Common Descent/Transcript

Episode Guide
Common Descent" Episode Guide

Previously
PREVIOUSLY ON STARGATE UNIVERSE

[Excerpts of 2.03 "Awakening", 2.12 "Twin Destinies" and other episodes are shown.]

TEASER

INT&mdash;DESTINY CORRIDOR

[Brody and two others inspect a tank of foamy liquid they have ejected from the wall.]

BRODY We're down to about twenty percent efficiency here.

[He pushes a button, and the tank withdraws into the wall.]

BRODY That's about all we're going to get. Moving on.

INT&mdash;DESTINY CORRIDOR

[TJ finds Young walking down the corridor.]

TJ Sir!

YOUNG TJ.

TJ Hey, I've had a number of people reporting headaches. A couple cases of nausea and dizziness. I don't know if they're related, but both cases are sleeping in Fourth Floor C quarters.

YOUNG Yeah, something on this bucket is always broken. Rush and Brody are working on it. We need more lime for the air filters.

[The ship drops out of FTL.]

YOUNG (into radio) This is Young. What have we got?

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

VOLKER (into radio) Un, two 'gates. One is locked out, the other looks promising.

INT&mdash;DESTINY CORRIDOR

YOUNG (into radio) I'll send a team.

INT&mdash;DESTINY OBSERVATION DECK

[Chloe and Wray are sitting in chairs chatting when Eli enters, interrupting them.]

WRAY Whatever you decide to do, I think&mdash;

ELI Hey.

WRAY Oh, hey.

ELI They just reported back. Looks like the planet may have some of the supplies we need.

CHLOE Oh, I don't supposed they found any of those purple fruit we got a while back.

WRAY Oh yeah, yeah.

ELI You like those? Those are awful.

CHLOE Oh yeah, they tasted terrible.

WRAY Hmmm.

ELI So, why do you ask?

[Chloe and Wray exchange smiles.]

ELI Why am I always the last one to know? What were they good for?

[Wray laughs. Out the view screen, Chloe sees something move.]

CHLOE Hey, did you see that?

ELI No, no, you can't just change the subject.

CHLOE No, seriously. Look!

[She stands and goes to the window; the others follow.]

CHLOE Something moved out there.

[Two others have joined them.]

CHLOE (pointing) There!

[There is a ship approaching, but it blends in almost completely with the background stars.]

WRAY What is it?

[As it gets closer, it resolves into multiple ships.]

ELI Those are drones.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The drones approach Destiny and start firing on her.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY OBSERVATION DECK

ELI We're under attack!

[He runs out, leaving the others staring in horror.]

END TEASER

OPENING CREDIT

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Young, Greer, and Scott come running into the bridge, where sparks are flying due to the attack.]

YOUNG Evasive maneuvers!

SCOTT (going to a station) Executing evasive maneuvers!

GREER Weapons active!

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The drones speed past Destiny, firing. One is destroyed by Destiny's guns.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

GREER Got one!

YOUNG How many are left?

GREER Five.

PARK There has to be a command ship in the vicinity.

SCOTT Which means a lot more could be on the way.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Another drone is taken out, but it crashes into Destiny and damages the hull.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

[Eli comes running in just as an explosion rocks the area.]

ELI Whoa, that can't be good!

RUSH We're taking some minor damage. I'm re-routing power to shields and weapons.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Greer mans the weapons station.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny takes out another drone.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

SCOTT Nice shot. You're getting pretty good at that.

GREER Bring it on.

PARK Let's hope they don't. Maybe we can handle six of them, but we can't jump back into FTL for another two hours and ten minutes.

[The weapons display shows no other drones.]

GREER That's all of them.

[An alarm sounds.]

SCOTT Wait a minute, not exactly. The command ship just came up on sensors. It's on an intercept course.

YOUNG Put him on our six; give me maximum acceleration.

SCOTT Yes, sir.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny turns and accelerates.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

SCOTT All right, command ship is still gaining, but just barely. All right, if we can keep this up until we can jump&mdash;

PARK We can't. Not a chance. We'd blow the engines.

YOUNG (getting up) Buy as much time as you can.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[Young has joined Rush and Eli.]

YOUNG What the hell happened? I thought we left drone-occupied space a long time ago.

ELI Apparently, we were wrong.

RUSH No, weren't.

ELI You think they've been tracking us somehow? Coming after us?

YOUNG How?

RUSH I'm not sure.

YOUNG You think it has something to do with the one we have on board?

RUSH I've considered that. I thought it might be worth the risk. You know, to study it.

ELI It's totally dormant.

YOUNG Get rid of it.

[Rush nods.]

INT&mdash;BRIDGE

PARK (into radio) Colonel Young, this is Park. The Destiny just cut off power to the sub-light, probably to prevent a burn-out. Do you want me to override?

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

RUSH (to Young) I wouldn't recommend it.

YOUNG (into radio) That's a negative. How about the command ship?

INT&mdash;BRIDGE

PARK They've slowed as well, but still closing. ETA is less than one hour.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

YOUNG (into radio) Understood. (to Rush) How long until we jump?

RUSH An hour. We're cutting it close.

ELI We've jumped early before.

RUSH And the damage it caused is precisely the reason why we can't attempt that again now.

YOUNG I don't think we can sustain another full-on attack.

RUSH You'd better hope that we can.

INT&mdash;DOCKING COLLAR

[Scott, Greer, Brody and others set the drone down on the deck.]

SCOTT Set her down. Okay, let's move.

[They leave and close the hatch.]

SCOTT (into radio) All right, I've sealed off the area by the docking collar.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

RUSH (to Eli) Okay, open the outer door.

[Eli operates some controls.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The docking outer door opens, and the drone is propelled out by the air that's released. It travels along the ship's side until Destiny's weapon destroys it.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY CONTROL ROOM

ELI Destroying that drone only helps us if we make it to the next jump, assuming it's how they tracked us in the first place. Sorry. Just panicking out loud.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny moves on its own momentum. The drone command ship follows it.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Young returns.]

YOUNG What's our status?

SCOTT The command ship's just coming into range.

[Young watches the countdown clock.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The command ship launches many drones toward Destiny.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[An alarm sounds.]

VOLKER Okay.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

ELI We're not gonna make it.

[Rush's display shows the drones approaching.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[The wave of drones approaches. Some begin firing on Destiny.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

PARK Sir?!

[Sparks start flying around the bridge.]

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[Explosions rock the area.]

INT&mdash;BRIDGE

SCOTT We're taking a lot of damage, sir. We can't hold them off.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

ELI Now! We have to jump now.

RUSH Not yet. Transferring all remaining power to the shields.

[There are more explosions.]

INT&mdash;BRIDGE

[The countdown clock turns red.]

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[Rush sees the clock.]

RUSH (into radio) Hold on!

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny jumps to FTL, destroying nearby drones in the process.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

YOUNG Shut off those damn alarms!

[Park does so.]

YOUNG How bad is it?

VOLKER Well, we're still here.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies through FTL.]

INT&mdash;MESS

[Eli sits down with Scott, Greer, and Chloe.]

ELI That was close.

CHLOE Yeah. How are the repairs going?

ELI Could be worse, I guess. We could use a few more of those robots.

SCOTT Shoot, you're luck you have two.

ELI No, we're lucky we're still alive. This ship can't possibly hold up against another attack like that.

SCOTT Well, hopefully they can't track us anymore.

ELI Don't you hate having to start that sentence with 'hopefully'?

INT&mdash;BRIDGE

[Volker studies a tactical display. Rush is now on the bridge.]

VOLKER We have a planet coming into range.

BRODY It appears Destiny wants to drop out of FTL.

YOUNG Override it.

BRODY We need lyme for life support. This planet might be a good candidate to have it.

RUSH Well, we can't stay in FTL forever.

YOUNG I'd much rather the ship be in a better state of repair.

RUSH Well, we've dealt with the most critical issues. Look, I can't guarantee it's going to be safe. But I can guarantee, if we don't stop pretty soon, we're going to have trouble breathing.

YOUNG Okay. (to Volker) Drop out.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny drops out of FTL.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

YOUNG Please tell me there's no more drones in range.

VOLKER Screens are clear. For now, anyway.

INT&mdash;GATE ROOM

[The Stargate is active. A kino is sent through. Scott, Greer, and other marines are geared up. Eli checks the kino output.]

SCOTT What have we got?

ELI Good atmosphere, temperature. Trees. It's nice.

SCOTT Okay. Let's go.

[Eli watches them go through.]

EXT&mdash;STARGATE ON PLANET, DAY

[They four arrive.]

SCOTT (into radio) This is Scott. We're going to check out the immediate vicinity of the 'gate. Have Brody and his team standing by.

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

ELI (into radio) Roger that.

EXT&mdash;STARGATE ON PLANET, DAY

SCOTT Secure the perimeter!

[They spread out. Greer hears something in the bushes and raises his machine gun.]

SCOTT What is it?

GREER I think I heard something.

[Scott covers Greer as he moves forward. Suddenly a young man and woman emerge from the shrubs, jogging.]

SCOTT Stop! Freeze! Halt!

[The team all aim their weapons and the pair.]

JASON (dropping his knife) Ah, don't shoot.

SCOTT You speak English.

ELLIE You came through the 'gate. Oh my God, I know you. You-you're Matthew Scott! And you're Ronald Greer.

SCOTT (suspicious) How do you know our names?

JASON You are the ancestors.

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny moves at sub-light speed.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY MESS

[The main crew has gathered.]

WRAY They call them the ancestors. Why would they say that?

YOUNG According to Scott, they claim that their civilization was founded two thousand years ago, by the crew of the Destiny. They said it was in their historical archives. They even had copies of old kino footage, and that's how they were able to recognize Scott and Greer.

TJ How is it possible?

ELI The other Destiny. They dialed inside a star, right? And the whole ship went back in time, what, twelve hours? When that happened, there was two of everyone. You, me&hellip;everyone. We thought that most of them died in the unstable wormhole trying to get back to Earth. But what if they didn't die? What if the wormhole sent them even further back. You know, solar flares can do that. Cause a wormhole to loop back on itself and move through time.

WRAY Yeah, but it didn't loop back on itself.

RUSH There was no Destiny here two thousand years ago. The wormhole simply jumped to another 'gate in the vicinity.

ELI This is unbelievable. Those people are our descendants.

YOUNG Eli, we didn't go back in time.

ELI Well, no, not us, exactly, but the other us. Same DNA. Oh, come on. Am I the only person here who thinks this could be the coolest thing ever?

[No one speaks up.]

ELI Fine. Don't you at least want to know what happened to them? How they survived and developed as a society?

CHLOE You played a lot of Sim City as a kid, didn't you.

ELI Actually, this is more like Sim Earth. Come on, we have to go talk to these people.

YOUNG (to Rush) Still no sign of any drones?

RUSH No, we should be safe enough here at the moment. But please, let's not lose sight of why we dropped out in the first place.

ELI Lyme for the scrubbers, yeah, I know. I know.

YOUNG All right.

EXT&mdash;STARGATE ON PLANET, DAY

[Eli, Chloe, and Wray come through the active Stargate. Jason and Ellie look at them in wonder.]

SCOTT Hey uh, everyone, this is Jason and Ellie.

ELI Hello.

JASON You're Eli Wallace.

[Eli sighs out a yes.]

ELLIE Chloe Armstrong and Camille Wray.

WRAY Pleased to meet you.

JASON I don't even know how this is possible. You're all dead. Thousands of years ago.

ELI Yes and no. There's a perfectly good explanation.

ELLIE Well, the Testament did say that the Destiny might someday return.

ELI The other me could have guessed we'd gone back in time.

JASON You have to come and meet the others. The settlement's not far.

SCOTT Okay, sure, lead the way.

JASON I'll radio ahead and make sure they know we're coming.

WRAY You have radios?

JASON Of course.

ELLIE No one's going to believe this. They're totally going to freak out when they see you.

[Everyone chuckles. They start to walk.]

ELI This is so cool.

EXT&mdash;WOODS ON PLANET, DAY

[The group walks toward the settlement.]

ELLIE When we first heard you come through the 'gate, we thought maybe you were from Novus.

SCOTT What's Novus?

JASON The planet where you founded our civilization two thousand years ago.

CHLOE You mean, this isn't it?

JASON This place? No. Our people came here as part of an expedition. One of several sent to find other viable worlds.

ELI So, you use 'gate travel?

JASON We did. But then one day something happened, and we couldn't connect to Novus anymore. And no other 'gate's in range.

WRAY So, you've been stranded here. How long ago did that happen?

ELLIE It was before Jason and I were even born&hellip; It's just up this way over here.

EXT&mdash;SETTLEMENT, DAY

[The settlement has a tall radio tower, but the structures are simple tents. Power is provided by an ad-hoc solar array set-up. Children run and play while other people dig.]

SCOTT Hi.

[The children, who appear Asian, run away.]

SCOTT Oh, hey, hey, it's okay. Don't be afraid.

[The group enters the village. Everyone starts to notice them.]

WRAY Hello.

[An older man steps forward.]

YAOZU Incredible.

JASON This is Yaozu.

WRAY That was my father's name. I'm Camille Wray.

[The shake hands.]

YAOZU It is an honor to meet you.

WRAY Likewise.

YAOZU Come in, please.

[He leads them to a large tent, one side open to the outdoors. The villagers gather there to watch.]

WRAY Thank you.

INT&mdash;SETTLEMENT TENT

[An older man and two older women are inside.]

YAOZU May I introduce Landon, Abigail, and Betty.

[The people nod in greeting.]

WRAY Hello.

YAOZU Would you care for some tea?

WRAY Yes, yes, thank you.

YAOZU Will you sit?

SCOTT Sure, why not.

ELI Sitting is good.

[They sit at the long table in modern chairs. Betty brings a tray with cups of tea.]

WRAY Oh, thank you.

GREER Thank you.

BETTY (to Greer) You're even more handsome in person.

[Greer smiles and laughs, a bit embarrassed.]

GREER (to the others) Betty seems nice.

WRAY (sipping the tea) Hmm. Oh, that's good! Thank you.

YAOZU Most of us, myself included, never imagined this day would come.

ELI Uh, Ellie said the Testament spoke of Destiny's return. If that's some sort of written history, I'd love to take a look at it. If I could figure out&mdash;

WRAY Eli. There's time.

[Eli stops, chastened.]

YAOZU You have questions for us. We have questions for you as well. But first, let me begin with some ancient words of greeting.

[He holds up his tea cup, and the others follow suit.]

YAOZU Speaks Chinese. Which means&hellip;

WRAY Roughly, um, may all things go according to the wishes of those who hear it.

YAOZU That's right.

[They all drink.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny moves at sub-light speed.]

INT&mdash;YOUNG'S QUARTERS ON DESTINY

[Wray briefs Young.]

WRAY There are about a hundred people in this settlement, and a couple of others just like it scattered in the vicinity of the 'gate.

YOUNG Well, that's not much of a civilization.

WRAY But they claim that Novus, the planet they came from, has a population in the millions. And from the sounds of it, they were fairly advanced technologically.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

[The scientists discuss what has happened.]

VOLKER Obviously, they had a head start. I mean, they had our knowledge.

PARK Did they know they'd gone back in time?

ELI No, but apparently, the other me suspected it was possible. I wrote that one day, Destiny could return.

PARK Still, they must have been pretty surprised to see you.

INT&mdash;DESTINY CORRIDOR

[The military people are gathered.]

PARK How long have they been there?

SCOTT Thirty years.

[Everyone reacts with shock.]

SCOTT They were looking for other viable planets, because their home world was suffering some kind of a, uh, natural disasters. Volcanoes, earthquakes or something like that. But, I don't know, they said it was getting pretty bad.

INT&mdash;YOUNG'S QUARTERS

WRAY And there was a fair amount of political tension.

YOUNG Not surprising.

WRAY Oh, but get this. There were two predominant countries on Novus. Each based on a distinct political philosophy.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

ELI And the people in the expedition were all from one country, called Tenera. They follow the teachings of this book, the Testament, which apparently some of us wrote.

PARK Wait, Tenera. That's Ancient. That means 'the land of the young'.

BRODY Or, the land of Young.

ELI There was also another group of evacuees, who blamed the other me for what happened. (more quietly, as Rush is nearby working) They thought Rush was still on board Destiny and would one day come and rescue them. Eventually, he became some kind of a savior figure. They broke off and formed a country of their own.

BRODY Called, let me guess, Russia?

[They chuckle.]

VOLKER That's funny.

ELI They called it Futura.

VOLKER (displeased) Really?

BRODY What's wrong with Futura?

VOLKER It's a dumb name.

BRODY Yeah? How is it dumb?

ELI (trying not to laugh, indicating Brody) Apparently, he came up with it.

INT&mdash;YOUNG'S QUARTERS

WRAY These people we met believed that the Stargate on Novus was either damaged or destroyed in a subsequent earthquake.

YOUNG Right. So they have no idea what happened on their home world.

WRAY No.

INT&mdash;CONTROL ROOM

ELI (taking a small square object from his pocket) And check this out. It's a databank. Compatible with Destiny's technology.

[He gives it to Park.]

PARK It has copies of kino video clips the evacuees made their first few years on the planet. It's us!

VOLKER It's the other us.

ELI Apparently, to the people of Novus, the original kino's a holy artifact. Like the Dead Sea Scrolls.

RUSH (walking over) Look, are we going to get the supplies we need, or not?

ELI Yeah, they're helping us gather all kinds of stuff.

RUSH Good. Then perhaps something useful will come out of this after all.

[He leaves. Park sighs then turns to Brody.]

PARK I can't believe you helped found an entire country based on the hopes that he would come and rescue you.

VOLKER I can't believe you named it Futura.

BRODY Shut up.

VOLKER Seriously, isn't that a font?

EXT&mdash;STARGATE ON PLANET, DAY

[The 'gate is active, and the local population helps the Destiny crew prepare boxes and backpacks full of materials to send through. Scott instructs a crewman.]

SCOTT All right, this right here? Medicinal. Food. Food. (to a local) Okay, thank you very much. (to soldier) This also goes to the back room. All right, there's a station set up in the 'gate room. Okay? Make it happen.

[Personnel are carrying supplies into the wormhole on makeshift stretchers.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

[James oversees the incoming people and supplies.]

JAMES Holt. Hydroponics&hellip; Just place it right over there.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Wray leads some of the descendants on a tour of the ship.]

WRAY This&hellip;is our bridge.

JASON This is awesome!

VOLKER (to Park) He said awesome.

WRAY I'd like you to meet Dr. Rush.

RUSH Hello.

[The descendants become quiet and uncomfortable and look at the floor.]

RUSH I was just leaving, actually&hellip; (walking out) Well, you can stay as long as you like. I'm sure Drs. Volker and Park have many amusing stories to fascinate you with.

[He looks back, and Ellie and Jason turn away from him.]

WRAY Um, is everything all right?

YAOZU There are those somewhat less enlightened among our people who believe he is a demon, who rips souls from human bodies and takes them to hell, where they suffer for all eternity.

[Wray is at a loss for words.]

PARK Oh it's funny how things have a way of getting twisted and exaggerated over time.

VOLKER Well, others don't.

WRAY Uh, he's not that bad.

ELLIE Many Futurans worship him like a god!

WRAY We&hellip;won't tell him that.

INT&mdash;KINO ROOM

[Eli puts the memory disk into the control station while Chloe and TJ look on. At first there is static.]

CHLOE I thought you said it was compatible.

ELI Nothing ever works the way it's supposed to.

[The playback picture clears up and shows Eli stepping in front of the kino camera. He's wearing his usual clothing.]

ELI There.

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, DAY

ALTERNATE ELI (on camera) This is the spot where we're going to break ground. Hard to imagine now, but one day, hopefully, this will all be one big city. Oh, and we took a final vote last night to name the planet. I suggested it should be something Ancient. Volker said 'Novus Mundus', which means 'New World'. While appropriate, nobody really liked the sound of 'Mundus', except Volker. Anyway, 'Novus' ended up winning out. Which, it's kind of strange. 'Cause it just-it means 'New'. Like, new what? Well, new everything, I guess&hellip; So, Novus it is.

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

[The Stargate has shut down. There are piles of supplies, including baskets of food, which Destiny personnel are sorting through. Wray returns with the descendants.]

WRAY And, here we are back at the 'gate room.

JASON This ship is incredible.

WRAY Well, it has its flaws.

YAOZU Thank you for showing us around.

WRAY You're welcome. And thank you for your people's help gathering supplies. They will serve us well for some time.

ELLIE You've been so kind and patient answering all our questions.

WRAY My pleasure.

YAOZU We only have one more thing to ask of you.

WRAY Of course. What is it?

YAOZU Will you take us home?

[Wray stands shocked.]

JASON We haven't been able to dial the 'gate. That doesn't mean that all of Novus is destroyed.

ELLIE Just that the 'gate isn't working.

JASON This ship could take us there.

WRAY All of you?

YAOZU We were supposed to build a colony. But only with the help of our home world that an open 'gate would provide, and ongoing support and supplies.

WRAY I understand that, but&mdash;

ELLIE We're surviving, but just barely.

YAOZU We have struggled through great hardship. It's hard to imagine the beliefs of the Futurans could be so close to the truth. But here you are, all of you, come to rescue us.

INT&mdash;YOUNG'S QUARTERS

[Wray, Eli, Young, and Rush are together.]

ELI Shouldn't we try and help them? Forget the relationship. They're human beings! Imagine if the situation were reversed, and it was us asking them for help.

WRAY And we did. And despite the fact that they barely have enough to survive on their own, they've helped us gather everything we need. And more.

RUSH Yeah, because they thought we were their way off that planet.

YOUNG Well, correct me if I am wrong, but we can't take that many people on board, even if we want to.

[Rush shakes his head 'no', agreeing with Young.]

ELI Based on the address, I figured out where Novus is. It would only take us a week to get there.

[Rush stares at him in shock.]

ELI And yes, yes, I've done the math. With the lyme we got from the planet, we should be able to make it just before the atmosphere on the ship gets toxic.

RUSH Yeah, with nothing in reserve. So what happens if we get there and we don't find any more. We're stuck. And that's not to mention the drain on our food and water supplies.

ELI These people were advanced thirty years ago. They could be even more advanced now. Hell, maybe they could even help us restore the ship to its full working capacity!

RUSH Or, they could have died in subsequent earthquakes. I mean, did they even know what was causing the problem in the first place?

WRAY According to Yaozu, their scientists were beginning to form a theory before the expedition was launched. They had evidence to suggest that a rogue black hole was approaching their solar system.

[Eli lowers his head in disappointment.]

YOUNG I take it that's not good.

[Rush shakes his head.]

ELI The resulting tidal forces could tear the whole system apart.

YOUNG So, we could use all our supplies to get them there and find no planet.

ELI It might not have happened yet. It could take hundreds of years.

RUSH Please. Let's not forget, we still don't know how those drones tracked us. Now, until we figure that out, our best form of defense is to spend as little time out of FTL as possible. The last thing we need right now is an unnecessary drain on our resources.

[Young takes a moment to decide.]

YOUNG The planet's nearby. So, we check it out. If they are still alive, maybe we can help them fix the gate, and they can rescue their own people.

[Rush nods; Eli is disappointed.]

WRAY Is that your final decision?

YOUNG Let's finish loading the supplies.

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, NIGHT

[The kino footage shows the Alternate TJ, Wray and Chloe beside a camp fire. TJ is screaming in pain while the women help her; she is in labor.]

ALTERNATE TJ Eli, get that thing out of my face!

ALTERNATE ELI Sorry, sorry, sorry, sorry.

INT&mdash;DESTINY KINO ROOM

[Eli, Chloe, and TJ watch the recording.]

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, NIGHT

[Alternate Chloe rubs Alternate TJ on the back. Alternate Wray checks Alternate TJ under the blanket.]

ALTERNATE WRAY Yeah, it's time. On the next contraction, I want you to push, okay?

INT&mdash;DESTINY KINO ROOM

[TJ and Chloe are fascinated by what they are seeing; TJ is teary-eyed]

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, NIGHT

[Alternate TJ screams over and over.]

ALTERNATE WRAY Keep pushing! Keep pushing! Keep pushing!

ALTERNATE TJ I'm pushing! Where is he?

ALTERNATE CHLOE Matt said they were scouting the place for an irrigation canal. That was hours ago.

ALTERNATE WRAY He's going to be here.

INT&mdash;DESTINY KINO ROOM

[TJ is crying. Chloe goes to stand behind her and puts her hands on TJ's shoulders.]

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, NIGHT

ALTERNATE WRAY He's going to be here, all right? Just stay focused.

ALTERNATE TJ Okay.

ALTERNATE WRAY Deep breath and then push. Now!

[TJ screams and pushes. Alternate Young arrives and rushes to TJ.]

ALTERNATE YOUNG Hey! Honey!

[The speak reassurances to each other.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY KINO ROOM

[TJ smiles wistfully at the images.]

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, NIGHT

[Alternate Scott has arrived, and Alternate Eli is visible in the kino frame. Alternate Young kisses Alternate TJ on the cheek.]

ALTERNATE WRAY I can feel the baby's head.

ALTERNATE TJ Okay.

ALTERNATE WRAY On the next contraction, I want you to give one big push, okay?

ALTERNATE TJ Okay.

[She waits for the contraction and starts pushing, also screaming. After a moment, Alternate Wray smiles and looks down beneath the blanket. Alternate Young looks too.]

ALTERNATE WRAY It's a boy!

INT&mdash;DESTINY KINO ROOM

[TJ smiles in relief.]

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, NIGHT

ALTERNATE YOUNG A boy!

[He kisses Alternate TJ on the lips. The baby cries. Alternate Eli directs the kino to point at him. He is crying.]

ALTERNATE ELI The first baby's born on Novus!

[The kino is pointed again at Alternate TJ. Alternate Wray wraps the baby and hands him to Alternate Young. Alternate Scott and Chloe look on. Alternate Young hands the baby to Alternate TJ. Alternate Young kisses here again.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY KINO ROOM

[TJ puts her hand on Eli's shoulder while Chloe holds her.]

EXT&mdash;NOVUS, DAY

[There is new kino footage. The village how has permanent wooden buildings. Alternate Eli is dressed in a buttoned shirt and has shorter hair.]

ALTERNATE ELI We've been here&hellip;ten years now. Our little town's coming along.

[A child runs past him.]

ALTERNATE ELI Some of us even have children. It's been a struggle, at times. But&hellip;it's been kind of fun trying to find ways to make this work. I just wish my mother could see what I've done. Meet her grandson&hellip; That's my only real regret in all this.

[Later, the settlers are gathered listening to Alternate Young, who is much older now. The village is still built with wooden structures.]

ALTERNATE YOUNG I remember when we first came here, it was&hellip; Well, it feels like a long time ago now. We had very little. It was really hard. But, I think it brought us together. Now everything we have here, we have built with our own hands. And now, we stand at a precipice. Some of us want to divide. Sure, yes, we-we have our issues, and we have our differences, but we can't lose perspective. As your leader, I may not have been perfect. I know that, but I know that I&mdash;I tried my best, and that I persevered. Now as a group, we will survive. We will prosper, as long as we can remember above anything else, that we need each other. And we need to help each other.

INT&mdash;DESTINY KINO ROOM

[Young has joined the viewing. Eli looks to him.]

YOUNG No, it doesn't change anything here and now.

ELI I just thought that it might sway your decision. Seeing that they are us. As much as we'd like to ignore their problems, we're all human beings. We have a responsibility to each other, don't we?

YOUNG Well, unfortunately, what we should do and what we can do are too far apart. We'll stop by their home planet, and we'll&hellip;see what happened.

[Eli nods reluctantly.]

ELI I'd like to say goodbye.

YOUNG Sure.

EXT&mdash;SETTLEMENT ON PLANET, DAY

[The villagers are gathered around Eli and Wray; Scott and Greer are nearby.]

WRAY It's not a question of not wanting to help. It's a question of resources. There's so many of you, and the ship's damaged, and&hellip; I'm so sorry.

YAOZU So, it seems the Futurans were wrong, after all. I only wish we'd known sooner. We could have avoided generations of conflict.

ELI We may be able to get the Novus gate up and running again. If we can, we'll dial in and let you know.

JASON We'll be waiting.

[They hear an explosion.]

WRAY What was that?

SCOTT Eli?

ELI I don't know.

GREER Over there!

[He points, and they look up to see a drone fly overhead.]

WRAY Oh my God.

JASON What? What was that?

ELI We need to get the hell out of here now!

SCOTT Is there a safe place to hide? A cave?

YAOZU Not nearby.

ELI We have to get to the 'gate.

SCOTT You need to evacuate your people, right now.

YAOZU I don't understand!

GREER Incoming!

SCOTT Go, go, go, go go! Run! Now!

[The villagers start running in all directions, the Destiny crew urging them along. The drone fires on the village, hitting the generator and the radio tower, which falls over. Greer fires at it with his machine gun as it passes.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Many drones are attacking Destiny.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Sparks are flying again.]

YOUNG Report!

PARK The command ship just jumped out.

YOUNG Can we jump?

VOLKER Yeah, we're good.

YOUNG (into radio) Brody, this is Young. Dial the planet. Get Scott's team back here immediately.

BRODY (over radio) They just dialed in. Drones are attacking the planet as well. Scott's requesting permission to evacuate the locals to Destiny.

[Young pauses for a moment.]

YOUNG Tell him to go ahead. We'll hold them off as long as we can.

EXT&mdash;STARGATE ON PLANET, DAY

[The Stargate is active. The Destiny crew members are yelling at the population to run through it.]

SCOTT Come on, come on, go go go!

[A girl falls; Eli helps her up.]

SCOTT (to Eli and Wray) Go, go, go; we got this!

ELI No way!

WRAY Not until these people are safe!

[Scott raises his weapon as people continue running through the 'gate.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY GATE ROOM

[James is receiving the evacuees.]

JAMES Come on, guys, keep coming through. Here, keep coming! Don't bunch up!

INT&mdash;BRIDGE

[Rush runs in.]

YOUNG How the hell did they find us?

RUSH I don't now.

EXT&mdash;STARGATE ON PLANET, DAY

[A drone is lining up for another pass.]

SCOTT To the left! To the left! Come on!

WRAY Get down! Get down!

[A shot hits behind the group. Scott and Greer fire on it. One villager is blown sideways by a blast. One blast hits the Stargate. Finally Scott hits the drone, and it crashes beyond the trees. Other drones fly past but don't fire. Scott looks up to see a large chunk missing from the Stargate itself. The wormhole has shut down. Scott and the others slump where they stand.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Sparks are flying.]

RUSH We can't take much more of this!

BRODY (over radio) Colonel, we've lost the connection to the planet. Scott and his team still haven't come through.

YOUNG (into radio) Well, try to dial them. Find out what happened!

BRODY (over radio) We tried already! The address won't connect.

VOLKER The 'gate is now saying it's no longer operational.

[Rush goes to Volker's station, which confirms the lost 'gate.]

RUSH Okay, that's it. We have to go.

YOUNG Make the jump.

PARK Colonel!

YOUNG Do it!

[Park turns back to her station.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny jumps to FTL.]

EXT&mdash;SETTLEMENT ON PLANET, DAY

[Those remaining on the planet assess the damage.]

ELI I hate to be the one to say this, but we're stranded here.

WRAY Well, even if we can't use the 'gate, Destiny can still come back for us.

[Scott and Eli exchange looks.]

WRAY What?

SCOTT They're under attack as well. The ship was already damaged. Even if they got away, they wouldn't be able to risk it.

WRAY But the drones are gone.

ELI They don't know that. And without the 'gate, we have no way to tell them.

JASON What were those things?

SCOTT Robot ships. There's no pilots.

[Jason doesn't seem to understand.]

ELI A mechanical army of drones. Programmed to seek out and destroy all technology foreign to them.

JASON They took out our generators and long-range transmitter.

WRAY They were built to win a war between two alien races in this galaxy. When the war was over, the weapons were left behind.

ELLIE Why would they come here?

ELI That might be our fault.

WRAY We encountered them a while ago. It seems they've been tracking us ever since.

ELI We thought we'd lost them, but apparently not. They're chasing Destiny.

GREER That still doesn't explain how they found us here.

ELI (realizing) The 'gate! An active 'gate is a massive sub-space event. They must have found a way to detect it from long range.

WRAY You said there were more settlements nearby. Do they have generators and other technology as well?

JASON We have to warn them.

[He and Ellie run off.]

GREER It's probably too late.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

RUSH It has to be the active 'gate. Every time we drop out, we dial.

VOLKER We've been broadcasting our positions though sub-space.

RUSH It's the only thing that would explain why they attacked the planet and Destiny at the same time.

YOUNG So, we are safe as long as we don't dial.

PARK But the 'gate is our supply line.

RUSH Well, we can use a shuttle in the meantime as necessary.

VOLKER The drone's ability to detect an active 'gate must have some limitation.

RUSH Well, we'll have to do the calculations, but I agree, we should be able to use the 'gates again at some point.

PARK Okay, what about the team on the planet?

RUSH We don't even know if they're still alive.

VOLKER Don't we have to take that chance?

RUSH What, risk the ship and everyone on board?

[Volker and Park stare blankly at Rush.]

YOUNG He's right.

[Dismayed, Park turns and leaves.]

INT&mdash;OPEN STORAGE AREA

[TJ and others from Destiny treat and take care of the evacuees who made it through. TJ puts a sling on a young woman's arm; Yaozu helps her. Young enters and approaches them.]

YOUNG (to Yaozu) Listen, I'm sorry. We're um, we're not going back.

[Yaozu is shocked but doesn't reply.]

EXT&mdash;NEAR STARGATE ON PLANET, DAY

[Eli works on the base of the broken 'gate using small instruments. Scott arrives.]

SCOTT Camille said you were out here. What are you doing?

ELI Uh, got an idea, wanted to check something out.

SCOTT I'm assuming this thing's never going to dial again.

ELI Ha! No.

SCOTT So, what's your plan?

ELI Gates use short-range sub-space transmitters. It's how they communicate status updates with Destiny before it even drops out or dials. And I was thinking, maybe we can use it. Send a message, tell them the drones are gone, it's safe to pick us up.

SCOTT Won't the signal call the drones back?

ELI I would like to say "no". The signal is several thousand times fainter than the event caused by an active wormhole.

SCOTT But you can't know for sure.

ELI It's a calculated risk.

SCOTT But if the signal's that faint, will it even reach Destiny? They've probably already jumped into FTL by now.

ELI No, it should reach them, if they haven't gone too far.

SCOTT So, this is a total crap shoot.

ELI It&mdash; Pretty much&hellip; So far, I haven't even figured out how to send a message. All I can do is turn this stupid thing off and on.

[He pulls on a wire to demonstrate. Scott looks thoughtful.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[The display in front of Volker flashes green around the shape of a 'gate.]

BRODY Mundus?

VOLKER Yeah. Ancient for world. Novus Mundus: New World.

BRODY It sounds stupid.

VOLKER Yeah, and Futura sounds cool.

BRODY Yeah, obviously it's a matter of opinion.

[Park and Young enter.]

PARK It's a font.

YOUNG What have we got?

BRODY I'm not sure. Have a look.

[The display shows a blinking green gate symbol.]

BRODY It just started blinking like that. I'm not sure what it means.

[Young watches for a few seconds. The blinking appears to have a pattern.]

YOUNG I do. (into radio) This is Young. Rush, Chloe, I need you on the bridge, now.

VOLKER It's Morse Code!

EXT&mdash;SETTLEMENT ON PLANET, DAY

[Eli comes out of a tent, yawning. Wray is sitting beside a campfire.]

WRAY Morning.

ELI Morning.

WRAY I'm starting to get the feeling that we may have to settle in here for good.

ELI Hmm. One more shot.

[Scott comes running into camp.]

SCOTT Eli! Hey, hey. You did it.

ELI I did?

[Other villagers hear the commotion and gather around.]

SCOTT It worked.

ELI How do you know?

[A Destiny shuttle comes flying over the camp. Greer smiles. Wray runs to Eli and hugs him. A second shuttle flies over. Everyone laughs and cheers.]

WRAY You did it!

SCOTT Colonel Young said we're going to take these people home.

[The settlers hug, as do Greer and Wray.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE

[Destiny flies through FTL.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY MESS

[Airmen are serving food to the crowded mess hall. Eli takes some and goes to sit with Scott, Park, and others.]

ELI (making his way) Sorry. Thanks.

[Eli sits down.]

ELI I know I said I wanted to help these people, but I've got to be honest. I'm glad we're almost there.

SCOTT I think it's been kind of fun!

PARK Don't tell that to Rush. He's been even grumpier than usual. He says the CO2 they're producing has completely offset the extra lyme we brought on board. When they leave, we'll just be right back to where we started.

CHLOE Some of them are saying they'd like to stay.

ELI I know. You think Colonel Young will let them?

SCOTT I guess it depends on how many.

TJ Do you think their planet's going to be in one piece once we get there?

ELI Oh, absolutely. The way they described the seismic activity, I'd say they've got years before it goes critical.

SCOTT I don't know. It was bad enough to make them send out those expeditions in the first place. That was thirty years ago.

CHLOE And what about the politics? I overheard some of them talking, and it sounds like things were getting pretty bad. Apparently, both sides had nuclear weapons.

ELI No, no. There's no way it would have come to that.

PARK But they were facing an escalating natural disaster, putting pressure on their resources.

ELI Which just as easily could have brought them together.

[Park and Scott shake their heads with doubt.]

ELI Guys, they're our descendants! We passed down all of our knowledge, our understanding.

TJ And apparently some of our disagreements.

[Young enters.]

YOUNG Lieutenant.

SCOTT Sir.

YOUNG We're about to drop out. As soon as we're in range, you're going to be flying the first recon.

SCOTT (getting up) Yes, sir. I'll go prep the shuttle.

ELI If it's okay&mdash;

YOUNG Permission granted.

ELI Thank you.

[Eli follows Scott out. Young and TJ make eye contact, then Young turns to the cooks.]

EXT&mdash;SPACE ABOVE NOVUS

[The shuttle heads down to the planet.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

[Along with Scott, Eli, Greer, and Wray, Jason and Ellie are on board, as is Yaozu.]

SCOTT We'll be passing through the atmosphere shortly. (quietly, to Eli) No radio signals.

ELI Yeah. I noticed that.

SCOTT They're supposed to be advanced, right?

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[The Destiny crew is waiting to hear. Rush enters.]

RUSH So?

YOUNG They're entering the atmosphere.

SCOTT (over radio) We're passing though what appears to be a pretty thick layer of particulate matter.

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

SCOTT (into radio) Dust and ash&hellip; All right, getting a reading of the surface temperatures. (to Eli) Pretty cold down there.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

PARK Oh, God. Nuclear winter.

SCOTT (over radio) All right, clouds breaking up. We should be able to see something here pretty soon.

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

SCOTT (into radio) Whoa.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

YOUNG (into radio) What is it?

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

[Ahead of the shuttle is a large city, full of high rises.]

SCOTT (into radio) It's a city. It's a huge, modern city, and it's completely intact.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Chloe looks at TJ in surprise.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

ELLIE It's incredible.

[Scott checks his sensors.]

SCOTT I'm not picking up any radioactivity. In fact, we're not getting any EM at all.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

RUSH Yeah, of course.

YOUNG What?

RUSH Well, a layer of dust and ash, blocking out sunlight, lowering surface temperatures. There's really only one possible explanation.

VOLKER A history of volcanic activity. A super volcano, or worse.

RUSH Not exactly nuclear winter, but just as devastating.

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

SCOTT (to Greer) You see any movement down there?

GREER Negative.

[Everyone is subdued and sad.]

SCOTT (into radio) I'm going to bring us in for a closer look.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

SCOTT (over radio) Sir, we've done another close pass over the city, including the outskirts.

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

SCOTT I'm not seeing any signs of people. No smoke, no fires, no tracks in the snow. Nothing.

INT&mdash;DESTINY BRIDGE

[Young takes it in.]

INT&mdash;DESTINY SHUTTLE

SCOTT It doesn't look like anyone's been around here for a long time.

JASON But millions of people lived here. Where did they all go?

EXT&mdash;NOVUS CITY, DAY

[The shuttle flies across the desolate city.]

FADE OUT

END CREDITS

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