The crew of the U.S.S. Voyager gets an unexpected bonus in their regular "mail" beamed from Starfleet in the Alpha Quadrant. When a hologram of Reg Barclay appears telling the crew of a new plan that can get them home within days, everyone is elated. The plan seems dangerous in theory, but the Barclay hologram persuades the crew the risk is minimal. Meanwhile, back at Starfleet, the real Reg Barclay is completely unaware of his doppelganger's actions. However, while the crew goes ahead and modifies Voyager to make the trip safely, the Doctor, who has previously met Barclay notices differences in the hologram's behavior and tries to convince Captain Janeway to deactivate the holo-Barclay. Meanwhile, the real Barclay realizes his hologram has been hijacked and re-programmed by a trio of Ferengi. When he learns their motive, Barclay enlists Counselor Deanna Troi's help.

Dwight Schultz (Lt. Reg Barclay)
Marina Sirtis (Cmdr. Deanna Troi)
Richard Herd (Admiral Owen Paris)
Richard McGonagle (Cmdr. Pete Harkins)
Frank Corsentino (Gegis)
Christopher Neiman (Yeggie)
Michael William Rivkin (Nunk)
Sharisse Baker-Bernard (Leosa)

• The previous month's datastream never arrived because it was intercepted by the Ferengi.