The Doctor is disappointed to learn that B'Elanna has decided to cut him from the team going on an upcoming away mission. After she leaves, he mutters that he'll "just use [his] imagination."

The scene shifts to an alien vessel, apparently concealed by the nebula's red clouds. On board are humanoid aliens, the bizarre Sontarans. They are bald and obese, with potato-shaped heads.

They are monitoring Voyager, but are unable to see beyond its hull. An alien supervisor describes the Federation vessel as an "unacceptable risk." But a lower-ranking alien proposes tapping into its computer systems, a plan which he has already transmitted to "The Hierarchy" and gotten approved.

This time it is Janeway who jolts him back to reality, as he awakens to learn that she has denied his request for expanded responsibilities.

Disappointed, he slips back into fantasy, where he imagines he has become the "Emergency Command Hologram," who saves the ship during crises. He gives himself a red uniform, complete with four pips at the collar.

The aliens are watching this fantasy, having unintentionally tapped, not into the main computer, but into the Doctor's experiences. They know he is a hologram, but do not realize that what they're seeing through his eyes is the imaginary product of a daydream program.

The higher-ranking alien is skeptical about whether monitoring one individual can really tell them much about the Federation vessel, but the Hierarchy is convinced that the Doctor, as a wide-ranging expert who has apparently just been given command of Voyager, is worth the attention.

Yes, the Doctor now has a new fantasy, in which he destroys an attacking Borg vessel with a "photonic cannon." Watching this, the eavesdropping aliens note, astounded, that Voyager "will not be an easy target." Nonetheless, The Hierarchy has approved a "Type 3 Stealth Assault" on the ship.

Among the fast-changing scenes: an unclothed Seven poses sultrily while the Doctor puts paintbrush to canvas.

Meanwhile, the low-ranking alien realizes what he has been watching is not real.

The Doctor is glum. B'Elanna has succeeded in "stabilizing [his] matrix," but he feels humiliated by the public airing of his daydreams. He apologizes to Janeway for reprogramming himself without permission in order to gain the ability to fantasize.

But a new daydream begins -- this time initiated by one of the aliens, who has inserted a projection of himself onto Voyager to warn the Doctor of the impending attack. As it turns out, this attempt to sabotage the attack is motivated by a fear of being punished for transmitting inaccurate descriptions of conditions aboard the Federation ship.

Furthermore, the alien says, "I also care about what happens to you." He has been impressed by the Doctor's imaginativeness, so unlike his own species' generally rigid mindset.

The Doctor warns the crew that alien raiders are on the way. Janeway is at first annoyed, believing he has relapsed into fantasy, but the alien points out three cloaked ships to be seen on screen.

In order to appear in command of the ship and ensure that the aliens still believe the daydreams are real, the Doctor takes the captain's chair. Janeway communicates with him through a secure link as the raider ships arrive.

The alien supervisor demands that Voyager allow itself to be boarded. After an exchange of fire knocks the Federation ship's phasers offline, Janeway tells the Doctor to negotiate, but he isn't listening. Instead, he threatens to use the (nonexistent) "photonic cannon" that supposedly destroyed the attacking Borg vessel.

By this point, the alien supervisor is unsure whether that cannon or the Borg ship ever existed, but the ever-cautious Hierarchy decides to withdraw its forces. Voyager is out of danger.

Back in sick bay, the Doctor mulls his recent experiences. Called into the mess hall, he is surprised to find the crew applauding him. Janeway awards him a medal, and authorizes a project to research his command abilities. Seven plants a kiss on the Doctor's cheek.