Cathexis

This Story: Season 1 Episode 13 (production code 113)
VOY Overall: Episode 13
Trek Overall: Story 444, Episode 469
Airdate: 1 May 1995
Story by Brannon Braga & Joe Menosky
Teleplay by Brannon Braga
Directed by Kim Friedman (and Winrich Kolbe – uncredited)

Notes

• Running fired torpedo count: 1
• Working title for this episode was “Intruder Alert”.
• Cathexis (apparently) means “investment of mental or emotional energy in a person, object, or idea.”
• The idea for the episode was apparently based off the Agatha Christie novel “And Then There Were None“.
• The gothic holonovel scene was directed by Winrich Kolbe during production of the episode “Eye of the Needle“.
• Tuvok’s rank changes from Lt Cmdr to Lt and back again this episode. No reason is given, it’s assumed to be a production error.
• The first time we have a Vulcan neck pinch on Voyager, although it’s not on screen.
• Janeway’s holonovel from this episode will return later in “Learning Curve” & “Persistence of Vision“.
• Brian Markinson plays Lt Durst in this episode (and “Faces“).  He was also Vorin in TNG’s “Homeward“, Elias Giger in DS9’s “In the Cards“.  He also played another character in the Faces episode – “Sulan”.
• Carolyn Seymour played Mrs. Templeton here and would reprise the role in “Persistence of Vision”.  She also played the Romulan Taris in TNG’s “Contagion“.  She was Mirasta Yale in TNG’s “First Contact“, and a different Romulan (Toreth) in TNG’s “Face of the Enemy“.
• Tom Paris references a “Doc Brown”. While there’s an on screen explanation as to who it was, I always wondered if that was supposed to be a Back to the Future reference. #GreatScott

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