Stargate Universe s01e10 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 shis 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.
Colonel, this chair predates those found in the Milky Way.
Rush, you want this chair to be some kind of wonderful discovery, that's fine.
Prove it.
I didn't steal anything! What's this, huh? Those are mine! I brought them through with me when we evacuated! Sorry.
Watch where you're going.
What the hell's your problem? My problem is fat asses like you clogging up the hallway Spencer, you know what? I've had it with you! Looks like a sweet potato.
That is so not going to be sweet.
How do you know? Analysis we did on the planet when we dug the first ones up, just to make sure it was safe.
It's safe.
It's safe.
Now, that is one sweet potato.
Really? Everybody, try it! Dig in! Oh, my God.
I think I'm going to be sick! It is food, people! It will keep us alive! Becker, boil them up, mash them up, and serve them up.
Yes, sir.
Who's on KP duty? Sergeant Spencer, but he should have been here an hour ago.
Sergeant Spencer, you have KP duty, and you are late.
Spencer, get your sorry ass out of bed! You have KP duty! I do not have time for this, Sergeant.
Let's go.
Spencer? What was wrong with the old schedule? I'm worried that we may be pushing them too hard.
It's not boot camp.
No.
In boot camp you have plenty of opportunity to learn from your mistakes.
Colonel Young, this is Sergeant Greer.
Go ahead.
I'm in Sergeant Spencer's quarters.
He did not show up for duty.
I came by to check up on him.
Greer, what is it? He's been shot, sir.
He's dead.
When did it happen? Rigor's set in pretty good, but not completely, so I'd guess an hour either side of 0200.
And no one heard the shot? He chose to have his quarters away from everybody else.
Based on the blood splatter on the wall and the position of the body, I'd say he was sitting on the edge of the bed.
Suicide? Well Why was he even allowed access to a gun? He was a highly trained NCO No, he was unstable, and you know it.
with duties that required him to be armed.
It was required of him? Yes.
Excuse me, ma'am? You know, I have said it from day one that It wasn't suicide.
What are you talking about? Do you see a gun? It was gone when I got here.
I checked the whole compartment.
Whoever did this took the weapon with them.
So, any suspects? Well, excuse me for being blunt, but there is a killer onboard the ship.
Do we have any idea who did this? I don't know.
I'm still trying to wrap my head around it.
It's unbelievable.
Is it? You put ordinary people under enough stress, I think you'll find they're capable of just about anything.
Add to that the fact he was hoarding water and food, involved in several confrontations.
I doubt you'll find many tears shed over this man.
He was one of our own, Rush.
I'm sorry, Lieutenant, was he your friend? Did he, in fact, have one single friend aboard this ship? James hung out with him.
She tolerated him.
All right, so no one could stand the guy.
Does not make it okay.
I didn't mean to suggest that it did.
What I do suggest, however, is that Colonel Young, you should try and find out who this killer is as quickly as possible.
As I am sure many of you have already heard, Sergeant Spencer was killed last night.
He signed the weapon out of the equipment lock-up yesterday, and the 9mm handgun was not returned and is still missing.
I'm aware of how extremely disturbing this is for all of us, so this is what we're going to do.
Lieutenant Scott, Eli, Mr.
Brody, Lieutenant James, and Dr.
Park were together playing cards in the mess at the time of the murder.
They can all corroborate each others' stories, which gives them an alibi.
Hey, I was in the Control Room all night.
I was in the hydroponics lab.
Check the Kino footage! Listen, I'm sure others will have alibis, but some of us won't.
I can tell you for a fact that I was in my bunk, sleeping, at the time, but I can't prove that, and that makes me as much of a suspect as anyone.
That is why I am turning over full control of the investigation.
Lieutenant All right.
We are going to do a room-by-room search, starting with quarters, until the weapon is found.
Now, everyone needs to stay here until that search is complete, but in the meantime You are not searching my room without me there.
Anybody who wants to be there when their room is being searched can come along when their name is called.
That fair? Okay, Dr.
Franklin, you can be first.
Who else would like to be present when their All right, okay, it'll take all day that way, but we can do two at a time.
If that's what you want.
You two, follow me.
All right, Dr.
Franklin, stay near the hatch, please.
Guess I should be thankful there's no cavity search.
That can be arranged, Franklin.
Hey, we don't like this any more than you do.
Right.
Yeah, there's nothing here.
You can just stay here now until the all-clear.
You know, Lieutenant, I understand the need for a thorough investigation, check all possibilities, but you shouldn't lose sight of the obvious.
What are you talking about? Sergeant Greer has to be your number one suspect.
So, he killed Spencer, ran away to hide the gun, then went back and called it in? Besides, if he did do it, you'd have no evidence at all.
Not helping your argument I'm just saying, he's one of the few people we can eliminate as a suspect.
Colonel Young, come in.
What is it? I've found some new information regarding the Ancient chair interface.
Have they checked your quarters? Well, I don't know, actually.
I've got work to do.
Where are you? The Control Interface Room.
Look, I've come across some very interesting data You're supposed to be here, waiting, with the rest of us.
Colonel, obviously neither one of us has anything to do with this business.
Well, that's not the point I thought while this was going on, it might give us the opportunity to keep working.
Obviously, I was wrong.
Rush out.
Rush, get your ass back to the Gate Room.
Rush! Colonel Young, this is Scott, come in.
Go ahead, Lieutenant.
You're up, sir.
Do you want to be here, or No, no, you go ahead.
I'll wait here.
All right, there's obviously nothing here.
Let's move on.
Eli, come on.
Uh What is it? Colonel, this is Scott.
I need you to get down here right away.
Where was it? In the air vent.
The vent.
That's imaginative.
I didn't mean to look that hard.
That's okay.
I was the one who authorized the search.
Right.
You don't believe I put it there, do you? No, sir.
Of course not.
Somebody's trying to frame me, Eli.
Right.
Right, so this what I've been thinking.
We say that we found it in a storage room.
Only the person who hid it in there will know any better.
Maybe we can smoke them out that way.
Uh Are we sure that that's a good idea? He did not kill Spencer, Eli! I'm not saying that he did Look, this is obviously someone trying to undermine the Colonel's authority.
We cannot let that happen.
Eli's right.
I want you to take this gun to Wray, tell her where and how you found it.
Leave nothing out.
She'll know what to do.
Sir? I can't investigate myself, Lieutenant, and you can't be asked to investigate your immediate superior officer.
That leaves Wray.
We got to play this by the book.
With all due respect, sir, if the book covers this, I missed it.
Lieutenant, I need you to listen to me.
Something's going on here.
If we get caught in a lie now, this is going to turn into a bigger mess than it already is, right? So I need everything above board, out in the open.
That is an order.
Well, this looks bad.
It doesn't prove anything.
That's not the point.
This is a question of morale.
A lot of people onboard are going to have doubts.
Eli, you were flying a Kino in everyone's face last night.
Just until the poker game, then Then I put it in search mode.
Well, maybe it caught something.
Something that might indicate that Colonel Young had nothing do with this.
Or that he did.
I find that hard to believe.
Have you contacted Earth yet? I was just about to use the communication stones.
Well, whatever your superiors advise, we are on our own out here.
Best we handle this ourselves.
Thanks for coming.
I need a favor.
Obviously, you've heard about what's been going on.
It's pretty hard to miss.
I didn't do it.
Okay.
Unfortunately, it looks like I'm going to have to clear my name before I can find out who did.
I don't understand.
Wray used the stones Please To talk to her IOA superiors.
She came back authorized to hold an evidentiary hearing on the matter.
That doesn't sound so bad.
Don't kid yourself.
She's going to come after me.
Why? Well, the IOA's been chomping at the bit to have one of their own in charge.
This is the best shot they've got.
Well, you could talk to General O'Neill.
Miss Armstrong, I could stay in charge without having to run to General O'Neill if that's what I wanted to do.
This is about more than that.
The point is, if she's going to be the de facto prosecutor, I'm going to need a defense.
So Me? You went to Harvard.
Political Science.
This is more politics than law.
I would think Lieutenant Scott, or I don't want it to seem like the military against the civilians.
Please.
Doctor, have you ever seen Colonel Young attack one of his own men before? I wouldn't call it an attack.
He was defending me.
Have you ever seen Colonel Young have any kind of physical confrontation with one of his men? No.
But I'm not military.
You did serve at Icarus Base for a period of six months, which was under his command.
Look, Spencer was out of control.
He had to do something.
Did he? I was in the Control Room running a test.
Colonel Young and Dr.
Rush were Were talking.
I don't think they realized that I could hear them.
And what were they saying? Colonel Young was complaining about Sergeant Spencer.
Said that he had gotten out of hand, and if the situation didn't improve, he might have to take drastic measures.
But you have no way of knowing what he meant by that, do you? Assuming you heard correctly.
No, not at the time, I didn't.
I don't remember the exact details of the conversation.
But you do remember speaking with Colonel Young about Sergeant Spencer? Well, the Colonel was doing most of the talking.
I think he just wanted to let off steam.
Do you remember him saying that if things didn't improve, he was going to have to take drastic action? I'm not sure he used those exact words.
Do you agree that Sergeant Spencer was a disruptive force, that his attitude was damaging to morale and was only getting worse? Yes.
Then would you say that his removal from the situation has been a net benefit or a detriment? I know what you're trying to do.
You want me to suggest that we're better off without him, and therefore imply that Colonel Young may have drawn the same conclusion.
That as commander he may have believed he had no choice.
Well? Well, that would be pure speculation, and I'm having none of it.
Didn't stop him from saying it out loud, did it? Are you sure there's nothing in the Kino footage? I've confirmed alibis for half a dozen or so people, but I haven't found anything that helps the Colonel.
You found an empty bottle of sleeping pills in Sergeant Spencer's quarters, didn't you? Yes.
Did you know he was taking them? I wish I had.
I might have been able to help him.
You're suggesting that he had a dependence, and as a result, that he was suffering from withdrawal? It would explain a lot of things.
But you don't know that for a fact.
No.
Hypothetically, if he was suffering from withdrawal, it could have caused him anxiety, depression, even suicidal tendencies.
Yes.
In fact, all the physical evidence The blood spatter, the angle of the wound, the position of the body, it was all consistent with suicide.
Yes.
But you're not a forensic scientist.
No, but I've seen gunshot suicides before.
And in those cases was the gun ever absent when the body was found? No, but it's obvious that someone planted It's not up to you to speculate Isn't it true, Lieutenant, that if we were on Earth, there is a simple test you could do to determine if Sergeant Spencer had fired that gun? I suppose we could test his hand for powder residue, and properly test the weapon for fingerprints, but we don't have the necessary equipment onboard.
Is it possible that a forensic scientist from Earth, even without the special equipment you're talking about? Ms.
Wray If we hadn't handled the weapon or contaminated the crime scene Yeah, but whose decision was it to have us investigate this ourselves? Ms.
Wray, I think it was my turn to ask questions.
What are you doing? I'm taking my turn, as we agreed.
Lieutenant, would a proper autopsy be able to determine if he was in fact suffering from withdrawal? Yes.
Expert or no expert, without any actual forensic equipment or facilities, is it possible to know for certain what really happened? I don't think so.
I think it's time that we take a short recess.
We'll resume in an hour.
Thank you.
I need to talk to you, now.
What was that? We're trying to get to the truth here.
I don't think that's even possible.
We can't afford to have an unsolved murder hanging over our heads.
So forget about the possibility that the Colonel is being framed and just get this over with? I don't think Colonel Young is so far above reproach as you seem to think he is.
Oh, well, you're the Human Resources person.
You would know all about that.
In fact, you probably know more about every person on this ship than anyone.
If we're throwing due process out the window, who do you think did it? We'll just go with that.
You don't think he really did it.
I'm not so sure what to think anymore.
Spencer was a menace, though, we all know it.
I mean, maybe it's just like Rush said, maybe he thought he had no other choice.
No, that's crazy.
Well, let's face it, how well do any of us really know the man? She wants to gather all the evidence she can, and then put it to a vote.
What, like a jury? No, everyone.
I say we end this right now.
I say we go in there, tell them that the party's over, and get back to work! Who's with me? All right, take it easy, Greer.
This is mob rule.
Sergeant Lieutenant.
This is what they used to do to guys like me for looking at white women the wrong way.
Now, you think I'm going to hang back and let this go? Am I interrupting something? No, sir.
At ease.
This has gone on long enough, Colonel.
We're ready to back your play.
That won't be necessary.
Sir? Ms.
Wray and I have already come to an agreement.
She's going to close the investigation for lack of evidence against me.
I, in return, will be stepping down.
From this moment on, she is in command.
I hear congratulations are in order.
Really? I was just wondering what I've gotten myself into.
An opportunity to do things differently, perhaps? What do you want, Nicholas? Control over my science team, including Eli.
But you report to me.
Of course.
That's it? You sound surprised.
This is it? This is it.
Not very impressive.
I mean, as far as chairs go.
Well, time will tell, I suppose.
So you sit in the chair, and it downloads the secrets of the universe into your head? And then you die.
Not necessarily, Eli.
Every time it's ever been tried, this close to death.
Who's tried it? General O'Neill, for one.
And he survived.
We don't have little gray aliens to set things right this time.
No, we don't, but this is an earlier model of that same device, possibly a prototype, built very early in their evolution.
In my experience, the 1.
0 version's usually the most buggy.
It's also the simplest.
Maybe it's really simple.
Maybe it just tells you how to fly the ship.
Well, I'm sure it's a bit more than that, but your point is well made.
It's knowledge of this ship we need.
If we're to survive, or, for that matter, get back to Earth one day, then I'm convinced that this chair is the only way to do that.
Maybe there's a way of choosing what information gets downloaded.
Or maybe it's just a matter of slowing down the download so it can be cut off.
There's only one way to find out.
This is our priority now.
I don't get it.
If Wray admits that there's not enough evidence against you Well, there may not be enough to convict, but there's plenty to cast doubt.
If I force the issue, we risk dividing the crew.
We can't afford that.
These people need a real leader.
Whether they like it or not? Maybe.
Lieutenant, nobody signed up for this, and I can't just assume they're going to follow my orders, and I can't rule the ship by force.
I mean, I won't.
All right.
You tell us that Wray is in charge, that is fine, but as far as me, and Tamara, and the enlisted personnel are concerned, you are still our commanding officer, and nothing is going to change that.
Still here? Yeah, I got stuck with the late shift.
How's it coming? It's not.
We've run every Ancient systems diagnostic we've got.
Nothing.
Rush is trying to write a new program, but it seems like this thing is designed to prevent any kind of access except through the chair itself.
Which would prevent an alien species who doesn't happen to share Ancient physiology from trying to hack in, I guess.
Maybe Rush is right.
Maybe we're close enough for it to work.
Believe me, if Rush thought it was safe, he'd be sitting there right now.
Yeah.
Maybe.
You should get some rest.
Nah.
Rush is due to relieve me at 2300.
If I wasn't here, I'd never hear the end of it.
Maybe you could go to the mess and get me some of Becker's alien mashed potatoes? Really? I'm starving.
Okay.
You got it.
This is Eli! Anybody on this channel? I need help! Eli, this is Young.
What is it? I have a medical emergency.
I need help now! What's going on? I don't know, yet.
Hang on.
What happened? How long's he been in here? I went to the mess for five minutes, and when I got back, he was already in the chair.
Well, the convulsions have stopped, but he's completely unresponsive.
He's basically in a deep catatonic state.
Is there anything you can do for him? We could try a high dose of lorazepam, see if it'll bring him out of it, but I'm flying blind here.
Do it.
Yes, ma'am.
How is he? You just couldn't wait, could you? Anyone who had access to that room was under strict orders not to sit in that chair.
You knew the temptation was there.
We were there to analyze.
You made sure of it by telling them it was our only chance.
To determine the feasibility of accessing the information You wanted somebody there without risking anyone's life! because you didn't have the guts to do it yourself! Both of you, stop! It was under my authority, so ultimately, it's my responsibility.
I know.
All right, we need to talk.
You've got those things running day and night, all over the dang ship, and you are telling me not one of them saw something.
No! Anything out of the ordinary.
No.
I've been over it twice.
There's nothing there.
Look again.
Matt He was framed, Eli.
We are going to find out by who, and we're going to put a stop to it.
Okay.
This is Brody in the Gate Room.
Go ahead.
We have an active gate and we sent through a Kino.
Atmosphere is nominal.
Temperature is in the green.
We're good to go.
I'll be there in a minute.
Sergeant Greer.
Ma'am, may I have a moment of your time? I have to get down to the Gate Room.
We're ready to send a team to the next planet.
That's actually what I wanted to talk to you about.
I notice that myself and a few other Marines were taken off the away team duty list.
Yes.
May I ask why? Call it a temporary adjustment.
You thought it was me who killed Spencer at first, didn't you? You were a valid suspect.
If you can't deal with that, it's your problem, not mine.
Now, get out of my way.
Yes, ma'am.
But I'm not going anywhere.
All right, it doesn't look like there's much vegetation around the gate, so you may have to widen your search.
Lieutenant James and Airman Rennie will be providing security, but you're in charge.
Congratulations.
Yay.
Okay, what? I'm sorry.
I should have caught it.
What? You have to look close.
There's nothing there.
Look at the time codes.
They don't match.
So, wait, wait, wait.
What's that? That is a deletion.
I wouldn't have even noticed it, except it caused a minor glitch in the code.
It's from the exact time that Spencer was shot.
So the Kino did pick up something.
It must have.
Okay, but if it's deleted, how does that help us? Because whoever did this was good, but not good enough.
What What they couldn't have known is that I always back up the last two days of footage on my hard drive.
Why? My documentary.
I have to download it to my computer before I can edit it.
If there's an Ancient version of iMovie in the database, I haven't found it.
There.
Colonel Young, go to Channel Two.
What is it, Lieutenant? I've got something you need to see.
God.
I tell you, if I could change one thing about the day we escaped from Icarus, I would've worn better shoes.
Really? Those are nice shoes.
Seriously, how much longer do we have to keep this up? There's obviously nothing here.
What? Spoke too soon.
An alien ship? Are you sure? That's what he said.
How long till we jump? Just over two hours.
I'm on my way.
I was just coming to get you.
Not now.
I have to get to the planet.
It can wait.
Look, they found the remains of a crashed alien ship.
There's very little time before we jump back to FTL.
It can wait.
It's been about a week since I ran out of pills.
Haven't slept much since.
I can't think.
Everything's I don't know.
These people don't even realize they're inside a big, floating coffin.
I wish I could come up with something better to say.
I'm sorry.
The Kino kept recording, but the file must have gotten corrupted in the transfer.
This was all I could get.
Well, the point is, it wasn't there when Greer found the body, so we know someone took it, along with the gun.
Who would have the skills to delete the file from the mainframe? It's not that hard, really.
Anyone with a basic knowledge of the ship's computer.
At least a dozen people, if not more.
Colonel, I'm sorry.
I I don't know what to say.
Obviously, we need to rethink our situation.
Obviously.
We should recall the team from the planet No, no, we can't do that.
In over a dozen planets we haven't had a single indication of advanced technology up until now.
This mess isn't going anywhere.
He's right.
This ship could be important.
I'm going, too.
If you think it's really I'm not asking permission.
I'm telling you.
Let's go.
Well, it's not Ancient.
That much we've figured out.
The material, the design, it's completely different.
It's not emitting any radiation or EM fields.
It's basically dead.
Have you been inside? We've located what looks like a hatch, but we haven't figured out how to get in.
We probably have to cut it open.
Well, how much time would that take? More than we have.
We're pushing it as it is.
Lieutenant, let's pack it up.
Yes, sir.
No, just give me a couple of more minutes.
A few minutes is going to make a difference? Well, it might.
All right.
I'm willing to push it, if you are.
Take your team and head back to the gate.
Are you sure? Yeah, we'll be right behind.
Whatever you say.
You know, Volker was right.
This is unlike any other kind of alien technology we've encountered before.
If they're indigenous to this part of the universe, they might be willing to trade.
Knowledge, information There has to be a way in.
I know it was you.
I'm sorry? The files were not corrupted.
Kino kept recording until you came into the room.
So, let's hear it.
Let's hear how you lie your way out of this one.
I heard the shot, I went to investigate, and I found him.
And then you decided to frame me for murder.
That's a bit melodramatic.
Nah.
I knew there wouldn't be any real evidence against you.
The idea was to create just enough doubt to get you to step aside.
I see.
That was the idea.
Well, you're the wrong man for the job, Colonel.
I'm sorry to have to be the one to say it, but I think you know it's true.
Do I? You don't believe in the mission.
You resigned your position as SG leader because you didn't want to make the hard decisions.
The life and death decisions.
Well, that makes you a liability.
I'm not proud of what I did, but I did it for the benefit of everyone onboard.
The end justifies the means? Yeah, something like that.
Are we done? We'll never be done.
We shouldn't have left them there.
What? So we could get stuck there, too? No one is stuck! Not yet.
How much time? Twenty seconds.
Colonel? Where's Rush? He didn't make it.
So, we just stayed too long.
On the way back, Rush tripped himself up, started a rock slide I was ahead, but I just I barely made it through.
I just wanted you to know, Colonel, that I've informed the crew of the new evidence that's come to light.
Since you've been completely exonerated, obviously you should resume your duties as commander.
Tomorrow.
You need to rest.
She can be in charge one more day.
Thanks.
Eli, shut the door.
The rest of the Kino footage? Even Scott didn't see it.
I want you to make a copy for me, put it on this, and then delete it from your hard drive.
Okay.
Anything else? No.