Alter Ego ( episode ) Tuvok and Harry Kim become interested in a holodeck character who is more than she seems . Summary . Teaser . The arrives at an inversion nebula , and stops to investigate . While inversion nebulae normally burn out after a few years , this one appears to have been around for centuries . While studying the nebula , Neelix organizes a luau to raise the crew ' s spirits . A solemn Ensign Harry Kim goes to Lieutenant Tuvok while he is playing a solitary game of " kal - toh " in his quarters and explains he wants to learn how to suppress his emotions . Tuvok points out that learning this requires a long personal journey , and inquires into his motives for asking . Kim admits to Tuvok he has fallen in love with a holodeck character named Marayna . " " You ' re in love with a computer subroutine ? " " , Tuvok asks skeptically . Kim explains that he ' s become emotionally attracted to her and seeks Tuvok ' s guidance in suppressing these feelings . Act One . Tuvok agrees to meet her and goes to the holodeck with him . There , they see her walk up to them with Kes after she gives her a hydrosailing lesson . Tuvok watches as she subtly flirts with Kim until they are called to the bridge . On the way there , Tuvok explains and deconstructs the role each part of their conversation with her played in her attempts at seduction , and points out that logically , such interaction can end in only one of two ways : a relationship , or a tragic parting . Since the former is illogical , his only option is retreat to minimize tragedy . As " Voyager " continues its scans , a plasma strand begins to ignite which would normally cause the entire nebula to burn up along with it . Act Two . However , the energy is suddenly reduced by dampening fields of unknown origin . The crew decide to move in closer to investigate , knowing that if they could replicate the process they could contain warp core breaches or other normally catastrophic plasma reactions . The captain also recommends that all personnel go to the upcoming luau , which Tuvok misinterprets to be an order . Later , B ' Elanna Torres exits a turbolift wearing a tropical dress . Tom Paris happens to be standing outside the doors and remarks that the chief engineer looks " " smashing " " . He notes that nothing can measure up to his 1962 Big Daddy - O Surf Special Hawaiian shirt , an " " American classic " " , as he puts it . She tells Paris to accompany her to get Vorik , knowing how " Vulcan " he gets when anybody is late . Paris tells her that he thought they were going to get Kim . However , Torres informs the helmsman that the operations officer will " not " be joining them at the luau this evening . Paris tells her that he " and " Kim will be joining her and Vorik at the luau . Torres tells Paris that he seems to be very confident in his powers of persuasion and he replies in the affirmative . Paris arrives at Kim ' s quarters and observes the drab clothing he is dressed in , telling the ensign that he looks like he is ready to go to a funeral , not a luau . Kim tells Paris that he is practicing Vulcan meditation to suppress his emotions . Paris is incredulous . He tells a shocked Kim that he knows about his attraction to the holodeck character , since he has not been able to hide it well . He assures him that this happens to everyone once in a while and he should not be hiding out in his quarters . Kim denies it and Paris decides to leave him alone . Just before Paris leaves , Kim changes his mind and decides to go . Paris replicates him a Hawaiian shirt with a pineapple motif . Despite of Tuvok ' s lack of interest , he encounters Marayna again as she is playing " kal - toh " alone , fascinating him . He moves over to her and finds himself strangely interested in her . Her analysis of the ways he isolates himself from the crew is intriguing to him , and they play " kal - toh " together . Act Three . When Kim arrives and discovers Tuvok ' s interest in the hologram , he is beside himself with anger and jealousy , and begins to suspect Tuvok ' s motives for advising retreat were merely a ruse so that he could have Marayna all to himself . After investigation , the crew finds that the dampening field that stops the inversion nebula from burning up only comes into force once a plasma strand starts to ignite ; in essence , the fire seemingly puts itself out . Having learned everything they can from scans , the crew decide to continue their course home to the Alpha Quadrant . However , Paris reports that the helm has stopped responding . It ' s confirmed that the engines are still fully functional however the commands towards it are being blocked . When Harry Kim returns to the holodeck to find Tuvok playing " kal - toh " with Marayna , this leads to a confrontation in which Tuvok ultimately orders the computer to erase the startled Marayna . Harry Kim angrily insists that this does not truly solve the problem , however . Meanwhile despite investigation the crew still cannot get the warp or impulse engines to respond to commands , but they are able to get the thrusters working allowing " Voyager " to slowly move away from the nebula . In his quarters , Marayna appears to Tuvok again using The Doctor ' s mobile emitter and wearing a Starfleet uniform , sitting down and playing " kal - toh " . Act Four . She tells him that she ' s lonely and indicates her desire to continue her relationship with him , but he contacts the bridge and declares an intruder alert , summoning security to his quarters . To his surprise , although the security guards do arrive , she is able to cancel the alert shortly before vanishing . In conference with Janeway and the other senior officers , he and they discuss the possibility that a hologram has become sentient and taken over the ship . Chakotay reports that this is not the first time this has happened . According to Starfleet records , this had previously happened to the under Captain Picard when a took over the ship . After further investigation , Tuvok , Tom Paris , and Lieutenant Torres discover that Marayna is actually a projection of someone from outside of the ship . Tracing the uplink through the holodeck , they discover a small cloak ed station . Unfortunately , the holodeck characters suddenly become hostile . One of the hula girls attacks Torres with a lei used as a garrotte , One of the fire dancers attacks Tuvok , and one of the waiters attacks Paris with a plate of food . Tuvok and Paris attempt to come to Torres ' aid , when a force field is erected , blocking the two . Tuvok orders Paris to shoot the holodeck control panel , causing the holodeck characters to vanish , saving Torres from being choked . As they attempt to escape the holodeck , an explosion rocks the ship . The plasma strands from the nebula are burning up around " Voyager " . On the bridge , Marayna gives an ultimatum to Janeway through " Voyager " s intercom . She wants to see Tuvok alone in the holodeck , or she ' ll destroy the ship . Act Five . Tuvok returns to the holodeck to meet her alone , and then beam s over to confront the real Marayna . Marayna disables Tuvok ' s communication with " Voyager " and tells Tuvok her story . In reality , it is she who holds the nebula together with the dampening fields for the benefit of her people , who often visit to observe the beauty of the inversion nebula . However , she ' s become lonely and she frequently taps into nearby ships ' computer s to find out more about their visitors . Marayna reveals that she had never encountered anything like the holodeck and tapped herself into it so she could interact with the crew of " Voyager " . This , in turn , allowed her to meet Tuvok who was much like her – interested in being separate from those around him – whereupon she developed feelings for him . After some discussion , Tuvok convinces Marayna to allow him to return to " Voyager " . Before he goes , however , Tuvok encourages Marayna to contact her people and have them find a replacement for her in this lonely assignment so she can seek company among her own kind again . She tells Tuvok she will consider this . Before the Vulcan dematerializes , Marayna asks him if he too will always be alone . Tuvok looks at her but does not answer her question before he is beamed away . After his return to the ship , Tuvok is again playing " kal - toh " alone in his quarters . He then pauses and deactivates the game . He goes to the holodeck and , finding Harry Kim there , he apologizes for failing to consider or respect his feelings . Harry accepts the apology , and Tuvok offers to teach him " kal - toh " which he accepts , stating that he was under the impression it took years to learn " kal - toh " , which Tuvok confirms . A holo - woman comes up and offers to join them and they simultaneously refuse her company , but Tuvok then ( somewhat uncharacteristically ) thanks her for the offer . Kim smiles at the tactical officer and they begin to play the game as " Voyager " continues on home . Memorable quotes . " " You ' re in love with a computer sub - routine ? " " " " That ' s the problem . " " " " Kal - toh is to chess as chess is to tic - tac - toe . " " " " Vulcans do " not " hydrosail . " " " " Are you two friends ? " " " " Yes . " " " " No . " " " " I tried a reverse curl this morning . . . I think I pulled a tendon . Feel that . " " " " It ' s like a knot ! " " " " I ' m sure it is . " " " " I have already taken the liberty of reserving a table , Lieutenant , with a view of the lakeside . You did express a fondness for that particular vista . " " " " I did ? " " " " Five days ago , in a conversation we had in Engineering regarding holodeck programs . " " " " I guess , maybe I did . " " " " Forget about her . " " " " What did Tom say to you ? " " " " Not a single word . I saw the way you were looking at Marayna yesterday . " " " " Hi , my name ' s Harry " Read Me Like A Book " Kim . " " " " It ' s not that bad . " " " " Apparently , it is . " " " " Mr . Kim , I value our working relationship . I would not allow a holodeck character to disrupt that . " " " " Make it stop ! " ( The intruder alert klaxon is silenced . ) " " " You have access to the ship ' s control systems ? " " " And I ' ll use them all if I have to . You can ' t just delete me ! " " Links and references . References . 1962 ; Alpha Quadrant ; astrotheorist ; astrotheory ; Big Daddy - O Surf Special ; centerpiece ; chess ; Delta Quadrant ; ; dampening field ; entertainment director ; Eros ; Federation ; Hawaiian shirt ; holodeck ; hula ; hydrosailing ; imagination ; inertial dampener ; intruder alert ; inversion nebula ; " k ' oh - nar " ; " kal - toh " ; kelvin ; kilometer ; lei ; luau ; Marayna ' s homeworld ; Marayna ' s space station ; Marayna subroutine ; Mister Vulcan ; mobile emitter ; ; parameter adjustment file ; Paxau Resort ; ; pineapple ; Polynesian ; plasma strand ; puppet ; " shon - ha ' lock " ; " soo - lak " ; spouse ; Starfleet Academy ; subatomic cascade reaction ; ; " t ' san s ' at " ; tendon ; tic - tac - toe ; Tiki torch ; turbolift ; volleyball ; Vulcan s ; Vulcan ( planet ) ; Vulcan master ; warp core breach Unreferenced material . Rebecca Zito