Time and Again ( episode ) While investigating a massive explosion that destroyed all life on a planet , Janeway and Paris are swept back a day in time , where they must prevent the explosion . Summary . Teaser . The is continuing on course for the Alpha Quadrant . Tom Paris ' bridge shift ends , so he notifies his replacement of " Voyager " s current course . The ship will be passing by a red dwarf system and Paris cannot determine yet if there are any class M planets . He proceeds to the operations console currently manned by Ensign Harry Kim . Paris asks him if he ' s ready to leave , but Kim can ' t because he wants to begin a transtator assembly diagnostic . Paris begins to persuade him to leave ; he planned a double date with the Delaney sisters . Kim continues to object to the date , mentioning he has a girlfriend on Earth . Paris then mentions that he told the sisters that Kim broke the single pilot speed record at Starfleet Academy , which was false . Their conversation is interrupted when the ship rocks . Kathryn Janeway and Neelix stumble out of the ready room . At the same time , Kes , who is in her quarters , suddenly wakes up from her sleep feeling disturbed . On the bridge , Tuvok reports that " Voyager " is on the leading edge of a shock wave . Paris returns to his station and makes some instrument readings . He reports a debris cloud in a red dwarf system that " Voyager " is approaching . Tuvok reports that the debris cloud consists of " differentially - charged polaric ion s . " Neelix is unfamiliar with life in the system , so no additional information can be ascertained until they arrive at the planet . " Voyager " s course is modified and they set a course for the red dwarf system . " Voyager " reaches the planet when Kes arrives on the bridge . She knows something has gone terribly wrong . All vegetation on the planet has been destroyed and Janeway inquires about life sign s . Kim and Kes , at the same time , say " none . " The atmosphere is filled with polaric radiation , which can affect sensor scans . " Voyager " enters planetary orbit . An analysis of the planet shows that the radiation is within acceptable levels and the atmosphere is breathable . Janeway orders Tuvok , Paris , and B ' Elanna Torres to transporter room 2 to beam down to the planet . The away team materializes to the surface of the unknown planet to find it in complete ruin . Act One . Scans indicate the planet was devastated by the detonation of polaric ions . The planet ' s residents used polaric energy for power ; something went wrong , causing the explosion . Back on " Voyager " , Kes is tearfully explaining imagery she saw to Neelix . She thought she saw the planet ' s civilians burn to ashes due to the explosion , but Neelix dismisses the thoughts . After Kes justifies that her people ' s ancestors had telepathic capabilities , Neelix dismisses that , too , as mere legend , like those of Drakian Forest dweller s . On the planet , Paris locates an object he believes to be a timepiece that is stopped at 401 : 22 : 84 . Suddenly , he turns around and finds a bright town square bustling with activity . None of the other away team members can see this . When Janeway puts her hand on Paris ' s shoulder , everything returns to its chaotic state . Torres takes out her tricorder and does a scan of Paris , noting that his nervous system is showing a temporal flux , it is rapidly returning to normal . The explosion has caused subspace to be ripped into many fractures . With concern , Janeway calls " Voyager " and requests an immediate beam - up . Before the transport can begin , everything around Janeway and Paris lightens up as they find themselves on the planet before the explosion : they have been thrown back in time . Janeway and Paris are in the bustling town square Paris previously saw . Paris takes out his tricorder while Janeway taps her combadge in an attempt to establish contact with " Voyager " . A loud scream is heard coming from Latika , a boy who witnessed Janeway and Paris appearing " out of thin air . " An law enforcement officer comes over to the boy ' s aid and the boy tells him about Janeway and Paris . To the officer , it is all superstition and he tells the boy that he has been reading too many " Darkstorm " tales . He tells Latika to leave and disperses the crowd to prevent any problems . He goes over to Janeway and Paris and apologizes for the incident . The cause the officer to question their clothing , inquiring if they came from another province on the continental transport . Janeway explains that it is formal clothing , causing the officer to mention clothing from Kalto Province . She inquires about clothing shops and the officer points one out . Proceeding to a shop , Paris notices a timepiece on display with the time 371 : 20 : 01 . The shopkeeper notices him and proceeds over , which prompts Paris to inquire about the timepiece . The shopkeeper explains about the timepiece , noting that that the three number sets are equal to rotations , intervals , and fractions . He notes that the object costs fourteen " s " , but Paris leaves , saying he will think about buying it later – if there ' s time . Returning to Janeway , he estimates that the planet will be destroyed the next day . Act Two . In " Voyager " s briefing room , Torres and Kim discuss how Janeway and Paris were thrown back in time by a subspace fracture . The mystery was why Paris returned from the past to the present . This was due to him being only partly in the fracture . Hoping that Janeway activated a subspace beacon from her combadge , Kim and Torres begin to develop an idea on widening the fracture at the beacon ' s location to return Janeway and Paris to the present , but they don ' t yet know how this might be done . Meanwhile , Kes is in sickbay with Neelix receiving scans of her brain due to her telepathic experience . However , Kes ' s anatomy isn ' t on file in the medical records , making The Doctor upset . He starts making sarcastic remarks regarding medical protocol for new crew members and inquiring whether other new crew were on board as well . Kes notifies him that the Maquis crew were also on board , resulting in The Doctor attempting to contact Janeway , until he is told she ' s missing . He prompts them to notify the highest ranking officer who is " not missing " to visit him and to shut off his program when they leave . Neelix ' s concern for Kes brings him to tell The Doctor that he never told them about her condition . The Doctor makes a humorous remark as that she is the healthiest member of her species that he has seen , since she is the only Ocampa that he has ever seen . He takes a guess at Kes ' s condition and notifies her that it is most likely due to psychological adjustments because of space travel . She is advised to drink lots of fluids ( though she doesn ' t understand what that means at first ) and she deactivates The Doctor ' s program . In a clothing shop on the planet , Janeway and Paris ' two Starfleet uniform s are on display . They emerge from the shop wearing clothing similar to that of the planet ' s citizens . To assist " Voyager " in their search , Janeway activates a subspace beacon from her combadge . Concerned for the planet ' s citizens , Paris wants to notify the people about upcoming events . They begin a conversation about the Prime Directive , which turns into an argument . Paris recalls his father lecturing him about the Prime Directive like a holiday sermon . Janeway reminds Paris that his father considered it the guiding principle of space exploration and sternly orders him not to warn the planet ' s citizens of their impending armageddon . The argument ends when they see Latika watching them . They try to move away , but the boy catches up and accuses them of lying . He says he went to the Continental Transport and talked to the transport attendant , who mentioned he transported only four people that day – two older citizens with a child . Paris attempts to scare the boy by mentioning that he and Janeway ate their child and that they were demon s . Scared , the boy runs away . With the boy gone , they begin to develop a plan on how to return to the present . Janeway comes up with an idea to use a tricorder to emit a polaric field to scan for fractures . They find a polaric energy conduit in the town square which makes Paris wonder where the energy comes from . At a power plant , a protest demonstration is in progress . The protesters are shouting complaints as the guards attempt to hold them back . Looking for the power plant , Janeway and Paris come upon the demonstration . Latika is following them unnoticed . The scene becomes violent as the guards enter the crowd and start hitting people with batons . One of the guards sees Janeway and hits her in the head , causing her to fall back . Paris punches the guard as the protest leader helps Janeway up and leads her out of the area . The rest of the crowd , including Paris , follows . In engineering , Kim and Torres demonstrate the object they have developed to open a subspace fracture to Chakotay and Tuvok : a polaric generator . The device is activated and emits a green beam in front of them , causing a ripple effect . It uses the same polaric energy used on the planet to open a fracture . Tuvok recommends using the generator where Janeway and Paris disappeared . At that instant , the fracture emits a large burst of light and the generator disengages . The one problem with the generator is that it burns out after a maximum of 30 seconds at the necessary intensity . Another issue with the generator is that it cannot be used in the same location more than once due to subspace damage . Chakotay brings up the concern of becoming trapped in a fracture themselves . Torres has thought ahead and modified some tricorders to detect the fractures . She then displays an armband that deploys an antipolaric field . Chakotay compliments Torres and Kim and starts to leave , until Kes and Neelix arrive . Kes insists that she needs to join the away team to the planet . She mentions she has already seen the planet and insists again . Chakotay considers her request . Paris and Janeway are in a house owned by the protest leader . Paris is treating Janeway ' s head wound . The lead protester and his colleague come from the upper level to talk to them . He apologizes and introduces himself as Pe ' Nar Makull along with his colleague Ny Terla . He inquires as to why they were at the power plant . Janeway continues to use her alibi by saying she was touring the plant , comparing it to the one from Kalto Province . Terla becomes suspicious , mentioning that he has never seen a Kalton with Janeway ' s hair color . She attempts to shrug it off until Makull wonders if they are part of the government , despite the wound she received . Paris does not know why anybody would want to infiltrate the protesters , though Makull mentions that polaric protests occur in Kalto also . He starts questioning Janeway and Paris about the day before , inquiring when they were last at a power plant and if they were in it earlier . Terla brings out a hand - held device , a safety monitor for polaric energy . He states that Janeway and Paris were reading five times the normal readings of a citizen , making them think they were in a power plant previously . He and another colleague take out pistols and aim them at Janeway and Paris . Act Three . In the present , an away team consisting of Chakotay , Kes , Tuvok , Torres and Kim are at the location where Janeway and Paris disappeared . Kes ' telepathic senses give her the feeling that she can reach out and touch the citizens of the past . Scanning the area , Tuvok cannot locate any fractures in subspace . Kim , who is a distance away , calls out the team . He has located a signal from a combadge , in present time . They attempt to communicate , but there is no response . They follow the signal in hopes of finding some answers . In the past , Janeway is being asked questions while Paris is still under guard . Makull asks for her name , which she reluctantly provides . Makull thinks it is an unusual name which she shrugs off by saying it is not unusual in Kalto Province . He then asks what area of Kalto she came from , which she tries to dodge in saying there was no point to the question . He asks if the government knows of their plans , and Janeway truthfully answers that she doesn ' t know . They are interrupted when Terla enters the room holding on to a struggling Latika . Present time , the away teams arrives at the building where Janeway and Paris were held . They do not detect any life - signs . Janeway tries to prevent Latika from being involved at risk of being revealed . This risk becomes real when the boy shouts out that they are lying about their identity . Paris sarcastically thanks the boy as Makull listens to him . He mentions they lied about taking the Continental Transport , because he talked to the attendant himself . Terla asks Makull what he should do with the boy . He tells him to place him at the stairway with Paris . He does so , threatening Latika so that he will remain quiet . In the present , the team locate two damaged combadges . The combadges had automatically activated a signal when they were damaged by the explosion . They search the area for any further evidence . On Makull ' s desk are a tricorder and a phaser . He questions Janeway on their use , thinking they are spy equipment . She lies by mentioning they are surveying equipment and that she and Paris were interested in buying land . Terla is curious and asks Janeway to see how they work . She hesitantly reaches for the phaser but Makull stops her , cautious that it might be a weapon . On the stairs , Paris starts to talk with the boy , mentioning he was right that he didn ' t eat children . Latika mentions that he didn ' t really scare him and he would tell his father at the Media Bureau about Paris and Janeway . Paris interrupts Latika by asking if his father was a journalist , which he is , and so is Latika . He writes for his school newspaper , and he mentions he ' s going to write about their lies . Paris asks the boy ' s name , which Latika tells him . He then apologizes to Latika , but doesn ' t mention why ( due to the Prime Directive ) . Makull is now talking to Janeway about the dangers of polaric energy , mentioning it could destroy the whole planet . He mentions that their cause received much support after the accident at Markov . Still believing Janeway and Paris are spies , he mentions that they are going ahead with their plan the next day . Janeway then comes up with an idea saying aloud , " " Wait a minute . " " In the present , Kes hears Janeway say this . When Kes calls out to her , Janeway can also hear Kes . Makull goes over to Janeway and asks if she has anything else to say . She , ignoring the Prime Directive , spontaneously mentions she is Captain Kathryn Janeway of the Federation starship " Voyager " . In the present , Kes mentions to Chakotay that she can feel the presence of Janeway and Paris . Chakotay inquires if there is a subspace fracture present , which there is . He orders that the generator be set up . In the past , Janeway continues to reveal information about herself , stating that she and Paris were from the future . Latika is amazed that his assumption of them was , indeed , true . She reveals to Makull that there is going to be a polaric explosion that will destroy the planet . Makull doesn ' t buy it , despite her explanation of how she and Paris were thrown into the past . The generator is set up in present time at the proper coordinates . It is activated and the fracture is located . Torres reports that she found a subspace beacon and starts to widen the fracture . Chakotay taps his combadge to contact Janeway . It is successful , and his message is heard over Janeway ' s combadge . Terla instantly removes the combadge , claiming the badges are eavesdropping devices . She tries to explain that her crew are attempting to contact them , but Terla doesn ' t believe her , either . He confiscates Paris ' s combadge as well . Makull then orders him to get the particle injector . Terla proceeds over to a safe in the wall and takes out an injector . Makull takes the injector and puts it in a bag , along with the tricorder and phaser . He orders Janeway and Paris to join them , along with Latika . Just after the group leaves the room , the fracture opens in front of Makull ' s desk . After they make another unsuccessful attempt at communication , the generator gives out and the fracture is closed . Act Four . On the way to the power plant , Janeway and Paris discuss the situation at hand . Paris ask why Janeway told Makull their real story after backing up the Prime Directive earlier . She notes that the Prime Directive was broken the second they were thrown back in time in that they changed the activists ' schedule to that day . If they had not been thrown back in time , any number of events could have occurred , including the arrest of the activists . She feels it is up to Paris and her to deal with the crisis . Returning to " Voyager " , the senior staff tries to come up with another plan in the briefing room to retrieve Janeway and Paris . The chances of their retrieval start to diminish as Kim reports that 70 % of the fractures have closed . Torres wants to begin searching the flashpoint of the explosion , but Tuvok is skeptical of the idea . She tries to explain that Janeway and Paris may have tried to stop the explosion , but Tuvok brings up the Prime Directive . Despite the objection , Chakotay expresses that he would ' ve gone to the power plant , after which Tuvok tries to point out that Janeway would not think the same way as he did . Again , Chakotay ignores Tuvok ' s objections and orders the staff to beam down to the flashpoint . Makull and the group arrive with Janeway and Paris at the plant entrance . He begins to instruct Janeway as to what is supposed to happen . She is to pretend she is a government official who is helping to negotiate a settlement over a dispute . She expresses her objections to his idea . He tells her that Terla has a gun trained on Latika . Terla takes his pistol and hides it by crossing his arms . The group approach the gate and a guard comes out to meet them . Makull introduces Janeway as a governmental official , at which she steps forward . The guard takes a few steps back , comprehending what she just said . He reaches for his weapon , but Makull shoots him before he can . Latika , remembering the threat about his death , attempts to run away . Terla takes out his gun and aims , but Paris runs in and takes the bullet for the boy . Janeway and Latika go to Paris to check on his condition while Terla takes out a second guard . Makull activates the plant gate and tells Janeway , " " Their lives are on your conscience ! " " While looking over Paris , Latika is surprised that Paris saved him . Paris , however , doesn ' t want to slow Janeway ' s progress . She tells Latika to look after him and heads for the plant , taking one of the fallen guards ' weapons . In the power plant , Makull and the others arrive at a cylindrical corridor where they intend to do their work . Janeway is able to catch up with them , but hides behind the corridor ' s segments so that they will not see her . In the present , the away team beams down to the exact same location in the power plant , noting that the polaric levels are at a very high level , the flashpoint of the explosion . Tuvok notes numerous subspace fractures in the area , which prompts the team to set up the equipment . Back in the past , Janeway creeps to the section where the men are working without being detected . She sees their bag , with a phaser , tricorder and the particle injector , on the ground , unattended . Terla needs the injector , so Makull turns around to reach for the bag . Janeway comes out of cover and points the gun at Makull , requesting that he hand her the bag . While setting up the equipment in the future , Tuvok notes the coordinates of a nearby fracture . They initiate the generator but detect no subspace beacon . Before he can surmise that Janeway and Paris were not in the area , Kes detects Janeway ' s presence , noting she died in the corridor . In the past , Janeway still has Makull at gunpoint , trying to convince him to stop what he is doing or everybody would die . She assumes Makull is trying to sabotage the plant , but he notes he wouldn ' t do anything like that . He tries to get her to lower the gun by noting that something could go wrong if she fires the weapon near a polaric conduit . She ignores his warning and demands that he give her the bag . Makull tightens his grip on it while his men stand tall . She says , " " All right then , we ' ll wait . " " The away team continues with their plans , trying to figure out how to open the fracture prior to the explosion . All Torres can decide is to make an educated guess . Tuvok then notes that Kes may not be correct , but he has no alternative ideas , and thus agrees to the activation of the generator . Chakotay agrees and it is activated . The men and Janeway continue to wait , so she asks for the time . Terla takes out a timepiece and mentions that it is 401 rotations plus 21 ( 401 : 21 : 02 ) . She says to wait until it is 23 . Makull asks about the importance of that time , but then sarcastically remarks that it is the time of the explosion . Before he can fully finish his comment , a bright light appears behind Janeway which increases in size , the widening of a subspace fracture . Terla has no idea what ' s going on , but Janeway realizes that her crew is trying to cut through subspace . As the fracture gets larger , Makull notes that it is getting closer and closer to the polaric conduit on the wall . It all comes together to Janeway : their own rescue attempt was the cause of the explosion . Using her phaser , she forces the rift to close on itself , stopping the explosion . When she does this , time resets itself , and everyone finds themselves back on " Voyager " , moments before the shock wave would have hit the ship . Paris once again tries to interest Kim in double - dating the Delaney sisters , and no one remembers anything about the incident , except Kes , who is strangely relieved that a nearby planet is teeming with life . " Voyager " continues on course back towards the Alpha Quadrant . Memorable quotes . " " It seems I ' ve found myself on a voyage of the damned . " " " " Come on . I told them all about you . " " " " What did you tell them about " me " ? " " " " Well , for one thing , how you broke the single pilot speed record at the Academy . " " " " Record . I " never " broke " any " record ! " " " " And who are they going to check it with ? " " " " There is a civilization down there , Captain . " " " " Or there was . " " " " Look , they come as a pair . It ' s a double date or " no " date . " " " " She ' s the healthiest member of her species I ' ve ever seen . . . the only member of her species I ' ve ever seen . " " " " Their lives are on your conscience , Janeway ! " " " " You have a lovely brain . It will make a fine addition to our files . " " " " If I understood correctly , this world is going to be destroyed sometime tomorrow . " " " " Eavesdropping devices ! " " " " I know you ' re lying . " " " " Young man , we ' re here on a business trip and we have a lot of work to do . " " " " The officer told me you came on the continental transport . " " " " That ' s right . We ' re from Kalto Province . " " " " Yeah , well I just talked to the transport attendant . He told me four people came today from Kalto . Two of them were a lot older than you , and they had a child from them . " " " " Well , the attendant was wrong . That was us . " " " " So , where ' s the child ? " " " " We ate him . Because we are demons and we eat children and I haven ' t had my supper yet . " " " " Our own rescue attempt . . . that ' s what sets it off ! " " " " Hey kid , you were right about one thing . I was lying . I don ' t eat children . " " " " I ' ve got a girl back home . " " " " So what ? I got five . " " " " I plan on " seeing " mine again . " " Links and references . References . 2268 ; aqueduct ; armband ; avian species ; baton ; Chaltok IV ; class M ; clothing shop ; comm badge ; confection bar ; continental transport ; crew personnel report ; Darkstorm Tales ; debris ; Delaney sisters ; demon ; demonstration ; density ; Drakian Forest dweller ; eavesdropping device ; edition ; encephalic scan ; Federation ; hair ; iceberg ; journalist ; " ; Kalto Province ; Kalton ; Latika ' s father ; leaflet ; Libby ; limp ; logic ; magneton scan ; Makull ' s homeworld ; Makull ' s species ; Markov ; Media Bureau ; microscanner ; nadion ; ; particle injector ; patriotism ; polaric conduit ; polaric generator ; polaric ion ; polaric ion energy ; Polaric Test Ban Treaty ; Prime Directive ; protest ; red dwarf ; safe ; safety monitor ; school journal ; sermon ; shock wave ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Medical ; stellar cartography department ; sterile pad ; subspace ; subspace beacon ; subspace fracture ; temporal flux ; timepiece ; transport attendant ; transtator ; tricorder ; " Val Jean "