Stardate 51449.2: Chakotay, Tom and Neelix are on a shuttle mission to collect protomatter from a nebula. But the transport of the highly volatile substance into a containment cylinder goes awry and Neelix is killed by an energy burst. Upon their return to Voyager, Seven proposes to revive Neelix with the help of Borg nanoprobes. The procedure succeeds. Superficially Neelix is all well again. But having witnessed an empty and meaningless afterlife, he now questions the foundations of his belief that after his death he would meet all his deceased relatives in the "Great Forest". Neelix seeks help in a vision quest with Commander Chakotay, yet this experience only reaffirms his doubts, and he begins to question the meaning of his life just as well. Neelix prepares to commit suicide, by beaming himself into the nebula, where he thinks he should have died. Chakotay comes to the transporter room to stop Neelix, telling him how valuable he is for the crew, for his new family. Neelix finally comes around and tends to his duties as the godfather of young Naomi Wildman.

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