Starting in this episode, Lt. Barkely has come up with a system by which messages can be sent back and forth from Voyager to the Alpha Quadrant and vice-versa every 32 days. When letters arrive on the ship, the Doctor learns that his creator, Dr. Zimmerman, is dying. The Doctor then begs Captain Janeway to let him be sent through this same system to Dr. Zimmerman as, perhaps, he might be able to save him. However, Zimmerman (also played by Robert Picardo, though he appears a couple decades older) wants nothing to do with his holodeck program and treats it like dirt. When Counselor Troi meets them and watches how snippy they both are being, she calls them 'jerks'--and she's right. Is there any way these two know-it-alls can somehow learn to get along and have Zimmerman get treated?
This is a slight but enjoyable episode. I always loved the Doctor, as he's a fun and complex character. Here, with his much nastier and short-tempered creator, it's a lot of fun. Will this episode do anything to advance the show? Not much...but it is entertaining.
