Parturition (16 Oct. 1995)

After a disagreement over Kes, Neelix and Tom Paris are trapped together on an alien planet and must work together so that they and their alien baby ward can survive.

Director:

Jonathan Frakes

Writers:

Gene Roddenberry (creator), Rick Berman (creator),

Stars:

Kate Mulgrew, Robert Beltran, Roxann Dawson

Cast

Episode credited cast:
Kate Mulgrew	...	Captain Kathryn Janeway
Robert Beltran	...	Commander Chakotay
Roxann Dawson	...	Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres (as Roxann Biggs-Dawson)
Jennifer Lien	...	Kes
Robert Duncan McNeill	...	Lieutenant Tom Paris
Ethan Phillips	...	Neelix
Robert Picardo	...	The Doctor
Tim Russ	...	Lieutenant Tuvok
Garrett Wang	...	Ensign Harry Kim
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Majel Barrett	...	Voyager Computer (voice)

Storyline

Neelix gets jealous of all the time Tom Paris is spending with Kes, and the two males end up getting in a fist fight over it. However, the two are forced to learn to deal with each other when their shuttle craft crashes on an alien planet, and they take a newly hatched, reptilian alien baby under their wing.

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Plot Keywords:

24th century

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Release Date:

16 October 1995 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Paramount Television

Did You Know?

Trivia

The title parturition refers to the act of giving birth to a child.

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Goofs

Neelix apologized to Tom for throwing hair pasta in his lap. However, he had thrown the pasta on Tom's chest, not his lap.

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Quotes

Kes: On my homeworld, it's so much simpler. You choose a mate for life; there's no distrust, no jealousy, no envy, no betrayal...
The Doctor: Hmm... Your world must have very dry literature.

User Reviews

Enjoyable even though it features Paris

I just don't don't care much for the Tom Paris character. I suppose he's suppose to be a lovable cad. Oh, well. I do like the Neelix character although his proneness to jealousy is not particularly attractive although in fact understandable. I was glad that by this episode's end he was able to lay that particular demon to rest. Paris realizes he "loves" Kes and Neelix is jealous because he sees Kes laughing with Paris. Paris whines to Kim about how unfair life is. When Kim and Paris go to the dining room they deliberately avoid sitting with Kes which hurts her feelings and off she goes. Neelix and Paris soon get into a food fight but this fight is broken off when they are summoned by the Captain. It seems they are near a planet that appears to have abundant food sources; however, they cannot use their transporters so Neelix and Paris (the person who knows the most about edible plants and the best pilot) are sent on a shuttle craft to investigate. Alas, things go wrong and one more Voyager shuttle craft bites the dust. The planet is covered by noxious vapors so Neelix and Paris take refuge in a cave and seal it off to keep the vapors out. They find a just hatched alien who soon has difficulties breathing. They realize that the noxious vapors are actually what the alien needs to breathe so out they go, thus saving the baby alien. When they return to the Voyager, Kes is both surprised and pleased to see Neelix and Paris joking and laughing and being best buddies. There are only so many plots and I don't mind that they are recycled. I happen to like the "enemies who become best buddies through a shared adventure" plot.