SGU Stargate Universe (2009–2011): Season 2, Episode 20 - Gauntlet - full transcript

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.

Well, I've just
completed a thorough diagnostic

on one of the stasis pods.

Very informative.

We've been searching

what we were able to
transfer from the archive.

The ALS cure
wasn't in there.

The first symptoms presented

five years after we arrived
on the planet.

I died a few years after that.

We got drones,
dead ahead.



The drones cannot track us,

so instead,
they've blockaded the stars

from which Destiny recharges.

This could be it,
the end of the line.

There's
new hybrids in the dome

we could lose forever.

The hydroponic dome's
been breached.

Flash blindness.
Hopefully it's temporary.

I can't see!

How you feeling?

Oh, great.

I haven't had
this much rest in weeks.

I never thought
I'd say this,

but I'm actually looking
forward to getting bleary-eyed

analyzing data.

Well, let's see
where we're at.

Okay. Open your eyes.

Lisa?

Uh, it's still dark.

I can't see.

Anything?

No.

Colonel,
you got a second?

Can it wait?

You look terrible.

Thank you.

You're running
yourself ragged, okay?

Get some rest.

Way ahead of you.
That's where I'm going.

Colonel Young,
this is Rush.

Ignore that, you're no good
to us exhausted.

Colonel Young?

This is Young.

Could you join us

in the control interface
room, please?

We've something
we want to show you.

We did it.

Fantastic.

What'd they do?

I have no idea.

We found a way to track
the command ships

that control the drones.

How?

We managed to isolate

the subspace signals they use
to communicate with each other.

Then we plugged the data

into Destiny's
long-range sensors,

and it worked.

So we know
where they are.

Then we can avoid them

and find safe planets
to resupply.

That was the idea, anyway.

Let's see it.

This is the path

that seed ships plotted for us
through this galaxy.

These are the upcoming gates...

And these are
the command ships.

Oh, my God.

We've pushed this

as far as sensor
capability will allow,

and the results
are the same.

As far as we can tell,
they're waiting at every gate

between here
and the edge of the galaxy.

We're screwed.

♪ Stargate Universe: "Gauntlet" ♪
Season 2 Episode 20

Original Air Date on May 9, 2011

Colonel Young?

No, I'm Rush,
this is Young.

Colonel Telford's
waiting for you.

You sure your sensor data
is accurate?

Of course it is.

And they're
at every single gate?

Well, they've figured out
how we operate.

They know which stars
we use to recharge,

they know that
we use the gate to resupply.

They're everywhere
we want to be

along that path.

So go off the path.

Use the shuttles
and check out ungated worlds.

We can't do that.

There's over
300 billion stars

in that galaxy.

Only a small percentage
of them have planets.

An even smaller percentage
are capable of sustaining life.

The seed ships
did the legwork.

They found the needles
in the haystack.

If we go off on our own,
it could be months,

maybe even years
between viable worlds.

It's not an option.

What's your supply situation?

We're looking at
about a month's worth

of food and water.

What about power?

We'll die of thirst

before that becomes
an issue.

We could really use
a supply line

from home, David.

Well, the only planet
we know of

with the power requirements
to reach you

is still refusing to help.

Woolsey is still
pushing diplomacy,

but he's not
making much progress.

Whatever
the solution is,

you're gonna have to
make it happen on your own.

Hey...

I'm collecting
inventory reports.

Guess it could be a while

before we can use
the gate again.

So I hear.

We're actually
in pretty good shape down here

for the moment.

Matt told me about Lisa.

Do you think her
condition's permanent?

I don't know.

I mean, there should have been
some progress by now.

It's not your fault.

You don't have
the right equipment,

the resources--

even if I did,
it wouldn't make a difference.

There's no treatment.

Her corneas were burned
by ultraviolet radiation.

If they don't heal
on their own...

Well, I know it seems unfair,

but sometimes

you just have to play
the hand that you're dealt.

Why do I get the feeling

you're not just talking
about Lisa?

There's still hope,

for her and for you.

ALS is a death sentence,
Chloe, you know that...

And it's not
gonna be pretty.

It'll start with
muscle weakness

and cramping.

Then I'll have trouble walking,

talking,

feeding myself,

and eventually,
full paralysis will set in,

but my mind will be unaffected.

I'll be a prisoner

trapped inside
my own body.

Like I said...

You play
the hand you're dealt.

So, no help from home.

No.

Well, that doesn't leave us
with many options.

Well, we can't run, we can't
hide, we'll have to fight.

There's a lot of them
out there.

We don't have to
take on all of them,

just as many as we have to

in order to resupply
when necessary.

That's still
a pretty tall order

considering we've only taken out
one of their command ships.

And that was
with help.

Well, we do have
the element of surprise

now we're able to track them.

Okay, we choose a target,

drop out of FTL,

and open fire before
it's got a chance to respond.

But what if it does
manage a response?

Well, if we don't
destroy it immediately,

we can at least
cause enough damage

to gain a huge advantage.

So, let's say
this works once,

maybe even twice,

but we're going to start
taking damage,

and it's going to
take its toll.

Well, we find a way
to minimize that damage.

Oh yeah?

And I suppose
you've got an idea

on how
we manage that.

As a matter of fact,

I do.

So you're saying
we dial up the shields?

Well, no,
not exactly--

it's more like...
We tune them.

When we're in battle,

the shields continuously cycle
through various frequencies,

in the hopes
of matching

incoming
energy-based attacks.

The closer the match,

the easier the attack is
to absorb,

and, consequently,
the less damage we take.

It's a guessing game,
like rock, paper, scissors.

But in the case
of the drones,

we don't have to guess.

Thanks to someone's
brilliant idea

to bring one onboard...

The energy signature
of their weapons

is a fairly limited range.

We can target
specifically for it.

We just need to override

Destiny's normal
randomized shield pattern.

And paper covers
rock every time.

If all Destiny
has to do

is find the right match,

why does it bother cycling
in the first place?

Because matching
and maintaining

a single specific pattern

makes it vulnerable to
all other forms of attack.

Right, like
if they throw scissors,

and we're guessing,
uh, rock...

Not to push
the analogy too far.

Too late.

So if we are wrong,

it would be like we have
no shields at all?

We're not wrong.

Main weapon
is charged and ready.

Rush...

What's your status?

Looks like Destiny's
accepting our override.

Shields are at maximum,

modulation is limited
within target range.

Who calculated
the FTL jump?

Chloe.

Think we'll come out in range?

Well, it's a bit like

trying to hit a dime
with a bullet

from a thousand yards,

but she's pretty good.

What is that?

Collision alarms,
we're about to hit!

Hold on!

I take it back,
she is very, very good.

We've got incoming.

It's working.

Their weapons are having
almost no effect.

Concentrate
on the command ship.

Ignore the drones.

I don't have a shot!

Working on it.

The command ship is damaged,
but still operational.

Bringing us around again.

What's that?

The shields just dropped 10%.

What's going on?

All of a sudden their shots
are getting through!

That's not weapons fire.

It's the drones.

They're flying right into us.

It's a kamikaze run!

Shields are down to half
and still dropping.

We've lost power
in multiple sections.

I'm down three gun positions.

I can't hold 'em off.

Forget it,
there's too many anyway!

Just give me another whack
at that command ship.

She's trying to
out-maneuver us.

I need some more time.

We don't have it.
Shields are failing.

Almost there.

We got 'em.

Direct hit.

The command ship's
been destroyed.

Looks like the drones
have gone dormant.

Away teams to the shuttles,
let's make this quick.

We don't want to stay here
any longer than we have to.

Go.

We can't do this

every time we need to resupply.

No.

We need another plan.

Second shuttle just docked.

I guess they found
a few edibles,

but the pickings
were pretty slim.

Get us out of here.

Colonel!

Do you have a minute?

Well, I know it sounds
like a crazy idea, Eli,

but I was actually thinking
of getting some sleep,

so unless you have
some genius idea

that solves all our problems--

As a matter of fact,
I do,

but you're not
gonna like it.

Well, that goes
without saying.

I am notoriously hard to please.

So...

Let's hear it.

Okay.

Another day, another galaxy.

What the hell does that mean?

This is just one of
a thousand galaxies

in Destiny's path,

and I think you'll agree

it's turned out to be something
of a hostile environment.

So?

So... we skip it.

One continuous
FTL jump,

out and around
the length of this galaxy,

across the gap to the next one,

until we reach the first gate

on the other side.

Well, how long's
that going to take?

That's the part
you're not gonna like.

We're only about
a third of the way

through this galaxy,

plus the gap to the next one

is quite a bit larger
than last time.

On top of that,

thanks to the ass-kicking
that was just handed to us,

we've got power issues,

and some not insignificant
damage to the FTL drive

that we won't have time to fix,

which means we'll be operating
at reduced speed,

which means we might actually
run out of--

Eli!

How long?

Three years, give or take.

Wow, three years?

We barely have
enough for a month.

What do you suggest
we do for food and water

while all this is happening?

Nothing.

That's the genius part,
by the way.

Once you're sealed
inside the stasis pod,

your metabolism shuts down.

You don't need food or water.

Basically, you just sleep
through the whole thing.

And we've found several other
corridors like this one.

There should be
enough for everybody,

and thanks to the, uh...

Uh, research

that Brody and I
have already done,

we know they work.

Three years.

Give or take.

You keep saying that.

What Eli
is neglecting to mention

is that a jump like this

is going to require every last
ounce of power we have,

and if his calculations
are off--

They're not.

And we fall short
even by a fraction,

a tenth
of one percent--

We won't.

Then we're going to drift
the rest of the way,

and instead of three years,
it'll take a thousand.

Or more.

I assume you were going
to get to that part.

Look, I've run the numbers.

This could work,

but we have to
do it soon.

We're bleeding power
from a dozen systems,

and we can't risk
dropping out to recharge--

too many things
that could go wrong.

We have to find another way.

All right, uh...

How long would it take you
to prep the rest of these pods?

A... a day, maybe.

Get to work.

Colonel--

You've got 24 hours
to come up with a better idea.

Three years?

Yeah, that's in
a best-case scenario.

The thought of being sealed
in one of those things

for so long,

it kind of creeps me out.

I don't like it
much either,

but we're quickly
running out of options.

Well, if we're
going to do this,

I recommend
that everyone be permitted

a final visit to Earth,

say their goodbyes.

All right,
you make the arrangements,

but it's gonna have to be
pretty quick.

We pretty much have to
shut down everything

to make this work,

and if we take too long,
we're going to run out of power.

Oh, bollocks...

How's it going?

Huh?

It's not.

For what it's worth,
I went over Eli's numbers.

It's true there's not much
margin for error,

but I think it might just work.

Yeah, if
we're lucky.

Destiny is on this path
for a reason.

We've only
strayed from it once,

and that's what caused
all this trouble

in the first place.

But we're not going
off the path,

at least not for good.

We're just skipping part of it.

Yeah, but that's
what bothers me.

This ship was launched
to solve a mystery,

not by arriving at
some ultimate destination

where all the questions
are answered at one time,

but by accumulating knowledge
bit by bit.

We skip over this galaxy,

then who's to say

we won't skip over some vital
piece of the puzzle,

and then all of this,

everything
we've been through,

will be for nothing.

There's got to be
a way to defeat them.

I just need more time.

Which
we don't have.

Look, you're right,

if we go into those pods,
we're taking a chance.

We might miss something,

or we might sleep

a lot longer
than we planned

and never see
our loved ones again,

or we might
never wake up at all,

but Destiny will keep going.

If we stay,

and we don't find a way
to defeat the drones,

we'll all be killed,

and this ship
will be destroyed,

and then this really will
have all been for nothing.

Colonel, this is Brody.

We're ready to put
the first group into stasis.

Please just step
into your assigned pods.

Don't worry, I'll be
monitoring your progress.

See you soon.

Soon.

It's me, mom.

Eli...

I don't have much time.

Just long enough
to say goodbye.

We've got smart people
working on it,

really smart,

but still, three years.

Even if it all goes well,

three years at least.

I'm sorry.

No, no, Eli--

I can't help thinking

that if I had made
different choices in my life,

you wouldn't be alone right now.

If you had made
different choices,

you wouldn't have seen

the incredible sights
you've seen,

done the amazing things
you've done.

I feel
like I've abandoned you.

You haven't abandoned me.

You're living your life.

I mean, it was hard
when I didn't...

When I didn't know
where you were,

or what
you were doing,

but now I understand.

You don't have to be here, Eli.

I just, I just
need to know--

are you happy?

In spite of
everything,

yeah.

I am.

That's good enough for me.

Volker.

Yeah.

You on the bridge?

Yeah.

Good, I need you to run
a diagnostic for me.

Come in!

What?

Well, as you know,
we've been powering up

all the stasis pod
corridors,

and it's been going...

It's been going
pretty well up to now,

but, uh...

Well, what is it?

It's the last section.

It must have
taken some damage,

possibly even before
we came onboard the ship.

We can't bring
those pods online, so...

We're not going to have
enough for everyone.

The damaged pods
put us eight short

of the total we need.

What's the problem?

Well, the ship's very old,
that's the problem.

All right, we'll
try that again.

Can we fix it?

Not with the material
we have on board.

We need something
called palladium hydride.

It's a component

of the high-temperature
superconductors

that are critical
to the pod systems.

Where do we
get this stuff?

In ores in alloy
with other metals,

ideally on planets in systems

that have seen substantial
meteor activity.

Right, now, we do have
a possible candidate,

and it's locked out
for good reason.

The meteorites would make
the place dangerous,

if not toxic,

but there is still
a command ship in the system.

They know nothing

about human physiology,

or what makes
a planet viable.

They just know
there's a gate.

We can still get around
the lock-out, if we want to.

Can we survive
another fight?

Even if we did,
we'd use up far too much power.

The ship would never
make the jump

to the next galaxy,

which kind of
defeats the purpose

of going to this planet
in the first place.

So what are you
telling me?

We don't have a choice
but to leave eight people out?

Tell them, "good luck,

you've got as long
as the food and water lasts?"

We can't
even do that.

The power
requirements needed

to maintain life support
for eight people for that long

would make us fall short.

Whoever stays out
would have to--

Kill themselves, yeah.

You have
no choice, Colonel.

If you want Eli's plan to work,

you're going to have
to come up with eight names.

It just goes
from bad to worse.

So what's
Colonel Young decided?

He hasn't yet, but--

Don't even think about it.

What?

Volunteering
to be one of the eight.

I know you, Ron.

Maybe I would,
if it came to it,

but I wouldn't ask
seven others to do it with me,

and I don't think
Colonel Young would either.

I mean, the way I see it,
we all came here together,

and, if need be,

we'll all
go out together.

Maybe it won't come to that.

What?

Take me
to Colonel Young.

Why? What
are you thinking?

We need to fall back
to this section

and seal off
the surrounding corridors,

shut down life support
to those areas,

and then
re-route power--

Okay, we're here.

Sergeant?

Dr. Park has something
she'd like to share.

We'll use a decoy.

We drop off
one of our shuttles,

unmanned,

a short FTL jump
from the planet.

Then we set it to broadcast
a powerful subspace burst,

mimicking
a gate dial-out.

It'll take
a lot of power,

and it might damage
a few systems,

but I'm guessing

the shuttle doesn't survive
this plan anyway.

No.

The command ship
will investigate,

taking the drones with it,

and probably attack the shuttle,

but in the meantime,

we take advantage
of the distraction

to dial in
and get the palladium hydride.

We can recalibrate
the shields on the shuttle

just like we did Destiny,

and remote pilot
an evasive course

that'll make it harder
for the drones to connect

with a suicide run.

If we are going
to sacrifice it anyway,

we can rig the engines
to go critical,

ram it straight
into the command ship,

give 'em a taste
of their own medicine.

And we'd still have
one shuttle left.

All right, I think
it sounds like a great idea.

Let's do it.

Hey, that's good work,
Dr. Park.

All right, we're in position.

Rush, this is Young.

Launch the shuttle.

Subspace link is in place.

We should be able to get
shuttle telemetry

and access the flight controls

with minimal delay.

Understood.

Get us as far away
from here as possible.

You know what we're
looking for, right?

Well, I can
identify the rocks,

but we can't test
for concentration.

But our best bet

is to bring back
as much as possible.

If this works,
we should have enough time

to load up as much
as the Kino sled can hold.

And what if it doesn't?

Okay.

I think we're good.

Broadcasting the signal now.

Let's hope
they take the bait.

Come on, come on...

Whoa, that's it.

The command ship just
dropped off the screen.

They've got to be in hyperspace.

They're on their way.

Gateroom, this is Young.

Start dialing.

This is gateroom,
we have a connection.

Away team is en route.

Start removing shuttle
engine safety protocols.

We're gonna have to
time this overload

to the last second.

We got anything?

Screens are clear.

Oh, hold on.

Command ship just
dropped out near the shuttle.

They're launching drones.

Rush, you're on.

Initiating evasive maneuvers.

Barnes, what's our status

with the away team?

They found several
impact craters near the gate.

They've already begun
collecting samples.

Whoa! Watch out.

It's all right,
I've got it.

Stabilizing.

Initiate the overload.

You sure?

If it can't get close enough--

Just do it!

They're launching
more drones.

The shuttle doesn't
have much time.

Overload in 10 seconds.

Six...

Five...

Four...

It's gone,

but it's a pretty safe bet

more are on the way.

Yeah, we're not going to
wait around to find out.

Nice work, gentlemen.

You got what you need?

We're good.

Let's get this stuff
out of here.

You ready to go?

I-I don't know
what I'm gonna say.

He doesn't even know
I'm his father.

I'm just some guy

who shows up
every once in a while

to see how he's doing.

And, uh...

How is he doing?

His mom is...

Uh, I think she's
a good person.

I just don't think
she's a good parent.

Folks from the Homeworld
Command tell me

if I was to make
the phone call,

they'll step in

see he's raised
in a proper home.

Well...

I wouldn't make
any rash decisions.

What about you?

What are you
gonna say to Sharon?

Oh, uh, I, uh...

I just got back, and I...
Didn't see her.

She's at a conference
in Brussels.

Not enough time.

Sorry.

You know, um...

You go back
billions of light years,

across an entire universe,

and you're just separated
by a couple of thousand miles.

Anyway, um, I got to
talk to her on the phone.

What'd you say?

I, uh, I said I was sorry.

That, um...

This wasn't fair to her anymore,

and she should just move on.

What did she say?

Not much.

She, uh...

She just started crying.

Eat up, everybody.

Except for the canned goods,

this is all
going to waste anyway.

For once, I'm stuffed.

I can't eat another bite.

I think I can use
just a little bit more.

All right, Colonel,

how about a toast?

Really?

Yes.

All right.
All right, why not?

Well, uh...

We've been through
a hell of lot together,

that's for sure.

I guess it
would be easy

to dwell on
everything that we have lost,

but I think today

I would rather think
about what we still have,

and maybe what we've gained.

We're a...
We're family now,

whether we like it or not.

Sons,

daughters,

sisters--

even the slightly crazy Uncle

who, despite everything,

still manages to come through
for you in the end.

You are the smartest,

bravest,

most compassionate people

that I have ever had the honor
to serve with.

To family.

To family.

To family.

Sweet dreams.

You all right?

Yes, sir.

Well, I guess you're finally
going to get some sleep.

Three years.

That should be enough.

Lieutenant, go ahead.

Are you sure?

Yeah. Yeah, we're
going to be fine.

So, Rush and Eli
are finishing up

the last of the programming.

They should be done
by the time I get back.

You're not going
to go see Emily?

We're done.

Why re-open old wounds?

You know,
for what it's worth--

David, listen,

my, uh, marriage,
that was--

that was broken
a long time ago,

and I have no one
to blame but myself.

Whatever happens,
we're not giving up on you.

Some of us may have
a few more gray hairs,

but we'll still be here.

Good luck, Everett.

Thanks, David.

How could we
have missed it?

There was
no way of knowing.

But we ran a diagnostic!

And it showed
no problems,

because at that stage,

that particular section
had yet to be fully engaged.

What's going on?

We repaired
the eight pods,

but one of them was more
damaged than we thought.

It came online
with the rest of them,

but when we ran final checks,
it just...Died.

We might be one short.

Okay, try it now.

It's no use.

Right. Go back down
to the control interface room

and go through the database.

There's over 1,700 pages
devoted to this system.

You'd better
get started, then.

Colonel...

We have to talk.

Eli...

Before you ask,
the answer is no,

I haven't found any
magical solutions yet.

It's gonna take time.

According to Rush,

if two of us go into
the pods now, today,

the one that
stays outside

could keep minimal
life support going

for two weeks

before it starts eating

into the power
reserved for the jump.

Sounds about right.

Well, he's volunteered
to be the one.

You're kidding me.

Really?

Yeah.

He says he's most qualified

to figure out
what's wrong with the pod

and then fix it.

I don't know about that.

Yeah, and I don't think
I can let him do it.

You know,
I think it's, uh,

it's gonna be me.

You're going
to fix the pod?

I'm obviously not going
to fix the pod, Eli.

Then you're talking
about suicide.

I can't trust him.

I can't be sure
he's going to do the right thing

when the time comes.

I'll admit
he's not perfect,

but I don't think that--

and what if he doesn't
find a solution,

what if after two weeks,
he loses his nerve,

and then he keeps
the life support going,

even for just a few days,
what happens?

Then we drop out early

and drift.

And wake up
in a thousand years.

If we wake up at all.

Right.

No, it's the only choice.

No, it's not.

I'll do it.

Eli...

If you stay out,

it's automatic, you're dead.

If I do it,
at least I have a chance.

Maybe even a better chance
than Rush.

For too long,

I've been content
to stay in his shadow,

play the part
of the eager Young protege,

take his orders, but...

I'm not afraid
to say it anymore.

I'm smarter than him...

And all three of us know it.

Right, I-I can't ask you
to do that.

And I can't take no
for an answer.

Sorry.

Hey.

He told me
about the conversation.

Oh... right.

Awkward.

No, not really.

I knew he wouldn't
trust me enough

to let me stay.

You did?

Well, in case
you hadn't noticed,

we do have history.

Is that why
you volunteered

in the first place?

Because you knew
he wouldn't accept?

What difference does it make?

No...

The only thing
I failed to anticipate

was that you would volunteer
to take my place.

So you did want it
to be Young.

I don't want
anyone to die, Eli.

This isn't even my idea,
remember?

But you didn't come up
with a better one.

Not in the allotted time, no,

which just goes
to prove my point.

We're going to need you
on the other side.

Oh...

I'll be there.

You know, maybe I haven't
said this often enough, Eli,

but you do have...

You do have
tremendous potential.

I'd hate to see you
throw it all away.

I'm not.

Anyway, what's the point
of having potential

if you're not going to step up
when you're really needed?

You've come a long way

from that
video-game slacker

I discovered a year ago.

Thanks.

You've been
pretty consistent.

Colonel.

Mr. Wallace.

You sure about this?

I've never been more sure
of anything in my life.

You're a good man, Eli.

Now, get this done,

and we'll see you
on the other side.

Right.

Right.

Original
== sync, corrected by elderman ==