Intervention

"Intervention" is the second season premiere episode of Stargate Universe, and the 21st episode overall.

Synopsis
Control of the Destiny hangs in the balance as the battle continues between the crew and the Lucian Alliance.

Plot
Tamara Johansen inexplicably wakes up in a bed. After examining her surroundings, she clutches her stomach, remembering that she was shot. Not only is there no wound, she's no longer pregnant. Her baby begins crying, so she picks her up. Robert Caine suddenly greets her, happy to see her. She is confused, since he was left behind on another planet, but he explains that the aliens who made the planet can also transport people across galaxies. She is on the alien planet.

On Destiny, Eli Wallace reaches the airlock to let Matthew Scott and Ronald Greer back into the ship. However, they aren't there. Eli reports to Adam Brody and Nicholas Rush that Scott and Greer didn't make it. Brody quietly comments that there simply wasn't enough time, only for Scott's voice to suddenly come through the radio. He explains to Rush that, knowing they likely wouldn't make it to the airline in time, he and Greer instead ran to the underside of the ship, where they were protected by the hull. Rush informs Eli of the development.

Before Dannic can execute the military personnel, Varro steps in and talks him down. Kiva is badly wounded, and with TJ injured, there is no one to treat her. Dannic dismisses TJ as a liability, being military. Hearing this, Everett Young attacks Dannic in a rage, but is quickly pulled off. Dannic demands Young be killed, but Varro insists on keeping the prisoners alive. He suggests using them to call in doctors from Earth to treat Kiva. Dannic warns him that the prisoners will die if Kiva does.

Scott and Greer make it to the airlock, and Eli lets them in. As he comments that he figured them for dead, Chloe Armstrong suddenly walks in, having regained her strength. Eli checks the wound, which has stopped bleeding. Chloe asks what they intend to do.

Varro has Camile Wray, Dale Volker, and two others use the long-range communication device to call in doctors to treat the wounded. Wray is taken over by Dr. Brightman, Volker by Dr. Zeigler, and the remaining two by Drs. Timan and Finch. He escorts them to the infirmary.

The FTL drive comes back on-line, the shields having regained sufficient strength to protect the engines during the jump. Brody thinks this is a good thing, since the radiation is deadly, but Rush thinks otherwise. Meanwhile, Scott and Greer decide to go on recon, sending Chloe and Eli to meet up with Brody and Rush. He warns them to be careful, as the Alliance will have figured out Rush is missing. Eli tries to object, but Scott orders him to go.

In the infirmary, Varro asks about Telford's condition, wanting to talk to him. The bullet went straight through, so he'll be fine, though he has not yet revived. Kiva, however, is not so well off. The bullet has lodged in her liver and she isn't likely to survive. Varro recommends they do their best to save her, for everyone's sake. His next question is about TJ. She is also badly wounded; her baby is still alive, but its heartbeat is very weak. She says they may have to remove the baby to save it, and even then cannot guarantee its survival or TJ's.

TJ questions the presence of the cabins, as their small group could not have conceivably constructed them in such a short time, much less made all the amenities within. Caine explains that the cabins were just suddenly there. TJ is surpirsed they just accepted them out of hand, but Caine says that without them they would not have survived the winter. He tells her that the aliens have been scanning them since the moment they arrives, and brought TJ to the planet to save her baby.

Ginn informs Dannic that the ship will jump in about 30 minutes. Over the radio, the doctors report that Kiva is dead. Meanwhile, Scott and Greer approach the Alliance forces. Greer laments their lack of weapons, while Scott has something else in mind.

Chloe and Eli manage to reach Rush and Brody. Brody questions the blood stain on Chloe, but she dismisses it. Chloe asks what they're planning to do to regain control of the ship, so Brody has Rush tells them his plan. Though Telford failed to transfer the ship's systems back entirely, they have control over the power systems. Rush is diverting power from the shields to disable the FTL and force negotiations, as it's the only bargaining chip they have.

The doctors fail to save Kiva, so to keep Dannic from killing everyone, Varro suggests dumping them on the planet instead, per Kiva's original plan. Ginn has found a planet in range of Destiny's gate. It is locked out, presumably because it is near the maximum range of the gate, but she can override it. Scott watches covertly through a Kino.

TJ questions how Caine can know so much. He says he just does, assuming the aliens to be responsible. Dana and Peter enter the house to see the baby. Caine invites her for a walk while they watch the baby.

David Telford awakens in the infirmary, having been treated for his injury. Simeon tells him that Kiva is dead, and interrogates him about the circumstances of how they were ambushed. Telford claims not to have seen the attackers, even though, as Simeon points out, he was shot from the front. Simeon explains the situation to him. Telford asks about the prisoners, and Simeon vaguely states that they'll be dealt with soon.

Varro informs Young of the plan to send the expedition off the ship, and suggests that his people would be better off if Young played ball. The crew are sent through the Stargate to a rocky world with an approaching storm. Young checks on Hunter Riley, who still has blood stains on his head. He says he's fine. Shelter is the first priority.

Eli is worried about Scott and Greer, believing that splitting up was a bad idea. He hears someone coming, but it's two Alliance soldiers. They report back to Dannic. In the gate room, Ginn notices that the FTL has shut down again. Dannic tells her to correct the problem, but she can't. Deeming her useless, he begins to choke her, but Varro interjects and gets him to stop. He orders Rush brought to him for questioning, while the rest are to be killed. Before they can carry out Dannic's orders, Scott and Greer subdue them. Over the radio, Rush explains what he's done to Dannic, and orders their surrender. Dannic immediately notes that everyone would die, but Rush coldly states he'd rather kill everyone than let him have the ship. Dannic throws the radio and orders a search. Varro again tries to reason with Dannic, but Dannic has lost his patience. He holds Varro at gunpoint, and asserts himself as the commander.

Scott tells the group about what happened to the crew. Rush believes this to be perfect. They'll be safe on the planet. Meanwhile, certain sections are better protected than others, such as the hydroponics lab. By hiding there, they can outlast the Alliance. Damage to the ship will be minimal; organic matter will take the most damage. The group prepares to leave for the hydroponics lab. Scott and Greer split up to rescue the remaining hostages, telling the others to seal themselves in after 15 minutes.

On the planet, Vanessa James has located a series of caves that can provide shelter. Before they can depart, the gate activates. Varro and a small group loyal to him emerge from the event horizon. He explains the situation to Young. Without saying a word to Varro, Young orders the entire group to move for the caves. Varro asserts that they'd all be dead if he hadn't stuck up for them, but Young has no interest in speaking to him.

Scott and Greer reach the infirmary, where they find Wray, now back in her own body since Dannic broke the communication link. Wray tells them about how she got there, and isn't sure where the other three went. TJ is alive but her baby died. They attempt to retreat to the hydroponics lab, but are pinned down by Alliance soldiers.

During their walk, TJ sees a vibrant nebula in the sky. Caine says it just appeared there the day before, and believes TJ might know why. She doesn't. Caine thanks her for going back to Destiny so they could stay, and believes this is why the aliens saved her baby. However, he tells her that although her baby can stay, she'll have to return to Destiny. TJ refuses to accept this.

In the hydroponics lab, Brody has begun to seal the vents to prevent the Alliance from venting the air supply; the remaining air will outlast the radiation burst. It's been fifteen minutes, so Rush decides to seal the room. Chloe and Eli want to wait longer, but Rush believes that they'll be discovered if they wait too long. Scott calls over the radio and orders them to seal themselves in. Dannic overhears them, but they don't give away their location.

TJ runs back into the cabin where her baby is and quickly picks her up. She refuses to leave without her. Caine points out that it's not up to TJ, since the aliens can send her away at will. He assures her that the baby will be taken care of.

In the caves on the planet, the group has found shelter. Young is upset at their condition, but Varro points out that they'd have been shot otherwise. Lightning strikes near the entrance, knocking James on her back. She is in pain, but otherwise appears to be uninjured. Young and Varro attend to her.

Dannic wants to know if they've managed to undo Rush's sabotage, but they cannot stop. Worse still, Ginn informs him that the shields will fail on the next burst. Dannic's men find Rush's group, but cannot get the door open. Dannic orders them to use explosives, but Telford, having limped his way to the gate room, quickly states that any blast large enough to open the door would kill everyone inside, and without Rush they have no hope of fixing the shields. Over the radio, Rush orders Dannic to surrender, explaining how the hydroponics lab will protect them. Telford and Ginn believe he's telling the truth. Dannic points out that some of Rush's people are still stuck outside, but Rush is willing to sacrifice them.

Unwilling to accept this, Dannic intends to call Rush on his threat. Watching over the Kino, Eli is convinced Dannic would rather die. When Telford tells him that they'll all die, Dannic simply states that they came prepares to die. He strikes Telford with his gun when Telford calls him crazy. Further convinced that they're not going to solve this situation peacefully, Eli asks about Scott and the others. Rush simply states he's sorry. Dannic states that the ship is important, and that they shouldn't give up when they're so close to their goal. He tries to kill Telford for his defiance, but Ginn shoots him in the back first. She agrees to Rush's demands. She looks at Telford, who gives a nod confirming that she did the right thing.

TJ names her baby Carmen, after her grandmother. Caine believes that the aliens have a way to get them home, and when TJ points out that they haven't done so yet, he can't explain why. He tells her that when she returns to the ship, no one will believe what's happened to her. He asserts that the most important thing this far from home is who you are and what you believe. It's up to her to decide whether this is a blessing or a curse. TJ awakens, and is informed by Wray that she never left the ship. Her baby is dead. TJ says nothing.

The crew is brought back to the ship. Young congratulates Scott and Greer, but they insist that Rush deserves the credit. The remaining Alliance soldiers are locked in a room while Young figures out what to do with them. Scott informs Young about the death of TJ's baby.

Everyone on the ship gets settled in. Young consoles TJ in the infirmary. Rush takes a rest in his quarters. Chloe examines the bullet scars on her leg, which have almost completely healed. Young drinks away his sorrows in Brody's bar.

Brody and Volker are manning the control room when the ship comes out of FTL. Brody explains that the quick jump is due to the interruption by the Alliance; the ship was headed here when they arrived, so the remaining journey was short. They are out of range of the radiation. TJ gets up, against Wray's advice, and heads to the observation deck. Through the window, she sees the nebula that was visible in the sky on the planet. She smiles.

Background notes

 * The song that played at the end of the episode was "After the Storm" by.

Production

 * During the initial set up for the first five episodes, the episode (written by Paul Mullie) is the first episode in the second season, but would be the second to be filmed.
 * This episode will be the third part of "Incursion", and presumably the last, considering that the following episode is called "Aftermath".