Epilogue

"Epilogue" is the eighteenth episode in the second season of Stargate Universe.

Synopsis
Returning the settlers to their home planet Novus, the Destiny crew discover the planet has been abandoned and on the verge of seismic destruction. They raid abandoned fallout shelter for supplies and find records of founding of Novus civilization.

Prologue
A group of people are forced to evacuate to Destiny after an attack on Icarus Base by the Lucian Alliance, and are now trapped there. Dr. Nicholas Rush breaks the master code and discovers the Bridge. After the rest of the crew discovers the bridge, Rush asks Colonel Everett Young to embrace Destiny's mission. After a failed Alliance invasion, Homeworld Command believes an attack on Earth is being planned. Young is grief stricken over the death of Sgt. Hunter Riley. Before an attempt to dial Earth inside a Star, an alternate Dr. Nicholas Rush is found on an Ancient shuttle and convinces the expedition to abort the attempt. In the Alternate timeline, Colonel David Telford is the only one to make it to Earth while the others are sent back in time. The expedition discovers a planet containing a group of Humans that are the descendants of their alternate selves. The expedition agrees to take them to their homeworld, Novus, but when they arrive they discover the planet deserted.

Plot
A flashback shows the alternate Colonel Everett Young on his deathbed. Chloe Armstrong is by his side, and he initially mistakes her for Lt. Tamara Johansen. He asks for his son, Steven, who shows up a few moments later. He says that his sister, Sara, will be there shortly. Young turns to Chloe and apologizes

The shuttle lands on Novus near a statue of Young. Ash is falling from the sky. After doing a short recon of the city center, Lt. Matthew Scott contacts Destiny to inform them that the planet is abandoned and breathing is difficult with the ash. Young doesn't want them to stay if it's dangerous, but Scott explains that Yaozu led them to the entrance of an underground bunker where the inhabitants might have taken refuge. However, its thick blast doors have proven impossible to open, even with the shuttle's weapons. Dr. Adam Brody suggests using Destiny's main weapon at a low-power setting. Dr. Dale Volker believes they might destroy the bunker, but Eli Wallace and Dr. Nicholas Rush believe it to be worth the risk. The shot successfully penetrates the door, and Yaozu leads them in. Having been there as a child, he is able to lead them to the Teneran archives.

A Kino recording shows the initial arrival of the alternate Destiny crew after they went through the Stargate. They ended up on a planet in the middle of a sandstorm. While they try to figure out what went wrong, Lt. Matthew Scott organizes teams to search for shelter. They notice Colonel David Telford did not arrive with them. Young sees Eli has an active Kino, and orders him to dial another planet. Chloe asks him if he can dial Destiny, but its address is not on the list. Young finally gets tired of the Kino and grabs it.

Camile Wray is watching the recording with Yaozu, still in disbelief that she is viewing a 2,000-year-old recording. Nearby, Eli manages to establish a communication link between the bunker and Destiny. Scott informs Young of their discovery. Rush asks if there's anything worth salvaging. Eli notes the vast historical archives, but Rush's concerns are for more immediate problems like life support. Scott mentions food stores that could be recovered, so Young sends the other shuttle down with another team to start gathering supplies. He sends Rush with them to find supplies for life support. Chloe, Brody, Volker, and Dr. Lisa Park also join the team.

Another Kino recording shows the alternate crew having taken shelter in a cave on the windy planet. People are beginning to pass out from the thin atmosphere. Eli Wallace has found four addresses they can dial. Chloe is worried about exploring blind, but Eli explains that they have six Kinos to perform recon with, as he was not the only one to take them from the ship. Young orders him to start dialing.

Rush's team arrives in the archive room. Eli explains that the archive spans another five levels going up. Above that is food storage, living quarters, technology, and other valuable supplies. Scott and MSgt. Ronald Greer are already exploring those sections. Rush goes to join them, ignoring Eli's statement that they have things in hand.

The next recording shows Scott and MSgt. Ronald Greer arriving on Novus, declaring it safe for the crew.

Brody notes that the archive is immense. Yaozu quotes a saying from the alternate Eli: "It is easier to know where you are going when you know where you have been." Brody notes that they can just take it back to Destiny. Park doesn't believe they can physically remove the drives, but both Eli and Brody have come to the conclusion they can simply upload it to Destiny wirelessly. Yaozu seems reluctant to let Brody do it, so Eli takes over, noting that Brody was the founder of Futura. Park and Volker begin to make fun of the name again, but Brody just tells them to let it go.

Wray watches a recording of the crew gathering their supplies. They have very little, but Dr. Adam Brody believes it can be stretched until Dr. Nicholas Rush rescues them. Wray believes Destiny was destroyed, while Eli expresses concern that their attempt to dial Earth from within a star may have sent them to another time period. Young notes that the may be stuck on the planet for a long time, so the first order of business is establishing shelter and finding food.

Rush finds, Varro and a number of soldiers in the food storage area. Greer calls him over to show him a package of beef jerky, amazed that knowledge of it would survive 2,000 years.

Scott finds Chloe at one of the archive terminals, explaining Eli's plan to upload the data to Destiny. Chloe tells him about all the books she's found in the archive, such as numerous textbooks authored by Eli. Scott notes the irony of the college dropout writing them. Chloe has been reading the diary of her alternate self.

Chloe reads her first diary entry aloud, which was written two weeks after their arrival on Novus. In a flashback, Eli, Scott, Camile Wray, Chloe, and Brody are arguing over the location for their shelter. Brody rejects Eli's proposed site, which is a flood plain that will wash out as soon as it rains. Their current location, by comparison, has all the supplies necessary to build decent homes. Wray doesn't see how they can build homes without tools, but Brody explains that a nearby spring has iron deposits which can be used to make basic tools. Eli still believes they should look for another location, so Brody counters that it was his plan to dial Earth that stranded them in the first place. Young breaks up the argument before it can escalate. The site has already been chosen, and they aren't going to move. Scott recommends building a fence to keep out the local predators. Young agrees with the idea.

Chloe finishes reading, expressing amazement at the progress made from such simple beginnings. Scott believes their children did well. Chloe wants to read on, but is interrupted by an earthquake. Once it passes, Brody notices a large crack running up the wall, urging haste in finishing the upload. Greer checks on Rush, who is fine. Greer notes that he hates earthquakes, while this is the first one Rush has experienced. Scott radios Greer to check on him, then informs him that additional teams are coming to gather supplies faster.

Chloe reads another entry. In a flashback, Wray is planting a garden. The crew has managed to construct some simple furnishings for their camp. Park runs in, looking for TJ. This point in time is concurrent with Dr. Dale Volker's kidney failure in the main timeline, only the alternate TJ lacks the supplies to save him. Volker dies without treatment, the first death on Novus. Chloe is reading this to Volker, who can't bring himself to comment. Park comes in to tell him that the shuttle is ready to take him back to Destiny. Volker leaves without a word.

Wray is taking care of Yaozu, who suffered a minor head injury in the earthquake. He insists he's fine, but TJ, having recently arrived, forces him to have it checked first.

In a flashback, TJ is stitching a wound in Young's arm. She claims he isn't getting enough rest. He counters that no one is, but TJ believes the others are just following his lead. Young turns his attention to Tj's curious possession of stitching for his wound, which she explains is actually animal tendon and a makeshift needle Brody made. Varro comes over to check on Young. TJ says that people should be more careful with the recent construction. After an awkward silence, Varro says he'll keep it in mind and walks off. TJ finishes the stitching and tells Young to watch for infection. He falters as he tries to stand up, though he claims he's fine. TJ tries to convince him that no one blames him for their current situation and that they have to make the most of it, rather than beating himself up over what's past. She kisses him.

Over the communication link, Eli explains the fate of the Novans to Young. The Stargate was buried by a volcanic eruption decades ago. Many had already evacuated by then, but some remained. The two countries, realizing that they stood a better chance by working together, reconciled and built massive starships to cross the void between Novus and a nearby colony world. The world is ten days travel by FTL but hundreds of years by their more primitive propulsion.

Another flashback shows Scott talking with Lt. Vanessa James about his upcoming wedding to Chloe. He is concerned their previous relationship might lead to the wedding being sabotaged, but she is wholly supportive of their union. He thinks she might not want to come, but James doesn't intend to miss the first wedding on Novus. Wray is also making pie. Chloe reads aloud from her diary as the wedding ceremony is shown. Young presides over it. Greer is the best man, while TJ, pregnant with Young's child, is the bridesmaid. Varro and James make a connection during the wedding.

A Kino recording of Eli plays. He explains that people are starting to pair off. He notes the recent wedding as well as Varro and James forming a relationship. TJ gave birth recently. Her first child is her son Steven Young, named after her father. Eli notes that he has yet to find someone. Neither has Brody.

Eli calls Volker on Destiny to prepare for the upload. Once Volker is ready, the transfer begins. Park calls Eli over, having discovered that one of the Novan starships is still on the planet, as they could not finish it before it became necessary to launch. Park is not sure how close it was to being finished.

Another Kino recording shows Eli tracking Chloe's pregnancy. She's six months along. Eli notes that Scott is trying to get a house built before the baby is born. Eli is sure he'll be a great father, while Chloe is sure Eli will be a great uncle. Eli smiles at the recording once it ends, but is broken out of his appreciation by Park, who has confirmed the Novans' theory of a rogue black hole threatening their solar system. It is in the system now, causing the planet to destabilize. A fault line has already formed under the city and is rapidly getting worse. They will have to leave soon. Brody notes that the database upload could take days. Eli clarifies that it will take 37 hours with his compression algorithm. Brody hopes that is enough time.

In a flashback, Chloe is giving birth while Scott tries unsuccessfully to keep her calm until Eli shows up with TJ. Eli and TJ come in a few moments. TJ takes over, giving Scott the job of cutting the umbilical cord. The scene suddenly switches to TJ giving birth (presumably her daughter Sara Young) with Young by her side, to James with Varro, and finally to Dr. Lisa Park with Greer. Park names her son Dale Greer.

Another Kino video of Eli gives further information on the developing relationships of the crew. He relates the various births in the flashbacks. He is outside the house where James is currently giving birth, apparently having done so after Park. Eli is still single, a fact which obviously bothers him. Cpl. Barnes comes out, telling Eli that James gave birth to a girl and both of them are fine. She seems exhausted, which Eli picks up on. They stare at each other briefly, then the video switches to Barnes giving birth to Eli's child. Watching the recording with Chloe, Eli is surprised at the pairing. Chloe suggests that it might be worth pursuing.

In the supply room, Rush has apparently found something of interest. He unpacks a box of some sort of greyish material, taking the wrapper to look it up in the inventory. Another earthquake causes the stacks of crates in the room to tip over, narrowly missing him. Greer comes in to make sure he's alright. Scott informs Young that the latest earthquake was a 6.2, and it will only get worse. The fault line is getting wider, consuming the city. Young doesn't want them staying too long, but Scott believes they can keep track of it fairly accurately.

In a flashback, Chloe, TJ, and Wray are discussing the latter's most recent date. Wray admits that the woman she dated is easily the most compatible with her, but already found her soulmate and doesn't need another. TJ runs off to stop her son from eating something dangerous. She stops in time, but holds her hand as if it's injured. Chloe notices, but TJ dismisses it. The main timeline TJ is reading this from her diary, obviously concerned by it.

Scott calls Young again to inform him of the ship still on the planet. If functional, it could transport the entire group of colonists. Young agrees to let them check it out. Eli asks for an update on the upload. Volker explains that they've already received 900 exabytes, but that is a drop in the bucket. Rush arrives by elevator to get Scott to bring him pack to Destiny, which dozens of crates stacked behind him. Scott intends to visit the ship factory, so Rush merely states that he can head for Destiny after that.

Another flashback shows TJ cleaning her clothes by the river. She seems to be having trouble keeping a steady pace. The scene switches to the main timeline TJ watching a recording of her alternate self. Chloe, reading from her diary on an adjacent monitor, comes over. The recording reveals that TJ has ALS (Lou Gehrig's Disease). Varro comes in after hearing about it. Wray has also joined up with TJ by then. He tries to convince her that it won't happen in this timeline, but TJ explains that it's a hereditary disease; it's not a question of if but when. He asks about treatment, but TJ knows there's no cure. Young shows up to console TJ, having come down to the planet. Varro, Chloe, and Wray leave them to talk. Young has Volker running a search through the Ancient database for a possible cure. TJ explains that the symptoms began presenting themselves five years after she arrived on the planet, and she died a few years after that. A flashback shows TJ's disease progressing over the years. As time passes, she can barely manage to hold silverware straight, eventually losing most of her motor control and dying not long after.

Scott pilots the shuttle over the factory, only to discover that it has been consumed by a massive river of lava. He calls the bunker to speak to Young, revealing what he's found. Rush recommends that they leave immediately. Young orders Scott back to Destiny so he can offload his passengers and come back for more. Scott is worried that they can't sustain the colonists on Destiny, but Rush assures him that it will be fine. Young notes that they have no choice but to evacuate.

A third of the Teneran archive has been transferred. Young wants to cut it short, and though Eli argues against it, and earthquake serves to underline Young's point. As they prepare to leave, Yaozu approaches TJ, telling her that his people developed a cure to ALS nearly 200 years ago, which should be in the archives.

On Destiny, Rush is busy cutting off circular pieces of the gray material he found. Volker radios him, having not been informed that he came back. Rush is dismissive, not seeing the need to inform Volker of his movements. Volker asks for help in searching the database for information on ALS. Though it obviously bothers Rush, he sees his current work as a more pressing need and insists that he'll help later.

Various Kino videos show the crew in their old age. Chloe and Scott are going to be grandparents, their son Alan and his wife Claire having recently conceived their first child. The video switches to Varro and James, who have three children and five grandchildren. The next is Wray, who tells about the constitution she helped draft. She also notes that they're forming a school, with Eli as the teacher. She praises his ability in this regard. Eli, who is behind the Kino, thanks her for the compliment. Park and Greer come up. They had four sons, three daughters, and fifteen grandchildren between them. Greer jokes that he's "tired". The final video is Brody, who is still single and has aged into a stereotypical grumpy old man complaining about the kids ruining his lawn. The video cuts him off mid-rant.

Scott has returned from Destiny. He radios Young to inform him that Greer's team is bringing up the next batch of supplies. Young adds that Chloe, Wray, and Yaozu are on their way up. Scott is to take them along with Brody and Park while Young takes everyone else on the second shuttle. Young meets with Eli to discuss the archives. Since Eli has compressed the data to speed up the transfer, he cannot search through it until the transfer completes. With only a third of the archives uploaded, there's a one in three chance they have it already. Varro believes it's worth the risk to wait long if it means getting better odds, but another earthquake hits, knocking out main power.

A flashback narrated by Chloe explains that Young has been elected to a second term as mayor. A small group, dissatisfied with his leadership, breaks off the main group, presumably the start of Brody's Futurans.

The earthquake has disabled the elevator and destroyed the stairs. Young radios Scott to inform him that they'll be taking the emergency ladder. Eli is the first to go up. The fact that one of the rungs is already loose bothers him, but he goes up anyway. He is followed by TJ, then Varro, with Young taking up the rear. Scott has come from the shuttle with rope to hoist them up if necessary, refusing to leave until Young's group is safe. As they head up the ladder, one of the rungs breaks under TJ's weight. Varro is quick to grab her, swinging her to a nearby ledge. Varro's own rungs gives out moments later, and Young is not quick enough to grab him. He has Scott send the rope down, using it to secure TJ. Once she's up, Young secures Varro. He's alive, but badly injured. Young is the last to come up. Both shuttles manage to escape the planet with their full crew.

The flashback of Young on his deathbed is revisited. He apologizes to Chloe for failing to get them home, but Chloe sees this planet as home. Young dies moments after hearing this.

Rush installs the gray material into the CO2 scrubbers. It is a highly efficient filter which will last for years, and Rush brought back cases of it. Brody notes that they'll need it with the colonists on board, though Park adds that they'll be gone in ten days when they reach the other colony planet. Once they leave, Volker speculates that Rush's recent frustration is being caused by the idea that the crew could function and prosper in his absence.

In the infirmary, TJ explains that Varro has multiple broken ribs, lacerations, and bruises. He's stable, but she can't be sure he'll pull through. Eli comes in to inform TJ that the portion of the archive they downloaded does not have the ALS cure. Likewise, the Ancient database is not much help since it doesn't use human terminology, though it could still have something. TJ thinks that the Novan starships might have a copy of the archives, but Eli explains that the starships won't reach the colony for hundreds of years, and they can't find them in empty space. He tries to assure her that the other medical data they found in the archives may help them develop a cure, and is confident they'll find a solution somehow.

A final flashback shows the dedication of Eli Wallace Elementary School by his grandson Matthew Wallace, the principal. He tells about how Eli put his life into creating their system of education, and that he plans to uphold that legacy. He turns over the podium to Wray, the last surviving member of the expedition and current mayor, as well as author of their constitution. She recites the same words of greeting Yaozu gave when they first met in the main time. She gives a speech about how the crew thought they had failed their mission when they arrived, but now realizes that it's the journey that matters. An aerial shot of the town shows how it evolves over the generations, progressing from a simple town, to an early industrial city, then finally to an advanced metropolis. The final shot shows one of the Novan starships launching from the city.

Notable Quotes
Brody: Hell of a lot of data here. Park: Yeah, it looks like they documented everything. Yaozu: It is easier to know where you are going, when you know where you have been…Eli Wallace. Volker: You know, it's going to take years to get through all this. Brody: We'll bring it back to Destiny. Park: Yeah, these drives are built right into the structure, so I don't think we're going to be able to physically move them. Eli: So, we configure an uplink. Stream the data. Brody: My thoughts exactly. (As Brody works at the computer, Yaozu wordlessly comes and stands behind him.) Volker: Brody. Brody: (distractedly) Hmm. Volker: Brody. Brody: Hmm?! (Brody turns to Volker, who nods towards Yaozu.) Sorry. Is it okay if I do this? Eli: Ah, maybe I should do it. (quietly to Brody as they pass) You are the founding father of the enemy nation, after all. Brody: Hmm. Park: (smirking) Futura. Volker: It's a stupid— Brody: Enough with the name.

Alternate Scott: Hey, look. Ah, we never really talked. Alternate James: Don't worry about it. I'm okay. Alternate Scott: See, this is always the time I do something to sabotage things. It's kind of a defense mechanism. I don't know. Tough to explain. Alternate James: It's not tough at all. Everything you've ever cared about has been taken from you, so you're trying to make sure it doesn't happen again. This is a huge step for you, Matt. I'm proud of you. You should be proud of yourself. Alternate Scott: Well, still, um, I, I'll understand if you don't want to come. Alternate James: Are you kidding? First wedding on Novus? Camile's going to make a pie, so… (laughs) I wouldn't miss it.

(Alternate Chloe is in labor) Alternate Scott: Good, good, good, you're doing good! You're doing good! Alternate Chloe: Where's TJ?! Alternate Scott: Eli went to get her and she, don't worry, don't worry, you're doing fine, I love you, just don't forget to breathe, if you don't breathe it's— Alternate Chloe: Just shut up and leave me alone! (Alternate TJ and Alternate Eli enter the room.) Alternate Scott: Oh, thank God! Come on. Alternate TJ: Okay, just breathe. Alternate Scott: Yeah, yeah, I, I've been telling her to keep breathing— Alternate TJ: No, you!

Alternate Brody: All these kids, laughing and dancing. Everybody dancing. Tearing up my lawn. When I was a kid, we had more respect for people.