Chakotay and Seven crash in an isolated section of an alien planet and make friends with the indigenous people. In the meantime, Tom Paris has to deal with a speeding ticket and having to go through a spaceship flight course to satisfy the local law enforcement.
Tropes:
- Alien Non-Interference Clause: Whoever visited the planet first clearly didn't have one. They also decided to enforce one with the shield preventing access to the people within.
- Commander Crash: Goddammit, Chakotay!
- Drives Like Crazy: Paris, according to the Ledosians.
- Evolutionary Levels: In what is probably an In-Universe example, the Ledosian ambassador claims the Ventu are "our evolutionary ancestors". As any biologist can tell you, evolution doesn't work that way — a species doesn't just stop evolving when another branches off from it. More than likely, this is an expression of the Ledosians' arrogance and bigotry toward the Ventu; they see them as less evolved than themselves, rather than just less technologically sophisticated.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: Seven's attempt to break through the shield allows the Ledosians to get through, and their scans of her equipment means they'll eventually find their own way through it.
- Noble Savage: Averted. The natives aren't uniquely-wise or noble despite/because of their less-advanced technology and tribal way of life; they're just treated like normal people who happen to have a culture that hasn't gotten too far off the ground yet.
- Ship Tease: Averted; given they were alone together on a planet, Robert Beltran and Jeri Ryan wanted to explore the attraction Seven had for Chakotay (first shown in "Human Error") but weren't allowed to. So their Relationship Upgrade in the series finale
appears to come out of nowhere. - Space Whale Aesop: We shouldn't let our modern ways interfere with indigenous cultures. If only we had a forcefield to put around them...
- The Speechless: The non-technological people, apparently—they never speak a word.
- Stern Teacher: The Ledosian Driver's Ed instructor, who has little tolerance for Tom's impatience and attempts at flattery. He even refuses Tom’s request to go straight to the test because he wants to help find Chakotay and Seven.
- Two Lines, No Waiting: There's a comedy B Plot involving Tom Paris being forced to take a spacecraft driving test.
- Unishment: Tom diverts from his driving test to save Chakotay and Seven. As a result, his instructor says that he's failed and is thus banned from piloting a vessel in Ledosian space. Considering Tom will likely never travel through this area again, he's fine with that.
