Andromeda (2000–2005): Season 1, Episode 8 - The Banks of the Lethe - full transcript

Captain...
Hang on a second. Rommie,
how you holding up?

As well as can be expected.

Believe me, having your brain
connected to a black hole
is not fun.

It'll be over soon.

I'm counting down
the nanoseconds.

I must say, captain,

this ship makes for
an extraordinary research
platform.

The Andromeda Ascendant's
quantum computer is a marvel.

What a tragedy she's
the last of her kind.

It would be nice
to have an extra
to dissect.

Perhaps after we're done.



Rommie's not a lab rat.

Either way, your assistance here
will not go unnoticed by
the Sintii Council of Directors.

They will be sure
to see the advantages

of Commonwealth membership

knowing that you and your vessel
will be at their disposal.

Anything to help expand
the frontiers of knowledge.

Not expand them,
explode them.

We are mapping
the wave function
of the universe.

Once we succeed,
the possibilities
will be endless.

Faster than light communication,
predictable slipstream travel,
perhaps even teleportation.

What was that?

The tidal forces from
the black hole are trickier
than we expected.

And the information exchange
with the singularity

is taking up a lot
of my attention.



Which means Andromeda's
instantaneous corrections

aren't as instantaneous
as usual.

We're all painfully aware of
your AI's limitations, Captain.

That's why we only
plan to maintain

the quantum interface for
another 48 hours or so.

Well within your ship's
safety limitations.

Well. I can't argue
with his math.

Ah, how do you do it?

Do what?

Those Perseids have been
playing the Sonata in E Major
on my nerves,

and so far you've managed
to not even raise your voice
at them.

I'm very impressed.

The Perseids sponsored
humanity's entry
into the Commonwealth.

They're an important
part of the rebuilding
process.

They're really annoying.
I like them.

Yeah, but you like everyone.

Even people who try to kill you.

Especially people
who try to kill you.

Dylan. Hi, I'm Beka Valentine,
your first officer?

Sorry. I just want
to get Hohne's blessing

for the new Commonwealth
charter, then go away from here.

The black hole.

I never want to see it again.

That thing didn't just
swallow my ship,
it swallowed my life.

Sara.

I miss you, Sara.

Come in.

Sara, we've established orbit.
You should come to command.

You didn't have to come down
here to tell me that, Ismael.

A comm link would've
done the trick nicely.

Ah, a comm link.

I wish I'd thought of that
before I set out

on this long and arduous journey
down the corridor.

You are a cold, unfeeling beast
of a man, Captain Khalid.

Marquez did a few
tricky turns in slipstream.

That seems to have shaken
the last enemy patrol.

So, we've got a little time.

Not much.
Your people are nothing
if not persistent.

Those traitors
aren't my people.

Any Nietzschean who can't
figure out that survival

depends on the continued
existence of the Commonwealth

doesn't deserve
to carry the name.

I didn't mean to say...
I know.

Have I thanked you lately
for helping me pull this off?

You don't have to.

We've got a contact.

They must be right on the edge
of the event horizon.

Time dilation is
off the charts.
Good work, people.

Twilight, plot
Andromeda's orbit.
Aye.

Marquez, prepare
the gravity pods
for launch.

Hold tight, Dylan.
We're getting you
out of there.

The long night
has come.

The systems Commonwealth,
the greatest civilization
in history, has fallen.

But now, one ship,
one crew, have vowed
to drive back the night,

and rekindle the light
of the civilization.

On the starship Andromeda,
hope lives again.

The test pods are ready.
When can we start?

We're still waiting
for the data from
our long-range drones.

Activating the pods will be
like sending up a flare.

Before we deploy them,
we need to make sure

there are no hostiles
in the system.

You know, it's been a year.
You'd think I could wait
patiently for another few hours.

Dylan and I, we shed
blood together.

So if we can retrieve him,
I'm for it. But we can't
afford mistakes.

I know. It's just...
I can't explain it, but...

I feel him out there,

Just...just beyond my reach.
It's driving me crazy.

I know the feeling.

If we can reach them,
it's worth everything,

the waiting, the risks...

And if I didn't believe
in taking risks,

I never would have
met Dylan in the first place.

Dr. Riley, I presume?

And you must be
Commander Hunt.

I am flattered
by the attention.

Thank you.

Khalid. You all right?

Yeah... I slipped.

- Secure the exit.
- Right away.

Five thousand people
on this research station,

and only one stubborn enough
to stay around

in the middle of
a Magog attack.

I can't leave. Not until
my experiment
finishes running.

You mean this?
Yes.

Well, now it's finished.
We're leaving.

Admiral Stark warned me
about you.

Really? And what did she say?

That if I ever met you,
I'd end up either

falling in love with you,
or killing you.

Ah. I have that effect.
Stay close.

Strange, isn't it?

How something
as beautiful as a star

could give birth
to such ugliness.

It's not ugly, it's just...

hungry.

It eats everything
that comes near it.
Including your past.

Beka told me
you were troubled.

Are you here
to give me advice, Rev?

It's what I do.

When I was
at the Krishna Mirti
Novitiate,

we had a place we called
the Shouting Cliffs.

Whenever the Way
became too difficult,

we would stand
at those cliffs and
we would shout

scream out all
our frustrations,

desires, hungers,

all the things that
held us back
from our chosen course.

I'm not one
for shouting at rocks.

So don't shout.
Speak softly.

Record a message
to your fiancee

and send it
into the singularity.

Sometimes it's enough
just to write the letter,

even when you know
no one is going to read it.

Let me guess.
Fusion Powered Still.

It's a teleporter. The, uh,
chin-heads built it, but
I made it work.

And I'm the Vedran Empress.

No, really! It,
uh, scans you,
destroys you,

transmits you through
the projector, and then

rebuilds you
from the particles up.
Hilarity ensues.

I think Mr. Heisenberg
would object.

Hey! You've been
doing your homework.

But, uh, no,
it's not a problem.

See, uh, let's say
we got two particles, okay?

We'll call them
Mona and Lisa.

And when they hang out,
eventually,
they get to be like twins.

And no matter
how far apart
the twins travel,

what's true for one is
always true for the other.

You got a question
about Mona?
Just ask Lisa.

She'll tell you anything
you wanna know.

Quantum entanglement.
Right.

The thing is, Mona and Lisa
lie to you 75% of the time,

so you gotta catch 'em.
But how? Enter the Perseids.

Their little experiment
here with, uh, Rommie
and the black hole

is building us
a cosmic cheat sheet.

The wave function
of the universe.

So, the analysis module
peeks at the cheat-sheet,

figures out the lies and
squeezes out the truth.

In essence, it builds a map.

And then it rebuilds you, uh,
like a piece of cheap furniture,

only with better instructions.
You don't have to buy now.

Wait for the demonstration.
Careful, Harper. That is one
of Trance's plants.

I know, I know.
She loves them.
She gives them names.

Trust in the Harper.
The Harper is good.
It goes in here...

and it comes out there.

I believe she called
that one Walter.

Dear, Sara.

In the past few hours,
I've tried...

I've tried eleven different ways
to say goodbye to you.

And in the process,
I've discovered something.

I can't.

I miss you, Sara,

and I think of you every day.

Everything I know about love,
I learned from you.

And even in my darkest moments,

it's your love that gives me
the strength to continue.

So no matter what happens,
or where I go,

a part of you will be with me.

I love you, Sara.
I'll always love you.

Dylan?

Uh, Dylan?
We got something
freaky going on here.

I'm afraid to ask.

It's all very exciting.

We seem to be
receiving a signal
from the black hole.

That's impossible.
Nothing comes out
of a singularity.

You want impossible?
Listen to this.

Dylan, I'm receiving
your message.

What's your status?

Can you hear me?

Dylan, I'm receiving
your message.

What's your status?
Can you...

Sara. Harper!

You get that signal back!
You get it back right now!

There's no way that
signal could've come
from Andromeda.

She's still frozen in time.

That was Dylan, and
we all know it.

Assuming the signal was
genuine and not some kind
of trick or trap.

We have to
reestablish contact.

Spread the signal over
the entire EM spectrum.

Use the communication laser.

Hell, send up smoke signals
if you have to.

It's back.

Marquez, clean up
the signal.

Unknown ship,
are you receiving?

This is Captain Dylan Hunt
of the Commonwealth
Starship Andromeda Ascendant.

Dylan. Dylan, it's Sara.

Sara. My God.

It is you.

I'm on the Starry Wisdom,
just outside the singularity,

about a quarter light-second
from your position.

What are you doing here?

We've come to rescue you,
you big ape.

You're a little late for that,
I th... I think. Uh...

We need to talk.
In private.

So, you're sending me a message
from 300 years in the future?

I've been told
it's not impossible.

It's just mind-staggeringly
unlikely.

Wow.

How did you get here?

What's happened
since I've been gone?

We evacuated the institute

just before Tarn Vedra
was cut off from the slipstream.

Earth's in ruins.
Nietzscheans are everywhere.

For a while after
you disappeared,
I was lost.

But then I started hearing
the stories about how...

your ship was trapped.

You might still be alive.

I spent six months
putting this crew together.

I called in every favor
anyone ever owed us,

and then some,
to make it this far.

You mounted this entire
rescue operation in the middle
of a war.

You thought I'd just

lay a wreath at the High
Guard's Wall of the Fallen
and get on with my life?

I'm getting you out of there,
Dylan, and I'm doing it now.

When the pods activate,
they'll reduce the attraction

between the singularity
and the Andromeda.

Her own momentum
will then nudge her
into an escape orbit.

That is crazy.

When we salvaged the Andromeda,
she'd had 300 years to reach
a more favorable orbit.

No. For Sara's
plan to work,
it would take...

A miracle? Why not?

To call a thing a miracle is
just another way of saying
it's highly improbable.

Miracle, shmiracle.
All I know is if
my main squeeze

assuming I ever get one
wanted to save me
from a black hole?

Doomed or not, I wouldn't
stand in her way.

Maybe. But we know Sara's
plan didn't work.

If it did, we wouldn't
be here right now.

What happened
in the past happened.

Dylan wasn't saved.

His ship was still here
300 years later when
we rescued him.

And nothing Sara's planning
can change that.

All that work, and he's still
not gonna get to first base...

Wait a second. Maybe he can.

Call me the love god, baby!

Give me an hour,
then tell Dylan to meet me
in the hangar deck!

So, Harper, what did you
want to show me?

Watch and be amazed.

Three. Two. One.

Okay. You blew up
a cali-melon.

Yeah. That's not
the impressive part.

This is.

I blew up that cali-melon.

You blew up...

You sent it into the past.

You better
believe it, baby.

And you were there.

Now do I rule,
or do I rule?

Time travel?

Yeah. It's not that hard
when you put your
mind to it.

Just destroy one melon
with some, neato
Perseid techo-toys.

Seasoned liberally
with some Earth
human genius.

Shake it up in your
friendly neighborhood
singularity,

and reassemble
quark by quark.
Serves one.

You think you can send me back.

Hey, matter, energy? It's all
just information in the end.

We've already
sent back a signal.

From there, it's just
a matter of scale.

Huge scale.

You make it sound so simple.

Hey, don't knock it
till you try it.

It's a one way
ticket to love, baby.

Yeah. One-way is right.

That stuff'll stunt
your growth, you know?
And make you jumpy.

Sorry. I, uh, should've
warned you before I came.
Mea culpa.

You're forgiven.

I don't know if this is better
or worse than a picture
on a vidscreen.

Well, I'll have
the real thing
soon enough.

Sara, you know
this isn't gonna work.

Any reasoning behind that,
or are you just gonna rest
on unbridled optimism?

I'm here 300 years
in your future. Doesn't that
tell you anything?

It tells me that you're alive
on that event horizon.

It tells me that you can
be saved, because you
have been saved.

This isn't one of those
silly holo-dramas

where timelines can be altered
at will and bad things never
happen to good people.

The past is the past.
It can't be changed.

You know as well as I do that
the math doesn't completely
rule me out.

You might be from
an alternate future,

or maybe I can create
a divergent reality one where
we're together!

You know, Dylan, I don't care
about the physics

and I don't care
about the math.
I just want you back.

All right. I know that look.
I'm not gonna argue with you.

But if this doesn't work...
never mind.

We'll worry about that
when we get to it.

Captain on deck!

As you were.

Good to see you, sir.

Welcome back, sir.

You heard him, people. We've
got a lot of work to do.
Let's get to it.

I'll let you two
get reacquainted.

How is she?

Surviving. Barely.

I keep telling her all
the constant work and
worry are killing her,

but she won't hear it.

She doesn't care
about anything but you.

If this plan doesn't work,
I'm counting on you
to take her someplace safe.

I understand the Than homeworld
comes through the war more
or less in one piece.

I'll take care of it.

Ready when you are, Captain.

- Marquez. All ahead, slow.
- Aye.

Deploy the pods.

The pods are in position.

I can't wait to see the look
on my face when you
pull me out of there.

Another Dylan.
Whatever would I do
with two of you?

Energize the anti-grav
generators.

Have medical on rescue teams.

Generators energized.
Teams on standby.

Charge the pods.
And think good thoughts.

She's moving.

Prepare pod salvo two,
on my mark.

Sir, I'm detecting another ship
coming around the black hole
in a tight orbit.

Identity?
Nietzscheans. They're firing
on us!

Combat mode!

Defensive fire.
EC at the maximum.

It's a stealth fighter,
Drago-Kasov pride.
She's making another run.

We've lost contact with
the pods. They're slipping back
into the singularity.

What about the Andromeda?

She's settling into
a new orbit. Damn them.

They waited until the worst
possible moment to hit us.

Let's see what they've got.

Ready missiles.

Sara!
Sara! Sara, look out!

Medical team to command, now!

Fire control is down,
slipstream is off-line,

and we're losing pressure
on decks five and six.

Marquez, deploy counter
measures fore and aft.
Aye, sir.

You! Administer first aid.
Keep the captain stable

until a medical team arrives.

Twilight, do we still
have control of the pods
we haven't launched?

Yes, sir.

Good. Let's bring it.

Marquez, can you target
those pods to the fighter's
position?

They're not designed
for warfare. Their explosive
force would be negligible.

- I don't need them to explode.
- Dylan, don't.

We need those pods
to free the Andromeda.

You can't free her
if you're dead.

I'll reconfigure the fields.

Target lock achieved.
Pods away.

Sir, I don't understand.
How can the pods hurt them
if our missiles can't?

We're about to make
our Nietzschean friends...

Very, very small.

Now.

The singularity's got them.
They're gone.

We've lost the pods.

All stations stand down.

We'll try again.

Andromeda's out of position.
It'll be another twelve hours
before we can try again.

Sara...
Don't.

Don't tell me it's not my fault.
Don't say anything at all.

Because you can't
make this all better.

Sir, we're picking up
a slipstream portal event.

A Nietzschean destroyer.

ETA.
Eleven hours. Maybe less.

Dylan, I was just thinking
about the day we met.

The Nietzscheans
will be here soon.

You know the Starry Wisdom
can't handle another fight.

You battled a swarm
of Magog to save a person
you didn't even know. Me.

Would you please listen?

By the time Andromeda's
in position for you
to retrieve her,

the Nietzscheans
will be in firing range.

You came after me,
even though it might
have killed you.

So what if I were
to come after you.

Sara, it won't work.

From where I'm standing,
this is ancient history.

You can't change it. What just
happened proved that.

Oh, so because I'm not already
there with you, I'm doomed
to fail? I'm not convinced.

For all we know,
I could show up
on your ship any day now.

And for all we know,
you'll die trying.

It's a black hole, Sara.

It was a fluke that I
made it through. I don't want
you taking that risk.

Yeah, well, as far as
you're concerned,
I've been dead for 300 years.

No. As far as I'm concerned,
you're still very much alive,

and your life can be
a good one.
You don't have to end it here.

I won't grow old without you.

I won't become the old woman

who lost her one true love

and lived out the rest
of her days
with a broken heart.

Then don't be that woman.
Choose to be someone else.

Oh, I wish I could.

But, see, all I feel is
this hole inside me,

and no matter what I do,
it just swallows me up.

There might be a way.

It could kill us both,
but... at least
there's a chance.

A good chance?
A chance.

Tyr, I need
to talk to you.

Rumor has it that you
intend to use the little
professor's machine.

It's suicidal.

I take it you don't approve.
On the contrary.

Genetic propagation is one
of the few endeavors worth
the risk of death.

Now, assume that
this kills you.

What will happen
to this ship?

Tactful, as always.

Beka takes command.
No question.

But a ship like this one,
manned by a skeleton crew
of cargo-runners and salvagers,

I want you to stay.
I want you to protect them.

And what possible reason
would I have for doing that?

Because they need you.

You say that as though
you actually believe
it means something to me.

Doesn't it?

Allow me to introduce myself,

Seamus Zelazney Harper,
super genius!

So, one of them made it.
Out of how many attempts?

Oh, the deck drips with the guts
of the unworthy, but behold,

I have given life and form

to the first time-traveling
fruit in the history
of the universe!

So, uh, what's the plan?
We engrave "Trance"
on Dylan's forehead?

Couldn't hurt. In fact,
he might look kind of cute.

Let's see. We send him
back into the past.

He gives Sara a signal booster.

I lock onto Sara without
losing my bead on him,

and I bring them both back.

On the one hand, it's no more
difficult than, uh, teleporting
a plant across the room

which, by the way, I can now
do with a success rate of 100%.

And on the other hand,
it's, uh...

Oh, who am I kidding?

I have a 50% chance,
at best, of pulling this off.

And if it doesn't work?

Melon guts.

This is not
your best idea.

I know the odds, 50-50.
I can live with that.

Can your crew live with that?
And what about your mission?

You're the only hope
for bringing the known
worlds back from chaos.

This is bigger than you, Dylan.
You have to be objective.

When I touch you,
do you feel me?

Or do you measure
the pressure of my fingers
against your skin?

When I speak,
do you hear my voice,

or do you interpret
an acoustic wave?

I can't be
objective about this.
I'm not a machine.

You have to think
about the Commonwealth.

Sara is my Commonwealth.

I can stop you, you know.

I can break the connection
with the singularity,
leave orbit, and cut the cord.

Yes, you can. But you won't.

This is the signal booster.

Give it to Sara and I should
be able to snag her...

I mean, bring her
back. I hope.

I must say, the prospect
of tearing you apart

particle by particle and
reassembling you on a ship

300 years in the past
is quite exhilarating.

We admire your
devotion to science.

We do what we have to do.
Of course.

You have pulled some
real knee-slappers before,

but this has gotta
be the queen mother.

If you want to talk me out
of this, take a number. The line
starts behind Rommie.

Oh, no, that's okay.
We both know you're
completely impervious to reason.

I just wanted to tell you
that killing yourself,

out of some misdirected need
to play the lovesick schoolboy

is not the kind of thing
that impresses people.

You know it's not
as simple as that.

Right. It isn't.

The truth is,
that you feel guilty.

You survived the war,
and Sara didn't.

Well join the club.
All of us feel guilty
for something, Dylan.

It's called life. It hurts.

It isn't fair. That's not
a reason to die.

Let me be clear.

I'm coming back.

Let's do this.

Away we go.

The betting window
is now closed.

Hi

That was quite
an entrance.

It's, uh, better
with a marching band.

Battle stations.

How's that for perfect timing?

Dylan, we're taking
heavy enemy fire!

I'm well aware
of that, Rommie.

No, I mean
I'm taking fire
here In the... future.

You've got to be kidding me.

The Drago-Kasov came
out of nowhere.

That Magog thinks
the Nietzscheans fighting you

must have left attack orders
for their descendants.

Now, I don't know, Dylan,

perhaps they detected
the Wisdom connection
to the future,

or learned about it later.
Either way, they're here.

And that's not the worst of it.

Talk to me.

I can't keep up with it all.
That Perseid experiment

is still consuming most
of my systems' resources.

It's like we're
fighting in quicksand.

Then maybe we need
to stop the experiment.

If we do that, you'll be
stuck in the past.

Tyr, you know
what to do. Do it. Out.

We took a direct hit
on Deck 5.

The traitors have us outgunned.
What about the Andromeda?

Ah, there's no way we can
free her now. The best we can do
is give her a gentle nudge.

Maybe that's enough.

If you're thinking of
cutting him off and
bugging out, I wouldn't.

He's worth more
alive than dead.

To both of us. Can we
get to work, here?

Ready?

We're using the singularity's
gravity to warp
the transmission.

It should make it look like
the signal's coming
from the Andromeda.

Twilight,
begin transmission.

Yes, sir.

Attention hostile vessel.

This is Captain Dylan Hunt
of the Systems Commonwealth
Starship Andromeda Ascendant.

Withdraw or be destroyed.

Transmission ended.

The antigrav pods
are energized.
On your mark.

Go.

Hope he knows what he's doing.

Come on, Bek.
He's only piloting
three fighter squads

while we sit here and
do nothing. What could be
so difficult about that?

Okay, let's hit them
with a feint
and pray they buy it.

Missiles away.

The Andromeda
is moving.

Now we see if they
take the bait.

The Nietzscheans took out
our entire missile barrage.

They're coming right at us.

Well, why wouldn't they?
We're a sitting duck.

Now, so are they.

Welcome to my ambush.

They're buying it.
They're vectoring off.

Maintain battle stations.

Plot a course
out of the system.

Yes, sir.

You got a minute?
Sure. What do ya...

Hold that thought. Twilight,
can you connect me
to the Andromeda?

Connecting.

Harper.
Yo.

Let's do this.
You got it.

I know we've already
been through this,
but it's been a while.

A signal booster?
You're taking me with you?

I'm thinking we can
skip a formal wedding.
Let's just elope.

Sounds perfect.

Khalid,

I thank you.
No thanks necessary.

Harper, now.

It's magic time.

Harper...
I got it, I got it.
No problem.

What's happening?
I don't know.

There's too much data.
The stupid IS System
won't hold it all.

I can't do it.

You mean we're stuck here?

Just Sara.
I can pull you back.

I stored most of your data,

but I can't process
the information
from the booster.

I'll lose her, Dylan.
She'll die.

Harper, we've got more
Nietzscheans incoming,

and the Andromeda's having
trouble maintaining connection
to the singularity.

If you're gonna
bring Dylan back,
it has to be now.

I'm sorry, boss.

Just give me one minute.

If you don't hear from me,
you leave.

Dylan, we don't have...
One minute!

Clear the deck.

Now what?

I'm not giving up on us, Dylan.
Not when we've come this far.

Let's try again.
Maybe it'll work.

I won't let you die.

Not for me, not for anything.

But you won't stay
with me here, will you?

If I go back, I've got a chance
to restore the Commonwealth.

But if I stay,
civilization will still fall.

No matter what I do,
the Dark Ages
will still last for 300 years.

You won't make a difference
to anyone but me.

The Commonwealth is more
important than either one of us.

You can't change the future
by living in the past.

Although it certainly would be
nice to have you around.

I wish that were enough.

If it were, you wouldn't be
the man I fell in love with.

You came back for me.
You risked everything.

But I failed.

No. No.

No, you saved me.
You always do.

We had our time together.
This isn't your time anymore.

I love you.

Harper, take me back.

I love you.

Welcome back.

Captain Hunt.

Captain, that was incredible.
A brilliant advance for science.

Yes. The Sintii Council
will be very pleased.
Very, very pleased.

Will you please
leave him alone?

Harper, I need your status!

Tyr, I'm back. Take us out.

The Sintii government is
very pleased with us. They're
going to sign the charter.

The first world to agree
to a restored Commonwealth.

Score one
for the good guys.

Harper wants to throw a party,
but I told him
it might be inappropriate,

given the circumstances.

No. No, not at all.

The crew's worked hard
for this moment.

They deserve
a little celebration,
don't you think?

Yes. And I'm glad
you think so, too.

Dylan, about Sara...

You figured out what happened
to the Starry Wisdom?

No, not yet.
But I do know this,

Sara may not have been able
to pull us from the black hole,

but whatever she did

changed our orbit enough
for the Eureka Maru to finish
the job 300 years later.

If she hadn't come along...

We'd still be stuck
inside the event horizon.

She saved you after all.

Isn't that what people
who love each other do?