EPISODE

5. Once Upon a Time

While Voyager searches for the crew of the crashed Delta Flyer carrying Tuvok, Paris, and Ensign Samantha Wildman, Neelix must keep Samantha's daughter Naomi occupied. He tries to amuse her with a magical "holonovel" about forest creatures called Flotter and Trevis. When it is discovered that Samantha is badly injured, Neelix must decide how much he should tell Naomi in an attempt to protect her feelings.

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THIS ENTRY’S STORY

The story

Spoilers ahead. Coverage follows the scope labeled below.

Plot summary

Due to an ion storm, the Delta Flyer crashes on a planetoid becoming buried under three kilometers of rock. Ensign Samantha Wildman is seriously injured, and Lieutenant Tom Paris and Lieutenant Commander Tuvok attend to her as they wait for Voyager to locate and rescue them. The ship's attempts are hampered due to more storms.

Meanwhile, on board Voyager, Wildman's young daughter Naomi awaits her mother's return. The crew is unsure of how to explain to her that her mother is lost, and dreads the possibility that Sam may have died. The ship's morale officer, Neelix, takes it on himself to spend time with his little god-daughter as they wait for news. He distracts her with the popular children's fairy holo-tale The Adventures of Flotter. Later Naomi learns more about the incident by accident. Neelix finds her in the Flotter program and tells the tale of how he lost his own family.

With only minutes to spare, the crew finds the Delta Flyer and beams everyone to safety. Samantha Wildman survives her injuries, and, once sufficiently recovered, enjoys the holo-tale along with Naomi and Neelix.

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Adapted from Wikipedia contributors, Once Upon a Time (Star Trek: Voyager). Paragraphs and formatting adjusted; illustrations, reference markers, block quotations and non-story material omitted.

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