Stardate not given: A brief encounter with a vessel whose lone occupant claims to be a Federation time scout from 500 years in the future results in a fierce firefight. The future captain describes a cataclysmic disaster in the 29th century resulting from an incident that Voyager is about to initiate. The timeship is damaged in the ensuing battle and falls back into the temporal rift through which it arrived, which also drags Voyager in. Voyager is taken back to Earth, 1996, and faint signs are detected of the timeship. Janeway, Chakotay, Paris and Tuvok beam down incognito to search for the wayward vessel, but unknown to them their own ship has been detected in orbit by an astronomy graduate named Rain Robinson. Rain contacts computer magnate Henry Starling, who is in possession of the timeship while its original occupant languishes on the streets of Los Angeles. Tom and Tuvok make their way to Griffith Observatory to erase Rain’s evidence of Voyager’s presence, but she catches them in the act and is hot on their trail as one of Starling’s employees attempts to kill them all. Janeway and Chakotay break into Starling’s office and discover that he has already contaminated the timeline, using the timeship’s technology to jump-start the computer revolution. Starling finds the uninvited guests and threatens them, but Harry, left in command of Voyager, rescues them just in time. But Starling still has the timeship – and worse yet, Voyager’s low-orbit rescue run has been detected by cameras on 20th century Earth.
written by Brannon Braga & Joe Menosky
directed by David Livingston
music by Jay ChattawayGuest Cast: Ed Begley, Jr. (Henry Starling), Sarah Silverman (Rain Robinson), Allan G. Royal (Captain Braxton)
LogBook entry by Paul Campbell
