Universe : |
Prime Timeline |
Location of Event : |
USS Voyager [1] |
Year : |
2171, 2173, 2176 [1] |
Nature of Event : |
Past incursion [1] |
Shortly after Voyager's arrival in the Delta Quadrant the ship picked up a number of new crewmembers. Most were Maquis crew from Chakotay's ship, destroyed in combat with the Kazon, but the ship also acquired two Delta Quadrant natives; the Talaxian Neelix and the Ocampa Kes. [2] The Ocampa are primarily notable for their short lifespans - most live only eight years, although some have lived as long as fourteen - and for their impressive mental abilities. The precise extent of these powers is unclear. Many Ocampa are capable of telepathy, but on their home world rumours persisted of far more profound abilities. [2] With the assistance of Tanis, Kes was able to display a powerful ability to directly sense and even manipulate matter at scales ranging from the macro down to the subatomic. [3] She proved able to destroy matter, and under the control of Tieran showed an ability to inflict extreme pain on others at will. [4]
When Voyager encountered species 8472 in 2373 Kes began to have prescient visions, and was able to sense some elements of the thoughts of at least one member of this species. [5] Although this helped Captain Janeway to deal with the confrontation successfully, Kes herself underwent significant stress as a result of the encounter. [6] In the aftermath, she found her mental abilities rapidly increasing as a result of the hyperstimulation of her brain. The serotonin levels in the telepathic centres of her brain rose to more than 62% above normal, allowing her to demonstrate greatly increased telekinesis. Lieutenant Commander Tuvok tried to help Kes to control her new abilities through a series of guided meditations, but despite his help her rapidly increasing powers resulted in both damage to Voyager and injury to those on board. Fearing that she was a danger to the ship, Kes took a shuttle and left. Her atomic structure destabilised and she vanished in a massive flare of energy - but as a parting gift she threw Voyager some ten thousand light years across space, well clear of an area of Borg territory which they had been in. [7]
Kes returned to Voyager in 2376, transporting aboard from a small shuttle. She launched an unprovoked attack on the ship, using her powers to smash her way through to engineering. She drained power from the ship's warp core, using it to throw herself back in time to 2371. Disguising herself as the Kes of that time, she incapacitated her younger self and covertly contacted the Vidiians. Kes offered to reveal tactical data on Voyager's shields and weapons in return for safe passage back to the Ocampa home world for both versions of herself. She had become severely disenchanted with her life after leaving Voyager, and blamed Captain Janeway for taking her away from the Ocampa home world and encouraging her to explore her potential. She hoped that by interfering with the past she could return her earlier self home and avoid her ultimate fate. [1]
Fortunately for Voyager Kes's return to 2371 had created tachyon emissions which affected Lieutenant Commander Tuvok, causing him to experience momentary visions of future events. Captain Janeway was able to confirm the veracity of these visions and prove that Kes was the cause. She confronted Kes and used a phaser to incapacitate her. With knowledge of Kes's future, Janeway had the younger Kes record a message for her future self explaining that she followed her own conscience in joining the ship and that the Voyager crew were not to blame. Janeway played the message to the future Kes when she returned to the ship in 2376. Realising the truth of the message the future Kes abandoned her attempt to travel back in time, and decided to simply return to her home world to live out the rest of her life. [1]
Colour key
References