Asencia launches temporal-weapon fleets at Federation bases while Voyager and the Protostar buy time.
With the Vau N'Akat in open rebellion, Asencia sends a fleet armed with temporal weapons against every major Federation base. Voyager and the Protostar engage the fleet to buy time, while Wesley, Rok-Tahk, Zero and Maj'el work out how to open a wormhole to Tars Lamora. Dal, Gwyn, Jankom, Murf and Ilthuran beam down to Solum to seize Asencia's technology, and Gwyn defeats Asencia with the help of her own people.
Murf destroys Asencia's Drednok, and Dal and Jankom open the wormhole, collapsing the rifts onto Asencia's ships and saving the Federation. But the Loom then swarm out of the wormhole to consume reality. The first half of the series finale ends Asencia's threat and sets up the closing paradox, in which the Protostar must return to Tars Lamora so the timeline can close on itself, a loop that fits the title's image of a serpent swallowing its own tail. Sean Bishop directed.