Stargate Universe s01e04 Episode Script

Destiny.
The design is clearly Ancient.
Launched hundreds of thousands of years ago.
Where the hell are we? Several billion light years from home.
We are on a ship, but we have no idea where we are in relation to Earth.
This ship could be the most important discovery mankind has made since the stargate itself.
These are the wrong people in the wrong place.
I've got a lot of wounded.
We need to get home.
We barely have enough power to operate the main systems.
This ship simply doesn't have the capability to dial Earth.
Even if we can get the life support working, we don't have much food and water.
Then go get some.
Little boys playing soldier.
Well, I'm sorry.
I've no interest in playing your game.
I'm not playing anything.
I'm trying to save the lives of everyone aboard that ship.
We do have power issues to be aware of.
If I wasn't being clear, I was giving you an order.
Dr.
Rush.
Dr.
Rush, I was wondering if Not now! What are you doing? Morning.
Colonel Young asked us to figure out I turned these systems off for a reason.
They need to stay off! Don't know whether the ship has electrolyzed it to produce oxygen, but you can see there's not much left in there.
We did some calculations based on our estimates of the water depth and tank dimensions.
And the winner is? Just over 90,000 liters.
Go, Math Boy.
Sounds like a lot.
It wouldn't fill a backyard swimming pool.
Still, it's enough to loosen the rationing restrictions, isn't it? Camile, I think I know where you're going with this, and believe me when I say that I, too, could use a shower.
I don't think the showers use water.
They just spray a sort of mist that you kind of stand in, and it sort of beads up.
There's one in a compartment off the crew quarters.
How do you know all that if you haven't tried it? How do you know I haven't tried it? Oh, we know.
Thank you, Lieutenant Rose Garden.
No, he's right.
You're worse than he is.
Wow, you can tell them apart? We also identified a recycling system for liquid waste, so once we get that system up and running Okay, folks, let's have a better day than yesterday.
Thank you.
Your ration, sir.
Thank you.
I ordered you here I've been working.
Throughout the night, actually, trying to find out why our power reserves are so low.
I'm quite concerned, and so should you be.
Okay, well, how bad is it? I haven't been able to access any of the main systems yet, so I don't know.
You look exhausted.
Maybe you should take a break.
Get the information we need and make some informed decisions, and we report Could you please stop people running around activating every bloody system they can get their hands on? I will.
That was delicious.
Thank you very much.
That man is a lot of work.
Let's bring in the next group, please.
Doctor, I'm very sorry to bother you.
I know you're busy, but I really need your What did I say? Come on, it doesn't have to be profound.
Just who you are and something you want to say.
Like Hi, I'm Eli Wallace.
I'm 25 years old.
I'm currently unemployed, and just for posterity's sake, I'd like to say, "Take your stinking paws off me, "you damn dirty ape!" For example.
I'm not really gonna say that.
Just try it.
Say something.
Well, it could be that Rush is just starting a fire so he can put it out, or it could be that he's so far ahead of us he can see problems that none of us can see.
So what do you want us to do? Help him.
The man likes to work alone.
Well, with the way he's been treated, you can hardly blame him.
I can blame him all day long.
It's pretty hard not to, considering.
This isn't helpful.
Yeah, well, it's the truth.
Well, we're stuck with Rush for now.
Scott is checking out the other shuttle, seeing if it's operational.
He asked that you two join him when we were done here, so off you go.
Dismissed.
Please tell me that's everyone.
We still have the question of what to do with the Senator's body.
Yeah, we'll get to him.
He's not going anywhere.
I'd appreciate a file on everyone by sometime tomorrow.
Nothing fancy.
And my assignment, sir? Recipes, Becker.
For the love of God, recipes.
Second Lieutenant Vanessa James, All I have to say is, I don't want to die out here.
Colonel! I thought we were done.
There are still dozens of human resources issues we need to talk about.
Pick one.
The matter of Lieutenant Johansen resigning her commission.
Consider her reactivated.
Well, I don't know if that's up to Up to me? Yeah, it is.
We need a medic.
I don't even know why she resigned in the first place.
Well, that's none of my business.
Colonel, look what we figured out.
We're calling it a recharging plate.
Uh-huh.
We've tweaked it so it works with Earth technology.
For now, we have to be careful not to leave them on the plate for too long or it fries the battery, but Not bad, huh? It's great.
Isn't it? Turn it off.
Why? Well, Rush says we have power issues.
We've got all these things to recharge.
I know, but as soon as he gives the go-ahead, you kids can go crazy.
For now, help me pass the word to stop pushing buttons.
It's cool, guys.
This one's secure.
You think you can fly this thing, man? I can fly an F-302.
Yeah, in a simulator.
This is a real spaceship, man.
Yes, it is.
So, pretty screwed up, huh? Yeah.
Yeah, pretty screwed up.
You think they're gonna work it out? We're pretty freaking far from home, man.
I don't know.
Not today.
You should have shipped out weeks ago, T.
J.
It's not right.
It ain't right at all.
Yeah, well, I'm here, so what do you want us to do? Help me figure out what kind of bird we got here.
I just radioed Brody to come down, help translate the controls.
Took me half an hour just to find the "On" switch.
Maybe we can take a little joyride, huh? Oh, joy! You don't have to follow me around.
What do you mean? I mean that I'm okay.
Oh.
Thank God you said something, 'cause I thought you were following me around, and it was about to get awkward.
I don't mind the company.
I just don't want to keep you from anything important.
I am done with important.
I'm taking the day off from important.
You should.
So should you.
Me? I don't even know what to do with myself, Eli.
I'm the last person who should be here.
I'm second to last.
You're underestimating yourself.
So are you.
Can you show me how to use that shower you were talking about? Yes.
Yes, I can.
Scott's checking out the shuttle, seeing if it's operational.
Everyone else is holding the work until you give the green light.
Thank you.
Look, I want you to know that I'm well aware that in the field of Ancient technology, or pretty much any other subject I can think of, you're the best I've got.
But we can't be working at cross purposes.
All I ask is that you check with me before issuing orders.
Check with you? No, no, you see, you got it backwards.
If you're doing something, I want to know what it is, and this is not a request.
Done.
Fine.
I'll tell you everything.
If there is an issue that affects everybody on this ship, like we're running out of power.
I think I already told you that.
I'm not here to snap your back or piss you off, but if we're going to be on this ship for any length of time, we need to be on the same page.
I think our length of time together on Destiny may be shorter than you think.
Okay.
I get it.
Who can I bring in to help? Honestly, it may take longer than we've got to bring someone else up to speed.
Volker it is.
Perfect, terrific.
You can tell him to sit on his hands if you want to.
Spencer, Sergeant.
I'm 31.
All I want to say is, I never asked for this.
All I want is to get off this ship.
What's it feel like? What? What's it feel like on your bare skin? It's really warm! Yeah? Eli.
I'm just standing guard! Anybody could walk in.
I What? Whatever.
I need to talk to you.
I'm Alone.
It's important.
Wow, I am so torn.
Chloe, I'm gonna take Eli for a minute.
That all right with you? Okay! I'll check back with you later, okay? Okay! Hey, heard you could use a helper.
Well, you heard wrong.
Yeah, Young said not to take no for an answer.
If he wanted to be helpful, he would have sent Eli instead.
Well, thank you for that, but Eli's a kid, really, and I'm an astrophysicist, so Mr.
Volker, I neither need nor want your help, all right? Look, he's just going to drag me right back in here, and you know it.
Come on.
Right, I'm concerned that Destiny is on the verge of losing power.
Look for yourself.
This ship's been flying around for the better part of a million years.
I know.
So I don't understand why all of a sudden Well, we showed up and started doing things, how about that? Like what? Dialing back to Earth, for one! Come on, we had to try.
Look out a window, man.
We're flying faster than the speed of light.
How close to the end of the rope can we be? You're obviously not capable of seeing the signs.
Okay, well, speaking of signs, when was the last time you slept? Look, if you know what you're looking for, there are clear indications that power is being channeled into life support and away from How can you know that? We're still completely locked out of the core systems.
Out! Okay, I'll Forget I said anything.
Now! No, I'll just work quietly It's too bloody late for that, isn't it? I told him you'd be a waste of time! A waste of time that we can ill afford! If you can't see the signs staring you in the face, then you're no good to me! Get out! Look, we just want to talk.
You said "alone".
Well, how else was I supposed to get you out of there? What's going on, Eli? You mean right now? Don't be an idiot.
Wow, you must be getting to know me, because I respond really well to that.
We can't get a straight answer from anybody about whether or not we're going to make it back to Earth.
I don't think anybody knows.
They don't know or won't tell us? I'm pretty sure if they knew, they would tell you.
They'd tell you.
Me? Are you serious? Yeah, we are, Eli.
You're on the inside.
Rush needs you.
The Colonel's looking out for you.
Okay, tell you what, if they tell me, then I'll tell you.
That's all we ask.
That's it? Great.
This has been good.
I think as a group, we've bonded.
You got to be kidding me.
I know.
You were in there five minutes.
He kicked me out.
What's the matter with you? You're a grown man.
I know that, but he said, "Out!" Well, what the hell did you say to the man? I didn't say anything! I was trying to figure out what his problem was.
It's our problem, Volker.
It's not just his.
I need you to get your ass back in there.
I'm telling you, he's gone crazy.
Well, we already knew that.
Go.
This isn't the old crazy.
This is a whole new crazy.
Would you like me to hold your hand, is that it? Is that what you need me to do? Come on, Colonel, I'm trying.
All right.
Here we go.
Let's do this.
I'll take you there myself.
And for God's sake, Volker, if you people can't stand up to the son of a bitch Did you do that, Rush? Is that what you think? No.
No, I didn't, but I have been standing here for the past few minutes watching systems fail all over the ship, and there's nothing that I could do to stop that.
The FTL drive was amongst the last to go.
We could be in range of a stargate.
You see what I mean? No, there's no countdown.
There's got to be emergency reserves.
I don't think you seem to understand what's going on here, Colonel.
Our reserves are gone.
All of our power is gone.
Uh, Dr.
Dale Volker.
I'm 34 years old, and despite what you may or may not have heard from a certain Scottish person, I like to think that I'm a pretty fine astrophysicist.
I mean, they don't send you to work on solving the mysteries of the universe on other planets if you're a hack, right? So, that's all I have to say.
And we can't all be Mozarts, right? Some of us are Salieris.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
I like Salieri.
I find his music is It's It's soothing.
I'm not suggesting that he's Mozart, either.
Although Mozart did go a little nuts, didn't he? All right, I'm done.
He's maybe a Schubert at best.
Or an Elgar.
I'm done, Eli.
Hey, the lights went off in my compartment.
Yeah, it's the same all over.
Well, why? Why does everybody think that I know everything? Eli! Eli! Eli! Eli! Chloe? Not funny, Eli! It wasn't me! We had a power failure or something.
I was on my way to go Well, I'm freezing, and I can't see! Wait.
Hold on.
Here, let me help.
Oh! Sorry! Sorry.
Everything just stopped and went pitch black.
I completely freaked.
Yeah, we heard.
How was the shower? It's fine.
Thanks for asking.
Look, just go find out what's going on.
I'm okay.
Here, here.
It's something, anyway.
Don't make any long distance phone calls.
Thanks.
Eli? Yeah! Wait for me? Sure.
Turn around.
Sure.
So it wasn't anything you did? Since I arrived, I have been unable to access any of the core systems, power, navigation or propulsion.
Why didn't you bring somebody else in on this? Because I'm the only qualified person! You see, this is what I'm talking about.
Maybe it's like a Lantian device.
You need the Ancient gene to access the Destiny predates that technology.
You know that for a fact? Yes, Colonel! I know many, many things for a fact! I know you asked Gorman to poke around in the weapons systems, for a fact! I know you have ordered teams of people all over the ship to do things that they know nothing about, for a fact! Right.
You think all those things add up to this, Rush? Does that make sense to you? Look.
Look! No, you're right.
You are right.
It was your reckless, pointless attempt to dial Earth that robbed me of the time I needed to solve this problem! Well, maybe we're just missing something.
Yes, the opportunity of a lifetime! Because you wouldn't listen to me! T.
J.
, this is Young.
I refuse to be held responsible for this situation! We could use a medic in the Gate Room.
Nobody's blaming you.
I ran out of time! We can fix this.
Fix this? What do you think, just because you give the order that it's possible? There is no more power! Destiny saved every last ounce of its reserves for life support, and I've seen it happening! I've seen it being sequestered away from me! I tried to I tried to stop it.
I tried to stop it, but I couldn't.
Rush In a few days' time, this ship will go dark! It will go dark and cold.
T.
J.
, now.
Okay, I'm Sergeant Hunter Riley.
I'm one day short of my 30th birthday.
I grew up on a farm.
I have relatives who've never even left the state, and here I am halfway across the universe, so No regrets.
So Rush was right.
Everything but life support is dead.
Well, why now? Why just when we show up? Because we just showed up.
Well, there's the stargate.
It's a power hog, and we had it on all day yesterday.
There's still some power, and the shields are still working to some degree.
Again, that's to keep us alive.
For how long? We're gonna have to wait for Rush to wake up for an answer to that one.
Well, T.
J.
Says he's not going to be up for a while.
So where does that leave us? Dead.
Dead.
Not right away.
Yeah, we have days, maybe a lot of days, but if there's no stargate in range And there's not.
We don't have the power to dial out anyway.
So it's a race between food, water and life support.
I don't buy that.
We can't do anything without access to the ship's systems.
Look.
I mean, I could stand here all day.
Eli? I put a Kino into search mode and sent it into unpressurized areas of the ship looking for an active console somewhere.
Nothing yet.
Also, I was looking into if there's any way we could integrate the shuttle's power with the ship's system.
So you're working the problem.
Yeah.
Does the computer-hacking dropout have to save our asses The dropout is still here.
or are you going to get your heads out of yours? The shuttle idea is pretty good.
Yeah, there might be a work-around.
Well, let's do that.
Thank you, Eli.
By the way, it's MIT dropout.
You want a gold star for that? No, I just Do something.
I'm going to be gone for a few hours.
Gone? To report this mess.
If you need me, yank me back.
Wanna say hi? Lieutenant Matthew Scott.
I'm 26 years old, and I'd like to say a prayer for all of us if that's okay.
Sure, yeah.
Whatever you want.
The Lord is my shepherd, I shall not want.
He maketh me to lie down in green pastures.
He leadeth me to still waters.
I'll take it from here, Peter.
Again? What can I say? I'm a glutton for punishment.
Okay.
What's going on, Sergeant? Actually, I was coming to ask you.
Colonel Young went back to report.
I'm Colonel Telford.
I'd like to speak with Dr.
Rush immediately.
Oh? Well, he's had a nervous breakdown, sir.
What? But I can take you to Lieutenant Scott.
He's in the shuttle.
Wow, that was quick.
It doesn't take very long to say, "We're screwed.
" I'm sorry, sir.
I wish there was something we could do.
There is.
I'll shout down when she's ready to see you.
Lieutenant Tamara Johansen.
I'm a paramedic.
I actually quit my job a few weeks ago.
I shouldn't even be here.
To think I could have missed all of this.
Hey.
Emily.
No, don't.
I said that you could come in, but that's all.
Okay.
Scott, Johansen.
A word, please.
There's no power except for the shuttle? Sir, you already know that.
Matt, this is Colonel Telford.
That's right.
Now, would either of you two officers care to explain how Colonel Young managed to let things fall apart so fast? There was no way of knowing this was going to happen.
You're saying Rush didn't see it coming? That's what I thought.
I want to know what's really going on aboard this ship.
It's just It's ridiculous.
It's true.
Let's say that it is.
Why? Why are you putting me through this? Because I wanted to say I'm sorry.
I didn't choose my job over you.
It wasn't just about the job.
I know.
I love you.
I'm guessing that didn't go well.
Sir.
How does this change anything? What do you mean? Let's say that I believe all of this.
I don't really, but even if I did, you did choose, and you chose to go.
I didn't choose this.
You knew there was a chance you wouldn't be coming back.
I am coming back.
No.
You wouldn't be here like this to say goodbye if you really thought there was a chance.
Listen, I'm doing everything that I can.
I'm going to do everything that I can.
I want nothing more than to get back here to be with you, and I want nothing more than for you to be here for me when I do get home.
I'm just saying I don't know when that will be.
Please.
You made your choice, Everett.
And I made mine.
Nothing's changed.
And I really I really do hope that you're going to be okay.
Hey.
Emily, listen.
Please.
Don't.
Don't, please.
Emily, please.
Emily.
Just let me go.
I gave you a direct order, Lieutenant.
Sir, I understand that you gave me a direct order, and I respectfully suggest it would be a complete waste of time! I'm telling you, the ship came here for a reason! Sir? The ship came here for what reason? Colonel Young? Yeah, yeah.
What the hell was Telford just ordering you to do? Use the communication stones to report that you need to be replaced.
Well, he's probably right about that.
So, the ship came here for what reason? The odds of coming out of FTL on the outer edge of a star system are astronomical.
Throw in the fact that there are three potentially habitable planets, plus a gas giant to act as a comet catcher on the outside of the system? We're talking miraculous.
So there's a chance now that we're going to live Though our definition of "habitable" just means the surface temperature range allows for the presence of liquid water, and since the primary's a red dwarf, the planets must have a relatively short orbital radius just to fall within that range, which means there's a likelihood at least one or two of them will be tidally locked, meaning one side will always be facing the star, which increases the prospect of geological instability due to tidal stresses, and I can't stand earthquakes.
I was in one when I was 13, and I cut both my feet on broken glass.
But it might be nice! Hey.
How are you? How did I get here? You're not that heavy.
You passed out for a little while.
How long? About 10 hours.
It's probably the first real sleep you've had since we arrived here.
Has anything happened? Not since we lost power, no.
You haven't missed a thing.
How do you feel? Embarrassed.
Don't be.
Well, you weren't there.
Your head's pounding, right? How many cups of coffee do you normally drink a day? Four? Five? You're in caffeine withdrawal.
So are about a dozen other people on board.
It can make you pretty crazy.
You should see the smokers.
You're looking at one.
Double whammy, huh? I was going to let you sleep it off, but the Colonel wants you to see something, so let's go.
If you don't do one, they're not going to know who the hell you are.
Eli, I have nothing to say.
People are going to find this.
They're going to want to know who we were.
Look, I'll do your slate, okay? This is Dr.
Nicholas Rush.
He is the lead scientist of the Icarus Project.
Now just say what you feel.
Come on in.
Orbital insertion trajectory? That was my first thought.
I thought your first thought was we were gonna fly into the damn thing.
But, no, sir.
I'm guessing we'll get close enough to kiss, but not enough for capture.
An aerobraking maneuver? Well, the math's over my head, but, yeah, we should come out of a slingshot somewhere in-system.
Where there are habitable planets.
I didn't tell him.
No, but you're all smiling.
Well, we're still too far out to know if they're anything more than rocks, but we found three candidates before Big Bertha here filled up the sky.
So this trajectory is no accident, then.
The man's quick.
We'll know once we're clear.
That'll be in six minutes.
Who translated this? You know it's completely backwards.
Well, pull up a chair, sir.
This'll be a show you don't want to miss.
So we're clear, my definition of habitable includes a sandy beach, a tropical climate There's going to be some severe turbulence when we contact the atmosphere.
I'll pass the word.
Colonel, about our previous conversation Rush, no need to apologize.
I wasn't about to.
I'm trying to explain I was suffering from withdrawal symptoms Yeah, yeah, I know.
I know all about it.
Lot of, lot of work.
Hello, there.
Adam Brody is my name.
Can I start again? My name's Adam Brody, as I said earlier.
Hello Cut.
Adam Brody, engineer.
I like football, and I What? Dude, this isn't for a dating service.
Yeah, I just I don't know why that came out.
I'm just I don't know why I'm so nervous.
No, no, it's all good.
It's all good.
What do we got? We have your name, we have your job.
What else is there? Oh, you're 40-something, so Thirty-six.
Okay.
We got that now.
We'll fix that in editing.
All that's left is what you want to say for posterity.
I always knew I was going to die in space.
From the moment I stepped through the stargate, I I mean, I didn't expect this, but I knew something awful was going to happen.
I just knew it.
This is Young.
We are expecting some atmospheric turbulence in a few minutes.
Find a secure place and plunk your asses down.
Whoa! Don't shoot.
It's me! You can talk through that thing? Hey, I can talk through this thing! Riley asked me how to use I asked him how the Kino works.
Yeah, yeah.
We took a wrong turn.
I can and will kick your ass.
Let's do that later.
We're going to pass very close to a gas giant in a few minutes.
It's going to be a bumpy ride.
We're short on radios.
Help me spread the word.
Yes, sir.
Thank you.
He Wrong turn, really? You going to stick to that story? Go, help.
Now.
Oh, my Ninety seconds to contact.
Come on, come on, come on.
I'm coming! Well, we don't have much time.
You've seen planets from space.
How could you let yourself get jaded to this stuff so fast? I'm not jaded.
I've just got other stuff on my mind.
Oh? Well, we're just passing through the atmosphere of a gas giant on the far side of the universe in an Ancient spaceship.
I'm sure there'll be other gas giants.
Okay, okay, let's go.
Eli! Can we please slow down? Trust me, it'll be worth it, okay? I guess everybody had the same idea.
Eli, it's beautiful.
Thirty seconds to contact.
Hang on.
No, no, no, I need everyone away from the walls.
Away from the walls.
The turbulence could break your back.
Sit down.
Hell of a ride, huh? Yes.
Yes, it was.
Now, let's find these planets you were talking about.
There they are, dead ahead.
Yes, we should be able to analyze the atmosphere of the nearest planet within a few hours.
Are we clear? Yes, sir.
Did you catch any of that? No, I couldn't get back in time.
This is unbelievable.
Lieutenant, look at this.
You sure missed a great show, sir.
Please, everyone.
Please, everyone be quiet! Our trajectory has changed.
Oh, no.
Changed? The planet has altered Destiny's course more than we hoped.
What are you talking about, Rush? Lieutenant, what the hell's he talking about?