Summary for Star Trek: Voyager episode
Warhead

Season 5, Episode 24
Stardate: Unknown

Guest Stars:
McKenzie Westmore as Ensign Jenkins
Seve Dennis as "Alien trader"

Story by: Brannon Braga

Teleplay by: Michael Taylor and Kenneth Biller

Events: The show starts in the Mess Hall, where Tom is pleading for his life with Neelix. Neelix hesitates, citing Scotty's old line about "Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me."

Tom finally admits this is for the first anniversary of his first date with B'Elanna, and he needs to replicate a romantic dinner to avoid dire repercussions. Hearing this, Neelix agrees to help Tom. While programming the replicator they're interrupted by Harry, who is seeking a pot of coffee for his fourth night shift in a row in the Captain's chair.

Tom asks him to remember "all the little people you climbed over" once Harry makes captain and to not require those "little people" to work the night shift.

The scene cuts to the bridge, where Harry is sitting in the Captain's chair. He requests a status report from the pilot (Ensign Jenkins), who claims nothing has changed since her last report 20 minutes earlier. Granted permission to speak freely, Ensign Jenkins reminds Harry that the night shift is rather dull, with little happening. Harry patronizes Jenkins somewhat by telling her that if she is ever in command she'll understand the burden of command.

Their discussion is interrupted by a signal from the pilot's station. Jenkins reports a distress call from an M-class planet. They must alter course if they're to investigate. Harry makes the decision to render assistance.

Upon arriving at the planet they are unable to get a response, and Jenkins reports no life on the planet. She theorizes that whomever sent the call didn't survive. But Harry feels there might be other reasons why life isn't detected, and feels an away team is warranted. He hands over command to Jenkins and goes to notify Chakotay of the situation.

Jenkins looks like she feels the burden of command ;-)

In a hallway outside Chakotay's quarters Harry apologizes for waking Chakotay and hopes he's made the right decision. Chakotay reassures him and assigns him to command the away team while Chakotay watches on from the bridge.

The scene cuts to another hallway where Doc and Harry are approaching the transporter room. Doc is somewhat surprised that Harry is on command, but accepts the situation by pointing out he (Doc) can make up for any lack of experience on Harry's part. With a security officer they beam down to the planet.

Upon arrival they detect no one, but Harry decides to conduct a search nonetheless. Doc locates an alien device, somewhat akin to the business end of a small rocket, stuck in the rock. Harry and the security officer join Doc, and Harry informs us this is the device that sent the distress call. Harry scans the device and finds it has a bio-neural network. This is apparently how the device gets its intelligence.

The device suddenly activates itself, a portion of the device glows blue and Harry is concerned, backing away. But Doc announces the device is communicating in a machine language. Doc translates that the device is claiming to be injured, that it can't see and can't feel it's "arms and legs". Doc reports the device is "terrified".

The show cuts to opening credits and commercials.

When we return Doc and Harry discuss options. Apparently the device doesn't know it's an artificial intelligence, as its memories have been damaged. Harry wants to inform the device that it is a device, but Doc is concerned with causing it "psychological" trauma. Doc wants to beam it aboard and Harry reminds Doc of away team protocols that would suggest another course of action. Doc doesn't care, wanting to help the injured device.

On board Voyager, Janeway et al appear on the bridge to start the day shift. Chakotay, with unerring accuracy, predicts the second when Harry contacts the ship. Harry informs Janeway of the status of the mission and the disagreement as to what to do. Janeway leaves the decision to him and Harry decides to beam it aboard to one of the Engineering stations, but calls for a level ten forcefield to be in place as a precaution. Janeway agrees.

Back on the planet, Doc and the device have a little conversation. Doc explains he's a hologram and the device informs him that this means he's not "a real person".

A little later, on Voyager, Janeway pays a visit to engineering to see the device. We find it behind a force-field about 20 feet from the warp core. B'Elanna speculates that the device might be a probe or a communication device, but she's not sure what it is. She claims there was another device, a companion to the one they've rescued. Janeway decides to try and find it.

As the others leave the area Doc is left with the device; ordering the forcefield down Doc approaches the device to communicate with it. Doc explains to the device that it is being treated for its injuries, and then decides to tell it that it is an artificial lifeform. The device seems to handle this information rather well. Asking Doc a question, Doc informs it that it's rather "sleek". Apparently the device thanks Doc for the compliment as Doc says "You're welcome".

The scene shifts to Astrometrics, where Janeway and Seven are searching for the other device. They finally locate a debris field with metals consistent with the first device. However, upon close inspection they determine that the second device was a bomb, causing a crater 200 km in diameter. They realize that the device they have on board is also a bomb.

The show cuts to commercials.

When we return we're in the conference room. Discussing the options, three are put forward. One, beam it off the ship and destroy it. Two, beam it to the planet and leave a warning buoy to keep other ships from approaching it. Both of these are rejected by the Doctor as cruel. He believes they should try to disconnect the sentient portion of the device from the warhead, download the sentience to a holographic matrix like Doc's, and then return it to its originators.

Janeway decides to go with the Doctor's suggestion. She orders Harry and B'Elanna to assist, but Janeway also instructs them to beam the device away "at the first sign of danger".

We watch as the device is manhandled to Sick Bay. Once there, B'Elanna begins working on it. The device wants to know exactly what is happening, and B'Elanna is too busy to answer the questions. So Harry provides a description of the steps being taken. No sooner does he tell the device it will have to be taken off-line to allow the transfer than the bomb informs them it can't allow that to happen. It arms itself.

Harry orders the thing beamed off, but Chakotay discovers the transporter lock has been lost and they can't transport it.

Janeway tells Doc to try to talk it into disarming itself. But this gets nowhere. Janeway tells B'Elanna to run an electro-magnetic pulse through the device to short circuit it. Harry reports 20 seconds to detonation. With seconds to spare B'Elanna manages to shut it down.

However, they soon learn the device has taken over Doc through the link they'd established. It quickly takes the communications system offline and seals Deck Five (the deck where Sick Bay can be found). The device, now controlling Doc, reactivates the bomb and recalls its mission. It must destroy an enemy of its creators. It will stop at nothing to complete its mission.

Learning that things have gone awry, Janeway orders in Security and tries to get a lock on Harry and B'Elanna to beam them out. But Doc-device warns her that if she interferes he will detonate the bomb and blow up the ship.

The show cuts to commercials.

When we return, Janeway must negotiate with the Doc-device. He gives her coordinates for his target and orders the ship to follow the course he outlines to avoid enemy mine-fields. He also wants scanners relayed to him so he can monitor the ship's progress. Janeway refuses, telling him that her ship and crew cannot interfere in the affairs of others. He tells her he won't negotiate, that if she interferes with his mission he'll view them as enemies and blow up the ship.

Janeway capitulates. Satisfied, Doc-device signs off. Janeway calls for a meeting of the senior staff to figure a way out of their predicament.

On the bridge, Tom suggests beaming the device away, providing they can lower the forcefields. But Seven points out they couldn't beam it away far enough. Seven suggests trying to disarm it, but Tom claims it has an internal sensor array that would detect the effort.

Neelix appears to interrupt their discussion. He has a device which bears similar bio-neural circuitry as the bomb. He recalls a trader who sold it to him, and Chakotay orders Tom to locate the trader and send an encoded message.

Meanwhile, in Sick Bay, B'Elanna and Harry discuss options. Harry isn't pleased that it was his decision that brought this turn of events about. He decides to try reasoning with Doc-device. But he gets nowhere.

Back on the bridge, Tom reports a signal from the trader. Turns out the trader is in a cloaked ship very near Voyager. He claims he has some knowledge of this technology, and if they'll beam him over he'll try to help.

Down in Engineering the alien, Janeway and Chakotay discuss options. The alien claims he wants the device in exchange for his help. Janeway and Chakotay believe he wants it to sell as a weapon, but the alien claims he'll strip it down to its components and sell each component for a greater profit than if he tried to sell the device. Janeway agrees to the trade but insists on keeping the energy matrix (the warhead). The alien claims he wouldn't sell the energy matrix as a warhead, and insists he won't remove the device unless he can keep all of it. Janeway refuses and the alien decides it's time to leave.

No sooner is he off the ship than Voyager is attacked by the alien's ship. Weapons are damaged and Voyager is unable to fight back. The alien starts beaming the device off the ship and Doc-device takes counter-measures, sending an anti-matter feedback along the transporter route to the alien ship.

The alien ship is destroyed as a result.

A little later, back on the bridge, Seven suggests that she use her nanoprobes on the device. But to do this they need to get Doc's holomatrix offline for a short time. Janeway orders Tuvok to scan the mines and assess their damage potential. She has a plan in mind.

The scene cuts to an external view of a cluster of devices similar to the one on board Voyager. Through the scanning device of one we can see they are approaching Voyager from behind. They jump to warp speed, targeted for Voyager.

The show cuts to commercials.

When we return we're in the briefing room, where Chakotay accepts a tactical plan from Seven, Tom, and Neelix. They plan on detonating one of the mines they're about to encounter. Tom will take the inertial dampeners offline and Seven will fake a medical emergency to get into Sick Bay. Neelix will be the make-up artist who gives Seven a convincing appearance of having suffered 3rd degree plasma burns.

Back in Sick Bay Doc-device claims he needs assistance getting his circuits online again. He claims some of the memory is missing, and he needs help getting it activated.

B'Elanna and Harry discuss this opportunity, and Harry decides to assist. B'Elanna also agrees to help.

Within a short time they've managed to recover a message that tells the bomb to land on the planet where it was found. Doc-device suspects the enemy sent misleading information, but Harry and B'Elanna hope this is a message from the bomb's source.

Doc-device no longer wants their help, but B'Elanna and Harry convince it to allow them to finish the recovery work so the bomb can make an informed decision. Doc-device reluctantly agrees.

They learn that the war ended. That 34 of the devices were launched accidentally. A recall order was issued, but the device notes that a confirmation code wasn't sent. B'Elanna points out it may reside in one of the bomb's damaged data files. But Doc-device refuses to try and find it. It is determined to continue its mission.

Their discussion is interrupted by a jolt. Janeway reports that the ship hit a mine, and that she must plot a new course to avoid them. Doc-device provides instructions for a shield modification that will protect the ship. Janeway claims they must still slow down and Doc-device agrees.

Back on the bridge, Janeway orders another couple of jolts to the ship, then reports to Doc-device that she has heavy casualties, including her Astrometrics officer, Seven of Nine. Doc-device demands that Seven be replaced but Janeway makes a convincing argument about how Seven must be healed if they are to proceed to the bomb's target.

Doc-device reluctantly agrees.

The scene in Sick Bay shows Seven on the medical bed with Neelix in attendance. Tuvok is given the order to disrupt the holo-matrix and while Doc-device is distracted, Seven tries to infect the bomb with nanoprobes. However, she is shocked by the device and goes into neural shock.

Doc-device, realizing he has once again been tricked, threatens to blow the ship up and orders the crew to evacuate. Janeway refuses. Doc-device threatens that everyone on board will die if they do not comply and Janeway points out that no one else will die if the bomb blows up now.

Just at that point, 32 bombs (the ones we saw earlier tracking Voyager) drop out of warp and surround Voyager.

The show cuts to commercials.

When we return, the 32 bombs communicate with Doc-device, telling him to beam off the ship and they'll tractor him to their target. Harry tries once again to convince Doc-device the war is over. Doc-device resists, but finally agrees to check the orders for confirmation. He finds that confirmation.

He sends a signal back to the bombs telling them of his discovery, but it's too late. They've crossed the threshold of no return (all recall orders are to be ignored). Doc-device explains to them that he received the order before the threshold point, but they do not believe it.

Doc-device decides he must destroy the other weapons to carry out his orders. He is re-integrated with the device, and the device is beamed out into space. At a safe distance from Voyager the device detonates itself and takes out the 32 other bombs in the process.

The scene cuts to Sick Bay. Harry has stopped in to see Doc before Harry reports for the night shift (he's in command again). He and Doc discuss events, and Harry reassures Doc that if it hadn't been for Doc's example Harry doesn't know if he could have convinced the bomb to change its mind. This reassures Doc that he wasn't responsible for the mess.

Up on the bridge, Ensign Jenkins gives Harry a report when he arrives. Granted permission to speak freely, Jenkins tells him that a lot of people are giving him credit for outsmarting the bomb. Harry suggests that all he did was help the bomb to understand a few things. But that the bomb itself made the final decisions that saved the ship.

Jenkins smiles, and tells him that she has been delegated to pass on the thanks of the junior officers for keeping them alive. Harry smiles back and accepts the thanks graciously. Then he asks Jenkins for no more distress calls during the shift.

End of episode.

Personal reflections:
Aside from several glaring nits, this episode had potential. It was a mix between "Fail-safe", "Nomad", and "Dreadnought". While delivering an obvious message about how powerful the obsession for war can be, it also gave some hope that the obsession could be countered.

There was the obvious problem of trying to recall an attack that has gone beyond the point of recall. That's the dilemma in "Fail-Safe". And there was the deceptive harmlessness of the Nomad probe from "Nomad". And finally, there was the ruthless determination of obliterating its objective from "Dreadnought", plus the difficulties involved in disarming the device.

But "Warhead" was resolved in an entirely different manner than the other three. It was talked out of making war. Even V'Ger from Star Trek: The Motion Picture would not desist till it got what it wanted. In the case of "Warhead" the device got what it didn't want: an excuse to stand down.

And once having resolved itself to peace, it had to go and destroy itself and its companions to preserve the peace.

In a sense "Warhead" was an allegory for the life of a warrior. It starts as a child, in need of care and comfort. It moves on to an age where it wants to commit violence through war, and then realizes that war is not the answer after all, that it is the prevention of war that is the warrior's true calling. And in preventing war the device gained heroic stature.

It's not surprising that Harry honoured it when Jenkins wanted to honour him. Harry could only point the way. It was up to the device to see its purpose for what it was and make the decisions necessary to preserve the peace.

Kudos to Robert Picardo for his portrayal of a ruthless, obsessed war-monger. As Harry pointed out at the end, this portrayal made Doc look like "Mr. Congeniality" by comparison.

And for Harry Kim fans this was also a good episode. It gave Harry some command experience which should be reflected as a promotion some day. Harry is maturing and that is a good sign for the show.

Thank you for your attention.



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