While visiting an alien race that exists entirely on a massive race spaceship, Kim becomes sexually involved with one of the xenophobic species who isn't quite so anti-human...
This is actually better than it sounds. At last, Kim finally comes of age and takes a stand against Captain Janeway, showing how far he has come in five years, and allowing Garrett Wang to be slightly more than just an ensign stood at the back. Unlike Tom Paris's fall from grace a few episodes ago, this story is written in such a way that you can see Kim's side, and his impassioned speeches to Janeway visibly hit home. It's also quite fun to hear her ex-fiancee Mark referred to in the third person, as if it's now become a shipboard rule that no one can mention his name.
At first it seems as if The Disease is going to be making a point about sexually transmitted diseases, but it is more interesting than that, trying to examine love. Whilst it doesn't really get to grips with its subject (but let's face it, who has?), it does make some good points about Seven's assertion that love is a disease. And from her description, you can see her point. It's nice to see the ex-Borg re-discovering her emotions through Kim.
Speaking of whom, at least Kim and Tal have a degree of chemistry in their relationship. As per Trek, and indeed TV in general, style, they fall in love very quickly, but you can actually see they care, unlike Chakotay and Kellin in Unforgettable and Janeway and her tormentor in Counterpoint. The old 'small group of young people want to split from older ones' plotline crops up too, which is of little interest, but overall there's some good material here.
****
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