This is my favorite Voyager episode. Voyager encounters a space anomaly called a "graviton ellipse" and discovers trapped within it, an early Earth ship, Ares IV, which had transported astronauts to Mars in year 2032AD. Ares IV had mysteriously disappeared with its pilot, LT John Kelly, stranding 2 explorers on Mars. Voyager First Officer Chakotay and Helmsman Paris remember the 21st century mission from their education and express admiration for pilot Kelly. USS Voyager is a 24th century vessel.
Captain Janeway orders a Delta Flyer mission into the core of the graviton ellipse to investigate, since Astrometrics crewman, Seven of Nine, relates that the Borg had identified the anomaly and invented shield technology to protect against it. The anomaly is attracted to electro-magnetic power and traverses subspace as well as normal space. Seven expresses doubt and skepticism about Janeway's proposed mission, saying "history is irrelevant." Yet Janeway orders Seven to accompany Chakotay and Paris on the Delta Flyer.
Inside the graviton anomaly, Chakotay and Paris are stunned to find the Ares IV nearly intact. Conscious of the historic nature of Ares IV and its mission, they attempt to tow it out of the anomaly, but are hindered and damaged when the anomaly collides with a dark matter asteroid. Chakotay is injured, Delta Flyer's engines are inoperable. Aboard Voyager, engineer Torres calls up a computer diagram of Ares IV, pointing to a part that can be rigged to replace Delta Flyer's damaged plasma manifold. Seven of Nine transports to Ares IV, powers up its onboard computer and begins a difficult extrication of its ion distributor, all the while pilot Kelly's visual logs playing, which she relays back to Chakotay and Paris. LT Kelly's corpse is in the pilot seat, occasionally glanced upon by Seven as she works. She also witnesses Kelly's final moments after he had failed in his last try to get out of his predicament and back to his comrades. (Kelly can't see the stars.)
Kelly says (to "mission control, Dad, whoever finds this"), "Take all the data I've collected, put it to good use. I hope you don't look at this as a failure, I don't! Actually, I do have one regret, I never found out who won the world series." [Earlier, we found out Kelly is a Yankees fan, who were playing in that year's Series.]
Kelly's actions and comments are pathetic in retrospect, as we know his ship has been trapped in the anomaly for centuries and the data he's recording for posterity from external cameras and sensors will be unneeded for the most part. (He has seen an alien vessel float by.) Kelly is seen and heard in the logs diverting power from his environmental support to allow external devices to continue recording, sacrificing himself. When Seven at last removes the ion distributor, she takes extra time to download pilot Kelly's logs and data and acts to transport his body back to Delta Flyer. Why? A reversal has occurred in her thinking, the history of pilot John Kelly and Ares IV aren't irrelevant.
Back aboard Voyager, an official funeral is held for Kelly. Captain Janeway commends him for his "spirit and bravery." When she's done, Seven of Nine asks to speak. Seven says she and Kelly are "more alike than one might think. His desire to explore is not unlike a quest for perfection." She places a hand on the space casket, in hushed tone and cracking voice says, "the Yankees in six." Off into the delta quadrant of the Milky Way goes the coffin with John Mark Kelly's remains.
I'm reminded in the log of Pilot Kelly's final words and death of the Epilogue of Melville's Moby Dick, wherein Ishmael offers a quote from the Book of Job (1:15), "and I only am escaped alone to tell thee." The two of them, Kelly and Ishmael, are orphans on the ocean. So do not degrade the dignity of man in his quest for perfection, for we are indeed flawed.
I applaud actor Phil Morris for his portrayal of Kelly & the Star Trek Voyager writers.
