The Fight ( episode ) When " Voyager " is caught in " chaotic space , " an area where the laws of physics are in a state of flux , Chakotay begins hearing and seeing things , apparently caused by the aliens living inside it who are trying to contact the ship . Summary . Teaser . On , Chakotay is lying on a biobed in sickbay , shouting and thrashing about . Also present are The Doctor , Seven of Nine , and Tom Paris . Paris asks The Doctor to give Chakotay something for the pain , but The Doctor refuses , saying that they could lose the chance to make contact with the alien s . Suddenly , the ship shudders . Captain Janeway calls from the bridge , asking if they ' ve made any progress . The Doctor replies that they haven ' t . B ' Elanna Torres tells Janeway that if " Voyager " doesn ' t find a way out of chaotic space soon , they are all going to die here . Act One . Chakotay calls The Doctor . He ' s tired , he wants to sleep . However , The Doctor again won ' t let him . If he loses consciousness , he could sever the link to the aliens who live in chaotic space , and who may know a way out . Chakotay doesn ' t want to talk to them , as he ' s afraid he may end up like his grandfather , a " crazy old man " . The Doctor tells him the aliens are reconfiguring his neural pathway s in an attempt to communicate with him . He makes Chakotay concentrate , and remember when he came into sickbay after he had been injured in a boxing simulation on the holodeck . In a flashback , Chakotay is in a holodeck simulation of a boxing ring . Chakotay is in the ring , fighting a . Boothby , who used to coach him as a cadet , is in his corner . At the end of the third round , Chakotay returns to his corner where he is chastised by Boothby for not allowing his opponent to land some punches and tire himself out , saying that boxing is as much about heart as technique . Round four begins , and Chakotay sees a disturbance forming in the corner of the ring , right before he is knocked out . Chakotay wakes up in sickbay , where he argues with The Doctor over the merits of boxing , which The Doctor describes as " pointless violence " . The Doctor nicknames him " The Maquis Mauler " to further his point . Chakotay complains of a headache , and tells The Doctor about the disturbance he saw before he was hit . The Doctor initially dismisses this as hallucinations , but further examination shows that the ganglia in Chakotay ' s visual cortex are highly active . The ship shudders , and Chakotay is called to the bridge as the doctor instructs him to return for further tests . Chakotay arrives on the bridge , where a spatial phenomenon is interfering with the ship ' s sensor s . Apparently , it shifts position every few minutes . Then the ship shudders again , and a distortion similar to the one seen by Chakotay in the boxing ring envelops " Voyager " . Seven of Nine calls Janeway to astrometrics , where she informs her that the Borg have been aware of this phenomenon for many years . It is called chaotic space , a zone where the laws of physics are in a constant state of flux . Changes in the gravitational coefficient cause shear forces along the hull , shields offering only temporary protection . Due to the shifting of the physical constants , sensors can ' t function . Janeway orders the sensors to be reconfigured . Chakotay , while alone in his quarters , hears noises , such as Boothby shouting and the end of round bell . He sees a pair of boxing gloves on a chair , which disappear when he looks away . Tuvok calls him to the bridge . With the sensors useless , " Voyager " can ' t move safely . While Tuvok and Paris argue about what to do , Chakotay starts to hallucinate again . He hears crowd noises , and sees a pair of boxing gloves at the sensor station . Tuvok asks him if he is all right , at which Chakotay swings at Tuvok . Tuvok uses the Vulcan nerve pinch to render him unconscious . Act Two . In sickbay , The Doctor has discovered that Chakotay ' s hallucinations are due to a genetic marker for a cognitive disorder being switched on . Symptoms include auditory and visual hallucinations . The gene was suppressed before Chakotay was born , but now it has been activated , possibly due to chaotic space . The Doctor orders Chakotay to remain in sickbay , where Chakotay tells him his grandfather suffered from similar hallucinations , but he refused treatment . Meanwhile on the bridge , Harry Kim has managed to reconfigure the sensors , and " Voyager " starts to move forward slowly . However , before the ship moves very far , a starship appears on sensors . The log from the damaged ship reveals that the captain and an engineer both suffered from hallucinations . The ship was trapped in chaotic space for almost a year before the hull was breached . Janeway notes that it is no coincidence that both the aliens and Chakotay suffered similar hallucinations . The dead captain ' s body is beamed over for an autopsy . Scans of the alien ' s brain reveal that optical and auditory neuron s have been partially stripped of their protein insulation , leading to hallucinations . The Doctor concludes that the gene responsible for producing protein insulation was shut down – something in chaotic space altered the DNA . The Doctor discovers that he can control the hallucinations using a neural suppressant . Chakotay wants to go on a vision quest , to find out more about the hallucinations . The Doctor disapproves , but relents when Janeway gives the go ahead . In the vision quest , Chakotay sees a forest , and then his grandfather walking among the trees . He tells him to take his medicine , but his grandfather refuses . He goes in to a cave , where he hears boxing noises again . Suddenly , he is in a boxing ring , a strange ring that has only three sides . He wakes up , and tells The Doctor that the aliens were watching him , trying to tell him something , but he ' s afraid to listen to them , afraid he ' ll lose his mind . The Doctor encourages him , and suddenly Chakotay starts to speak , saying " chaotic space intersects ours , and " Voyager " must escape by altering the warp field to a rentrillic trajectory " . However , Chakotay refuses to listen to " them " anymore . Act Three . The Doctor tells Janeway that Chakotay definitely made contact with the aliens , but Janeway says they need more information . She convinces Chakotay to try again . Chakotay is back in the ring with his opponent " Kid Chaos " , who has his back turned . Also there is Tuvok and a security detail , with phaser s . Tuvok wants to fire on Kid Chaos , but Boothby warns Chakotay not to let him , that it won ' t work . Chakotay orders Tuvok to stand down . Then Chakotay is in the ring , dressed in boxing gear . Paris tries to stop the fight , citing the odds , and then Neelix enters the ring and leads Chakotay out . He says that Chakotay isn ' t ready for the fight . Chakotay is then on the bridge , punching a punching bag , where Kim , Janeway , and B ' Elanna Torres all try to stop his fighting . They all act as if he will not return , and he claims he is only doing it for them . Finally , The Doctor tries to scare him into not fighting by telling him the fight will cause him to lose his mind . Chakotay and his trainer , Neelix , run through engineering where Torres glares at them . Chakotay is then back in the cave from the vision quest , where he sees his grandfather again . He tells him they ' ll get in trouble if they don ' t go home . His grandfather refuses . He says " " this is a nice place to call home " " . He tells Chakotay there is a lot of " them " out there , and that " they " are coming for Chakotay . When the sounds of the boxing ring return , Chakotay ' s grandfather hears them too . Then he ' s back in the ring . He tells Boothby he ' s afraid , before The Doctor steps into the ring , and says the fight has been canceled on medical grounds . Chakotay comes out of the vision quest , which he was stuck in . He wants to get back in the ring , and accuses The Doctor of stopping the fight . He becomes hysterical , yelling for them to let him back in the ring . In order to stop him , The Doctor is forced to sedate him . Act Four . On the bridge , Kim is trying to navigate the ship by dropping stationary beacon s , but " Voyager " ends up going around in circles . In astrometrics , Seven has found an isolinear frequency in the energy signature of chaotic space . It does not respond to any of the standard language decryption routines . The source is unknown , but Janeway recognizes the frequency as the nucleotide resonance frequency from an examination question she answered incorrectly during her time at Starfleet Academy . The signal was designed to activate DNA , and realigned Chakotay ' s molecular bonds . Meanwhile , Chakotay is in an altered state of reality . He recognizes the captain , but is still angry at The Doctor for ending his fight and " ruining his career . " Chakotay describes the alien he saw in his vision . However , he is thinking of them in terms of the prize fight . The Doctor explains that the holodeck simulation is still fresh in his memory , so it is the primary source of imagery for his hallucinations . Aliens that the sensors can ' t detect are inducing the hallucinations . Their only means to communicate with " Voyager " is by altering people ' s senses , as they did with the people on the damaged ship . Chakotay reminds Janeway that " Voyager " does not frequently avoid making first contact with newly - discovered lifeform s and hull pressure is increasing , so despite The Doctor ' s warning , Janeway tells The Doctor to send Chakotay " back in the ring " . Act Five . On the bridge , it is obvious that " Voyager " cannot survive for much longer inside chaotic space . Janeway orders The Doctor to begin . The Doctor fully activates the gene , and Chakotay is back in the ring . He tells Boothby he ' s worried , but Boothby reassures him and gives him advice . Chakotay removes his robe adorned with The Doctor ' s nickname , " The Maquis Mauler " , and turns to Kid Chaos . Kid Chaos turns to face Chakotay . He has no face , just a starfield . The aliens speak using a montage of words said by the crew up to this point . They tell Chakotay they live in chaotic space , and that " Voyager " must escape by realigning its sensors . Back in sickbay , Chakotay wants to stop , but The Doctor pushes him , until Chakotay starts to understand what the aliens want him to do . He runs to the bridge and pushes Kim out of the way . He has to make the modifications himself ; he can ' t explain how to do it . He reroutes the deflector through the sensors , and then puts the deflector on line , at full amplitude . Kim says the sensors have found a course through chaotic space . " Voyager " flies out of chaotic space at full impulse . Janeway orders Paris to resume course for the Alpha Quadrant , before Chakotay collapses . Janeway gives Chakotay a few days off , which he uses to get in some boxing practice on the holodeck . Memorable quotes . " " Tuvok tells me you ' ve got a mean left jab . " " " Never " spar with a Vulcan . " " " " Begin round one . " " " " He said his spirit was in pain , but that the wound must be honored . " " " " It ' s not so bad . . . when you get used to it , they ' re not so bad . They ' re just a lot of talk . Sometimes I wish they were more quiet . I ' m too tired [ to come home ] . . . this is a nice place to call home . " " " " Pick ' em up , son . It ' s the fight you ' ve been waiting for ! " " " " Victory , defeat , knockout , TKO , it ' s all beside the point . We know how it really ends : a crazy old man . . . " " " " Your opponent wasn ' t firing on you with an energy weapon , was he ? " " " " Just his gloves . " " " " In this corner representing the Alpha Quadrant , Earth and Humanity , the challenger Chakotay ! " " " " You haven ' t had the time to train , you ' re not ready ! If you fight now , you ' ll be destroyed ! " " " " Why are they after me ? " " " " Because you have the gene ! " " " " The crazy gene ? ! " " " " Yes , the ' crazy gene ' . " " " " Who am I to dispute logic ? " " Links and references . References . A ; Alpha Quadrant ; auditory nerve ; bear - baiting ; boxer ; boxing ; boxing ring ; carotid artery ; centimeter ; cerebellum ; Chakotay ' s grandfather ; " Chakotay Training Program 15 - Beta " ; chaos entity ; chaotic space ; chaotic space hulk ; chronic traumatic encephalopathy ; cognitive disorder ; corner man ; deflector dish ; Delta Quadrant ; Delta Quadrant Boxing Commission ; dementia puglistica ; dimensional gradient ; duet ; Earth ; edema ; exogenetics ; Federation ; first contact ; frontal cortex ; ganglia ; gravitational coefficient ; graviton shear ; gul ; hairline fracture ; hallucination ; headache ; hertz ; holodeck ; ion storm ; isolinear frequency ; ; kilometer ; logic ; MacAlister ; Marquess of Queensberry Rules ; Mars ; microfracture ; Milky Way Galaxy ; nasal bone ; nucleotide resonance frequency ; Orion III ; poster ; senior year ; Sharr ; shear force ; spatial sinkhole ; Starfleet Academy ; stationary beacon ; subspace flux ; ; Terrellian boxer ; ; trophy ; trunks ; Tulet ; vision quest ; visual cortex