in when it turns out the computer has been reset to deny him access.

He activates the lab equipment, beaming a tachyon pulse at the pulsar and creating a microwormhole exactly as planned.

He begins to speak: "Starfleet Command to USS Voyager...Come in Voyager... Voyager, do you hear me? This is Lt. Reginald Barclay."

"Step away from the controls." It's Pete. He's accompanied by security men, and looking very fed-up.

But Reg won't stand down. Instead, he transfers control to the holodeck and runs in, thus entering the simulated Voyager. The security men follow.

Simulation and violence
The holographic crew members are unsure what this is all about, but they help Reg evade security. Reg continues trying to transmit his voice message to the real Voyager. But time is running out; the microwormhole will soon collapse.

Worse yet, Pete enters the holodeck, kills the simulated B'Elanna, and breaches the simulated starship's warp core, forcing Reg to stop the holodeck program. The jig is up...

...or is it? Cut to the real starship Voyager, where Seven is telling a crestfallen Neelix that he's unworthy of further singing lessons.

Suddenly the computer begins to beep. A message is coming in, on a Starfleet emergency channel.

Patched through to the bridge, Barclay's message is head by Voyager's officers. But then the transmission stops -- the microwormhole is collapsing.

I did it thirty minutes ago
Back on Earth, Adm. Paris walks into the Starfleet lab to give Reg's plan a chance -- only to learn that Reg has already tried it without authorization, and apparently failed. Pete asks what they should do with the insubordinate employee.

Before that can be decided, the computer starts beeping. A reply is coming in from the Delta Quadrant. It's Janeway on the line.

In the little time left to transmit before the microwormhole collapses, Janeway transmits the ship's logs and records back to Earth.

Starfleet, for its part, sends info about Barclay's revolutionary new hypersubspace technology that may enable further communications in the future.

Reconciliation and champagne
Janeway, her hand on Tom's shoulder, tells the Admiral that Voyager has an exemplary crew including her son.

The Admiral says he's proud of Tom, and misses him. Tom (whose pre-Voyager jail record somewhat damaged relations with his demanding father) looks moved.

The microwormhole shuts. Reg looks glum because "it's over." But the Admiral assures him that "Project Voyager is just beginning, thanks to you."

Pete apologizes for doubting Reg in the first place.

Aboard Voyager, there is a celebration, including a champagne toast to the "honorary crew member" Reginald Barclay.

And on Earth, Barclay has a contented conversation with Troi. He tells her about his new girlfriend, Pete's sister-in-law.