Introduction

“11:59” is the 117th episode of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager, the 23rd episode of the fifth season.

Kevin Tighe guest stars alongside a flashback version of a Janeway ancestor, and much of the plot is set in a fictional 21st century version of Earth.

Outline

Neelix becomes interested in Earth history, spurring research about an ancestor of Captain Janeway named Shannon O’Donnel who was alive at the turn of the 21st century and who Janeway believes single-handedly fought to complete the Millennium Gate tower project in 2000, and would later be part of NASA’s missions to Mars. Neelix, prompted by Janeway, proceeds to track down further information on Shannon.

Neelix and Seven of Nine discover that Janeway’s information was incorrect: Shannon was a traveller who happened to have her car break down in the small town of Portage Creek in Indiana where the Millennium Gate was to be built. Set on 27 December 2000, the plan has caused most of the business in town to leave, save for a bookstore owned by Henry Janeway, who refuses to sell the store to make way for the project. Shannon joins Henry in the opposition, and learns that if Henry refuses to sell, the project would have to be moved to a new location. The two also develop a bond during this time. Shannon is offered a job by the company if she can convince Henry to leave before the 11:59 deadline on New Year’s Eve 2000. When she tells Henry this, he asks her to leave. As she drives away, she turns around, and trying another approach to convincing Henry to sell. He eventually relents at the very last minute, selling his bookstore to allow the tower to go forward.

Captain Janeway is disappointed to learn the truth about Shannon, who was never a NASA astronaut, as Shannon was her childhood hero and the stories about her convinced her to join Starfleet. However, Neelix has provided a surprise: a gathering of the senior staff to celebrate their ancestors, and presenting Janeway with a photograph of the elderly Shannon, after she had married Henry and raised their extended family together. Janeway realises that the revelation about Shannon should not impact what she has done with her own life.

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Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): David Livingston.
• Writer(s): Brannon Braga and Joe Menosky.
• Release Date: 05 May 1999.
• Running Time: 45 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.