The Chute (episode)
Harry Kim and Tom Paris are found guilty and detained in a prison where a neural implant gradually drives the inmates mad.

Summary

Teaser
Many alien men crowd around a chute. Through the chute comes a disheveled Ensign Harry Kim, landing on the ground. One of the men picks him up and pushes him to another man, who in turn does the same. He gets pushed around the room, punched, and hurt when finally he gets pushed into none other than Lieutenant junior grade Tom Paris. Paris punches him and he lands on the ground.

Act One
The men ridicule Kim until Paris intervenes, demanding they give Kim over to him. He then proceeds to explain that they were imprisoned after being accused of using trilithium to bomb the Laktivia recreational facility on Akritiri, killing 47 off-duty patrollers. He claims that Kim was his partner before he confessed to the judge. The Akritiri allow Paris to have Kim and leave the two alone. Paris tells Kim that they are in a Akritirian maximum security detention facility more than three hundred meters underground with fifty other prisoners. They've been there a few days without any food or water. Kim reveals that he was interrogated during Paris' absence and that he was brought before a judge and told that Paris had confessed. Kim suggests an escape attempt but Paris insists that he hasn't seen anyone like that. Paris then explains that they are all controlled by a neural implant called "the clamp", which makes the prisoners paranoid and violent. Kim suggest taking them out but Paris informs him that he saw an Akritirian try that and it resulted in the man's death.

The only exit is a chute which the Akritirians use to send food and new prisoners into the holding area. However, it is protected by a force field which shocks anyone who touches it. Food is delivered and Kim watches on in horror as a fight breaks out resulting in the death of one Akritirian.

Act Two
"Captain's log, Stardate 50156.2 after 72 hours, Lieutenant Paris and Ensign Kim are still missing and I'm quickly losing patience with the Akritirian authorities. They continue to deny us access to the surface, and they have yet to confirm whether our crewmen were killed in the bombing."

On Voyager, Captain Kathryn Janeway inquires of Tuvok whether any updates have been found. Despite several sweeps, Tuvok has been unable to locate their life signs. Ambassador Liria of Akritiri hails them and Janeway asks for news. The ambassador informs her that they have found her crewmen, and that they're being held in the containment facilities for causing the bombing. Janeway defends her crewman but the ambassador insist that the trilithium could only have come from Voyager. He accuses Voyager of working with Open Sky, a terrorist group rumored to have off-world support. Two Akritirian ships approach and the ambassador tells her that they will be impounding Voyager and placing the entire crew under arrest. Janeway raises the shields and informs the ambassador that she will not allow her ship to be boarded. 

The two Akritirian ships attack Voyager. Janeway orders her first officer Chakotay take the helm. Chakotay maneuvers Voyager away from the ships and withdraws to regroup.

Meanwhile, in the detention facility Kim and Paris continue to work on an escape plan. Kim is starting to feel the effects of the clamp and Paris urges him to focus on other things. They confirm that the only escape is via the food tube. Paris devises a plan to short circuit the force field that protects it.

On Voyager, the senior staff meet together to discuss strategy. They decide to try and figure out how to prove Kim and Paris innocent, and search for a way that the terrorists could have found trilithium without their intervention. Lieutenant B'Elanna Torres reports that paralithium can also be converted to trilithium. She informs Janeway that paralithium is much more common because it is used to power impulse ships. 

Kim attempts to disable the force field but struggles with his clamp. Paris successfully distracts him with thoughts of a feast with delicious food. The other prisoners become suspicious and a fight breaks out. Paris is stabbed by an Akritirian and Kim fights the rest of the prisoners off with a pipe before assisting Paris. One of the prisoners comes up to the two and offers assistance. He examines the wound and states that Paris will die from blood loss or infection unless they get out.

Act Three
Kim takes Paris back to their shelter while Paris tries to make Kim continue without him. Kim refuses and they reach their shelter. During their brief absence it has been taken over by other prisoners. Kim then approaches Zio and offers to take Zio with him while he escapes in exchange for shelter, food and bandages. Zio agrees to the exchange and assist them with a warning that he will kill them if they're lying.

"Captain's log, supplemental. So far we've located three ships with paralithium plasma emissions, but none of them appears to have used explosives. We're currently in pursuit of a fourth vessel."

Voyager reviews its logs of vessels that their sensors recorded while in orbit of Akritiri and finds four that are powered by paralithium. The final one they track down is crewed by two siblings named Piri and Vel. The two refuse to allow the Voyager crew to board the ship, and Torres quickly establishes through sensor scans that these two are likely the bombers. Janeway orders the two beamed aboard and their ship tractored.

Brought aboard for questioning, Piri and Vel admit to being members of Open Sky while it is confirmed that they were responsible for the terrorist attack. Vel implores Janeway not to turn Piri over to the Akritirians, and Piri tells Janeway that they know the location of the prison where Paris and Kim are being held. Janeway refuses to use force if she doesn't have to, and decides to turn the two over to the Akritirians in exchange for Paris and Kim, but tells Tuvok to see the two get a hot meal and a bath.

Paris expresses concern over trusting Zio but Kim tells him to rest. Zio and Kim work on the force field and Zio informs him how to work with the clamp so that it doesn't drive him crazy. Zio explains that he believes the clamp is an experiment on the prisoners. Kim successfully disables the force field and climb up the chute, only to find that it leads to a hatch into space. They are not  but imprisoned on a space station; escape to the "surface" is impossible.

Act Four
Kim goes back to take care of Paris, who wakes up delirious. Kim says he made it through the chute, but doesn't say it leads to space, yet. Paris has forgotten about getting stabbed, and, when he looks down, suspects Kim briefly. He almost hits him with the pipe when he remembers. Kim insists they try to sleep.

Kim wakes up to figure out the next move, but he's frustrated. Zio tries to talk to him, but he is not in the mood. Zio is openly skeptical of any attempt, and tries to convince him it's futile. Zio even lets Kim read his manifesto, which he's never shown to anyone, but Kim slaps it away, demanding to know whether Zio will help him. Fortunately, Zio doesn't respond with violence. Kim is desperate, and tries to convince the other prisoners that they need to join together to raid the vessel that brings food and prisoners, however, they all refuse and injure him. 

Kim goes back to the shelter where Paris is resting and finds, in his delirium, that he has taken apart the device that disrupts the force field. Kim is furious and the two fight and Kim nearly kills Paris.

Act Five
Zio tells Kim that he should kill Paris because he is a drain on resources, even offering him a knife but a guilt-ridden Kim refuses. Zio then throws Kim and Paris out of his shelter, promising to kill them both himself if they don't leave.

Janeway goes back to the Akritirian border and offers to exchange the actual bombers for the immediate and unconditional release of Kim and Paris. However, Ambassador Liria refuses, saying that Kim and Paris' convictions cannot be overturned per Akritirian policy. Janeway is outraged at such a brutal policy, but Liria doesn't care believing that it serves as an effective deterrent.

Seeing that diplomatic channels will not do any good, Janeway has Vel hauled to her ready room and demands the location and shield codes of the prison making it clear she'll hand both him and Piri over to the Akritirians anyway if he doesn't comply. Vel agrees on the condition Janeway helps him release other members of Open Sky, but Janeway is not willing to negotiate and makes it clear that she has no qualms about letting him and his sister rot in prison if he doesn't help. Vel finally agrees. Janeway offers to let both of them go if they give them access to the prison. Tuvok asks Janeway how she plans to get near the prison as Voyager will likely be fired upon as soon as it crosses the Arkritirian border. Janeway tells him the rescue team won't be aboard Voyager, reminding him that Neelix's ship is still in their shuttlebay. 

Back in the prison, the prisoners are suddenly alerted to the arrival of someone coming down the chute. The prisoners crowd around, ready to "greet" the new arrivals, when Janeway comes down the chute wielding a phaser rifle. She stuns several of the prisoners as Lieutenant Tuvok comes down the chute after her. While Neelix tries to stall an approaching Akritirian ship, the two senior officers are able to locate Kim, who brings them to Paris. The four Starfleet officers make their escape, just as the Akritiri ship announces its plan to board the Talaxian vessel.

Back on Voyager, Kim, Paris, Neelix, Janeway, and The Doctor gather in sickbay at the end of The Doctor's treatment of Paris' wounds as he promises treatment that will override the clamp's effect, confirming that it was designed to encourage aggressiveness and violence among the prisoners. Paris and Kim go to dinner together and Kim, feeling guilt, tries to apologize to Paris for almost killing him. Paris stops him saying, "You want to know what l remember? Someone saying, 'This man is my friend. Nobody touches him.' I'll remember that for a long time." The two friends leave to enjoy a hearty, much-dreamed-about dinner.

Log entries
"Captain's log, stardate 50156.2. After 72 hours, Lieutenant Paris and Ensign Kim are still missing, and I'm quickly losing patience with the Akritirian authorities. They continue to deny us access to the surface, and they've yet to confirm whether our crewmen were killed in the bombing."

"Captain's log, supplemental. So far, we've located three ships with paralithium plasma emissions, but none of them appears to have produced explosives. We're currently in pursuit of a fourth vessel."

Memorable quotes 
"I'm only in the mood for good news today, ambassador."
 - Kathryn Janeway, to the Akritirian ambassador

"This man is my friend; nobody touches him."
 - Harry Kim, to prisoners about Tom Paris

"A prison without guards?"
 - Harry Kim, on the Akritirian jail

"Hey! What do you want for the dead man's boots?"
 - Zio, to Kim after Paris is stabbed in prison

"He's dead."
"I think I've lost my appetite."
 - Harry Kim, checking on a prisoner and Tom Paris

"Right now, I'm so hungry, I could eat a bowl of Neelix's leola root stew."
"Me, too. Never thought I'd say that."
 - Harry Kim and Tom Paris

"Tom, listen to me. I... I almost killed you."
"What are you saying? You're the one that kept me alive."
"I was ready to hit you with the pipe. Don't you remember?"
"You want to know what l remember? Someone saying, 'This man is my friend. Nobody touches him.' I'll remember that for a long time."
 - Harry Kim and Tom Paris

Background information

Story development
 This episode had the working titles "Playground" and "The Pit". (; Beyond the Final Frontier, p. 297)
 The episode was a left-over from the first two seasons of  and proved to be particularly problematic for teleplay writer Kenneth Biller. He explained, "It was sort of a left-over story from the Michael Piller era, and I struggled with it because it was a prison picture essentially. Michael wanted this to be an episode about Kim's humanity being tested. I thought it was basically an impossible task, because every single prison movie that has ever been successful that I can think of depends on one thing in particular, which is the passage of time. All take place over years, if not decades. Given the fact it would be impossible given the restrictions of our show to strand Paris and Kim for more than several days, it seemed therefore impossible to bring Kim to the brink." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, pp. 88-89)
 The solution that was ultimately decided upon was the addition of the clamp to the story, although this concept frustrated Ken Biller. "What we ultimately ended up doing was adding this idea of the clamp, which was this science fiction idea which would compress the passage of time. These alien captors had implanted the prisoners with neural devices that drove them a little nuts and made their violent tendencies come out. I ultimately agreed to do that, but I was very against it. It was saying, if Kim behaves violently in any way, he's under some sort of influence. It's not his essential humanity or his character that's actually responsible for this kind of behavior." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 89)
 Originally, this episode didn't include the character of Vel; his later lines of dialogue were to have been spoken by a female child, the same character which ultimately became Piri. However, the network became very uncomfortable with the prospect of a child performer therefore being required to say such lines as threatening the Voyager crew that their throats would be slit if they boarded the girl's ship. As a result, the character of her older brother, Vel, was created, giving all of the more visceral lines that the girl would have said to him. 
 The final draft of this episode's script was submitted on .

Cast and characters
 Kim actor Garrett Wang thoroughly enjoyed this episode. During production on the fourth season outing , Wang not only cited this installment as one of three examples – from each of the first three seasons – that he considered to be "a progressively higher jump for me acting-wise" (the other such episodes being  and ). He also regarded this installment to be a stand-out episode and one of the best examples of what Star Trek: Voyager could be, remarking, "Other than the fact that I was in there a lot, I really thought that it was a good showcase to see what Kim could do, what levels he could get to." () Additionally, when asked – later in Voyagers fourth season – what episode he felt best epitomized what he could do when given the opportunity, Wang instantly replied, "That would be 'The Chute.' It's the best Kim episode." ()
 Garrett Wang especially liked the story for this episode. "That was one of the most clear cut scripts that we've had," he said. "You have an arc which goes through the entire thing. You've got the fact that we are trapped in the alien prison ship and dealing with this increasing amount of tension by these implants in our skulls. The stakes were high in that episode, and I really enjoyed it." () Wang further said of this installment, "The Chute' was the first time I was given something with no dead ends. There was an arc from beginning to end for the character. It was so simply written, and it was so beautiful. There was very little extraneous information, and I loved that [...] The main idea – that the only way the prison population decreases is because of these devices on the back of the prisoners' heads that cause them to become more and more stressed, so that they kill each other – was great. Those kinds of stakes [...] made it feel real." ()
 Despite the fact that he liked this episode, Wang also felt it was one of numerous episodes that did not give a clear picture of Kim's motivations. "I would love to know more about the things that eat at Harry. You don't see many episodes or scenes about that," Wang remarked, during the fourth season. "Even in 'The Chute,' my big episode last season, it was Harry being heroic. As good as it gets, it wasn't really about what makes Harry tick." ()
 In common with Garrett Wang, Paris actor Robert Duncan McNeill also extremely liked this episode, citing it as one of his favorites from Star Trek: Voyagers first three seasons. () He commented, "The Chute,' I loved [...] 'The Chute' was sort of a combination of  and . It was a very good show, and Garrett Wang and I had some very meaty stuff to do." () Indeed, McNeill appreciated that the clamp-induced aggravations of the prisoners provided performance opportunities for the actors and that the episode gave an insight into his own character of Paris. "That was a great episode to explore [the] street-wise side of him," McNeill declared. He continued, "It didn't back off [...] Emotionally, that episode allowed the actors to really hit some peaks and valleys; it had action and tension in it, and a lot of passion. It wasn't a squeaky clean Star Trek thing that very often is the mode." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 108) Of the friendship between Paris and Kim, McNeill stated, "They've really expanded that relationship. We've seen Paris and Kim have some fun and we've seen them in action together in episodes like 'The Chute', when things got serious. That's good." ()
 Shortly after appearing in this episode, Neelix actor Ethan Phillips (who enjoyed episodes wherein his character acted heroically) said of this installment, "Neelix also gets to play the hero in an episode we've just shot. He doesn't have a lot to do in it, but he does rescue Tom Paris and Harry Kim and kind of saves the day." ()
 Both Garrett Wang and Ken Biller were impressed by the performances herein. "We had good guest stars on that, too," Wang enthused. "Robbie [Duncan McNeill] was really good." () Biller opined, "I think that Robbie and Garrett both gave very strong performances in it." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 88)
 Rosemary Morgan, who played Piri, is the daughter of Julie Cobb, who played Yeoman Leslie Thompson in . The line "Our brigade found out where the maximum security detention facility is located," won Morgan the part of Piri, as Morgan was the only available child actress who could pronounce that line. Having auditioned while her part had been a lot bigger, Morgan was glad the episode ultimately still included her. Because she was a minor at the time, she was accompanied on set by her mother. Working with Janeway actress Kate Mulgrew in the episode turned out to be an enjoyable experience for Morgan.

Sets and wardrobe
 According to the unauthorized reference book  (p. 136), the sets of this episode were constructed from stock set pieces, including the interior of Neelix's shuttle which – according to the book – was quickly assembled from stock pieces.
 Of all the sets in the first three seasons of Star Trek: Voyager, however, the alien prison set for this episode was the most challenging to design. This was because the set was required to facilitate considerable interaction with the actors. Set Designer Richard James commented, "The prison set centerpiece was a chute which Kate [Mulgrew] had to slide down and there's not a great deal of rehearsal time for the sets. So edges had to be eliminated, the iris of the chute made to open and close effortlessly, and the crawl space had to be easily mounted by Garrett Wang and Robbie McNeill, as well as be able to accommodate the camera." Co-executive producer Jeri Taylor recalled that the episode had "pages and pages of scenes to shoot in this ship prison that was supposed to be claustrophobic." She continued, "Through connivery and clever thinking Richard was able to make this cramped single set look like two or three sets. The way he designed and redressed the exits and entrances, he provided the illusion of different levels and sections." ()
 According to the book Delta Quadrant (p. 138), the stock elements used in this episode were not only sets but also costumes. Indeed, two of the Akritirian inmates clearly wear a costume originally created for the Aaamazzarites in .

Production
 This episode entered production on . ()
 This was the first episode to be produced in the third season, as , , , and  were produced at the end of the second season and held back for the third. () Garrett Wang said of this installment, "It was the first new episode shot for the third season and it really set the pace for the year." ()
 One of the elements of this episode that Garrett Wang appreciated was the environment in which the installment was produced. "Just filming in the conditions we were working in – smoke, dust, dirt every day – made it feel real," Wang remembered. "I was allowed to sweat and really let everything go." ()

 This is the only episode of Voyagers third season that Director Les Landau worked on.
 Les Landau voiced approval, on the set, of Rosemary Morgan's contribution to the episode. "They called lunch," remembered Julie Cobb, "and Les approached me and said, 'Wow, clearly, Rosemary has done this before.' I said, 'No, actually, this is her first day of her first job." 
 The production of this episode was closely monitored by Tim Russ, Roxann Dawson, and Robert Duncan McNeill, all three of whom were regular cast members who were very eager to direct some of Star Trek: Voyager (McNeill having already been scheduled to direct , by this point). Garrett Wang reflected, "I remember they were observing Les Landau directing 'The Chute'. All three of them were cramming in there." 
 To give the episode an unusual visual style, most of the camera work in the prison used hand-held cameras. () Explaining why this technique was used, Robert Duncan McNeill recalled, "Les Landau was making his farewell show with that episode. He was going off to work with  on . So, Les was experimenting with styles he could use on his next series. Much of 'The Chute' was done with hand-held cameras [and] I love when we can do Voyager differently." () This episode, however, was not the final Star Trek production directed by Les Landau; he returned to direct two more episodes of Voyager, the fifth season episode  and the sixth season installment , as well as the first season Enterprise outing .
 Ken Biller was highly pleased with Les Landau's directing of this installment. "It was wonderfully directed by Les Landau," Biller raved. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 88)

Visual effects
 This was the first Star Trek: Voyager episode on which visual effects supervisor Mitch Suskin worked. Adapting to the demands of working on the series, particularly the sophistication of Voyagers review process, was challenging for him. He recalled, "That episode was tough for me [....] I had to learn the process of how things get designed in Voyager, how they get approved, and getting it all together in time to make the episode. That was the biggest challenge. A couple of new ships had to be designed for 'The Chute'; a space station prison and Neelix's ship which had never been seen before, and there was a lot of discussion as to what they should look like. They went through numerous designs before they came up with what was finally used [....] It was quite a process [....] It was more than I was used to. [Before Voyager], I used to walk into one person's office and present my ideas." Ultimately, both the Akritirian maximum security detention facility and Neelix's shuttle were visualized with CGI done by Digital Muse. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, pp. 103 & 104)

Reception
 This episode achieved a Nielsen rating of 4.3 million homes, and a 7% share. 
 Cinefantastique rated this episode 3 out of 4 stars. (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, p. 88)
  scored this episode 3 out of 5 stars, defined as "Warp Speed". Additionally, Lou Anders, a writer of the magazine, gave the installment a positive review, stating, "Robert Duncan McNeill and Garrett Wang deliver their best performances to date." ()
 The unauthorized reference book  (p. 138) gives this installment a rating of 8 out of 10.
 Ken Biller was slightly puzzled by the popularity of this episode. "It's gotten an amazingly positive response," he said, "which kind of surprised me. It was not my personal favorite episode [....] But I think ultimately what people responded to in the episode was that the relationship between the two guys was so strong." (Cinefantastique, Vol. 29, No. 6/7, pp. 88 & 89)
 This episode's popularity was also evident to Garrett Wang. He said of the episode, "It was pretty well received by the critics. I think they enjoyed that episode." () He also noted, "The Chute' [...] is viewed by many people as a really kick-butt episode." ()
 After working on this installment, Garrett Wang studied the episode in an effort to better his acting generally. He commented, "Now after watching it like 50 times, just trying to improve my acting, I feel like a lion waiting in the wings to pounce on the next available script I can get." () Early in the fourth season, Garrett Wang also hoped that the episodes of that season would match the quality of this episode. ()

Continuity and trivia
 This is the first time that the interior of Neelix's ship, the Baxial, is seen since the pilot episode , in which it appears on Voyagers viewscreen, and is the first episode in which the exterior of Neelix's ship is seen. This episode also establishes that the ship has been brought along on Voyagers journey and is stored in the shuttle bay.
 Paralithium is introduced here as a further branch of the "futuristic" lithium family of starship fuels, producing the highly dangerous trilithium as a by-product.
 Reference to 47: Paris and Kim are accused of killing 47 soldiers in a bombing.

Video and DVD releases
 UK VHS release (two-episode tapes, CIC Video): Volume 3.2, 
 As part of the VOY Season 3 DVD collection

Links and references

Guest Stars
Don McManus as Zio
Robert Pine as Liria
James Parks as Vel
Ed Trotta as Pit
Beans Morocco as

Co-Star
 Rosemary Morgan as Piri

Uncredited Co-Stars 
 Derek Anthony as Voyager operations ensign
 John Austin as Akritirian prisoner
 Harry Boykoff as Akritirian prisoner
 Damaris Cordelia as 
 Ninno DePatrick as prisoner
 L.J. Dougherty as Sharr
 Andrew English as Voyager operations officer
 Tarik Ergin as Ayala
 Kerry Hoyt as 
 Donald R. Jankiewicz as alien prisoner
 Patrick Jankiewicz as alien prisoner
 Julie Jiang as Voyager lieutenant
 Jaehne Moebius as Voyager sciences officer
 Tom Morga as Akritirian prisoner
 Louis Ortiz as Culhane
 Irving Ross as Akritirian prisoner
 Shepard Ross as 
 Bob Shuttleworth as alien prisoner
 Gordon Simmons as Voyager bridge officer
 Jennifer Somers as Voyager sciences ensign
 Deborah Stiles as Voyager command lieutenant j.g.
 Simon Stotler as Voyager ensign
 John Tampoya as Kashimuro Nozawa
 M. Thomas as Voyager bridge officer
 Semere Yohannes as Akritirian prisoner
 Unknown actor as Akritirian prisoner

Stunt Double 
 Al Goto as stunt double for Garrett Wang

References 
47; 2296; 2359; 2367; accusation; acetylcholine; aiding; Akritiri; Akritiri system; Akritirian; Akritirian cargo vessel; Akritirian maximum security detention facility; Akritirian Patrol; Akritirian patrol ship; Akritirian space; animal; baked potato; baking; barbecue; Baxial; ; bearing; boarder; ; bombing; brig; brigade; ; carcass; Chateau Lafite Rothschild; cherry pie; circumstantial evidence; clamp; collaborator; combadge; conviction; ; dilithium; emergency vehicle; experiment; Federation; fetran sauce; fire ant; flambé noodles; food cake; friend; fudge ripple pudding; grocer; Heva VII; Heva VII refueling port; "home sweet home"; hospital; hotel; hut; hypothalamus; itch; liter; ion propulsion; Laktivia; Laktivia recreational facility; lamb (crown roast of lamb); leola root stew; manifesto; meter; multispectral subsurface scan; mushroom (grilled mushrooms); navigational array; onion rings; Open Sky; paralithium; patroller (47 off-duty patrollers); plasma; potato; prison guard; pulse gun; replicator ration; Risan bean; rot; Sandrine's; scum; sector containing Akritiri; shrimp (shrimp with fettran sauce); shore leave; synaptic stimulator; T-bone steak; Talaxian; torture; torture device; transporter roon 2; trilithium; warden; wild rice

External links

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Chute, The