Synopsis: Lt. Paris and Mr. Neelix are sent on a mission together to gather food, come across an alien hatchling, and resolve the issues that have come between them.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of how the Logos-driven rational conscious ego must confront bits of material from the Eros-driven irrational unconscious through projection and then work with them by the withdrawal of that projection.
In “Parturition” Lt. Tom Paris and Mr. Neelix are sent on a mission to find food resources and instead find an alien hatchling, which they are able to reunite with its mother. However, in the midst of the unfolding of the plot Neelix confronts Paris about his attentions toward Kes and how they hurt him. Paris admits that he does have feelings for Kes, but that because he respects Neelix, he will not act on them. But perhaps more importantly, Paris tells Neelix that whenever Neelix may feel insecure about Kes’s feelings for him, he should just look in her eyes, as Paris sees how Kes looks at Neelix and knows that she loves him.
The exchange between Neelix and Paris can be seen as an illustration of the conscious ego being made aware of bits of unconscious shadow material by way of projection, seeing traits in ourselves that we despise in another. When Neelix is insecure about her feelings for him, he is really projecting his own feelings of insecurity upon Kes. By withdrawing those projections, as Paris suggests here, Neelix will see the real Kes. And perhaps even acknowledge that when Kes looks at Neelix she is projecting her own ideal inner mate onto him. It is up to Neelix whether he feels comfortable receiving this, which will result in Kes eventually feeling secure enough to withdraw that projection and see Neelix for who he truly is. Arguably, at this point as evidenced in recent episodes in the series, Kes is well on the way through this process.
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