"Mortal Coil"
The 12th in the fourth season and the 80th overall, this episode first aired on December 17, 1997. It was written by Bryan Fuller.
Summary: While the crew is surveying a protomatter nebula, the protomatter transport goes awry and a beam of energy strikes Neelix, killing him. Using a technique devised by Seven of Nine, The Doctor is able to revive Neelix. However, distressed that he does not experience the afterlife while he is dead, Neelix begins to question his religious beliefs and embarks on a spiritual vision quest. Neelix almost commits suicide but changes his mind when Naomi Wildman convinces him that his life does, indeed, have a purpose.
Connection to Hamlet:
The title of the episode is a term that means the burdens of life and the suffering in the world. It is used in the "To be or not to be" soliloquy: "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/When we have shuffled off this mortal coil/Must give us pause."
Like Hamlet, Neelix contemplates death, the afterlife, and suicide.
Summary: While the crew is surveying a protomatter nebula, the protomatter transport goes awry and a beam of energy strikes Neelix, killing him. Using a technique devised by Seven of Nine, The Doctor is able to revive Neelix. However, distressed that he does not experience the afterlife while he is dead, Neelix begins to question his religious beliefs and embarks on a spiritual vision quest. Neelix almost commits suicide but changes his mind when Naomi Wildman convinces him that his life does, indeed, have a purpose.
Connection to Hamlet:
The title of the episode is a term that means the burdens of life and the suffering in the world. It is used in the "To be or not to be" soliloquy: "For in that sleep of death what dreams may come/When we have shuffled off this mortal coil/Must give us pause."
Like Hamlet, Neelix contemplates death, the afterlife, and suicide.