Synopsis: Neelix takes care of Naomi Wildman while her mother is on an away mission.
This episode can be seen as an illustration of how the Logos-driven rational conscious ego no longer needs to project bits of material from the Eros-driven irrational unconscious onto another individual once it has acknowledged and integrated the material into the conscious ego.
In “Once Upon a Time” Neelix is taking care of Naomi while her mother, Ensign Samantha Wildman is on an away mission. Ensign Wildman is aboard the Delta Flyer when it is hit by an ion storm and forced to crash land onto a planet, becoming buried under rock in the process. The away team sent to rescue the crew aboard the Delta Flyer has a difficult time locating it and Captain Kathryn Janeway wants Neelix to tell Naomi what is going on. Neelix, who experienced the pain of losing his entire family, is hesitant to do so, until the rescue party knows for sure Ensign Wildman’s status. Eventually, Neelix tells Naomi about his family, but then word is received that the Delta Flyer has been found.
In this episode when contact is lost with the Delta Flyer, Neelix does not want to burden Naomi with the knowledge that her mother is in danger because of what he felt when his family is killed. One explanation for Neelix’s very strong feelings about this is that he fears projecting his own pain onto Naomi. Neelix wants to spare Naomi the pain that he has experienced. Neelix’s pain can be seen as coming from a wound that has created a complex. That Neelix does not want or need to project his pain onto another can be interpreted as him having acknowledged and integrated the information that came in the form of a complex into his ego, making it stronger and the psyche more whole.
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