Andromeda (2000–2005): Season 2, Episode 17 - The Things We Cannot Change - full transcript

BEKA: Why is it that
the most beautiful things
are always the most dangerous?

They do it on purpose.

Black holes give me goose bumps.

[LAUGHING]
Do androids get goose bumps?

This one does.

It's probably just gamma rays.

And x-rays
and high-energy electrons.

It's a spinning singularity,
Dylan.

The regular ones are bad enough.

Tell me about it. I'm the one
who spent 300 years
behind an event horizon.

I was there, too.



Tell me again
why my poor little Eureka Maru

can hang its butt out there,
but big strong
Andromeda Ascendant

can't even get close?

Because I am so big.

That would be, what,
the product
of the two masses

divided by the square
of the distance between them?

Yeah, thanks, Tyr.

ANDROMEDA: Dylan, please,
just gather your information
and hurry back,

and be careful.

Hey, I'm wearing my EVA suit.

Oh, and by the way,

uh, tell Harper,
he's been stockpiling food
in the...

[CRASHING]

[GRUNTING]



Andromeda!

I've got a hull breach!

[CRASHING]

Emergency!

[SIREN BLARING]

[AIR WHOOSHING]

[PANTING]

[GRUNTING]

[GLASS SHATTERING]

[ALARM BEEPING]

[CLOCK TICKING]

[SIGHING]

What's wrong?
What time is it?

Nothing is wrong.

It's late.

Go back to sleep.

[MOANING] Sleep?

Sleep is so overrated.

Don't you think,
Mr. Hunt?

Mmm.

It, uh, depends on what
you're comparing it to,

doesn't it,
Mrs. Hunt?

[ROMANTIC MUSIC PLAYING]

NARRATOR:
He is the last guardian
of a fallen civilization,

a hero from another time.

Faced with a universe in chaos,

Dylan Hunt recruits
an unlikely crew

and sets out
to re-unite the galaxies.

On the starship Andromeda,
hope lives again.

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]

[SCREECHING]

Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!

Whoa, whoa, whoa.

Hey, hi.

[LAUGHING] How are you doing,
buddy?

You ready
for the big game?

Give Mommy a kiss.

We're going to
slaughterize them.

Can I have pancakes?
Please?
Uh-huh. I, I...

Yes, we'll
have pancakes.

That can be arranged.
Go. Meet you in the kitchen.
Thank you. Yes!

Oh... [SIGHS]

You spoil him.
Yes, I do,
and you know what?

I spoil you, too.

[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

[COMPUTERS BEEPING]

TYR: This is like
scanning mud.

No, it's not.
Mud I can
see through,

gamma radiation,
I can't.

Dylan is
on the Maru,

we know where
the Maru is,

what are we doing
just sitting here?

I say we haul
our stupid asses over there

and look in
the freaking window.

I know Harper is wrong,
but I don't know why he's wrong.

You tell him.

Andromeda,
all ahead one-quarter.

One-quarter
engines, aye.

[SCRAPING]

Ow!

[ALARM BEEPING]

That's why.

SEAMUS: Gravity sucks.

All right,
you've got a broken ship,
you need a mechanic.

You've got a broken ship
near a black hole,
you need a quantum engineer.

Rescuing Dylan
from a black hole again.

Trance,
I'll need your help.

Hang in there, Dylan.

[GRUNTING]

DYLAN: Hang in there,
buddy.

It's almost ready.

Hurry up, Daddy.
I want my pancakes.

Yeah, yeah, yeah.
It's uh...

More like concrete batter,
but I'll be right with you, son.

Captain Hunt, thank you
for accepting my hail.

Why have you
surrounded my ship?

Believe me, Captain,
I'm not happy about it, either.

I'm missing out
on my oldest son's
birthday party.

Don't let me stop you.

[EXHALES] I wish
I could take you up on that.

You know how demanding
children can be.

No, I don't.

That's a shame.
You really should try it
sometime.

I highly recommend it.

DYLAN:
I'll keep that in mind.

[MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING]

BEKA:
Harper's rigged
a slipfighter

so we can get up close
and personal
with the black hole.

TYR: Unfortunately,
I don't always share

the little professor's
unswerving confidence
in his own engineering ability.

Tyr, you don't have to come.

I know how hard it is for you

to beat that Nietzschean
self-preservation gene.

You know, that Nietzschean
self-preservation gene,

as you call it,
can't be passed down

unless a breeding partner
makes herself available.

Proving one's worth
as a husband and father
requires taking risks.

So, all these dangerous,
macho things you do,

it's to impress
the chicks?

[TYR LAUGHS]

LIANDRA:
So are they back?

DYLAN: What's that?

LIANDRA:
The nightmares.
It's been awhile.

Yeah.
You know, I had one
just the other night.

It was really scary.

I was back in school,
military science final,

and I was only wearing
underwear,

[LAUGHING]
plus I forgot to study.

It was absolutely
frightening.

Which reminds me,
there's something else

I was supposed
to be doing.

[CLEARS THROAT]

The form.
Huh?

Don't forget.

Very important.

Ah, yes, it's very,
very important.

[CHUCKLES]

What am I going to do
with you?

Oh, I can think
of something.

I do love you.

I love you.

Dear Sara...

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

I've tried 11 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...

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.

Sara...

[SIGHS]

"I, Dylan Hunt,

"hereby resign my commission
in the High Guard

and elect inactive duty for..."

Resign my commission?

I'm retiring?

TYR: That answers
that question.

One question remains.

BEKA: Where is he?

[WHISPERS ECHOING]

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

Tyr...

Someone lied to me.

I was told
that all Nietzscheans

are perfect
physical specimens.

So?

Then I assume
your defective hearing

is a personal problem.

I told you to stay
in your zone.

TYR: Harper's zone
was saturated
with missiles.

He was in over his head.
I had to act.

DYLAN: I'm not interested
in your opinion
of Harper's condition.

You screwed up,
and we got pasted.

As long as you
walk my decks

and breathe
my oxygen,

you're a part
of my crew,

and I expect my crew to work
together as a team,
no exceptions.

Work as a team?

With them?

They're amateurs, children,

and you,
you're an anachronism.

You haven't the first idea

how unforgiving
this universe has become,

and I will not allow you
to find out at my expense.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

What are you doing
with my uniforms?

Giving them away.
We talked about this.

First you want me
to resign my commission,

and now you're giving away
my uniforms.

There's a war going on,
or have you forgotten?

I am not the one
with the memory problem.

Damn it, Dylan,
ever since...

Ever since what?

There are no Nietzscheans
in the bushes, okay?

There are no Kalderans
hiding behind the moon.

Peace, Dylan.

We're at peace.
It's over.

Ever since what, Liandra?

Ever since the black hole.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

The black hole.

I never want to see it again.

That thing
didn't just swallow my ship,

it swallowed my life.

God, I'm calling Med Corps.

No, no,
hey, hey, hey.

You're not calling
anybody. I'm fine.

You're fine?

Tell me you didn't
just have visions.

Dylan, please.

Let me take care of you.

The way you always take care
of Ethan and me.

You need help.

[MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING]

TYR: Dylan's EVA suit
should protect him
from the radiation,

so the immediate danger
is the gravity well itself.

If he's pulled
into the black hole--

It'll already be too late.

TYR: You don't know that.

[SIGHS]

I know first-hand
how much air
these EVA suits carry.

Short haul went real wrong
out near Vega a few years back.

I ended up sucking vacuum
for what seemed like days.

It's funny,

it was actually
kind of peaceful.

[ETHAN GRUNTS]
DYLAN: Whoa!

ETHAN: Two points, Daddy,
two points!

That's a great job,
Ethan. All right,

let's try a little longer shot
this time.

I can't wait till you're tired.

Well, you'll have to work
a little harder than this
to tucker me out.

Mommy says when you're tired,

it would be
like a vacation

forever and ever

and we can play all the time.

Oh, you, uh...

Retired? You, you mean...

Yeah, that, that, that means
when you're not working anymore.

Yeah, we're talking about that.

Andromeda, report.

Scanning.
[BEEPING]

They're worlds, 20 of them,

joined into some
kind of structure.

The structure,
focus on the structure.

ANDROMEDA: Those worlds,
they're hollow.

and they're full of Magog,
trillions of them.

[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

[SCREECHING]

[GROWLING]

You say we're at peace.

How can you say that
when there's a trillion
hungry Magog

raping and killing their way
across the galaxy?

Dylan,
what are you talking about?

I've never even heard
of anything called Magog.

BEKA: Something's punching
through the hull.

[ENGINES HUMMING]

[GROWLING]

[SCREECHING]

[GRUNTING]

[SCREAMING]

[WHOOSHING]

[CREAKING]

Dylan?

What's wrong?

Nothing's wrong.

You see, that's the problem.

Happy home,
I've got a healthy son,

but did you really think
I would forget about the Magog?

You're right...

I am hallucinating.

This.

You're not my wife.

You're not even real.

None of this is real,
none of it!

Okay, okay, okay!

I'm on to you.

Now, tell me, what the hell
is going on here?

[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

BEKA: Scan D-17.

[SIGHS] This is useless.

There's too much radiation
from the black hole.
I can't find squat.

[COMPUTER BEEPING]

I've tried that
now and again myself.

It never works.

[COMPUTER PINGING]

Oh yeah. You...

[LAUGHING SARCASTICALLY]
You guys are good.

You know,
you're really, really good.

You hit all my buttons,
didn't you?

You know what?
You missed one small detail.

A race of monsters
slaughtering their way
through the galaxy.

It's kind of a big oversight,
don't you think?

Let me see what you guys
have been doing to me.

No...

There's no signs
of medical intervention.

I don't see any needle marks.

I don't see
any healed incisions.

Maybe...

Maybe you're some kind
of a, I don't know,

holodrama super race,
you know,

and I'm... I'm a specimen
in your zoo, you know.

Maybe that's it.
Maybe I'm in the zoo!

LIANDRA:
I was afraid of this.

There she is,
right on cue.

Afraid of what?

[DYLAN SMIRKS]

Afraid that I would see through

this incredibly realistic
facsimile of...

Of what, Liandra?

A happy home.

[SIGHS WEARILY]

But maybe happiness
just isn't enough for you.

A happy home.

[SCOFFS]

Look what I found.

You hid my Force Lance.

You hid it.

Why, Liandra?
What, did you think
I was gong to hurt you?

No.

Not hurt me...

Hurt yourself.

I hate what this PTSD
Has done to you.

[SCOFFS]

You think...You think
this is post traumatic stress?

I saw civilization fall.

I saw it fall and I...

I got back up,
I dusted myself off.

You tell me
what could possibly be
more traumatic than that?

You died.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

You ran out of air
in your EVA suit.

You were clinically dead

for two minutes,

and you have never
been the same since.

TRANCE: Harper?

You're not thinking
what I think you're thinking,
are you?

You better believe I am.

Desperate times
call for desperate measures.

That teleportation machine
is experimental at best.

The only time
it came close
to working was--

When we were sitting
next to a black hole.

Come on, Trance,
how about a little
optimism here?

You're the one
who's always talking about
the right intentions.

Now, think
good thoughts,

give me some of that
good luck of yours,

and help me, uh,
rebuild this thing, will you?

Thank you.

[DOOR OPENING]

[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

DYLAN: Rhade!

RHADE: I tried to warn you.

Is that how
you want to play this?

I'm not playing at anything.

Neither am I.

[WEAPON CHARGES]

Rhade, listen to me.

[GRUNTS]

KIYAMA: Hey, out there!

Give up.

Maybe we'll let you live.

[GRIPPING MUSIC PLAYING]

[GUNS FIRING]

[GROANING]

I'm here under the authority
of the Systems Common--

[GROANS]

[SCREAMING]

[SCREAMING]

Ah! Dylan!

Dylan!

Dylan. [GASPS]

Liandra, I'm so sorry.

No.

It's too late for that.

You are out of control.

No, no... I , I ju...
Let it go.

Hang your Force Lance up.

You have no choice.

[BEEPING]

SEAMUS:
Sorry, Beka, it didn't work.

What do you mean,
it didn't work?

It worked before.
I saw it.

Yes, but the teleporter
won't function properly

if we don't know
Dylan's exact location.

Believe me, I tried.

We played
hide-and-go-teleport

with one of Trance's fish
in hydroponics.

BEKA: And?

Tuna tartare.

The black hole is too new.

The machine needs
an information sink

which expands
as the cube of the radius
being scanned...

And you don't care
about the math, do you?

I care plenty
about math.

Like the nine seconds it takes
the human circulatory system

to exhaust its supply
of oxygenated blood cells.

We have to find him soon, Beka.

[ALARM BEEPING]

I've found something.

[SONAR PINGING]

BEKA: Damn, Tyr,
you got him.

Well, I've located him.

Whether or not
we can get him

is still very much
in question, isn't it?

[SONAR PINGING]

[GRAVE MUSIC PLAYING]

For the sake of argument,
let's say you're right, okay?

Say this isn't a mind game

being, you know, perpetrated
by some unknown force,

and say that I...

Say that I really am having
a psychological meltdown.

I mean, that's no reason
to retire from the service,
is it?

No. I mean,
I can take medical leave.

And I...
I can get my head
back together, you know.

It's been done before.
Hell, I've ordered people
to do it.

Dylan...

I can still serve.

See, I have a mission.

You see, my ship...
my ship needs me.
My crew needs me.

[SIGHS] Your crew.

My poor baby.

What?

What about them?

What...
What about my crew?

What aren't you telling me,
Liandra?

They're gone, Dylan.

The Androme was lost,

all aboard her killed.

I... I don't believe you.

Don't.

It's not going to change
anything.

They were sucked
into a black hole.

[MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING]

Trying to rescue you.

[GRAVE MUSIC PLAYING]

Andromeda gone?

ANDROMEDA: Warships only know
how to do one thing.

There you are.

I've been looking
for you.

Dylan,
I want to be dismantled.

You should
get rid of this body.

Chop it up into pieces

and throw it out
of the air lock,
or better yet, erase me.

Just delete everything
and start all over again.

I'm not going to do that.

[SOBBING]
I killed him, Dylan.

I loved him,
and I killed him.

You had no choice.

No, I didn't,
because I'm a warship,

and warships only know
how to do one thing,
and that's kill.

We don't have hearts.

We don't have empathy.

We're killers,
we're attack dogs,

and I'm afraid.

The Balance of Judgment
went insane,

[SOBBING]
the Pax Magellan went insane,

and I don't want that
to happen to me.

DYLAN:
You're forgetting
something.

The Balance of Judgment
had no captain, no crew.

The Pax lost her captain.

Why do you think
warships have captains
in the first place?

I'm your heart, Rommie.

I always will be.

These physical reactions...

I didn't know
Harper was so good.

The Commonwealth needs you,
Andromeda.

The crew needs you.

I need you.

So, permission
to chop yourself
into pieces,

is officially denied.

Understood.

Does it get any better?

Does the pain go away?

I don't think
it's supposed to.

It's part of what it means
to be alive.

No.

LIANDRA: I'm making some
eggs for Ethan if you want...

I thought I got rid of that.

Yeah, you thought you got
rid of everything.

My ship, my crew, my life.

It's not going to happen,
Liandra.
I'm a High Guard captain,

and the only way
I can leave my job
is feet first.

I know.

That's exactly what
I've been trying to prevent.

ETHAN: Daddy, make it stop!
Daddy!

Ethan, Liandra!

[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

[SCREAMING]

[SCREECHING]

[ETHAN SOBBING]

What kind of a...

Person are you,
who would risk

your child's own life
to make a point?

Ethan's fine.
It was nothing.

Maybe you're not a person
at all.

Maybe you're something else
entirely.

I've seen it before.

There are entities out there,
beings who want to stop me.

You megalomaniac.

Now I'm a demon

out to tempt you
from your cause?

Fine. You want to see
my eyes turn red?

You want to see snakes
come out of my mouth?

Here, here, twist my arm.
Beat it out of me.

[LANCE POWERING UP]

I want to know
who and what you are.

TRANCE: There is one
perfect possible future,
but I have not seen it yet.

What am I supposed
to do with you?

I don't know.

Keep me around,
I hope.

I'm trying to think of
a persuasive reason
to do that,

but I'm having trouble.

Because you don't trust me.

Trust is something
you earn.

Then give me a chance.

I always knew
you had your own plans,

but I also knew
that your plans and mine
were basically the same.

Peace, order,
a better universe.

My goals haven't changed.

Beka says the future
you came from was a bad one,

one where things went wrong
and you came back
to set things right.

So?

So, tell me how saving Harper
and losing Hohne does that.

How does that set things right?

I don't know if it does.

To tell you the truth,

I didn't save Harper to change
the past or the future.

For all I know,
I made things worse.

Then why?

For the one reason
that does matter.

Because Hohne is a stranger
and Harper is my friend.

Ah.

Well, that's a change,
anyway.

What?

Honesty.

But it doesn't answer
your question, does it,

about what to
do with me?

No, it doesn't.

But it's a start.

Dylan...

Don't, please.

Dylan, please,
you can make it.

[AMPLIFIED] I know you can.

ETHAN: What are you doing
to mommy?

Stop it! Stop it!

Dylan,
this is tearing me apart.

It's tearing me apart...

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

DYLAN: Harper!

Trance!

Shut it down.
It's tearing me apart!

LIANDRA: Dylan, I can't
live like this.

Either you resign
your commission

and get
medical attention,

or I'm taking our son
and leaving.

You want me to choose
between my job
and my marriage?

Well, I can't, Liandra.
My job is who I am.

What kind of husband can I be,
what kind of father,

if I turn my back
on the people who need me?

The people who need you
are right here.

Isn't that enough?

Let that be enough.

No.

I'm sorry.
My place is with
the High Guard.

No, it's not.

I have begged you, Dylan.

I have tried to protect you,
but you just won't let me.

Protect me from what?

They don't want you.
The Commonwealth
that needs you so much...

They're trying
to get rid of you.

Why in the name
of the Empress

would the high guard
want to get rid of me?

Because you mess up,

and they're tired
of cleaning up after you.

SEAMUS: He's going too fast.
We're losing him.

ANDROMEDA:
He's almost reached the sun.

Can we destroy his ship?

Our missiles will never
catch him in time.
The system is doomed,

and if we're not careful,
the chain reaction
will destroy us as well.

We have to try.
Continue pursuit.

We're not going to make it.

ANDROMEDA:
He's still out of range.
We have to turn around.

Andromeda, hard 180.
Maximum delta-v.

ANDROMEDA:
Detonation in three...

Two...

One...

Engaging slipstream now.

[COMPUTER BEEPING]

DYLAN: Andromeda,

is there any chance

anyone survived the nova?

I'm sorry, Dylan.

All the inhabited planets
were incinerated.

Okay, yes, I...
I've made mistakes.

Mistakes?

Destroying
a solar system
is a mistake?

Unleashing
flesh-eating monsters

on an entire civilization,
that's a mistake?

Dylan!
Dylan, help!

Come quickly.

Dylan!

[GRUNTING]

Dylan!

[GROWLING]

Dylan, they've killed
the slavers,

but they're
not stopping.

They're infesting the Hajira.

They're offering you
a graceful exit,

retirement,

full military benefits.
Take it, Dylan.

Trust me.

No.

I'm a High Guard officer,
and I know what I'm doing.

Loose weapons.
Secure the perimeter.

Loose weapons, aye.

[MOTORS WHIRRING]

[SCREAMING]

You're killing them!
You're just like Tyr.

No, I'm better.

[SCREAMING]

Perimeter secured, Captain.

[SIGHS] Thank you.

You're welcome.

What did you do?

The same thing everybody else
seems to be doing around here,

just making plans.

Looks like mine worked.

I don't know
if this is really my life,

but as long as I'm living it,
I call the shots.

Are we clear?

Answer me.

BEKA: Are you nuts?

You'll both be sucked
into the black hole.

That's what
the cable's for.

If you're doing all this
to impress chicks, Tyr...

I'm impressed.

LIANDRA:
You don't really think
I'm a monster, do you?

I don't know
what you are.

Maybe you're
some part of me

that wants to
turn around,

go back,

give up.

I'm not giving up
on this, 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. [SNIFFLING]

No.

No, you saved me.

You always do.

We had our time together.

This isn't your time anymore.

[MELANCHOLIC MUSIC PLAYING]

I love you.

I love you.

You say
I have no choice.

I say you're wrong.

Remind me when we're done
to give us all medals.

[PANTING]

[GRUNTING]

[SCREECHING]

[DYLAN GROANING]

Are you okay?

Oh, yeah, just great.

There's so many of them.

Beka...

I may not make it.

Don't be ridiculous.

You're too stubborn to die.
We all know that.

Promise me...

No matter what happens,
you'll continue the mission.

Yeah, see,
that's why you have to survive.

I'm not really qualified
to restart the Commonwealth.

Well, neither am I,

but that hasn't stopped me.

Dylan,

I may like your idea,
but I really don't know
if it's possible...

For anyone.

The odds--
To hell with the odds.

[BREATHING HEAVILY]

All that matters in life

is that we try.

Promise you'll try.

Promise.

I've always
had the choice,

and I've always known
what my choice is.

BEKA: You should be getting
a visual on Dylan.

Mm-hmm.

[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

TYR: I'm approaching Dylan now.

No movement.

[INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING]

[LINE CLANKING]

I'm at the end of the line.

I can't reach him.

No, Daddy. No.

No, don't leave me.

[CRYING] Please...
Don't leave me.

[LINE CLANKING]

TYR: I'm going to unhook.

BEKA: Be careful,
or you'll end up
adrift like Dylan.

TYR: Not me.

You know every weak spot,
don't you?

You know how much I love
being married.

You know how much
I love kids.

Why are you doing this to me?

Because you're killing
my people.

Killing my people.

[SCREECHING]

Killing my people.

Captain Dylan Hunt,
Commanding Officer.

Nova deployment authorization,
10 break alpha.

Strike, strike, strike.

[WHIRRING]

[BEEPING]

They're ready.

Missile tubes one through 10,

fire.

Second salvo, fire.

Third salvo, fire.

Fourth salvo, fire.

All missiles away.

ANDROMEDA:
Detonation in three,

two, one.

[MISSILES EXPLODING]

[GASPING]

[GRUNTING]

TYR: Beka, reel us in.

[DYLAN EXHALES]

DYLAN: All I can is that
it is very good to be back,

and I am glad
that nightmare is over.

Your hallucinatory experience
is consistent with
the symptoms of hypoxia,

and we're glad
to have you back.

SEAMUS: Hey, uh...

What if it wasn't
a hallucination?

I'm sure it was just a dream,
a bad one,

but we can still learn
something from our dreams.

True. Dreams can show you
what's important

and show you
who you really are.

Yeah? And?

I'm Captain Dylan Hunt
of the starship
Andromeda Ascendant

I am back in command.

Rommie,

all ahead full.

[DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING]

[THEME MUSIC PLAYING]