Real Life ( episode ) The Doctor learns a few real life lessons with the holographic " family " he created ; " Voyager " investigates massive subspace distortions . Summary . Teaser . The setting is a modern Human home where everything is spotlessly clean and neatly arranged . Charlene , Jeffrey , and Belle hurry downstairs in unison and line up next to the front door . Charlene checks that her children ' s fingernails are clean and their shoes polished . Belle asks to greet her father first because she thinks Jeffrey always gets the honor , but Jeffrey reminds Belle that she went first yesterday . Charlene cheerily tells the children to get along . Politely , Jeffrey apologizes to Belle , who concedes that it is Jeffrey ' s turn . Charlene seems excited and the three of them stand at attention as the man of the house approaches . The Doctor turns a corner , a cup of coffee in one hand and a briefcase in the other , and compliments Charlene on the quality of the coffee . Charlene tells him she replicated a new blend from Paksor III and she seems pleased to hear he enjoyed it . The Doctor kisses her on the cheek and informs her he will be home at the usual time . Everything seems to be in order as Charlene reminds her husband not to overwork himself , Jeffrey promises to have his homework done by the time The Doctor returns from work , and Belle assures The Doctor she will receive an A on her history test . She adds that she ' d like to do some algebra problems with him if he has the time . Finally , Charlene reminds The Doctor to invite some of his friends from work for dinner , as she wants to meet them before she and the children say goodbye to The Doctor . In sickbay , Kes stands at a terminal as The Doctor materializes , a satisfied look upon his face . Kes asks what The Doctor ' s new holo - family is like , and he confidently informs her it is everything he could have hoped for . Act One . When reaches the rendezvous where it was scheduled to meet with the Vostigye , the crew finds nothing but debris and all sixty Vostigye scientist s appear to have died . There is evidence of energy discharges , although it is possible the assailants used non - traditional weapon s . Ensign Kim notes a strange subspace signal leading away from the station , so Captain Janeway decides to follow it . The Doctor sits in sickbay with Lieutenant Torres , who has just performed a diagnostic to ensure that his recent tinkering with his program doesn ' t interfere with his systems . The Doctor and Kes tell Torres of his new holographic family , which he found surprisingly easy to manage despite what he has heard about families being difficult . Both Torres and Kes express interest in meeting his new family , so he invites them over for dinner . At dinner , Charlene informs Torres and Kes that she took a course in continental cuisine so she could replicate new and interesting foods for Kenneth ( The Doctor ' s name in the program ) . Kes tries to be polite and goes along with the program , but Torres grows increasingly impatient as the conversation continues . When Charlene , Belle , and Jeffrey cheerily describe Kenneth as the best husband and father in the quadrant , Torres stops the program . The Doctor is confused , as he sees nothing wrong with the program , but Torres informs him that his family is nothing like a real family . Describing The Doctor ' s wife and children as " lollipops , " she explains that he won ' t learn anything from spending time in a fantasy world with a perfect family . However , she offers to help him make them more realistic . Meanwhile , Tom Paris announces that the signal " Voyager " has been following has thinned out . There are no signs of starship s or life sign s , but there is an increasingly large subspace disruption , so Janeway puts the ship on red alert . A massive energy wave anomaly emerges from subspace as " Voyager " attempts to back away . Act Two . The anomaly emits some sort of shock wave and bears down on " Voyager " as Paris announces that the ship ' s engines have failed . Janeway and the rest of the crew brace for impact and arm the ship ' s phaser s only to see the anomaly disappear seconds later . The crew is in shock until Commander Chakotay speaks up . " " I ' m not afraid to say it , I ' ve never seen anything like that before . " " Once the anomaly has dissipated , Janeway decides to investigate it further . Chakotay informs her that according to his readings it was an astral eddy that formed at the confluence of space and subspace . They prepare to anticipate the next such occurrence . Back in sickbay , Kes seems cautious about the randomized behavioral algorithm s that Torres has added to The Doctor ' s family program . However , he doesn ' t anticipate any problems he can ' t handle , as he has been programmed with a full database of pediatric care and childhood development and has experience with " romantic relationships . " He is due home for dinner shortly and transfers himself to the holodeck . Upon entering his holographic home , The Doctor finds his home disorganized with things lying around everywhere , no one to greet him at the door , and a strange series of bangs and other sounds that distantly resemble music coming from elsewhere in the house . Charlene is in a hurry to go somewhere and seems less than interested in his usual stories about his day at work . She is set to speak at the Bolian embassy , and he learns that it is his turn to cook . Belle yells from her room that she can ' t find her mallet , and Charlene tells her she would have better luck if she cleaned her room . After Charlene leaves , The Doctor attempts to be reasonable with Belle , explaining she would know where it was if she put it in her closet . She whines as she searches the house frantically , late for practice , but they can agree that the music is too loud . The Doctor tells Jeffrey to turn it off , and he all but ignores his father . Two Klingon adolescents , Larg and K ' Kath , knock on the door and rudely ask where Jeffrey is ; when The Doctor tells them Jeffrey is doing homework and can ' t see friends , Jeffrey emerges and says something to Larg and K ' Kath in Klingonese . They simply walk past The Doctor while he attempts to deal with the temperamental Belle . Act Three . Paris is in the mess hall , looking for food . Neelix asks if Paris wants any food , but Paris complains about Neelix making the same casserole four days in a row . When Neelix suggests that Paris use the replicator , Paris admits that he ' s out of rations . Neelix dishes him a plate of the casserole . Paris goes over to sit next to Torres , who is reading a book on a PADD , saying " " a beautiful woman should never eat alone " . " He asks what she is reading , and she tries to hide the PADD , saying it ' s " nothing " , but Paris manages to grab it and begins reading aloud . The book is a Klingon romance novel called " Women Warriors at the River of Blood " . In the ensuing conversation , Paris and Torres speak about the Klingon romantic side . The conversation is filled with double entendres and innuendo . Tom borrows the book , saying " " Maybe it ' ll give me some ideas of how to make " your " heart quicken . " " Another anomaly appears , and Captain Janeway calls senior officers to the bridge . Paris and Torres exit the turbolift onto the bridge . Captain Janeway asks Paris if he can get the ship close enough to the anomaly to send a probe in . The ship gets a bit of a rough ride . Paris apologizes , saying he ' s trying to find a way to ride out the graviton waves . Tuvok launches the probe . When the probe hits the anomaly , the ship is shaken worse than before . Paris says that it ' s kind of fun . Torres disagrees . They begin to receive telemetry from the probe . The anomaly has an interior temperature of nine million Kelvin , exchanges matter between subspace and normal space , and has a perfectly calm eye in the center . Janeway and Torres talk about trying to transport some of the anomaly onto the ship , but the anomaly disappears , taking the probe with it . The probe is still transmitting , and Torres detects some sort of energy , neither in space nor subspace . They then discuss not taking energy from the anomaly , but from its waste . It is decided that " Voyager " s energy output is too great and would corrupt the plasma . Paris suggests taking a shuttle . Torres points out that Paris will be exposing himself to radiation . Captain Janeway orders Paris to report to sickbay before departing . After injecting Paris with something to provide him with temporary protection from the astral eddy , the talk turns to The Doctor ' s family . He informs Paris that he has analyzed the situation and come up with a solution . Paris urges caution : a family is not something that can be " fixed " like a sick patient . The Doctor ' s plan is to call a family meeting and to dictate new ground rules to each of its members , so that the family will function more harmoniously . The new rules include shifting the schedules of the activities of his wife and daughter , and forbidding his son to see his Klingon friends . Everyone objects to this plan . His wife objects that she was not consulted beforehand and seems to have no input over the family ' s direction . His daughter objects to a sports team demotion that will be necessitated by the new schedule . His son objects that it is not his father ' s place to dictate to him what friends he will and will not have – a point on which his mother agrees . It ' s also clear that The Doctor has designed the changes in such a way that he alone would be allowed to continue without making any new sacrifices . The meeting collapses , with everyone going their separate ways , and The Doctor has less respect from his family than before . His daughter , however , takes the time to tell him that she still loves him , even if he has made a mess of things . Meanwhile , Paris , inside a shuttlecraft , begins exploring the eddy . He encounters turbulence , and is pulled inside . When the eddy disappears from normal space , so does Paris and the shuttle . Act Four . " Voyager " manages to regain contact with the shuttle . Paris is unhurt , but he doesn ' t know where he and the shuttle have been sent . In sickbay , Kes persuades The Doctor to take the rest of the day off and to ' go home early ' to see to the needs of his family . He interrupts his son and his two Klingon friends in the living room . While they pretend otherwise , it is clear that the boys are planning to use a Klingon dagger called a kut ' luch , to begin a ceremony involving violence and bloodletting , in preparation for becoming a warrior . Jeffrey ' s Klingon friends are ordered to leave the family ' s house , but The Doctor is unable to prevent the situation with his son from escalating . Jeffrey is disgusted with his father ' s value system and with that of Humanity in general ; he intends to become a warrior , and adopt the Klingon way of life . When The Doctor states that Jeffrey needs to live by his father ' s rules as long as Jeffrey continues living in his father ' s house , Jeffrey replies , " Then I won ' t live here , " and leaves . Immediately after this incident , he Doctor is contacted by his wife . Their daughter has been injured during a parrises squares competition . At the hospital , The Doctor explains the situation to his wife . Their daughter has suffered severe brain trauma . Despite operating on her for three hours , The Doctor and a colleague are unable to reverse the damage . Charlene won ' t accept that there is nothing more that can be done . Charlene leaves to get a second opinion . Unable to face the pain involved in Belle ' s impending death , The Doctor stops the program . Act Five . Meanwhile , Paris and the " Voyager " crew determine that Paris ' shuttle has been sent to an " interfold layer between space and subspace . " Paris and the bridge crew are able to conceive and execute a plan in which Paris rides the eddy back into normal space , where he can be rescued . The shuttle ' s hull is ruptured and Voyager is damaged by debris along the plasma wave but they manage to rescue an injured Paris and beam him directly to sickbay . As he is treating Paris in sickbay , The Doctor complains bitterly about people who love to take risks regardless of the danger . Paris can see he is upset and The Doctor tells him about his daughter ' s injury . The Doctor informs the rescued Paris that he , The Doctor , won ' t be returning to his holodeck family , stating that he couldn ' t face it . Paris replies that he and the other crewmembers would avoid that kind of pain ( of a loved one dying ) if they could , but that in real life , they do not have much choice or control over such things . When The Doctor replies that fortunately , he does have the ability to make such choices , Paris asks him whether that really is such a fortunate thing ; he goes on to say that The Doctor created the program so he could experience what it ' s like to have a family – to experience the good times " and " bad ; however , one cannot have one without the other . Paris points out everyone on Voyager left people behind when they got stranded in the Delta Quadrant , and that everyone has suffered a loss . But , they have found support and friendship with each other , and have become a family , in part because of the pain they have shared . Paris continues by telling The Doctor that if he turns his back on this program , he ' ll always be stuck at this point ; he ' ll never have the chance to say goodbye to his daughter , or be there for his wife and son when they need him . . . and he ' ll be cheating himself of the chance to have their love and support . In the long run , says Tom , The Doctor will miss the whole point of what it means to have a family . With this new perspective , The Doctor re - enters the program as his daughter is dying , providing what comfort and calm that he can for her . His wife returns and joins them . Then his son comes in , without his Klingon jewelry , bringing his sister her security blanket from home . The four continue talking until Belle dies . The wife breaks down sobbing , and the son tries to comfort her . The doctor stands back for a moment , then he and his remaining family members draw closer to one another in their grief . Memorable quotes . " " Well , we ' re proud of him too . In fact , we think we have just about the most wonderful husband and father in the quadrant . Don ' t we children ? " " " " Yes , we d . . . " " " " Computer , freeze program . " " " " Lieutenant ? What are you doing ? " " " " I ' m stopping this before my blood - sugar levels overload . " " " " No one has a " family " like this – this is a fantasy ! You ' re not going to learn anything from living with these . . . lollipops . " " " " You ' re in fine physical shape , Mr . Paris . You may go ahead and engage in this reckless activity . " " " " Captain , this is one weird disturbance ! " " " " What ' s this mean about no Klingon friends ? " " " " Exactly that . They ' re a bad influence on you . They ' re prone to violence , they keep you out ' til all hours . . . Why don ' t you find some nice Vulcan friends ? " " " " You created that program so you could experience what it ' s like to have a family . The good times and the bad . You can ' t have one without the other . " " " " I fail to see why not . " " " " Think about what ' s happened to us here aboard " Voyager " . Everyone left people behind , and everyone suffered a loss . But look how it ' s brought us all closer together . We found support here , and friendship , and we ' ve become a family , in part " because " of the pain we share . If you turn your back on this program , you ' ll always be stuck at this point . You ' ll never have the chance to say goodbye to your daughter . Or to be there for your wife and son when they need you . And you ' ll be cheating yourself out of " their " love and support . In the long run , you ' ll miss the whole point of what it means to have a family . " " " " It ' s all right . . . Go to sleep . We ' re all here . . . " " Links and references . References . 47 ; algebra ; astral eddy ; bird ; blood clot ; blood sugar ; Bolian ; boronite ; brain hemorrhage ; brain stem ; brig ; Bussard collector ; carbon - 60 composite ; childhood development ; ; closet ; Class 2 shuttle ; coach ; " ; concussion ; continental cuisine ; cranial trauma ; " d ' k tahg " ; Delta Quadrant ; " Doctor ' s Family Program Beta - Rho " ; DNA probe ; embassy ; encoding filter ; escapism ; ethical standards ; French toast ; Findlay ; glial cell ; graviton ; grub meal ; holodeck ; homework ; hyronalin ; immunogenicity analysis ; interfold layer ; ion mallet ; kilometer ; Klingon ; Klingon music ; " kut ' luch " ; lectrazine ; lollipop ; M ' Nea ; ; Morgan ; microfilter implant ; motor cortex ; nest ; Paksor III ; Parrises squares ; pediatrics ; plasma ; plasma particle ; plasmatic energy ; Pleeka rind casserole ; radiation poisoning ; red alert ; Rite of Ascension ; romance novel ; Rorg ; sarium ; subspace ; subspace disruption ; Terrace ; theta band ; trigonometry ; Vostigye ; Vulcan s ; Vulky ; Wednesday ; " Women Warriors at the River of Blood " ; wild mushroom pilaf