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Years and years ago, I saw part of a Star Trek episode on tv. I remember almost nothing from the episode, except that near the end, an old man was lying on the ground. After speaking with someone who I think was the ship's captain, he ends (having been asked to explain his actions over the course of the episode, I think) with:
Because [pause] I was never really here.
Whereupon the man disappears, fading away.
Does anyone know which episode this might have been from?
It’s Star Trek: Voyager, season 2, episode 8, “Persistence of Vision.”
From the script:
OTHAN: You're a powerful little thing. I must say, you surprised me.
JANEWAY: Why did you do this to us?
BOTHAN: Because I can.
JANEWAY: Is it just telepathy, or is there technology involved?
BOTHAN: Does it matter?
JANEWAY: Oh, it matters to me, because I don't intend to let you continue preying on others.
BOTHAN: How would you propose to stop me?
JANEWAY: We could destroy your technology. Or adjust your brain wave patterns to prevent telepathy. And then we could turn you over to the government of Mithren. We could even keep you confined in our brig behind a force field.
BOTHAN: I'm sure you're very well-intentioned, Captain, and I'd like to be able to accommodate you but you see, I'm not really here.
(The Bothan vanishes, followed by the three spaceships.)Captain's log, supplemental. We have no explanation for the mysterious disappearance of the telepathic alien. We can't even be certain that he was actually here. He seems to have left us with any number of unanswered questions.
