Introduction

“Spirit Folk” is the 137th episode of the American science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager airing on the UPN network. It is the 17th episode of the sixth season.

In this instalment, the crew go on an adventure in the holodeck, but things go bad.

Some of the music in this episode by Jay Chattaway was nominated for an Emmy.

This story arc is begun in the previous Season Six episode of “Fair Haven” (S06E11), the other Voyager episode featuring the town.

Outline

The crew continues to enjoy the Fair Haven holodeck programme. After Lt. Tom Paris’s suggestion, the holoprogram is set to run continuously, but over time, the strain put on the holotechnology begins to cause problems.

The hologram characters gradually realise that the visitors can change their world at will (normally, holograms’ programming makes them oblivious to non-in-world aspects). Frightened, the villagers begin to suspect that the crew are spirit folk that have come to destroy Fair Haven.

Captain Janeway manages to elude her companion, Michael the barkeeper, but nevertheless asks Tom and Ensign Harry Kim to figure out the problem with the Fair Haven programme. The two establish that the subroutines that make holograms unaware of anything outside their programme have malfunctioned due to prolonged operation.

When Tom and Harry enter the programme to repair it, they are captured and held hostage by the holograms, who try to make Tom and Harry spill secrets about the spirit folks.

The Doctor (who plays the role of a village priest) enters the holodeck using his mobile emitter (to avoid being influenced by the damaged holoprogram) but it is confiscated and he is held captive with Tom and Harry. Michael, determined to find “Katie” (Janeway), puts the emitter on. Janeway, thinking that it is the Doctor, orders him transported to the bridge.

Janeway can no longer (completely) deceive Michael. She explains that her crew are on a spaceship and on a long journey. They enjoy the occasional visit to peaceful Fair Haven. They afterwards reenter the holodeck and convince the other characters that the crew has no hostile intentions.

Star Trek TV Series

You can find a full index of Star Trek TV series here.

Star Trek TV Series, Films, and Documentaries

You can find a full index of all Star Trek TV series, films, documentaries here.

Production & Filming Details

• Director(s): David Livingston.
• Writer(s): Bryan Fuller.
• Release Date: 23 February 2000.
• Running Time: 45 minutes.
• Country: US.
• Language: English.