Janeway sends the ship's doctor on his first Away Mission: rescue the crewmembers who have vanished in the holodeck’s version of Beowulf.
After Janeway orders the crew to beam aboard some samples of photonic matter from a nearby protostar for potential use in the ship's power converters, she discovers that Ensign Kim is missing. Since his last reported whereabouts was on one of the ship's holodecks, Chakotay and Tuvok investigate the holographic recreational facility and find that Kim's program -- a holonovel based on "Beowulf" -- is still running. Since they can't shut the program down, they enter the holodeck to search for the ensign.
They immediately encounter a holographic version of Freya, daughter of King Hrothgar in the epic poem. Freya reveals that Beowulf -- whom Chakotay and Tuvok assume is Kim -- has been killed, and she takes them to meet her father. The King says that Beowulf was killed by the monster Grendel. The two officers report to Janeway and the Captain orders Torres to run a diagnostic on the holodeck. In the meantime, Janeway discovers that some of the photonic material they beamed aboard seems to have infiltrated the holodeck. Before they can take in the implications, Chakotay and Tuvok encounter Grendel -- and Janeway loses touch with them, just like Kim.
Torres uncovers a malfunction in the holodeck's matter conversion nodes that seems to occur whenever Grendel appears. Rather than losing more organic crewmembers, Janeway transfers the ship's Doctor to the holodeck to investigate. Like the others, the Doctor first encounters Freya, and tells her that he's come to find Grendel. The Doctor is first welcomed as a hero, but when he finally meets Grendel, he discovers that it's actually a photonic energy formation, and it's dangerous, even to him. Panicking, the Doctor has himself beamed back to Sickbay.
The tricorder readings that the Doctor took seem to indicate that the photonic energy actually has sentience. When Torres subsequently examines one of the samples of photonic matter taken from the protostar, it breaks free from its containment field and hastily exits the ship.
Janeway speculates that they're dealing with lifeforms that have reacted to the capture of their species by taking counter measures -- kidnapping crewmembers from the holodeck and converting them to energy. In essence, holding them hostage.
The Doctor suggests that he return to the holodeck and release the remaining sample of photonic matter to "Grendel," in the hopes that the beings will return the crew. The plan works and Kim, Tuvok and Chakotay return safely, although Freya dies while attempting to defend the Doctor.
CAST
CAPTAIN KATHRYN JANEWAY
KATE MULGREW
COMMANDER CHAKOTAY
ROBERT BELTRAN
LIEUTENANT B'ELANNA TORRES
ROXANN BIGGS-DAWSON
KES
JENNIFER LIEN
LIEUTENANT TOM PARIS
ROBERT DUNCAN MCNEILL
NEELIX
ETHAN PHILLIPS
THE DOCTOR
ROBERT PICARDO
LIEUTENANT TUVOK
TIM RUSS
ENSIGN HARRY KIM
GARRETT WANG
GUEST STARS
FREYA
MARJORIE MONAGHAN
UNFERTH
CHRISTOPHER NEAME
KING HROTHGAR
MICHAEL KEENAN
Written by: NAREN SHANKAR
Directed by: LES LANDAU
HIGHLIGHT LISTING
STAR TREK: VOYAGER: "Heroes and Demons" -- Janeway sends the ship's doctor on his first Away Mission: rescue the crewmembers who have vanished in the holodeck’s version of Beowulf.
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HOLODECK HOUSE CALL
Kim vanishes on the holodeck and only the Doc can save him now!
