Is There in Beauty No Truth? (episode)

The crew detours to a colony of non-corporeal entities, who offer Zero an opportunity to obtain a physical body. Janeway discovers Dal's real intentions.
== Summary ==
=== Act One ===
A week after the events at the Kazon training facility, the travels through space as the crew search for the missing Chakotay and the . Jankom Pog attempts to repair Zero's containment suit, but it proves to be damaged beyond repair and the Infinitys limited supplies keep him from even being able to give Zero a rudimentary set of replacement limbs.
As Zero works on their personal log, they suddenly receive a telepathic message. As Gwyn joins Zero, they reveal that it's another Medusan calling out to Zero and claiming to be able to help them. Zero explains that the Medusan lives on a colony for non-corporeal lifeforms, including Paxans, Medusans and Calamarains and the Medusan has assured Zero that they can replace Zero's containment suit. While Zero couldn't read the Medusan's thoughts, they sensed no ill intentions. Zero was given coordinates that are not too far away and told that the choice is theirs. Dal R'El reminds his friends that they need to find the Protostar and Zero tells the others not to worry about them as the mission comes first. However, Gwyn states out that Zero just sacrificed themselves for the good of others and they still won't ask for the help that they need, so Gwyn and the Protostar can wait. The others agree with Gwyn, and Dal concedes to head for the coordinates that Zero had received.
The Infinity drops out of warp at a ringed terrestrial planet and lands outside of a large village. The crew emerges wearing protective sunglasses and are greeted by a group of humanoids led by who reassures them that they can remove their sunglasses. Ion introduces themself and welcomes the Infinity crew to Ovidia IV. Dal is confused as they were expecting a colony of non-corporeal beings, but Ion reassures him that they are. Ion explains that energy-based lifeforms from all over the galaxy have flocked to this planet for its unique ability to foster their physical forms. The excited Zero recognizes Ion as the Medusan who had contacted them, commenting that they have never met a Medusan like Ion before. Ion tells Zero that they have come at no greater time as the colony is about to celebrate the Feast of Senses while two of Ion's companions display their ability to experience sensation by smelling Jankom's pungent odor.
Entering one of the structures, Ion explains that they were lost like Zero, until another non-corporeal invited Ion to Ovidia IV, as that non-corporeal was invited before them. The planetary rings decay into the atmosphere, providing healing nutrients that the Ovidians' physical bodies utilize. Rok-Tahk excitedly studies a holographic display of the unique hydrocarbon chains involved, literally the physical building blocks of life. Zero marvels at how the Ovidians create organic bodies by converting energy into matter, and Ion tells Zero that they neither utilize nor need anything as rudimentary as Zero's containment suit for their organic bodies; being able to truly see and feel are far more rewarding.
Zero asks if this same transfiguration could be done for them, and Ion confirms that it can be if that's what Zero wants to do. Zero admits that they've always had an uncertainty and emptiness within themselves, a yearning to experience life, to touch and feel as corporeal beings do, and it might be what they've been missing. Rok voices her support for the idea, and Zero decides to undergo the transformation into a corporeal being, causing the Infinity crew to cheer. Ion promises to take good care of Zero while the others rest from their long journey. The Ovidians place Zero into a pod to begin the transformation and Ion promises Zero that they will feel everything. One of the other Ovidians objects that Ion didn't tell Zero everything, but Ion states that they gave Zero the choice, nothing more, and the truth will come.
On the , Nova Squadron and the Infinity crew's holographic duplicates, aside from , play parrises squares on the holodeck, with the holo-duplicates winning thanks to . Due to the glitch causing the holo-duplicates to have switched personalities and voices, is more violent and competitive than the real Rok, speaks like , and has Rok's enthusiasm.
Maj'el addresses an unseen audience, asking if they've seen enough, and Vice Admiral Kathryn Janeway has the holoprogram deactivated, having been secretly observing with The Doctor and Commander Tysess. Janeway recognizes that the crew's behavior is unusual, thanking and dismissing Maj'el and Nova Squadron. In Dal's voice, Hologram Zero asks if this was all a setup and The Doctor notes that the crew's life signs read as completely normal, but their personalities seem to be interchanged. Tysess suggests a virus or a Vulcan mind meld gone wrong as possible explanations, and Hologram Dal compares the mystery to The Doctor's holonovel Love in the Time of Holograms. Excited, The Doctor asks which part, before realizing with horror that it's the part where Rodrigo creates holo-duplicates of himself in order to evade detection. Janeway has the computer deactivate all holograms in the room aside from The Doctor, causing the holo-duplicates to disappear.
The Doctor is shocked that the crew had created imposters with fake life sign subroutines to fool his sensors, complaining that he has been "betrayed by my own brilliant storylines." Tysess reports that the holograms were the crew's only biosignatures on Voyager and Gwyn, who wasn't on the holodeck, last displayed a biosignature two days ago. Janeway insists that the crew couldn't have left the ship as all of Voyagers shuttles are accounted for, but Tysess points out that the Infinity -- which they had assumed to be destroyed -- is unaccounted for. Janeway orders Tysess to reverse course, get a lock on the Infinitys warp trail and to find Hologram Gwyn for answers.
=== Act Two ===
Zero, now in a corporeal body similar to the Ovidians, awakens in the pod on Ovidia IV. Zero marvels at being able to touch for the first time, taking a moment to get used to walking and talking. Zero is awed at being able to feel for the very first time and their friends are awed at Zero's transformation and enfold Zero into a group hug. Zero finds the new sensations to be glorious and strangely delightful, and Ion informs them that Zero can experience more at the Feast of Senses.
At the feast, the Ovidians enjoy a wide variety of food, play musical instruments, dance, and enjoy the sensations that come with having corporeal forms. Jankom quickly begins eating various things while Zero tries out various foods, enjoying the sense of taste for the very first time while their friends watch. A group of Ovidians invite Zero to dance with them which Zero accepts with Dal's encouragement. Jankom joins in as well, quickly followed by Rok and Murf. Dal and Gwyn awkwardly decide to get something to eat rather than joining in on the dancing. The two watch their friends having fun, and Dal thanks Gwyn for speaking up for Zero as Dal sometimes gets so focused on where he thinks that they need to be that Dal forgets to stop and take a breath and enjoy himself. Seeing Gwyn grow pensive, Dal takes her hand and promises Gwyn that they'll make things right, but Gwyn isn't so sure. At first enjoying his drink, Dal quickly changes his mind when Ion identifies it as the stomach juices of the villar hog, much to Gwyn's amusement.
Gwyn thanks Ion as this means a lot to their friend and Dal asks about the flower crown that a number of Ovidians are donning. Ion explains that the Ovidians are preparing for the Running of the Nazamon which is a celebration of the forgotten sense: fear. Ion explains that fear, the feeling of mortality and that life is fleeting, is the sense that makes their corporeal bodies feel the most alive. The Running of the Nazamon is the pinnacle of the Feast of Senses and every non-corporeal that survives the Running feels one with their bodies. As the corporeal bodies deteriorate if they leave Ovidia IV, no one ever chooses to leave this planet. Dal and Gwyn are alarmed by this news and the implications that it has for their friend.
=== Act Three ===
Dal and Gwyn search for their friend in order to warn Zero before the Running of the Nazamon starts, but they have a hard time finding Zero with their friends having lost track of Zero as well. Ion announces that it's time for the Running of the Nazamon to start and Dal reveals to the others that Zero is in danger and they may lose their friend forever.
In the field outside, the Ovidians prepare for the race and one of the Ovidians explains to Zero that the flower crown is to attract the nazamon. Zero is alarmed to learn that some beings don't survive, and the others move through the crowd looking for their friend, finally finding them. The nazamon appears in the clouds nearby, and Zero and the Ovidians start running towards it. Dal decides that he and the others have to go in as well as it won't matter if Zero stays on the planet or goes with them if Zero doesn't survive this. The Ovidians deliberately draw the attention of the nazamon which proves to be a massive four-winged avian creature. Zero enjoys feeling their heart beating with fear and an Ovidian orders Zero to run faster or they will spend eternity in the nazamon's belly. Catching up with Zero in between attack runs by the nazamon, Dal and Gwyn reveal what Ion had told them about how no one ever leaves this planet because their organic bodies deteriorate once they leave Ovidia IV. If the Ovidians survive the race, they don't want to give up their senses. Zero is touched that their friends risked their lives to tell them, and Gwyn tells Zero that Ion wasn't wrong, and the choice is Zero's, but they have a right to know everything before they make it.
Suddenly, Dal gets snatched up by the nazamon and Zero manages to jump into its mouth with him. The two hang onto the opening as the nazamon flies high into the sky above the clouds, giving Dal and Zero a beautiful view that they enjoy. Seeing that it's not coming down, the others use the flowers to draw the nazamon back, giving Dal and Zero the chance to climb up on its back and tumble safely to the ground as it approaches. Dal asks Zero what happens next now that they've survived the nazamon. Zero decides that they'll figure out what comes next once they've crossed the finish line and Zero's friends all join them to do it together.
In the village, Zero tells Ion that they're grateful for the experience and transformed by it. Zero doesn't want to leave as to lose their new senses would be heartbreaking, something that's ironic because Zero didn't have a heart before. However, Zero has friends who would risk their own lives simply to clarify a choice that was, for some reason, kept from them. Ion explains that Zero had to experience it before Zero knew what they could lose. However, Zero tells Ion that their life is their own to decide and in a way Ion has helped Zero come to their senses. Zero now knows that their place is with their friends, not the Ovidians. The Infinity crew shares another group hug, and Zero declares that "perhaps my body will degrade, and my senses will dull. Or maybe this is the first step in a journey of self-discovery and unknown possibility. Either way, I'll take it with those most important to me -- my family." Ion calls it a noble choice and is proud to have met Zero, a sentiment that Zero returns and they thank Ion for everything. As the Ovidians wave, the Infinity launches into space to continue its search for Chakotay and the Protostar.
On Voyager, The Doctor has tracked down Hologram Gwyn and reconstructed her program with the appropriate personality restored. The Doctor shows Janeway security footage of Hologram Gwyn vanishing after she enters her quarters and reveals that he has found a gap of roughly eight minutes missing in the ship's logs shortly before Gwyn's program went offline. The Doctor has Hologram Gwyn unfrozen and Janeway reveals that they know that she's a hologram and they fear that the real Gwyn could be in danger with Tysess adding that they are also aware that the real crew had taken the Infinity. Hologram Gwyn explains that they had to as the crew had received a secret message from what they think was Captain Chakotay. The Doctor asks about Hologram Gwyn's disappearance and her simulated vital signs begin to spike as Hologram Gwyn remembers the attack, the awful sounds that she had heard right before it and that she couldn't move like time had stopped. Hologram Gwyn reveals that "they" were there to take her, but becomes increasingly distressed and panicked as she remembers more and more of the attack, begging to be let go. At Janeway's nod, The Doctor has the computer deactivate Hologram Gwyn.
Maj'el surmises that Hologram Gwyn was lost in a terrible memory which is what Janeway is afraid of. "I don't know who or what is after them, but if we don't find them first, we may lose more than just eight minutes," declares Janeway.
== Log entries ==
"Personal log, stardate 61884.1. It's been a week since I've had a bit of an accident. The rest of the crew is steadfast in finding Chakotay and our lost Protostar. I suppose the timeline won't correct itself. They've attempted to fix my suit, but apparently, its intricate circuitry is melted beyond repair... and our small ship is short on parts. I fear I'm a burden, but I do what I can -- keep watch one day, a funny quip the next."
== Memorable quotes ==
"Welcome, friends. My name is Ion, and this is Ovidia IV."
"Uh, thanks, but there must be some sort of mix up. We thought this was a colony of non-corporeals."
"I assure you, we are. Energy-based lifeforms from across our galaxy have all flocked to this planet for its unique ability to foster our physical forms."
:- Ion and Dal as the Infinity arrives at the colony
"Non-corporeals with living bodies? You're who I spoke with. I've never met a Medusan like you."
"You must be Zero, the curious one. You have come at no greater time, for tonight we celebrate the Feast of Senses."
:- Zero and Ion
"This transfiguration, could you do the same for me?"
"If that is what you would like, it is your decision to make."
"I've always had this uncertainty and emptiness within, yearning to experience life, to touch and feel as you do. It might be what I've been missing."
"Well, I think this is super cool, scientifically and personally. Biotransference? I mean, come on!"
"Well then, I'll do it."
:- Zero, Ion, and Rok discuss Zero undergoing the transformation
"Will I feel anything?"
"You will feel everything."
:- Zero and Ion as Zero begins the transformation
"You did not tell them everything."
"I gave them the choice, nothing more. The truth will come."
:- Ovidian and Ion
"Ooh, a mystery. I love mysteries. It reminds me of your holonovel."
"Oh? Which part? When Velencia is torn between lovers, or when Rodrigo created holo-duplicates of himself to evade detection? Oh, no. Oh, no."
"Computer, turn off all holo-emitters in this room, save for The Doctor. Admiral override."
"I can't believe this. They created imposters with fake life sign subroutines to fool my sensors. I've been betrayed by my own brilliant storylines!"
:- Hologram Dal, The Doctor, and Janeway
"Zero looks so happy."
"They do. Thanks for speaking up for Zero. Sometimes, I get so focused on where I think we need to be, I forget to stop and take a breath -- or take a sip of whatever this is, which is possibly the greatest thing I have ever tasted! We'll make things right."
"Will we?"
"We have to."
:- Gwyn and Dal enjoy themselves before things take on a more serious turn
"What is in this drink? 'Cause I gotta get me another one."
"Mm, stomach juices of the villar hog."
"You know what? It is so filling."
:- Dal enjoys an exotic drink until Ion reveals the contents
"What's the deal with the crown?"
"They're preparing for the Running of the Nazamon, a celebration of the forgotten sense."
"Uh, sight, sound, smell, touch, taste -- what are we forgetting?"
"Fear."
"What do you mean, fear?"
"The feeling of mortality, that life is fleeting. Of all the senses, it is the one that makes our corporeal bodies feel most alive."
"You're scaring us, Ion. Just what exactly happens during this running of the whatevers?"
"It's the pinnacle of the Feast. If they survive the Running, every non-corporeal feels one with their body, and since our physical forms deteriorate if we leave Ovidia IV, no one ever chooses to leave this planet."
:- Dal, Ion, and Gwyn discuss a disturbing part of the Feast of Senses
"It's haunting, captivating, but I'm so curious about what this is for."
"It's to attract the nazamon. Just try to keep up and hopefully, we'll make it to the other side."
"Some don't?"
"It's ok to be afraid. It's why we're here."
:- Zero and an Ovidian discuss the race
"Ion said that no one ever leaves this planet."
"Ion said what? What do you mean they never leave?"
"They don't want to. Your bodies degenerate if they leave Ovidia IV."
"They do?"
"If they survive the race. No one wants to give up their senses."
"You risked your lives to tell me?"
"Of course. You're Zero."
"Ion wasn't wrong. The choice is yours, but you have a right to know everything before you make it."
:- Dal, Zero and Gwyn discuss the shocking truth
"I fly starships, not nazamon. What do we do?"
"We let it follow its senses. Whoo-ha! I'm terrified! But I won't lie. This feels spectacular!"
:- Dal and Zero try to get down from the nazamon
"Zero, you've completed the Feast of Senses. How do you feel?"
"Grateful for the experience. No, transformed. I don't want to leave. To lose my senses would be heartbreaking, which is ironic because I didn't have one before. But I have friends who would risk their own simply to clarify a choice that was, for whatever reason, kept from me."
"You needed to experience it before you knew what you could lose."
"But my life is my own to decide. In a way, you've helped me to come to my senses. I know where I belong -- with them. Perhaps my body will degrade, and my senses will dull. Or maybe this is the first step in a journey of self-discovery and unknown possibility. Either way, I'll take it with those most important to me -- my family."
"A noble choice. I am proud to have met you, curious one."
"As am I. Thank you, truly."
:- Zero and Ion discuss Zero's choice
"Status report."
"The Doctor has tracked down and reconstructed the missing Gwyn hologram with the appropriate personality."
"Good. I like Murf, but his conversations can be a bit one-sided."
:- Tysess and Janeway discuss Hologram Gwyn's restoration with a bit of humor
"There's something else I came across that is deeply troubling. Shortly before her program went offline, there was a gap of roughly eight minutes missing in the ship's logs."
"Our computers can't lose minutes."
"I was hoping to ask her about that."
:- The Doctor and Janeway discuss an alarming discovery
"Gwyn, I know this may come as a shock, but we know you are a hologram. And we fear the real Gwyn could be in danger."
"We are also aware your counterparts took the Infinity."
"They had to. They received a secret message."
"A secret message? From whom?"
"We think it was... Captain Chakotay."
"And your disappearance? What do you remember of it?"
"I -- I can hear them."
"Hear what?"
"The sounds. Such awful sounds. I -- I couldn't move, like time stopped. They were there to take me."
:- Janeway, Tysess, Hologram Gwyn, and The Doctor discuss recent events
"I don't know who or what is after them, but if we don't find them first, we may lose more than just eight minutes."
:- Janeway
== Background information ==
=== Title ===
* The episode's title references the Season 3 episode, which itself took its title from a line in the poem "Jordan (I)" by 17th century English poet and clergyman George Herbert. Both episodes focus on a Medusan character with "Is There in Truth No Beauty?" being where the species was first introduced.
=== Story and script ===
=== Preproduction ===
=== Production ===
=== Postproduction ===
=== Cast and characters ===
=== Sets and props ===
=== Costumes ===
=== Soundtrack ===
=== Special effects ===
=== Continuity ===
* The non-corporeal colony is made up of many non-corporeal lifeforms, including Paxans, Medusans, and Calamarains.
=== Apocrypha ===
=== Reception ===
=== Awards ===
=== 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
* Brett Gray as
** Dal
** 
* Angus Imrie as
** Zero
** 
* Ella Purnell as
** Gwyn
** 
* Jason Mantzoukas as
** Jankom Pog
** 
;And
* Kate Mulgrew as Admiral Janeway
* Robert Picardo as The Doctor
* Daveed Diggs as Commander Tysess
* Michaela Dietz as Maj'el
* Christine Rose Schermerhorn as 
* Griffin Burns as Villager
* Valeria Rodriguez as Friendly Villager
* Kari Wahlgren as Running Villager
* Bonnie Gordon as Ship Computer
=== References ===
atmospheric entry; Calamarain; containment suit; Feast of Senses; holodeck; holo-emitter; holographic duplicate; holo-novel program; I'm a doctor, not a...; ; Loom; Love in the Time of Holograms; Medusan; nazamon; Ovidia IV; parrises squares; Paxan; percussive maintenance; planetary landing; planetary ring; ; Running of the Nazamon; temporal stabilizer; villar hog; 
==== Meta references ====
==== Unreferenced materials ====
=== External links ===
* 
* 
* 
Category:PRO episodes
de:Im Rausch der Sinne
es:Is There in Beauty No Truth?
fr:The Fast and the Curious (épisode)
pl:Is There in Beauty No Truth?