Ex Post Facto (Voyager episode)
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| Star Trek: VOY episode | |
| "Ex Post Facto" | |
 The memory implanted into Paris |
|
| Episode no. | 8 |
|---|---|
| Prod. code | 108 |
| Airdate | February 27, 1995 |
| Writer(s) | Evan Carlos Somers Michael Piller |
| Director | LeVar Burton |
| Guest star(s) | Robin McKee as Lidell Ren Henry Brown as Numiri Captain Ray Reinhardt as Tolen Ren Francis Guinan as Minister Kray Aaron Lustig as Doctor |
| Year | 2371 |
| Stardate | 48610.1 |
| Episode chronology | |
| Previous | "Eye of the Needle" |
| Next | "Emanations" |
Ex Post Facto is the eighth episode of Star Trek: Voyager. The episode's title is Latin for "from a thing done afterward", and refers to the concept of retrospective law.
[edit] Plot
Ensign Kim returns to Voyager from a visit to a planet occupied by a people known as the Banea with news that Lieutenant Paris, who was also on the trip, has been accused and convicted of the murder of the scientist, Tolen Ren, with whom they were working.
Voyager is flown in to investigate this conviction, and encounters a patrol ship governed by the Numiri, a race with which the Banea are at war. The patrol allows Voyager to enter the warzone with no resistance.
Paris denies the accusation of murder but the evidence, being the very last memories of Ren's life extracted from his mind, show otherwise. These memories have been implanted by a Banean doctor into Paris' mind, so that he regularly relives the murder through the eyes of his victim, as required by the Banean justice system. However, Paris becomes ill as a result and the Banean doctor permits Captain Janeway to take him to Voyager for evaluation, while Chief of Security Tuvok visits the planet to investigate for himself.
At this point, the Numiri launch an attack on Voyager, but fail.
Tuvok decides that he must see the memories for himself and performs a mind meld with Paris, during which he sees unusual scripture superimposed on the visions. When the mind meld is complete, Tuvok believes he has enough evidence to secure Paris' innocence, and can explain the Numiri attack.
It transpires that the Banean doctor is a spy for the Numiri, and altered the memories as they were extracted from Ren's mind, so that it appeared that Paris was the murderer. Then, when the memories were implanted into Paris, they were altered by the doctor further to incorporate sensitive technology information. By permitting Paris to leave the planet and return to Voyager, the doctor was providing the perfect opportunity for the Numiri to acquire Paris and with him the stolen information.
Paris is released, and the doctor arrested along with Ren's wife who was complicit in the murder of her husband. Voyager leaves the Banean homeworld and continues its journey.
[edit] Notes
- Features recycled city matte painting from Star Trek: The Next Generation episode, "First Contact".
- This episode reveals that Tuvok has been married for 67 years.
- This episode is similar to the Star Trek:The Next Generation episode "A Matter of Perspective".
[edit] External links
- Ex Post Facto article at Memory Alpha, a Star Trek wiki.
