SGU Stargate Universe (2009–2011): Season 2, Episode 19 - Blockade - full transcript
The Destiny needs to be refueled but every time they come out of FTL the drones seem to be waiting for them. It's not obvious how the drones know they're there but it doesn't matter a great...
I may be on the verge of discovering
the true nature of Destiny's mission.
You've had control of this ship
the whole time!
Why wouldn't you tell anyone?
The Lucian Alliance is planning
an attack on Earth.
I killed Riley.
I suffocated him with my own hands.
You are a good commander.
There is no mission
other than getting these people home.
It was never about going home,
it's about getting us to where we're going.
That is the mission.
- How do you know our names?
- You're the Ancestors.
It sounds like ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Hell of a lot of data here.
Yeah, it looks like
they documented everything.
We've been searching what we were
able to transfer from the archive.
The ALS cure wasn't in there.
- What were those things?
- A mechanical army of drones.
We encountered them
a little while ago.
It seems they've been tracking us
ever since.
This one canister alone
will last for years.
For CO2 scrubbing.
We'll certainly need it
with all these extra people on board.
Well, it's just 10 days
till we drop them off
with the people on the expedition planet.
I'd like to thank you all
for coming to this very special occasion,
the dedication of our beautiful new school.
Hey. Do you have those calculations?
Laying down the foundation
for our educations.
That's why this new school bears his name.
Bottom left corner.
Do my best to uphold
his legacy of inquiry...
Here's hoping something comes
of Mr. Brody's paper-making project.
Now, please help me welcome...
How many times have you watched that?
Two-term mayor...
There's no TV.
Look, really, Eli, if you've nothing better
to do, there's far more important things...
I'm adding this footage
to my documentary.
I think it's important.
Oh, yeah, why's that, then?
They're our descendants.
Not mine. I wasn't there.
I just wish they hadn't all left.
I kind of liked the idea of
having new faces around.
Oh, yeah?
Well, if they really did spread
all over the galaxy,
I would suggest that the chances
of bumping into them again are pretty high.
Plus, this isn't a passenger ship.
What's this?
It's a gas giant.
For some reason, Destiny's decided
to maneuver around a fat gas giant
in order to line up with the star.
What's that about?
Well, I'm sure Destiny has its reasons.
It's happened before.
Yeah, but it takes forever.
Are you in a hurry to be somewhere?
Well, no, but power reserves
are still at 40%.
It's as bad as my grandfather.
He was always filling his Buick
at half a tank.
Destiny's kind of doing the same thing.
It just struck me as funny.
Oh, yeah, that is funny.
That his life
and the lives of those around him
depended on making it
to the next gas station.
That's bloody hilarious, really.
We there yet?
Thirty seconds from contact.
This is Young. We are about to
perform an aero-braking maneuver.
There may be turbulence. Stand by.
- Good morning.
- Morning.
- You good?
- Tired.
We've got drones, dead ahead,
a ton of them!
- And a command ship.
- What the hell are they doing here?
Coming right at us.
♪ Stargate Universe: "Blockade" ♪
Season 2 Episode 19
Original Airdate May 2, 2011
Where did they come from?
Maybe they were here all along
and we couldn't see them
from behind the planet.
Still have a couple of minutes or so
before we can safely go back into FTL.
- How soon will they be on top of us?
- A couple minutes.
Lieutenant, let's see
if we can get around them.
Yes, sir.
Sir, the swarm of drones
and the command ship
are maneuvering to stay
between us and the star.
Unless you want to head right at them...
- That is a negative. Where the hell is...
- How many of them are there?
Oh, I don't know.
I lost count at about 100.
- Can we jam them?
- Drones are 30 seconds out.
I can't jam them in 30 seconds.
Doesn't matter, we can jump soon.
We should just punch through.
They won't follow us into the star.
- We're never going to make it.
- We need to refuel.
Well, Destiny can choose another star.
There's no point in fighting
unless we have to.
Ten seconds to contact.
- Lieutenant, go to FTL.
- Not for another 15 seconds.
- How is that not close enough?
- They're firing.
- Five seconds.
- Lieutenant, stand by.
Yes, sir. FTL in three, two, one.
This is Young. We are clear of the drones.
Okay, what the hell was that?
It's like they were lying in wait.
Could be we just got unlucky.
You mean they just happened to be here?
Well, they have to be somewhere.
Yeah, but space is really, really big.
Look, as far as we know,
they can only track us
when we activate the stargate,
so, please, let's not overreact.
How about let's not under-react?
You don't really think
it was a coincidence.
Call it wishful thinking if you like.
Because you realize
if it's not a coincidence...
Then we have a very big problem.
No. No, no, no, we're totally screwed.
This could be it, the end of the line.
Yeah, I just said that.
So why do we need to find another star?
Destiny will just fly towards the nearest
red dwarf in our path.
Which is exactly why
we shouldn't go to that one.
You think they were waiting for us.
Look, we know they can't track us,
but it is possible that they
can predict our course.
Meaning, if Destiny hadn't plotted
that time-consuming maneuver...
We would've had to fight it out
for the whole three hours
before we could go to FTL.
Or be forced to jump prematurely.
Which would have shredded our FTL drive...
We got lucky.
Yeah, we did, but we can't
count on luck a second time.
Plus, we've no option but to recharge,
so we go off the path.
Contacts?
Nothing yet.
We're too far out from the primary
for sensors to pick anything up.
I wouldn't celebrate.
Why did we drop out so far away?
To make sure that the minimum time
elapsed before we could go back to FTL.
Don't want to run into drones
with time on the clock.
I still don't understand what
they want from us.
It's nothing personal.
It's what they're programmed to do.
Destroy all technology
other than their own,
and apparently,
they weren't programmed to give up.
A few seconds away from FTL
capability, sir.
Copy that.
So far so good.
This room needs more chairs.
Here. Please, go ahead.
- No, no, that's your...
- What am I, Captain Kirk?
I need to stretch my legs anyway. Please.
Thank you.
Don't touch anything.
And that's three hours.
We can jump any time now.
- That's good.
- That's huge.
I mean, I don't want to jinx
anything but I think we might...
Sir, we've got a contact down range.
- Damn it.
- They headed our way?
Yes, sir, multiple drones,
multiple vectors.
There's a command ship, too,
holding position between us and the star.
It's a blockade.
- How long before they reach us?
- It doesn't matter.
We can't fight our way through this.
Plus, we're running low on power anyway.
- Lieutenant, get us out of here.
- Yes, sir.
So Sergeant Greer
was bang-on in his assessment.
The drones cannot track us,
so instead they've blockaded
the stars from which Destiny recharges.
They can't possibly be waiting
at every star in your path.
It doesn't matter.
They only have to be at the next one.
- What do you mean?
- Well, our reserves are such
that we're only going
to get one more chance.
Systems are shutting down all over.
I just lost power in the infirmary.
Well, fortunately, Eli has an idea.
It's absolute insanity,
and it's the only choice we've got.
Don't over-sell it.
Okay, so the drones
have figured out our weakness.
Destiny needs to replenish its reserves,
and only uses certain kinds
of stars to do it.
Main sequence, spectral K or M,
mostly red dwarves.
So we recharge off another kind of star.
What's so crazy about that?
The only way to make sure the drones
won't be waiting
is to pick a star that Destiny
wouldn't fly into in a million years.
No, don't tell me. Death Star.
Close.
Uh...
A blue supergiant.
Are you kidding me?
We said it was crazy.
Yeah, it's crazy times a thousand!
Do you have any idea how much heat
a Class O star puts out?
I'm telling you right now,
we can't survive something like that.
And I never said we would.
Well, then, I think it's a very bad plan.
- The shields will hold...
- Yeah, which is terrific, Eli,
except the temperatures
we're talking about
are way outside Destiny's
life support margins.
A few compartments are going to get
over 400 degrees.
Which is why the majority of the crew
will go to a planet within range,
and a team will stay behind
to manually pilot the ship through.
Why not just program the ship to do it,
and all of you can go?
Because even if Destiny
accepted the program, which I doubt,
the core systems would shut themselves
down because of the temperature.
Somebody's got to stay on board.
And just who gets to decide that?
We use the communication stones
and get the most qualified people aboard.
The most qualified people
are already on board.
That's myself and Eli.
You're volunteering for this?
This is our own lives that are on the line.
You're not even bloody here.
But those kind of temperatures...
The suits can handle it.
It won't be comfortable, but, yeah.
Wait, how do we know there'll be a planet
orbiting this star you're talking about?
Well, there won't be,
certainly not a habitable one.
But we think there will be at least one
or two stargates in nearby star systems.
Won't an active stargate attract drones
to the planet we go to?
Eventually, yeah.
But hopefully not
before we can gate back.
Hopefully not.
Are we sure the drones won't
expect us to try this?
It's crazy times a thousand.
I take it back, Eli. It's a great plan.
Okay, guys,
I'll try to sell this idea to Homeworld,
- but I'm telling you right now...
- David, we're not asking permission.
We're informing you. We're low on power,
and we don't have time to screw around.
We're doing this.
If we keep them on the vine,
we could have smoking sundried tomatoes.
Smoking, all right. Every plant in here
is going to burn to the ground.
Well, don't ask me why
that doesn't happen every time.
Well, the EM of a Class O star
is just too intense for the shield
to attenuate over such
a large transparent surface.
I'm guessing the observation deck
is not the place to be, either.
It'll be like an oven in there, too,
but Brody is working on refrigerating
our original hydroponics compartment
so there'll be plants to start over.
Start over. Just when we were on
the verge of being able to feed ourselves.
If we just had a little more time.
Destiny drops out in 20 minutes,
we gate off the ship 10 minutes after that.
Save what you can, cross your fingers.
This is Young. All personnel
to the Gate Room for evacuation.
Pack light, you will not be gone long.
- Did you do that?
- No.
Come on.
Colonel, the bridge just locked down.
Understood! Head to the Gate Room.
I hope we don't have to use any bullets.
We're running low.
Brody'll have to make some new ones.
That's time, sir.
- Colonel!
- You should be in the Gate Room.
There's a third suit.
We should take advantage of it.
Well, Rush said he and Eli...
Yeah, there's new hybrids in the dome
we could lose forever.
Medicinals that might help T.J.
From worlds we'll never go back to.
Well, that whole compartment's
going to go up in flames.
You have to gate off the ship
while we still have the power to dial out.
That leaves more than enough time
to collect as many as I can,
then back up Rush and Eli.
- Okay.
- 'Cause Rush isn't as great as he thinks.
And besides, I'm our expert on the suits.
I said okay. Good luck.
Okay.
- Everyone here?
- Except Rush.
- Nice of him to see us off.
- And Dr. Park.
- What?
- She volunteered to use the third suit.
Didn't even try to talk her out of it.
She can handle herself.
FTL drop-out in three, two...
This is Rush.
We're on direct approach to a Class O star,
roughly 24 solar masses.
No drones in sight.
That's good. What's our clock?
I can't give you a precise time on that.
To be safe, no less than seven hours.
Understood, stand by. Gates in range?
We got one.
I'll take it. Dial it up.
Holy crap, we dialed Pittsburgh.
Atmosphere and temperature's good.
It looks like a human city, all right.
The archive said our people
spread out from Novus for centuries.
That's enough time for dozens of planets
to be settled with large populations.
They don't seem as advanced.
Depending on resources,
ideology, isolation,
they'd all advance at different rates.
This has to be one of them.
Make that "used to be." Looks abandoned.
I'm not seeing any indication of life.
Well, we'll find out when we get there.
Lieutenant, move us out.
All right, people, let's go!
Hey, crazy or not, it's a hell of a plan.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
I should go suit up, help Lisa in the dome.
I'll see you sometime after 0700.
Ish! We'll dial when it's cool enough
to come back.
All right, people,
let's find a spot and relax.
We're going to be here for a while.
Well, my gut says to stay put
and wait it out,
but this could be a gold mine.
What do you guys think?
Cities have hospitals.
I've been washing bandages for months.
If we could even find a pharmacy...
- Or a grocery store.
- Or a gun store.
Thing is, these people left for a reason.
We don't know what.
Have you ever been to Pittsburgh?
Hey! I was born there.
I think it's worth the risk.
All right. We'll go out in small teams,
light armaments.
- Yes, sir.
- Wait, shouldn't we all go?
We'd cover more ground that way, sir.
This already goes against
my better judgment.
I want you two to stay put, and you keep
these people safe, understood?
Yes, sir.
- Colonel...
- You, too.
Could hit the fan in here just
as easily as out there.
If we are not back in seven hours,
I want you to get everyone
back on the ship.
No search teams, no waiting, okay?
Anything in particular
you want me to look for?
I'd kill for a new outfit.
I'll keep that in mind.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
We'll head this way. Be smart.
Yes, sir.
This was a good idea.
Yeah, I just wanted to grab as
many as we can, you know?
In some ways, this garden
was our biggest accomplishment.
You mean besides the still?
I mean, besides staying alive.
You know, I come here a lot
just to think ever since it got repaired.
You know when you lay down on
the ground and you look up at the stars?
My father and I used to do that
a lot when I was a kid.
He taught me all the constellations.
These stars are always changing.
Eli, what are you doing?
Helping Dr. Park?
Well, time to stop doing that. Rush out.
Don't leave me alone with him
too long, please?
I'm just going to grab a few more.
I'll be right behind you.
I wonder
how long they've been gone.
It's hard to say.
Nature can reclaim a city pretty fast.
Years, at least.
They were just like us,
and we never knew them.
What I can't figure out
is why there's no vehicles.
Don't waste time searching
stores or buildings
that don't have anything useful in them.
If we see a shoe store, I'm going in.
New boots would be useful.
- Lieutenant!
- Yeah?
We should split up,
go on opposite sides of the street.
We'll cover more ground.
Yeah, good idea.
Brody, Chloe and you two, you're with me.
You're not wearing your suit.
Well, there's plenty of time
before we reach the star.
Plus, we can work better without them.
Yeah, but now I look ridiculous.
Yeah.
Will you double-check these figures for me?
Then what?
Well, it's your plan, you tell me.
I know that, I was just asking.
So was I.
I asked first.
Eli, both of us have to know
exactly what we're doing here.
There's no room for improvisation.
If we get this wrong,
we've got a very big problem.
Yeah, we'll be dead.
Which I find problematic,
so how do you want to do this?
I don't understand the question.
Oh, bloody hell, we're all doomed.
What! We pilot the ship manually
through the star.
- That's the plan.
- Who is going to be the pilot,
and who is going to be the co-pilot?
I just assumed...
Look, there's no question that in the end
that it's going to take both of us
to pull this off,
but only one of us should input
the actual course corrections.
I'm trying to determine who that should be.
Okay. I'll do it.
There. That wasn't so hard, was it?
Now double-check those figures for me.
Rush, this is Park.
- Yeah, go ahead.
- Destiny's locked down this compartment.
I need you to override the door.
I'm on it!
It's not working.
Look what I found.
All the labels are worn off.
We don't know what's in them,
or how old they are...
We'll find out when we open them, okay?
Mmm.
Botulism.
The sun is fading. It'll be dark soon.
Six hours to go.
Check this out. I found it over there.
- Looks like a newspaper.
- Look at the headline.
This is Young.
I found a decent vantage point of the city.
It wasn't abandoned.
These people were wiped out.
We're about halfway across town,
sir. You want us to head back to the gate?
No, not yet. We have no idea how long ago
this happened, or who did it.
Hopefully they're long gone.
Just keep searching for supplies.
Yes, sir. Greer, did you copy that?
Yeah, keep shopping. Keep shopping.
I'm getting the gist of this.
I think they're saying that
the attack came from space,
some kind of machines that
went after their technology first.
Hey, what does that sound like to you?
I don't know, Morrison,
but just keep it down.
What? Don't you think these people
have a right to know
what they might be up against?
What I think is, you need to stay calm.
Give it to me.
What are you doing?
The Colonel asked me
to keep these people safe,
so that's what I'm doing.
What kind of city doesn't have a gun shop?
Maybe they're Canadian.
What?
Listen.
Greer, do you hear that?
- I don't hear anything.
- Shut up!
Let's get inside!
Come on, come on, come on.
In here. Go, go!
Get in here, get inside,
get inside, get inside. Go, go, go, go!
Go! Go!
Lieutenant?
I hear it, but I can't see it.
Colonel, we have what appears
to be a single drone at our position.
Request permission to engage.
That's a negative!
We don't know how many there are.
Go to radio silence.
Do not reveal your position.
Young out.
Guys?
Destiny's closed off the compartment
from the rest of the ship,
and for some reason we don't understand
is refusing our override command.
We're working on it, but in the meantime,
you should put the rest of your suit on.
We're only a few minutes out.
It's gonna start getting
pretty hot in here.
Okay.
- We don't have time for this.
- It was a good idea.
Yeah, well, maybe it was,
but she took too long,
and now she could end up paying the price.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Success?
The hospital's probably
in the part of the city that was taken out.
We found what passed for a pharmacy.
Mostly cleaned out, but...
Why don't you take what
you've got back to the gate.
- It's gonna be dark soon.
- What about Scott and Greer's team?
I'll worry about them. You guys get going.
What's it doing?
I'm not sure. I think it knows we're here.
- Are you sure there's only one?
- One too many.
Give me a can. Give me a can.
Guys? You haven't forgotten
about me, have you?
We're still working on it.
That's the second time Destiny's tried
to abort our approach,
and the second time
I've had to override it.
If it lets you do that,
why won't it let us open that damn door?
I don't understand that, either.
That's it. I'm going down there
to try to pry the door open.
Dr. Park, this is Rush, can you hear me?
Yeah, I'm still here.
Now, listen very carefully.
Eli is spending more time and energy
on your predicament than we can afford.
Well, thank you, Eli!
No, no, no, you don't understand.
The point is Eli has to stop
worrying about you
and start worrying about the more
important task of flying this ship.
You're what's important!
Don't listen to him...
You're wearing the EVA suit.
That should provide you with
enough protection even inside the dome.
You know that better than me.
You want me to stay in here?
What about the plants I saved?
Dr. Park, forget about the plants
and please listen to me very carefully.
There's a collection pool
near the center of the compartment.
As long as you're fully
immersed and secure
during the transition through the star
then the water should provide
enough protection to see you through.
Do you really think that's going to work?
I promise you it will.
Look, I'm sorry,
but there's really no other way.
Rush out.
Son of a bitch.
She'll be fine.
It was probably drawn in
by the stargate activation at first.
Then it picked up our radio signals.
Whatever. We can't stay.
Sooner or later, we've got to make a move.
Listen!
Do you hear that? They're coming!
Everybody stay still and stay quiet.
There's two of them out there now.
Bet there's a lot more left
over after the attack.
Probably scattered all over the planet.
- What are we going to do?
- I don't know, but...
Okay, it's made the Lieutenant's position.
When I start firing, you run.
- What are you doing?
- This thing is showing
two other planets in range.
Yeah, but only this one's
in range of Destiny.
Well, I'm not going to sit around here
waiting to get killed.
Hey! What are you doing?
Getting the hell...
This is James.
Morrison tried dialing the stargate,
but I think I stopped him in time.
Negative, negative.
One of the drones is now headed your way.
Stay off your radio and...
Get out of there!
- Thanks for the backup, sir.
- All good.
Come on, we should get out of the open.
- You found something?
- Let's move!
I get it, you don't want to do this!
Can we shut that off, please?
Thank you.
Navigation systems are beginning
to shut themselves down.
You now have full manual control.
Got it. Our approach is good.
Mean interior temperature just passed
150 degrees Fahrenheit and rising.
What if Destiny locked down
that compartment
and wouldn't let us override
because it knew that the dome
couldn't sustain the stress
of going through the star?
You already thought of that.
I considered the possibility, yes.
You told her she'd be fine.
And I still believe that,
but only if you do what you're here to do
and stop worrying about something
you can do nothing about!
Damn!
All right, let's go.
This is James.
We've got a drone at the front door.
Damn it, L.T.,
I said to stay off your radio.
They are drawn to the signal!
Yes, sir. I'm counting on it.
- Nice shot.
- Thank you.
- Anyone hurt?
- Yeah, Morrison.
I broke his nose.
Okay, we're in the star!
Shields are holding. Activating collectors.
We're going in too steep.
Variance is nominal, you're doing fine.
The magnetic fluctuations are
way greater than I predicted.
- I'm not sure I can stay ahead of it.
- You can do this.
I don't know why I ever thought I could!
- I know you can.
- There are too many variables!
Eli! You're the only one who can!
- Sure this is the right way, sir?
- It's a shortcut.
- Are you sure?
- It's the one I took to find you.
Yes, I'm sure.
Reserves are at maximum capacity.
Retracting collectors.
We're pulling out,
entering the photosphere.
Sub-light drives are at full power!
- We've done it!
- Almost.
We did it. We made it through.
Mean interior temperature, 310 degrees.
Oh, is that all?
I should start cooling the Gate Room first.
They could be back...
- What?
- The hydroponic dome's been breached.
Eli!
This was printed on the third day
of the attack.
The plan was to move the stargate
from a place they called Terminus
to an older part of the city. I guess here.
No technology to attract them.
From what I can make out,
volunteers were driving vehicles
away from the city to draw the drones.
Save as many people as they could.
Sir, welcome back.
Nice work, Lieutenant.
Varro's the one who fired the shot.
Well, let's just get out of here before
more show up.
Half hour to go.
How is that not close enough?
What's in the bag?
Hopefully that is your new outfit.
I couldn't find a gun store or a grocery
store, but I found a dry cleaner.
Lisa, come in! Lisa, it's Eli,
I'm outside, can you hear me?
I'm at the door! The compartment's vented.
- Rush, did you hear that?
- Yes, yes.
We're through the star.
I may be able to override.
Are you secure?
Ready!
Take my hand!
I got you. You're okay.
Eli, I can't see!
It sounds different than before.
I don't much like the difference.
- Dial the gate.
- No, we're 10 minutes too soon.
Close enough!
- It's hot in here.
- You're 10 minutes early.
We didn't have much of a choice.
Lieutenant Johansen, there's a patient
waiting for you in the infirmary.
- Eli's with her now.
- What happened?
Flash blindness. Hopefully it's temporary.
But otherwise?
Eli got us through.
I kept checking his calculations
looking for a mistake,
but there wasn't any.
It was genius.
I've never seen anything like it.
- Please don't tell him I told you that.
- He might have to do it again.
The drones aren't going to
fall for that trick again.
Plus, the star's extremely rare,
so the chance of...
So we're back to where we started.
Well, not exactly.
At least we've got a full tank of gas.
- Yay.
- Yay.
the true nature of Destiny's mission.
You've had control of this ship
the whole time!
Why wouldn't you tell anyone?
The Lucian Alliance is planning
an attack on Earth.
I killed Riley.
I suffocated him with my own hands.
You are a good commander.
There is no mission
other than getting these people home.
It was never about going home,
it's about getting us to where we're going.
That is the mission.
- How do you know our names?
- You're the Ancestors.
It sounds like ALS, Lou Gehrig's Disease.
Hell of a lot of data here.
Yeah, it looks like
they documented everything.
We've been searching what we were
able to transfer from the archive.
The ALS cure wasn't in there.
- What were those things?
- A mechanical army of drones.
We encountered them
a little while ago.
It seems they've been tracking us
ever since.
This one canister alone
will last for years.
For CO2 scrubbing.
We'll certainly need it
with all these extra people on board.
Well, it's just 10 days
till we drop them off
with the people on the expedition planet.
I'd like to thank you all
for coming to this very special occasion,
the dedication of our beautiful new school.
Hey. Do you have those calculations?
Laying down the foundation
for our educations.
That's why this new school bears his name.
Bottom left corner.
Do my best to uphold
his legacy of inquiry...
Here's hoping something comes
of Mr. Brody's paper-making project.
Now, please help me welcome...
How many times have you watched that?
Two-term mayor...
There's no TV.
Look, really, Eli, if you've nothing better
to do, there's far more important things...
I'm adding this footage
to my documentary.
I think it's important.
Oh, yeah, why's that, then?
They're our descendants.
Not mine. I wasn't there.
I just wish they hadn't all left.
I kind of liked the idea of
having new faces around.
Oh, yeah?
Well, if they really did spread
all over the galaxy,
I would suggest that the chances
of bumping into them again are pretty high.
Plus, this isn't a passenger ship.
What's this?
It's a gas giant.
For some reason, Destiny's decided
to maneuver around a fat gas giant
in order to line up with the star.
What's that about?
Well, I'm sure Destiny has its reasons.
It's happened before.
Yeah, but it takes forever.
Are you in a hurry to be somewhere?
Well, no, but power reserves
are still at 40%.
It's as bad as my grandfather.
He was always filling his Buick
at half a tank.
Destiny's kind of doing the same thing.
It just struck me as funny.
Oh, yeah, that is funny.
That his life
and the lives of those around him
depended on making it
to the next gas station.
That's bloody hilarious, really.
We there yet?
Thirty seconds from contact.
This is Young. We are about to
perform an aero-braking maneuver.
There may be turbulence. Stand by.
- Good morning.
- Morning.
- You good?
- Tired.
We've got drones, dead ahead,
a ton of them!
- And a command ship.
- What the hell are they doing here?
Coming right at us.
♪ Stargate Universe: "Blockade" ♪
Season 2 Episode 19
Original Airdate May 2, 2011
Where did they come from?
Maybe they were here all along
and we couldn't see them
from behind the planet.
Still have a couple of minutes or so
before we can safely go back into FTL.
- How soon will they be on top of us?
- A couple minutes.
Lieutenant, let's see
if we can get around them.
Yes, sir.
Sir, the swarm of drones
and the command ship
are maneuvering to stay
between us and the star.
Unless you want to head right at them...
- That is a negative. Where the hell is...
- How many of them are there?
Oh, I don't know.
I lost count at about 100.
- Can we jam them?
- Drones are 30 seconds out.
I can't jam them in 30 seconds.
Doesn't matter, we can jump soon.
We should just punch through.
They won't follow us into the star.
- We're never going to make it.
- We need to refuel.
Well, Destiny can choose another star.
There's no point in fighting
unless we have to.
Ten seconds to contact.
- Lieutenant, go to FTL.
- Not for another 15 seconds.
- How is that not close enough?
- They're firing.
- Five seconds.
- Lieutenant, stand by.
Yes, sir. FTL in three, two, one.
This is Young. We are clear of the drones.
Okay, what the hell was that?
It's like they were lying in wait.
Could be we just got unlucky.
You mean they just happened to be here?
Well, they have to be somewhere.
Yeah, but space is really, really big.
Look, as far as we know,
they can only track us
when we activate the stargate,
so, please, let's not overreact.
How about let's not under-react?
You don't really think
it was a coincidence.
Call it wishful thinking if you like.
Because you realize
if it's not a coincidence...
Then we have a very big problem.
No. No, no, no, we're totally screwed.
This could be it, the end of the line.
Yeah, I just said that.
So why do we need to find another star?
Destiny will just fly towards the nearest
red dwarf in our path.
Which is exactly why
we shouldn't go to that one.
You think they were waiting for us.
Look, we know they can't track us,
but it is possible that they
can predict our course.
Meaning, if Destiny hadn't plotted
that time-consuming maneuver...
We would've had to fight it out
for the whole three hours
before we could go to FTL.
Or be forced to jump prematurely.
Which would have shredded our FTL drive...
We got lucky.
Yeah, we did, but we can't
count on luck a second time.
Plus, we've no option but to recharge,
so we go off the path.
Contacts?
Nothing yet.
We're too far out from the primary
for sensors to pick anything up.
I wouldn't celebrate.
Why did we drop out so far away?
To make sure that the minimum time
elapsed before we could go back to FTL.
Don't want to run into drones
with time on the clock.
I still don't understand what
they want from us.
It's nothing personal.
It's what they're programmed to do.
Destroy all technology
other than their own,
and apparently,
they weren't programmed to give up.
A few seconds away from FTL
capability, sir.
Copy that.
So far so good.
This room needs more chairs.
Here. Please, go ahead.
- No, no, that's your...
- What am I, Captain Kirk?
I need to stretch my legs anyway. Please.
Thank you.
Don't touch anything.
And that's three hours.
We can jump any time now.
- That's good.
- That's huge.
I mean, I don't want to jinx
anything but I think we might...
Sir, we've got a contact down range.
- Damn it.
- They headed our way?
Yes, sir, multiple drones,
multiple vectors.
There's a command ship, too,
holding position between us and the star.
It's a blockade.
- How long before they reach us?
- It doesn't matter.
We can't fight our way through this.
Plus, we're running low on power anyway.
- Lieutenant, get us out of here.
- Yes, sir.
So Sergeant Greer
was bang-on in his assessment.
The drones cannot track us,
so instead they've blockaded
the stars from which Destiny recharges.
They can't possibly be waiting
at every star in your path.
It doesn't matter.
They only have to be at the next one.
- What do you mean?
- Well, our reserves are such
that we're only going
to get one more chance.
Systems are shutting down all over.
I just lost power in the infirmary.
Well, fortunately, Eli has an idea.
It's absolute insanity,
and it's the only choice we've got.
Don't over-sell it.
Okay, so the drones
have figured out our weakness.
Destiny needs to replenish its reserves,
and only uses certain kinds
of stars to do it.
Main sequence, spectral K or M,
mostly red dwarves.
So we recharge off another kind of star.
What's so crazy about that?
The only way to make sure the drones
won't be waiting
is to pick a star that Destiny
wouldn't fly into in a million years.
No, don't tell me. Death Star.
Close.
Uh...
A blue supergiant.
Are you kidding me?
We said it was crazy.
Yeah, it's crazy times a thousand!
Do you have any idea how much heat
a Class O star puts out?
I'm telling you right now,
we can't survive something like that.
And I never said we would.
Well, then, I think it's a very bad plan.
- The shields will hold...
- Yeah, which is terrific, Eli,
except the temperatures
we're talking about
are way outside Destiny's
life support margins.
A few compartments are going to get
over 400 degrees.
Which is why the majority of the crew
will go to a planet within range,
and a team will stay behind
to manually pilot the ship through.
Why not just program the ship to do it,
and all of you can go?
Because even if Destiny
accepted the program, which I doubt,
the core systems would shut themselves
down because of the temperature.
Somebody's got to stay on board.
And just who gets to decide that?
We use the communication stones
and get the most qualified people aboard.
The most qualified people
are already on board.
That's myself and Eli.
You're volunteering for this?
This is our own lives that are on the line.
You're not even bloody here.
But those kind of temperatures...
The suits can handle it.
It won't be comfortable, but, yeah.
Wait, how do we know there'll be a planet
orbiting this star you're talking about?
Well, there won't be,
certainly not a habitable one.
But we think there will be at least one
or two stargates in nearby star systems.
Won't an active stargate attract drones
to the planet we go to?
Eventually, yeah.
But hopefully not
before we can gate back.
Hopefully not.
Are we sure the drones won't
expect us to try this?
It's crazy times a thousand.
I take it back, Eli. It's a great plan.
Okay, guys,
I'll try to sell this idea to Homeworld,
- but I'm telling you right now...
- David, we're not asking permission.
We're informing you. We're low on power,
and we don't have time to screw around.
We're doing this.
If we keep them on the vine,
we could have smoking sundried tomatoes.
Smoking, all right. Every plant in here
is going to burn to the ground.
Well, don't ask me why
that doesn't happen every time.
Well, the EM of a Class O star
is just too intense for the shield
to attenuate over such
a large transparent surface.
I'm guessing the observation deck
is not the place to be, either.
It'll be like an oven in there, too,
but Brody is working on refrigerating
our original hydroponics compartment
so there'll be plants to start over.
Start over. Just when we were on
the verge of being able to feed ourselves.
If we just had a little more time.
Destiny drops out in 20 minutes,
we gate off the ship 10 minutes after that.
Save what you can, cross your fingers.
This is Young. All personnel
to the Gate Room for evacuation.
Pack light, you will not be gone long.
- Did you do that?
- No.
Come on.
Colonel, the bridge just locked down.
Understood! Head to the Gate Room.
I hope we don't have to use any bullets.
We're running low.
Brody'll have to make some new ones.
That's time, sir.
- Colonel!
- You should be in the Gate Room.
There's a third suit.
We should take advantage of it.
Well, Rush said he and Eli...
Yeah, there's new hybrids in the dome
we could lose forever.
Medicinals that might help T.J.
From worlds we'll never go back to.
Well, that whole compartment's
going to go up in flames.
You have to gate off the ship
while we still have the power to dial out.
That leaves more than enough time
to collect as many as I can,
then back up Rush and Eli.
- Okay.
- 'Cause Rush isn't as great as he thinks.
And besides, I'm our expert on the suits.
I said okay. Good luck.
Okay.
- Everyone here?
- Except Rush.
- Nice of him to see us off.
- And Dr. Park.
- What?
- She volunteered to use the third suit.
Didn't even try to talk her out of it.
She can handle herself.
FTL drop-out in three, two...
This is Rush.
We're on direct approach to a Class O star,
roughly 24 solar masses.
No drones in sight.
That's good. What's our clock?
I can't give you a precise time on that.
To be safe, no less than seven hours.
Understood, stand by. Gates in range?
We got one.
I'll take it. Dial it up.
Holy crap, we dialed Pittsburgh.
Atmosphere and temperature's good.
It looks like a human city, all right.
The archive said our people
spread out from Novus for centuries.
That's enough time for dozens of planets
to be settled with large populations.
They don't seem as advanced.
Depending on resources,
ideology, isolation,
they'd all advance at different rates.
This has to be one of them.
Make that "used to be." Looks abandoned.
I'm not seeing any indication of life.
Well, we'll find out when we get there.
Lieutenant, move us out.
All right, people, let's go!
Hey, crazy or not, it's a hell of a plan.
- Thanks.
- Yeah.
I should go suit up, help Lisa in the dome.
I'll see you sometime after 0700.
Ish! We'll dial when it's cool enough
to come back.
All right, people,
let's find a spot and relax.
We're going to be here for a while.
Well, my gut says to stay put
and wait it out,
but this could be a gold mine.
What do you guys think?
Cities have hospitals.
I've been washing bandages for months.
If we could even find a pharmacy...
- Or a grocery store.
- Or a gun store.
Thing is, these people left for a reason.
We don't know what.
Have you ever been to Pittsburgh?
Hey! I was born there.
I think it's worth the risk.
All right. We'll go out in small teams,
light armaments.
- Yes, sir.
- Wait, shouldn't we all go?
We'd cover more ground that way, sir.
This already goes against
my better judgment.
I want you two to stay put, and you keep
these people safe, understood?
Yes, sir.
- Colonel...
- You, too.
Could hit the fan in here just
as easily as out there.
If we are not back in seven hours,
I want you to get everyone
back on the ship.
No search teams, no waiting, okay?
Anything in particular
you want me to look for?
I'd kill for a new outfit.
I'll keep that in mind.
- Good luck.
- Thanks.
We'll head this way. Be smart.
Yes, sir.
This was a good idea.
Yeah, I just wanted to grab as
many as we can, you know?
In some ways, this garden
was our biggest accomplishment.
You mean besides the still?
I mean, besides staying alive.
You know, I come here a lot
just to think ever since it got repaired.
You know when you lay down on
the ground and you look up at the stars?
My father and I used to do that
a lot when I was a kid.
He taught me all the constellations.
These stars are always changing.
Eli, what are you doing?
Helping Dr. Park?
Well, time to stop doing that. Rush out.
Don't leave me alone with him
too long, please?
I'm just going to grab a few more.
I'll be right behind you.
I wonder
how long they've been gone.
It's hard to say.
Nature can reclaim a city pretty fast.
Years, at least.
They were just like us,
and we never knew them.
What I can't figure out
is why there's no vehicles.
Don't waste time searching
stores or buildings
that don't have anything useful in them.
If we see a shoe store, I'm going in.
New boots would be useful.
- Lieutenant!
- Yeah?
We should split up,
go on opposite sides of the street.
We'll cover more ground.
Yeah, good idea.
Brody, Chloe and you two, you're with me.
You're not wearing your suit.
Well, there's plenty of time
before we reach the star.
Plus, we can work better without them.
Yeah, but now I look ridiculous.
Yeah.
Will you double-check these figures for me?
Then what?
Well, it's your plan, you tell me.
I know that, I was just asking.
So was I.
I asked first.
Eli, both of us have to know
exactly what we're doing here.
There's no room for improvisation.
If we get this wrong,
we've got a very big problem.
Yeah, we'll be dead.
Which I find problematic,
so how do you want to do this?
I don't understand the question.
Oh, bloody hell, we're all doomed.
What! We pilot the ship manually
through the star.
- That's the plan.
- Who is going to be the pilot,
and who is going to be the co-pilot?
I just assumed...
Look, there's no question that in the end
that it's going to take both of us
to pull this off,
but only one of us should input
the actual course corrections.
I'm trying to determine who that should be.
Okay. I'll do it.
There. That wasn't so hard, was it?
Now double-check those figures for me.
Rush, this is Park.
- Yeah, go ahead.
- Destiny's locked down this compartment.
I need you to override the door.
I'm on it!
It's not working.
Look what I found.
All the labels are worn off.
We don't know what's in them,
or how old they are...
We'll find out when we open them, okay?
Mmm.
Botulism.
The sun is fading. It'll be dark soon.
Six hours to go.
Check this out. I found it over there.
- Looks like a newspaper.
- Look at the headline.
This is Young.
I found a decent vantage point of the city.
It wasn't abandoned.
These people were wiped out.
We're about halfway across town,
sir. You want us to head back to the gate?
No, not yet. We have no idea how long ago
this happened, or who did it.
Hopefully they're long gone.
Just keep searching for supplies.
Yes, sir. Greer, did you copy that?
Yeah, keep shopping. Keep shopping.
I'm getting the gist of this.
I think they're saying that
the attack came from space,
some kind of machines that
went after their technology first.
Hey, what does that sound like to you?
I don't know, Morrison,
but just keep it down.
What? Don't you think these people
have a right to know
what they might be up against?
What I think is, you need to stay calm.
Give it to me.
What are you doing?
The Colonel asked me
to keep these people safe,
so that's what I'm doing.
What kind of city doesn't have a gun shop?
Maybe they're Canadian.
What?
Listen.
Greer, do you hear that?
- I don't hear anything.
- Shut up!
Let's get inside!
Come on, come on, come on.
In here. Go, go!
Get in here, get inside,
get inside, get inside. Go, go, go, go!
Go! Go!
Lieutenant?
I hear it, but I can't see it.
Colonel, we have what appears
to be a single drone at our position.
Request permission to engage.
That's a negative!
We don't know how many there are.
Go to radio silence.
Do not reveal your position.
Young out.
Guys?
Destiny's closed off the compartment
from the rest of the ship,
and for some reason we don't understand
is refusing our override command.
We're working on it, but in the meantime,
you should put the rest of your suit on.
We're only a few minutes out.
It's gonna start getting
pretty hot in here.
Okay.
- We don't have time for this.
- It was a good idea.
Yeah, well, maybe it was,
but she took too long,
and now she could end up paying the price.
- Hey.
- Hey.
Success?
The hospital's probably
in the part of the city that was taken out.
We found what passed for a pharmacy.
Mostly cleaned out, but...
Why don't you take what
you've got back to the gate.
- It's gonna be dark soon.
- What about Scott and Greer's team?
I'll worry about them. You guys get going.
What's it doing?
I'm not sure. I think it knows we're here.
- Are you sure there's only one?
- One too many.
Give me a can. Give me a can.
Guys? You haven't forgotten
about me, have you?
We're still working on it.
That's the second time Destiny's tried
to abort our approach,
and the second time
I've had to override it.
If it lets you do that,
why won't it let us open that damn door?
I don't understand that, either.
That's it. I'm going down there
to try to pry the door open.
Dr. Park, this is Rush, can you hear me?
Yeah, I'm still here.
Now, listen very carefully.
Eli is spending more time and energy
on your predicament than we can afford.
Well, thank you, Eli!
No, no, no, you don't understand.
The point is Eli has to stop
worrying about you
and start worrying about the more
important task of flying this ship.
You're what's important!
Don't listen to him...
You're wearing the EVA suit.
That should provide you with
enough protection even inside the dome.
You know that better than me.
You want me to stay in here?
What about the plants I saved?
Dr. Park, forget about the plants
and please listen to me very carefully.
There's a collection pool
near the center of the compartment.
As long as you're fully
immersed and secure
during the transition through the star
then the water should provide
enough protection to see you through.
Do you really think that's going to work?
I promise you it will.
Look, I'm sorry,
but there's really no other way.
Rush out.
Son of a bitch.
She'll be fine.
It was probably drawn in
by the stargate activation at first.
Then it picked up our radio signals.
Whatever. We can't stay.
Sooner or later, we've got to make a move.
Listen!
Do you hear that? They're coming!
Everybody stay still and stay quiet.
There's two of them out there now.
Bet there's a lot more left
over after the attack.
Probably scattered all over the planet.
- What are we going to do?
- I don't know, but...
Okay, it's made the Lieutenant's position.
When I start firing, you run.
- What are you doing?
- This thing is showing
two other planets in range.
Yeah, but only this one's
in range of Destiny.
Well, I'm not going to sit around here
waiting to get killed.
Hey! What are you doing?
Getting the hell...
This is James.
Morrison tried dialing the stargate,
but I think I stopped him in time.
Negative, negative.
One of the drones is now headed your way.
Stay off your radio and...
Get out of there!
- Thanks for the backup, sir.
- All good.
Come on, we should get out of the open.
- You found something?
- Let's move!
I get it, you don't want to do this!
Can we shut that off, please?
Thank you.
Navigation systems are beginning
to shut themselves down.
You now have full manual control.
Got it. Our approach is good.
Mean interior temperature just passed
150 degrees Fahrenheit and rising.
What if Destiny locked down
that compartment
and wouldn't let us override
because it knew that the dome
couldn't sustain the stress
of going through the star?
You already thought of that.
I considered the possibility, yes.
You told her she'd be fine.
And I still believe that,
but only if you do what you're here to do
and stop worrying about something
you can do nothing about!
Damn!
All right, let's go.
This is James.
We've got a drone at the front door.
Damn it, L.T.,
I said to stay off your radio.
They are drawn to the signal!
Yes, sir. I'm counting on it.
- Nice shot.
- Thank you.
- Anyone hurt?
- Yeah, Morrison.
I broke his nose.
Okay, we're in the star!
Shields are holding. Activating collectors.
We're going in too steep.
Variance is nominal, you're doing fine.
The magnetic fluctuations are
way greater than I predicted.
- I'm not sure I can stay ahead of it.
- You can do this.
I don't know why I ever thought I could!
- I know you can.
- There are too many variables!
Eli! You're the only one who can!
- Sure this is the right way, sir?
- It's a shortcut.
- Are you sure?
- It's the one I took to find you.
Yes, I'm sure.
Reserves are at maximum capacity.
Retracting collectors.
We're pulling out,
entering the photosphere.
Sub-light drives are at full power!
- We've done it!
- Almost.
We did it. We made it through.
Mean interior temperature, 310 degrees.
Oh, is that all?
I should start cooling the Gate Room first.
They could be back...
- What?
- The hydroponic dome's been breached.
Eli!
This was printed on the third day
of the attack.
The plan was to move the stargate
from a place they called Terminus
to an older part of the city. I guess here.
No technology to attract them.
From what I can make out,
volunteers were driving vehicles
away from the city to draw the drones.
Save as many people as they could.
Sir, welcome back.
Nice work, Lieutenant.
Varro's the one who fired the shot.
Well, let's just get out of here before
more show up.
Half hour to go.
How is that not close enough?
What's in the bag?
Hopefully that is your new outfit.
I couldn't find a gun store or a grocery
store, but I found a dry cleaner.
Lisa, come in! Lisa, it's Eli,
I'm outside, can you hear me?
I'm at the door! The compartment's vented.
- Rush, did you hear that?
- Yes, yes.
We're through the star.
I may be able to override.
Are you secure?
Ready!
Take my hand!
I got you. You're okay.
Eli, I can't see!
It sounds different than before.
I don't much like the difference.
- Dial the gate.
- No, we're 10 minutes too soon.
Close enough!
- It's hot in here.
- You're 10 minutes early.
We didn't have much of a choice.
Lieutenant Johansen, there's a patient
waiting for you in the infirmary.
- Eli's with her now.
- What happened?
Flash blindness. Hopefully it's temporary.
But otherwise?
Eli got us through.
I kept checking his calculations
looking for a mistake,
but there wasn't any.
It was genius.
I've never seen anything like it.
- Please don't tell him I told you that.
- He might have to do it again.
The drones aren't going to
fall for that trick again.
Plus, the star's extremely rare,
so the chance of...
So we're back to where we started.
Well, not exactly.
At least we've got a full tank of gas.
- Yay.
- Yay.