Inside Man ( episode ) The Pathfinder Project makes contact with " Voyager " again . . . and this time they transmit a hologram of Reginald Barclay to interact with the crew . However a certain group of aliens have seen a way to make a tidy profit . Summary . Teaser . Walking through a corridor on , Tom Paris asks Harry Kim about the status of the latest Starfleet data stream . Kim says he ' s working on it , but Paris reminds him that he failed to recover last month ' s stream . Kim protests that that wasn ' t his fault . Arriving in astrometrics , Kim finds Seven of Nine , who announces that she ' s discovered why they have been unable to get any data from the stream : a hologram is encoded in the stream . Over Seven ' s protests , Kim burns out several relays when he transfers the stream to a holodeck . Later in the holodeck , Captain Kathryn Janeway is on hand for the big moment when they initiate the hologram Starfleet sent them . It ' s Reginald Barclay – or at least , . Warm greetings are exchanged by all . Act One . The Barclay hologram explains that he ' s there to execute a plan that will return " Voyager " to the Alpha Quadrant within three days . It involves simultaneously shooting a verteron beam into two red giant stars , one nearby , and one in Federation space . This will create a geodesic fold in space that " Voyager " can travel through . A combination of modifications to " Voyager " s shields and inoculations for the crew will prevent harmful radiation from killing everyone on board . Janeway says they had considered something similar and determined it wouldn ' t work , but Reg has a different plan endorsed by Starfleet . The Doctor happily lends the Barclay hologram his mobile emitter so that he can supervise in engineering . The hologram gets to work , handing out assignments to the bridge crew and explaining the high - level plan . He also convinces Seven that millions of people back home are excited to greet her , who represents hope that those lost to the Borg aren ' t lost forever . The hologram expertly handles questions and interactions with the crew . Back at the Pathfinder Project at Starfleet Headquarters in San Francisco , the real Reginald Barclay is working on a problem . Neither of his last two attempts to transmit the Barclay hologram to " Voyager " has succeeded . Both times , the data stream ended at the same location , but long range sensors detect nothing out of the ordinary at that location . Barclay wants to send a ship to investigate , but his supervisor , Commander Peter Harkins , thinks the simpler and more likely answer is that the datastream was too complex , and intends to go back to regular transmissions . Act Two . After that , Barclay becomes obsessed , and seems , at least to Harkins , paranoid . Barclay interrupts a school tour of the lab that Harkins is conducting when he finds that a Borg ship may have been responsible . Harkins tries to tell him it ' s the wrong time , but Barclay is insistent . After letting him go on for a bit , he strongly suggests that Barclay take a week off . Barclay realizes he won ' t get anywhere and agrees . On " Voyager " , The Doctor doesn ' t believe that the inoculations will protect the crew as they ' re supposed to , but the hologram reassures The Doctor that they will work in combination with the shields . The hologram politely tries to leave while The Doctor proposes playing a round of golf , to which he agrees if the day goes smoothly . The Barclay hologram heads to astrometrics to ask the crew include a report on his progress in the reply to the latest data stream . It is added and sent . However , the reply is intercepted by a Ferengi ship . They play the hologram ' s message , which informs them that their scheme is going forward as planned . The Ferengi are delighted to learn that there are twenty percent more nanoprobe s coming to them than they expected . Act Three . The real Barclay creeps up on Counselor Deanna Troi , who is vacationing on a beach somewhere . At first she is alarmed that a patient has violated her privacy , but she soon realizes that Barclay needs help . She discovers that Barclay suspects that his ex - girlfriend , who recently dumped him and disappeared , may have compromised Pathfinder security . He used to tell her everything about the project . Meanwhile , the Barclay hologram gets on well with the crew , performing impressions of Janeway and Tuvok . Afterwards , he ' s called to the holodeck by The Doctor , who is expecting a game of golf . He politely tries to leave , but The Doctor insists , prompting an unexpected violent response and immediate apology . The Doctor is now growing suspicious of the Barclay hologram , who is using the mobile emitter for other purposes and who seems to display overt hostility , even malevolence . On Earth , Starfleet has detained Barclay ' s ex - girlfriend , Leosa , who is in fact a dabo girl , and not a teacher as she had told Barclay . She doesn ' t admit wrongdoing , so Troi talks to her herself . After threatening to have her held indefinitely for psychiatric review , Troi manages to find out that she is in the employ of a Ferengi named Nunk . Act Four . At Pathfinder , they find Nunk ' s Marauder in the vicinity of a star in the same sector the message was lost . The admiral and Harkins communicate with a nearby starship , the , while Barclay asks Leosa if it all was fake . He also asks what a broken heart is worth these days . Leosa tells him ten percent of the value of the Borg nanoprobes , which are worth two billion times their weight in latinum . On " Voyager " , The Doctor convinces Janeway to perform a diagnostic on the hologram . Janeway goes to astrometrics where the Barclay Hologram is and convinces him to undergo the diagnostic with the argument that his program has been running non - stop since his arrival in the Delta Quadrant . At Pathfinder , Barclay works in secret to foil the Ferengi ' s plans . Troi , finding him , learns what he knows and encourages him to share it with his commanders , but he is convinced he needs time to identify what the plan was exactly and prove it . However , they learn soon enough through sensors that the ship is initiating a geodesic fold . It is all now apparent to Barclay . The Barclay hologram easily passes his diagnostic , and he and The Doctor make amends . The project is about to start . In astrometrics , however , Seven discovers three different types of radiation that were not accounted for and begins to doubt that the shield modifications will protect the crew , but the Barclay hologram says that they will work in combination with the inoculations . When she calls the bridge to convey her concerns , the hologram reaches inside her head which causes her to fall unconscious . When the bridge replies , the hologram says , in Seven ' s voice , that there was a problem , but that it ' s corrected now . Act Five . At Pathfinder , they figure out that somehow " Voyager " is headed to the geodesic fold but there ' s nothing they can do to stop the fold , nor can they warn " Voyager " to not enter it . Barclay and Troi try to brainstorm for a solution . On the Ferengi ship , Nunk receives a transmission . It seems to be from the Barclay hologram , and he ' s telling them to abort the plan . " Voyager " is on to them , has found a solution to the radiation problem , and will destroy whatever ship they find on the Ferengi ' s side of the geodesic fold . When the Ferengi con men don ' t completely believe him Barclay begins to make up different imaginary forms of Delta Quadrant technology such as Borg interquadrantal warp drive s , Hirogen hunting sensor s , and Vidiian phage torpedo s and the only solution is to cut off the beam , unfolding the fold . And they do it . On Earth , the real Barclay ends the transmission , and the holographic simulation of " Voyager " s engineering . His plan worked . On " Voyager " they see the fold closing . The Barclay hologram entreats Janeway to continue , but she demurs – it is too dangerous . The hologram beams to an escape pod with the unconscious Seven and launches the pod toward the collapsing geodesic fold . Janeway orders Kim to beam them out of there . On the Ferengi ship , sensors pick up the escape pod . The Ferengi are excited . Perhaps their hologram has brought the ex - Borg woman to them in the pod . But sensors pick up nothing on board . Their plan has failed , which means no profits for them . In the mess hall , Torres and Paris try to cheer Kim up as the ensign sits with a slice of homemade apple pie before him , gathering up the courage to taste it and then afterward saying that it would taste better in San Francisco . Back in San Francisco , Barclay is working on adding more security features to his hologram when Troi stops by . She insists that he go out on a double date with her , William T . Riker , and a friend of his , a teacher named Maril . At first he says no , but Troi convinces him that he ' s got to get out of the office and experience life again . He agrees . Memorable quotes . " " You overloaded the transceiver . " " " " But I saved the hologram ! " " " " I wouldn ' t want to be a third nacelle . " " " " If you think my participation in the . . . " hoopla " . . . would be beneficial to others , then I ' ll comply . " " " " I left Reg for one simple reason : he ' s boring . Don ' t tell me you never noticed ! " " " " Imagine my disappointment when I discovered that Lieutenant Paris had eaten all the scrambled eggs . It was pure , unadulterated gluttony . Gastronomic conduct unbecoming a Starfleet officer . He " knows " it ' s my favorite breakfast , but he ate them anyway . We have an " egg - mergency " here , people ! I want to know what you plan to do about it ! " " ( Laughing hard ) " " Maybe I can replicate some more , " Captain " . " " " " Do it ! " " " " Your pessimism is illogical . " " " " Captain Janeway knows better than to take her ship into such a dangerous anomaly ! " " Links and references . References . Alpha Quadrant ; Arturis ; assimilation ; beach house ; board game ; Borg ; Borg cube ; ; chocolate passion punch ; ; dabo ; dabo girl ; Data ; Delta Quadrant ; Dragons ; duet ; Earth ; ; Federation ; Ferengi ; Ferengi casino ship ; geodesic fold ; geodesic radiation ; geodesic research ; gluttony ; golf ; Grid 8 ; Grid 898 ; ; handshake ; Harkins ' cousin ; Hirogen ; holobuffer ; Iconian ; Iconian scientist ; interquadrantal warp drive ; Kazon ; kilometer ; ; latinum ; Leosa ; logic ; logic subroutine ; mail ; Malaysia ; Maril ; Market Street ; meter ; Milky Way Galaxy ; multiphasic shield ; MIDAS array ; mobile emitter ; Mom ' s apple pie ; nanoprobe ; necrosis ; Nunk ' s Marauder ; Ocampa ; occupation ( job ) ; Pathfinder Project ; Pebble Beach ; ; quantum slipstream drive ; radiogenic vaccine ; red giant ; Red Giant 23139 ; Rules of Acquisition ; ; Romulan s ; San Francisco ; Sector 39542 ; stalking ; Starfleet Medical ; Talaxian s ; telepathic pitcher plant ; therapist ; Tiburon ; transwarp conduit ; transwarp probe ; Utopia Planitia ; verteron ; Vidiian s ; with my name on it