SGU Stargate Universe (2009–2011): Season 2, Episode 6 - Trial and Error - full transcript
After returning from Earth (via the communication stones), Col. Young is somewhat depressed as his wife asked him for a divorce. He's drinking heavily and begins to have a recurring dream where the Destiny is attacked by the aliens they had earlier encountered. They are demanding Chloe's return and in the first few dreams, his refusal to do so leads to the Destiny's destruction. In a later dream, he eventually relents and hands Chloe over to them, leading to a major confrontation with Lt. Scott. He is convinced that his dreams are a premonition but Dr. Rush has a different interpretation. As well, Rush still hasn't told anyone that he now has complete control of the ship. Meanwhile, Eli may have found his soul mate when one of the Lucian Alliance members shows an interest in his work.
RUSH: This is what Destiny intended from
the moment it entered the star system.
YOUNG: That ship is the best chance
we have of getting home.
- Are we done?
- We'll never be done.
WRAY: You shouldn't have
left him on the planet.
YOUNG: You think I don't know that?
CHLOE: Everyone thinks we're safe.
They think that they'll never find us again.
Why did you take
one of our people prisoner?
(SNARLS)
CHLOE: We're not safe, are we?
- TELFORD: They're coming!
- Who's coming?
Lucian Alliance,
they're coming to take Destiny.
RUSH: There's only one way
this is going to end if we wait.
YOUNG: I'm not
surrendering this ship.
I'm pregnant. It's yours.
YOUNG: Emily!
I'm barely keeping it together,
and the only thing that's keeping me
from going out of my mind is you.
You made your choice, Everett.
You really should talk to someone.
Look, I lost my baby.
And now maybe she's in a better place.
GLORIA: You found the keys to controlling
all of Destiny's systems.
And you're not going
to tell anyone?
SCOTT: Riley is not going to make it, sir.
Look, I'm already healing.
RUSH: A transfusion of Chloe's blood
could help save his life.
JOHANSEN: And pass whatever the
aliens did to her on to him.
We've run a series
of comparative blood tests
using various pathogens we've encountered
and isolated along the way.
While Chloe's blood continues
to show atypical antibiotic properties,
Lieutenant Scott's seems
to have gone back to normal.
Sir.
I'm just saying I think it's safe
to let him out of isolation.
That's fine. I'll have him released.
- You okay?
- Emily wants a divorce.
I just got back, and I don't know.
I guess I should have seen it coming,
but is it even legal to sign papers
in someone else's body?
(STAMMERING) I wouldn't know.
Well, I guess it doesn't matter.
Thanks.
Wait, uh...
Maybe we should talk.
After everything that's happened,
we haven't had the chance.
Is there anything
that you and I could possibly say
that's going to make it any better?
Maybe that's not the point.
Well, then, what is?
♪ Stargate Universe: "Trial and Error" ♪
Season 2 Episode 6
Original Airdate Nov. 2, 2010
- WRAY: Eli.
- Hey.
I don't know if you've met Ginn,
one of our guests from the Lucian Alliance.
She's been cooperating, providing intel
on Alliance activity in the Milky Way,
but I think she may be able
to help us on the ship as well.
I spent over a year studying
Ancient systems to prepare for the trip.
I was particularly interested
in some of your theories
on dialing while inside a star.
(LAUGHS NERVOUSLY) Wow.
Do you still think there's a chance
you could make it work?
To be honest,
I wasn't really making much progress,
so I kind of put it aside.
Well, maybe with Ginn's help,
that can change.
I guess it's worth a shot.
Good. I'll leave you to it.
Have a seat.
Thanks.
- They let you out.
- Yeah.
So you're not changing.
Well, T.J. says I'm pretty much
back to normal.
I guess everyone was a little afraid
I'd poisoned you with my alien blood.
You're not contagious.
They're just keeping you here because...
Because I might black out and sabotage
the ship without even knowing it.
You saved my life.
If you were just some alien monster,
you would've left me to die out there
and no one would have known any better.
My skin's changing.
Look.
It's coarse. Like, it's getting hard.
And it's growing.
It doesn't matter.
(SCOFFS)
Listen. Hey.
We're going to find a way out of this,
I promise.
BRODY ON RADIO: Colonel
Young, come in.
Colonel Young, this is Brody
in the Control Interface Room.
Please respond.
This is Young. Go ahead.
We've got a bit of a situation here.
I'm on my way.
- What do we got?
- Nine alien ships.
They just dropped out of hyperspace.
They've got us surrounded.
Looks like the same ones
who took Rush and Chloe.
We left them behind in another galaxy.
How the hell did they find us out here?
- (BEEPING)
- We're getting a message.
Oh, my God.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
What if all this time they were slowly
changing her to one of them,
- and now they want her back?
- She's not one of them.
YOUNG: She was gathering intelligence.
She may not have known it
but that's what she was doing.
All the more reason not
to let them anywhere near her.
- How long till we jump?
- Forty-four minutes.
Power weapons.
I don't think that's the response
they were looking for.
Return fire.
SCOTT: Watch your heads.
All right, let's move! This is not a drill!
Sergeant, you get these people
to designated areas.
I'm gonna go and check observation.
All right. Come on, come on, come on.
Let's go, let's go. Come on!
(ALL CHATTERING)
What are you doing?
We're under attack.
I can see that.
You can't take on this many ships.
They want Destiny more than anything.
They wouldn't destroy us.
Well, not intentionally,
but they'd have to collapse the shields
in order to board us,
and that's a risky proposition.
(GASPS)
Colonel, this is Scott.
You need to seal the entire section
around the observation deck.
- Why?
- Seal it now! Now!
Scott! What's going on?
We've got secondary explosions
in the engineering area.
Scott, come in!
Power's overloading in the sublight drive.
It's going critical.
Emergency shutdown!
(ALARM SOUNDING)
It's too late.
(PANTING)
(GROANING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
The plan is to get the repair robot working
on the large domed room we found
when we first came aboard the ship.
If the structural integrity
can be restored,
it can be used as a new home
for hydroponics.
WRAY: Do we know how long it would be
before the room can hold
atmospheric pressure?
Well, we've crunched some numbers,
and we think...
What about the weapons systems?
Still half a dozen gun batteries
that are offline.
Well, you told us to postpone the work
until we had a greater understanding
of the grid that powers the system...
With that many positions down,
entire sections of this ship
are vulnerable to attack.
Wasn't Dr. Kemp recently injured
working on this problem?
Yeah, there was an unexpected surge
in one of the conduits.
There's also the risk
of a much more catastrophic overload...
Irrelevant. Fix it.
- We don't even know what's wrong with it.
- Weapons are a priority.
A new home for hydroponics can wait.
Dismissed.
(ALL CHATTERING)
- What was that?
- Don't start, Camile.
That work is dangerous.
You shut it down for a reason.
We need to be able to defend ourselves.
After everything that we've been through,
that should be obvious.
Yeah, you know what? You're right.
We have been through a lot.
You, especially.
Is this you acting as ship's therapist now?
I know you, Everett.
You hold yourself responsible
for everything,
including what happened
to T.J. and the baby.
But if it's starting to cloud
your judgment, I need to know.
I'm fine.
I brought you some food.
I'm not hungry.
Okay, then how about some company?
I've been working
on some fairly interesting equations.
I thought you may want to take a look.
(EXHALES)
You've got to be kidding me.
I'm not the one keeping you in here.
- I tried to help you.
- What, with the chair?
Was that even real or was it just for show?
Of course it was real.
You know, it's pointless trying
to deny the advantages of your situation.
I mean, just ask Lieutenant Scott.
If the chair had worked,
well, he'd be dead right now.
Do you even know
what's really happening to me?
Obviously you're undergoing
quite significant physiological changes,
most notably in your brain.
I haven't given up hope
of finding a solution.
But in the meantime,
I would've thought you would at least
want to try and keep yourself occupied.
My research has taken
a very interesting turn.
I may be on the verge
of discovering the true nature
of Destiny's mission.
See, here. These numbers haven't been
corrected for gravitational time dilation.
Obviously it depends on the size of the star,
but it could make a pretty big difference.
Huh. How'd I miss that?
Well, your math is always perfect,
but sometimes you lose sight
of the context.
Like I said, I've been studying your work.
You didn't have anything better to do?
I like numbers and equations.
I always have, ever since I was little.
They don't lie.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet.
Animal doctor. Uh...
So, my mom bought me a hamster,
you know, to teach responsibility.
I left the cage door open
and my dad stepped on him.
(ELI CHUCKLES)
That was the end of that career.
Well, I'm sure you would have made
a very good doctor.
Anyway, if it wasn't for the, uh, hamster?
It's like a small rodent.
Well, if it wasn't for him,
none of us would be here.
Never thought of that. That's really weird.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
ELI: I don't...
(EXHALES)
(BREATHING DEEPLY)
BRODY ON RADIO: Colonel
Young, come in.
Colonel Young, this is Brody
in the Control Interface Room.
Please respond.
This is Young.
We've got a bit of a situation here.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
What if all this time they were slowly
changing her to one of them,
- and now they want her back?
- She's not one of them.
Colonel. What should we do?
- Maybe we should power the weapons?
- No, that won't work.
We've still got 44 minutes
until the next jump.
We have to do something.
That was a warning shot.
- (BEEPING)
- We're getting another message.
It says if we don't comply,
they'll destroy us.
They're bluffing. They want
Destiny more than anything.
- What's happening?
- We're surrounded by alien ships.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
I suggest we shut down
all non-essential systems,
devote every scrap of power to the shields.
Let's do that. Let's do it.
I don't think that's the response
they were looking for.
RUSH: It doesn't matter.
The shields are holding.
They don't have enough firepower.
We're going to make it to the jump.
We've got more ships incoming.
I'm now reading 15 ships total.
They're all firing.
I thought we agreed that
they didn't want to destroy us!
Not intentionally. They'd have to collapse
the shields in order to board the ship.
We have secondary explosions
in the engineering area.
BRODY: Power's overloading
in the sublight drive. It's going critical.
RUSH: Emergency shutdown. Now!
BRODY: It's too late.
(GASPS)
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
- Colonel...
- Well, you wanted to be a shrink.
Now here's your chance.
What are you talking about?
What's going on?
I think I might be going insane.
You've been drinking.
That's not the problem.
That's just one of the symptoms.
No, what I'm saying is
that maybe now's not the best time.
Yeah. All right.
Well, I, uh...
(CLEARS THROAT) I've been having
this recurring dream,
only it's more than a dream.
It's real. It's about as real as it gets.
Okay. What's it about?
The aliens from the other galaxy,
they catch up to us.
They surround the ship,
and then they ask me to hand over Chloe.
And, now, the first time,
I try to fight them off,
the ship gets destroyed.
The second time, I go into a defensive
shell, but the ship still gets destroyed.
Wait a minute.
Is that why you ordered Park and her team
to resume work on the weapons grid?
Because of this dream?
Listen. There's something else
going on here.
I mean, this is like no dream
I've ever had before.
I mean, I can feel the floor under my feet.
I can smell the sweat
of the people around me, Camile.
Yeah, yeah. It's a no-win scenario.
It seems like the only way out would be
for you to do the one thing
that you don't want to do.
I don't think it's that simple.
Have you even spoken to Chloe since
you've confined her in her quarters?
No.
Well, maybe that would be
a good place to start.
Hey.
Wow, another visitor.
Hmm. I've never been so popular.
Well, listen, you know, I'm sorry
that I haven't come to see you before.
I've been busy.
Also, it's hard for me.
Because of what you might have to do.
You know, I...
I was feeling sorry for myself,
being stuck in this room,
but then I remembered
how everyone looked at me
when they found out I was still infected.
I think I'm better off in here.
Really? You know that the people
on this ship care about you.
They're afraid of me.
I'm afraid of me.
Nobody's given up hope here.
I know.
But if there's no solution, if I keep changing,
sooner or later, you won't have a choice.
- (GRUNTS)
- Hey. Sorry.
- So?
- So, what?
When are you gonna make a move?
What are you talking about?
Ginn. The girl's into you.
And you know this from watching us
work together for, what, two days?
I knew after 10 minutes.
The girl loves math, Eli.
(GROANS)
And if ever you were gonna have
a chance with anyone, this is probably it.
Thanks.
Tell you what.
The next time we're together,
I'll arrange to get called away.
Okay. But don't make it too obvious.
Obvious is good.
(SCOFFS)
Time to man up.
BRODY ON RADIO: Colonel
Young, come in.
Colonel Young, this is Brody
in the Control Interface Room.
Please respond.
- What's happening?
- ELI: We're surrounded by alien ships.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
I suggest shutting down
all non-essential systems,
devote every scrap of power to the shields.
No, that's not going to work.
More ships are coming.
Well, how could you possibly know that?
If we power the weapons or the shields
or provoke them in any way,
they will open fire and destroy all of us.
So, what do we do?
I guess it's time.
Colonel, this is Brody.
You were right.
Another half-dozen ships
just dropped out of hyperspace.
- Are they sending over a shuttle?
- It's on its way.
Dial back the shield strength
over the hull breach.
- What did you do?
- I didn't have a choice.
You son of a bitch!
Lieutenant, no!
No!
BRODY: Colonel, we've got a problem.
More alien shuttles are approaching.
A lot more.
(LAUGHING)
Colonel Young,
are you reading me? Colonel?
This is Scott. What's happening?
This is Rush. Power's down all over
the ship, including shields.
We can't restore them.
Chloe must have discovered how
and passed along the information.
Get down to the armory,
break out every weapon we've got.
Organize defense teams.
We're about to be boarded.
Yes, sir.
(GUNS FIRING IN DISTANCE)
SCOTT ON RADIO: We've got another
hull breach near the infirmary!
Fall back to my position!
This is Rush. We have to defend
the Gate Room at all costs!
PARK ON RADIO: There's too many!
We can't hold them!
JOHANSEN: Colonel?
Hey. Hey, what are you doing here?
Picking up a batch Brody made for me.
Extra strong. I use it for disinfectant.
You don't look so good.
(CHUCKLES) Yeah, I know.
I guess it's that obvious, huh?
Everett, what if I told you that the baby,
our baby, is still alive?
I mean, I don't know.
Why would... Why would you do that?
Because I saw her.
Because I held her in my arms
and she's beautiful...
- T.J.
- It's like nothing you can imagine.
We were on the planet
where we left Caine and the others,
and the aliens there,
they said that they would take care of her.
Caine promised me.
- Then they sent me back here.
- You never left the ship.
I know...
Look, I know. I know what it sounds like and
that's why I didn't say anything before,
because I knew that
you would think I was crazy.
But I'm not. I'm not crazy,
and it wasn't a dream.
Why is it so hard to believe
after everything that we've seen
- since we've been here...
- Hey, listen to me!
Just because you want something to be true
it doesn't mean it is, T.J. Okay?
Okay. You listen to me.
I can see where you're going.
I know, because I almost went there.
I'm afraid that you won't come back.
I'm sorry.
That's weird.
What?
The computer's using a ton of memory
running a program
I've never even seen before.
Maybe some kind of auto-diagnostic?
I don't...
I have to ask. What are all these pictures?
Oh, those are stills from my movie.
My documentary.
I've been trying to keep
a record of everything
that's been happening
to us, using the Kino.
Here.
Oh, see?
BRODY ON MONITOR:
Nobody wants to see this.
ELI: No, no, it's the little things
that make all the difference.
BRODY: Fine.
Ancient toilets. Here we go.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Anyway, you get the idea.
JAMES ON RADIO: Sergeant
Greer, come in.
Go ahead.
There's a problem in the mess.
We need your assistance.
On my way.
- You're leaving?
- Could take a while.
One second?
Whoa, whoa. Uh, I'm not so sure about this.
- You'll thank me later.
- But what am I supposed to say?
The girl's from another planet.
I guess I'm supposed
to tell you to be yourself,
but in your case...
ELI: So my mom just left.
It was good to see her
even though she was in Park's body.
Little weird.
Anyway...
I think it helped.
At least I hope so.
- Okay, I got this.
- You got this?
- How long are you gonna be?
- How long you gonna need?
I'll take my time.
(LAUGHING)
It's hard. You know?
I mean, I know that we're
several billion light years apart
and, well, that may never change...
But I... I just need to know
that she's still there.
You know... 'Cause if she's not...
Then I don't have...
Sorry. I didn't know that it was going
to be anything that personal.
No, no, that's... That's not your fault.
Real smooth, though, huh?
A grown man crying about his mom?
(EXHALING) Suave.
(SIGHING) I might as well
just get Greer to come back.
What do you mean?
Never mind.
(DISTORTED ECHOING)
Colonel?
Colonel, are you in there?
Yeah. What do you need?
Uh, the ship, it dropped out,
but there's no gates in range.
Brody says we're just drifting.
Well, that doesn't sound so bad.
Except there's no countdown clock.
We have no idea how long it's going to last.
You figure it out.
Sir?
FRANKLIN: Problems?
Well, the ship doesn't drop
out of FTL for no reason.
Unless you tell it to.
Yeah, well, this time, it wasn't me,
and I can't find anything wrong
with navigation or propulsion.
Maybe you need to look somewhere else.
As far as I can tell,
there's nothing interfering
with the normal operation of the FTL drive.
- The ship just doesn't want to go anywhere.
- What about a dial-in?
Gate's quiet.
- WRAY: Where's Young?
- He's not feeling well.
- All right, what's new?
- So far, we've got nothing.
What about you?
Eli?
Well, I've been working
with that Lucian Alliance girl, Ginn?
Actually, it's gone a little bit
beyond just working together.
- I don't want to jinx it, but she's...
- Eli.
Anyway, we've been running a series of
programs that were designed for modeling.
You know, simulation.
It was really sluggish.
And I couldn't figure out why.
And then I realized that the computer
was running a simulation of its own.
What kind of simulation?
I just figured that out now.
It's a battle scenario.
The Destiny drops out of FTL,
and then it's immediately surrounded
by alien ships.
It's run through several different
variations, different scenarios,
but it always ends badly.
Oh, my God.
Are you talking about the aliens
from the other galaxy,
the ones that took Chloe and Rush?
Yeah, same guys.
Camile, what is it?
- A battle simulation.
- FRANKLIN: Exactly.
Extremely complex,
modeled down to the last detail,
and always with an unfortunate result.
Well, it's interesting, but what's it
got to do with the ship dropping out?
Look closer.
Something about this program
is overriding normal operations.
Which leaves only one question.
Why?
Okay, so you're telling me the ship
is affecting the Colonel's dreams?
It's the only explanation.
It's not impossible.
Brain waves are just electrical impulses,
so theoretically, they could be
manipulated, if you knew how.
Maybe it's Destiny's
way of warning us.
What if it knows the aliens are coming?
No, there's no way
they could have followed us.
No, I told you already. I don't remember
anything about the blackouts.
Look, I need you to think, Chloe.
This is very important.
(SIGHS)
When James was under the influence
of those aliens,
she managed to send them
some kind of a signal.
Is it possible you could have
done the same thing?
I don't remember.
Eli, this is Scott. Prep the weapons.
Bypass any batteries that aren't 100%,
devote the remaining power to the rest.
Shut down all non-essential systems and
put everything you can into the shields.
ELI ON RADIO: Understood.
Going on patrol in teams of three.
Lieutenant James, here,
has your assignments.
Now, if they do come, it is a pretty safe bet
they are going to try and board this ship.
Makes us the last line of defense.
Any questions?
All right. Dismissed.
MAN: Okay, let's go.
Camile, I need you to
organize the civilians.
I want everyone in designated areas
till further notice.
There's something else
we need to talk about.
- Can it wait?
- No.
I know what you're going to say.
- Where is he?
- I can handle this.
Well, that's the point.
You can. Evidently he can't.
You have to assume command officially.
I can't do that.
Well, what if this is a test?
These dreams the Colonel's been having.
- A test of his emotional stability.
- A test he's failing.
Where is this coming from?
Think about it.
What is the Colonel doing right now?
He's locked himself away. He's shut down.
And at the exact same time,
the ship came to a dead stop,
and now we're floating
aimlessly in empty space.
Destiny is beginning
to understand us.
Who we are, what makes us tick.
What, you're telling me the ship
wants me to replace him?
RUSH: No, no.
It's not as if it has desires or emotions.
It has no personality.
But it is capable of analyzing
all manner of sensory input.
It knows we're here.
It's beginning to understand
what effect we might be having.
Why not one of you?
Well, we've been down that road before.
None too successful.
(EXHALING) I thought this was about aliens.
I thought this was a warning
to prepare us for an attack.
Either way, a warning, a test,
we need a strong leader right now.
I don't like it anymore than you do,
but I don't think you have a choice.
Colonel?
Colonel, I'm not going away
till you open this door!
I brought you some tea.
It's really strong stuff,
closest thing to coffee we had.
Oh, thanks, Lieutenant.
I'll pass on the tea.
Sir, we have a situation here.
You need to clean yourself up
and get back out there.
What are you doing?
Are you giving me an order, Lieutenant?
Sir, these dreams you're having.
The battle scenario.
It's the ship. It's affecting your brain waves.
It's a simulation.
It's a simulation?
What does that even mean?
Eli found the program.
It is the exact same thing
you described to Camile.
It can't be a coincidence.
Boy, I guess the ship has
some sense of humor. Yeah.
She thinks your reaction,
the fact that you've...
Well, you've given up,
it's the reason why we have dropped out,
why we are stuck out here
in the middle of nowhere.
Now, if you pull yourself together,
you start acting like a real commander,
maybe we can get going again.
Or maybe that's just Destiny's way
of telling me that I need to be replaced.
That's what Rush said.
- (CHUCKLING) Is that what Rush said?
- But I'm not going to do that.
Are you in love with Chloe?
It's a simple question. Do you love her?
- Yes.
- Yes.
So how are you going to feel
when I have to drop her off this ship,
put her on some rock,
and you know it's coming.
She knows it's coming,
we all know it's coming,
but I got to do it.
You still going to look up to me then.
You still going to think, "Hey!"
Tell everyone what a great
commander I am?
Are you, Lieutenant?
Don't... Don't do this.
I'm sorry that you didn't have
a father growing up,
but I didn't volunteer for that either.
There you go. Now we're talking.
Hit me. Hit me!
No one asked for this,
but you are the commanding officer.
You don't get to feel sorry for yourself.
And if you don't like it, too bad.
I killed Riley.
- That wasn't your fault.
- I know it wasn't my fault.
No, he knew it. That's...
He didn't want to die alone.
That's why he asked me.
But I killed him.
I suffocated him with my own hands.
On top of everything else, it's just...
You know, it adds up.
I need you to leave.
Look, you're right.
I couldn't do it,
live with the burden every day.
That is not me or T.J., or Camile.
- Rush could do it.
- For Rush, it wouldn't be a burden.
That is why we need you,
because you feel it.
But not so much you can't get up
and do it all over again the next day.
Really? You sure?
You sure about that, Lieutenant?
A real leader, a good commander,
is not so callous that he stops caring,
just enough so he can keep on going.
And we both know
you are a good commander.
It is never going to stop hurting.
That's the whole point.
For the sake of everyone on this ship
you are going to have to live with it.
But we've got five down by the mess.
So if we take...
Mr. Brody, what's our status?
Well, uh, still no sign of the aliens.
The ship's main weapon is online,
and we've diverted as much power
as we can to the shields.
Sir, we have all available military
personnel patrolling the gaps
between the active weapons batteries,
but it's a lot of real estate.
We could go to two-man teams,
cover a little more ground,
but we'd be stretching ourselves
pretty thin.
Well, let's do it. If there is a breach,
I would rather be on it fast
with a little less firepower
than the other way around.
Also, let's break out whatever spare
ordinance we have from the Lucian Alliance
and arm as many civilians as possible.
- Well, they don't have a lot of training.
- I'll command them myself.
We'll stick to defensive positions
between here and the Gate Room.
They'll be fine.
Yes, sir.
Anything else?
We just jumped. We're back in FTL.
It's good to have you back, sir.
Hey, I'm happy as the next guy
that we're back on track.
I'm just saying that I'm not
so comfortable knowing
that Destiny can get
in our heads like that.
I don't want to start second-guessing
my own dreams.
Well, what have you been dreaming about?
That's not the point.
At least now we know once and for all
that we got the right man in command.
I mean, you were there. Tell them.
Young showed up, started giving orders,
and the ship just went.
If someone has a better explanation,
I'd like to hear it.
- FRANKLIN: Congratulations.
- Don't feel much like talking right now.
You managed to bypass the simulation
and get the ship going.
Well, what choice did I have?
Lieutenant Scott wasn't going to step up.
I couldn't leave us just sitting there.
But you haven't solved the problem,
and yet you're pressing ahead.
Isn't that a little dangerous?
Destiny was evaluating Colonel
Young's ability to command the crew.
But ultimately, I control the ship.
- And the aliens?
- They were never a threat.
If Chloe had managed to send a signal
telling them our position,
it would have logged
on that screen right there.
Maybe...
But just because one threat is behind you,
doesn't mean there isn't another ahead.
the moment it entered the star system.
YOUNG: That ship is the best chance
we have of getting home.
- Are we done?
- We'll never be done.
WRAY: You shouldn't have
left him on the planet.
YOUNG: You think I don't know that?
CHLOE: Everyone thinks we're safe.
They think that they'll never find us again.
Why did you take
one of our people prisoner?
(SNARLS)
CHLOE: We're not safe, are we?
- TELFORD: They're coming!
- Who's coming?
Lucian Alliance,
they're coming to take Destiny.
RUSH: There's only one way
this is going to end if we wait.
YOUNG: I'm not
surrendering this ship.
I'm pregnant. It's yours.
YOUNG: Emily!
I'm barely keeping it together,
and the only thing that's keeping me
from going out of my mind is you.
You made your choice, Everett.
You really should talk to someone.
Look, I lost my baby.
And now maybe she's in a better place.
GLORIA: You found the keys to controlling
all of Destiny's systems.
And you're not going
to tell anyone?
SCOTT: Riley is not going to make it, sir.
Look, I'm already healing.
RUSH: A transfusion of Chloe's blood
could help save his life.
JOHANSEN: And pass whatever the
aliens did to her on to him.
We've run a series
of comparative blood tests
using various pathogens we've encountered
and isolated along the way.
While Chloe's blood continues
to show atypical antibiotic properties,
Lieutenant Scott's seems
to have gone back to normal.
Sir.
I'm just saying I think it's safe
to let him out of isolation.
That's fine. I'll have him released.
- You okay?
- Emily wants a divorce.
I just got back, and I don't know.
I guess I should have seen it coming,
but is it even legal to sign papers
in someone else's body?
(STAMMERING) I wouldn't know.
Well, I guess it doesn't matter.
Thanks.
Wait, uh...
Maybe we should talk.
After everything that's happened,
we haven't had the chance.
Is there anything
that you and I could possibly say
that's going to make it any better?
Maybe that's not the point.
Well, then, what is?
♪ Stargate Universe: "Trial and Error" ♪
Season 2 Episode 6
Original Airdate Nov. 2, 2010
- WRAY: Eli.
- Hey.
I don't know if you've met Ginn,
one of our guests from the Lucian Alliance.
She's been cooperating, providing intel
on Alliance activity in the Milky Way,
but I think she may be able
to help us on the ship as well.
I spent over a year studying
Ancient systems to prepare for the trip.
I was particularly interested
in some of your theories
on dialing while inside a star.
(LAUGHS NERVOUSLY) Wow.
Do you still think there's a chance
you could make it work?
To be honest,
I wasn't really making much progress,
so I kind of put it aside.
Well, maybe with Ginn's help,
that can change.
I guess it's worth a shot.
Good. I'll leave you to it.
Have a seat.
Thanks.
- They let you out.
- Yeah.
So you're not changing.
Well, T.J. says I'm pretty much
back to normal.
I guess everyone was a little afraid
I'd poisoned you with my alien blood.
You're not contagious.
They're just keeping you here because...
Because I might black out and sabotage
the ship without even knowing it.
You saved my life.
If you were just some alien monster,
you would've left me to die out there
and no one would have known any better.
My skin's changing.
Look.
It's coarse. Like, it's getting hard.
And it's growing.
It doesn't matter.
(SCOFFS)
Listen. Hey.
We're going to find a way out of this,
I promise.
BRODY ON RADIO: Colonel
Young, come in.
Colonel Young, this is Brody
in the Control Interface Room.
Please respond.
This is Young. Go ahead.
We've got a bit of a situation here.
I'm on my way.
- What do we got?
- Nine alien ships.
They just dropped out of hyperspace.
They've got us surrounded.
Looks like the same ones
who took Rush and Chloe.
We left them behind in another galaxy.
How the hell did they find us out here?
- (BEEPING)
- We're getting a message.
Oh, my God.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
What if all this time they were slowly
changing her to one of them,
- and now they want her back?
- She's not one of them.
YOUNG: She was gathering intelligence.
She may not have known it
but that's what she was doing.
All the more reason not
to let them anywhere near her.
- How long till we jump?
- Forty-four minutes.
Power weapons.
I don't think that's the response
they were looking for.
Return fire.
SCOTT: Watch your heads.
All right, let's move! This is not a drill!
Sergeant, you get these people
to designated areas.
I'm gonna go and check observation.
All right. Come on, come on, come on.
Let's go, let's go. Come on!
(ALL CHATTERING)
What are you doing?
We're under attack.
I can see that.
You can't take on this many ships.
They want Destiny more than anything.
They wouldn't destroy us.
Well, not intentionally,
but they'd have to collapse the shields
in order to board us,
and that's a risky proposition.
(GASPS)
Colonel, this is Scott.
You need to seal the entire section
around the observation deck.
- Why?
- Seal it now! Now!
Scott! What's going on?
We've got secondary explosions
in the engineering area.
Scott, come in!
Power's overloading in the sublight drive.
It's going critical.
Emergency shutdown!
(ALARM SOUNDING)
It's too late.
(PANTING)
(GROANING)
(BREATHING HEAVILY)
The plan is to get the repair robot working
on the large domed room we found
when we first came aboard the ship.
If the structural integrity
can be restored,
it can be used as a new home
for hydroponics.
WRAY: Do we know how long it would be
before the room can hold
atmospheric pressure?
Well, we've crunched some numbers,
and we think...
What about the weapons systems?
Still half a dozen gun batteries
that are offline.
Well, you told us to postpone the work
until we had a greater understanding
of the grid that powers the system...
With that many positions down,
entire sections of this ship
are vulnerable to attack.
Wasn't Dr. Kemp recently injured
working on this problem?
Yeah, there was an unexpected surge
in one of the conduits.
There's also the risk
of a much more catastrophic overload...
Irrelevant. Fix it.
- We don't even know what's wrong with it.
- Weapons are a priority.
A new home for hydroponics can wait.
Dismissed.
(ALL CHATTERING)
- What was that?
- Don't start, Camile.
That work is dangerous.
You shut it down for a reason.
We need to be able to defend ourselves.
After everything that we've been through,
that should be obvious.
Yeah, you know what? You're right.
We have been through a lot.
You, especially.
Is this you acting as ship's therapist now?
I know you, Everett.
You hold yourself responsible
for everything,
including what happened
to T.J. and the baby.
But if it's starting to cloud
your judgment, I need to know.
I'm fine.
I brought you some food.
I'm not hungry.
Okay, then how about some company?
I've been working
on some fairly interesting equations.
I thought you may want to take a look.
(EXHALES)
You've got to be kidding me.
I'm not the one keeping you in here.
- I tried to help you.
- What, with the chair?
Was that even real or was it just for show?
Of course it was real.
You know, it's pointless trying
to deny the advantages of your situation.
I mean, just ask Lieutenant Scott.
If the chair had worked,
well, he'd be dead right now.
Do you even know
what's really happening to me?
Obviously you're undergoing
quite significant physiological changes,
most notably in your brain.
I haven't given up hope
of finding a solution.
But in the meantime,
I would've thought you would at least
want to try and keep yourself occupied.
My research has taken
a very interesting turn.
I may be on the verge
of discovering the true nature
of Destiny's mission.
See, here. These numbers haven't been
corrected for gravitational time dilation.
Obviously it depends on the size of the star,
but it could make a pretty big difference.
Huh. How'd I miss that?
Well, your math is always perfect,
but sometimes you lose sight
of the context.
Like I said, I've been studying your work.
You didn't have anything better to do?
I like numbers and equations.
I always have, ever since I was little.
They don't lie.
When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet.
Animal doctor. Uh...
So, my mom bought me a hamster,
you know, to teach responsibility.
I left the cage door open
and my dad stepped on him.
(ELI CHUCKLES)
That was the end of that career.
Well, I'm sure you would have made
a very good doctor.
Anyway, if it wasn't for the, uh, hamster?
It's like a small rodent.
Well, if it wasn't for him,
none of us would be here.
Never thought of that. That's really weird.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
ELI: I don't...
(EXHALES)
(BREATHING DEEPLY)
BRODY ON RADIO: Colonel
Young, come in.
Colonel Young, this is Brody
in the Control Interface Room.
Please respond.
This is Young.
We've got a bit of a situation here.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
What if all this time they were slowly
changing her to one of them,
- and now they want her back?
- She's not one of them.
Colonel. What should we do?
- Maybe we should power the weapons?
- No, that won't work.
We've still got 44 minutes
until the next jump.
We have to do something.
That was a warning shot.
- (BEEPING)
- We're getting another message.
It says if we don't comply,
they'll destroy us.
They're bluffing. They want
Destiny more than anything.
- What's happening?
- We're surrounded by alien ships.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
I suggest we shut down
all non-essential systems,
devote every scrap of power to the shields.
Let's do that. Let's do it.
I don't think that's the response
they were looking for.
RUSH: It doesn't matter.
The shields are holding.
They don't have enough firepower.
We're going to make it to the jump.
We've got more ships incoming.
I'm now reading 15 ships total.
They're all firing.
I thought we agreed that
they didn't want to destroy us!
Not intentionally. They'd have to collapse
the shields in order to board the ship.
We have secondary explosions
in the engineering area.
BRODY: Power's overloading
in the sublight drive. It's going critical.
RUSH: Emergency shutdown. Now!
BRODY: It's too late.
(GASPS)
(POUNDING ON DOOR)
- Colonel...
- Well, you wanted to be a shrink.
Now here's your chance.
What are you talking about?
What's going on?
I think I might be going insane.
You've been drinking.
That's not the problem.
That's just one of the symptoms.
No, what I'm saying is
that maybe now's not the best time.
Yeah. All right.
Well, I, uh...
(CLEARS THROAT) I've been having
this recurring dream,
only it's more than a dream.
It's real. It's about as real as it gets.
Okay. What's it about?
The aliens from the other galaxy,
they catch up to us.
They surround the ship,
and then they ask me to hand over Chloe.
And, now, the first time,
I try to fight them off,
the ship gets destroyed.
The second time, I go into a defensive
shell, but the ship still gets destroyed.
Wait a minute.
Is that why you ordered Park and her team
to resume work on the weapons grid?
Because of this dream?
Listen. There's something else
going on here.
I mean, this is like no dream
I've ever had before.
I mean, I can feel the floor under my feet.
I can smell the sweat
of the people around me, Camile.
Yeah, yeah. It's a no-win scenario.
It seems like the only way out would be
for you to do the one thing
that you don't want to do.
I don't think it's that simple.
Have you even spoken to Chloe since
you've confined her in her quarters?
No.
Well, maybe that would be
a good place to start.
Hey.
Wow, another visitor.
Hmm. I've never been so popular.
Well, listen, you know, I'm sorry
that I haven't come to see you before.
I've been busy.
Also, it's hard for me.
Because of what you might have to do.
You know, I...
I was feeling sorry for myself,
being stuck in this room,
but then I remembered
how everyone looked at me
when they found out I was still infected.
I think I'm better off in here.
Really? You know that the people
on this ship care about you.
They're afraid of me.
I'm afraid of me.
Nobody's given up hope here.
I know.
But if there's no solution, if I keep changing,
sooner or later, you won't have a choice.
- (GRUNTS)
- Hey. Sorry.
- So?
- So, what?
When are you gonna make a move?
What are you talking about?
Ginn. The girl's into you.
And you know this from watching us
work together for, what, two days?
I knew after 10 minutes.
The girl loves math, Eli.
(GROANS)
And if ever you were gonna have
a chance with anyone, this is probably it.
Thanks.
Tell you what.
The next time we're together,
I'll arrange to get called away.
Okay. But don't make it too obvious.
Obvious is good.
(SCOFFS)
Time to man up.
BRODY ON RADIO: Colonel
Young, come in.
Colonel Young, this is Brody
in the Control Interface Room.
Please respond.
- What's happening?
- ELI: We're surrounded by alien ships.
They want us to hand over Chloe.
I suggest shutting down
all non-essential systems,
devote every scrap of power to the shields.
No, that's not going to work.
More ships are coming.
Well, how could you possibly know that?
If we power the weapons or the shields
or provoke them in any way,
they will open fire and destroy all of us.
So, what do we do?
I guess it's time.
Colonel, this is Brody.
You were right.
Another half-dozen ships
just dropped out of hyperspace.
- Are they sending over a shuttle?
- It's on its way.
Dial back the shield strength
over the hull breach.
- What did you do?
- I didn't have a choice.
You son of a bitch!
Lieutenant, no!
No!
BRODY: Colonel, we've got a problem.
More alien shuttles are approaching.
A lot more.
(LAUGHING)
Colonel Young,
are you reading me? Colonel?
This is Scott. What's happening?
This is Rush. Power's down all over
the ship, including shields.
We can't restore them.
Chloe must have discovered how
and passed along the information.
Get down to the armory,
break out every weapon we've got.
Organize defense teams.
We're about to be boarded.
Yes, sir.
(GUNS FIRING IN DISTANCE)
SCOTT ON RADIO: We've got another
hull breach near the infirmary!
Fall back to my position!
This is Rush. We have to defend
the Gate Room at all costs!
PARK ON RADIO: There's too many!
We can't hold them!
JOHANSEN: Colonel?
Hey. Hey, what are you doing here?
Picking up a batch Brody made for me.
Extra strong. I use it for disinfectant.
You don't look so good.
(CHUCKLES) Yeah, I know.
I guess it's that obvious, huh?
Everett, what if I told you that the baby,
our baby, is still alive?
I mean, I don't know.
Why would... Why would you do that?
Because I saw her.
Because I held her in my arms
and she's beautiful...
- T.J.
- It's like nothing you can imagine.
We were on the planet
where we left Caine and the others,
and the aliens there,
they said that they would take care of her.
Caine promised me.
- Then they sent me back here.
- You never left the ship.
I know...
Look, I know. I know what it sounds like and
that's why I didn't say anything before,
because I knew that
you would think I was crazy.
But I'm not. I'm not crazy,
and it wasn't a dream.
Why is it so hard to believe
after everything that we've seen
- since we've been here...
- Hey, listen to me!
Just because you want something to be true
it doesn't mean it is, T.J. Okay?
Okay. You listen to me.
I can see where you're going.
I know, because I almost went there.
I'm afraid that you won't come back.
I'm sorry.
That's weird.
What?
The computer's using a ton of memory
running a program
I've never even seen before.
Maybe some kind of auto-diagnostic?
I don't...
I have to ask. What are all these pictures?
Oh, those are stills from my movie.
My documentary.
I've been trying to keep
a record of everything
that's been happening
to us, using the Kino.
Here.
Oh, see?
BRODY ON MONITOR:
Nobody wants to see this.
ELI: No, no, it's the little things
that make all the difference.
BRODY: Fine.
Ancient toilets. Here we go.
(BOTH LAUGHING)
Anyway, you get the idea.
JAMES ON RADIO: Sergeant
Greer, come in.
Go ahead.
There's a problem in the mess.
We need your assistance.
On my way.
- You're leaving?
- Could take a while.
One second?
Whoa, whoa. Uh, I'm not so sure about this.
- You'll thank me later.
- But what am I supposed to say?
The girl's from another planet.
I guess I'm supposed
to tell you to be yourself,
but in your case...
ELI: So my mom just left.
It was good to see her
even though she was in Park's body.
Little weird.
Anyway...
I think it helped.
At least I hope so.
- Okay, I got this.
- You got this?
- How long are you gonna be?
- How long you gonna need?
I'll take my time.
(LAUGHING)
It's hard. You know?
I mean, I know that we're
several billion light years apart
and, well, that may never change...
But I... I just need to know
that she's still there.
You know... 'Cause if she's not...
Then I don't have...
Sorry. I didn't know that it was going
to be anything that personal.
No, no, that's... That's not your fault.
Real smooth, though, huh?
A grown man crying about his mom?
(EXHALING) Suave.
(SIGHING) I might as well
just get Greer to come back.
What do you mean?
Never mind.
(DISTORTED ECHOING)
Colonel?
Colonel, are you in there?
Yeah. What do you need?
Uh, the ship, it dropped out,
but there's no gates in range.
Brody says we're just drifting.
Well, that doesn't sound so bad.
Except there's no countdown clock.
We have no idea how long it's going to last.
You figure it out.
Sir?
FRANKLIN: Problems?
Well, the ship doesn't drop
out of FTL for no reason.
Unless you tell it to.
Yeah, well, this time, it wasn't me,
and I can't find anything wrong
with navigation or propulsion.
Maybe you need to look somewhere else.
As far as I can tell,
there's nothing interfering
with the normal operation of the FTL drive.
- The ship just doesn't want to go anywhere.
- What about a dial-in?
Gate's quiet.
- WRAY: Where's Young?
- He's not feeling well.
- All right, what's new?
- So far, we've got nothing.
What about you?
Eli?
Well, I've been working
with that Lucian Alliance girl, Ginn?
Actually, it's gone a little bit
beyond just working together.
- I don't want to jinx it, but she's...
- Eli.
Anyway, we've been running a series of
programs that were designed for modeling.
You know, simulation.
It was really sluggish.
And I couldn't figure out why.
And then I realized that the computer
was running a simulation of its own.
What kind of simulation?
I just figured that out now.
It's a battle scenario.
The Destiny drops out of FTL,
and then it's immediately surrounded
by alien ships.
It's run through several different
variations, different scenarios,
but it always ends badly.
Oh, my God.
Are you talking about the aliens
from the other galaxy,
the ones that took Chloe and Rush?
Yeah, same guys.
Camile, what is it?
- A battle simulation.
- FRANKLIN: Exactly.
Extremely complex,
modeled down to the last detail,
and always with an unfortunate result.
Well, it's interesting, but what's it
got to do with the ship dropping out?
Look closer.
Something about this program
is overriding normal operations.
Which leaves only one question.
Why?
Okay, so you're telling me the ship
is affecting the Colonel's dreams?
It's the only explanation.
It's not impossible.
Brain waves are just electrical impulses,
so theoretically, they could be
manipulated, if you knew how.
Maybe it's Destiny's
way of warning us.
What if it knows the aliens are coming?
No, there's no way
they could have followed us.
No, I told you already. I don't remember
anything about the blackouts.
Look, I need you to think, Chloe.
This is very important.
(SIGHS)
When James was under the influence
of those aliens,
she managed to send them
some kind of a signal.
Is it possible you could have
done the same thing?
I don't remember.
Eli, this is Scott. Prep the weapons.
Bypass any batteries that aren't 100%,
devote the remaining power to the rest.
Shut down all non-essential systems and
put everything you can into the shields.
ELI ON RADIO: Understood.
Going on patrol in teams of three.
Lieutenant James, here,
has your assignments.
Now, if they do come, it is a pretty safe bet
they are going to try and board this ship.
Makes us the last line of defense.
Any questions?
All right. Dismissed.
MAN: Okay, let's go.
Camile, I need you to
organize the civilians.
I want everyone in designated areas
till further notice.
There's something else
we need to talk about.
- Can it wait?
- No.
I know what you're going to say.
- Where is he?
- I can handle this.
Well, that's the point.
You can. Evidently he can't.
You have to assume command officially.
I can't do that.
Well, what if this is a test?
These dreams the Colonel's been having.
- A test of his emotional stability.
- A test he's failing.
Where is this coming from?
Think about it.
What is the Colonel doing right now?
He's locked himself away. He's shut down.
And at the exact same time,
the ship came to a dead stop,
and now we're floating
aimlessly in empty space.
Destiny is beginning
to understand us.
Who we are, what makes us tick.
What, you're telling me the ship
wants me to replace him?
RUSH: No, no.
It's not as if it has desires or emotions.
It has no personality.
But it is capable of analyzing
all manner of sensory input.
It knows we're here.
It's beginning to understand
what effect we might be having.
Why not one of you?
Well, we've been down that road before.
None too successful.
(EXHALING) I thought this was about aliens.
I thought this was a warning
to prepare us for an attack.
Either way, a warning, a test,
we need a strong leader right now.
I don't like it anymore than you do,
but I don't think you have a choice.
Colonel?
Colonel, I'm not going away
till you open this door!
I brought you some tea.
It's really strong stuff,
closest thing to coffee we had.
Oh, thanks, Lieutenant.
I'll pass on the tea.
Sir, we have a situation here.
You need to clean yourself up
and get back out there.
What are you doing?
Are you giving me an order, Lieutenant?
Sir, these dreams you're having.
The battle scenario.
It's the ship. It's affecting your brain waves.
It's a simulation.
It's a simulation?
What does that even mean?
Eli found the program.
It is the exact same thing
you described to Camile.
It can't be a coincidence.
Boy, I guess the ship has
some sense of humor. Yeah.
She thinks your reaction,
the fact that you've...
Well, you've given up,
it's the reason why we have dropped out,
why we are stuck out here
in the middle of nowhere.
Now, if you pull yourself together,
you start acting like a real commander,
maybe we can get going again.
Or maybe that's just Destiny's way
of telling me that I need to be replaced.
That's what Rush said.
- (CHUCKLING) Is that what Rush said?
- But I'm not going to do that.
Are you in love with Chloe?
It's a simple question. Do you love her?
- Yes.
- Yes.
So how are you going to feel
when I have to drop her off this ship,
put her on some rock,
and you know it's coming.
She knows it's coming,
we all know it's coming,
but I got to do it.
You still going to look up to me then.
You still going to think, "Hey!"
Tell everyone what a great
commander I am?
Are you, Lieutenant?
Don't... Don't do this.
I'm sorry that you didn't have
a father growing up,
but I didn't volunteer for that either.
There you go. Now we're talking.
Hit me. Hit me!
No one asked for this,
but you are the commanding officer.
You don't get to feel sorry for yourself.
And if you don't like it, too bad.
I killed Riley.
- That wasn't your fault.
- I know it wasn't my fault.
No, he knew it. That's...
He didn't want to die alone.
That's why he asked me.
But I killed him.
I suffocated him with my own hands.
On top of everything else, it's just...
You know, it adds up.
I need you to leave.
Look, you're right.
I couldn't do it,
live with the burden every day.
That is not me or T.J., or Camile.
- Rush could do it.
- For Rush, it wouldn't be a burden.
That is why we need you,
because you feel it.
But not so much you can't get up
and do it all over again the next day.
Really? You sure?
You sure about that, Lieutenant?
A real leader, a good commander,
is not so callous that he stops caring,
just enough so he can keep on going.
And we both know
you are a good commander.
It is never going to stop hurting.
That's the whole point.
For the sake of everyone on this ship
you are going to have to live with it.
But we've got five down by the mess.
So if we take...
Mr. Brody, what's our status?
Well, uh, still no sign of the aliens.
The ship's main weapon is online,
and we've diverted as much power
as we can to the shields.
Sir, we have all available military
personnel patrolling the gaps
between the active weapons batteries,
but it's a lot of real estate.
We could go to two-man teams,
cover a little more ground,
but we'd be stretching ourselves
pretty thin.
Well, let's do it. If there is a breach,
I would rather be on it fast
with a little less firepower
than the other way around.
Also, let's break out whatever spare
ordinance we have from the Lucian Alliance
and arm as many civilians as possible.
- Well, they don't have a lot of training.
- I'll command them myself.
We'll stick to defensive positions
between here and the Gate Room.
They'll be fine.
Yes, sir.
Anything else?
We just jumped. We're back in FTL.
It's good to have you back, sir.
Hey, I'm happy as the next guy
that we're back on track.
I'm just saying that I'm not
so comfortable knowing
that Destiny can get
in our heads like that.
I don't want to start second-guessing
my own dreams.
Well, what have you been dreaming about?
That's not the point.
At least now we know once and for all
that we got the right man in command.
I mean, you were there. Tell them.
Young showed up, started giving orders,
and the ship just went.
If someone has a better explanation,
I'd like to hear it.
- FRANKLIN: Congratulations.
- Don't feel much like talking right now.
You managed to bypass the simulation
and get the ship going.
Well, what choice did I have?
Lieutenant Scott wasn't going to step up.
I couldn't leave us just sitting there.
But you haven't solved the problem,
and yet you're pressing ahead.
Isn't that a little dangerous?
Destiny was evaluating Colonel
Young's ability to command the crew.
But ultimately, I control the ship.
- And the aliens?
- They were never a threat.
If Chloe had managed to send a signal
telling them our position,
it would have logged
on that screen right there.
Maybe...
But just because one threat is behind you,
doesn't mean there isn't another ahead.