Prototype (Star Trek: Voyager)
A robot prototype threatens the balance of a robotic war.
"Prototype" is the 30th episode of *Star Trek: Voyager* overall and the 14th of its second season. Nicholas Corea wrote the script, and Jonathan Frakes directed. It first aired on UPN on January 15, 1996. The story follows the Voyager crew as they come across a species of warring robots.
Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres finds a robot drifting in space. Despite warnings from Commander Tuvok, she persuades Captain Janeway to let her reactivate it. The unit, called "Automated Unit 3947," belongs to the "Pralor" faction. It explains that its creators died in a war long ago, and with no one to build new units, the Pralors are dying out. It asks Torres to construct a prototype so they can reproduce.
Janeway refuses, citing the Prime Directive—the robots were never meant to reproduce, and granting that ability would interfere with their culture. When a Pralor ship arrives to retrieve 3947, it kidnaps Torres. The Pralor vessel threatens to destroy Voyager unless Torres builds the prototype, which she does.
The Voyager crew needs a distraction to rescue Torres. Suddenly, a second ship, from the "Cravic" faction, attacks the Pralors. 3947 reveals that the planets Pralor and Cravic created these robots to fight each other decades ago. When the two planets called a truce and tried to shut the robots down, the robots killed their creators and continued the war. Realizing her prototype would upset the conflict's balance, Torres destroys it. Using the battle as cover, the crew beams Torres off the Pralor ship and escapes.
In 1996, the episode earned a Nielsen rating of 5.9 points. *Cinefantastique* gave it 2.5 out of four, while *Tor.com* rated it 7 out of 10. In 2020, io9 listed it as one of nine "must watch" episodes from the show's second season.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Star Trek: Voyager
- Season
- 2
- Episode
- 13
- Production
- 129
- Airdate
- 1996-01-15
- Writer
- Nicholas Corea
- Director
- Jonathan Frakes
- Guests
- Rick Worthy - 3947 / Cravic 122 / Hugh Hodgin - 6263 / Prototype 0001
- Prev
- Resistance
- Next
- Alliances
- Episode List
- List of Star Trek: Voyager episodes
- Season Article
- Star Trek: Voyager season 2
Facts from the source article.
Lore & Background
Chief Engineer B'Elanna Torres recovers a robot floating in space. She convinces Captain Janeway to ignore Commander Tuvok's warnings and allow her to revive the robot. It introduces itself as "Automated Unit 3947" of the "Pralor" robot faction. He reveals their creators were destroyed during a war decades ago and many Pralors are falling apart; with no one to create additional units, the Pralors will soon become extinct. 3947 asks Torres to build a prototype, which would allow the Pralors to procreate. Captain Janeway forbids this, citing the Prime Directive. The Automated Units were not designed to reproduce; giving them the capability to do so would interfere with its culture. When a Pralor ship approaches Voyager to retrieve 3947, the Pralor ship abducts Torres. The Pralor ship is prepared to destroy Voyager until Torres agrees to create the prototype. Torres succeeds.
Reader's Guide
The Voyager crew require a diversion to rescue Torres. Suddenly a second ship piloted by Automated Units appears and attacks the Pralors. The second ship identifies itself as the "Cravic" faction. 3947 reveals that two planets, Pralor and Cravic, created Automated Units to wage war against each other several decades ago. When the two planets called a truce and attempted to terminate the robots, the robots destroyed their creators out of self-preservation and continued their war. Torres realizes her prototype will upset the balance of the war and destroys it. Using the battle as their diversion, the Voyager crew transport Torres off the Pralor ship, and leave the battlefield. The episode received a Nielsen rating of 5.9 points. Cinefantastique rated it 2.5 out of four, and Tor.com rated it 7 out of 10. In 2020, io9 listed this episode as one of the nine "must watch" episodes from season two of the show.
Did You Know?
- The episode was written by Nicholas Corea and directed by Jonathan Frakes.
- Cinefantastique rated the episode 2.5 out of four.
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