Sliders (1995–2000): Season 5, Episode 9 - The Return of Maggie Beckett - full transcript
The Sliders arrive in a world in which Maggie is an internationally famous astronaut who died on a mission to Mars. Maggie initially enjoys the world until she is recognized and becomes the prize in an unusual tug of war.
Get out of my house!
Go!
Sorry! We're sorry.
It was my fault!
Wait!
It's not funny!
We almost scared
that woman to death.
It wasn't the woman,
it was the cat!
Don't you worry
about the effect
we're having on people?
I mean, can't we just
land in a deserted
alley every time?
No, no, it just gets
written off mainly as
UFO sightings, you know?
Except a couple of times
Remmy's been mistaken
for Bigfoot!
You know, I wouldn't
mind getting a cut
of some of the
psychiatrist bills
you guys have caused.
All right, look,
we got about 18-and-a-half
hours before we can create
any more urban legends.
We need to check out
the lay of the land.
And I don't recognize
this town.
Beautiful Fresno, California.
Being a military brat,
this was one of my
many hometowns.
And I think there's
a hotel this way.
So, Maggie,
we never slid into one
of your hometowns before.
So how about
a guided tour?
Park, store, post office,
you know the place.
Well, you don't seem
too thrilled to be here.
All right,
what do you wanna see?
The Girls' Academy
where I spent every
Christmas until I was 10,
or my mom's grave,
which I was never
allowed to visit?
Sorry, guys,
it's not Norman Rockwell,
you know?
Looks like the Becketts
left their mark.
Hey, that used
to be Oak Park Drive.
Yeah, and I suppose
that used to be Oak Park.
At least it doesn't say
"Maggie Beckett Memorial
Park."
"To those who dared
to reach the stars.
"In memory of the Intrepid
Five of mankind's first
mission to Mars.
"Lost to the cosmos,
their fates known
only to God."
Oh, Maggie.
Looks like you're a hero.
What if you found a portal
to a parallel universe?
What if you could slide into
a thousand different worlds
where it's the same year
and you're the same person,
but everything else
is different?
And what if you can't
find your way home?
Sliders.
"Hometown girl
makes it big."
Sort of.
You okay, Maggie?
Yeah, I know the drill,
Remmy. It's not me,
remember?
Still. It'd give
me the creeps.
It looks like you're looking
at your own gravestone.
Ah, it's kind of
cool, actually.
On this world,
I was an astronaut.
And a lieutenant colonel
to boot, look at that.
Not bad, huh?
Well, congratulations,
Colonel, but we better
keep you out of sight.
Right, anyone recognizes you,
we got a lot of splainin'
to do, Lucy.
Maggie who?
Ooh!
It's pretty high-tech.
It helps explain
their space program.
You know, we had
a manned mission to Mars
on the drawing board,
but that was
20 years away.
Our guys never made
it past the moon.
So you wanna check
out the library
while we're here?
Absolutely. Could be some
breakthroughs in quantum
theory we need to know.
You know what I'd
really like to do?
I'd like to check
out my alternate.
Oh, please, please,
Remmy, can we go?
Oh, please, you guys?
Come on.
We have to go!
Okay.
I do love a woman
in uniform.
Maggie, you know
this isn't smart.
Oh, come on,
I'm incognito.
If you were in the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame
in some other universe,
you'd go, wouldn't you?
If there was any justice
in the universe.
It says the Intrepid
spacecraft disappeared
without a trace
on its way back
from the Mars landing.
Nobody knows
what happened.
We finally made it there.
I walked on Mars.
Okay, she did.
Hey.
Check this out.
Oh...
Look at those little cheeks!
Don't make me hurt you.
So that's your mother?
Yeah. Wow,
I'd almost forgotten
what she looked like.
It's funny, being a slider,
you don't own anything,
you know?
No photo albums,
no family heirlooms.
Only what you carry
in your heart.
I'm Mr. Xybo. She's an
inspiration to us all.
She certainly is.
Welcome to our museum.
Have you seen our
home movie archive?
We have an extensive
collection of Maggie
Beckett baby videos,
all her school plays,
and that hard-to-find
cheerleader tryout fiasco.
That I would love to see.
Who's this?
That is the most influential
man in young Maggie's life,
her father Thomas Beckett.
Oh, and who's he
shaking hands with?
Well, so much for
public schools.
I suppose you couldn't
even find where Canada
was on a map, either.
It's President
Adlai Stevenson!
President Adlai Stevenson.
He's decorating young
Lieutenant Beckett
at the White House for
service to his country.
You see, it was young
Maggie's adoration
of her father
that led to her own
career in the military.
Father and daughter
were extremely close,
especially after
Maggie's mother died.
It was through the
nurturing and tireless
devotion of her father
that Maggie found
the path in life that
led her into space.
Please.
I'm sorry?
Please excuse me.
I need some air.
Hey!
What is it?
Close? They think
we were close?
That man shipped me off
to boarding school one
week after my mother died
because he didn't
want to deal with me.
Nurture my butt.
Whoa, alternative
universes, remember?
Just because you weren't
tight with your dad doesn't
mean that this Maggie wasn't.
Look, on all the worlds
we've been to,
there are certain things
that always stay the same.
Up is always up,
fire is always hot.
The General was like that.
A real force of nature.
Oh, let her walk it off.
Look, you go ahead and
check out the library.
We'll meet you back at
the local hotel later.
Come on.
Maggie...
I was almost an astronaut,
you know.
Right after test
pilot school,
I was next in line
for astronaut training.
Then the war came.
And the General decided that
my place was on the front
line defending my country.
So he denied my transfer.
I guess he was right.
Maybe. But it wasn't
his decision to make.
Everything was the
General's decision
to make.
You're not gonna believe
what I found out.
Right. Anyway,
on this world in 1944,
the German Army broke
through the Allied lines
at the Battle of Bulge.
Now, the war in Europe
dragged on for another
three years.
General Eisenhower was
eventually relieved as
Allied Supreme Commander.
So "Ike" never came
home a war hero.
And Adlai Stevenson
became President.
And this has what to
do with anti-gravity
mail carts?
This.
Another tabloid world?
Well, they don't need
tabloids on this world.
On your world,
you must have heard
all those crazy theories,
UFO crash at
Roswell, New Mexico,
a secret deal between
our government
and extraterrestrials.
We've seen The X-Files.
The what files?
Guys, it really happened.
Only, instead of
covering it all up in the
name of national security
the way Eisenhower did,
President Stevenson
went public.
He formed the
Reticulan-American
Free Trade Agreement.
RAFTA?
And American business
started benefiting from
the alien high-tech.
I knew it.
What?
Roswell, Area 51.
I always knew they were
keeping something from us.
"They"?
You know who
I'm talking about.
Black suits, black glasses,
black choppers.
I was in the service.
I know what the guys can do.
Remmy, I never took you
for a conspiracy junkie.
Yeah, well, believe it.
Polaroid cameras, transistors,
fiber optics?
You think we came up with
all of that on our own?
Velcro.
Anyway, that's how this
world advanced its space
program so rapidly.
You really buy this?
Yes! I mean, look,
I became a scientist
because I realized
there was so much
out there I didn't know.
Things I had to find out.
I've gotta try to meet
one of these guys.
I'll pass. I hear they
pack a pretty mean probe.
Yeah, and I'm just gonna
hang out here and lay low,
you know, stay out of sight.
Now you're thinking.
I'll go get us some
food from the diner.
Great.
Now do you want
a Beckett of chicken or
the Maggie-roni and cheese?
Let me see that, are you...
Oh, my God.
Coming up
in the next half hour,
we'll be offering
the Maggie Beckett
silk-touch leg razor.
In a zero gravity
environment of space,
weightless leg hairs
could clog sensitive
equipment.
You'll probably never
have that problem
down here on Earth,
but the Maggie Beckett
silk-touch shaving system
will leave your legs
and underarms silky smooth
without cuts or irritation.
And if you order the Maggie
Beckett Commemorative Plate
within the next 15 minutes,
you will automatically...
Hey!
Ow!
What are you doing?
Let go! I just brought
you some lunch.
You gonna cut my
food for me, too?
I didn't know if you wanted
the "to boldly go" slaw
or the Semper Fries,
so I got you both.
What's with the knife?
Okay, here's the deal.
You're like a legend
on this world,
like Amelia Earhart
or something.
Not me.
Oh, okay, your double is.
But anything to do with
Maggie Beckett is gold.
Now look.
That's right, Teresa,
you must order the Maggie
Beckett Commemorative Plate
within the next 15 minutes.
Made of heavy-duty
Japanese porcelain,
this plate is meticulously
silk-screened
with the insignia of
the Intrepid Mars
mission on one side...
It's 300 bucks for a plate!
Can you imagine how much
a lock of the real Maggie
Beckett hair would go for?
You were gonna
sell my hair?
Well, that guy from
the museum gave me 100
bucks for a toothbrush.
You sold my toothbrush?
It was all chewed up
anyway.
You rotten little weasel!
Come on! Come on,
you've seen how gullible
these people are.
Oh! You sneaky...
We gotta pay for
the hotel somehow.
Who's the victim?
What did you do?
I didn't do anything.
You must have
done something.
They're all riled up.
Maggie Beckett!
Let's get out
of here.
Come on, Maggie!
Oh!
Hey! Hey!
Maggie!
Stay calm. I'm not her!
God, I told her to
stay out of sight.
I'm not your Maggie!
Let me through!
Hey, leave her alone!
You two, come on.
Let's go.
Into the van.
Who's the victim?
How many times
do I gotta apologize?
I didn't even
get to finish my lunch.
I could really go for
one of those blended
Maggie-ritas right now.
Hey, wait. Who's there?
Where are we?
What the hell's
going on here?
I apologize
for the security precautions.
Release them.
Allow me to
introduce myself.
I am
the leader.
Oh, great.
Why would a world
without conspiracies
need men in black?
I don't know.
But we've got less than
12 hours to find out
where they took
Maggie and Mallory.
Why would they
take them?
Somebody must've
recognized Maggie.
And I imagine the government
would have a few questions.
I mean, if one
of their astronauts
who was lost in space
suddenly reentered
the world...
So what are
we talking about?
NASA? The Air Force?
It's a good place to start.
So, you're the leader.
I am.
I'm sorry,
the leader of what?
The National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
NASA?
Correct.
As I'm sure you
can understand,
we were quite surprised to
have one of our astronauts
mysteriously return
from the dead.
Yeah, well, about that...
Your last known location
was 1.6 million kilometers
from this planet.
And now here you are.
No re-entry vehicle,
no space suit.
Well, you see,
I have an explanation.
I'd like to hear it.
I'm not Maggie Beckett.
I know that I look
very much like her,
but, you see,
this whole thing is
a big misunderstanding.
That was what we
suspected as well.
Perhaps you were simply
perpetrating a hoax for
your own personal gain.
That's it.
Then how do you
explain this?
It's a toothbrush.
Yes. Purchased undercover
from a reliable source
that identified it
as your toothbrush.
A DNA profile of the saliva
on the toothbrush
is an exact match to
the military records
of Lieutenant Colonel
Maggie Beckett.
Welcome home, Colonel.
Yes, I know
Maggie Beckett died.
I wanna know
if you picked up someone
posing as Maggie Beckett.
Well, I don't know why
anyone would do that.
What? Me?
No, I'm just
a concerned citizen.
All right.
I've called the Air Force,
NASA, FBI, the CIA.
Don't tell me that
there's a government
that doesn't keep secrets.
It hasn't been invented.
So what do we do now?
Do we hit the streets?
Oh, this makes me nervous,
but I'm gonna call the cops.
Look, we give them
a description of the van,
tell them that
Maggie is missing.
We might get lucky.
Yes, can you connect me
with the police, please?
Freeze!
Could you hurry, please?
Come on, move it.
Go, move!
Take her outside.
Outside, outside!
Move it. Move!
Let's go.
Come on, get in.
Hurry, hurry.
Let's go, let's go!
Hey, what's with
all the muscle?
Who's in charge here?
That would be me.
What do you want?
The same thing you do,
Mr. Brown.
To find Maggie Beckett.
Why don't you tell me
how you got here?
Your goons grabbed us.
I meant on this planet.
I have a few questions
for you.
Since when does NASA
have a squad of thugs
who drive around in black
vans abducting people?
It's for your own protection.
Oh, yeah? Really?
Well, come to think of it,
I've been in NASA,
and I don't remember
them lighting their
offices like this
or putting bags
over people's heads
or hiring some pasty-faced
mole to give people
the third degree.
And another thing,
what the hell kind of title
is "the leader" anyway?
All right, you got me.
Huh?
I don't really
work for NASA.
Most people would've
believed that lie.
They believe anything
the government tells them.
You have a suspicious mind,
though. I like that.
I suppose it's to be
expected after what
you've been through.
What I've been through?
The big lie, of course.
The cover-up.
Your heroic demise on
the frontiers of space.
But now the world is
going to know the truth.
And you're going to help
me show it to them.
Look, General, if you could
help us find our friends,
we appreciate it.
But there's one
big mixup here.
She's not Maggie Beckett.
Of course she isn't.
Lieutenant Colonel Beckett
died two years ago
when her Intrepid return
vehicle suffered a major
malfunction and disappeared,
a million-and-a-half
kilometers in space.
We may have a fix
on them, sir.
Scanning software has
picked up key phrases
from the scrambled
satellite phone frequency.
Nail it.
What is all this? The troops,
what are you looking for?
Your friend has been
abducted by a very
dangerous man,
if he can even
be called a man.
His very genetic
makeup renders him
a dangerous psychotic.
So what does he want
with our friend?
Well, his paranoid delusions
cause him to see conspiracies
everywhere.
He believes Colonel Beckett
and the other Intrepid
astronauts
didn't die in space.
He thinks we killed them.
What?
He and his followers are
convinced the Intrepid
mission was faked.
That the government
staged the Mars landing
in a Hollywood sound stage,
and then had the astronauts
murdered to prevent them
from revealing the deceit.
So if he thinks our friend
Maggie Beckett
is the real Maggie Beckett,
then his theory falls apart.
She won't
go along with him.
She'll tell anybody
who's listening that
she's no astronaut.
Exactly. That's why she's
more valuable to him dead
than alive.
The skeptic is an
endangered species,
my friends.
For years, those in power
have been spoon-feeding
the people
a steady diet of
the truth, openness,
freedom of information.
It's made us soft.
A society of believers.
How about relationships
based on trust?
They eventually
have to break down.
And you're left unprepared
for the lies that must
inevitably follow.
Like the lie that made me.
What lie is that?
You may have noticed
my unusual appearance.
You could use a little sun.
We were told the Reticulans
would bring us prosperity.
Technology. MRI scanners.
Ball-point pens.
Velcro?
Exactly.
But we weren't told
about the side-effects
their technology would cause.
You're one of those
side-effects?
In the early 1960s,
the government began
using Reticulan DNA
to develop
powerful vaccines
for childhood diseases.
Smallpox, polio, TB,
were virtually wiped
from the face of the earth.
That's a good thing.
Only for about 99.9%
of the population.
But what about the other 0.1%?
What about the children
whose bodies assimilated
the alien DNA into their own,
turning them into
outcasts, freaks?
Oh, sure, I have massively
increased brain capacity,
supernumerary nipples
and many other assets.
But I haven't found many
women who dig the look.
I think you're
really striking.
Save it.
I realized that a government
capable of doing something
like this to its own children
would be capable
of almost anything.
So I founded
this organization,
a secret society devoted
to rooting out the vast
network of conspiracies
that only I had
the vision to see.
Had any luck?
Not until now.
But your lifeless body
will provide the proof
I need.
Okay, time out.
One of your assets must
be that you're insane!
Your sacrifice to the cause
of truth will be remembered,
Colonel Beckett.
Oh, am I glad
to see you guys!
Likewise. Are you okay?
Yeah.
Who's the cavalry?
Dad.
"Dad"?
What are you doing?
Hey!
Stay there!
So you lied when you
said you'd help us.
Maggie!
You can't do this!
Put that down, please.
Yes, sir.
What do you do when
you're forced to confront
something that is,
but cannot be?
It's been my experience
not to rule anything out.
The truth might
surprise you.
Surprise doesn't
cover this.
DNA tests
confirm that you are
Margaret Allison Beckett.
But that woman is dead.
Maybe I'm her twin.
Impossible.
How can you be sure?
Because I was there
when she was born.
I never knew that.
You could be a clone.
But who would have
the technology?
Not that gray-headed
buffoon or his followers.
I'm not a clone, sir.
That's the second time
you've called me "sir."
Are you in the military?
I was.
But you were "sir" to me
long before that.
I don't remember you
having family pictures
in the office before.
You always said it
was unprofessional.
You are not my daughter.
You don't know
how many times
I've tried to convince
myself of that.
Who are you?
I'm Maggie Beckett.
I thought we've already
ruled out that possibility.
Like I told you,
the truth might
surprise you.
Surprise.
I can't believe you
were duped by that tool
of the shadow government!
What makes you any
different from them?
You kidnapped our friends,
you were planning
to kill Maggie!
I didn't want to.
Do you think we didn't
try other means?
All we needed to do
to convince the people
that the government
had deceived them
was to produce
one of the missing
astronauts in the flesh.
Initially, we tried
to grow them in vats.
We tried a variety of
gene-splicing concoctions,
but we could never
get it quite right.
Why go to all the trouble
to prove something you
don't even know is true?
I know it's true.
The government could never
allow the Intrepid Mars
mission to succeed.
It would have opened
the way to the stars,
to the Reticulan Unity.
I might even have gone
to my ancestral home,
to a place where
I would fit in.
But they wouldn't allow it.
What? What is it?
I'm sorry.
It's just that I never
thought I'd get a chance
to meet someone like you.
A freak? A non-human?
No. Someone who could prove
that the universe isn't
one empty place.
And how have I done that?
The proof is in your face.
It's an empty place for me.
Look, we might be
able to help you.
How?
It's a secret.
But it's not what you think.
What is this place?
A room full of ghosts.
Seems like an appropriate
place for us to talk.
I can't believe after
all I've been through,
you still intimidate
me this much.
I've never even met you.
Not on this world.
I've had enough
of this game.
I don't know who you
are or what you want,
but I consider you a threat.
Do you think just because
you have her face
I'll treat you differently?
You've always
treated me differently,
pushed me harder,
demanded more from me.
And you loved me
less for it.
How dare you tell me how
much I loved my daughter.
I don't know how
much you loved her,
but I know how little
you showed her.
You think
I joined the Marines
because I admired you?
I've had enough of this.
Because I wanted to
walk in your footsteps?
I'll tell you something.
I joined the Marines
because the only time you
would even see me was when
I was in that uniform, sir.
I never got a hug,
so I settled for a salute.
Are you trying to hurt me?
Is that what this is?
Some kind of a sick
judgment day?
Show me what
a bad father I was?
You told me
that the only one that can
judge a man is himself.
And I have. Over and over.
My daughter and I
made our peace.
I don't believe you.
Who the hell cares
what you believe!
You're talking
ancient history!
What could possibly
have made you change?
Losing you.
A parent should never
outlive his child.
It's a terrible thing.
After my wife died, you...
Maggie was all I had left.
Then why did you
shove me away?
Dad?
Why just ship me off
to some boarding school
to be raised by strangers?
I don't have to justify
my actions to you.
I wanted my daughter
raised right.
If you want
something done right,
you do it yourself.
I didn't think I could.
Enough of this.
Who are you?
I'm Maggie Beckett.
Stop it!
You asked me how I know
you're not my daughter.
I know because
I watched her die,
right here in this room.
And there wasn't a damn
thing I could do about it!
Sir.
What happened to her?
We didn't lose the
Intrepid in space.
They returned
to Earth alive.
Barely.
Halfway through
their return trajectory,
we noticed a flaw in the
ship's radiation shielding.
They were slowly
being bombarded by lethal
levels of solar radiation.
My God.
And they still had
six months of travel time.
Six months that they
knew they were slowly
being cooked alive.
And we couldn't
do a damn thing.
All we could
do was watch.
I'm sorry.
I didn't want her to go.
I didn't want to risk
losing her, too.
I could have
had her grounded.
Why didn't you?
Because it was her dream.
She'd worked her entire
life for this mission.
And when she got out
of that spacecraft,
my daughter,
on another planet.
I can't tell you how...
How proud I was.
Then why are you
keeping it a secret?
Do you want the world
to remember her like that?
In agony? Out of her head?
She knew the risks.
She'll be remembered
as a hero.
She is a hero.
Enough!
Now that we've established
who you're not,
why don't you tell me
who you really are?
You're visitors from
another dimension?
Pretty crazy, huh?
Perhaps not.
I've had a theory
that the Reticulans
may have used
a trans-dimensional drive
system to make their journey
here from the home world.
Interesting.
That would make
interstellar
travel feasible.
I'd love to hear
your theory.
Well, I suppose I could,
if you like.
If you help us,
we'll give you proof.
It is possible to travel
between universes.
You're asking me to
give up my life's work.
Your Maggie has presented
me with the opportunity
to finally expose one of
the most insidious government
conspiracies of the century.
Conspiracies to do what?
In all the years you've
been looking, have you
found any real evidence
that the government
is up to something?
What do you really want?
To continue some
single-minded crusade
against the government?
Or find the people who
actually helped make you?
Maybe we can
give you that chance.
Listen, we've got about two
hours, and that opportunity
is going to disappear.
Please.
That's an amazing story.
It's true.
In your world,
what happened
to your father?
He was on a diplomatic
mission when his
helicopter was shot down.
Everyone onboard was killed.
Hmm.
I lost six men on that
shoot-down. Fine Marines.
Before the chopper
went down, I...
I never told Maggie
that I loved her.
Just because I never said it.
I've scheduled a press
conference in half an hour.
Why?
To put an end to this.
You're going to tell the
world that you're a fraud.
That you were posing as
Maggie Beckett to cash
in on her good name
and you'll apologize to her
friends and to her family
for the pain you've caused.
And pretend none of
this ever happened?
I won't do it.
You'll do as you're told.
You're not my father.
And even if you were,
I wouldn't do it.
Then you'll sit in
a holding cell until
you change your mind.
And if that means missing
your sliding window,
so be it.
You're sending me
to my room?
Is this the way you
treated your Maggie?
Is this the way you
showed her respect?
I'm letting her
rest in dignity.
You're the one that's
dishonoring her with
this charade, not me.
She's a hero.
For how she lived,
not how she died.
I believe you're
doing this for her.
But this is not what
she would have wanted.
Look at me!
I know that.
Mr. Xybo? How did
you get in here?
I used to work here.
Your friends are
waiting for you.
Rembrandt says you only
have 37 minutes left.
Great. Let's go.
This is it, Pop.
I've, uh, strapped everyone in
and I slaved all the
computers to Houston.
So you should be able to
dock us with ISS from there.
Before I sign off, I...
I just want you to know
that I don't regret a thing.
We did it, Pop.
We walked on another world.
Don't let anyone forget that.
I'll always love you
for letting me go.
Intrepid out.
Why are you doing this?
I was a project engineer
on the Intrepid.
I designed the
radiation shielding
on the return vehicle.
It's not your fault.
Actually, it was.
But I've spent a lot of
time dealing with that.
It's why I started
the museum.
Sort of my penance.
When I saw you there,
I thought it was a sign.
A sign that I had
finally been forgiven.
That, or I was
losing my mind.
Well, you're not
losing your mind.
Well, I know that now.
But it is a sign.
A sign that people
haven't forgotten.
No. They haven't forgotten.
Look who it is!
What kept you guys?
We're right on time.
Got a couple
of minutes to spare.
What's he doing here?
Looks like the leader
had a change of his
six-chambered heart.
Not quite.
You didn't expect me
to believe your ridiculous
story about sliding, did you?
I've heard some whoppers
in my day, but, man...
It's the truth.
The truth is relative.
And I still need you
to create my own.
Back in the van,
all of you.
You said you'd let them go.
How many times
have I told you?
Don't believe
everything you hear.
Hold it! I said hold it!
Hey, what's he saying?
Stand back.
I take complete and sole
responsibility for this
terrible deceit.
I have done a disservice,
both to the people
of this country
and the astronauts
of Intrepid.
So today, I will be releasing
documents and videotape
that will show the true
fate of our astronauts.
What is he doing?
Stealing your thunder.
It will show the true
depth of their character,
their strength, their heroism.
And all the nation
will remember them
the way I have been
privileged to remember them.
That's all I have to say.
Thanks, Pop.
Don't feel bad.
There's still plenty
of secrets to uncover.
Exhibit A.
Don't twist the truth so
much till you forget what
you're really looking for!
Wait! This is yours.
Why don't you keep it?
Thanks.
I want you to do me a favor.
Fix that window for me.
Okay.
Go!
Sorry! We're sorry.
It was my fault!
Wait!
It's not funny!
We almost scared
that woman to death.
It wasn't the woman,
it was the cat!
Don't you worry
about the effect
we're having on people?
I mean, can't we just
land in a deserted
alley every time?
No, no, it just gets
written off mainly as
UFO sightings, you know?
Except a couple of times
Remmy's been mistaken
for Bigfoot!
You know, I wouldn't
mind getting a cut
of some of the
psychiatrist bills
you guys have caused.
All right, look,
we got about 18-and-a-half
hours before we can create
any more urban legends.
We need to check out
the lay of the land.
And I don't recognize
this town.
Beautiful Fresno, California.
Being a military brat,
this was one of my
many hometowns.
And I think there's
a hotel this way.
So, Maggie,
we never slid into one
of your hometowns before.
So how about
a guided tour?
Park, store, post office,
you know the place.
Well, you don't seem
too thrilled to be here.
All right,
what do you wanna see?
The Girls' Academy
where I spent every
Christmas until I was 10,
or my mom's grave,
which I was never
allowed to visit?
Sorry, guys,
it's not Norman Rockwell,
you know?
Looks like the Becketts
left their mark.
Hey, that used
to be Oak Park Drive.
Yeah, and I suppose
that used to be Oak Park.
At least it doesn't say
"Maggie Beckett Memorial
Park."
"To those who dared
to reach the stars.
"In memory of the Intrepid
Five of mankind's first
mission to Mars.
"Lost to the cosmos,
their fates known
only to God."
Oh, Maggie.
Looks like you're a hero.
What if you found a portal
to a parallel universe?
What if you could slide into
a thousand different worlds
where it's the same year
and you're the same person,
but everything else
is different?
And what if you can't
find your way home?
Sliders.
"Hometown girl
makes it big."
Sort of.
You okay, Maggie?
Yeah, I know the drill,
Remmy. It's not me,
remember?
Still. It'd give
me the creeps.
It looks like you're looking
at your own gravestone.
Ah, it's kind of
cool, actually.
On this world,
I was an astronaut.
And a lieutenant colonel
to boot, look at that.
Not bad, huh?
Well, congratulations,
Colonel, but we better
keep you out of sight.
Right, anyone recognizes you,
we got a lot of splainin'
to do, Lucy.
Maggie who?
Ooh!
It's pretty high-tech.
It helps explain
their space program.
You know, we had
a manned mission to Mars
on the drawing board,
but that was
20 years away.
Our guys never made
it past the moon.
So you wanna check
out the library
while we're here?
Absolutely. Could be some
breakthroughs in quantum
theory we need to know.
You know what I'd
really like to do?
I'd like to check
out my alternate.
Oh, please, please,
Remmy, can we go?
Oh, please, you guys?
Come on.
We have to go!
Okay.
I do love a woman
in uniform.
Maggie, you know
this isn't smart.
Oh, come on,
I'm incognito.
If you were in the Rock
and Roll Hall of Fame
in some other universe,
you'd go, wouldn't you?
If there was any justice
in the universe.
It says the Intrepid
spacecraft disappeared
without a trace
on its way back
from the Mars landing.
Nobody knows
what happened.
We finally made it there.
I walked on Mars.
Okay, she did.
Hey.
Check this out.
Oh...
Look at those little cheeks!
Don't make me hurt you.
So that's your mother?
Yeah. Wow,
I'd almost forgotten
what she looked like.
It's funny, being a slider,
you don't own anything,
you know?
No photo albums,
no family heirlooms.
Only what you carry
in your heart.
I'm Mr. Xybo. She's an
inspiration to us all.
She certainly is.
Welcome to our museum.
Have you seen our
home movie archive?
We have an extensive
collection of Maggie
Beckett baby videos,
all her school plays,
and that hard-to-find
cheerleader tryout fiasco.
That I would love to see.
Who's this?
That is the most influential
man in young Maggie's life,
her father Thomas Beckett.
Oh, and who's he
shaking hands with?
Well, so much for
public schools.
I suppose you couldn't
even find where Canada
was on a map, either.
It's President
Adlai Stevenson!
President Adlai Stevenson.
He's decorating young
Lieutenant Beckett
at the White House for
service to his country.
You see, it was young
Maggie's adoration
of her father
that led to her own
career in the military.
Father and daughter
were extremely close,
especially after
Maggie's mother died.
It was through the
nurturing and tireless
devotion of her father
that Maggie found
the path in life that
led her into space.
Please.
I'm sorry?
Please excuse me.
I need some air.
Hey!
What is it?
Close? They think
we were close?
That man shipped me off
to boarding school one
week after my mother died
because he didn't
want to deal with me.
Nurture my butt.
Whoa, alternative
universes, remember?
Just because you weren't
tight with your dad doesn't
mean that this Maggie wasn't.
Look, on all the worlds
we've been to,
there are certain things
that always stay the same.
Up is always up,
fire is always hot.
The General was like that.
A real force of nature.
Oh, let her walk it off.
Look, you go ahead and
check out the library.
We'll meet you back at
the local hotel later.
Come on.
Maggie...
I was almost an astronaut,
you know.
Right after test
pilot school,
I was next in line
for astronaut training.
Then the war came.
And the General decided that
my place was on the front
line defending my country.
So he denied my transfer.
I guess he was right.
Maybe. But it wasn't
his decision to make.
Everything was the
General's decision
to make.
You're not gonna believe
what I found out.
Right. Anyway,
on this world in 1944,
the German Army broke
through the Allied lines
at the Battle of Bulge.
Now, the war in Europe
dragged on for another
three years.
General Eisenhower was
eventually relieved as
Allied Supreme Commander.
So "Ike" never came
home a war hero.
And Adlai Stevenson
became President.
And this has what to
do with anti-gravity
mail carts?
This.
Another tabloid world?
Well, they don't need
tabloids on this world.
On your world,
you must have heard
all those crazy theories,
UFO crash at
Roswell, New Mexico,
a secret deal between
our government
and extraterrestrials.
We've seen The X-Files.
The what files?
Guys, it really happened.
Only, instead of
covering it all up in the
name of national security
the way Eisenhower did,
President Stevenson
went public.
He formed the
Reticulan-American
Free Trade Agreement.
RAFTA?
And American business
started benefiting from
the alien high-tech.
I knew it.
What?
Roswell, Area 51.
I always knew they were
keeping something from us.
"They"?
You know who
I'm talking about.
Black suits, black glasses,
black choppers.
I was in the service.
I know what the guys can do.
Remmy, I never took you
for a conspiracy junkie.
Yeah, well, believe it.
Polaroid cameras, transistors,
fiber optics?
You think we came up with
all of that on our own?
Velcro.
Anyway, that's how this
world advanced its space
program so rapidly.
You really buy this?
Yes! I mean, look,
I became a scientist
because I realized
there was so much
out there I didn't know.
Things I had to find out.
I've gotta try to meet
one of these guys.
I'll pass. I hear they
pack a pretty mean probe.
Yeah, and I'm just gonna
hang out here and lay low,
you know, stay out of sight.
Now you're thinking.
I'll go get us some
food from the diner.
Great.
Now do you want
a Beckett of chicken or
the Maggie-roni and cheese?
Let me see that, are you...
Oh, my God.
Coming up
in the next half hour,
we'll be offering
the Maggie Beckett
silk-touch leg razor.
In a zero gravity
environment of space,
weightless leg hairs
could clog sensitive
equipment.
You'll probably never
have that problem
down here on Earth,
but the Maggie Beckett
silk-touch shaving system
will leave your legs
and underarms silky smooth
without cuts or irritation.
And if you order the Maggie
Beckett Commemorative Plate
within the next 15 minutes,
you will automatically...
Hey!
Ow!
What are you doing?
Let go! I just brought
you some lunch.
You gonna cut my
food for me, too?
I didn't know if you wanted
the "to boldly go" slaw
or the Semper Fries,
so I got you both.
What's with the knife?
Okay, here's the deal.
You're like a legend
on this world,
like Amelia Earhart
or something.
Not me.
Oh, okay, your double is.
But anything to do with
Maggie Beckett is gold.
Now look.
That's right, Teresa,
you must order the Maggie
Beckett Commemorative Plate
within the next 15 minutes.
Made of heavy-duty
Japanese porcelain,
this plate is meticulously
silk-screened
with the insignia of
the Intrepid Mars
mission on one side...
It's 300 bucks for a plate!
Can you imagine how much
a lock of the real Maggie
Beckett hair would go for?
You were gonna
sell my hair?
Well, that guy from
the museum gave me 100
bucks for a toothbrush.
You sold my toothbrush?
It was all chewed up
anyway.
You rotten little weasel!
Come on! Come on,
you've seen how gullible
these people are.
Oh! You sneaky...
We gotta pay for
the hotel somehow.
Who's the victim?
What did you do?
I didn't do anything.
You must have
done something.
They're all riled up.
Maggie Beckett!
Let's get out
of here.
Come on, Maggie!
Oh!
Hey! Hey!
Maggie!
Stay calm. I'm not her!
God, I told her to
stay out of sight.
I'm not your Maggie!
Let me through!
Hey, leave her alone!
You two, come on.
Let's go.
Into the van.
Who's the victim?
How many times
do I gotta apologize?
I didn't even
get to finish my lunch.
I could really go for
one of those blended
Maggie-ritas right now.
Hey, wait. Who's there?
Where are we?
What the hell's
going on here?
I apologize
for the security precautions.
Release them.
Allow me to
introduce myself.
I am
the leader.
Oh, great.
Why would a world
without conspiracies
need men in black?
I don't know.
But we've got less than
12 hours to find out
where they took
Maggie and Mallory.
Why would they
take them?
Somebody must've
recognized Maggie.
And I imagine the government
would have a few questions.
I mean, if one
of their astronauts
who was lost in space
suddenly reentered
the world...
So what are
we talking about?
NASA? The Air Force?
It's a good place to start.
So, you're the leader.
I am.
I'm sorry,
the leader of what?
The National Aeronautics
and Space Administration.
NASA?
Correct.
As I'm sure you
can understand,
we were quite surprised to
have one of our astronauts
mysteriously return
from the dead.
Yeah, well, about that...
Your last known location
was 1.6 million kilometers
from this planet.
And now here you are.
No re-entry vehicle,
no space suit.
Well, you see,
I have an explanation.
I'd like to hear it.
I'm not Maggie Beckett.
I know that I look
very much like her,
but, you see,
this whole thing is
a big misunderstanding.
That was what we
suspected as well.
Perhaps you were simply
perpetrating a hoax for
your own personal gain.
That's it.
Then how do you
explain this?
It's a toothbrush.
Yes. Purchased undercover
from a reliable source
that identified it
as your toothbrush.
A DNA profile of the saliva
on the toothbrush
is an exact match to
the military records
of Lieutenant Colonel
Maggie Beckett.
Welcome home, Colonel.
Yes, I know
Maggie Beckett died.
I wanna know
if you picked up someone
posing as Maggie Beckett.
Well, I don't know why
anyone would do that.
What? Me?
No, I'm just
a concerned citizen.
All right.
I've called the Air Force,
NASA, FBI, the CIA.
Don't tell me that
there's a government
that doesn't keep secrets.
It hasn't been invented.
So what do we do now?
Do we hit the streets?
Oh, this makes me nervous,
but I'm gonna call the cops.
Look, we give them
a description of the van,
tell them that
Maggie is missing.
We might get lucky.
Yes, can you connect me
with the police, please?
Freeze!
Could you hurry, please?
Come on, move it.
Go, move!
Take her outside.
Outside, outside!
Move it. Move!
Let's go.
Come on, get in.
Hurry, hurry.
Let's go, let's go!
Hey, what's with
all the muscle?
Who's in charge here?
That would be me.
What do you want?
The same thing you do,
Mr. Brown.
To find Maggie Beckett.
Why don't you tell me
how you got here?
Your goons grabbed us.
I meant on this planet.
I have a few questions
for you.
Since when does NASA
have a squad of thugs
who drive around in black
vans abducting people?
It's for your own protection.
Oh, yeah? Really?
Well, come to think of it,
I've been in NASA,
and I don't remember
them lighting their
offices like this
or putting bags
over people's heads
or hiring some pasty-faced
mole to give people
the third degree.
And another thing,
what the hell kind of title
is "the leader" anyway?
All right, you got me.
Huh?
I don't really
work for NASA.
Most people would've
believed that lie.
They believe anything
the government tells them.
You have a suspicious mind,
though. I like that.
I suppose it's to be
expected after what
you've been through.
What I've been through?
The big lie, of course.
The cover-up.
Your heroic demise on
the frontiers of space.
But now the world is
going to know the truth.
And you're going to help
me show it to them.
Look, General, if you could
help us find our friends,
we appreciate it.
But there's one
big mixup here.
She's not Maggie Beckett.
Of course she isn't.
Lieutenant Colonel Beckett
died two years ago
when her Intrepid return
vehicle suffered a major
malfunction and disappeared,
a million-and-a-half
kilometers in space.
We may have a fix
on them, sir.
Scanning software has
picked up key phrases
from the scrambled
satellite phone frequency.
Nail it.
What is all this? The troops,
what are you looking for?
Your friend has been
abducted by a very
dangerous man,
if he can even
be called a man.
His very genetic
makeup renders him
a dangerous psychotic.
So what does he want
with our friend?
Well, his paranoid delusions
cause him to see conspiracies
everywhere.
He believes Colonel Beckett
and the other Intrepid
astronauts
didn't die in space.
He thinks we killed them.
What?
He and his followers are
convinced the Intrepid
mission was faked.
That the government
staged the Mars landing
in a Hollywood sound stage,
and then had the astronauts
murdered to prevent them
from revealing the deceit.
So if he thinks our friend
Maggie Beckett
is the real Maggie Beckett,
then his theory falls apart.
She won't
go along with him.
She'll tell anybody
who's listening that
she's no astronaut.
Exactly. That's why she's
more valuable to him dead
than alive.
The skeptic is an
endangered species,
my friends.
For years, those in power
have been spoon-feeding
the people
a steady diet of
the truth, openness,
freedom of information.
It's made us soft.
A society of believers.
How about relationships
based on trust?
They eventually
have to break down.
And you're left unprepared
for the lies that must
inevitably follow.
Like the lie that made me.
What lie is that?
You may have noticed
my unusual appearance.
You could use a little sun.
We were told the Reticulans
would bring us prosperity.
Technology. MRI scanners.
Ball-point pens.
Velcro?
Exactly.
But we weren't told
about the side-effects
their technology would cause.
You're one of those
side-effects?
In the early 1960s,
the government began
using Reticulan DNA
to develop
powerful vaccines
for childhood diseases.
Smallpox, polio, TB,
were virtually wiped
from the face of the earth.
That's a good thing.
Only for about 99.9%
of the population.
But what about the other 0.1%?
What about the children
whose bodies assimilated
the alien DNA into their own,
turning them into
outcasts, freaks?
Oh, sure, I have massively
increased brain capacity,
supernumerary nipples
and many other assets.
But I haven't found many
women who dig the look.
I think you're
really striking.
Save it.
I realized that a government
capable of doing something
like this to its own children
would be capable
of almost anything.
So I founded
this organization,
a secret society devoted
to rooting out the vast
network of conspiracies
that only I had
the vision to see.
Had any luck?
Not until now.
But your lifeless body
will provide the proof
I need.
Okay, time out.
One of your assets must
be that you're insane!
Your sacrifice to the cause
of truth will be remembered,
Colonel Beckett.
Oh, am I glad
to see you guys!
Likewise. Are you okay?
Yeah.
Who's the cavalry?
Dad.
"Dad"?
What are you doing?
Hey!
Stay there!
So you lied when you
said you'd help us.
Maggie!
You can't do this!
Put that down, please.
Yes, sir.
What do you do when
you're forced to confront
something that is,
but cannot be?
It's been my experience
not to rule anything out.
The truth might
surprise you.
Surprise doesn't
cover this.
DNA tests
confirm that you are
Margaret Allison Beckett.
But that woman is dead.
Maybe I'm her twin.
Impossible.
How can you be sure?
Because I was there
when she was born.
I never knew that.
You could be a clone.
But who would have
the technology?
Not that gray-headed
buffoon or his followers.
I'm not a clone, sir.
That's the second time
you've called me "sir."
Are you in the military?
I was.
But you were "sir" to me
long before that.
I don't remember you
having family pictures
in the office before.
You always said it
was unprofessional.
You are not my daughter.
You don't know
how many times
I've tried to convince
myself of that.
Who are you?
I'm Maggie Beckett.
I thought we've already
ruled out that possibility.
Like I told you,
the truth might
surprise you.
Surprise.
I can't believe you
were duped by that tool
of the shadow government!
What makes you any
different from them?
You kidnapped our friends,
you were planning
to kill Maggie!
I didn't want to.
Do you think we didn't
try other means?
All we needed to do
to convince the people
that the government
had deceived them
was to produce
one of the missing
astronauts in the flesh.
Initially, we tried
to grow them in vats.
We tried a variety of
gene-splicing concoctions,
but we could never
get it quite right.
Why go to all the trouble
to prove something you
don't even know is true?
I know it's true.
The government could never
allow the Intrepid Mars
mission to succeed.
It would have opened
the way to the stars,
to the Reticulan Unity.
I might even have gone
to my ancestral home,
to a place where
I would fit in.
But they wouldn't allow it.
What? What is it?
I'm sorry.
It's just that I never
thought I'd get a chance
to meet someone like you.
A freak? A non-human?
No. Someone who could prove
that the universe isn't
one empty place.
And how have I done that?
The proof is in your face.
It's an empty place for me.
Look, we might be
able to help you.
How?
It's a secret.
But it's not what you think.
What is this place?
A room full of ghosts.
Seems like an appropriate
place for us to talk.
I can't believe after
all I've been through,
you still intimidate
me this much.
I've never even met you.
Not on this world.
I've had enough
of this game.
I don't know who you
are or what you want,
but I consider you a threat.
Do you think just because
you have her face
I'll treat you differently?
You've always
treated me differently,
pushed me harder,
demanded more from me.
And you loved me
less for it.
How dare you tell me how
much I loved my daughter.
I don't know how
much you loved her,
but I know how little
you showed her.
You think
I joined the Marines
because I admired you?
I've had enough of this.
Because I wanted to
walk in your footsteps?
I'll tell you something.
I joined the Marines
because the only time you
would even see me was when
I was in that uniform, sir.
I never got a hug,
so I settled for a salute.
Are you trying to hurt me?
Is that what this is?
Some kind of a sick
judgment day?
Show me what
a bad father I was?
You told me
that the only one that can
judge a man is himself.
And I have. Over and over.
My daughter and I
made our peace.
I don't believe you.
Who the hell cares
what you believe!
You're talking
ancient history!
What could possibly
have made you change?
Losing you.
A parent should never
outlive his child.
It's a terrible thing.
After my wife died, you...
Maggie was all I had left.
Then why did you
shove me away?
Dad?
Why just ship me off
to some boarding school
to be raised by strangers?
I don't have to justify
my actions to you.
I wanted my daughter
raised right.
If you want
something done right,
you do it yourself.
I didn't think I could.
Enough of this.
Who are you?
I'm Maggie Beckett.
Stop it!
You asked me how I know
you're not my daughter.
I know because
I watched her die,
right here in this room.
And there wasn't a damn
thing I could do about it!
Sir.
What happened to her?
We didn't lose the
Intrepid in space.
They returned
to Earth alive.
Barely.
Halfway through
their return trajectory,
we noticed a flaw in the
ship's radiation shielding.
They were slowly
being bombarded by lethal
levels of solar radiation.
My God.
And they still had
six months of travel time.
Six months that they
knew they were slowly
being cooked alive.
And we couldn't
do a damn thing.
All we could
do was watch.
I'm sorry.
I didn't want her to go.
I didn't want to risk
losing her, too.
I could have
had her grounded.
Why didn't you?
Because it was her dream.
She'd worked her entire
life for this mission.
And when she got out
of that spacecraft,
my daughter,
on another planet.
I can't tell you how...
How proud I was.
Then why are you
keeping it a secret?
Do you want the world
to remember her like that?
In agony? Out of her head?
She knew the risks.
She'll be remembered
as a hero.
She is a hero.
Enough!
Now that we've established
who you're not,
why don't you tell me
who you really are?
You're visitors from
another dimension?
Pretty crazy, huh?
Perhaps not.
I've had a theory
that the Reticulans
may have used
a trans-dimensional drive
system to make their journey
here from the home world.
Interesting.
That would make
interstellar
travel feasible.
I'd love to hear
your theory.
Well, I suppose I could,
if you like.
If you help us,
we'll give you proof.
It is possible to travel
between universes.
You're asking me to
give up my life's work.
Your Maggie has presented
me with the opportunity
to finally expose one of
the most insidious government
conspiracies of the century.
Conspiracies to do what?
In all the years you've
been looking, have you
found any real evidence
that the government
is up to something?
What do you really want?
To continue some
single-minded crusade
against the government?
Or find the people who
actually helped make you?
Maybe we can
give you that chance.
Listen, we've got about two
hours, and that opportunity
is going to disappear.
Please.
That's an amazing story.
It's true.
In your world,
what happened
to your father?
He was on a diplomatic
mission when his
helicopter was shot down.
Everyone onboard was killed.
Hmm.
I lost six men on that
shoot-down. Fine Marines.
Before the chopper
went down, I...
I never told Maggie
that I loved her.
Just because I never said it.
I've scheduled a press
conference in half an hour.
Why?
To put an end to this.
You're going to tell the
world that you're a fraud.
That you were posing as
Maggie Beckett to cash
in on her good name
and you'll apologize to her
friends and to her family
for the pain you've caused.
And pretend none of
this ever happened?
I won't do it.
You'll do as you're told.
You're not my father.
And even if you were,
I wouldn't do it.
Then you'll sit in
a holding cell until
you change your mind.
And if that means missing
your sliding window,
so be it.
You're sending me
to my room?
Is this the way you
treated your Maggie?
Is this the way you
showed her respect?
I'm letting her
rest in dignity.
You're the one that's
dishonoring her with
this charade, not me.
She's a hero.
For how she lived,
not how she died.
I believe you're
doing this for her.
But this is not what
she would have wanted.
Look at me!
I know that.
Mr. Xybo? How did
you get in here?
I used to work here.
Your friends are
waiting for you.
Rembrandt says you only
have 37 minutes left.
Great. Let's go.
This is it, Pop.
I've, uh, strapped everyone in
and I slaved all the
computers to Houston.
So you should be able to
dock us with ISS from there.
Before I sign off, I...
I just want you to know
that I don't regret a thing.
We did it, Pop.
We walked on another world.
Don't let anyone forget that.
I'll always love you
for letting me go.
Intrepid out.
Why are you doing this?
I was a project engineer
on the Intrepid.
I designed the
radiation shielding
on the return vehicle.
It's not your fault.
Actually, it was.
But I've spent a lot of
time dealing with that.
It's why I started
the museum.
Sort of my penance.
When I saw you there,
I thought it was a sign.
A sign that I had
finally been forgiven.
That, or I was
losing my mind.
Well, you're not
losing your mind.
Well, I know that now.
But it is a sign.
A sign that people
haven't forgotten.
No. They haven't forgotten.
Look who it is!
What kept you guys?
We're right on time.
Got a couple
of minutes to spare.
What's he doing here?
Looks like the leader
had a change of his
six-chambered heart.
Not quite.
You didn't expect me
to believe your ridiculous
story about sliding, did you?
I've heard some whoppers
in my day, but, man...
It's the truth.
The truth is relative.
And I still need you
to create my own.
Back in the van,
all of you.
You said you'd let them go.
How many times
have I told you?
Don't believe
everything you hear.
Hold it! I said hold it!
Hey, what's he saying?
Stand back.
I take complete and sole
responsibility for this
terrible deceit.
I have done a disservice,
both to the people
of this country
and the astronauts
of Intrepid.
So today, I will be releasing
documents and videotape
that will show the true
fate of our astronauts.
What is he doing?
Stealing your thunder.
It will show the true
depth of their character,
their strength, their heroism.
And all the nation
will remember them
the way I have been
privileged to remember them.
That's all I have to say.
Thanks, Pop.
Don't feel bad.
There's still plenty
of secrets to uncover.
Exhibit A.
Don't twist the truth so
much till you forget what
you're really looking for!
Wait! This is yours.
Why don't you keep it?
Thanks.
I want you to do me a favor.
Fix that window for me.
Okay.