Endgame ( episode ) Years after " Voyager " s return to the Alpha Quadrant , Admiral Kathryn Janeway resolves to alter the past in order to help her crew get home sooner . ( " Series finale " ) Summary . Teaser . 2404 Fireworks light up the San Francisco night . The long - lost Federation starship , now returned from its 23 years of travel in the Delta Quadrant , buzzes the Golden Gate Bridge spanning San Francisco Bay , then climbs and twirls like a dancer among the fireworks . Huge , watching crowds cheer . But the whole thing is revealed to be recorded footage in a news transmission celebrating the tenth anniversary of " Voyager " s return . In her apartment , with lights off , Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway looks at the transmission . She has the computer end the transmission , and looks sadly out of her window , a dented coffee cup from " Voyager " sitting on a nearby table serving as a reminder of what happened during their long journey home . Act One . A reunion of " Voyager " s crew takes place at Admiral Janeway ' s apartment . Present are several of her former senior officer s , such as a graying Harry Kim , " Voyager " s former operations officer , now a captain . As Kim mingles , he encounters a little girl with short spikes on her forehead . Her name is Sabrina . She is the daughter of the now - adult Naomi Wildman , who was born on " Voyager " while the ship was in the Delta Quadrant . Kim smiles and greets her . Janeway comes to him with two glasses of champagne . They go off together and begin talking . Not all is well with all the former senior crew . Janeway ' s face falls when Kim asks her about Lieutenant Commander Tuvok , " Voyager " s former chief tactical officer and security chief . Kim tells her that he plans to see Tuvok tomorrow , indicating that something is wrong with him . They also speak of a funeral , indicating that one of the former crew has died . The Doctor , a hologram and " Voyager " s former chief medical officer , enters , with a blonde on his arm . An aging Tom Paris , the former flight controller and medic , greets them . He is now a full - time holographic novel writer . The Doctor introduces the woman , a living Human , as his wife – Lana . And , he reveals , he has finally taken a name after 33 years : Joe , Lana ' s grandfather ' s name . Paris ' wife , B ' Elanna Torres , " Voyager " s former chief engineer , speaks with Janeway . She has become a Federation liaison to Qo ' noS , capital of the Klingon Empire and homeworld of her mother ' s people , the Klingon s . Janeway asks her about assistance she has requested of her for a certain Klingon man , one Korath , to try to get him a seat on the Klingon High Council . Torres asks her if her efforts to have this done have anything to do with the mission Janeway sent Torres ' daughter , Ensign Miral Paris , on . Janeway avoids the question . The guests are called to attention by Commander Reginald Barclay , one of the engineers who had been responsible for the Pathfinder Project , which succeeded in returning " Voyager " to Earth . They all raise their glasses and drink a toast to the success of the journey . Admiral Janeway includes another part to the toast : to those of the " Voyager " " family " not there to celebrate with them . Days later , Barclay is conducting a lecture on the Borg to a class of cadet s at Starfleet Communications . He introduces Janeway as the guest lecturer . As the one Starfleet officer in the entire service who has had so much experience with the Borg , she is the natural choice for such a lecture . The class goes well , until a cadet asks Janeway about Seven of Nine , a former Borg drone who served as head of astrometrics aboard " Voyager " , about her involvement in the Unimatrix Zero Borg Resistance Movement with Admiral Janeway . This makes Janeway ' s face fall . She quietly responds that she would prefer not to discuss Seven of Nine . The mood of the class falls considerably . A message then comes in for Janeway ; she has an incoming communication from Miral Paris . Janeway leaves to answer it . She takes the communication in her office . Miral informs her that she has seen " the thing " Janeway wants to acquire , and it does indeed work . Korath , she continues , is ready to hand it over , but wants to give it to Janeway personally . Janeway agrees and ends the communication , a somber look on her face . A dark room . Lit candles . Lieutenant Commander Tuvok is here , kneeling on the floor amid a sea of sheets of paper , uncrumpling and then writing on one furiously . Janeway enters . She greets him quietly . But in a fevered , hoarse voice , he asserts that she cannot be who she claims to be : the day of her visit is wrong . Janeway informs him that she is going away and may not return . She gazes at him sadly , but also with a glint of determination . She leaves a picture of the senior staff while still on " Voyager " . Sometime later , Janeway is at home . The Doctor . . . Joe . . . visits her . He examines her , and pronounces her as healthy as she was when he examined her for the first time , 33 years before . But he is curious as to why , after giving him so much difficulty every time she was due for a physical for 33 years , she asks for one ahead of schedule ; on his way over , he had thought she was ill . She responds that she is leaving , and wanted to get the appointment over with before she does so . She invites the hologram to sit and chat , which he does , and she then proceeds to ask him about a certain drug : chronexaline . At the mention of this , Joe becomes apprehensive , but he tells her that it is being tested at Starfleet Medical to determine if it can protect bio - matter from tachyon radiation and that the results so far have been promising . Janeway asks him to get 2 , 000 mg for her by the following afternoon . Shocked , Joe asks Janeway why she needs the chronexaline , but Janeway tells him that that information is classified . Joe ' s faith in his former captain leads him to acquiesce to her request . Janeway then meets Barclay at Starfleet Communications . He informs her that a shuttle is waiting for her , and gives her a PADD with certain downloaded information she has requested . He wishes to go with her , but she gently declines . She thanks him and leaves . She is seen in an outdoor area . The sky is dark and gray . She speaks down to something on the ground . She kneels and rests her hands down . The spot she rests them on is seen ; it is a gravestone : " CHAKOTAY 2329 – 2394 " . This is the person whose funeral she and Kim had spoken about . He was her first officer on " Voyager " . " " I know it wasn ' t easy living all these years without her , Chakotay , " " she says . " " But when I ' m through , things might be better for all of us . Trust me . " " She rises and leaves . Act Two . 2378 Lieutenant Tom Paris is awakened by the urgent , insistent voice of his very pregnant wife , Lieutenant B ' Elanna Torres , telling him " " It ' s time . " " They are in their quarters aboard " Voyager " . He is at first reluctant to rise , but then realizes what she means : she is in labor . Immediately he is out of bed , fully awake , and contacts The Doctor . In his haste , he does not bother to dress , dashing hurriedly into a robe and accompanying his wife out the door and on the way to sickbay . But it is in vain . The Doctor informs them that the labor is false . They are extremely chagrined ; this has happened several times before . The Doctor explains that false labor is common in Klingon pregnancies . Paris asks about inducing labor ; these false ones are robbing them of their sleep . The Doctor responds that this is unwise . Frustrated , Torres ' Klingon temper flares ; she shouts at him that she wants the baby out " " NOW ! " " . The Doctor merely lists her misdirected rage as another feature of Klingon pregnancies . In her ready room , Captain Kathryn Janeway listens to First Officer Chakotay ' s report on ship ' s status . Nothing much is happening ; the only two things he has to report are Paris ' and Torres ' latest false labor and a request by one Crewman Chell , a Bolian , to take over as ship ' s chef , a vacant position since the departure of Neelix , their former chef . They laugh about his proposed menu choices , such as " Plasma Leek Soup " , " Chicken Warp Core - don Bleu " , and " Red Alert Chili " . She asks him to have lunch with her , but he responds that he already has plans . He goes to Cargo bay 2 , quarters of the former Borg drone Seven of Nine . The two have begun a romantic relationship . She has laid out a picnic on the floor . He joins her with pleasure . In the mess hall , former Borg drone Icheb is playing the Vulcan game of kal - toh with Lieutenant Commander Tuvok , the chief tactical officer and security chief . Ensign Harry Kim looks on . He tries to give surreptitious hints to Icheb , but Tuvok , aware of this , informs Icheb that Kim has never beaten him . He makes a move that half - wins the game , and then starts explaining the very patient nature of the game to Icheb . But then , to his great chagrin , Icheb makes a move and wins . Icheb humbly calls it beginners ' luck . Kim is shocked and delighted . Icheb then leaves as he is due in Astrometrics . Kim then sits down at the table feeling lucky . Tuvok , unsettled by his loss , excuses himself . Harry is annoyed , thinking Tuvok is just being a bad loser , and says that it ' s just a game . Tuvok goes to sickbay and The Doctor examines him . The Doctor explains that Icheb is exceptionally bright and that he just may be a better player . But Tuvok attributes his loss to Icheb as a sign that a chronic Vulcan disease he has contracted has begun to affect his concentration . The Doctor concernedly confirms that the disease has begun to progress , and prescribes increased levels of medication that he has been administering to him . He suggests that Tuvok inform Captain Janeway , but Tuvok insists that he will do so only if and when his performance at his duties starts being affected . In the astrometrics lab , Seven of Nine is playing kadis - kot with Neelix over a subspace communication signal . The Talaxian looks at her in his usual jolly manner from the lab ' s huge viewscreen , informing her of how his new life is going . He happily informs her that he is planning to ask Dexa , the Talaxian woman whose life he became part of , to marry him . He will thus become the stepfather of her son , . Seven is pleased . She has come very far on the road to regaining her Human ity ; she smiles at this news . He asks her how her relationship with Chakotay is going . It was he who suggested the picnic as a date idea . She smiles again and tells him it went well ; they both enjoyed it . She thanks him for the idea . But then her console starts to beep insistently . She informs him that long - range astrometric sensor s have detected high neutrino emissions and intermittent graviton flux consistent with wormholes 3 light - years . This is extremely important ; wormholes allow travel across thousands of light years in mere minutes . Neelix does not need to be told this , and offers to continue the game with her the next day . She agrees . After completing her analyses , Seven requests a meeting of the senior staff to deliver the results to them . The news is almost beyond belief in tantalizing possibilities : all the readings are coming from within a nebula in the region . And there is not just one reading , but hundreds ; hundreds of possible wormholes in one place . The odds are fair that one of them could lead to the Alpha Quadrant , or at least take them much closer to it . A smiling Captain Janeway orders Lt . Paris to take " Voyager " to the nebula . Act Three . 2404 In Tuvok ' s patient room at Starfleet Medical ' s hospital , The Doctor ( Joe ) arrives , summoned by an attending physician . Tuvok appears to be delusional . He is throwing his papers all over , pacing rapidly , sweating , and mumbling something repeatedly . Joe and the physician listen to him : " " 5331 . . . 7153 . . . 5331 . . . Her disappearance remains a mystery ! " " Joe understands what he is speaking about : Admiral Janeway was kidnapped by a group of aliens on stardate 53317 . 1 , when she was still commanding " Voyager " in the Delta Quadrant . But she was retrieved , and Tuvok had led the rescue effort . The physician suggests that having Janeway visit him and show him that she is fine and safe would help , but Joe informs him of her recent departure . It is unknown when she will return . Tuvok firmly grabs his shoulders and rasps that she is not going to return . He lets go and continues pacing and muttering . Joe goes to Starfleet Communications and finds Reginald Barclay in a lecture theater . Barclay greets him happily , but when Joe informs him that he needs to contact Admiral Janeway , Barclay begins to act nervous and evades the question . Joe presses him , informing him of Janeway ' s request to him for chronexaline . She had claimed the reason she needed it was classified , but he asked the Director of Starfleet Intelligence , and learned that she is not involved in any classified work . Barclay , never good under scrutiny , looks even more nervous . Joe continues to push , noting to him the strangeness of Janeway ' s sudden departure without telling Barclay where she was going , after repeatedly saying how much she was looking forward to teaching at the Academy . At this , Barclay becomes so nervous , he begins to stammer , something which he has not done in years . This indicates to Joe that Barclay knows much more than he is letting on ; he indeed knows where she has gone and what she is doing . Joe sternly presses him for the information . Barclay , completely broken down , tells him everything . A shuttlecraft , designated SC - 4 , is seen orbit ing a barren , rocky world . Admiral Janeway beam s into a cave on this world . She is met by Ensign Miral Paris and a group of Klingon men . The men act hostilely to her , but Miral angrily tells them off . They become subdued and retreat . Miral informs her that Korath awaits her . She believes she is going to accompany Janeway to him but , to her disappointed surprise , Janeway tells her no . She tries to argue , but Janeway brooks no argument . Miral acknowledges sadly . Janeway goes alone deeper into the cave . She finds Korath tinkering with a Cardassian disruptor rifle . She asks him for what she came for ; what he owes her , in return for getting him a seat on the Klingon High Council , according to the agreement they made . But he reneges , demanding also the shield generator on her shuttle as part of the deal . She sternly insists he honor the original deal , but he orders the Klingon men to escort her out . She leaves , stiff with anger . 2378 On " Voyager " s bridge , Captain Janeway stands over Lt . ( j . g . ) Paris ' shoulder as he flies the ship through the nebula . The gas clouds fill the viewscreen . The ship shakes a bit . Janeway orders a deflector shield status report . Lieutenant Commander Tuvok , at the Tactical station , reports the shields are holding . She hails Seven of Nine in astrometrics for a status report on the source of the neutrino emissions , but Seven reports that she still cannot pin them down . Janeway orders Paris to continue toward the nebula ' s center . Then , however , the ship shakes again , more violently . Tuvok reports detection of a tritanium signature and gives its bearing . It may be a ship , but they cannot see it , and sensors cannot identify it . But it is far too close to them . Paris does his best to guess where it is to avoid running into it , but this is difficult , given that they do not know how big the object is . Then the ship shakes a third time , vigorously . Ensign Kim reports with alarm the extreme proximity of yet another tritanium signature . This time , however , the object emerges out of the nebula gas clouds enshrouding it and is seen on the viewscreen . The officers watch in shock as the enormous , black , foreboding form of a Borg cube appears before them . Paris ' piloting skill barely prevents a collision . Janeway immediately orders Paris to remove " Voyager " from the nebula . Paris obeys at once . The drones aboard the cube voice their decision through the Borg Collective to pursue and assimilate " Voyager " and her crew . But , in the Borg Unicomplex , the Borg Queen is watching . She instructs them to leave " Voyager " alone , as the ship has not penetrated their security . But , she decides , she will keep an eye on it . Act Four . " Voyager " s senior staff meets in the briefing room . They tensely discuss the encounter with the cube . Tuvok reports that it apparently did not detect them and is now 3 light - years away . Paris is thunderstruck at this , as they came within a mere ten meter s of it . Tuvok surmises that the nebula interfered with its sensors , as it did with theirs . Ensign Kim insists that they should therefore return to the nebula ; the wormholes that may lie within it , and the possible way home they could provide , cannot be passed up , and from what Tuvok says , they could avoid being detected by the Borg . But Seven of Nine advises against it , reporting that her analysis of the tritanium signatures indicates at least 47 cubes in the nebula . Captain Janeway makes the decision : possible way home or not , it would be absolute madness to enter the nebula again . They escaped this time , but they all are fully aware of the Borg ability to adapt ; the Collective may well be able to alter its ships ' sensory capabilities so that the nebula no longer hinders them . Kim tries to argue , but Janeway firmly tells him the matter is closed . Paris is on his way to a turbolift when Kim joins him . Kim shows him a PADD with a plan to use the " Delta Flyer " , one of " Voyager " s shuttles , to get " Voyager " past the Borg and find the wormholes . He tries to inveigle Paris into supporting it and going to the Captain with him , increasing the chances of her approving it . But he is surprised at the reaction he gets from Paris , who has never been one to pass up a challenge due to risk ; he wants nothing to do with it . Kim tries to change Paris ' mind , telling him he is not living up to his favorite hero , Captain Proton of those " Adventures of Captain Proton " holodeck simulations he enjoys . Does he not " want " to get home ? But Paris is unmoved ; he has a wife and child to be there for now . Wherever they are is home for him . Chakotay goes to astrometrics , where Seven of Nine is working . He asks her to dinner . Smiling coquettishly , she accepts , joking that such an activity would be more suitable for a fifth date than a fourth . But they agree to skip ahead . Before the date , however , Seven of Nine goes to sickbay . She speaks to The Doctor about the time three months before , when her cortical node , the processor that controls all her Borg implants , almost shut down and killed her when she began experiencing strong emotions . This is a failsafe designed by the Collective to kill drones who begin to experience such emotions , which could break their grip on the drone ' s mind , allowing his / her pre - assimilated individuality to reassert itself . The Doctor had told her he could remove the failsafe . She had refused , but now she wants to go through with it . She does not tell him the reason : so that her attraction to Chakotay , which is growing as their relationship progresses , will not kill her . The Doctor agrees to do the procedure . Previously , it would have taken several surgeries . But , in anticipation of her eventual change of mind , he has gotten the procedure down to one surgery that he could do anytime she wishes . They arrange a time : that evening , 1800 hours . The Doctor however , being in love with her , hints that with the failsafe removed , if she wants to begin exploring " more . . . intimate relationships , " he is at her disposal . Aware of his feelings she gently tells him thank you , but no ; she is already getting help in that regard . Disappointed , he guesses the Chakotay hologram he discovered she had been exploring relationships with . He is surprised when she says that it is not , but she does not tell him it is the real Chakotay . 2404 Admiral Janeway returns to Korath ' s cave . She tells him she has reconsidered his offer , but she wants to see the device he is supposed to give her first . He angrily shows outrage over her questioning of his honor , but she , completely unintimidated , comes up to his face and coldly responds that were he really honorable , he would not have changed the terms of their deal . He backs down and shows her the device . She inspects it , approves it with a smile . . . then slaps a transporter relay on it and taps a controller she has in her hand . She and the device disappear in a transporter beam , back to her orbiting shuttle . Furious , Korath orders his minions to stop her . They open fire , but hit only the cave walls . As soon as she is aboard , she instructs the computer to " " Deploy armor . " " Armor plates emerge from the ablative generator and immediately run over the entire shuttle , encasing it . She then orders the computer to take the shuttle to a set of coordinates that she supplies . Korath hails her and , enraged , swears a blood debt on her . She brushes him off dismissively , cuts the communication and instructs the computer to engage warp six . Two Klingon " Negh ' var " warship ships attack , but do no damage whatsoever to the ablative shell . The shuttle races away at warp speed . It arrives at the coordinates Janeway gave the computer . But the computer alerts Janeway of an approaching ship . The ship is seen approaching . It is a Federation starship bearing resemblance to the , and . It is in fact , an advanced redesign of the " Nova " - class , designated the , registry NCC 72701 . The ship hail s . Captain Harry Kim appears in the viewscreen and respectfully but firmly instructs her to open the hull armor and prepare for transport . He is arresting her . Act Five . Admiral Janeway sternly tries to assert her superior rank , but to no avail ; Captain Kim tells her that Barclay informed Joe of what she is up to , and Joe told him . Thus he knows he has full authority to order her to stand down and arrest her , and she knows he knows . He repeats the order . She agrees , on the condition that he let her explain why she is trying to do what she is . She beams over to the " Rhode Island " . She and Kim talk in Kim ' s ready room . Kim insists that she " " has no idea what the consequences will be " " if she succeeds . She asserts that it is the only way to prevent what will happen if nothing is done . To her surprise , Kim tells her he has not informed Starfleet of her action , but warns her of the consequences should Starfleet find out . Janeway reminds him of the time that he , still an Ensign on " Voyager " , wanted to enter the Borg - infested nebula because of the promise of a way home it held . He reminds her that she stopped him . But she says that , given what happened later on , if she knew then that these things would happen , she would have indeed taken the risk . Kim sighs . He is well aware of the events she speaks of , and understands fully her rationale . He is torn between his loyalty to those he served with , alone and cut off from Starfleet for all those years , and his duty as a Starfleet captain to uphold the law . 2378 Seven of Nine beams with a floral bouquet into Chakotay ' s quarters . He is expecting her . She explains that she did not think it would be discreet to be seen carrying flowers to the First Officer ' s quarters . Her smile at him , sensuous and romantic , a demeanor she has never shown , shows clearly that The Doctor ' s surgery was successful . She is now enjoying the full emotional pleasure of their relationship . She grabs and kisses him . He , of course , returns it . They separate briefly , joke about the apprehension that usually accompanies a first kiss , and then kiss again . Then a hail comes from Captain Janeway , ordering all senior staff to the bridge . They obey , jocularly promising to deactivate the com system next time . They arrive on the bridge . A strange , swirling anomaly is on the viewscreen . Janeway informs them of the anomaly ' s nature : a temporal rift , given the tachyon levels it is emitting . Chakotay takes his first officer ' s seat and Seven goes to the auxiliary tactical console . The officers set about trying to determine the rift ' s source . 2404 Admiral Janeway and Captain Kim have beamed over to Janeway ' s shuttle . He has made his decision : his loyalty to his former " Voyager " crew has won out , though he remarks that he will be demoted back to ensign if it is discovered that he helped her . He helps her install the device taken from Korath and reminds her that she will not be able to return once she " goes through " . She is well aware of this and it does not alter her determination in the slightest . She looks at Kim like a mother about to say goodbye to the son she had raised into a grown man . They embrace and an anguished Kim beams back to the " Rhode Island " . The starship departs . Janeway sits at the conn , ready to go . She has the computer activate the device she obtained from Korath : a chrono deflector . A beacon - like projection atop the shuttle begins to glow green . But then two Klingon ships come out of warp speed and begin firing on her . She tries to deploy the ablative shell , but it has been knocked off - line . She urgently hails the " Rhode Island " , informing Kim of her situation . 2378 On " Voyager " s bridge , Tuvok reports detection of nadion discharges from weapons fire on the other side of the temporal rift . Janeway orders it shown on the viewscreen . The signatures appear Klingon . Janeway orders red alert . 2404 The " Rhode Island " returns . Kim advises Janeway to beam over , but she sternly tells him no ; she merely wants him to keep the Klingons off her . He complies , and the " Rhode Island " s fire causes them to back off . Janeway instructs the computer to " activate the tachyon pulse " and direct it to a set of spatial and temporal coordinates she supplies it . The computer obeys . A green beam is emitted from a beacon - like device atop the shuttle , opening up a temporal rift , which looks much like the one " Voyager " s bridge crew is looking at in 2378 . This explains the reason for her secrecy , her not wanting Ensign Miral Paris to get too involved , Barclay ' s nervousness at Joe ' s questioning , Joe ' s horror at finding out what she is doing , Kim ' s initial determination to stop her , and Kim not informing Starfleet . She is going back in time to 2378 , to assist " Voyager " in returning home sooner , to prevent the misfortunes that occurred to crewmembers in the years up to 2404 . In short , she is grossly violating one of Starfleet ' s highest laws : the Temporal Prime Directive . The shuttle enters the rift . 2378 Tuvok reports a vessel coming through the rift : a Federation vessel . Every officer stares at the screen at this . The shuttle emerges from the rift and comes toward " Voyager " . A hail from it comes through . Janeway orders it answered . She and the other duty officers watch in confused shock at the white - haired woman , looking exactly like Janeway but older , in a Starfleet uniform that looks strange , but recognizable . Admiral Janeway , in a no - nonsense tone , immediately orders Captain Janeway to have " Voyager " s navigational deflector emit an anti - tachyon pulse to close the rift . Janeway , extremely wary of who , or what , she is looking at , does not . Tuvok reports two Klingon ships coming through . Admiral Janeway sternly repeats the order . Captain Janeway , not trusting her but wary of the Klingon ships , orders it done . The rift is sealed . Captain Janeway glares at Admiral Janeway and demands to know " what the hell is going on . " Admiral Janeway answers evenly that she is here to bring " Voyager " home . But " Voyager " s bridge officers are not the only ones to witness her arrival . In the Borg Unicomplex , the Borg Queen sees it as well . She says nothing . She merely smiles slightly . Act Six . Admiral Janeway beams aboard " Voyager " . Captain Janeway , Tuvok and Chakotay are in the transporter room to meet her . Janeway greets her warily . The two Janeways go to Captain Janeway ' s ready room . Captain Janeway offers Admiral Janeway coffee , but she declines , having given it up long ago . She stands at the window and starts commenting on some of the things that have happened in the years between " Voyager " s encounter with the Borg - infested nebula and her decision to alter history to get the ship home sooner , such as her favorite coffee cup getting dented . The fact that they do return home someday is of great comfort to Janeway . " Voyager " even becomes a museum , from which the sun can be clearly seen in San Francisco . But she becomes uncomfortable with talk of the future , and especially uncomfortable with the seemingly cavalier attitude her future self seems to show toward Starfleet regulations , such as the Temporal Prime Directive . To Captain Janeway , these regulations are nigh sacrosanct . She firmly tells her to stop telling her about future events . Admiral Janeway turns her attention to her stated reason for being there : to get " Voyager " home . She bluntly tells her past self how to do that : the nebula . Their suspicions , she says , were correct : it does indeed hold a way home . They must return to it and use it . Janeway is shocked ; how could she even suggest such a thing when the nebula crawls with Borg ? Admiral Janeway informs her that her shuttle has technology that will allow " Voyager " to get past them . Captain Janeway is extremely skeptical . And what is more , from the little that her future self " has " told her of the future , it sounds as if the future will be bright : they will indeed return to Earth , she will be promoted and successful defenses against the Borg will be developed . So why is her future self trying to change that ? For that matter , how is she to know for certain that this is indeed her future self , and not some alien impostor trying to fool her and lead her and her ship and crew to destruction ? Admiral Janeway knows her thoughts exactly . She offers to submit to a DNA and engramatic scan to prove that she is exactly who says she is . She also offers SC - 4 for examination to prove that it is indeed a future Starfleet vessel , with Borg - defeating technology . As for why she is doing this , since Captain Janeway is adamant about not hearing more about the future , she only says that the future is not as rosy as it looks . In the sixteen years between the nebula and the return to Earth , the crew will suffer many casualties . In sickbay , Captain Janeway and The Doctor discuss the scan results , as Admiral Janeway sits elegantly on a biobed . The scans show that she is indeed Kathryn Janeway , decades older . But he has found a piece of microtechnology in her cerebral cortex . It is not alien , though ; it bears a Starfleet signature . Admiral Janeway , overhearing the conversation despite the distance between her and them , informs The Doctor that he invented it , or will invent it . It is a synaptic transceiver ; it allows her to pilot a vessel equipped with a neural interface . The Doctor becomes very excited to hear this , and eagerly asks her what other inventions he will come up with . Captain Janeway , however , sternly orders him to stop asking . He backs off sheepishly . Seven of Nine then enters . As soon as Admiral Janeway sees her , her face takes on a mix of great happiness and grief . She greets Seven . Her expression makes Seven very uncomfortable ; she answers with a silent , curt nod . She reports to Captain Janeway on the inspection of the shuttle ' s technology . It is , she notes , very impressive , primarily designed to defend against the Borg , as Admiral Janeway said . Janeway asks if any of it can be used on " Voyager " . Some of it , Seven responds : the ablative armor shell and the weapons . Janeway considers ; no matter what , they could always use better defenses and weapons . She orders Seven to see about the appropriation . The work is carried out . At the end of the day , Seven retires to her alcove to regenerate . She steps in , turns around , installs herself and her eyes close . But then she hears a voice , calling her by her full Borg designation : Seven of Nine , tertiary adjunct of Unimatrix Zero One . It is not in her mind ; it seems to come from everywhere . It sounds somewhat different , but it has the same ageless quality as it had the last time she heard it . Instantly she knows what is happening : the Borg Queen is again contacting her using her neural transceiver , as she did once before . She can no longer control her , but she can contact her in this manner if she so chooses . It is one of the banes of her existence as former drone , and a way has not yet been found to stop it from happening . She opens her eyes to see the interior of the Queen ' s chamber in the Borg Unicomplex . The Queen smiles and approaches , her malevolence even more pronounced in her gentle , non - threatening manner . Seven angrily demands to know what she wants . The Queen informs her of her awareness of the future Janeway ' s arrival and asks Seven the reason for it . Seven responds that it is none of her business . The Queen smiles in response and mentally brings up an image of " Voyager " on her viewscreen . She tells Seven she knows where they are going , and ' suggests ' they change course . Seven demands to know why . At this , the Queen comes up to her and caresses her face . She responds that she will assimilate " Voyager " and all aboard if they do not change course . Seven angrily insists that " Voyager " is no threat ; " " We simply want to return to the Alpha Quadrant ! " " The Queen responds that she has no problem with that . But make no mistake , she warns : " " If you try to enter my nebula again . . . I ' ll destroy you . " " She then ends the communication , but just before doing so , to accentuate the warning , she sends an EM surge through the signal into Seven ' s cortical node . Seven wakes up , in her alcove aboard " Voyager " , badly shaken and in great pain , then collapses , unconscious . Act Seven . Seven is in sickbay , sitting on a biobed . The two Janeways are present as The Doctor treats her . She regains consciousness and informs them of the Borg Queen ' s warning . Captain Janeway is confused : what is so special about this nebula that the Borg would protect it so ? It cannot be the wormholes ; Borg transwarp drive is fast enough to reach anywhere in the galaxy in reasonable time , as evidenced by the appearance of Borg vessels in any quadrant . However , Admiral Janeway confidently assures her the Queen will not be able to make good on the threat . Captain Janeway is far from convinced , but her future self explains that the technologies and weapons on the shuttle were developed by her , from the greater experience she had with the Borg before returning to Earth . They work . Janeway , though uneasy , decides to continue going along . She orders the course maintained , but at constant red alert , and orders nonstop scans for Borg activity . Chakotay enters astrometrics and requests a status report from Seven of Nine . She responds that no Borg vessels have been detected for a radius of ten light years . Chakotay voices his confidence in the combined talents of the two Janeways against the Collective . The conversation then turns to what each will do when they get back to Earth . Each is unsure , but they " are " sure that whatever it is , they will be happy once it keeps them near each other . Chief Engineer Lieutenant B ' Elanna Torres barks orders in engineering ; the engines must be running flawlessly if " Voyager " is going to enter this Borg - infested nebula again . Paris enters and , as the flight controller , dependent on the engines to execute commands he inputs at the helm , asks her for a systems report . She provides it and voices excitement at finally returning home after all the failed opportunities they have had . Like Chakotay and Seven , they also speak of what they will do when they return . And , like them , they agree that whatever it is , they will be fine as long as they are together . " Voyager " approaches the Nebula once again . All senior officers are at their posts on the bridge , while Torres is at hers in engineering . Captain Janeway orders the newly - installed ablative armor deployed . It is seen encasing the ship . Janeway orders Paris to maintain course , and " Voyager " enters the nebula . Admiral Janeway stands looking on . In her chamber in the Borg Unicomplex , the Borg Queen watches " Voyager " enter the nebula . Her eyes narrow as she inclines her head , mentally ordering all cubes in the nebula to intercept the starship . A cube closes on " Voyager " and begins firing . But the result is astounding . Its weapons have no effect , beyond degrading the ablative armor by a few percentage points . Another cube joins in , then a third . But the armor integrity does not go under 90 % . Captain Janeway orders the course maintained . The cubes desperately try to adapt to the shielding , firing disruptor beams and torpedoes , and locking onto it with tractor beam s . No vessel in history , aside from those of Species 8472 , has ever survived Borg weapons or failed to be stopped dead in its tracks by a Borg tractor beam . But this time , all fail . However the combined assault starts to tell ; Tuvok reports port armor integrity has dropped to 40 % . Janeway decides that this is the time to test the new weaponry . She orders Tuvok to target the lead cube and fire a " transphasic torpedo " at it . Tuvok obeys . Two torpedoes streak out from the aft launcher . They hit and instantly destroy the cube . Janeway orders the same thing done to another cube . Tuvok obeys , with the same result . The Borg Queen watches , shocked beyond measure . The cubes " are " making headway against " Voyager " , but with those torpedoes , many cubes will be destroyed before " Voyager " is . Assimilation is out of the question . She sharply turns her head and has the remaining cubes withdraw . Janeway orders Paris to continue toward the center of the nebula . They arrive at the center . The clouds suddenly clear away . What they see is even more astounding : a planet - sized ball of energy , on which is an enormous , dark , web - like construct . A few cubes flit around it . Captain Janeway asks her future self what it is . She does not respond , and instead orders Paris to head for the structure . But Captain Janeway orders him to belay the order , and demands that Admiral Janeway tell her what the object is . Admiral Janeway merely responds that it is " the road home . " But Seven of Nine explains it further : it is a Borg transwarp hub . Captain Janeway remembers that Seven once told her that there are only six of them in the entire galaxy . This greatly angers her : why did her future self not tell her this was here ? She orders Paris to take them out of the nebula immediately . Admiral Janeway tries to use her greater rank , sternly repeating her order to him . But Captain Janeway rises , comes up to her face and angrily tells her that she is on " her " bridge , and she will remove her if necessary . She repeats her order to Paris to take " Voyager " out of the nebula . Paris considers and obeys her ; " she " is his commanding officer , not Admiral Janeway . Admiral Janeway shakes her head in frustration . Act Eight . The senior staff is gathered in astrometrics . Admiral Janeway is also present . Seven of Nine has a graphic of the transwarp hub up on the astrometrics lab ' s viewscreen . She explains that the hub links with thousands of transwarp conduit s whose exit points are all over the galaxy , in every quadrant . The graphic shows this clearly . The officers are amazed . It is the conduits , and not transwarp drive , that allows the Borg to reach anywhere in the galaxy in minutes . Tuvok comments that this is the single most significant tactical advantage the Borg have . Chakotay comments further that with this in the nebula , it is no wonder the Borg Queen wants to keep them out . Captain Janeway , however , is interested in only one thing : destroying it . She asks for recommendations on how to do so . Admiral Janeway looks on , fuming . She listens to them discuss different ideas : destroying the interspatial manifolds shielding each aperture ; destroying the structure from the other side after they reach the Alpha Quadrant . She finally loses her patience and angrily tells them why none of the ideas will work : the Borg Queen herself controls the manifolds , and would adapt almost instantly against any attack launched against them . As for destroying the hub from the Alpha Quadrant , this is also impossible , she asserts : the only thing in the Alpha Quadrant is transwarp conduit exit apertures ; destroying them will not harm the hub . She criticizes them for wasting time while the Collective is undoubtedly studying their ablative armor and transphasic torpedoes , working on how to adapt to them . She glares at her past self and urges her to return now and use the hub to get home , before it is too late . Janeway glares back , orders the officers to find a viable way to destroy the hub , then takes her future self out into the corridor . Outside , she demands of her why she did not tell her about the hub . Admiral Janeway responds that she remembers her , and therefore Captain Janeway ' s , self - righteous and stubborn nature . It was this , she contends , that made her put strangers ahead of her crew ' s welfare and destroy the Caretaker ' s array to protect the Ocampa , stranding them in the Delta Quadrant seven years ago . She did not tell her about the hub because she knew she would do so again . Captain Janeway asserts that by destroying the hub , they would severely cripple the Borg . Millions of species , countless lives , could be saved from death or the horror of assimilation because the Borg would no longer be able to reach them . Admiral Janeway angrily responds that she did not spend the last ten years looking for a way to get " Voyager " home sooner so her past self could " " throw it all away on some intergalactic goodwill mission ! " " Captain Janeway retorts that she cannot believe she will become so cynical . She is resolute : if her future self got " Voyager " home , that means she will too . If it takes a bit longer . . . But her resolve is badly shaken by what Admiral Janeway says next : Seven of Nine is going to die . She will be mortally wounded on an away mission and manage to return to " Voyager " , where she will die in her husband ' s arms . And who will be the husband ? Chakotay . The only thing that keeps him alive after that is the will to get " Voyager " home . But once that has been done , he will not live long , dying well before his time . Though shaken , Captain Janeway reasons that she can avoid this happening now that she knows about it . But Admiral Janeway is not finished . She tells her she will lose 22 crewmembers between now and the return to Earth . Then she mentions Tuvok . This stuns Captain Janeway even more . She demands , Temporal Prime Directive or not , to learn what happens to him . Admiral Janeway reveals his degenerative neurological disorder to her . He has not told her about it . There is a cure in the Alpha Quadrant , but by the time they get there , the disease will have progressed so far that it will become incurable , his logic will be severely damaged and he will become senile . He will thus spend the rest of his life in a mental hospital . Captain Janeway stares at her , horrified . Her future self asks her pointedly if she is willing to pass up a chance to prevent any of these tragedies from happening for the sake of Starfleet principles . Captain Janeway is seen sitting with Tuvok in her ready room . She asks him about his disease . He admits to having it . She asks him about the cure . He explains that it is a procedure called " fal - tor - voh " , and it requires a mind meld with a family member . This confuses her : if so , then why did he not object when she ordered him and the other senior staff members to find a way to destroy the hub . He responds with the words of history ' s most well known and respected Vulcan : " " The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few . " " The chance to save countless lives from the Borg is worth his mental degeneration . Meanwhile , in Cargo Bay 2 , Admiral Janeway tries to encourage Seven of Nine to raise objections to Captain Janeway about trying to destroy the hub . She has told her of her future fate , and how it will affect Chakotay , as an incentive . Seven is very shaken , but reasons that even her death and Chakotay ' s heartbreak are worth the chance to cut off the Borg from ready access to the rest of the galaxy . Admiral Janeway asks her if that is really so ; she will be sacrificing her life and the welfare of people she knows ; people she loves and who love her ; for the sake of nameless , faceless , hypothetical millions . Seven does not answer ; in a tight voice , she asks to be excused so she can return to her work . Admiral Janeway sighs in frustration . The senior staff is again gathered in the briefing room , along with Admiral Janeway . Tuvok and Seven put forward an idea : the use of transphasic torpedoes , fired from inside one of the conduits , programmed to detonate all at once . This should cause a cascading collapse of all the conduits , destroying the hub . The Queen would not be able to stop it . However , to avoid the massive shock wave from the explosion , " Voyager " would have to get out of the hub in ten seconds . The officers silently consider the idea . Then all eyes turn to Captain Janeway ; the final decision is hers . She addresses all of them , speaking of the decision she made that stranded " Voyager " in the Delta Quadrant . With a glare at her future self , she states that she does not regret that decision . But , she continues , back then , " Voyager " was only a starship to her . Now , however , the ship and crew have become her home and family . And now , once again they have a golden opportunity to get home , and also have the option to sacrifice it for a noble reason . This time she is not making the call on her own . Each of them , she tells them , has a right to a voice in this , and can speak for the crewmen and junior officers under them . She invites any of them who oppose the idea to speak up . A single voice , she says , and she will scrap the idea and " Voyager " will use the hub to get home instead . Ensign Kim answers with his own speech . He speaks of all they have been through together , and muses that perhaps it is not the destination that matters ; perhaps it is the journey itself . If that journey takes longer so they can do something that they all believe in , so be it . All the officers nod in agreement . The decision is thus unanimous : they will destroy the hub . Admiral Janeway watches the solidarity in wonder and , despite her disagreement , approval . Act Nine . The two Janeways share coffee in the mess hall . Admiral Janeway apologizes to Captain Janeway for lying to her . She admits that she has indeed become rather cynical . She had forgotten how much the crew enjoyed being together , and how loyal they were to her . Captain Janeway thanks her , responding that her counterpart was only doing what she thought was right for the crew . Having remembered her old idealism , Admiral Janeway is infected with it again , and decides to help them destroy the hub . But her past self has an idea : why can they not do both : destroy the hub while using it to get home ? She and the crew did something similar before . Admiral Janeway responds that this may indeed be possible ; she had thought of a way once , but had considered it too risky . Now , however , in her old mindset , it seems worth the risk . Sometime later , she is in SC - 4 ' s cockpit , finishing preparations . Captain Janeway arrives with a hypospray . Admiral Janeway jokes that " it is about time she showed up ; she is not getting any younger . " Captain Janeway smiles and sits with her . She seriously asks her if she is " sure she wants to do this . " Admiral Janeway responds quite wryly : " No " , but it is the only way , and " Voyager isn ' t big enough for the both of us . " Captain Janeway administers the contents of the hypospray to her and wishes her luck . Her future self reciprocates the wish , telling her she is " glad to have gotten to know her again . " This elicits a full smile from Captain Janeway . She leaves . SC - 4 leaves " Voyager " s shuttlebay . It heads into the nebula and approaches the transwarp hub . It goes into one of the transwarp apertures and vanishes . Chakotay enters astrometrics and finds Seven of Nine there as usual . But her greeting to him is decidedly frosty . He asks her about SC - 4 . She informs him of its departure into one of the conduits . He notes with amusement her refusal to look at him and her formal manner with him . He thinks it is a joke ; they are accustomed to such playacting with each other . But he realizes she is not joking . He concernedly asks her what is wrong . She turns away and goes to another console , still not looking at him , but he follows her and asks again . She responds that she is " just busy " , but he does not accept this . He pushes for an explanation . She still refuses to look at him and informs him that she has decided to " alter the parameters " of their relationship . She moves back to the first console , but he doggedly follows , demanding why . She explains that , given the dangerous nature of their work , it is possible one of them could be killed . This would cause pain to the other , and so it is best to cut the emotional attachments . The reason why she says this is obvious : Admiral Janeway ' s words to her about their future marriage , her death and his broken heart . Chakotay , not knowing any of this , becomes angry : he firmly responds that he cannot shut off his feelings with some switch as she apparently can . This makes her face him . She struggles to hold back tears as she , without being specific , tells him what Admiral Janeway told her : his feelings for her are fated to cause him great pain . Her voice breaking , she tells him she cannot let this happen to him , and tries to leave , all but running away . However , he grabs her and turns her to face him again . Looking directly at her , he tells her that no man has absolutely certain knowledge of what will happen in the future . What is certain is what they have with each other here and now . He will not let her end it because of " what " might " happen in the future " . He caresses her face as he tells her this . She reaches up and takes his hand . Holding it against her chest , she sighs with relief . They stand together , foreheads touching , eyes closed in intimate silence . In sickbay , things are a lot louder . Chief Engineer Torres has again gone into labor . But this time it is very much for real . She bears down , growling in pain , teeth gritted , Klingon temper flaring . The Doctor tells her to try to relax , but she angrily has none of it . Paris paces about agitatedly . Then Captain Janeway hails him from the bridge , ordering him to report the conn station ; they are ready to get underway . He begins to tell her what is happening and that he thus cannot come , but Torres insists he go ; his skills will be needed if they are to survive and succeed . He hesitates , all his husband instincts telling him to stay with her . But he knows she is right . He acknowledges Janeway , kisses Torres , touches her pregnant belly and rushes out . In the her chamber in the Borg Unicomplex , the Borg Queen listens with her eyes closed as the Collective informs her of " Voyager " s course . But then a voice not of the Collective , coming from in front of her , makes her open her eyes . Standing in front of her is Admiral Janeway . She flippantly asks the Queen how she deals with " all those voices talking at once " in her head without getting terrible headaches . The Queen ' s head immediately tilts to one side , looking as if she is communicating with her drones . Admiral Janeway tells her not to bother calling drones to assimilate her . The Queen walks toward her . With a malevolent smile , she responds that she does not need drones to assimilate her . She raises her fist to the future Janeway ' s neck and extends assimilation tubule s into it . But nothing happens . In a glib , taunting voice , Admiral Janeway tells her she is not physically there with her , but is in her mind ; she is using a synaptic interface . She is seen in SC - 4 , a device before her forehead . She advises her not to bother tracing the signal ; it is beyond her abilities for the moment . The Queen steps away from her and strolls slowly around her . She asks her what she wants . Admiral Janeway ' s apparent response is shocking : she is here to make a deal . Sounding very disdainful of her younger self , she informs the Queen of Captain Janeway ' s plan to attempt to destroy the transwarp hub . This plan , she knows , and the Queen scoffingly tells her , is certain to fail . But she is bent on trying , and with " Voyager " s new ablative armor and transphasic torpedoes , which the Queen remembers with agitation and dismay , the Borg will suffer heavy casualties . The Queen retorts that they will adapt . But , as they both know , until they do , " Voyager " will be nigh unstoppable . But , Admiral Janeway tells her smoothly , she is willing to reveal to her how to adapt to the shields and weapons immediately . The Queen , in return , must do one thing : have a cube tractor " Voyager " and drag it through the appropriate conduit , back to the Alpha Quadrant . Act Ten . The Queen scoffs at the idea that the " " incorruptible Kathryn Janeway would betray her own crew . " " Admiral Janeway corrects her : not betray them , but save them from themselves . Captain Janeway ' s arrogant , self - righteous attitude , and the crew ' s blind loyalty to her , she asserts , is keeping them from taking a golden opportunity to get home just to deal a crippling blow to the Borg . " " But you ' d " never " try to harm us , " " the Queen responds sarcastically . Admiral Janeway responds that she is being pragmatic ; she simply wants to return the crew home to their families . The Queen phrases it in Borg terms : She is seeking to ensure the welfare of her collective . She can appreciate this , she tells her . She will help . But the price will be more than what she is offering . She wants SC - 4 and its database . Admiral Janeway balks at this , and responds that giving the Borg 33 - year advanced technology would change the future to an unknown degree ; she is not willing to do that . The Queen retorts that she is already willing to do so by helping " Voyager " return to Earth earlier . Admiral Janeway falls silent for a bit , then agrees to her demands , but insists that she will get the shuttle only after " Voyager " is returned to the Alpha Quadrant . But at this , the Queen smugly responds that she , Admiral Janeway , underestimated her ; while they were talking , her drones succeeded in tracing her synaptic signal . Aboard SC - 4 , Admiral Janeway immediately orders the computer to shut down the interface and deploy the ablative armor . But it is too late . A tractor beam lances out from a part of the Unicomplex and seizes SC - 4 , bringing it out of the stealth mode it was in . It was hidden right in the midst of the complex . Admiral Janeway is beamed into the Queen ' s chamber , for real this time . She looks around in alarm . The Queen smiles and compliments her on her cleverness , hiding " right on her doorstep " . She asks her what her plan of attack was . When Admiral Janeway does not respond , she strides up to her and violently plunges her assimilation tubules into her throat . Admiral Janeway sinks to the floor , gagging , as the millions of Borg nanoprobe s injected into her system begin their work . The Queen watches triumphantly . " Voyager " , having reentered the nebula , races toward the transwarp hub . Captain Janeway orders Paris to take them to the aperture her future self had specified the first time , and enter it . He obeys . In the Queen ' s chamber , the Queen strolls around Admiral Janeway ' s collapsed form , watching her being assimilated , smiling . She hears the Collective as it informs her of " Voyager " s entry into a transwarp hub which leads to the Alpha Quadrant . She prepares to send a fleet of cubes in after it to assimilate it and the crew . But then she staggers violently as the sound of the Collective ' s voice is momentarily replaced by a horrid screeching . She struggles to regain her feet , a blank look of uncomprehending shock on her face . It happens again , and then again . The third time sparks and explosions fly in the chamber . Admiral Janeway , her face marred with emerging Borg implants , looks up at her weakly and sneers : " " Must be something you assimilated . " " More explosions occur . The Queen , wracked with pain , realizes that for yet another time , Kathryn Janeway has outsmarted the Borg . The whole maneuver had been a set up , and the Borg Queen had taken the bait . By assimilating Janeway , the Queen had contracted the neurolytic pathogen she carried in her bloodstream . That pathogen is now in her , and racing throughout the Collective . Janeway had done it in order to break the Queen ' s control over the manifold shielding around the transwarp conduits . Now " Voyager " , with its transphasic torpedoes , can tear it apart . The Queen looks at Admiral Janeway in shocked horror . Now it is Admiral Janeway ' s turn to smile triumphantly . " Voyager " races along the transwarp conduit . Seven , at auxiliary tactical , reports that Admiral Janeway succeeded ; the conduit ' s shields are weakening . Janeway orders Tuvok to fire the torpedoes . He does ; three of them streak out from the aft launcher , back along the conduit . They hit the aperture and destroy it , beginning the cascading destruction of the entire hub . The Queen watches on the viewer , stumbling with the pain of the pathogen . She tries to tell herself " Voyager " will not survive the shock wave , but Admiral Janeway tells her that they will ; she and her past self have made sure of that . " " It ' s " you " who underestimated " us " she sneers , pulling herself to her feet . The Queen is wracked with another spasm , as bigger explosions and showers of sparks fly in the chamber all around . The entire chamber vibrates . She is now cut off from the Collective . And the Collective , because of the pathogen , is now cut off from her and itself . Suddenly she feels something wrong in her arm . She looks at it . It sparks and begins to separate from her body . She fearfully tears it off and throws it away . Then she realizes that the drones aboard one sphere can still hear her . She instructs them to alter course into " Voyager " s conduit and destroy " Voyager " at all costs . The sphere is seen detouring from the conduit it was in into the one " Voyager " is racing along . The Queen smiles desperately , for the Collective had assimilated the armor technology and the pathogen , but then one of her legs stops working and falls off . She collapses , never to rise again . As Admiral Janeway watches her , the dying Queen looks up at her and tells her , and also tells herself , that Captain Janeway is about to die ; if she has no future , Admiral Janeway will never have existed , and everything that she has done today will never happen . She then dies , her mechanical body separating from its cybernetic torso in death . Admiral Janeway can only hope she is wrong . The entire chamber explodes , incinerating her . The explosion cascades throughout the entire complex , killing the trillions of drones there , shattering the already broken hive mind . At Starfleet Communications on Earth , senior Starfleet official Admiral Owen Paris watches a transwarp conduit opening on a viewscreen in alarm , along with Lieutenant Barclay and other Starfleet officers . The opening is less than a light year from Earth . They all know of only one race that uses transwarp conduits . Admiral Paris tensely orders every Federation starship scrambled to the opening to combat whatever Borg vessels emerge from it . As the transwarp hub is destroyed , the single Borg sphere catches up with " Voyager " in the conduit . It fires on it repeatedly . On " Voyager " s bridge , Tuvok reports the imminent failure of the aft ablative armor . The sphere opens a huge hatch to engulf them . Kim reports hull breaches on several decks . Chakotay asks how long until they come to the nearest conduit exit is . Seven tells him it is 30 seconds away , but it will deposit them back into the Delta Quadrant . Janeway watches the viewscreen and the conduit stretching away . Her jaw sets with determination and she orders Paris to make a certain heading adjustment . In the Alpha Quadrant , Starfleet vessels of all classes converges on the conduit opening . At Starfleet Communications , an admiral informs Admiral Paris of the fleet strength : eighteen ships in all , with nine more en route . The ships seen just prior to this include a , an , a , a , an , a , a , and a . Admiral Paris has a channel opened to the fleet and orders it to use all necessary force against any Borg vessels that emerge . The sphere that was chasing " Voyager " emerges from the collapsing transwarp conduit in front of the fleet that now comprises 27 ships . Immediately the ships open fire but cause no significant damage . On " Voyager " s bridge , the officers are quiet , expectant . Janeway asks Paris where they are . His answer : " " Right where we expected to be . " " Seven of Nine then confirms that the transwarp network has been destroyed . Captain Janeway instructs Tuvok to enact a previously given order she issued to him . He obeys . Within the sphere , " Voyager " fires a single transphasic torpedo . It streaks out and hits the sphere ' s interior , causing it to explode from within . The fleet and , at Starfleet Communications , the gathered officers , watch dumbfounded as the sphere suddenly explodes , seemingly for no reason . But what they see next shocks them even more . Then shock is immediately replaced by overjoyed amazement . Out of the explosion flies the , safely back in the Alpha Quadrant . On " Voyager " s bridge , Captain Janeway and the bridge officers watch the fleet before them , silently . They are stunned speechless by what they ' ve just accomplished . After seven years and a seeming eternity of struggling for survival in the most distant reaches of the galaxy , the crew of " Voyager " have achieved the impossible ; they have finally come home . Janeway mutters a quiet thank you to her future self . A hail comes in . Janeway orders it answered on - screen . The wonder - and joy - filled filled faces of Admiral Paris and Lieutenant Barclay appear . Other officers stand behind them , beaming . Janeway quietly apologizes for the surprise . Admiral Paris welcomes them back . He begins to ask about what happened with the sphere , but Janeway respectfully interrupts , telling him it will all be in her report . He responds that he is looking forward to reading it , and ends the communication . The Doctor hails the bridge from sickbay . The cooing of a baby is heard . Paris turns around in surprised joy ; he had completely forgotten . In sickbay , The Doctor hands the newborn , Paris ' new daughter , to her mother , and grins as he tells Paris that , " " there is someone here who would like to say hello . " " Janeway also beams as she gives Paris leave to go and join them . He rushes off . She quietly invites Chakotay to replace him at the helm , which he does with pleasure . And finally , she walks to her seat , sits slowly down and , swallowing back emotion , joyfully gives the order she has waited seven long years to give , using the very same words she used to give that order to Paris at the start of their journey : " " Set a course . . . for home . " " The fleet is seen in formation around " Voyager " , escorting her , slowly , toward Earth . Memorable quotes . " " It ' s you who underestimated us . " " " " My invitation must have gotten lost in subspace . " " " " You wish to ensure the well - being of your collective . I can appreciate that . " " " " Nobody can guarantee what ' s going to happen tomorrow , not even an admiral from the future ! " " " " I haven ' t told anyone , but I ' m thinking of asking Dexa to marry me . " " < br > " " She ' d be wise to accept . " " " " You ' re sure I can ' t talk you out of this ? " " " " Right , stupid question . " " " " Doc ! " " " " Mr . Paris . " Voyager " s pilot , medic , and occasional thorn in my side . . . " " " " You can ' t blame a hologram for being curious . " " " " Can she stand ? " " " " Affirmative . " " " " Then I suggest you report to sickbay . " " " " What about B ' Elanna ? " " " " Her too . " " " " I want this thing out of me , " now " ! " " " " That baby ' s as stubborn as her mother . " " < br > " " Harry ' s starting a pool to see who can guess the actual date and time of birth . " " < br > " " Tell him to put me down for next Friday , 23 : 00 hours . " " " " Try to relax , Lieutenant . " " " " Oh , if you tell me to relax one more time I ' m going to rip your holographic head off ! " " " " I hope you don ' t intend to kiss your baby with that mouth . " " " " I might actually win . " " < br > " " What ? " " < br > " " The baby pool . Today , 1500 hours . " " < br > " " I ' m so glad I could accommodate you . " " " " Don ' t celebrate yet . Klingon labor sometimes lasts several days . " " " " Of course , I ' m sure that won ' t be the case here . " " " " Let ' s get this show on the road . " " " " Joe ? " " " " I decided I couldn ' t get married without a name . " " " " It took you " 33 years " to come up with " Joe " ? ! " " " " Don ' t you want to get home ? " " " " I " am " home , Harry . " " " " Captain Proton would never walk away from a mission like this . " " " " Captain Proton doesn ' t have a wife , and a baby on the way . " " " " I think it ' s safe to say no one on this crew has been more . . . obsessed with getting home than I have . But when I think about everything we ' ve been through together , maybe it ' s not the destination that matters . Maybe it ' s the journey , and if that journey takes a little longer , so we can do something we all believe in , I can ' t think of any place I ' d rather be , or any people I ' d rather be with . " " " " You ' re an impostor ! " " " " No , Tuvok . It ' s me . " " " " Admiral Janeway visits on Sunday . Today is Thursday . Logic dictates that you are not who you claim to be . " " " " I told them I had to bring you back to Starfleet Medical for treatment of a rare disease . " " " " I hope it isn ' t terminal . " " " No , but it has been known to affect judgment ! " " " " Three days ago , you detected elevated neutrino emissions in a nebula in grid 986 . You thought it might be a way home . You were right . I ' ve come to tell you to take " Voyager " back to that nebula . " " " " It was crawling with Borg ! " " " " I ' ve brought technology that ' ll get us past them . " " " " Oh , I don ' t blame you for being skeptical . . . ( smiles ) but if you can ' t trust yourself , who can you trust ? " " " " And of course there ' s Tuvok . " " " " What about him ? " " " " You ' re forgetting the Temporal Prime Directive , captain . " " " " The hell with it . " " " " To quote Ambassador Spock ; the needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few . " " " " Must be something you assimilated . " " " " You ' ve infected us . . . with a neurolytic pathogen ! " " " " Just enough to bring chaos to order . " " " " I would prefer it if you not speak to me as though we are on intimate terms . " " " " We " are " on intimate terms ! " " " " What was that about ? " " " " He said your demeanor was disrespectful . " " " " I hope you told him I didn ' t mean to be rude . " " " " I told him that if he didn ' t show you more respect , I would break his arm . " " ( smiles and laughs ) " " You are your mother ' s daughter . " " " " You know what , I shouldn ' t be listening to details about the future . " " " " Oh , the almighty Temporal Prime Directive – take my advice , it ' s less of a headache if you just ignore it . " " " " What do you want ? " " " " Do I need a reason to visit a friend ? " " " " We ' re not friends . " " " " No . . . we ' re more than that . We ' re family . " " " " Wherever I end up . . . I ' m going to make sure it ' s within transporter range of you . " " " " I don ' t know how you do it . All those voices talking at once . You must get terrible headaches . " " " " What the hell is it ? ! " " " " It ' s a transwarp aperture , it ' s less than a light year from Earth . " " " " How many Borg ships ? " " " " We can ' t get a clear reading , but the graviton emissions are off the scale . " " " " I want every ship within range to converge on those coordinates , now ! " " " " Mr . Paris , what ' s our position ? " " " " Right where we expected to be . " " " " The transwarp network has been obliterated , Captain . " " " " We ' ll celebrate later . Mr . Tuvok ? " " " " Cease fire ! " " " " We did it . " " " " Thanks for your help , Admiral Janeway . " " " " Sorry to surprise you ; next time , we ' ll call ahead . " " " " Sickbay to the bridge . Doctor to Lieutenant Paris . There ' s someone here who ' d like to say " Hello " . " " Set a course . . . for home . " " Links and references . References . 2329 ; 2378 ; 2394 ; 2400 ; 2404 ; ablative generator ; Alcatraz ; alternate timeline ; Alpha Quadrant ; anti - tachyon pulse ; assimilation ; biobed ; biomatter ; biradial clamp ; Borg ; Borg Collective ; Borg drone ; Borg Queen ; Borg transwarp network ; ; Captain Proton ; Caretaker ' s array ; Cardassian ; central nexus ; cerebral cortex ; Chell ; Chicken Warp Core - don Bleu ; chronexaline ; chrono deflector ; cortical node ; curator ; " déjà vu " " Delta Flyer II " ; Delta Quadrant ; demotion ; Dexa ; diaper ; director ; disruptor ; elope ; Embarcadero Center ; " fal - tor - voh " ; false labor ; Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco Building ; Federation ; Fen Domar ; Ferengi ; four - year mission ; ; gesture ; golf ; graviton flux ; Grid 986 ; Grid 362 ; guest lecturer ; House of Korath ; inflammation ; interspatial manifold ; ; kadis - kot ; " kal - toh " ; Kellidian s ; kilometer ; ; kiss ; Klingon s ; Klingon Empire ; Klingon High Council ; liaison ; living room ; logic ; luck ; mess hall ; meter ; Milky Way Galaxy ; mixed marriage ; nadion pulse ; nanotechnology ; nebula soup ; neural interface ; neurological condition ; neurolytic pathogen ; neuropeptide ; neutrino ; Oakland ; Okaro ; party ; Pathfinder Project ; phaser , type 2 ; planetary catalog database ; Plasma Leek Soup ; pool ; pragmatist ; Presidio ; psychology ; pun ; Red Alert Chili ; San Francisco ; semester ; sickbay ; Species 8472 ; Spock ; stammer ; Starfleet Academy ; Starfleet Command ; Starfleet Intelligence ; Starfleet Medical ; stealth technology ; Sunday ; synaptic interface ; synaptic transceiver ; tachyon radiation ; tachyokinetic energy ; Temporal Mechanics Department ; Temporal Prime Directive ; temporal rift ; Thursday ; toast ; transphasic torpedo ; transwarp ; transwarp aperture ; transwarp hub ; transwarp network ; tricorder ; tritanium ; unicomplex ; Unimatrix 01 ; ; Vulcan s ; Wednesday ; wormhole USS " Voyager " Flight Path References . 3 kpc Arm ; Bajoran Wormhole ; Beta Quadrant ; Carina Arm ; Crux Arm ; Gamma Quadrant ; M14 ; M80 ; M92 ; NGC 5139 ; Norma Arm ; Orion Arm ; Perseus Arm ; Sagittarius Arm