Template:Universe-2 "Gauntlet" is the twentieth episode and season/series finale of the second season of Stargate Universe, the 40th episode overall, and the final episode before the series goes off-air.
Synopsis
Blocked by Command Ships at every star and unable to gate for supplies without alerting the drones, Destiny must take a stand or be left adrift.
Plot
Tamara Johansen checks on Lisa Park's eyes to see if her vision has been restored. She is hopeful, having managed to see occasional flashes of light, but once the bandages are removed she is still unable to see anything. She begins crying as TJ and Ronald Greer comfort her. Everett Young is watching from the door, but leaves without saying anything.
Camile Wray catches up to Young in the hall. As he has gotten little rest lately, she recommends he take some time off. Young is in fact about to do just that, but a radio call from Nicholas Rush interrupts that plan. Rush calls him to the control interface room, where he and Eli Wallace have made a discovery. They have managed to isolate the signal used by the Control Ships to coordinate. Though they had hoped to use this data to find a way around the Control Ships, they have instead discovered that there is a Control Ship guarding every single Stargate.
Young and Rush meet with David Telford at Homeworld Command. He suggests going off the designated path to find viable worlds, but Rush disregards the idea; the likelihood of finding a habitable world on their own would be slim at best. Young is hoping for a supply line from Earth, but Telford informs him that their talks with Langara are getting nowhere. Destiny is on its own.
Chloe Armstrong comes into the infirmary to collect inventory reports. She asks about Park's condition, but TJ informs her that there's nothing to be done about it. Since her eyes haven't healed yet, they probably never will. She gives the analogy "You play the hand you're dealt," which Chloe realizes does not just refer to Park. She tries to assure TJ that they'll find a cure for her ALS, but TJ is not convinced.
On the bridge, Rush discusses the situation with Eli, Adam Brody, and Dale Volker. Since they cannot run or hide, they'll have to fight. With their ability to track the Control Ships, they can come out of FTL right on top of one and destroy it before it can retaliate. The others are doubtful, as any chance the Control Ships have to retaliate will result in damage will result in damage they may not be able to repair. However, Rush has a solution to that problem, too.
In a meeting with Young, Rush outlines his plan. Destiny's shields change frequency constantly in the hopes of matching enemy fire. The closer the frequency, the less damage Destiny takes. Because they've had the opportunity to study a berzerker drone, they know the frequency range of their weapons, and can adjust the shields to match. By limiting the frequency range, however, it will prevent the shields from properly absorbing other forms of energy. Rush remains confident it will work.
Young endorses the plan, and a course is plotted to a Control Ship guarding a world with necessary supplies. Unfortunately, they drop out of FTL too close, scraping the hull of the Control Ship. Unable to target it, the Control Ship is able to launch its drones. The shields are successful in absorbing their weapons fire, and Scott maneuvers the ship into position to fire. Greer manages to hit it, but doesn't cause enough damage to destroy it. The Control Ship begins evasive maneuvers, while its drones change tactics. Having realized their weapons are ineffective, the drones begin doing kamikaze runs. Young orders Scott and Greer to focus on the Control Ship. Scott manages to get in line with it again, and Greer destroys it.
The shuttles are dispatched to collect supplies, but come back with very little. Young tries to get some sleep again, but is stopped by Eli, who has a new plan. Since they have no way to beat the drones, he suggests they ignore them. By putting the crew into stasis, they can fly through the entire galaxy and to the next without needing to stop to refuel. Unfortunately, it will take Destiny three years to complete the journey, and there is little margin for error with their dwindling power supplies. Rush argues against it, but, seeing no alternative, Young is only willing to give him the time it takes for Eli to prepare the pods to find an alternative.
Rush tries to come up with an alternative, but can't find one. Chloe comes in to check on his progress, telling him that she believes Eli's plan will work. Rush believes it hinges on luck, but his real concern is the idea of skipping over the current galaxy. Destiny's mission isn't meant to have a final destination, but rather is about collecting knowledge as it ventures outward. By skipping part of that journey, they may skip something important, defeating the purpose of the entire mission. Chloe counters that Eli's plan ensures Destiny's survival, even if the crew doesn't ever wake up from stasis. Fighting an unwinnable battle would destroy Destiny, and then its mission would surely have been a waste.
As the crew is put into stasis, the crew is allowed to use the communication device to say their goodbyes. Eli visits his mother, trying to assure her that people will be working to help them. He feels bad about leaving her alone, but she is happy he is getting to see such wonders.
As the crew continues to go into stasis, Brody and Volker discover that the last section of pods are damaged. Without them, they have eight less pods than crew members. Eight will have to stay outside. Worse still, life support cannot remain active if the plan is to work, so those who stay out will die. The parts needed to fix them could be retrieved from one of the nearby Stargate worlds, but engaging the Control Ship guarding it, assuming they could even beat it, would exhaust too much power. Park, however, has an alternative. By rigging a shuttle to emit a signal mimicking a Stargate activation, they can draw the Control Ship off. Eli jumps on this idea, as it also presents an opportunity to destroy the Control Ship by overloading the shuttle's engines.
Destiny drops out of FTL and the shuttle is launched on autopilot. The signal succeeds in drawing off the Control Ship, and a team consisting of Scott, Greer, and Morrison is dispatched to collect the needed resources. Rush pilots the shuttle by remote, avoiding the drones and setting a collision course for the Control Ship. When the shuttle hits, its engines set to overload, the Control Ship is torn apart. The away team is collected and Destiny retreats.
Wray visits Scott, who is next up to visit Earth. He is nervous about seeing his kid, who only knows him as a random guy who visits occasionally. He isn't sure the mother is a good parent, noting that he could have his son moved to another home if he wanted. Wray urges him not to be too hasty. Scott asks about her own visit, which Wray just finishes. She told her partner to move on, as her constant absence wasn't fair to her.
After all but the senior staff has gone into stasis, Young holds a final dinner, since the food will go to waste anyway. Scott asks Young to make a toast. Rather than dwell on what they've lost, he chooses to toast to what they've gained. Though they came to the ship unprepared, they have become a family, each taking on various familial roles. He compares Rush to the slightly crazy uncle that manages to come through.
The next group is put into stasis. Now only Young, Rush, and Eli are left. Young visits Telford at Homeworld Command to say goodbye. Telford tries to apologize about any harm he did to Young's relationship with Emily, but Young assures him that their problems are not Telford's fault. Telford promises Young that, though they may have a few gray hairs, they'll still be around when Young wakes up.
Young comes back to find Eli and Rush arguing. They have found that one of the final three pods was damaged more than the others, which they have only just now discovered by powering it up. They are one pod short. Rush sends Eli to search the database for information on how to repair it, despite his protest that the manual for it is 1700 pages long. With Eli gone, he has a chance to speak to Young in private.
Young finds Eli in the control interface room. He explains that Rush has calculated that one person could remain awake for two weeks without sacrificing their ability to reach the next galaxy. Rush has volunteered to do it, which surprises Eli. Young, however, doesn't trust Rush not to push the deadline if he can't solve the problem, and intends to be the one to stay out. Eli realizes that Young has no intention of trying to fix the pod, so he insists on being the one to stay out. He is tired of staying in Rush's shadow, declaring that he's smarter than Rush and that all three of them know it.
Rush meets with Eli after hearing about their conversation. He knew Young would not let him be the one to stay out, though he did not expect Eli to volunteer. He is worried that Eli might lose the chance to realize his potential, but Eli believes his potential is wasted if he doesn't step forward when he's needed.
Rush is put into stasis first, saying his goodbyes to both Eli and Young. Before going in, Young hugs Eli goodbye, telling him that he'll see him once they wake up. Once Young is in stasis, the ship begins powering down. Eli heads to the observation deck, looking upon the ship as it travels through FTL.
References
Berzerker drone; Control Ship; Destiny attack on Drones; Long-range communication device; Lou Gehrig's Disease; Palatium hydroxide; Planet (Gauntlet); Stasis hall; Stasis pod
Notes
- This is the first Stargate Series finale not feature Samantha Carter, Walter Harriman or Kevin Marks.