Temporal Mechanics 101 (episode)

Although separated by decades, the Infinity and the Voyager crews band together to save Gwyn's life. A mysterious messenger reaches out to Gwyn.
== Summary ==
=== Act One ===
Murf stands amongst a swirling hologram, seemingly babbling to himself. Rok-Tahk finds him and demands to know what Murf is doing there by himself, before being interrupted by Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway paging her to the 's bridge. As Rok leaves, the reflection of a humanoid figure is visible in Murf's eye, someone whom Murf has secretly been meeting with.
On the bridge, Commander Tysess warns Janeway that the wormhole is destabilizing. Tysess has lost all contact and something has gone very wrong. The tachyon readings suggest that the timeline was altered in a pattern that Tysess has never seen, leading him to wonder why they're still here if history changed. Janeway suggests that the temporal shielding on the – which is designed to resist temporal paradoxes in the wormhole – is preserving their reality for now. However, that will only delay the inevitable and they're in uncharted territory either way. Tysess has been trying to contact the Infinity, but there's too much interference to establish a connection. Tysess suggests that they could try another probe, but its shielding is too weak unless they can find a way to compensate. Rok suggests they could boost the signal to stabilize the gravitational effects which should last long enough to carry at least a basic message. Janeway agrees to the suggestion and assigns Rok and Tysess to do it together.
On 2436 Solum, two Vau N'Akat guards watch the wormhole in the sky, and one argues that the is gone and the odds of finding their weapon in that time anomaly are a hundred to one. The other guard removes his helmet, revealing himself to be the Diviner, and says that they will send a hundred ships then. For now, they will search for the escaped prisoners.
Watching through binoculars from outside of the crashed Infinity, Dal R'El warns the others that the Vau N'Akat have started the search party. However, Jankom Pog tells Dal that the ship isn't even close to flying and complaining won't fix their broken plasma injectors. Jankom politely asks for more time, which Dal says is what got them into this mess in the first place. However, Maj'el tells Dal that it was because of him that they arrived here too early, with Zero adding that losing the Protostar has caused the timeline to be altered and they have no idea what else changed. Frustrated, Dal tells his friends that he knows, and they need to fix this.
The Infinity is hailed by Janeway and Maj'el reveals that, due to Dal's and the others' reckless actions, they lost both Chakotay and the Protostar in the wormhole. Despite being visibly devastated by the news that they've lost the chance to save her old friend, Janeway decides to deal with that later. Janeway warns the Infinity crew that their actions may have had more disturbing consequences than they know. Tysess reveals that they lost contact with Gwyn's diplomatic ship, the Sacagawea, shortly after the Infinitys departure, and they fear that this could be the first sign of a temporal paradox. Dal is horrified by the idea that their actions might've caused Gwyn to be erased from existence, but the two ships lose the connection before Voyager can tell them anything more.
Suddenly, the lights in the ship start flickering and the console displays a message reading "Save Gwyn", and coordinates leading to somewhere on this planet. Dal asks if this message is coming from Voyager, to which the mysterious entity replies that it's not. Zero wonders who sent the message if it wasn't from Voyager, but Dal doesn't care and orders Jankom to fix the ship while the rest of them go to the coordinates. If Gwyn needs help, then they're going to help her even though Gwyn is fifty-two years in the past and the crew doesn't understand how they're supposed to do it.
In the present, Gwyn continues to lay in the cavern, when she's suddenly thrust into a vision of space with a glowing spiral shape in front of her. The mysterious orb that had previously contacted Voyager calls out to Gwyn from the spiral, telling her to stay present, this isn't her time and "you need to be together." Gwyn awakens in the cavern where she continues to phase in and out, as Ilthuran descends to help his daughter. Gwyn apologizes for failing him, referring to Ilthuran as the Diviner, and phases through his hands as Gwyn's condition worsens. Ilthuran can't get her out, but he won't leave her either.
In the future, Dal, Zero, and Maj'el follow the coordinates and Maj'el expresses concern that this could be a trap by the Vau N'Akat to flush them out. Dal accuses her of not understanding that sometimes you have to take risks to do the right thing, but Maj'el feels that as the closest thing to Starfleet officers on this mission, they can be nothing less than perfect. Fed up, Dal tells Maj'el to go back to the ship to help Jankom if she's too scared to help. Calling it even more illogical to leave Dal alone than to walk into a possible trap, Maj'el continues to follow him. The coordinates lead the group to the entrance to the cavern where Gwyn is trapped in the present. Both Maj'el and Zero notice Dal's terror at going into the deep chasm, and Zero levitates the three down.
At the bottom, now in ruins, there is no sign of Gwyn at first. However, hearing a strange noise, Dal uses Zero as a flashlight and finds a ghostly Gwyn lying nearby in pain, confusing the group. As Dal calls out to her, Gwyn calls out for Dal and Zero in the present, confusing Ilthuran. Dal is able to sense that Gwyn is in pain, while Zero detects that her quantum signature is displaced, like Gwyn is untethered from reality and fluctuating across time itself. Maj'el notes that Gwyn is in the same chamber as them, but her existence is uncertain, "both always and never, proverbially trapped in Schrodinger's box." Dal wants to call Voyager to save her, but Maj'el warns him that Gwyn is degrading too quickly. By the time that Voyager makes it to the Delta Quadrant, it may be too late for her. Zero wonders why someone sent them the "Save Gwyn" message in the belief that the Infinity crew could help Gwyn, when they're separated from her by decades. Zero suddenly realizes that the shortest distance between them isn't space, but time, and Zero and Maj'el start geeking out over a possible solution which Zero simplifies for Dal: they need to build a time machine.
In the present, Gwyn stabilizes somewhat and asks Ilthuran if he'd heard that, explaining that she thought that she had heard her friends who sounded like they were right here. Ilthuran suggests that Gwyn needs some rest, and she guesses that he thinks that she's crazy. Ilthuran tells his daughter that he looks forward to meeting her friends, and she tells Ilthuran that a different him did meet them in a different timeline. Ilthuran asks her for more information about the alternate timeline where he's the Diviner, but Gwyn isn't sure he wants to hear about that. She explains that depending on who you asked, he was a monster, a soldier, and a tyrant, but always a father last. Ilthuran promises his daughter that he's not the Diviner, he's here now, and he's putting her first. Gwyn asks Ilthuran what he had meant earlier when he'd said that they need to be together, but a confused Ilthuran tells Gwyn that it wasn't him that said that, leaving Gwyn wondering who did.
On the Infinity, Dal tells Jankom that they've got an emergency and asks for an update on the ship's status. Jankom reveals that the warp engine relays are busted, the structural integrity is shot, and even though he has done everything by the Starfleet book, the Infinity still won't fly. Dal tells a confused Jankom that they don't need the ship to fly.
=== Act Two ===
Voyager is able to reestablish contact with the Infinity and Dal frantically tells Janeway that Gwyn is in trouble, but they're going to save her. Dal explains that it's like Gwyn is here but not, like a ghost, but The Doctor can't offer any answers without examining Gwyn. Janeway surmises that the altered timeline is already unraveling the past, pointing out that Gwyn is the only one whose very existence is tied to Tars Lamora and the Protostars presence there. Zero reveals that they hope to travel backwards in time directly to Gwyn, and Maj'el explains that while studying on Voyager, she came across a mission log where Lieutenant Worf was able to jump between quantum timelines by generating an inverse warp field siphoned from a temporal anomaly. Rok realizes that the Infinity crew is going to steal some energy from the wormhole to send their ship back in time and save Gwyn. Janeway agrees that it's worth a shot and Dal asks her to send all of the information that Voyager has on Temporal Mechanics 101:
:"So, you have questions about time travel? Well, you've come to the right place. I'm Starfleet's science officer, Dr. Erin, and I'll be your instructor for today. Don't worry. We'll get through this in no time. Chapter one. The simplest way to understand time travel is to think of events like a series of dominoes. These dominoes represent time as we know it. Some events are bigger than others, and altering the past is a little like – uh oh – removing one. The most important part is, you have to make sure these big events still happen so the rest of the timeline proceeds normally, which means – boop – sometimes you may need to give history a little nudge. Chapter five, so you want to build a time machine. You sure about that? Personally, I wouldn't recommend it. But, if you have to, let's look at your options: slingshot around the sun, get on the wrong side of a Q, but your best bet is a classic interspatial flexure, in other words, a wormhole. Finally, chapter fifteen. Quantum realities are a whole other mess, so please try to avoid them. In conclusion, don't screw up time if you don't have to, kids. It will give you a headache every time."
Dal watches Temporal Mechanics 101 as a reference guide while the Infinitys crew rebuilds their starship into a makeshift timeship, attaching large energy collectors to the ship and lowering it on cables into the cavern where Gwyn is located. As s locate the ship, a pleased Jankom reports that the warp drive is online and the ton inverter is inverting and they may have actually pulled this off. Zero warns the others that they should hurry because they've got company. The Infinity draws power from the wormhole and, with energy levels optimal, Dal orders them to begin. The ship generates an inverse warp field, and it appears to be working, only to have the field fizzle out and the ship fall to the ground. As Watchers fall on the ship and begin cutting into it, Jankom finally loses his cool and resorts to banging on the console. Much to Jankom's amazement, his percussive maintenance works and the ship powers up again. As a Watcher breaks through the front window and nearly kills Dal, the Infinity begins to time travel, causing time to reverse inside of its warp field, sending the Watchers off the ship and fixing the broken window. The Infinity disappears through time with a flash of light that reaches the surface, where it's witnessed by the Diviner.
=== Act Three ===
The Infinity lands in the cavern in the present, where Gwyn and her friends reunite. Although they're freaked out to see Ilthuran, whom they recognize as the Diviner, Gwyn reassures the others that her father is on their side. Ilthuran is amazed to meet intelligent life from other worlds, and he backs off so the crew can tend to Gwyn. Zero explains that they received a mysterious message from someone, and Gwyn reveals that she thinks that she heard them too. Zero wonders how that's possible, and Dal explains to Ilthuran that Gwyn's condition is because they had accidentally altered the timeline, leaving Gwyn caught between quantum realities in a superposition where she both does and doesn't exist, something that Dal learned from reading Temporal Mechanics 101.
Zero uses a chronotonic hypospray to stabilize Gwyn long enough to move her, but Jankom tells Dal that the Infinity can't fly: they salvaged every part of the ship in order to turn it into a time machine. As Jankom explains the numerous problems keeping them from flying the ship, the Infinity powers up and lifts off, mysteriously repaired, which Zero calls another gift from their mysterious benefactor. The ship lands, and although it's all completely illogical as Maj'el points out, Dal doesn't care. Ilthuran tells his daughter that after searching for so long for purpose in the stars, she has finally given him one. Ilthuran wishes that they had more time together, and Gwyn, thanking her father for not leaving her, promises to come back, and that Ilthuran can write his own future. Ilthuran promises to do what he can on Solum and hopes to see his daughter again, asking Gwyn's friends to take care of her.
In the council chambers, Asencia tells Kathon and Borom that there are enemies amongst them and above them, and the Vau N'Akat must militarize for an uncertain future. The three spot the Infinity launching into space in the distance and, immediately grasping the implications, Asencia uses it as proof of enemies amongst their people. Ilthuran climbs out of the cavern in time to see the ship jump to warp.
Onboard the Infinity, Dal holds Gwyn and encourages her to hang on a bit longer, but Gwyn is devastated by her inability to save Solum. Dal promises Gwyn that there's always time and once they get her better, Gwyn will go back to being the Queen of Solum. On the bridge, Maj'el tells Zero that while this interlude has been unusual, Zero is the most logical in their band of misfits; this flusters Zero, who has trouble finding a response. Jankom reports that engines and shields are working great, and compliments the work of their magic mystery friend. Voyager hails the Infinity and Janeway welcomes the crew back to their century. Dal reports that they have Gwyn, but they're losing her, and Janeway has them set course for a rendezvous. Rok reassures her friends that they'll figure this out when they're back together. In her sleep, Gwyn mutters what the entity told her about how they need to be together.
Gwyn awakens on Voyager where Dal apologizes to Janeway for their failure to save Chakotay, but she tells him that they'll discuss it later since Gwyn is what matters right now. The Doctor explains that Gwyn was bouncing between quantum timelines, so he had to improvise a bit and use a phase discriminator to build her a temporal stabilizer in the form of an armband, which Gwyn is now wearing. While it's not a permanent solution, at least Gwyn is still here. It was a miracle that the Infinity crew got Gwyn back when they did, but they still have no clue who sent them that message to save her, or who fixed the ship. Gwyn is sure that whoever it is, they're trying to help them, and for some reason they're going through a lot of trouble to bring everyone together. Rok suddenly notices that Murf is missing from the gathering.
Elsewhere on the ship, Murf is meeting with the humanoid figure once again, who is revealed to be the mysterious entity that has been helping them. The entity is surrounded by purple energy and is only partially visible. "Finally, you're all here, but I don't have much time. They're coming for me. Good luck," it tells Murf, and then vanishes.
== Memorable quotes ==
"The Protostar is gone. The odds of finding our weapon in that time anomaly are a hundred to one."
"Then we send a hundred ships. For now, find the escaped prisoners."
:- A Vau N'Akat guard and the Diviner
"Gwyn."
"Who's there?"
"Stay present. This isn't your time. You need to be together."
:- Gwyn, contacted by the mysterious Orb entity
"This excursion is illogical. This may be a trap. The Vau N'Akat could be trying to flush us out."
"Well, sometimes doing the right thing means taking risks. I doubt you'd ever understand that."
"No, you do not understand. We are the closest thing to Starfleet officers on this mission, and we can be nothing less than perfect."
"Oh, whatever. If you're too scared, you can go play Starfleet and help Mr. Polite fix the ship."
"While I maintain this is all highly illogical, it is even more illogical to leave you alone."
:- Maj'el and Dal, arguing
"I sense your hesitance. It is never too late to abandon a bad idea."
"Pfft, hesitant? me?"
"Still odd. You laugh, but your mind is reeling in abject terror."
"You really gotta stop doing that."
:- Maj'el, Dal, and Zero
"Could somebody translate the nerd-speak, please?"
"It's simple. We need to build a time machine."
:- Dal having Zero explain their crazy plan for saving Gwyn
"Janeway, Gwyn's in trouble! But don't worry. We're gonna save her."
"You've made contact with her? How?"
"We're not sure, but it's like she's here, but she's not. Like a ghost."
"I'd have to examine her. I'm a doctor, not an exorcist."
:- Dal, Janeway, and The Doctor
"Jankom did everything right. Uh, Jankom did everything by the manual. Jankom stayed calm, didn't argue. Now Jankom doesn't know if he can fix anything! Everything is falling apart! Why won't you work?!" (hits the console and the ship powers up) "Aha! Ha! Percussive maintenance! Jankom is back, baby!"
:- Jankom finally loses his cool and discovers his favorite method of maintenance works
"We accidentally altered the timeline. Now she's caught between quantum realities, a superposition where she both exists and doesn't. What? Haven't you read Temporal Mechanics 101?"
:- Dal, having finally read Temporal Mechanics 101, explaining Gwyn's condition
"Will she fly?"
"Uh, fly? You told Jankom you didn't need it to fly! We salvaged every part of that ship. The circuits are totally fried. We've got no clue how to reroute the power. There's no way that trash heap is gonna get off the ground, and Jankom is all out of miracles! Uh, what is happening?"
"Another gift from our mysterious benefactor."
"Coulda done that earlier."
:- Dal, Jankom, and Zero, as their supposedly broken ship suddenly takes off
"Finally, you're all here, but I don't have much time. They're coming for me. Good luck."
:- The mysterious entity, to Murf
== Background information ==
=== Releases ===
* Like the rest of the second season, it was first released on France.tv (a French public television's streaming service) as well as on AppleTV+ France on 22 March 2024, well in advance of the Netflix release in the United States.
== Links and references ==
=== Cast ===
* Rylee Alazraqui as Rok-Tahk
* Dee Bradley Baker as
** Murf
** Vau N'akat Scientist
* Brett Gray as Dal R'El
* Angus Imrie as Zero
* Ella Purnell as Gwyn
* Jason Mantzoukas as Jankom Pog
;And
* Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Janeway
* John Noble as
** Ilthuran
** The Diviner
* Robert Picardo as The Doctor
* Jameela Jamil as Asencia
* Michaela Dietz as Maj'el
* Daveed Diggs as Commander Tysess
* as Dr. Erin Macdonald
=== References ===
alternate timeline; Delta Quadrant; exorcist; gravitational slingshot; ; Janeway wormhole; living construct; percussive maintenance; plasma injector; ; Q Continuum; quantum reality; quantum signature; Sacagawea; Temporal Mechanics 101; ton inverter; Solum; science officer; structural integrity; temporal stabilizer; temporal paradox; timeship; time travel; Vau N'Akat; ; warp drive; warp engine relay; ; wormhole
=== Video ===
dominoes
==== Meta references ====
I'm a doctor, not a...
=== External links ===
* 
* 
Category:PRO episodes
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