Phage ( episode ) Neelix ' s lungs are removed by a race that suffers from a deadly phage that is slowly destroying their population prompting them to harvest replacement organs and tissues from other species . Summary . Teaser . After identifying a rogue planetoid that Neelix says has dilithium available for mining , " Voyager " is en route as Captain Janeway and Chakotay are discussing rations and what they had for breakfast . Janeway has not yet had anything , and is on her way to her private mess hall whereupon entering she finds that Neelix has converted it into a galley , and is busily preparing meals for the crew , with at best mixed success . She reminds him that he did not have permission to do so but realizes that given their current replicator and energy issues , she might not have much of a choice . Chakotay interrupts their conversation as they near the planetoid and calls for her . Neelix goes with her , leaving the duties to Ensign Parsons , who is rather distraught at the mess left for him . Janeway arrives on the bridge , and Harry Kim confirms that there are dilithium readings available , while B ' Elanna Torres shows subterranean cave s with an oxygen / nitrogen atmosphere . Chakotay confirms the readings , showing it as a class M planet . Precise readings are difficult at best , but Torres estimates from her console that there is about 500 to 1 , 000 metric ton s of raw ore down on the planetoid . Janeway then sends Chakotay down to the planet ' s caves with an away team , and advises Torres that she ' d better get her refinery on line to prepare for all the ore they are about to bring up . Kim , Chakotay and Neelix ( after begging to go ) beam down and begin searching for the dilithium . After beam ing down to the caverns , Chakotay discovers with his tricorder that there are several large pockets in the vicinity . They split up and start taking geological scans , and are advised to keep their comm channels open at all times , while staying within fifty meter s of their split - off point . Neelix , while following his tricorder ' s readings , sweeps the direction in which he ' s chosen to search . As he ' s walking along , a wall disperses behind him to reveal a corridor protected by a holographic image and force field , while the occupant is seen leaving his hiding place to go after Neelix . Act One . Chakotay contacts Kim and explains that according to his tricorder readings he should be seeing the dilithium , but that he in fact cannot see anything . Kim , meanwhile , is running a geostratal analysis of the rock , coming to pretty much the same conclusion : no dilithium . Neelix then contacts Chakotay saying that he ' s found something : a large cavern about twenty meters from his position . Reading a huge dilithium formation , even against Chakotay ' s warning , he proceeds anyway . Upon entering the cavern , Neelix finds , just like the others , that there is nothing . Exasperated , and scanning about with his tricorder and his arm - mounted flashlight , Chakotay voices his assumption and says that he ' s had enough . He then calls for Kim and Neelix to head back to the entry point so that they can return to the ship . Neelix interrupts Chakotay , saying that he has found some unusual readings from a rock face . Traces of organic energy are present , and seemingly about two meters into the rock . Chakotay is insistent in his warning , telling Neelix to get back to where he and Kim are . Ignoring them , Neelix turns away from the rock face as the field disperses and shows a figure standing with a device pointed at Neelix . Unaware of the newcomer , Neelix spins to face the newly - opened hallway , in shock that there ' s no longer a rock wall . The figure had ducked away into the shadows and lurks close by . As Neelix walks toward the entry to the corridor , the figure once again raises the device behind him . As Neelix spins around to see him , he fires at Neelix . Chakotay rushes off toward Neelix ' s location , calling for Kim to follow . They find Neelix on the ground , flailing about , obviously in some kind of shock and unable to breathe . Beaming directly to sickbay , The Doctor scans Neelix before asking for the blood - gas infuser . Ordering Kim to hold Neelix still , he injects Neelix with a hypospray as he starts slipping into a coma . After attaching the infuser , Neelix calms down ; however The Doctor states to Chakotay that it will only keep Neelix alive for another hour . . . his lung s have been removed . In Sickbay , The Doctor explains to Janeway that he can ' t give Neelix artificial lungs as the procedure to replicate and implant them is too complex given Talaxian physiology and their current medical abilities , although he may be able to return Neelix ' s own lungs to his body if they can find them . As The Doctor starts exploring other options and Kes pledges to remain with Neelix , Janeway heads down to the planet taking a fully - armed security team with her to investigate . It does not take long until Janeway discovers and breaks through the highly - sophisticated force field masked as a rock . On board " Voyager " , The Doctor attempts to treat Neelix despite Tom Paris ' lack of expertise hindering his abilities as medical assistant . The Doctor asks if Paris ' biochemistry classes at the Academy included a respiratory series ; he replies in the negative . Kes asks if she can donate a lung to Neelix , but The Doctor tells her he ' s already investigated the idea of a transplant but no - one aboard is a match for a Talaxian . When Paris replicates a medical instrument , a cytoplasmic stimulator , The Doctor has a flash of inspiration and ( using data gathered from Neelix ' use of the transporter ) decides to duplicate the function of Neelix ' s lungs by creating a pair of holographic lungs to simulate the missing organs . However The Doctor warns Kes that the downside of this treatment is that Neelix will have to be held perfectly still in a restraint as the computer won ' t be able to compensate for any body movement whatsoever , meaning that he will effectively be paralyzed for the rest of his life , unless his original lungs are returned or some other solution can be found . Act Two . Back on the planetoid , the away team discovers an organ storage facility . No one is there , but there ' s a large number of organ types stored . Janeway finds a door leading out of the facility and picks up life sign s twenty meters ahead . The three eventually catch up with it , and Tuvok shoots it . The alien drops some kind of device but manages to escape by erecting a force field that the away team cannot disrupt . Chakotay reports the alien ' s ship is leaving orbit and has gone into warp before he could tractor it . Janeway picks up the device and orders " Voyager " to lay in a course for pursuit , pausing only long enough to beam up the away team . Meanwhile , The Doctor and Paris start the procedure . Carefully , The Doctor deactivates the infuser and activates the program , Neelix One . After a moment , Neelix stars to breathe and the unprecedented procedure is successful . Act Three . Neelix is awake and informed about what happened , though the procedure has never been done before , so information is scarce . Disappointed to be totally forced still , he comments on the aesthetics of the sickbay ceiling and asks for some music . The Doctor leaves Kes to consider his aesthetic needs . Paris is also called away to the bridge , prompting Neelix to worry to Kes about " Voyager " s helmsman ' s imagined advances toward her . Kes , however , thinks he ' s overreacting and won ' t discuss it further . She promises to be with Neelix . Meanwhile , Torres and Tuvok study the instrument . Informing Janeway , it is a very sophisticated scanning and analysis device . It stuns the victim and scans at the same time . Even DNA sequencing can be determined . Janeway is a bit suspicious that a species would need such a powerful mobile device like that . The aliens try to escape in a hollowed out asteroid with " Voyager " in pursuit . Tuvok , anticipating Janeway ' s next move , warns her about the course of action she is about to undertake . She ' s surprised he knows her so well , but then goes ahead and orders Lieutenant Paris to take " Voyager " into the asteroid . Act Four . While in the asteroid , the " Voyager " s sensors can ' t penetrate very far , so it will take awhile to find the ship . However , the ion trail is still detectable . Meanwhile , Neelix , alone except for The Doctor , is having trouble staying still . He needs him to scratch an itch for him above his left eyebrow , then tries to talk to him , but then he finally starts to hyperventilate , demanding to be let out . Unable to accommodate him , The Doctor finally sedates him instead . Kes comes by to see him and , waiting for him to wake up , talks to The Doctor , noting he is very frustrated . The Doctor admits that , not just with Neelix , he ' s frustrated at his permanent position as the ship ' s doctor with no staff . Kes successfully comforts him , saying he ' ll learn to adapt beyond his program . Eventually , Tuvok discovers a chamber ahead . On entering , there seem to be numerous reflections of the alien ship and " Voyager " . Unable to tell which one of the ships is the real one , Chakotay devises a plan to use " Voyager " s phaser s on low power like a search light to find the hostile ship . The beam will either shoot out the entrance , bounce back to " Voyager " , or be stopped by the other ship . After slowly sweeping the phaser beam around , it stops on the hull of the right ship . Quickly , Janeway orders the occupants beamed aboard and Tuvok brings a security team to meet them in transporter room three . Upon arrival , the two humanoids are found to be horribly deformed . Act Five . Once found , the aliens , who call themselves Vidiian s , surrender . They explain that their civilization has been plagued for centuries by a terrible disease , the phage , and that as a result they often use body parts of other species to replenish and / or replace their own degraded ones . They prefer to use cadavers , but if pressed , will steal from the living if they can ' t find a body in time , a situation that they are not proud of . Dereth , one of the Vidiians in custody states that he has already transformed Neelix ' s lungs for transplantation into Motura and thus is unable to retransplant Neelix ' s lungs back without killing him . Janeway is outraged at what the Vidiians have done , but she is not willing to kill Motura to save her crewmember . Unable to turn the two over for trial , and unwilling to carry them both in the brig for the forseeable future Janeway is left with no choice but to let them both go free . However , she gives both of them a message to take back to their society and makes it clear , in no uncertain terms , that even the slightest transgression against " Voyager " and its crew will be met with the deadliest force . Grateful at the captain ' s generosity , Motura convinces Dereth to offer their extensive medical knowledge to help try and save Neelix . Later in sickbay , they realize that every one of the senior staff that has been scanned is capable of donating a lung , which they explain could then be transformed to be compatible to Talaxian physiology , but it is Kes who steps in as the donor . The operation is a success and Captain Janeway releases the two Vidiians . As Kes and Neelix recover , Janeway gives him permission to continue with the galley while The Doctor plans to train Kes to back - up and eventually replace Tom Paris as his medical assistant . Memorable quotes . " " We don ' t know how it happened . . . but someone has surgically removed his lungs . " " " " They may have found a way to ignore the moral implications of what you are doing , but I have no such luxury . I don ' t have the freedom to kill you to save another . My culture finds that to be a reprehensible and entirely unacceptable act . If we were closer to home I would lock you up , and I ' d turn you over to my authorities for trial . But I don ' t even have that ability here , and I am not prepared to carry you forever in our brig . So I see no other alternative , but to let you go . " " " " If I ever encounter your kind again , I will do whatever is necessary to protect my people from this harvesting of yours . Any aggressive actions against this ship or its crew will be met by the deadliest force . Is that clear ? " " " " Quite . " " " " His lungs have been removed . " " " " But . . . a hologram is just a projection of light held in a magnetic containment field . There ' s no " real " matter involved . " " " ( Paris is slapped by The Doctor ) " " " Now , you hit me . " " " " The man drives a 700 , 000 - ton starship , so someone thinks he ' d make a good medic . " " " " First they tell me there ' s no doctor , so I have to be on call 24 hours a day and then they tell me there ' s no nurses , so I have no one to assist me . " " " " I thought Tom Paris was assigned to you . " " " " Like I said , " no one " to assist me . " " " " Indefinitely ? You mean I . . . could be in here the rest of my life ? " " " " Yes . " " " " But we ' re trying to find the aliens that did this to you . The captain is doing everything she can . " " " " Well . . . hrm , if I ' m going be in here a while , now is as good a time as any to tell you . Your ceiling is hideous . " " " " I didn ' t design the room , I just work here . " " " " Something with a bit of color would help , maybe a nice tapestry or a painting . Could you dim the lights a little ? " " " " I ' m a doctor , mister Neelix , not a decorator . " " " " Strange , according to my readings , you are not here . " " " " Believe me , I wish I weren ' t . " " " " He ' s just one big hormone walking around the ship . " " " " Don ' t worry , I ' m not going to kiss you . I ' m only adjusting the restraint . " " " " I ' ll try to contain my disappointment . " " Links and references . References . 47 ; aesthetics ; alloy ; anatomy ; asparagus ; azimuth ; biobed ; bio - electrical signature ; bio - probe ; bio - scanner ; biomatter ; blood - gas infuser ; brig ; captain ' s private dining room ; cellular toxicity ; chartreuse ; class 3 humanoid ; class M ; claustrophobia ; counselor ; cream ; cytoplasmic stimulator ; dampening field ; darvot fritter ; decorator ; dilithium ; dilithium matrix ; DNA ; DNA sequencing ; educator ; egg ; eggs Benedict ; electromagnetic interference ; emergency power ; epidermal tissue ; explorer ; Federation ; hall of mirrors ; holographic emitter ; " honatta " ; hydroponics ; hyperventilation ; identification matrix ; immunotechnology ; impulse reactor ; ; ion trail ; isotropic restraint ; itch ; Kazon ; KLS stabilizer ; lightheaded ; liver ; magnetic containment field ; medical ethics ; mess hall ; metric ton ; Neelix One ; neural resonator ; neutronium ; oatmeal ; Ocampa ; ocular nerve fiber ; organic energy ; phage ; phase modulation ; phaser ; physiology ; pulmonary organ ; pulmonary scanner ; quantum imaging scanner ; ration pack 5 ; Rectilian vulture ; red alert ; respiratory series ; respiratory system ; sculptor ; searchlight ; shock ; spinal column ; Starfleet ; Starfleet Academy ; strawberry ; Talaxian ; tomato ; transporter ; tricorder log ; tricorder operations manual ; type 3 phaser ; vehicle status ; Vidiian ; Vidiian Sodality ; ; visiting hours ; Yallitian