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Synopsis
OFFICIAL SYNOPSIS from
StarTrek.com
During an Away Team survey of a planetoid that seems to be
rich in raw dilithium, Neelix is attacked and left for dead.
The other members of the team find him and beam him up to
Sickbay, where the Doctor reports that the Talaxian's lungs
have been removed. With no other alternatives, the Doctor
fits Neelix with a set of holographic lungs. They'll keep
him alive, but require him to remain confined in an
isotropic restraint in Sickbay for the rest of his life.
Janeway leads an Away Team back to the planetoid, where they
discover a medical lab filled with harvested organs.
Unfortunately, Neelix's lungs are not among them. Minutes
later, an alien ship speeds away from the planet, with
Voyager hot in pursuit.
In Sickbay, a despondent Neelix is having difficulty
adjusting to his situation, but he urges Kes to still go on
with her life regardless. Voyager's Emergency Medical
Hologram, still serving as the starship's only doctor,
admits to Kes that he's having difficulty adjusting to the
demands of being a full-time physician. Kes' intelligent,
soothing advice makes the Doctor think that the Ocampan
might make a good medical assistant.
When confronted, the aliens admit that they stole Neelix's
lungs, but defend their actions by recounting the battle
that their species — the Vidiians — have fought for years
against the "Phage," a gruesome disease that destroys their
genetic codes and cellular structure. Unable to defeat the
Phage, they have learned to survive by scavenging organs
from healthier species to replace their own diseased
tissues. Unfortunately, Neelix's lungs have already been
transplanted into one of the Vidiian's bodies. Unwilling to
sentence the Vidiian to death to regain Neelix's chance for
life, Janeway reluctantly releases the scavengers.
Grateful to the Captain for sparing them, the Vidiians offer
to help Neelix with their superior medical technology. With
their assistance, Kes is able to donate one of her lungs to
Neelix, allowing him to live a normal life. After the
successful procedure, the Doctor tells Kes that Janeway has
granted permission for the Ocampan to begin training as a
medical assistant.
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