Concerning Flight ( episode ) When pirates steal the ship ' s main computer and other critical equipment , Captain Janeway tries to track down the missing equipment with the help of the holographic Leonardo da Vinci . Summary . Teaser . On the holodeck , amid angry shouts from the street below , a soaking wet Kathryn Janeway and the hologram retreat to da Vinci ' s studio , having failed an attempt to launch the Great Bird . Da Vinci , angered that he nearly got the two of them drowned with half of Florence watching , suggests relocating to France . Janeway accuses him of giving up on his most important works and questions him as to why . Da Vinci evades the issue , and Janeway is summoned to the bridge as the is shaken by a sudden attack . Act One . The physical damage from the attack is negligible but Ensign Harry Kim detects a slight destabilization along the shield perimeter . In engineering , Lieutenant jg B ' Elanna Torres watches as the warp diagnostic assembly vanishes in a transporter beam . Throughout the ship , other objects are beamed off , including The Doctor ' s mobile emitter . As " Voyager " prepares to return fire to the attacking ships , the weapon targeting controls fail and Kim reports that " Voyager " s main computer processor was among the stolen items , rendering the ship ' s weapons , navigation and propulsion inoperable . The crew discovers that the unknown pirates used a high - energy transporter beam . Along with the computer processor and the mobile emitter , the pirates also stole five tricorder s , three phaser rifles , two photon torpedo casings , a plasma injector conduit and a month ' s supply of emergency ration s . The Doctor is most upset about the missing emitter but Janeway declares the computer processor to be the top priority for recovery . She tells Kim to do whatever he can to track the pirate ships . Kim hopes to enlist Seven of Nine ' s assistance in extending the ship ' s sensor s using the deep space imaging system in the astrometrics lab . Seven informs him she ' s already been working on that task for the past two hours . When Kim offers to help , Seven brusquely orders him to decompile databanks 59 - 17 to isolate an algorithmic feedback that is interfering with the resolution . She tells him to perform the procedure immediately or leave . He suggests she learn to phrase her requests more diplomatically . With the computer functioning at half power , " Voyager " spends 10 days tracking its missing equipment to a planet that appears to be a center of trade and commerce . Kim locates Starfleet signatures on the planet ' s surface , including that of the missing computer processor on the North continent . Janeway and Lt . Commander Tuvok beam down to the northern continent , while Lt . Tom Paris and Neelix journey to the southern continent . In the city , Tuvok locates a Starfleet signature too small to be the processor moving toward his and Janeway ' s location . They are stunned when the Leonardo da Vinci hologram appears , welcoming them to America . Act Two . Janeway notes that Da Vinci is wearing The Doctor ' s mobile emitter and asks him how he got to " America . " He tells " Caterina " that he doesn ' t know how he got here but surmises that perhaps Spanish sailors kidnapped him and brought him to the New World on a galleon . He then speaks of his patron , whom he calls " the prince of the city . " Janeway realizes that she was running the Da Vinci simulation when the computer processor was stolen and that da Vinci ' s program must have still been active in the processor ' s memory . To explain her own presence there , Janeway concocts a cover story that she traveled to " America " on a Portuguese ship . Tuvok responds to Da Vinci ' s query about his " curious ears " by saying he ' s from Scandinavia . Da Vinci takes Janeway and Tuvok to his new workshop , provided by his patron . The room is filled with stolen goods , including a phaser . Da Vinci says his patron provides the equipment in return for Da Vinci ' s ideas . He tells Janeway to be careful with the phaser , describing it as a weapon that shoots a bolt of lightning rather than projecting lead pellets . He promises to introduce Janeway and Tuvok to his patron that evening . Back on " Voyager " , Paris and Neelix return from the southern continent with an alien trader , whom they have lured to the ship with the promise of supplying a warp coil . Commander Chakotay questions the alien , who proves to be uncooperative until Chakotay threatens to throw him off the ship . He tells the " Voyager " officer s of a man called , who controls the seventh province of the northern continent . Chakotay tells him he can keep the equipment he has , including the " Voyager " uniform he ' s wearing , and sends the alien on his way . On the planet , Tau is trying to make a deal with a potential customer who balks at his prices . Janeway and Tuvok shadow Tau , having found out that he is Da Vinci ' s patron . They also have determined that the computer processor is not in the city and believe that Tau can lead them to it . When da Vinci appears , Janeway instructs Tuvok to keep him occupied with small talk while she poses as a buyer and makes contact with Tau . Janeway tells Tau her client needs a computer to run a colony about 20 parsec s away . Tau shows her to a verbal interface that speaks in the " Voyager " computer ' s voice . Then he names his price – a warship . Act Three . In Da Vinci ' s workshop , Janeway and Tuvok search for a storage facility or stronghold where the processor might be , using map s that Da Vinci has sketched of the area . Da Vinci interrupts the proceedings , but Tuvok uses a button on the emitter to freeze his program so he and Janeway can speak freely . Tuvok suggests returning to the ship with da Vinci ' s maps and his tricorder data and feeding the information into the ship ' s sensors . Janeway tells Tuvok to return to " Voyager " , but she will remain on the planet and continue searching from there , with Da Vinci ' s help . Tuvok cautions her that the Da Vinci program may simulate the artist ' s genius , but also re - creates his notorious unreliability . On " Voyager " , The Doctor discovers that Seven of Nine ' s optical interface is misaligned and chastises her for missing her regular examinations . He then questions her about the happenings onboard " Voyager " , saying he heard there was a " fuss " in the mess hall . Seven says she and Torres had a disagreement and The Doctor presses her for more details . Seven can ' t understand his need to hear about such trivialities but The Doctor says without his emitter he is once again imprisoned in sickbay and not kept informed . Seven elaborates that Torres called her an " automaton " and employed a string of profane Klingon insults . She also says that she was right and Torres was wrong . The Doctor hopes to hear more , but Tuvok summons Seven to astrometrics . Using the astrometric sensors , Tuvok and Seven pinpoint the location of the computer processor , but the building is surrounded by a dispersion field , making transport impossible . Seven suggests that the captain might be able to get inside and initiate a power surge in the processor to boost its signal , so " Voyager " can get a lock . Tuvok contacts the captain and she agrees to carry out the plan , with Da Vinci ' s assistance . Unfortunately , Tau overhears her conversation and forces Janeway at gunpoint to hand over her combadge . Act Four . As Janeway distracts Tau , Da Vinci subdues him from behind . Da Vinci fears execution for attacking his patron and refuses to join Janeway . She tells him he ' s a prisoner there and convinces him he ' s needed back in Europe . More importantly , she needs him now . The pair travel to the storage facility , which Da Vinci says he ' s visited before . On " Voyager " , Kim has lost the captain ' s combadge signal but is able to maintain a lock on the mobile emitter . Chakotay tells him not to beam Da Vinci back to the ship just yet , as the captain may need his help . On the planet , Da Vinci can ' t recall where the entrance to the storage facility is . Janeway presses him , saying that inside the storage facility is a wondrous invention they can use to send a beacon to her Portuguese ship . All they have to do is find it and they will be rescued . Da Vinci surmises that anyone who built such a fortress likely would fear theft , so they would construct one entrance to the building facing away from the sunlight so as to blind anyone seeking the entry . He and Janeway locate the entrance and go inside . On " Voyager " , Kim reports that 30 armed guards are closing in on the captain ' s position . Inside the storage facility , Da Vinci likens the layout to a labyrinth , but Janeway has a " compass " ( her tricorder ) . The " compass " leads them to a collection of phasers , a plasma injector , a site - to - site transport device and the missing computer processor . Janeway speaks to the computer , asking if it recognizes her voice . Da Vinci is stunned to hear a woman ' s voice emanating from within the processor . Janeway instructs the computer to produce a level 4 induction relay override . She tells Da Vinci to stand close to the machine as they await transport . " Voyager " detects the power surge but an armed guard begins firing at Janeway and Da Vinci forcing them to retreat from the processor as it is beamed out , leaving them behind . Da Vinci is shot , but the beam passes through him , leaving him confused and fearful . Janeway subdues the armed guard . She picks up the site - to - site transport device , telling Da Vinci it is an invention from another land that can move them out of the building a few kilometer s away in the blink of an eye . Da Vinci demands an explanation for all that he ' s seen . Janeway says he once told her it was a poor apprentice who could not surpass her master and that he must accept there are things she understands about the new land that he doesn ' t . " Voyager " comes under attack by 13 vessels launched from the planet ' s surface . Chakotay tells Torres to get the processor back online quickly . " " We ' ve still got a captain down there . " " Act Five . Janeway and Da Vinci are on the run in the planet ' s wilderness but da Vinci refuses to go any further until " Caterina " explains what ' s happening and tells him if they are dead . She asks him what his perspective would be if he were a sparrow , if his mind were too small to perceive the world around him . Da Vinci concedes that the limits of his own mind prevent him from understanding how certain realities exist beyond his level of comprehension . With the guards closing in , Da Vinci abruptly changes directions , leading Janeway up the hillside . Torres gets the processor back online , restoring navigation , propulsion and sensors . The ship must get within 500 kilometers to retrieve the captain . Tuvok points out that the attacking ship will try to block " Voyager " s descent , and Chakotay tells Paris to get ready for some " fancy flying . " Da Vinci leads Janeway to the summit of the hill , where he has completed constructing his glider , using duranium . Janeway quickly examines the glider , determining that the combination of design , construction and materials do indeed make it airworthy . " Voyager " detects the captain and da Vinci at the edge of the precipice but the ship is still too high for transport . With Tau and a guard firing on them , Janeway and Da Vinci launch the glider and fly away , leaving behind their stunned pursuers . Kim is able to transport Janeway , Da Vinci and the glider to cargo bay 1 . Later , Janeway visits Da Vinci back on the holodeck and finds him packing to go to France , intent on re - creating the wonders he seen . She warns him that he won ' t be able to find similar materials to the ones he encountered in the New World but she bids him farewell and walks him to his carriage . Memorable quotes . " You " are the animal ! A bird who cannot fly ! " " " " Better than a man who cannot " think ! " " " The pigeon speaks ! " ( imitating pigeons ) " Coo - Coo ! Coo - Coo ! " " " " I must understand . . . Caterina To see objects disappear into thin air ; to see lightning pass through my body ; Caterina , are we spirits ? Caterina , am I dead ? " " " " Let me ask you something . If you were something other than a Human being , if you are a different kind of animal , if you were a small bird , a sparrow , what would your world be like ? " " " " I shall make my home in a tree , in the branch of an elm . I shall hunt insects for food , straw for my nest , and in the spring time I should sing for a companion . " " " " Then you would know nothing of the politics of Florence , the cutting of marble or mathematics " " " " Of course not . " " " " But why not ? " " " " My mind would be too small . " " " " As a sparrow your mind would be too small , even with the best of teachers . " " " " If Aristotle himself were to perch on my branch and lecture till he fell off from exhaustion , still the limits of my mind would prevent me from understanding . " " " " Can you accept that there may be certain realities beyond your comprehension ? " " " " If I cannot accept that , then I would be a fool . " " " " The great bird will take flight and bring glory to its nest . ' So I have bragged for months ! Instead we almost drown with half of Florence watching . " " " " Caterina , have you been to France ? " " " " Not recently " " " " Ah . The King of France is a great admirer of mine . ' The Divine Leonardo ' is all I hear when I walk through " his " streets . And what music do I find in the streets of Florence , eh ? The cooing of pigeons and the babbling of fools ! Caterina , we are leaving ! " " " " STUPIDO ! FOOLISH FLORENTINES ! " " " " Those colors look good on you . " " " " I have the will but not the means . . . captain . " " " " You ' re giving up . " " " " Hmm ? " " " Again . " Your beautiful painting of the Adoration . . . The Great Bronze Horse in Milan . . . The Battle of Anghiari . . . unfinished , all of them . You were going to publish your notebooks ; you never did . You have " given up . " Abandoned your most important works . " Why ? " " " Europe is " despicable ! " Here I am free to do as I wish ! Free from judgment ! Free to " fail ! " And without . . . without a sense of shame . . . without the " taunts of the ignorant ! " " " No matter how vast the differences may be between cultures , people always have something that somebody else wants and trade is born . " " " " Your compass is speaking to you ! " " " " Machines that fly through the air ! Lightning flung from one ' s hands ! Mechanical women who live in boxes ! These things I have " seen ! " " " They are in mid air . . . on what appears to be a crude gliding apparatus . " " " " Earthquakes and idiots . . . Florence be damned ! " " " " I feel like we ' ve just been mugged . " " " " Where did he go ? " " " Back to the ship . " " " " The Ship ? You mean the Portuguese are still in the harbor ? " " " " Well . . . not exactly . . . but they ' re nearby . " " Links and references . References . abduction ; " Adoration of the Magi " ; Alpha Quadrant ; America ; angel ; antimatter injector ; apprentice ; Aristotle ; Arno ; Atlantic Ocean ; Avignon ; " " ; bird ; bistro ; Borgia ; briefing room ; bronze ; cargo bay ; Cartesian ; ; command override ; commerce planet ; commerce planet city ; compass ; compression phaser rifle ; computer core ; computer processor ; conduit ; continent ; couch ; countryside ; cuckoo ; damage report ; dispersion field ; dragon ; Earth ; elm ; Europe ; evasive maneuvers ; Florence ; Florentine ; France ; ; galleon ; Genoa ; " Ginevra de ' Benci " ; grain ; Great Bird ; holodeck ; horse ; induction relay ; insect ; Italian language ; Italy ; kilometer ; King of France ; ; Klingonese ; " Leonardo da Vinci ' s workshop " ; logic ; " maestro " ; mathematics ; ; mess hall ; Milan ; mobile emitter ; Mont Ventoux ; nanosecond ; New World ; notebook ; open country ; nest ; optical interface ; painting ; Paris ; parsec ; patron ; petrarch ; ; pigeon ; plasma injector ; Portuguese ; power surge ; prisoner ; red alert ; Renaissance ; sack ; Scandinavia ; Sicily ; small talk ; Spanish ; sparrow ; spear ; statue ; student ; subspace frequency ; tavern ; teacher ; Theseus ; topography ; topographical computer ; translocator ; transluminal processor ; tricorder ; Turkish pirates ; Turks ; ; ; Vulcan ; waitress ; wine