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while investigating the planet, Voyager gets caught |
Voyager encounters a planet which has an extremely high number of revolutions compared to other planets in the Delta Quadrant. Entering a gravometric gradient, Voyager is pulled into orbit and becomes the planet's third pole. A tachyon core has created a space-time differential. This means that one second of time on Voyager is equivalent to one day on the planet. |
a shaman prays for protection to the new god whom he addresses as ground-shaker and light-bringer |
the new star or "god", actually Voyager |
on the planet surface |
On the planet, Voyager's arrival is noted while the planet is in a prehistoric society. Voyager's presence causes periodic earth tremors, earning the star-deity the name "ground-shaker". |
As the society of the planet develops, its people especially its scientists are intrigued by the brightly shining skyship and seek ways to communicate with it, partly to try and end the earth tremors which are damaging their buildings. Voyager's crew, using a probe and collecting telemetry, observe the growth of the planet's society, from prehistoric times through its industrial age and into its space age. The planet's inhabitants develop through from its primitives worshipping the new 'star' as a god, to questioning such beliefs and a ruler of a Protectorate aiming a balloon at the skyship with a message asking its ruler to stop shaking the ground, to an observatory whose astronomer is able to send a radio message to the skyship.
a cleric walks to meet his ruler, titled Protector, to write down his message |
the balloon ascends, carrying the Protector's message to whoever rules the ground-shaking object in the sky |
an observatory |
view of the skyship (actually, Voyager) through the telescope |
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an astronomer and a technician; the former sends a radio message to the skyship |
certain Voyager senior staff listen to the message although by now, in the astronomer's timeframe, he has been dead for a century |
When the Voyager senior staff hear the astronomer's radio message reaching out inviting contact and requesting that the skyship refrain from shaking the planet beneath them, several officers want to make first contact. Because the planet's time differential effect can be tolerated only by the Doctor's holographic program, he is ordered to carry out a recommaissance mission to last three seconds, equivalent to three days on the planet. But a transporter problem means that he is stranded on the planet for hours. Due to the time-differential the Doctor spends three years on the planet, unsure during that time if he will ever see the crew again.
During that time the Doctor enters a committed relationship by which he sires a son called Jason. He reports the people's fascination with the skyship and about their race to reach it with a rocket, but whether that means a rocket with an astronaut or a missile he does not know.
the Doctor (whose visual parameters he has changed to blend in with the native populace) is delighted to see Janeway again after what has been three years for him |
the Doctor reports that the planet's inhabitants are racing to reach the skyship with a rocket |
When the planet enters the start of its space exploration age, two astronauts arrive on Voyager. They are puzzled that the skyship's crew seem frozen in mid-action. Reaching the Bridge, both collapse, unaware that they are suffering the effects of transition from one time speed to another.
Orbital One, carrying two crew, launches from the planet into space to reach the skyship |
the two astronauts are puzzled by the immobile skyship crewmembers whose skin is warm (so the skyship crew is definitely alive) |
the astronauts enter the skyship's Bridge; due to the time speed none of the Voyager crew can see them |
after the astronauts collapse, on making the transition to Voyager's time speed, the Voyager crew can see them |
Only the male astronaut, called Gotana-Retz, survives the transition to Voyager's time speed. He tells Janeway that a child's mobile of the skyship was the first thing he ever saw as a baby, and he prayed to the skyship as a child. He loses years of his planet's life while on Voyager, and spends enough time there to learn about ship and crew.
tea with Janeway |
the Doctor is delighted to be able to chat with Gotana-Retz whom he calls "a fellow-citizen" |
Meanwhile, in the Astrometrics Lab, Seven's scanning of the planet shows the population is developing warp technology and improving its nuclear weapons arsenal.
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| in the Astrometrics Lab, Gotana-Retz learns that his people are developing increasingly advanced and powerful weapons for use against the skyship (a large test detonation can be seen on the viewscreen) |
When his planet develops powerful enough weapons and fires anti-matter torpedoes at Voyager, Gotana-Retz elects to return to try and persuade his people to stop shooting.
Voyager's shields and defence systems are eroded as the planet fires increasingly more powerful weaponry at the Starship including a tricobalt device |
Gotana-Retz decides to return to his planet in an attempt to make them stop firing at Voyager |
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Gotana-Retz is given medication by the Doctor to protect him against the adverse effect of the transition between time speeds, returns to his planet in Orbital One. The Doctor asks him to find Jason's descendants and tell them about him, and Gotana-Retz promises to do so. |
Gotana-Retz returns to the planet in Orbital One. But when he seeks permission to land he finds that, having gone missing a long time before, he is not believed. However, after ten minutes of Voyager's time, equivalent to a year and half on the planet, two space rockets from the planet arrive and tractor Voyager out of its trapped orbit.
Gotana-Retz transports onto Voyager's Bridge. He is wearing a wrist-mounted device which his people have developed that enables him to enter their time speed without leaving his own. Janeway hopes this means that first contact can be established, but he regrets now. It seems that his people are close to joining the rest of the other civilisations capable of space warp travel, but only once they have solved the problem of the time differential. Gotana-Retz shakes Janeway's hand in farewell, saying that he feels like he is saying goodbye to an old friend. It will take Voyager two hours to carry out full engine repairs.
native rockets free Voyager from its trapped orbit |
Gotana-Retz says final farewell to Janeway and the skyship before returning to his planet |
Voyager leaves the planet on schedule, never to return. Voyager's departure is witnessed by Gotana-Retz, now an old man, who was able to predict the time of departure. He happens to be sitting near the site of the first altar to the skyship, near where the Protector's balloon was launched, and where the observatory was situated.
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| Gotana-Retz, now an old man, witnesses Voyager's departure from his planet's sky |
 | | GOTANA-RETZ TO JANEWAY: When I was a young child, the toys hanging above my crib depicted the Skyship. It's the first thing I ever remember seeing, even before my mother's face. And now I'm the only one who knows its name - Voyager. |
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