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Star Trek: Voyager - 'Spirit Folk' (spoilers)
By Kenneth Silber

Staff Writer

posted: 01:11 pm ET
24 February 2000

voyager_617_spoilers_000224

In Michael Sullivan's bar, Seamus tells the town folk that Tom and his friends have "unnatural powers." Many are skeptical, but suspicion grows. Janeway, as Katie O'Claire, visits Michael, who's starting to wonder where she goes during her long disappearances from the town.

Harry replicates flowers for his date with the holographic lass Maggie. B'Elanna is concerned that the round-the-clock Fair Haven program is an "accident waiting to happen," since it's straining the limited resources of the holodeck system.

Tom plays a joke on Harry, programming Maggie to turn into a cow as Harry kisses her. Unfortunately, Seamus and another local witness this bizarre transformation.
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The Doctor, here known as Father Mulligan, preaches to the locals in church, inadvertently mentioning "photons and force fields." He's interrupted by a cow being herded into the house of worship. The two local men accuse Tom and Harry of using spirit magic to transform the girl.

Do holograms dream of naked cows?

Soon, Maggie materializes on the street. She'd had a weird dream, about straying through town wearing nothing but a cowbell. Suspicions grow.

Locals gather at the pub and recall various apparently mystical experiences involving the walk-ins. Even Father Mulligan has been seen to vanish. And who if not Neelix fits the description of a leprechaun?

Michael is angry at these aspersions being cast upon good people including his beloved Katie.

But soon, when Katie visits, Michael gives her a book about fairies and turns the conversation to the townspeople's suspicions. Who is the fairy queen?

He starts to interrogate her about her identity and movements, but she grimly ends the program.

Is the tool self-aware?

Tom and Harry are worried about the holodeck tool. Why do the characters seem to know so much? They materialize Michael in a Voyager room -- and the anguished barman asks where he is. They try to fix his algorithms to render him again unaware of matters beyond his template. It seems to work.

But soon Michael's back in Fair Haven telling a compatriot he was spirited away by Harry and Tom, perhaps to the "other world." The barkeep is upset, thinks whatever's going on, the town must "be prepared."

Harry and Tom enter Fair Haven under cover of darkness. They start to fix a computer console located behind a wooden panel in Sullivan's bar. But a local woman is watching.

Townspeople gather with rifles, sorcery books, berries and twine. It's time to fight the "spirit folk." Informed by the spying woman as to Tom and Harry's whereabouts, the crowd rushes to the bar. They throw nets over the hapless Voyager duo -- and pump some lead into the exposed computer console.

Tom and Harry try to freeze the program, but the broken holodeck gives only 62 percent compliance. Some characters freeze, but the mob rages on. The exit door fades away. Tom and Harry are captives. And holodeck safety protocols are offline.

Abandon the subroutine, all ye

Voyager's officers discuss the problem. Seven wants to send a security team into the holodeck. B'Elanna wants to just shut the whole program down. But Janeway, with support from Neelix, is not willing to wipe out all of Fair Haven if there's some other way out. The imminent danger to Tom and Harry doesn’t seem to faze her.

She sends the Doctor in with a mobile emitter, but he's soon taken captive too, and then hypnotized. He starts talking about Voyager. Michael pumps him for info, even while trying to calm the crowd.

Michael gets the Doctor's mobile emitter, which he understands to be a machine rather than a talisman. Just at that moment, the officers try to transport the Doctor to safety -- and beam Michael instead.

Michael wants answers. Janeway says she's Capt. Katherine Janeway, and gives Michael a tour of the ship. She asks if he's read H.G. Wells' The Time Machine, and with some vagueness conveys that Voyager people get to Fair Haven through time travel.

A romance of two worlds

"Just because we're from different worlds doesn't mean we can't care for each other," says Janeway.

Unfortunately, the townspeople are preparing kindling to burn Tom, Harry and the Doctor to death. Janeway -- still in uniform -- and Michael beam back to the town. Michael tells the crowd that the Voyager people have formidable capabilities, which they’ve used only for good things like changing the weather.

Tom promises never to turn Maggie into a cow again.

Janeway says Fair Haven's people can be rid of Voyager people if they want, but "we'd prefer to find some way to keep our friendship alive." Michael speaks with some emotion about Neelix and the others.

"Just because we're from different worlds doesn't mean we can't care for each other," says the barkeep.

No protection from Janeway's charms

The friendship continues, even though Voyager can’t keep the holodeck running 24/7 anymore. Repairs are made to the program, but none that will purge these precious memories.

Voyager people start visiting again, in costume. Harry meets Maggie, who's ready to "forgive and forget." Janeway gives Michael the book A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court, which she informs him is about people from different times who, among other things, fall in love.

Michael now knows her name is Katherine, not Katie. He jocularly asks if knowing a spirit's full name protects you from her charms, and is pleased when she says that no, it doesn't.


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