Random Thoughts (Star Trek: Voyager)

"Random Thoughts" is the tenth episode of the fourth season of the science fiction television series Star Trek: Voyager. It first aired on November 5, 1997.

The episode focuses on Voyager's encounter with a species called the Mari, who live in a society that suppresses violent thoughts. These thoughts, deemed "violent ideations," are transferred and repressed using a neurological device called a telepathic matrix. The Mari are highly intolerant of violent thoughts, as they believe they can lead to violent actions, and have engineered their society to eliminate them.

B'Elanna Torres, while receiving a routine neural scan on a Mari trading station, inadvertently absorbs some of these repressed violent thoughts. These suppressed thoughts manifest as aggressive and uncontrollable impulses within her, leading her to act violently and causing disruptions on Voyager.

The episode explores themes of censorship, societal control, and the nature of violent thought. It questions whether a society can truly be peaceful by suppressing its darker impulses, and examines the potential dangers of such extreme control. Doctor Janeway and the crew must find a way to help B'Elanna and understand the Mari's methods while questioning their ethics. The episode ultimately grapples with the importance of confronting and understanding violent tendencies rather than simply suppressing them.