Star Trek: Voyager (1995–2001): Season 4, Episode 23 - Living Witness - full transcript

When diplomacy fails,
there's only one alternative.

Violence. Force must be applied
without apology.

It's the Starfleet way.

Then our philosophies are in agreement.
Will you help us?

You're asking me to fight your war,
destroy your enemy.

I'm asking you to intimidate the Kyrians,
to help me capture their leader.

This ship has superior firepower.
He won't risk a conflict with you.

We risk life and limb

so your people can annex Kyrian land.

Sounds like a good deal for you.
What do we get?

A way home.



You know more about Voyager
than you've let on.

Your reputation precedes you.

- That's why we sought you out.
- I'm listening.

There's a cyclic wormhole
five days' journey from here.

We know where it is
and we can help you stabilise it.

- If you're lying...
- How far do you have to go?

60,000 light years?

I want all tactical data
regarding your little war.

Kyrian defences, the position
of your own forces, everything.

You'll have it within the hour.

- Eight Kyrian fighters approaching.
- Arm the assault probes.

- Fire at will. Hail them.
- Channel open.

This is Captain Janeway
of the warship Voyager.

Break off your attack
or I'll destroy you.



They are not responding.

They're returning fire.

Chakotay, any luck
tracking down their leader?

We think Tedran has gone into hiding.

- We'll have to flush him out.
- What do you suggest?

Biogenic weapons. We'll infect
the most populated Kyrian territories.

The Doctor's nearly finished
the weapon.

Our conflict is with Tedran himself,
not his people. They're innocent.

The best way to bring down a ruler
is to make his people suffer.

You wanted victory.
You're going to get it.

Sickbay. Status?

We have established a link between
my neural net and the phaser array.

I am reconfiguring the beam to carry
a bio-agent into the planet's atmosphere.

- When will it be ready?
- It is ready now, Captain.

- Phasers are on-line.
- Target the first city.

And fire.

The warship Voyager, one of
the most powerful vessels of its time.

Armed with photonic torpedoes
and particle weapons,

this ship could wipe out
an entire civilisation within hours.

On this day, we were lucky.
The death toll could have been worse.

By the time Voyager targeted our cities,
Tedran had begun an evacuation.

Unfortunately, it was only the beginning
of the onslaught.

As you'll see, Janeway's actions would
have a lasting effect on our world.

Even today, 700 years later,

we are still feeling the impact
of the Voyager encounter.

Before we continue the simulation,
I'll answer any questions.

I'm curious about Voyager itself.

How many people were on board?

They had over 300 soldiers.

Did they attack other worlds?

We aren't certain.

Records of Voyager are incomplete,

but it's assumed they interfered

with many other cultures.

Tell us more
about the Borg drones they kept.

Voyager had many weapons,

including species they'd assimilated -

Borg, Talaxian, Kazon.

All part of Voyager's fighting force.

Let's resume the simulation.

It's a few hours after the bombardment.

Janeway is mounting her assault.

What you will see is unsettling.

Status? Status?

- Approximately 3,000 Kyrians dead.
- That's it?

The bio-agent is still dispersing.

The fatality rate will soon be 300,000.

- How soon?
- Best guess, one hour.

Why do you always keep me waiting?

My apologies. Preparing to fire again.

- Double the yield.
- Don't you think that's excessive?

You picked a bad time

to have second thoughts, Ambassador.

I want them defeated, but it's genocide.

Why quibble with semantics?

This wasn't our agreement.

We'll defeat the Kyrians and
you'll keep up your end of the bargain.

Ensign, confine this gentleman
to the brig.

I'll let you know when it's over.

- Three more vessels approaching.
- Evade them.

The location?

Look. I can keep this up all day.

Tell the commander
what he wants to know.

- Maybe I can't keep this up all day.
- I'm a man of peace.

My native people
are enlightened, non-violent,

much like your own.

I'm saddened that this has
happened to you.

If we can work together,
maybe we can end this conflict.

Stand aside, Chakotay.
Let me hit him.

That hyperspanner would cause
an unacceptable level of damage.

He must still be able to speak.

What do you have in mind?

This neural solvent,
a clean and efficient inducer of pain.

Far more effective
than your crude attempts at persuasion.

No doubt you are experiencing
a tingling sensation.

The chemical is dissolving
your optic nerves.

I'll ask you again.
Where is Tedran?

The pain will increase until
your cerebral cortex begins to liquefy.

I can reverse the process
if ordered to do so.

And I want to give that order,
but you have to tell me.

Where is Tedran?

He's at these co-ordinates.

Assuming our prisoner told you the truth.

He was very co-operative at the end.

I'm reading a fortified compound,
1.6 kilometres beneath the surface.

You and Tuvok take an assault team
and find Tedran.

- Make sure he's escorted to Voyager.
- Yes, sir.

Four Kyrians just beamed
into the engine room.

Bridge to engineering.
Respond.

They've erected force fields.
Our soldiers can't get in.

They've left me no choice.

Computer, initiate
the Borg activation sequence.

- Sequence in progress.
- Bridge to Seven of Nine.

State your instructions.

A group of Kyrians is in the engine room.
Stop them.

We understand.

Resistance is futile.

Seven of Nine to the bridge.
The Kyrian threat has been neutralised.

Acknowledged.

Two Kyrians are still alive.
What shall we do with them?

You've been wanting to expand
your fighting force. Assimilate them.

We understand.

I just received word
from the attack team.

They've captured Tedran
and one of his aides.

They're heading back to Voyager.

Take them to chamber 19
and get the Vaskan ambassador.

This is one negotiation
he won't want to miss.

Welcome aboard.

I appreciate your hospitality.
Are all your guests treated so well?

It's not every day that we receive
such an important visitor.

A man of wisdom and peace,
a servant of his people.

Your people need you
now more than ever.

State your demands.

Tell your forces to stand down
and I'll call off my attack.

I understand what the Vaskans want.
More of our territory, more resources.

But what do you want, Captain?

- Why are you doing this to us?
- He's offered my crew a way home.

To reach your home,
you would destroy ours?

That's right.
You'd do the same in my position.

- No, I would not.
- Spoken like a true martyr.

You're very enlightened.

But are you so proud

that you'd let your people die
before you'd humble yourself?

Tell them to surrender.

You have shamed us all.
We could have ended this on our own.

Peacefully, without her.

Surrender.

No.

We will prevail.

Don't look so shocked, Ambassador.
This is what you wanted, isn't it?

The conflict was brief but brutal.

Two million Kyrians slaughtered
within days.

Voyager continued on its way,
leaving the Kyrian Dynasty in ruins.

The Vaskan leaders occupied our lands,
forcing my people into subservience.

It took centuries to undo the damage
that Captain Janeway had done

and the Kyrian struggle for equality
is far from over.

This simulation and this museum
are a testament to that struggle.

I hope you found your experience
worthwhile.

If you'd like to learn more
about Voyager,

explore the rest of this exhibit.
Thank you for your time.

I wouldn't touch that.
One of the Voyager's torpedoes.

25-isoton yield.
It could destroy an entire city.

It's been inactive for centuries,
but you never know.

I'm only teasing, but be careful.
These relics can never be replaced.

The history of our people
should be respected.

I have a question about that history.
How can you prove that it's true?

The evidence is all around you.

Some musty fossils and a recreation?
That doesn't prove anything.

You're trying to blame the Vaskans
for all your troubles.

I don't have a problem with your species.
I have Kyrian friends,

but I don't appreciate seeing my people
portrayed as villains

and I don't want your history
taught to my children.

You'd better get used to the idea.

We've uncovered an artefact
that will confirm everything.

Our research team found
a data storage device

beneath the ruins at Kesef.
I've confirmed it came from Voyager.

Another fossil?

The device contains active data,

possibly even Captain Janeway's
personal almanac.

We could soon be hearing Voyager's
version in their own words.

And what if those words
tell a different story?

- We will change our views accordingly.
- I'm sure you will.

I apologise.
Enjoy the rest of your visit.

Activate recreation "The Voyager
Encounter”. Display engine room.

Begin dictation.

I'm resuming work on artefact 271,
the Voyager data storage device.

I've decided to try using period tools
from the simulation itself.

With any luck,
they'll be more compatible.

There's far more data here
than I expected.

Seems more like a program
of some sort.

Yes, it's an optronic datastream.

A hologram.

Please state the nature
of the medical emergency.

Please state the nature
of the medical emergency.

You're Voyager's doctor.

What am I doing in engineering?
Where's my mobile emitter?

- You're not an android.
- Of course not!

A Kyrian. Doctor to the bridge.
Security to engineering.

You won't have much luck with that.
This is a simulation.

A holodeck?

No. You're in
the Museum of Kyrian Heritage.

You've stolen my program. How?

- Let me try to explain.
- Try quickly.

- You... are a hologram.
- That I know.

I discovered your program
inside this data storage device.

The EMH back-up module. One of your
attack parties must have taken it.

We found it at the ruins at Kesef.

This will be difficult for you to accept,

but a great deal of time has passed
since Voyager encountered the Kyrians.

- How much time?
- 700 years, give or take a decade.

- We're not certain.
- I don't believe you.

When your program is inactive,
a moment or a millennium are the same.

700 years?

What about my ship?
What happened to my crew?

No one knows.
It's safe to say they're long dead.

- And I'm some sort of fossil?
- No, not a fossil.

A witness.
A living witness to history.

There's so much we don't know
about what happened.

But you lived through those times,
you helped to shape them.

You could be the most important
discovery of all time.

No, this isn't possible.
I don't believe you.

What's going to happen now?
Will you put me on display?

- The holographic Rip Van Winkle?
- I'm not sure.

I want to try to contact Starfleet,
if there still is a Starfleet.

That will have to wait.

- There are other issues to be resolved.
- What kind of issues?

You're the Voyager doctor.
A lot of people will have questions.

Artificial life-forms are considered
responsible for their actions.

You might have to face charges
for your crimes.

- You designed weapons to kill Kyrians.
- I did not!

Our evidence shows
that you were a war criminal.

Evidence like this? 25 phaser banks?
This isn't what our ship looked like!

We reconstructed it
from a partial schematic.

It was damaged. We were bound
to get a few details wrong.

- We were explorers.
- Yes, trying to get home to Mars.

Earth! You couldn't even get that right!
This is a nightmare.

- What if I'm found guilty?
- That's up to the arbiters.

I imagine the penalty would be severe.
Your program could be decompiled.

You've got to believe me.

To you, this may be ancient history.
To me, it's yesterday.

You called me a living witness. Give me
a chance to set the record straight.

I want to see your version
of what happened.

We've drained two phaser banks
and he hasn't hit anything.

If you looked at your console
once in a while, you'd see otherwise.

This war was supposed to be over
in five minutes.

- You have a better idea, Lieutenant?
- Yes, I do.

- Fighter shuttles, a direct assault.
- Led by you? Good luck.

- Watch your mouth.
- I haven't heard a single good idea.

Then propose something, First Officer.
Earn your rank for once.

Gentlemen. Gentlemen!

Save it for the holodeck.
We've got a war to fight.

We've only been attacking the Kyrian
military installations. A mistake.

- We should target the population.
- Excellent idea, Captain.

The Kyrians would be vulnerable
to any number of biological weapons.

- How soon could you have one ready?
- Within the hour.

Dismissed.

- Pure fiction! This is absurd.
- Halt recreation.

This is a reasonable extrapolation
from historic record.

But if you'd like to point out
any inconsistencies...

I don't know where to begin.
This looks like the briefing room,

but no one behaved like this.

Aside from Mr Paris.

We didn't talk about how to destroy
planets. We helped people.

- We were an enlightened crew.
- You deny these events took place?

You never got involved with the conflict
between my people and the Vaskans?

We did get involved,
but it was nothing like this.

There was a meeting in this room,
but it wasn't about battle tactics.

It was about a dilemma we were facing.

We had negotiated a trade agreement
with the Vaskans.

- We were dealing with Ambassador...
- Ambassador Daleth.

Daleth. Exactly.

Everything was going
according to plan until...

...we were attacked.
By your people, the Kyrians.

They started a war
and we were caught in the middle.

The Kyrians? That can't be right.

Captain Janeway called the meeting

to figure out how to extricate ourselves
from the conflict.

We weren't on their side
and we never attacked you.

Save your objections
until you see the entire recreation.

Let's continue.

We will prevail.

Don't looked so shocked, Ambassador.
This is what you wanted, isn't it?

Somewhere,
halfway across the galaxy I hope,

Captain Janeway
is spinning in her grave.

You've portrayed us as monsters.
The captain's a cold-blooded killer

and I'm a mass murderer!

I'm about to be hanged for crimes
I didn't commit!

Tell me your version of events.

- I remember this man.
- Tedran, a martyr to our people.

Some martyr. He led
the Kyrian attack against Voyager.

You're lying, trying to protect yourself!

And so are you! From the truth.

The Kyrians are being portrayed
in the best possible light.

Martyrs, heroes, saviours.

Events have been reinterpreted to make
you feel better about yourselves.

Revisionist history. It's such a comfort.

We were not the aggressors.
We were the victims.

The Kyrian people
are being oppressed to this day.

Your problems are none of my business.
I'm just telling you what I saw.

I don't believe you
and neither will anyone else.

- I'm shutting down your program.
- Wait! I can prove to you I'm right.

The medical tricorder,
the artefact you have on display...

The lies.

Begin dictation.
I've re-examined the data module.

The Doctor was telling the truth,
at least about one thing.

He is a hologram, a back-up program.

We knew he was an artificial life-form,

but we thought he was an android.

If we were mistaken about that,

I wonder if we might also be wrong
about Voyager itself.

Another question. Why would a hologram
designed for medical purposes

be programmed to lie so readily?

From the moment I activated him,
he insisted that he's innocent.

At first, I didn't believe him.

End dictation.

Activate recreation
"The Voyager Encounter”.

Display medical chamber.

Please state the nature of the medical...
Oh, it's you.

You've given me a lot to think about.

Really? I thought
you'd heard enough of my "lies".

I judged you too quickly.

- What changed your mind?
- Time to think.

I don't appreciate being deactivated
in the middle of a sentence.

- It brings back unpleasant memories.
- It won't happen again.

If you treat me like a second-class
hologram, I won't co-operate.

I'm happy to lie dormant for a few eons.

- I didn't come here to argue.
- Then what do you want?

I don't know. To talk, I guess,

about what really happened
700 years ago.

Are you sure you're willing to listen
to a mass murderer like me?

I'm willing to keep an open mind.
That's the most I can promise.

Try to understand.

All my life, I thought I knew the truth.

I don't want you to doubt your beliefs,
but I can't deny what I know to be true.

I realise that now
and I want to know the truth.

And I want the arbiters to know it, too.

The stage is certainly set,

but I'll have to rewrite the characters
and revise the plot.

I'm quite adept in the art
of holographic programming.

I can create a simulation of my own,
show you what happened.

We've got plenty of medical supplies

and we'd be more than happy
to share them with you.

We'll provide you
with as much dilithium as you need.

- That's very generous.
- I'll transport the canisters immediately.

It would be in your best interest
to make this exchange quickly.

We've been in conflict with
a neighbouring species, the Kyrians.

War could break out any day.
We've tried every diplomatic option,

but the Kyrians
are a violent, stubborn people.

I understand what you're going through.

If you were one of our diplomats,

you might have better luck
resolving this situation.

- Janeway to sickbay.
- This is the Doctor.

We've reached an agreement.
Assemble the medical supplies.

- The supplies are in cargo bay 1.
- Once we transport the supplies...

Red Alert.
Captain Janeway to the bridge.

- We're being fired on by three ships.
- The Kyrians!

Hail them. This is Captain Janeway
of the starship Voyager.

We are not your enemies.
Please break off your attack.

- They're not responding.
- I'd advise you to retreat, Captain.

- Shields down to 86%.
- Break out of orbit.

- Four intruders in engineering.
- Janeway to engineering.

B'Elanna, respond.

Tuvok.

- Take their technology.
- You will fail.

- Drop your weapons.
- Back away.

- Tuvok to Janeway.
- Go ahead.

The Kyrians have killed three crew
and taken Seven of Nine hostage.

- They're now on deck 2, section 32.
- Acknowledged.

Remember your offer to make me
a diplomat? I don't have much choice.

Tell the Doctor we have casualties.
Have him meet us on deck 2.

Janeway to Tuvok.
We're approaching section 31.

Send three security teams to this deck
and seal all the access points.

How typical of the Kyrians.
They fight the same way they live.

Deviously.

Janeway to Tuvok. The Kyrians
are in the mess hall. We're going in.

- I'll go first and draw any fire.
- Your crew is heroic.

I'm invulnerable to phaser fire,
but I appreciate the compliment.

This is between us.
Leave these people out of it.

I know what you're doing.
An alliance with these aliens.

- We were trading with them.
- You expect me to believe that?

You plan to destroy us.

We wouldn't need help to destroy you.

We didn't realise
you were fighting with the Vaskans.

Lay down your weapons
and you won't be harmed.

No!

He's dead.

Computer, freeze program.

A tragic, needless death,
but Voyager was not responsible.

After Tedran was killed,
Voyager was attacked by Kyrian ships.

My program was disabled, most likely
when they stole my back-up module.

Then I was standing next here,
seven centuries later.

Very entertaining.

Your technology is new to me,

but I assure you
this is an accurate recreation.

Or perhaps it's the fabrication of a
war criminal who's afraid for his life.

- Do you have any evidence?
- In fact, I do.

I've confirmed that this is the same
tricorder I used to scan Tedran.

If I can access the readings, I can prove
that he was killed by a Vaskan weapon,

not by Captain Janeway.

- Can this be done?
- I've tried to decipher it.

With the Doctor's help...

Tedran died on Voyager, a victim
of a conspiracy to oppress my people.

- The weapon used is beside the point.
- Was there a conspiracy?

Did Voyager help my ancestors
start the Great War?

Or were Kyrians the aggressors?

This casts doubt on everything.

My children still can't attend
the same academies as yours

and we are forced to live
outside of the city centre.

Today's problems are not at issue.
This is about history.

I don't know who started your war,
but Voyager wasn't responsible.

I can't believe that you would co-operate
with this murderer.

You of all people.

The facts are more complex
than I expected.

We shouldn't listen to this hologram.

I want him charged
for the crimes he committed.

- That's not your decision to make.
- No, it's not, is it?

I'm on this commission
as a token Kyrian.

- This isn't about race.
- It's always about race.

You seize every opportunity
to keep yourselves in power.

I think we are obligated to hear
what the Doctor has to say.

- Proceed with your investigation.
- Yes, arbiter.

You'll pay for your crimes.

700 years and I'm still caught
in the middle of your little dispute.

One might have hoped
for a bit of social progress.

- Change never comes easily for us.
- That's an understatement.

- I've entered the specifications.
- Let's give it a try.

Close enough.

This diagnostic tool should help me
get past the encryption sequences.

Too bad we can't recreate
B'Elanna Torres.

- The chief transporter operator.
- Chief engineer.

You might want to make the correction
in your history books.

What was she like? I suppose
we've gotten her personality wrong, too.

Starting to believe me?

Let's just say I'm trying
to keep an open mind.

B'Elanna Torres. Intelligent, beautiful

and with a chip on her shoulder
the size of the Horsehead Nebula.

She also had a kind of vulnerability
that made her quite endearing.

You miss her... and the others.

From my perspective,
I saw them all a few days ago.

But in fact it's been centuries.
And I'll never see them again.

Did they ever reach home?
I wonder.

I've always wondered that, too,
from as far back as I can remember.

- Really?
- Ever since I was a small child.

The first time I heard the name Voyager,
it conjured up my imagination.

Even though we were the bad guys?

I was too young
to understand the implications.

The fact that you were so far from home,
travelling across the stars.

I found it all very heroic.

I suppose Voyager is what made me
fall in love with history.

If it means anything to you,

you would have made
a fine member of our crew.

I hope that's part of the simulation.

No, it isn't.

- Stop this!
- This museum's filled with lies!

- Listen to me!
- We've listened long enough!

They're using photon grenades.
We've got to take cover. This way.

- What's happening?
- It's getting worse.

Protests, vandalism.
Two people have been killed.

- We're safe for now.
- That's not what I'm concerned about.

Two deaths, a race riot,
all because of me?

You were only the catalyst.
The pressure's been building for years.

Have you found the tricorder?

It's crucial that we do.
The Kyrians want you punished.

But the Vaskans want
to hear your version of events again.

- What's going to happen?
- I don't know.

The Kyrians are very angry.
They're talking about another war.

Then there's only one solution -
delete my program.

I've become a symbol for this conflict.
As long as I'm around,

your people
are going to keep on fighting.

You can say
I was damaged in the attack.

- I can't do that.
- Then I'll do it myself.

I'm a medical hologram,
but I'm doing harm on a global scale.

I've been concerned
with clearing Voyager's good name.

But that's not important now.
There's more at stake.

A few days ago, I might have agreed.
But what about the facts?

Facts be damned!
Names, dates, places,

it's all open to interpretation.

And what difference does it make?

What matters is today
and the future of your people.

- You can't deny what happened.
- I can and I will.

Tedran was a martyr for your people,
a symbol of your struggle for freedom.

Who am I to take that away from you?

History has been abused.

We blame each other
for what happened in the past.

If you don't help us now,
it could be another 700 years.

Let's find that tricorder.

It was a pivotal moment in our history.

As a result of the Doctor's testimony,
a dialogue was opened.

Eventually, we found a new respect
for our divergent cultures and traditions.

The efforts of people like Quarren
and the Doctor paved the way for unity.

Quarren died six years later, but he lived
to witness the dawn of harmony.

The Doctor served as
our surgical chancellor for many years

until he decided to leave.
He took a small craft

and set a course for the Alpha Quadrant,
attempting to trace the path of Voyager.

He said he had a longing for home.

This way.

English (en)