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An alien vessel in need of rescue
suddenly appears in Voyager's space. It is attempting to use an
experimental propulsion system powered by a coaxial warp drive,
but it is destabilizing. Janeway transports the pilot, Steth,
and his prototype to Voyager. Paris, who has been restless and
irritable lately and in need of a change in duty, volunteers to
help him repair his ship. What they don't know is that there is
really a woman inside Steth's body.
While Paris uses his knowledge of
20th-century cars to repair the ship, Steth breaks into
Voyager's computer and downloads Paris' DNA information. Once
Steth's ship is operational again, he suddenly overtakes Paris
and switches bodies with him. Steth sends Paris away on his
ship, and he stays on Voyager to live out Paris' life.
Steth slides right into Paris' daily routine, and the crew is
none the wiser. He uses flattery with the Doctor to get out of
sickbay duty, and he charms his way back into Torres' good
graces to smooth over a recent fight she had with Paris.
Meanwhile, Paris wakes up on Steth's ship to find that the
Benthan, who have tracked down Steth for theft, are taking him
into custody.
The Benthan ships are suddenly run off, and an angry woman,
Daelen, beams aboard Paris' vessel. She says she is Steth, and
she wants her body back. On Voyager, Steth begins to lose
control and exhibit erratic behavior. He fights with Torres and
Seven of Nine, and he becomes intoxicated while on duty. When
Janeway expresses her concern, Steth attacks her and is taken to
sickbay after Tuvok stuns him with a phaser.
Daelen explains that the alien has perfected selective DNA
exchange. It put Steth into its body, and Paris into Steth's.
They finally activate the coaxial warp drive and manage to catch
up with Voyager, but when they tell Janeway what has happened,
they realize the alien has switched bodies again. Janeway is
lying in sickbay in Paris' body, and the alien in her body takes
off from Voyager in a shuttle it has outfitted with the advanced
propulsion system. Paris and Steth race after her, and Paris
applies the principles he used in repairing the warp drive to
disable it. With the alien in custody, everyone is returned to
the proper bodies, and Paris has gained a new appreciation for
the monotony of his life. |
