Prey (Star Trek: Voyager)

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Star Trek: VOY episode
"Prey"
A Hirogen is not happy to be confined to sickbay
Episode no.	84
Prod. code	184
Airdate	February 18, 1998
Writer(s)	Brannon Braga
Director	Allan Eastman
Guest star(s)	Tony Todd as Alpha Hirogen Clint Carmichael as Hirogen hunter
Year	2374
Stardate	51652.3
Episode chronology
Previous	"Hunters"
Next	"Retrospect"

"Prey" is an episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 16^th episode of the fourth season. The episode has an average rating of 4/5 on the official Star Trek website (as of May 13th, 2007).^[1]

[edit] Plot

Voyager discovers an injured Hirogen who is in the middle of an intense hunt for what is a formidable and dangerous prey even for Hirogen standards. He is brought in to sickbay for treatment, but is eager to get back out and track down his trophy prey. Before he is able to do so, the prey alien invades Voyager. It is a tough, armored, telepathic, insectlike creature that the Borg have designated Species 8472.

When the Hirogen targets the 8472, the alien telepathically communicates with Tuvok, pleading to be rescued from the hunter and returned to its home, which is a different dimension known as "fluidic space." Captain Janeway immediately asks Seven of Nine to help the alien return to its home territory. Seven refuses. Species 8472 is so powerful that it can destroy the Borg, and Seven's loathing of the species is still deeply ingrained.

The Hirogen escapes his confines and corners 8472. He grapples with it and Seven beams both of them to one of the Hirogen ships nearby. By allowing the Hirogen to capture 8472, Seven has blatantly disobeyed Janeway, and she is disciplined with limits on her access privileges.