The Orville (2017) s02e14 Episode Script

The Road Not Taken

1 [WIND WHISTLING.]
[THROUGH SPEAKER.]
: Over here.
[SHIP HUMMING OUTSIDE.]
Look out! [SHIP POWERING UP.]
I thought we'd be safe here, at least for a while.
There's no such thing as safe anymore.
Can't we go to quantum? Every time we get hit, the drive goes offline.
[CONSOLE BEEPING.]
There's an ice moon orbiting the planet.
I could take us inside, buy us time to reset the drive.
What do you mean "inside"? - Like, not outside.
- [BLAST HITS SHIP.]
Do it.
[SHIP RUMBLES.]
- You ever flown inside one of these? - Nope.
- Should I be worried? - Yup.
- There's a large cavern off port.
- I see it.
- Bring us about.
- What? Trust me.
Okay, go, go, go! - Quantum drive is back online.
- All right, get us out of here.
[BOTH SIGH.]
Man, that was close.
It's getting impossible to find a system the Kaylon haven't occupied.
Yeah, well, they've managed to wipe out half the known galaxy in less than nine months.
- Where do we go? - Calivon.
What are you, insane? They're just as dangerous as the Kaylon.
Yeah, but last I heard, the Kaylon haven't taken them on yet.
Probably 'cause it's close to an even match.
We could hide out on the edge of their system, hope they don't notice us.
Can't be worse than anywhere else.
Lay in a course.
Man, I hope this works.
Yeah, I can't remember the last time I had a decent meal.
[ELECTRICAL HUMMING.]
[LAUGHS.]
Look at this.
What'll it be? One Twinkie.
[SIGHS, CHUCKLES.]
- Really? - What? We almost got killed getting this thing, and you're having a Twinkie? I wanted a Twinkie.
You want half? Yes, I want half.
[QUIETLY.]
: Here.
[GORDON CHUCKLES.]
- Oh, my God.
My God.
- Oh.
Oh, my God.
- This is so good, so good.
- This is unbelievable.
This is unbelievable.
- That is so good.
- [SHIP RUMBLES.]
The hell was that? We just dropped out of quantum.
God, what the hell's wrong with it now? Wait a minute, this isn't on our end.
Something shut us down, an outside signal.
From where? From that.
- Scavengers.
- Crap.
Wait a minute, how the hell could they access our computer? I have no idea.
- Okay, um, don't panic.
- Don't panic? They're gonna cut off our skin and wear it like a suit.
[ELECTRICAL WHIRRING, SHIP RUMBLES.]
What do we do? We fight.
I'm not gonna let our last meal be a Twinkie.
[WEAPONS POWER UP.]
You ready? Don't shoot.
Hello, Ed.
- Kelly? - It's good to see you again.
- You know this woman? - Yeah, we went on a date, like, seven years ago.
Called her a bunch of times, she never called me back.
Yeah, that's kind of why I'm here now.
What I'm about to tell you is gonna be a lot to take in.
Well, a girl who blew me off seven years ago just hijacked my shuttle in a stolen freighter, so consider me warmed up.
Are you at all familiar with the starship Orville? That's the ship the Kaylon used to get through Earth's defenses, right? Yeah.
We were all supposed to be aboard.
What do you mean "supposed to be"? You were supposed to be the captain.
I was supposed to be your first officer.
Everyone here was part of your crew.
ED: [CHUCKLES.]
Okay, well, that's a much more appealing version of events, but it's-it's not reality.
Yes, it is, in an alternate timeline.
Is this, like, one of those crack house ships I've been hearing about? Wait, how would you know about an alternate timeline? Seven years ago, I was accidentally sent forward in time to what would've been six months ago.
I was aboard the Orville.
I saw you there, along with everyone else in this room.
Before the Orville returned me to my own time, Dr.
Finn gave me a memory wipe, but it didn't work.
And I ended up doing something that changed history.
What? I said no to a second date.
Huh? In the other timeline, we got married.
Long story short, I had an affair, we got divorced.
Out of guilt, I helped get you command of the Orville, and because you were captain, the Kaylon were defeated.
- Because I was captain? - Yes.
- I stopped the Kaylon? - Right.
I had to swim with my shirt on until I was 20.
KELLY: Just listen.
Because you were in command of the Orville, Dr.
Finn signed on.
I always like to be posted where I'm needed.
Apparently, I felt you could use my help.
She and her sons had a relationship with the Kaylon emissary Isaac.
That relationship is what got him to turn against his own people.
The Kaylon lost the battle.
And you all believe this? TALLA: It's not hard to believe.
I served on the Orville with Captain Griffith, and we all thought Isaac was our friend.
Kelly tracked every one of us down, and the things she knew, no one could've known unless they'd been there.
KELLY: Ed, we have to try and restore the timeline.
And the only way to do that is for me to go back and correct the memory wipe.
Half the known galaxy wiped out by those people - because we didn't go out again.
- GORDON: Wait, wait, wait, wait.
E-E-Even if all of this were true, and there were a way to go back and that's a lot of ifs what if the memory wipe fails again? I mean, w-we're right back in hell.
CLAIRE: The reason it didn't work is that Kelly's brain is deficient in a protein called beta-secretase.
It's something that could've easily been missed, and apparently that's what happened.
With the proper injection, the memory wipe will take hold, and history will be restored.
Every sickbay in the Union is in pieces.
Can you replicate this protein? No.
There's an underground.
A resistance to the Kaylon expansion.
Yeah, I know about the resistance.
Thought they'd been destroyed.
Yeah, that's what they wanted the Kaylon to think, but there are still a handful of cells.
I have a contact in one of them.
They can get us a dose of the protein.
And then what? One thing at a time.
The resistance base is remote, and we're gonna have to avoid a lot of Kaylon.
We'll need a good pilot.
Someone want to show me the helm? Come on.
KELLY: I'm sorry.
I saw us.
You and I.
We'd been through so much pain and heartbreak, and to be an observer from the outside I only did what I thought was right, to protect us both.
Oh, that's a hell of a decision to make all on your own.
If you saw your own future and all the mistakes you made, wouldn't you try to fix it? I might consider how it would affect other people.
Come on, you took temporal law at Union Point.
You go back in time, you kill Hitler, you stop World War II, you don't know what'll happen.
You could make things worse.
I know that now.
[SIGHS.]
You know, I remember having a really great time with you that night.
And then when you basically ghosted me, I-I thought it was the end of the world.
Turns out, I was right.
It's good to see you again.
Man.
This is one big-ass asteroid field.
It used to be a planet.
What? There's a black hole just outside of this star system.
Slowly sucking it in.
Wow.
There.
That's the one we want.
Let's prep the shuttle.
Talla, keep the long-range scanners at maximum while we're gone.
It'll eat up a lot of power, but we need to watch for Kaylon.
Got it.
Good luck.
Talla.
Look after my boys.
This way.
[CREATURES CHIRPING.]
- What do you want? - Yaphit, it's me, John.
- John? John who? - From the Orville.
We served together for years.
Oh.
Oh, yeah, right, sorry.
Uh, a piece of me got blasted off last week.
A little bit of my memory was in it.
We need to see the lieutenant.
Okay, hang on.
[CONSOLES BEEPING.]
[BUSY CHATTER.]
Lieutenant, you got company.
Well, well.
Long time no see.
John.
I almost didn't believe it when I heard you were alive.
Yeah, still alive and kicking.
So glad the Kaylon didn't get you.
Oh.
Well, I appreciate you saying so.
Who are they? Ed Mercer, Kelly Grayson, Claire Finn.
- This is Alara Kitan.
- It's nice to meet you.
Yeah, Alara used to be chief of security on the Orville.
Chief of security? Yeah, don't let the small package fool you.
You can count on her.
Have to be able to count on someone.
How you doing? Gravity treatments are kicking my ass, but other than that, pretty good.
I got what you asked for.
You're lucky you guys are still in one piece here.
The Kaylon usually don't destroy resistance bases from space.
They want captives to interrogate for information on other cells.
- Who's the doctor? - That's me.
This is perfect.
Can you tell me what this is about? Uh, you probably wouldn't believe me if I told you.
[CHUCKLES.]
I've already learned not to believe anything you say, but try me.
[BASE RUMBLING, ALARM WHOOPING.]
Lieutenant, they found us.
- Where's your shuttle? - South of here.
There's a back way out.
Go.
We'll lay down cover.
Alara.
We have room for you.
They need me here.
Go.
Mercer to Keyali! We have a Kaylon problem! - We know.
- [BLAST HITS SHIP.]
[REBELS YELLING, WEAPONS FIRING.]
[WEAPONS FIRING.]
You will surrender.
- You want the top or the bottom? - I like to be on top.
Grayson to Keyali, you're gonna have to meet us halfway.
Acknowledged.
There they are.
Hey, kid, what's your name again? - Ty.
- Ty.
Hey, you see that red button in front of you? That's the tractor beam.
When I tell you, I need you to hit that for me, okay? Okay.
[BLAST HITS SHIP.]
Get ready, Ty.
Now! They're in.
Let's go.
Mom, I did the tractor beam.
- That's great, Ty.
- Get us out of here.
- Oh, crap.
- What? What's "oh, crap"? - Quantum drive is off-line.
- Oh, crap.
Hang on.
We can't outrun them.
We need somewhere to hide.
- What about the black hole? - GORDON: Are you nuts? We'll be crushed by the gravity.
Uh, not if we slip just inside the event horizon.
They won't see us because light can't escape.
What the hell? Take us in.
[SOFT ELECTRICAL WHOOSHING.]
Wow.
Turn us 70 degrees to port.
What the hell? ED: It's time dilation.
JOHN: This deep inside the gravity well of a black hole, time moves more slowly for us than it does for them.
For every second we're in here, a couple of hours pass out there.
Come on, give it up.
According to the chronometers, two full days have passed.
Man.
How was your weekend? Quantum drive is back on line.
Set a course for Earth.
Earth? What are you talking about? There is no Earth anymore.
It was destroyed by the Kaylon.
I know.
But if we're gonna recreate the time jump, we need to access Isaac's files for the Aronov device, which are on the Orville.
I thought the Orville was lost.
We took a heavy hit that plunged us into the atmosphere.
The ship was in freefall, but a lot of us got out in the escape pods.
We've been able to calculate the coordinates of the crash site, and we think the Orville is still intact.
Intact where? At the bottom of the Pacific Ocean.
[CONSOLE BEEPING.]
Anything? We've been able to access part of its memory core.
No tactical information, but we're still digging.
Okay, keep at it.
Oh, by the way, Ed was asking, if you could stop by his quarters.
- [DOOR CHIMES.]
- ED: Come in.
What's all this? Well, I figured, even though we've been battling the Kaylon and running for our lives, this is still technically our second date.
I've already had my second date with you.
Second date in this timeline.
Fair enough.
[KELLY CLEARS THROAT.]
So what have you been up to the last seven years? I've been pretty focused on my career, actually.
I was commanding officer of the Epsilon Eridani outpost.
But you wanted your own ship.
I did, yeah I did.
Got close a couple times.
It probably would've been only another year or so, if not for the Kaylon war.
You served on some ships, though, yeah? Yeah.
How'd you know that? I might've looked you up a couple times.
Couple dozen times.
- You stalked me.
- Idle curiosity.
[LAUGHS.]
What was I like in the other timeline? - You were a perfect gentleman.
- Oh, well, that's boring.
[CHUCKLES.]
No, you were you were really sweet.
Well, then why did you end it? When you went back.
I'd seen what happened to us, and I thought I had a chance to save us from it.
Did we hate each other? No, no, she loved you.
I loved you.
Whoever you want to call it.
We regretted hurting you, and you regretted hurting us.
You realize, if we succeed None of this will ever have happened.
Most of the tactical stuff is protected by quantum encryption codes, but look at this.
[CONSOLE BEEPING.]
What is it? It's the Kaylon Connectome network.
- Which is? - You could call it a brain web.
Every Kaylon is connected to every other Kaylon through one central computer system.
It's how they communicate.
Is this something we could use to our advantage? I don't know.
Give me a little more time, I might be able to make some sense of it.
GORDON [OVER COMM.]
: Hey, guys? Just wanted to let you know, we're approaching Earth.
My God.
Ed, the moon.
Any life signs? What about the Orville? I think I got it.
It's at the bottom of the Marianas Trench.
- Is it intact? - It looks that way.
That's seven miles down.
Can we handle that kind of pressure? Not in this trash heap, especially with the beating we took.
But if we divert enough power to the deflectors, a Union shuttle might.
Has anyone ever tried this in a shuttle? Not that I know of.
Everybody hold your noses.
I don't even see any fish.
The Kaylon were thorough.
[SHUTTLE CREAKING.]
Passing two miles.
Hull pressure 4,690 psi and increasing.
[SHIP RUMBLES.]
[SHIP RUMBLING.]
Five and a half miles.
Mama.
Passing six miles.
[ELECTRICAL CRACKLING.]
We should turn around.
This is insane.
Wait.
Look.
I'm detecting low-level energy output and minimal life support.
Doors are still open.
We're in luck.
Get us in fast.
[SHIP RUMBLING.]
I've got a link to the main computer.
Pressurizing the bay.
[WATER RUMBLING.]
[RUMBLING FADES.]
[QUIET ELECTRONIC TRILLING.]
It's scary in here.
Are we the only ones on board? No.
One life sign, five decks above us.
[DOORS CREAK SOFTLY, ED GRUNTS.]
Talla, you want to open this jar of pickles? JOHN: Bortus! It's us.
[GRUNTS.]
My God, that was so unnecessary.
I apologize.
I did not know who you were.
Bortus, man, I can't believe you're still alive.
It is good to see both of you again.
What happened? The captain and the first officer were killed in the battle, so I remained at the helm to ensure that all the escape pods launched, but I could not prevent the crash.
I have been surviving on minimal life support and combat rations.
GORDON: Eesh.
Rough cuisine.
CLAIRE: Nine months? My God, it must've been so lonely.
My mate Klyden and my son Topa escaped in the pods.
If they survived, they are to meet me on Moclus.
It is that hope which has sustained me.
Bortus Moclus was destroyed.
Oh, man, I'm I'm so sorry.
Look, I know this is gonna sound crazy, but we may have a chance to make it right.
BORTUS [OVER COMM.]
: Bridge to Lamarr.
What is your status? We've got partial main power.
[ENGINE HUMMING.]
Look, you-you got the wrong guy for this job.
If what I am told is true, and we are able to restore the timeline, then that is your chair.
I've never captained a starship.
Oh, yes, you have.
Sit.
Scans show clear.
No enemy ships in the vicinity.
John, do we have enough power to ascend? JOHN [OVER COMM.]
: Barely, Commander, but we can't stay down here.
[SIGHS.]
Okay.
Helm, maneuvering thrusters at one quarter.
Aye, sir.
Take us up.
[CONSOLE BEEPING.]
[ENGINE HUMMING.]
We're not moving.
Maneuvering thrusters to one half.
[ENGINE RUMBLING, SHIP RATTLING.]
Come on, baby, fly.
We're up.
Ten meters.
15 meters.
20 meters and climbing.
Five miles to the surface.
ED: Steady as we go.
Engineering, stand by to bring the main engines online.
Ready here.
Approaching the surface.
Passing through stratosphere.
Switch to sublight engines.
KELLY: What's the verdict? It's no good.
The file's incomplete.
Isaac never finished the calculations.
Can you fill in the blanks? Oh, I'm good, but I'm not that good.
It'd take me years to figure it out.
So what do we do? We need to get inside Isaac's brain.
Isaac is on Kaylon.
When we returned him, he was disassembled.
But I bet you all his data still exists.
I have an insane idea.
[COUGHS.]
[SNIFFS.]
KELLY: Hey.
Hey.
Drink? Always.
[ED EXHALES, KELLY WHISTLES.]
Do you think John can do it? He said he'd notify us.
All we can do is wait.
Am I a terrible person that part of me wants this timeline to continue? [SIGHS.]
You're asking the wrong guy.
In the middle of this nightmare universe, I've felt this weird sense of comfort being with you.
Well, maybe we'll fail.
Have to go find someplace to live in secret.
Some nice little house on a deserted planet.
We could have a couple kids boy and a girl.
We'd have to learn how to farm, how to cook.
Look at the sunset every night.
Look at you every morning.
You know, Gordon's probably gonna have to live with us.
Shut up, you're ruining it.
Okay, so there's good news and there's bad news.
- What's the bad news? - What's the good news? JOHN: I'll give you the good news.
I found an access point into the Kaylon Connectome network.
I can basically piggyback a scan once I reactivate the Kaylon in the lab.
Well, what's to stop it from shooting up the place once you do? I won't bore you with the details, but I cut a few wires under the hood.
Now, once I'm in, I got to find Isaac.
What do you mean find him? Every individual Kaylon has the equivalent of a neural identification code.
It's how they know who's who in all the crisscrossing signal packets.
I can track him down and essentially download his consciousness into the Kaylon body we have on board.
And once I have Isaac, I can fill in the missing pieces from his calculations and hopefully send Dr.
Finn back to the right point in time.
You said there was bad news.
Yeah.
Well, I'm gonna need total access to the quantum drive to power the transfer, which means we got to be parked, full stop.
And once I'm in the system, there's no way to hide it from the Kaylon.
It'll act like a homing beacon, screaming out our coordinates.
It will not be long before they come after us.
So we need to work fast.
Well, then, let's get to it.
[CONSOLE BEEPING.]
- Any luck? - Uh, not yet.
Come on, where are you? Hang on.
Yep, that's him.
Okay, here we go.
Start the clock.
[ELECTRONIC HUMMING.]
ISAAC: John Lamarr, what are you doing? Well, welcome back, handsome.
ISAAC: Whatever your intent, you will fail.
Your intelligence is far inferior to ours.
Yeah, well, that's why you're gonna help me out.
And if you don't mind, I'm gonna pick your brain a little.
ISAAC: Your species' extinction is inevitable.
It would be far more efficient to surrender.
Not today, my man.
ISAAC: We have found you.
Bridge to captain.
There are four Kaylon vessels closing off the port bow.
How far out? Approximately two minutes to intercept.
- John, talk to me.
- Wait a second.
Okay, boom.
Got it.
- That's enough out of you.
- [ELECTRONIC HUMMING STOPS.]
I've input the calculations.
We're ready.
Okay, I got to go to engineering to feed juice from the quantum drive.
I need you to monitor the graviton levels.
Let me know if they drop below 1.
7 GEV.
We got it.
Go.
Boys, I have to say goodbye to you now.
Mom, I don't want you to go.
I know, sweetie.
I don't want to leave, but I have to.
And I'll see you real soon in a much better place.
- What if it doesn't work? - It'll work.
I love you both so much.
BORTUS: Kaylon vessels will intercept in one minute.
Doctor! [ENGINE POWERING UP, RUMBLING.]
Easy, baby.
Don't get worked up.
Quantum field is at maximum.
KELLY: Graviton levels are at 1.
46.
JOHN: Ah, that's too low.
I need another 20%.
Give me whatever you can.
I'm gonna have to push us past the red line.
Mercer to bridge.
Transfer all power access, including life support, to engineering.
BORTUS: Aye, sir.
[RUMBLING CONTINUES.]
[ELECTRICAL PULSING.]
Systems are overloading! Kaylon ships will intercept in 31 seconds.
ED: Graviton levels are rising.
It's working.
[ELECTRICAL WHIRRING.]
Okay, that's it.
Now we just got to ride the wave and hope we don't hit the rocks.
If this doesn't work, will you marry me? Yes.
Oh, no.
[RUMBLING GROWS LOUDER.]
[ELECTRICAL WHIRRING.]
[ALARM CHIRPING.]
[ALARM STOPS.]
[SIGHS.]
- [BEEP.]
- Coffee.
[SIGHS.]
[SHARP WHOOSHING.]
[SHARP WHOOSHING.]
[SHARP WHOOSHING.]
Claire? What-what are you Kelly, the memory wipe didn't work.
I know.
But how did you Just trust me.
You're gonna go back to sleep.
- What's that? - The future of the galaxy.
[CLICKS.]
See you real soon.
[CLICKS.]
[COMM CHIMING.]
[COMM CONTINUES CHIMING.]
- Hey.
- Hey.
I hope I'm not calling too early.
Did I wake you up? No, I was already awake.
What's going on? Well, um, I know this goes completely against the cool guy playbook, but I had a really great time with you last night, and I was wondering if I could take you out again.
I'd love it.

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