What a strange episode! I actually thought it was really cool to take a look and the impact Voyager had on a people 700 years after their passage. Presumably they are rewriting the histories of the many of the peoples they encountered along the way but in this case we get to see the consequences of their actions. It was also really enjoyable to see the crew portrayed as a bunch of well armed thugs determined to destroy their enemies no matter the cost. Also having at attack contingent of Borg seems like an actually really good idea, it is probably for the best Janeway never got to see this recreation. I am not entirely sure how I feel about the conclusion even farther into the future showing that everything worked out great, but it did at least fit well within the theme of the episode.
We open with a black gloved Janeway agreeing to help an ambassador capture the leader of his enemies, no matter the cost. He offered her access to a wormhole in exchange for the leader. They are attacked by the Kyrians before they can do anything and several of them make it to engineering. But Janeway activates her Borg drones who not only defeat the Kyrians, they assimilate several of them. And suddenly we are looking in through a window into Voyager from a museum 700 years in the future. A curator, himself Kyrian, is explaining the recreation to an audience made up both Kyrians and Vaskans. The simulation continues and with the Doctors help they bombard the planet with biogenic weapons killing hundreds of thousands of people. The ambassador objects and is thrown in the brig. They torture a prisoner and get the leaders location. He is captured by an assault squad but when he refuses to surrender Janeway executes him herself. Afterwards a Vaskan man confronts the curator about the accuracy of the simulation but the curator defends himself saying a data module was just discovered which should prove his side of the story.
Quarren, the curator, is alone in the museum that night and decides to try and use some of the tools from the simulation to access the data module. It works and he activates the Doctor. It turns out the module was a backup of the EMH (something they specifically ruled out existing previously, but whatever). He is shocked to be so far into the future and even more shocked when he sees the simulation. Quarren explains he will be held accountable for his war crimes but the Doctor objects that the entire story is totally bogus. Quarren turns him off not willing to consider that the Doctor might be telling the truth. The next day though he has second thoughts and turns the Doctor back on and allows him to create his own version of the simulation. He doesn't want to believe it but the Doctor explains he can prove it with data on a tricorder they also have in the museum.
The next day a panel of arbiters is there to determine if the Doctor is a war criminal or if his story might be valid. There is overt racial tension between the Vaskan and the Kyrian members of the panel but the Vaskan prevails and insists the investigation proceed. That night the museum is rocked by weapons fire. Rampaging Vaskans have attacked and vandalize most of the museum before being pushed back by Kyrian forces. The Doctor and Quarren discuss what is happening and the Doctor insists in being decompiled so he doesn't cause more harm but Quarren strongly disagrees and convinces the Doctor to set the record straight at which point we go out a window again into another simulation, this time in a future where Kyrian and Vaskans are in harmony and the Doctor flew off to the Alpha Quadrant long ago after being chief surgeon for an unspecified long period of time.
Review: One of the most creative episodes of Trek I have honestly ever seen and probably my favorite episode of VOY so far. The fact that it didn't actually involve time travel turns out to be a huge point in its favor as well.
9 out of 10
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