The crew hides the Protostar on a smuggler outpost so they can hitch a ride to the Federation, but things go badly when Vice-Admiral Janeway arrives there at the same time, searching for the survivor of the destroyed comm relay.
Tropes:
- Call-Back: The crew run into Thadiun Okona at the outpost. Turns out he's in some major trouble for smuggling, and ends up having to hitch a ride with them off the planet, after helping them evade their pursuers.
- Continuity Nod:
- The security at the outpost is provided by Xindi-Reptilians.
- Okona was last shown in the Star Trek: Lower Decks episode "An Embarrassment of Dooplers" wearing an eyepatch over his left eye. He's since gained a scar and upgraded to a metal patch.
- Frex is shown drunkenly relaying his story to a Kazon.
- Tyress warns Janeway about the negotiations and treaty with the Romulans. The Instagram Captain's Log entry based on this episode confirms that he's talking about the evacuations from Romulus.
- Dramatic Irony: Jankom doesn't get what's so bad about crossing the Romulan Neutral Zone, thinking of it as a place where conflict can't happen ("neutral" is in the name, as he lampshades). Janeway has to clarify that it's a buffer between the Federation and Romulan territories, and a Starfleet ship crossing it would be an act of war.
- Fantastic Slur: A mild version is revealed to be the case with Jankom. "Pog" is not actually a last name, but a Tellarite word for "runt".
- Hyperspeed Escape: The Protostar jumps to warp with the Dauntless hot on her heels. Her crew tries to guarantee their escape by jumping to protowarp, but this is defied when Dauntless fires a torpedo that cripples the third nacelle, knocking Protostar out of warp.
- Poor Communication Kills: Dal, Gwyn, and Pog run into Janeway (the real one) and her officers, respectively, giving them several opportunities to explain who they are and what's so dangerous about the Protostar. Instead, they either get sidetracked (Jankom when he learns what "Pog" actually means), suspicious (Gwyn when she learns they have the Diviner), or interrupted (Dal when Frex shows up), eventually forcing them to run away instead, which makes them look suspicious and ultimately hostile. Rok, the only one who didn't talk to an officer, even points out how badly they screwed up.
- Run for the Border: When the protowarp is disabled, the crew flees over the Neutral Zone border on Okana's advice, remodulating the shields so the Romulans won't notice. Janeway in her much larger ship, meanwhile, is caught by three Warbirds on border patrol and forced to retreat.
- Screw the Rules, I'm Doing What's Right!: Janeway initially decides to cross the Neutral Zone in violation of treaty, because the alternative is the Protostar and its technology being captured by the Romulans. Her first officer refuses, believing she's being driven by her concern for Chakotay, and the Romulans guarding the border render it a moot point.
- Shout-Out: Gwyn's description of the depot as a haven for those who wish to disappear is similar to Qui-Gon Jinn's description of Mos Espa.
- Snark-to-Snark Combat: When Jankom and Noum meet, they quickly start insulting each other, because that's what Tellarites do.Jankom: Jankom Pog is so excited to be meeting a fellow Tellarite! Consider me underwhelmed.
Noum: I consider you under...something. Undersized pauper.
Jankom: Hey, you’re Starfleet? Pog needs to tell you...WHA? "Pauper"? We Tellarites are practically royalty!
Noum: Royalty? (laughs) "Pog"'s a name we reserve for runts, short in size and vocabulary. - Spanner in the Works: A simple plan to reach the Federation is scuttled by numerous cases of bad luck.
- Gwyn learns that her father is aboard the Dauntless, and assumes he's in league with them somehow.
- Frex happens to be at the outpost, and tells Janeway that the crew is responsible for the destruction of the comm relay before Dal can give his side of the story.
- Finally, the newly hatched and now bipedal Murf sits on photon torpedo control during the chase and fires a torpedo at the Dauntless, convincing Janeway that — kids or not — the crew are hostile.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Janeway gives Frex a bit of grief for failing to mention the dangerous saboteurs are a group of children.
