As the defeatedAsencia is taken into custody byVau N'Akat guards, she hears theLoom approaching, and seems to regret that her efforts resulted in their arrival. Alert sirens blare onSolum and the Vau N'Akat take shelter.Dal R'El,Gwyn,Jankom Pog, andMurf beam up to theUSSProtostar, whereWesley Crusher,Captain Chakotay, and the rest of theProtostar crew are already gathered. Wesley informs them that this was definitely not part of his plan, but the tears inspacetime must have become so large that the Loom couldn't help but notice them. He had hoped they would be able to send theProtostar back through thewormhole toTars Lamora in the past and prevent the Loom from arriving at all.

Chakotay offers to manually pilot theProtostar through the swarm of Loom, since asMaj'el points out, and they all agree, auto-pilot alone would not be able to handle the situation. Dal points out that no one is supposed to be on the ship when it gets found in the past, andHologram Janeway suggests that theUSSVoyager-A should follow them through the wormhole andbeam Chakotay out once it's safe for auto-pilot to take over. Gwyn asserts, against Chakotay's wishes, that the wholeProtostar crew will stay onboard to help; they have to stay together, as Wesley said.Admiral Kathryn Janeway comms them fromVoyager and offers that her ship will clear a path for theProtostar through the swarm, and orders her crew to adjustVoyager's weapons to be maximally effective against the Loom.

On Solum, people flee the Loom, asIlthuran begs the stars to protect the crews of the twoFederation ships.

As the two ships enter the wormhole, firingPhasers to cut as much of a path in front of them as possible, Dal realizes that this must be the moment that Wesley had been imploring them to stay together for. However, Wesley responds that actually, that moment is yet to come, but he doesn't offer up any further details.Voyager loses navigation, and Janeway ordersCetacean Ops to steer the ship, whichGillian the whale handles marvelously.

As they come closer to the other end of the wormhole, the swarm of Loom thins and disappears. As temporal echoes of theProtostar fly past them, Wesley excitedly points out that the timeline is reintegrating. As Hologram Janeway asks sadly if the time has finally come to erase her memories,The Doctor reports that Holo-Janeway's program has been copied toVoyager'sEMH backup module, and Chakotay happily tells her that she gave him a second chance, and now he can return the favor.

As the rest of the crew prepare to beam back toVoyager, Dal remembers to leave hisCombadge on the floor at the front of theBridge, in the spot whereRok-Tahk had originally found it on Tars Lamora. The crew thank theProtostar for the memories, and they all beam out. TheProtostar arrives safely in the past, just in time for Dal and Rok to discover it.

In the future,Voyager emerges from the wormhole near Solum, and the Loom suddenly retreat.Commander Tysess reports that all temporal incursions have disappeared, and Admiral Janeway announces that they have saved history. Gwyn is finally able to remove hertemporal stabilizer armband, now that the time loop is closed.

Act Two[]

With time fixed, Janeway narrates the aftermath asStarfleet helps Solum pick up the pieces and theVoyager-A returns home, where Chakotay is given command and Janeway retires to her farm. Wesley takes some precious time to visit his mother,Beverly Crusher, and gets a surprise of his own when she introduces him to hisbrother. The Doctor finishes his latestholo-novel.

The kids become realcadets atStarfleet Academy; even Dal, despite being anAugment. Dal still wants to be on the Command track, but seems open to other possibilities given his newfound experience. While the crew reflects on recent events, the entire Academy receives a report about anattack on theUtopia Planitia Fleet Yards atMars that destroyed an entire fleet of 20,000 ships.

Act Three[]

Janeway is called out of retirement and back into service, and she isn't happy with AdmiralEdward Jellico's briefing on a diminished Starfleet pulling back from its mission of exploration, and the accompanying cancellation of the Romulan evacuation.

With Academy classes canceled, the kids are forlorn, until they get a fateful call. Summoned to the docks, they are introduced to theProtostar-class USSProdigy. Janeway (accompanied by both Chakotay and The Doctor) tells them they have earned it, as they are all given a field commission toensign. Holo-Janeway, upgraded to anEmergency Command Hologram, is on board, so all the ship needs is an acting captain. Dal steps up to accept his destiny... as Gwyn's number one, saying "That chair never belonged to me.", just as he had glimpsed back in theTravelers facility. As the rest of Starfleet pulls back, Janeway tasks them to be a "beacon of light to those beyond our reach."

Out in space, after the ship has launched, each member of the crew of theProdigy now wears a full Starfleet uniform appropriate to theirdivision: Command, Sciences, Operations. Acting Captain Gwyn orders "Let's reach the stars", and theyproto-warp away to begin their mission of exploration.

Log entries[]

"Admiral's personal log, stardate 62314.8.An old friend once said we do not feel the passage of time, but the presence of time within us. We grow from what we leave behind as we reach for what lies ahead. In the trials we've endured, I've tried to impart such wisdom on the young Starfleet hopefuls in my crew. But I've discovered, to my surprise, they've still much to teach me. Time's importance lies in what you do with it. From humble beginnings to unknown possibilities, they've shown you must always go boldly towards the future. You may not arrive at the coordinates you set, but you'll find where you belong. And sometimes the space between us isn't as far as we might think. There are always new chapters ahead, even when you think your story has finished. As for my next chapter, I've delivered my papers for an early retirement. Because don't we all deserve a new beginning every now and then? If not, how would any of us grow?"

Memorable quotes[]

"That might work. Except, you're not going alone."
"Gwyn, this is no time to--"
"Like Wesley said, we have to stay together."
"If you point the way,Voyager will clear us a path through that nightmare. No one faces this alone. Remodulate phasers to match the Loom's quantum variance. That should send them back to the dimension they came from. And set weapons to maximum."

-Gwyn,Chakotay, andJaneway expanding Chakotay's plan to pilot theProtostar through the swarm of Loom

"I hear them. I hear them all. And I sense an insatiable hunger."

-Zero

"Mr. Crusher, are you sure you want to do this? We can take it from here."
"Oh, well, I set them down this path, and I will see them through."

-Chakotay andWesley

"You were right all along."
"About what?"
"Us, why we needed to be together, to get to this moment. This is the future you saw."
"Oh, Dal, I wasn't talking about now. The reason the universe needs you all together, that hasn't happened yet. Things yet to come, wonderous and terrible things. But you'll have to wait and see."

-Dal andWesley Crusher

"Admiral, we've lost navigation."
"Not all navigation. Cetacean Ops, plot us a course through that stormy weather."
"Acknowledged. Echelon formation."

-Counsellor Noum,Janeway, andGillian

"Look! Look, look, look! Those are temporal echoes. And that is what happens when the timeline is reintegrating. What was, will be."
"[Murf trills]"
"You said it, Murf."

-Wesley Crusher,Murf, andRok as the ghostlyProtostar temporal echoes fly past them

"It's time, isn't it?"
"Not yet."
"Not yet? When the kids find this ship, I can't have any memory of them, of the weapon onboard, of you."
"Doctor?"
"Yes, she just finished copying to our EMH backup module."
"You found a way to save my program."
"You gave me a second chance. Let me return the favor."
"You're sticking aroundthis time."
"Well, then I suppose I'll see you on the other side. Computer, reset Janeway holoprogram."

-Hologram Janeway,Chakotay,The Doctor, andDal

"Farewell, old friend."
"And thanks for the memories."

-Zero andDal, saying goodbye to theProtostar

"All temporal incursions are gone."
"We did it. The time loop is closed."
"It appears we just saved history."

-Tysess,Wesley, andJaneway

"Go ahead. Throw those Temporal Mechanics 101 pads away. You'll never have to look at one again."
"[class cheering]"
"Because now, we begin 201."
"[class booing]"
"I believe some students already have experience in this subject."

-DoctorErin Macdonald, marking the end of one class, the beginning of another, and giving a nod to Dal's recent time-traveling

"Is it just me, or are we kind of a thing around here?"
"We have earned quite a name for ourselves at the Academy."
"[laughs] Jankom is practically royalty-- again!"
"[Murfese]"
"Couldn't agree more."

-Rok,Zero,Jankom,Murf, andGwyn

"Luckily, I think we have some time."
"Do not say that word. I'm over it after what we went through."
"[laughs] Oh, boy. You're telling Jankom."
"[groans] No more time travel for me, thank you."
"It was quite the profound shared experience."

-Dal,Gwyn,Jankom,Rok, andMaj'el

"Wasn't expecting to see you."
"Starfleet Command's been trying to reach you."
"I told them I don't want a promotion. I'm retired. Why, what is it?"
"Mars was attacked."
"By who?"
"Our own synths went rogue against us. We don't know why. All reserve officers are being called back. The Federation needs you, Kathryn."

-Janeway andChakotay

"You have your orders."
"Orders? What about Starfleet's mission of peace across the galaxy? What remains if the Federation stops seeking new worlds, refuses to help those in need?"
"I'm afraid that future will have to wait, Admiral."

-Janeway andJellico

"P-pips? We're getting pips!"
"We're ensigns?"
"Starfleet ensigns. Field commission."
"You don't have to steal this ship."
"You've earned it."
"[crew cheers]"
"In a time when the Federation's borders are receding, it's of utmost importance you are a beacon of light to those beyond our reach, to seek out allies and aid those left behind."
"This is why Wesley wanted us all to stay together."
"Somehow, somewhere, you are going to make a great difference."

-Jankom,Gwyn,Janeway,The Doctor, andDal as Janeway promotes the new crew of theProdigy

"You know, a good first officer is loyal, capable, and they keep their captain honest, which is why... I'll be right here, as your number one."
"Dal, what are you saying?"
"I made a mistake, Gwyn. That chair never belonged to me. Others came before me. Others will follow. Now, it's your time to lead."
"Once you sit in that chair, you'll know what to do."
"Everyone deserves a chance to prove where they belong, Captain."

-Dal,Gwyn,Holo-Janeway, andJaneway as Gwyn accepts the position of Acting Captain of theProdigy

"Awaiting your orders."
"Proto-warp at the ready, Captain."
"Let's reach the stars."
"Aye aye, Captain."

-Rok,Dal,Gwyn, and the whole crew as theProdigy sets off to explore strange new worlds

Background information[]

Continuity[]

Wesley Crusher meets his younger half-brother,Jack Crusher, a character who was first introduced in theStar Trek: Picard episode "The Next Generation".
TheAttack on Mars was first shown in theStar Trek: Short Treks episode "Children of Mars".
Jellico mentions that Admiral Jean-Luc Picard did not take the news of the Romulan evacuation plan's cancelation well. In a flashback in "The End is the Beginning", Picard states that he resigned his Starfleet commission in protest.
Several characters are seen wearing theStarfleet uniform from the mid 2380s, as first seen in the flashbacks fromStar Trek: PicardSeason 1.
Janeway's reference to an old friend in her log intentionally alluded to adeleted scene betweenCaptain Jean-Luc Picard andData fromStar Trek Nemesis,Aaron J. Waltke later noting: "It was such a beautiful scene, and I was like, 'It's too bad that's notcanon.'"[1]
On Beverly Crusher's desk is a plaque honoring her and her away team's honorary citizenship toCor Caroli V, as seen inTNG: "Allegiance".