Space: 1999 s02e20 Episode Script

(Helena) 'Moonbase Alpha status report, '2,012 days after leaving Earth orbit.
'Dr Helena Russell recording.
'It is three weeks since we sighted the space phenomenon we call Tora.
'Within 24 hours, we shall know whether it is a habitable planet.
'But hopes have been raised before 'and since Commander Koenig doesn't want to raise hopes again, 'he has ordered the people who know the situation to keep it secret.
'Command Center is off limits to all but a few chosen personnel.
' (Sighs) The picture's gone! We should know what's happening.
Something is.
Command Center's off limits, screens are blank.
We're approaching a planet.
A habitable planet.
- I'm sure of it! - You've predicted it before.
These things take time to work out.
But why is Koenig keeping it from us? I can guess.
But why should we guess? Let's find out.
.
.
he's the craziest guy, he came up to the redhead.
- What's her name? - I don't know.
(Beeping) Sure you do! The redhead What, you got something? Tora, it's shifting position.
Maya, instruments show a change of position.
Can that be correct? Sensors record internal energy that has caused a change in position.
(Koenig) 'Keep tracking it.
' You know Commander Koenig's orders.
Command Center's off limits.
Well, if those are his orders it's time they were changed.
Don't tell me, I shouldn't be here, right?! Well, I am here.
And I want to find out what's on that screen.
You're off limits, Sanderson! Eva, open the big screen.
Shut the doors.
(Sanderson) Like I said - a planet! But is it habitable? We'll need another astro-prediction.
Get prepared.
Eva, turn off the computers.
Concentrate.
Concentrate.
Totalconcentration.
(All) Totalconcentration.
Totalconcentration.
Totalconcentration.
- It can't be! - It is.
We've got to get back immediately.
Eagle Four to Moonbase Alpha.
'Koenig to Command Center.
Respond!' - .
.
with trees and grass - 'Command Center, do you read me? 'Calibration shows Tora and Moonbase Alpha on a direct collision course! - 'Red Alert!' - I see a habitable planet 'Repeat - Red Alert!' and grass! It's a habitable planet! The prediction was right - it's a habitable planet! Come on.
What happened? It's Sanderson.
He's in there.
(Shouting from inside) Sanderson! My prediction was right! Sanderson! Stand back.
A habitable planet! Trees and grass! The astro-prediction was right! It's a habitable planet! It's a! Get a medical team here right away! (Beeping) - How is she? - She'll be fine.
(Groaning) - Helena What is it? - Autohypnosis.
As far as I'm concerned, it's criminal.
It's green sickness.
You know the symptoms.
- Is mutiny one of the symptoms? - It could be.
- I have to take responsibility.
- Responsibility for what? Mutiny? Surface Exploration Units like Sanderson's have it rougher than us.
Living out there alone having nothing to look at but bare rock for a month - they're paying the price.
I should have seen it coming.
None of the other teams reacted this way.
Sanderson's team has done more and stayed out longer, and the other teams are beginning to show signs.
I'll have to limit surface exploration to 15 days at a time.
All right.
Confine Sanderson and his team to Medical.
Under guard! (Koenig) What've we got? Internal energy electrical storms rain, sleet an atmosphere.
A vast weather belt, in fact.
Could we travel through it? (Maya) If it doesn't clog our recycling systems.
There may be a solid centre.
Which could mean a planet.
Sanderson's habitable planet? Let's hope Maya's instruments are wrong.
If Tora's got a hard core and we're on a collision course, God help us.
(Koenig) Alan, prepare an Eagle.
- Right.
- Maya, come with me.
(Helena) You have a condition we've termed "green sickness.
" That's a convenient fiction, a neat way to cover Koenig's lies! Listen to me.
You were one of the first people assigned to Alpha and psychological pressures have built up in you.
I don't buy that, Doctor.
You want to marry.
Want children.
Your life's slipping away.
- And the others? - They follow your leadership.
You're the best exploration team leader that we have.
You've pulled them all out of troublea hundred times.
- They rely on you.
- (Ringing) But you're failing them now, Greg! - You're behaving irrationally! - I'm going to see Koenig! You can't.
You're confined here.
- Who's confining me? - Security! - 'Sanderson's on his way!' - (Door opens) - Hold it, Sanderson.
- Where's Koenig? Where is he? Right here! You were confined to Medical.
Sure, so no one hears what I have to say about the new planet.
There is no new planet.
So far, it's just a weather belt until we explore it and maybe find something.
And when you find it? IF we find it, I'll determine if it's habitable.
There IS a habitable planet, but you'll come back denying it! Sanderson, why would I do that? Because you can't stand the thought of us having a normal life! In a normal life, we'd make our own decisions, have children, vote.
And there'd be no place for Commander Koenig's dictatorship.
That's why you won't tell us.
If there's a planet out there, everyone on Alpha will be told.
Some people may buy that, but I don't! Once you're up there, how can we be sure what the computer's saying? All right.
All right.
Every piece of data from Tora will be processed here through computer.
So everyone on Alpha will see as it happens on their screens.
- How does that suit you? - That I'll buy.
Put that Eagle on the pad ready for lift-off.
Right.
Prepare Eagle One for lift-off.
- (Man) 'Right.
' - Stand up! So you're beating up the guards now? - What is the matter with you? - He's sick, Tony! Sick? No! I just see clearer than the rest of you.
Oh, yeah(?) Well, all you'll see from now on will be via the monitors of the Restriction Area.
Get him out! He needs treatment, Tony.
I want him back in Medical.
OK, but I want him constantly under guard.
And properly this time! Take him away! (Koenig) 'Eagle One to Alpha, on course for Tora.
' What we're dealing with here is an extreme manifestation of tension.
As stress builds it results in disorientation and hallucination.
- As in my case? - Yes.
No, "Doctor"! Let's complete the treatment and then see if you're so certain.
- What about Eva? - Oh, she's free to go.
She's not hallucinating.
She's in love.
You heard what Dr Russell said - you're free to go.
So go.
I'll be in my quarters.
(Beep) Medical emergency.
Recycling plants one and two.
(Tony) 'What's happening, Helena?' I'll let you know as soon as I find out.
George? (Groans) (Groans) - Range? - Range counter seven.
How far in do you want to go? Not so far in that we can't pull out at the first sign of gravitation.
Got a reading? Nothing to indicate a planet, but there could be anything in the centre of all that.
All right, let's hook up to main computer.
Ready on main computer? Ready to receive data.
'No gravitational trace.
Clear to approach range three.
' Range two.
What have you got, San? First atmospheric indications - high density, high carbon dioxide content, unbreathable.
'Are we still clear on gravitational pull? ' Getting a slight tremor here.
Could be atmospheric vibration or the beginning of a gravity pull.
Watch it, John, you could get sucked in.
'I'm coming into range Confirm negative indications.
'We turn back at confirmation of a gravity pull.
' We've got to make him go all the way! Make him find that planet.
- But the atmosphere's unbreathable.
- Of course it is! At the outer limits, it's like Earth.
The tremor's gone, Maya.
Looks like you're clear to go in.
(Beeping) Zero gravity? I can't believe it.
Something's wrong.
Let me switch to the onboard computer.
Everyone will think we're holding back information.
We stay with main computer.
Get Tony.
'You're clear to approach, John.
Zero gravity.
Repeat, zero gravity.
' That's impossible.
Get him back.
Tony, run a systems check.
- You must be wrong! - 'OK.
' Approaching range one.
Circuit one - OK.
Circuit two - OK.
Powerlines one through to 10 - OK.
Circuit three - malfunction! 'Computer malfunction.
Turn back!' 'Turn back, John! Turn back!' It's too late! Now you'll have to find that planet, Commander! (Tony) 'Turn back, Eagle One.
Do you read me?' (Maya) Commander, it's the planet! Come in, John Maya! Respond, please! Moonbase Alpha to Eagle One.
Moonbase Alpha to Eagle One.
Come in, please! (Coughing) Maya, are you all right? (Coughing) Yeah.
Get the helmets! They're bothdamaged.
Let's get out of here, seal this off.
Come on! - Still operational? - Ithinkso.
We'd better check the oxygen.
Our oxygen recycling plant is less than five per cent effective - insufficient to maintain life.
'John, Maya - are you receiving me?' Yes, Tony.
'Command Center to Eagle One.
Are you receiving me?' Transmission system's not functioning.
- No response? - No, nothing.
I have a reading on the damage.
Pressure hull pierced, transmission silenced, oxygen recycler damaged.
Engines and guidance systems intact.
Intact? Alan, could you pull them out on the remote control? I'll give it a try.
(Beeping) Yeah? 'Security.
We've checked levels C, D, B.
No sign of Sanderson.
' - How about level A? - 'That was cleared first.
' Start again from square one.
I want Sanderson found! Ah! I'm getting feedback from Eagle One.
I'm firing forward thrusters.
They've got us on automatic! They're trying to get us out.
Come on, baby! Come on! It's a three-hour flight back.
We haven't got enough oxygen! Sit down.
Vegetation will create oxygen! Lift-off! We have lift-off! But a plant needs the sun for the photosynthesis process, to can turn carbon dioxide into oxygen.
Or something that fakes the sun, like a bright light.
Ready, launch pad one.
Damaged Eagle.
Alert rescue units.
Emergency, fire and decontamination units to Eagle hanger bay one! Stretcher unit to Eagle hanger bay one! 'Surgical team to Medical Center immediately.
' OK, San, bring down the launch pad.
Command Center to launch area.
Lower Eagle One to launch bay.
What is it? Where did all this vegetation come from? Maya! Maya? - Are you all right? - Yes.
- What happened? - It's oxygen starvation, Helena.
The atmosphere couldn't support us.
With oxygen deprivation we can tell fast if there's been brain damage.
He wakes up wondering what the worried faces are worrying about.
John? Do you hear me? John, do you know who I am? I never saw you before in my life.
Dr Russell.
That'll do.
While we were concentrating on you, Sanderson sabotaged the main computer.
- Where is he? - In travel tube D.
If we try to get near, he'll mow us down.
San, get me travel tube four, section D.
Sanderson, listen to me! 'If you hear me, let me know.
We have no time to lose.
- 'We're on a collision course.
' - So there's a planet? 'Yes, but in the earliest stages of formation.
' We've arrived (Sanderson) 'You're lying.
' It's not habitable, just a weather belt! - "Just a weather belt"(?) - 'With a core of dust.
' we've been on your team from the beginning.
You've gotten us out of some tight spots.
- What are you saying? - What we both feel, Sanderson.
On the moon we'd never question your judgement.
Plenty of times it's the only way we've stayed alive.
- But? - Butnow we're just not so sure.
The Commander may be telling the truth.
He's lying! He's just trying to make us give up! On our present course, we'll be drawn into orbit round Tora.
'There is no orbit! We'll be swallowed by a swamp of dust!' No! There is a habitable planet.
The prediction says so! We've got to get through to him in time.
- How? - Maya, how long do we have? (Computer beeping) On our present course, we'll collide in eight hours.
Eight hours.
Tony, is there any way we can alter Tora's trajectory? No, we just don't have the megatons.
- OK.
Then we go round it.
- Yeah, alter the moon's course.
The way this whole thing started.
When the nuclear waste blew up.
You'll trigger the atomic waste? No, some of it.
We'll create an explosion to shift the moon a few degrees.
That could work.
If we had an atomic trigger and some luck! Maya, get me a damage forecast on a sudden two-degree shift.
Anticipate severe damage in all sections.
High fire risk.
And people? Forecast zero survival rate.
Attention Moonbase personnel.
'We are faced with the huge risk of blasting the moon out of its course.
'To minimise the risk, I am ordering immediate evacuation.
' - Just to stay in command! - Suppose he's telling the truth? Trust me, like you trusted me before.
Concentrate! Concentrate.
Concentrate.
(All) Totalconcentration.
Totalconcentration.
We'd better take that along to be on the safe side.
Maya? - (Bleeping) - Yes, Helena? 'Is it really worth taking all this stuff with us?' If we can't shift the Moon's course, those Eagles will be our home.
'How long are we gonna survive on a fleet of Eagles? 'We'll be at each other's throats.
' A lot of Alphans said the same when we split from Earth.
'If the chips are on the table, we're still in the game.
' Right on.
'All essential equipment's onboard.
'Boarding's complete, apart from pads six and nine.
'Ready for lift-off in nine minutes.
' - Sanderson and the others? - 'Still in the travel tube.
' Sanderson, you know the danger of staying here when we trigger the waste dumps.
This is your last chance.
You can still reach a boarding station and be evacuated.
Respond, Sanderson! 'It's the last chance for all of you! 'Sanderson, listen to me! 'Sanderson! Eva! Cernik! Stevens! 'This is your last chance!' He won't do it! He'll never trigger the waste pits while we're here.
Suppose you're wrong about this habitable planet? I'm not wrong.
Just suppose, for a moment, Koenig is telling the truth.
To save Moonbase he'll have to trigger the atomic waste, whether we're here or not.
I have information, Eva.
I have the predictions.
For the sake of every Alphan, we must go through with this.
Cernik! Stevens! Dr Russell diagnoses a sickness.
She says we all have it.
A sickness where our wish for the green planet is so strong, our decisions are distorted.
Do you believe thator me? Sanderson, don't you see? We're just not sure any more.
After all we've faced together, suddenly you're not sure any more! But this is different.
It's got to be different.
How "different?" You talk about the new planet.
You talk about freedom from John Koenig's command.
I say let's start now, the four of us.
Let's vote on what we do.
- Vote? - Why not? Koenig's the dictator, not you.
- Eva? - I think we should vote.
All right.
All those in favour of evacuation? I'm sorry.
Don't you understand that we have a responsibility to the others? We just took a vote! Do you abide by it? Koenig! We're coming out.
Good.
The last Eagle lifts off in five minutes.
Evacuation complete.
Two hours 23 minutes to collision.
Let's get in position.
'John - trouble! I checked the boarding lists.
'Sanderson's still on Moonbase.
' (Tony) 'Sanderson, there are two hours 20 minutes to collision point!' To orbit, understand?! And then we use the transporters to transfer everyone to the new planet.
We'll be swallowed by dust and toxic gases.
- Sanderson, I'm coming down.
- There's no time! Stay there.
Make one move to bring that transporter down and Maya won't be Maya any more! Get on that computer.
I want to know when we go into orbit.
If Tora's atmosphere gets in our air will be lethal.
The air is clear on Tora! Fresh andpure and there's water.
'Eva, you've got to persuade him.
It's their only chance.
' 'Put the gun away, Greg.
Please.
'You were wrong.
We were all wrong.
'Cernik, Stevens, all of us.
' You'll thank me for holding out against them.
We'll walk on that planet breathing real air, not recycled survival gases! Walking on grass, by trees, streams.
- The prediction! - 'It's wrong, Greg! 'Dr Russell is right.
It's an hallucination, a mirage.
' You, too, Eva.
You've gone over to Koenig's side.
You know why he's doing it! He has to, to keep us on this barren rock! 'You're wrong, Greg, it's all in your mind! Greg please do what the Commander wants.
Before all this happened you believed in him.
Believe in him now! 'Believe in him? I've never believed in him!' - Tony, - 'Yeah' Eva can't get through to him.
I'm going down.
'No, hold your position.
That's an order.
' He's lied to us all along and he's still lying now! And for that he's got to die! Maya, get the gun! (Koenig) Fire! Why didn't you fire? I couldn't.
It was jammed on kill.
We've got less than two hours to set the atomic trigger.
Well, there they are, the nuclear waste silos.
Each of those shafts is 10,000 feet deep and capped with concrete.
We'll have to blast one of those concrete caps away, to lower the atomic trigger.
- ETA to collision point? - 57 minutes.
Magnify.
What is that thing? (Helena) I don't know.
- Magnify, damn it! - I am trying! Alan, there's something on the surface.
Can you identify it from your position? - 'Can you give me any co-ordinates?' - I've got it! (Helena) It's a moon buggy! It's Sanderson! John, Sanderson's down there waiting for you! Do you read me? Sanderson is waiting for you.
He is amongst the rocks, but I cannot pinpoint him from here.
- Get that, John? - Yeah, Tony, got it.
Thanks.
- How're we doing? - OK.
(Helena) It's gonna be hard to pick him out.
(Carter) 'We shouldn't be up here away from the action.
' I know how you feel.
We can't risk anybody else.
- 'Sanderson is down there.
' - I know that! If and when we pinpoint him, we'll go down after him.
- Setting? - (Koenig) 18 minutes.
Is that enough time? That's all the time we've got.
Four minutes to blast away the cap, two minutes to attach this device to the silo and get back here and 12 minutes to blast ourselves as far away from here as we can get.
- Good luck.
- I'll need it.
No sign of him.
He's down there somewhere.
(Koenig) 'I'm at the silo now.
' (Maya) We have no visual of Sanderson.
Continuing to scan.
(Tony) 'Eagle Three to Eagle Six.
Any movement in area three, Alan?' (Carter) 'Eagle Six.
Nothing so far, Tony.
'Will continue searching.
' - 'Can you see anything, Maya?' - 'Nothing, Tony.
' - 'Sweep co-ordinate 2:4.
' - 'Right.
' (Koenig) 'Connecting charges now.
' (Tony) 'Keep an eye out, John.
Sanderson's around somewhere.
' (Koenig) 'All clear, Tony.
' Aerial rigged for detonation.
(Carter) 'Eagle Six to Eagle Three, no sign of Sanderson.
'Recheck your area, Tony.
' (Tony) 'Maya, three o'clock! 'Maya? Maya, can you hear me? 'John, Eagle Two's been hit.
I've lost contact with Maya.
' Tony, keep trying.
OK, the cap's blown.
Going in to lay the atomic trigger now.
(Tony) 'Watch Sanderson.
' (Carter) 'John, look out!' (Tony) 'Eagle Two, come in! Come in, please, Maya! 'It's Tony.
Can you hear me? What's the damage?' (Sanderson groans) (Tony) 'Maya, answer me! Eagle Two, do you read me? 'Maya, come in, please!' Atomic trigger in position.
(Groans) (Tony) 'Are you all right?' (Groans) (Tony) 'You're running out of time!' (Ticking) (Screams) (Tony) 'John, get out of there!' - 'John, are you OK?' - OK, Tony.
What's the damage on Eagle Two? (Carter) 'No report.
We can't raise Maya.
- 'Get out of there!' - OK.
I'm on my way.
(Tony) 'This is Eagle Six calling Eagle Two.
'Come in, Eagle Two.
'Maya, can you hear me? 'Maya, this is Tony.
Answer me! Come in, Maya.
'Eagle Two, come in, please!' (Koenig) Maya! Maya! Maya! - 'How is she, John?' - Don't know yet, Tony.
Maya! Open up! Maya! Maya! The door's jammed.
Open on manual! I'm trapped! - We've got four minutes, Maya! - I can't reach the controls! Four minutes.
They're not going to make it.
(Ticking) John, lean on it! The moon has changed course.
We're not on collision course.
- What do you think? - Looks good.
I've never seen so many bored people! - Doctor, how much longer? - Another hour and a half.
- (Groans) - Oh, come on.
It's not bad.
They're quite nice, Particularly if you have an eye for nature.
As I say, if you have an eye for nature.
- Will your system work? - The principle's valid.
Saturation equals boredom.
You show 'em trees and meadows, until they can't stand it, right? Well, as you said, if you like nature, Doctor.
So I did! (Carter) You said choose something from the picture library.
That is what I call choice! Oh, mother! (Carter) My mother was never like that!