Every season of Star Trek must have at least one holodeck episode. The episode where something goes wrong and only an adventure through a novel, play, or fairytale will save the day. For Star Trek: Voyager’s first season, that episode was ‘Heroes & Demons’, which celebrates its thirtieth birthday on April 24th! So, switch those phases for long swords as we trek back to a Voyager holodeck favourite!
A Holographic Conundrum
To have a riveting holodeck episode, we need something to go wrong. In ‘Heroes & Demons’, we have half-Klingon chief engineer B’Elanna Torres (Roxann Dawson) to thank! Something odd (but not enough to investigate further) happens during her experiment. It soon comes to light that Ensign Harry Kim (Garrett Wang) is missing, the ship’s computer unable to locate him. Commander Chakotay (Robert Beltran) and Lieutenant Tuvok (Tim Russ) go to the holodeck, where Kim was last located. Kim is nowhere to be found, and after exploring the Danish setting of his holo programme ‘Beowulf’, Chakotay and Tuvok disappear too.
Enter the hero of our story, Star Trek’s favourite Emergency Medical Hologram, The Doctor (Robert Picardo)! With biological lifeforms apparently at risk when entering the holodeck, Captain Kathryn Janeway (Kate Mulgrew) sends The Doctor on his first away mission.
However, The Doctor must first make a decision regarding his identity. He has a reassuring conversation with Kes (Jennifer Lien), where he admits to being nervous about the mission. He has never experienced settings or scenarios outside of sick bay, so does not know what to expect. But, with newfound confidence, The Doctor is transported into the Danish wilderness armed with a tricorder and his new name: Schweitzer.
Becoming the Hero
Once inside the holodeck, The Doctor’s adventure in ‘Heroes & Demons’ truly begins. After he materialises, he is faced with his first warrior, Freya (Marjorie Monaghan). They quickly become friends, and the warrior leads him to her father and king, who desperately needs help. His kingdom is plagued by a monster named Grendel, and his people need a hero to vanquish the foe. The Doctor accepts the challenge and faces the beast, which appears to him as a big glowing orb of energy ribbons. It touches The Doctor, who immediately requests a transfer back to sick bay, where he rematerializes minus one arm.
This development concerns Janeway and the crew. If this energy being can do that to a hologram, what has it done to their crewmates? Through some brilliant investigations and the use of twenty-fourth-century science, they find the answer. The experiment Torres conducted at the start of the episode inadvertently pulled a member of this energy-based species from its home. As a result, the energy beings are now holding the crew hostage!
With his arm restored and renewed determination, The Doctor re-enters the holodeck. Now he is armed with the energy being Torres accidentally experimented on. He reaches Grendel and, this time, treats the situation as first contact with an alien species. The gesture of returning the energy being works, with Chakotay, Tuvok, and a very perplexed Kim reunited with The Doctor.
Evolution
The development of The Doctor’s character in ‘this episode ‘Heroes & Demons’ is significant. It’s one of the first times Star Trek: Voyager explores the Emergency Medical Hologram like he’s a crucial crewmember. Which he is!
This episode explores the complexities of The Doctor’s place on the ship, his relationships with crewmates, and his evolution. An evolution from a temporary holographic support tool into a valued and fundamental part of the crew. And, more importantly, his growth as an individual. He even experiences his first, almost romantic, relationship, and must deal with the resulting loss when Freya sacrifices herself for him.
The Doctor’s first adventure takes him through his paces, and he returns a more developed, well-rounded, and complex character as a result. ‘Heroes & Demons’ could be the starting point for evolving The Doctor into the beloved fan-favourite character he is today.
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