Natural Law (Star Trek: Voyager)

"Natural Law"
Star Trek: Voyager episode
Episode no. Season 7
Episode 21
Directed by Terry Windell
Teleplay by James Kahn
Story by James Kahn
Kenneth Biller
Featured music Dennis McCarthy
Production code 268
Original air date May 2, 2001 (2001-05-02)
Guest appearance(s)
Episode chronology

"Natural Law" is the 168th episode of Star Trek: Voyager, the 21st episode of the seventh season.

Plot

While traveling in a shuttle to the planet Ledos for a conference on Warp Field Dynamics, Chakotay and Seven of Nine take a small scenic detour to admire the natural landscape. There they find themselves unintentionally scraping an ancient energy barrier that begins to break the shuttle apart. Seven manages to blast a temporary hole in the barrier. The shuttle falls through but still threatens to break apart. Moments before it explodes, the two beam to the surface.

They find themselves in a lush jungle. In spite of Chakotay's leg injury, they decide to search for the shuttle's debris in hopes of constructing a distress beacon.

While searching, they encounter a tribe of primitive humanoids called the Ventu living in the jungle. Because of the Prime Directive, Chakotay and Seven agree to limit their contact with them as much as possible.

While in contact with the Ledos authorities, Paris performs an illegal flying maneuver within Ledos space. Despite his years of training as a pilot, the Ledos authorities insist he undergo one-on-one flight training to teach him how to fly safely. Janeway agrees to this, partly as a way to maintain good relations.

Seven is forced to proceed alone as Chakotay is too injured to continue. Seven herself becomes lost and loses her tricorder down a small but deep hole.

As Chakotay rests from his injury, he is found by three Ventu and taken to their camp, where they begin healing his injuries. He begins to communicate with them and becomes impressed with their hospitality and culture. Out of necessity, Seven must affect their culture also, in order to watch out for Chakotay. The primitives come to emulate the two, even copying Chakotay's facial tattoos. One copies Seven's implants with debris taken from the shuttle.

Chakotay and Seven eventually disable the ancient energy barrier, mainly using the front section of the shuttlecraft. Voyager learns the barrier was erected by an alien species to separate the peoples of Ledos, protecting the Ventu from invasion and colonization. These aliens were eventually assimilated by the Borg (which is why Seven had the knowledge needed to penetrate the field during the crash). The shield going down opens up the primitive inhabitants to outsiders. The Ledos authorities promise Voyager the Ventu would be free of corruption, but they are convicned this is not true. Paris, despite the protests of his flight instructor, uses dramatic and skillful piloting to help reestablish the barrier, freeing the Ventu from any more cultural contamination by the outside world.

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