The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager is unsettled as a secluded and conflicted Captain Janeway reflects on the decision she's made along the mission and the consequences those judgements have had for them all. But soon the team of the U.S.S. Voyager encounters two never before seen alien species — a nocturnal alien and its foe, the Malon — and knows that one will not survive without their intervention. Knowing that coming to their aid makes a detour through dark, desolate space necessary, the Captain alone must once again determine her crew's fate.

Kate Mulgrew (Captain Kathryn Janeway)
Robert Beltran (Commander Chakotay)
Roxann Dawson (Lt. B'Elanna Torres)
Robert Duncan McNeill (Lt. Tom Paris)
Robert Picardo (The Doctor)
Ethan Phillips (Neelix)
Tim Russ (Lt. Commander Tuvok)
Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine)
Garrett Wang (Ensign Harry Kim)

Ken Magee (Emck)
Steve Dennis (Night Alien)
Martin Rayner (Dr. Chaotica)

• Season 5 Premiere.
  
• This episode introduces the "Night Aliens," who have reflective silver eyes and are invisible unless you shine light on them, and the Malon, who dump their toxic theta radiation waste into the Void where the Night aliens live.
  
• Neelix suffers from nihiliphobia, the "fear of nothingness."
  
• This episode introduces the holo-program "Captain Proton." Tom Paris stars as Captain Proton, with Harry Kim as his side-kick and Seven as his secretary, Constance Goodheart. Tom and Harry programmed the Holodeck so that everything eppears in black and white.
  
• Seven recommends that Tuvok try Borg regeneration instead of meditation — "a simple cortical implant would be required."