In direct examination, prosecution counsel asked the EMH, "Is it not true that your function has on occasion been manipulated by your crewmates for their own ends?"
"Yes, it's true."
"Would you please describe to the court the circumstances?"
"A crewmate recently sabotaged my programming so that I'd render a desired prognosis."
"To what consequence?"
"I nearly performed an unnecessary genetic alteration procedure."
"Is it not true that your function has occasionally been manipulated by alien agencies?"
"Once or twice," the EMH admitted uncomfortably.
"Would you please describe to the court the circumstances?"
"Once an alien accidentally stimulated my programming to emphasize my daydreaming subroutines, thereby giving himself and his opportunistic shipmates an exaggerated idea of Voyager's value and danger to them."
"And didn't this result ultimately in endangerment to the ship and the entire crew?"
"Yes."
--
In cross-examination, defense counsel asked, "When you set out to perform the medical procedure previously referenced, did you believe it was appropriate?"
"Yes, I did, then."
"Because your ability to prognose had been compromised?"
"No, my perception of the symptoms had been modified."
"If the tampering had not been discovered in time, what harm would have come to the patient?"
"Well, technically no harm, just an unnecessary life-altering surgical procedure."
"But you believed it necessary, and were acting accordingly?"
"Yes."
"As a physician, you must be familiar with the phenomenon of hypnotism. Please describe it for the court."
"Hypnotism is the induction of the subject into a mental state whereby the subject is susceptible to suggestion."
"Suggestion? Not command?"
"Correct. A hypnotized person will not commit acts inconsistent with his or her normal behavior."
"Will not do something he believes is wrong?"
"That's correct."
"Could he be made to believe circumstances exist under which that something would be the right thing to do?"
"Well - obviously it would depend on the subject, and the nature of the action, but it's certainly possible."
"Thank you. Now, describe briefly the recent events on Voyager when the former Maquis crewmembers mutinied."
"Unknown to themselves, they had been brainwashed by a former compatriot."
"'Brainwashed'?"
"Mentally conditioned. A brutal form of psychological treatment, even more severe than the kind of hypnotic manipulation you were just talking about, that induces truly abherrent behavior. One of the former Maquis received the key word in a letter from home, and activated the others."
"And didn't this result ultimately in endangerment to the ship and the entire crew?"
"Yes."
"One last question: In the wake of the incident involving your daydream subroutines, what career development did you experience?"
"Captain Janeway was persuaded by my actions then to accede to my earlier request to develop Emergency Command Hologram protocols for my progamming, protocols for which she was subsequently, on occasion, quite grateful to make use of."
"Thank you."
--
When the EMH was dismissed from direct examination by the Starfleet JAG she then addressed the court, "Sirs, the prosecution has set up a small demonstration to show the lack of autonomy in holographic entities. The prosecution calls Lord Chaotica to the stand."
The second chair at the prosecution table activated a portable hologenerator set up between the tables, and the scourge of the universe of 1950s tv appeared in the room.
"What is the meaning of this?!" demanded the bearded, robed villain. "Who dares to -"
"Lord Chaotica, your throne," interrrupted the JAG, motioning him to the witness stand.
"She actually got him to sit down," the Doctor murmurred to Janeway and the EMH. "Not bad."
"Please state your name, Lord," said the JAG.
"I am Lord Chaotica, conqueror and emperor of the universe! Hahahahaha!"
"And what is your occupation?"
"I am Lord Chaotica, conqueror and emperor of the universe! Hahahahaha!"
The JAG signaled to her assistant, who keyed a command into the hologenerator. "Sirs," said the JAG, "the hologram's program has now been modified to include knowledge that it is only a hologram, such as the EMH has." On the stand Chaotica had a comical look of astonishment on his face. "Lord Chaotica: How does it feel to know the truth?"
Chaotica continued to sit stunned for a moment, then shouted, "It's a lie!"
The JAG shot her assistant a sharp surprised look.
"Weren't expecting that," the Doctor whispered to Janeway and the EMH at the defense table.
"Can they have done without testing their programming?" Janeway asked.
"Surely they didn't simply lift my self-awareness code and add it to his program without any attempt at integration?" wondered the EMH.
"They're lawyers, not programmers," said the Doctor.
"A trick!" Chaotica was insisting, rising with his fists clenched. "You've mesmerised this idea into my head! You're all against me!!"
The Doctor sighed. "If I wanted to listen to this kind of megalomanic drivel, I'd look up any one of my old school chums," he said.
He stood, ramrod straight, and shouted, "So, Chaotica, we meet again!"
Chaotica turned to the Doctor as if noticing him for the first time. He pointed a finger at the Doctor with recognition (though the Doctor had never used the Captain Proton program) and cried, "You!!"
"It's over, Chaotica!" the Doctor declaimed. It was quite unlike his usual manner, though he was suddenly radiating the air of authority any of his personalities seemed able to call on at will. "Your evil plan is finished!"
"Curses! Foiled again!!" Chaotica launched himself at the Doctor hands front. Though the hologenerator safety protocols prevented him from actually choking the Doctor as he obviously intended to be doing, he did shake the Time Lord up a bit before the assistant prosecutor thought to turn off the hologenerator.
"I apologize to the court, and to defense counsel," said the JAG, paled.
"Defense counsel?" Paris shrugged. "Cross?"
"No questions," croaked the Doctor.