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Dark Star (1974)

by John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon.

More info about this movie on IMDb.com


FOR EDUCATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY


OPEN ON BLACK SILENCE.

The sound of electronic music rises, hollow, metallic.

FADE IN on a long TRACKING SHOT through the universe.
As the NARRATOR speaks we move through galaxies, nebulae,
solar systems, moving from the infinite slowly down to
a particular planetary system deep within a maze of
suns.

                      NARRATOR
                      (over)
          It is the mid 22nd Century. Mankind has
          explored the boundaries of his own solar
          system, and now he reaches out to the
          endless interstellar distances of the
          universe. He moves away from his own small
          planetary system in huge hyperdrive star-
          ships: computer-driven, self-supporting,
          closed-system spacecraft that travel at
          mind-staggering post-light velocities.
          Man has begun to spread among the stars.
          Enormous ships embark with generations of
          colonists searching the depths of space
          for new earths, now homes, new beginnings.
          Far in advance of these colony ships goes
          a new pioneer: the scouts, the pathfinders,
          a special breed of man who has dedicated
          his life to blazing the trail through
          the most distant, unexplored galaxies,
          opening up the farthest frontiers of space.
          These are the men of the Advance Exploration
          Corps. The task they face is one of unbe-
          lievable isolation and loneliness. So far
          from home that Earth is no longer even a
          point of light in the sky, they must comb
          the universe for those unstable planets
          whose existence poses a threat to the
          peaceful colonists that follow. They must
          find these rogue planets--and destroy them.
          Among these commandos are the men of
          the scoutship Dark Star.

We are now moving toward a planet. Floating in front of the
planet is the SCOUTSHIP DARK STAR. As we move toward the ship,
we begin to hear VOICES, crackling with static.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (over - radio filter)
          Ah, what'd you say, Pinback?

                      PINBACK
                      (over - great static)
          Mafhkin oble groop...

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (over - filter)
          Ah, what was that again, I still can't
          hear you?

                      PINBACK
                      (over - filter)
          I said I'm trying to reach Talby.
          Something's wrong with the damn intercom.
          I need a last-minute diameter approximation.

CAMERA IS NOW FLOATING TOWARD THE OBSERVATION DOME on top
of the ship. In the Dome sits TALBY. He is staring around,
wide-eyed, at the planets and stars.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (over - filter)
          Talby, Talby, this is Doolittle. Do you
          read me? Talby?

WE MOVE IN CLOSE ON TALBY'S FACE. The shot stops and holds
as he continues to stare, rapt.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (cont'd - over - filter)
          Talby, do you read me?

There is a CRACKLE, and Doolittle's voice suddenly booms
through, loud and clear:

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (cont'd)
          TALBY!

                      TALBY
                      (snaps out of it)
          Oh! Ah, yes, Doolittle. What is it?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

CLOSE SHOT of a digital clock, ticking down the seconds.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I need a diameter approximation.

                      TALBY
                      (over)
          Okay, Doolittle, I'll have it in a
          minute.

CAMERA BEGINS TO PULL BACK along the length of the control
room, revealing three men: BOILER, DOOLITTLE, and PINBACK.
They are seated close together in cramped little chairs,
surrounded by a maze of instrumentation, pressing buttons,
making adjustments and corrections. There is one EMPTY CHAIR;
the panel in front of it looks burned.

                      PINBACK
          I need a GHF reading on the gravity correction.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I'll check it.

                      BOILER
          I have a reduced drive reading of seven
          thousand.

                      PINBACK
          Right, that checks out here.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Pinback...

                      PINBACK
          Yes, Doolittle.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Your GHF reading is minus fifteen.

                      PINBACK
          Doolittle...

                      DOOLITTLE
          Yes.

                      PINBACK
          I need a computer reading on a fail-safe mark.

                      DOOLITTLE
          In a second.

                      PINBACK
          Boiler, can you set me up with some temp
          figures?

                      BOILER
          Ninety seven million, minus eight, corrected
          to mass critical.

                      PINBACK
          I read that with a quantum increase of seven.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Pinback, I have a computer reading of nine
          five seven seven.

                      BOILER
          Time to start talking.

                      PINBACK
          Bomb bay systems operational.

Pinback hits a button on his panel.

INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

The screen is BLACK for an instant. Then, two enormous doors
begin to open ponderously, revealing the planet rotating below. 
A huge BOMB, designated with a giant #19 on its side, lowers
slowly out of the ship on a rack.

                      NARRATOR
                      (over)
          This is a chain-reaction bomb, otherwise
          known as an Exponential Thermostellar
          Device. Its own destructive power is small,
          barely enough to vaporize twelve city
          blocks. However, when it explodes in
          contact with an object the size of a planet,
          it starts a chain-reaction in the very
          matter of that planet, turning it into
          a giant reactor which destroys itself
          in one staggering thermal flash.

          These bombs are equipped with sophisticated
          thought and speech mechanisms, to allow
          them to make executive decisions in the
          event of a crisis situation. These judgment
          centers are controlled by a fail-safe mechanism.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      DOOLITTLE
          Lock fail safe.

Pinback turns a key in a lock.

                      PINBACK
          Fail-safe locked. Ah, Sergeant Pinback
          calling Bomb #19. Do you read me, bomb?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

The bomb is suspended beneath the ship.

                      BOMB #19
          Bomb #19 to Sergeant Pinback, I read
          you. Continue.

When the bomb speaks, it has the prim, fussy voice of a
minor civil servant.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Well, bomb, we have about sixty seconds
          to drop. Just wondering if everything is
          all right. Have you checked your platinum
          euridium energy shielding?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #19
          Energy shielding positive function.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Swell. Let's synchronize detonation time.
          Do you know when you're supposed to go off?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #19
          Detonation in six minutes, twenty seconds.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          All right, I have detonation time at...
          Wait a minute, something's wrong with the
          clock. (hits panel) All right, I have
          detonation time at...no, that can't be
          right, it says three years. (beats panel
          again) Okay, I have six minutes exactly.
          Does that check out down there?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #19
          Check at six minutes.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Arm yourself, bomb.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

Several lights blip on along the bomb's side.

                      BOMB #19
          Armed.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Well, then, everything sounds fine. We'll
          drop you off in thirty-five seconds. Good luck.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #19
          Thanks.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Begin main sequence. Mark at 10-9-8-7-
          6-5-4-3-2-1-drop.

EXTERIOR - THE SHIP

Bomb #19 falls away from the ship and whizzes down toward the
planet below.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      DOOLITTLE
          Hyperdrive sequence begun. Hit it, Pinback.

Pinback hits the hyperdrive switch. Force fields energize
around the men.

EXTERIOR - THE SHIP

The DARK STAR accelerates into hyperdrive and streaks away
through space.

The planetary system recedes in the background. Inside the
Observation Dome, Talby is frozen in a protective force field.

INSERT: CLOSE SHOT OF A TIME CLOCK.  It blips down to ZERO.

RETURN TO SCENE

Behind the ship, there is an intense flare of light as the
planet, now a dot of light, explodes.

INTERIOR - OBSERVATION DOME

The force field around Talby disappears as the ship comes
out of hyperdrive. He rubs his eyes as though awakening,
then looks down at his readout panels.

INSERT - CLOSE SHOT OF A PANEL. On a small screen we see
the exploding planet, and below, a readout says:

        DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE COMPLETE

RETURN TO SCENE

Talby touches his intercom.

                      TALBY
          Lieutenant Doolittle, it just exploded.
          (pause)
          Ah, sir, the planet just exploded.
          (pause - he shakes the microphone)
          Lieutenant?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

The men are stretching in their seats.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Unlock fail safe.

Pinback unlocks the fail-safe unit.

                      PINBACK
          Fail safe unlocked.

                      RECORDED VOICE
          Attention. Attention. The hyperdrive
          sequence is now terminated. Please observe
          that the no smoking signs have growrrr...

The voice runs down.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Well...now what? What do, you have for
          us now, Boiler?

                      BOILER
                      (checking his readouts)
          Not much. Nothing at all in this sector.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Find me something, I don't care where it is.

                      BOILER
          Well, I show a 95% probability of sentient
          life in the Horsehead Nebula...

                      DOOLITTLE
          Fuck that shit.

                      BOILER
          Well, it is kind of a long shot...

                      DOOLITTLE
          It's a goddamn wild goose chase. Remember
          when Commander Powell found that 99 plus
          probability of sentient life in the
          Magellanic Cloud?

                      BOILER
          Well, there's the possibility of...

                      DOOLITTLE
          Remember what we found? Fourteen light
          years for a fucking mindless vegetable
          that looked like a limp balloon and went
          squawk and let a fart when you touched it.
          Remember?

                      BOILER
          All right, then...

                      DOOLITTLE
          So don't give me any of that sentient life
          crap. Find me something I can blow up.

A LIGHT flares on Pinback's board. He looks up.

                      PINBACK
          New star.
          (no reaction)
          Hey, guess what?  I got a new star on the
          readout.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (not looking up)
          Which one?

                      PINBACK
          Another unknown. Not on the charts. A red
          dwarf.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Any planets?

                      PINBACK
          Yeah. Eight, it says here.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Any of 'em any good?

                      PINBACK
                      (scans the board)
          Naah. All stable.

Doolittle loses interest.

                      PINBACK
                      (cont'd)
          What are you gonna name it?

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (not looking up)
          What?

                      PINBACK
          The new star. What are you gonna name it?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Who cares. Don't bother me.

Pinback's mouth tightens. A pause.

                      PINBACK
          Commander Powell would have named it.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Commander Powell is dead.

Involuntarily, Pinback glances at Commander Powell's empty,
burned seat. The panels behind it sputter.

                      PINBACK
          Come on, Doolittle, give it a name.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Fred.

                      PINBACK
          Wha?

                      DOOLITTLE
          I hereby name this star Fred.

                      BOILER
          Hey, Doolittle, here's one. An unstable
          planet. 85% probability of an unstable
          planet in the Veil Nebula that will probably
          go off its orbit and hit a star.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Sounds good. Chart a course for the Veil
          Nebula.

                      BOILER
          Pinback, throw me the chart log.

Pinback draws a loose-leaf notebook from a shelf above
Commander Powell's empty seat, and hurls it at Boiler.
With a sour look at Pinback, Boiler picks up the notebook
and begins to leaf through it.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Let's have some music in here, Boiler.

Boiler presses a button. LOUD COUNTRY MUSIC THEME BEGINS
TO PLAY.

EXTERIOR - DARK STAR (TITLE SEQUENCE)

This sequence includes shots of the DARK STAR drifting
through space, past various cosmic wonders, intercut with
shots of the men relaxing (Talby staring into space;
Boiler trimming his beard; Doolittle playing solitaire;
Pinback reading a comic book).

CREDITS AND MUSIC OVER.

SEQUENCE ENDS.

INTERIOR - DARK STAR

Beep.

We are watching a filmed tape. Doolittle has just turned
it on and is staring into the camera. Crosshairs and blipping
numbers superimposed.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Ship's log, entry number 1,943. Dark Star
          cruising at light speed through Sector
          Theta 990. En route to Veil Nebula for
          destruction of unstable planet. Our ETA
          is 1700 hours. (thinks) Ship's systems
          continue to deteriorate...

Pinback leans into view and whispers into Doolittle's ear.
Doolittle nods and Pinback withdraws.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (cont'd)
          The short circuit in the rear seat panel
          which killed Commander Powell continues
          to be faulty. (thinks) Uh...Storage Area 9...

Pinback leans back in and whispers emphatically. Doolittle
looks put-upon.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (cont'd)
          And because he's sitting next to it, it
          continues to bother Pinback. (glares at
          Pinback. Then:) Storage Area 9 self-
          destructed last week, destroying entire
          ship's supply of toilet paper. That's all.

Beep.

INTERIOR - OBSERVATION DOME

Talby is still gazing around at the stars.

A hatch opens in the floor and Doolittle sticks his head up.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Talby.

Talby rotates his seat and looks down at Doolittle.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (cont'd)
          Here's some breakfast.

Doolittle climbs into the dome and sits on the floor. He
hands Talby the food package, and watches matter-of-factly
as Talby begins to eat.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (cont'd)
          You know, Talby, you really ought to
          eat with the rest of us. You spend too much
          time up here.

                      TALBY
          I like it up here.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Must get lonely being up here so much.

                      TALBY
          I don't like to go below since Commander
          Powell died. I feel enclosed down there.
          If it were big enough, I'd sleep up here...

                      DOOLITTLE
          ...Should spend some time below, see more
          of the rest of the ship...

                      TALBY
          ...You see, I can watch things up here,
          Doolittle. I love to watch things, just
          stare at the planets and meteors and
          asteroids, gas clusters...

                      DOOLITTLE
          You'll have plenty of time for that, you
          know. Figure it this way: twenty years in
          space and we've only aged three, so there'll
          be plenty of time to stare around...

                      TALBY
          You know, Doollttle, if we're going into
          the Veil Nebula, we may actually find a
          strange and beautiful thing: the Phoenix
          Asteroids. They should be passing through
          there about now...

                      DOOLITTLE
          Phoenix Asteroids? Never heard of 'em.

                      TALBY
          They are a body of asteroids that make a
          complete circuit of the universe once
          every 12.3 trillion years. The Phoenix
          Asteroids...From what I've heard, Doo-
          little, they glow...glow with all the
          colors of the rainbow. Nobody knows why.
          They just glow as they drift around the
          universe. Imagine all the sights they've
          seen in the time they've been travelling--
          the birth and death of stars, things we'll
          never see. The universe is alive, Doolittle.
          I thought it was all empty, but it isn't.
          In between the stars, it's seething with
          light and gasses and dust. There are
          little pebbles drifting around, planets
          no one on Earth has ever seen...No one
          but the Phoenix Asteroids...

There is a BLIPPING SOUND. It is insistent. Talby is rudely
yanked from his reverie. He looks down at a panel. But his
soft talk has started Doolittle reminiscing.

                      DOOLITTLE
          You know what I think about, Talby?

                      TALBY
          I'm getting something here, on this readout...

                      DOOLITTLE
          It's funny, but I kind of sit around, you
          know, a lot of time to myself...

                      TALBY
          I think I'm getting a malfunction here somewhere.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I can't talk to the others, but with time to
          myself, I think about back home, back home
          at Malibu. I used to surf a lot, Talby.
          I used to be a great surfer.

                      TALBY
          Lieutenant Doolittle, I'm getting a definite
          malfunction on one of the closed-circuit
          computer systems...

                      DOOLITTLE
          The waves at Malibu and Zuma were fantastic
          in the springs Talby. I can remember running
          out on the beach early spring mornings with
          my board and a wet suit...

                      TALBY
          I can't seem to locate the malfunction exactly...

                      DOOLITTLE
          Waves would be peaking really high and glassy.
          Hit that water. Ridin' the wall just perfect.

                      TALBY
          ...Somewhere in the autonomic relay circuits...

                      DOOLITTLE
          I guess I miss the waves and my board
          most of all.

Talby turns in his seat and addresses Doolittle directly.

                      TALBY
          Ah, Doolittle, I do have a malfunction on
          this readout, but I can't seem to pinpoint
          exactly where it is.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (snapped out of his daydream)
          Don't worry about it. We'll find out when
          it goes bad.

                      TALBY
                      (chagrined)
          I really think I should try and locate it
          immediately. Might be something important.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I wish I had my board with me now. Even
          if I could only polish it once in awhile.

EXTERIOR - SPACE

LONG SHOT of the DARK STAR drifting through space.

INTERIOR - KITCHEN

Boiler, Pinback, and Doolittle are descending a ladder into
the kitchen.

                      BOILER
          I'm getting this flickering light on one
          of my panels.

                      PINBACK
          What flickering light?

                      BOILER
          The one on unit...oh, I think it's GMR
          twelve zero zero.

                      PINBACK
          Oh. What's wrong now?

                      BOILER
          I'm not sure. I think something is fucked
          up somewhere in the ship, though.

                      PINBACK
          I hope it's not the oven again.

                      BOILER
          Yeah.

                      PINBACK
          Remember when the artificial gravity
          went out in the toilet?

The men sit for their meal. Doolittle brings food packets
from the oven.

                      PINBACK
          Hey, Doolittle, think we'll ever find
          real intelligent life out there?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Out where?

                      PINBACK
          Veil nebula.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Who cares?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

The Control Room is EMPTY. After a moment, there is a
repetitive BEEP.

CLOSE SHOT - TV SCREEN. On the screen is the message:

            INCOMING COMMUNICATION

This fades, and MISSION CONTROLLER appears on the screen,
against a background of computer terminals. He is dressed
in a snappy tunic, and when he receives the on-camera cue,
he smiles ingratiatingly.

                      MISSION CONTROLLER
          Hi, guys. Glad to get your message. We
          gather from the ten-year communications
          lag that you are approximately 18 parsecs
          away. Drop us a line more often, won't you?

          Sorry to hear about all the malfunctions,
          and real sorry to hear about the death of
          Commander Powell. There was a week of
          mourning all over Earth. The flags were
          at half mast.

          Now I hate to send bad news when you guys
          are up there doing such a swell job, but
          something's come up, and we all felt
          you ought to know about it. Our systems
          simulation computer has predicted that
          by the time this message reaches you--
          that is to say, in about ten years--
          there will be a failure in one of your
          vital ship's systems. The malfunction
          will occur in-- (rifles papers) --system
          number E180246. You can see what a problem
          this would be if you didn't catch it on
          time. Now what you should do is this:
          First, do not, repeat, do not attempt to
          adjust the system manually. Second--

INTERIOR - COMPUTER ROOM

The room is dim and eerie, banks of dimly flickering lights
and the hum of air-cooling machinery.

Talby is seated before a glowing screen. He punches several
buttons, and the screen comes to life. A schematic cross-
section of the ship appears in glowing green lines.

Talby punches more buttons, and the screen flashes through
the levels or the ship. Finally it shows Level 6. There is
a small red light pulsing in the Emergency Air Lock.

Talby punches another button. The Emergency Air Lock is
magnified fifteen times until it fills the screen. The red
light is pulsing in a small area labelled COMMUNICATIONS
LASER #17.

Talby picks up a microphone.

                      TALBY
          Lieutenant Doolittle, this is Talby.
          Lieutenant?

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (over - filter)
          Yes, Talby, what is it?

                      TALBY
          Sorry to interrupt your lunch, sir, but
          I'm in the Computer Room, and I think I've
          located the malfunction. The scanner shows
          it to be some sort of fault in the communi-
          cations laser, down by the Emergency Air
          Lock. Can't pinpoint it exactly, but I'm
          going down there with a starsuit and try
          to find it.

INTERIOR - KITCHEN

                      DOOLITTLE
          Sounds good, Talby. Let me know if anything
          important comes up.

Doolittle hangs up the mike.

                      BOILER
          Why doesn't Talby ever eat down here with
          the rest of us?

                      DOOLITTLE
          He just likes it up in the dome, that's all.

Boiler seems to be thinking. He frowns, looks at Doolittle.

                      BOILER
          What's Talby's first name?

Doolittle thinks about it, and an odd expression crosses his
face.

                      DOOLITTLE
          What's my first name?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

CLOSE SHOT - TV SCREEN

                      MISSION CONTROLLER
          --then repatch channel 12 and seal all the
          plates. Don't mess with it and it should
          work okay. I'm just glad we caught this
          thing before anything serious happened.
          Keep up the good work, men.

His image fades, and is replaced by the message:

                END COMMUNICATION

FULL SHOT - CONTROL ROOM. Lights blink peacefully in the
empty room. HOLD FOR A MOMENT.

EXTERIOR - UNIVERSE

SLOW ZOOM toward a sun system. The DARK STAR is suspended
in frame. A title pops on briefly:

                      VEIL NEBULA

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

A GLOWING SCREEN shows a schematic of the planet rotating
below. Boiler stares at it, smiling.

                      BOILER
          There she is. Definite 99%-plus probability
          that the planet is going to deviate from
          its normal orbit in another twelve thousand
          rotations. It'll spiral in toward its
          sun, and--

                      PINBACK
          Eventual supernova.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Good stuff. Let's vaporize it.

Pinback hits buttons.

                      PINBACK
          Bomb bay systems operational.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

BOMB #20 lowers ponderously out of the ship.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      DOOLITTLE
          Lock fail safe.

Pinback turns the key.

                      PINBACK
          Fail safe in lock. Four minutes to drop,
          22 minutes to detonation. This is Sergeant
          Pinback calling Bomb #20. Do you read me,
          bomb?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          Bomb #20 to Sergeant Pinback. Roger,
          I read you, continue.

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

CAMERA SLOWLY PANS DOWN the chromium-steel walls of the
Emergency Air Lock to reveal Talby in a starsuit. He is
wearing it only as protection against possible depressur-
ization, and therefore wears no jetpack. Carrying a tool kit,
he is slowly circling the lock.

                      RECORDED VOICE
          You are now in the Emergency Air Lock.
          Please remember that the Surface Door
          can be opened without prior depressurization,
          so be sure to wear your starsuit at all
          times. Thank you for observing all safety
          precautions.

Talby stops facing LASER SHAFT 17.

The plate cover on the laser shaft hangs loose; it appears
to be burned. Talby approaches it and puts down his tool
kit. He turns on his helmet radio.

                      TALBY
          Ah, Lieutenant Doolittle?  Sir?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      DOOLITTLE
          Sh, Talby, don't bother me now.

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

                      TALBY
          Ah, well, I think I've found the
          malfunction, sir. I'm in the Emergency
          Air Lock...

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      DOOLITTLE
          Not now!

                      TALBY
                      (over - filter)
          Well, I'm in the Emergency Air Lock and--

Click! Doolittle turns off Talby's radio line.

                      PINBACK
          One hundred twenty seconds to drop, bomb,
          have you checked your platinum euridium
          energy shielding?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          Energy shielding positive function.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Do you remember the detonation time?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #2
          Detonation in twenty minutes.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Right, that synchronizes here. Okay,
          bomb, arm yourself.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          Armed.

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

Talby stands in front of the laser shaft, trying to reach
Doolittle on his helmet radio.

                      TALBY
          Hello? Lieutenant Doolittle? Hello!

Silence.

Very carefully, Talby reaches out to touch the dangling
plate cover on the laser shaft. He pushes it, and it drops
to the floor of the lock with a CLANG.

                      RECORDED VOICE
          Communications Laser #17, monitoring
          information relays and bomb bay systems,
          has now been activated and will switch
          into a test mode. If you will look near
          the Surface Door, you will see that the
          Parallax Receptor Cell has been engaged.

A small triangular hole opens in the opposite wall and a
photo-sensitive cell rotates into position.

                      RECORDED VOICE
          The laser will now energize. Please stand
          clear of the path of the beam.

Talby steps back quickly. The airlock lights dim, and
with a HIGH-PITCHED WHINE, A PENCIL-THIN BEAM OF RUBY
LIGHT PULSES ACROSS THE LOCK, from the laser shaft to
the receptor cell.

                      RECORDED VOICE
          Communications Laser #17 is now on test.
          Under no circumstances enter the path of
          the beam. Thank you for observing all
          safety precautions.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Everything sounds fine, bomb. Dropping
          you off in sixty seconds. Good luck.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #2
          Thanks.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          Quantum is up thirty-five.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I read the same here.

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

Talby crouches by the laser shaft, carefully peering past
the red, humming beam.

                      TALBY
          Doolittle. Doolittle? It you're there,
          I'm going to try to adjust the cue switch
          on the laser.

Silence.

                      TALBY
                      (cont'd)
          Well...here goes...

He takes a long tool from the tool kit. Slowly, with agon-
izing care, he inserts the tool into the laser shaft,
painstakingly avoiding the beam. He engages the tool into
the base of the laser, and begins slowly to make an adjust-
ment.

There is a BLINDING FLASH OF LIGHT.

Talby drops the tool and staggers back, clutching his face
plate.

                      TALBY
          My eyes.

                      RECORDED VOICE
          Attention. Attention. The laser has
          malfunctioned. Under no circumstances
          enter the path of the beam. To do so
          will cause immediate--

Talby stumbles into the beam. There is a dull EXPLOSION.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

There is a FLASH on the lower side of Bomb #20, a sudden
EXPLOSION. Lights BLIP FURIOUSLY on the bomb.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Begin main sequence. Mark at 10-9-8-7-
          6-5-4-3-2-1-drop.

A HONKER SOUNDS. The men sit up.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I have a negative drop. The bomb is still
          in the bomb bay. Try it again, Pinback.

Pinback resets his panel. The honker stops.

                      PINBACK
          Mark at 5-4-3-2-1-drop.

HONK-HONK-HONK-

                      DOOLITTLE
          Ah, negative drop.

The men stare at each other in silence for a long moment.
Simultaneously they begin hitting buttons.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Rechannel all safety relays--

                      BOILER
          --open quantum latches--

                      PINBACK
          --open circuit breakers--

                      DOOLITTLE
          --remove thrust drive repellant--

                      PINBACK
          --automatic channels open--

                      DOOLITTLE
          --Remark.

                      PINBACK
          5-4-3-2-1-drop, drop, drop!

There is a very long pause.

                      BOILER
          Sittin' there. It's just sittin' there.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

Bomb #20 hangs underneath the ship, waiting.

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

Talby lies unconscious on the floor of the lock.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

On the men's faces in strained anxiety.

                      DOOLITTLE
          This is Lieutenant Doolittle calling
          Bomb #20. I repeat previous order, you
          are to disarm yourself and return
          immediately to the bomb bay. Do you
          understand?

                      BOMB #20
                      (over)
          I am programmed to detonate in fourteen
          minutes thirty seconds. Detonation will
          occur at the programmed time.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Bomb, this is Doolittle. You are not to
          detonate, repeat, you are not to detonate
          in the bomb bay. Disarm yourself. This is
          an order.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          I read you, Lieutenant Doolittle, but I
          am programmed to detonate in fourteen minutes.
          Detonation will occur at the programmed time.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Fourteen minutes to detonation.

The men stare at each other.

                      RECORDED VOICE
          Attention. Attention. The bomb has mal-
          functioned. Automatic dampers have gone
          into effect, and will confine the explosion
          to an area one mile in diameter. Please
          contact mission control and await further
          instructions. Thank you for observing all
          safety precautions.

Pause.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Only one thing to do. I'll have to ask
          Commander Powell. I'll have to ask him
          what to do.

INTERIOR - FREEZER ROOM

Doolittle climbs down a ladder into the icy-blue, cold
Freezer Room. The walls are covered with frost, and mist
hangs in the air.

He pulls on a pair of insulated gloves and approaches a
heavy freezer door. On the door is a sign:

          CRYOGENIC FREEZER COMPARTMENT

                     CAUTION

                  ABSOLUTE ZERO

He opens the door.

COMMANDER POWELL is encased in the freezer in a post-death,
frozen ammonia state. Wire and electrodes are attached to
his head.

Doolittle takes a microphone from a console on the freezer.
He flips a switch and speaks into the mike:

                      DOOLITTLE
          Commander Powell? Commander Powell, this
          is Doolittle. Can you read me?

A crackle of static comes from a speaker grille, along with
the FAINT MUTTERING OF COMMANDER POWELL'S VOICE:

                      POWELL
          ...muffirup glurrinpinfropal...

Doolittle fiddles with the volume control, trying to bring
Commander Powell's voice into audibllity.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Commander Powell, this is Doolittle. Ah,
          there's something serious come up, sir,
          and I have to ask you something.

                      POWELL
                      (very weakly)
          I'm glad you've come to talk with me,
          Doolittle. It's been so long since anyone
          has come to talk with me.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Commander, sir, we have a big problem.
          You see, the Veil Nebula bomb, Bomb Number
          20, is stuck. It won't drop from the bomb
          bay. It refuses to listen and plans to
          detonate in-- (checks watch) --less than
          eleven minutes.

                      POWELL
          Doolittle, you must tell me one thing.

                      DOOLITTLE
          What's that, sir?

                      POWELL
          Tell me, Doolittle, how are the Dodgers
          doing?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Well, sir, the Dodgers broke up, disbanded
          over thirteen years ago.

                      POWELL
          Ah...pity, pity...

                      DOOLITTLE
          You don't understand, sir, we can't get
          the bomb to drop.

                      POWELL
          Ah, so many malfunctions...why don't you
          have anything nice to tell me when you
          activate me? Oh, well, did you try the
          azimuth clutch?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Yes sir. Negative effect.

                      POWELL
          What was that, Doolittle?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Negative effect.

                      POWELL
          It didn't work?

                      DOOLITTLE
          That's correct, sir.

                      POWELL
          Sorry, Doolittle. I've forgotten so much
          since I've been in here. So much.

                      DOOLITTLE
          What should we do, sir? The time is
          running out.

                      POWELL
          Well, what you might try is--

Commander Powell's voice is drowned in a burst of static.
Doolittle fiddles with the dials.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Commander Powell? Commander, hello!

                      POWELL
          Doolittle, hello?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Sorry, sir, you faded out there for a
          minute.

                      POWELL
          Sorry.

                      DOOLITTLE
          What were you saying, Commander, about
          the bomb?

                      POWELL
          Ah...it seems to me, Doolittle...Sorry,
          I've drawn a blank. Hold it. I'll have it
          again in a minute. I forget so many things
          in here, so many things. Hold on, just a
          minute, let me think...

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          But you can't explode in the bomb bay.
          It's foolish. You'll kill us all. There's
          no reason for it.

                      BOMB #20
                      (over)
          I am programmed to detonate in nine minutes.
          Detonation will occur at the programmed time.

                      PINBACK
          You won't consider another course of action,
          for instance just waiting around awhile so
          we can disarm you?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          No.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          I can tell, the damn thing just doesn't
          understand.

                      PINBACK
          Look, bomb...

INTERIOR - FREEZER ROOM

                      DOOLITTLE
          Commander? Are you still there?

                      POWELL
          Oh, yes, Doolittle, I'm thinking.

                      DOOLITTLE
          We're running out of time, sir.

                      POWELL
          Oh, yes...Well, Doolittle, if you can't
          get it to drop you'll have to talk to it.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Sir?

                      POWELL
          Talk to the bomb.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I already have, sir, and Pinback is
          talking to it now.

                      POWELL
          No, no, Doolittle, you talk to it. Teach
          it Phenomenology, Doolittle.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Sir?

                      POWELL
          Phenomenology...

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Doolittle! Doolittle! Six minutes to
          detonation!

INTERIOR - VENTRAL AIR LOCK

Wearing his starsuit, complete with jetpack, Doolittle pushes
a button. Above him, the giant lock doors slowly slide open.

EXTERIOR - SHIP

Doolittle slowly rises up out of the ship. He stops his
ascent with his jetpack, turns, and moves down toward
the bomb bay.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Doolittle! Doolittle, what the hell are
          you doing?

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

Doolittle floats into shot, jets himself up until he is
facing massive Bomb #20.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Hello, bomb, are you with me?

                      BOMB #20
          Of course.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Are you willing to entertain a few concepts?

                      BOMB #20
          I am always receptive to suggestions.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Fine. Think about this one, then: how
          do you know you exist?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          What's he doin'?

                      PINBACK
          I think he's talking to it.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          Well of course I exist.

                      DOOLITTLE
          But how do you know you exist?

                      BOMB #20
          It is intuitively obvious.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Intuition is no proof. What concrete
          evidence do you have of your own existence?

                      BOMB #20
          Hmm...Well, I think, therefore I am.

                      DOOLITTLE
          That's good. Very good. Now then, how do
          you know that anything else exists?

                      BOMB #20
          My sensory apparatus reveals it to me.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Right!

                      BOMB #20
          This is fun.

                      DOOLITTLE
          All right now, here's the big question:
          how do you know that the evidence your
          sensory apparatus reveals to you is correct?

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

Talby lies unconscious near the burned laser.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      DOOLITTLE
          What I'm getting at is this: the only
          experience that is directly available to
          you is your sensory data. And this sensory
          data is merely a stream of electrical
          impulses which stimulate your computing
          center.

                      BOMB #20
          In other words, all that I really know
          about the outside universe is relayed to
          me through my electrical connections.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Exactly.

                      BOMB #20
          Why, that would mean that...I really don't
          know what the outside universe is like at
          all, for certain.

                      DOOLITTLE
          That's it.

                      BOMB #20
          Intriguing. I wish I had more time to
          discuss this matter.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Why don't you have more time?

                      BOMB #20
          Because I must detonate in seventy-five
          seconds.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          The key!

                      PINBACK
          Key? Key? What is the key?

                      BOILER
          No, no, the key, the key to the fail-safe
          lock!

                      PINBACK
          Key?

                      BOILER
          Where's the fail-safe key?

                      PINBACK
          The key!

                      BOILER
          Where is it? What did you do with it?

                      PINBACK
          I don't have it. I don't know where it is.

                      BOILER
          You must have it, you idiot, we can stop
          the bomb!

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      DOOLITTLE
          Now, bomb, consider this next question
          very carefully. What is your one purpose
          in life?

                      BOMB #20
          To explode, of course.

                      DOOLITTLE
          And you can only do it once, right?

                      BOMB #20
          That is correct.

                      DOOLITTLE
          And you wouldn't want to explode on the
          basis of false data, would you?

                      BOMB #20
          Of course not.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Well then, you've already admitted that
          you have no real proof of the existence
          of the outside universe.

                      BOMB #20
          Yes, well...

                      DOOLITTLE
          So you have no absolute proof that Sergeant
          Pinback ordered you to detonate.

                      BOMB #20
          I recall distinctly the detonation order.
          My memory is good on matters like these.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Yes, of course you remember it, but what
          you are remembering is merely a series of
          electrical impulses which you now realize
          have no necessary connection with outside
          reality.

                      BOMB #20
          True, but since this is so, I have no
          proof that you are really telling me all
          this.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

Pinback is pawing frantically through the control room,
searching for the key. Boiler is apoplectic.

                      BOILER
          The key, goddamit, the key!

                      PINBACK
          Christ, twenty seconds, Christ!

                      BOILER
          Where is the key?

                      PINBACK
          We're gonna die, Boiler. We're gonna die.

They begin slapping each other hysterically.

EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      DOOLITTLE
          That's all beside the point. The concepts
          are valid, wherever they originate.

                      BOMB #20
          Hmmm...

                      DOOLITTLE
          So if you detonate in...

                      BOMB #20
          ...nine seconds...

                      DOOLITTLE
          ...you may be doing so on the basis of
          false data.

                      BOMB #20
          I have no proof that it was false data.

                      DOOLITTLE
          You have no proof that it was correct data.

There is a long pause.

                      BOMB #20
          I must think on this further.

THE BOMB RAISES ITSELF BACK INTO THE SHIP. Doolittle
practically collapses with relief.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          It didn't go off.

                      PINBACK
          Oh, God...

                      BOILER
          It didn't go off.

                      PINBACK
          Boiler, we're alive. My heart.

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

Talby slowly climbs to his feet. He is dazed, groggy.

                      TALBY
          Doolittle? Doolittle? What happened?
          Pinback? Boiler? Did we blow it up?
          Hello? Hello?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          No bombs today. No bombs. Big Boiler's
          back in business. No bombs today.

Pinback is mumbling unintelligibly.

INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

                      TALBY
          Hello, anybody! Did we blow up the
          planet? Hello, hello! What's going on?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

Pinback and Boiler have calmed down.

                      BOILER
          We've got to disarm the bomb.

                      PINBACK
          Doolittle, are you there?

EXTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

Doolittle is floating outside the Emergency Air Lock door.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I'm coming in now. I'm down by the
          Emergency Air Lock. Too much trouble
          to come in the Ventral Lock. Would
          you blow the seal on the emergency
          hatch so I can come in?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Oh, sure.

He presses a button.

EXTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

The Emergency Air Lock door EXPLODES AWAY FROM THE SHIP.
Behind it, carried by the burst of escaping air, comes
Talby spinning head over heels into deep space.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Hello, Pinback, are you there?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Yeah, Doolittle. What's up?

EXTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

                      DOOLITTLE
          Talby was in the air lock. You blew him
          out of the ship. I'm going after him.
          Turn on his helmet radio so I can contact
          him.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          What was that, I didn't hear...

                      PINBACK
          It's Talby. He's drifting away from
          the ship without his jetpack.

EXTERIOR - SPACE

Doolittle fires his jetpack, moving off into space after
Talby.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Talby, Talby, can you read me?

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          Can you beat that? I always knew
          Talby was weird.

EXTERIOR - SPACE

                      DOOLITTLE
          Talby, can you read me?

Talby is spinning wildly.

                      TALBY
          Help, Doolittle, help me!

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          All right, bomb, prepare to receive
          new orders.

                      BOMB #20
                      (over)
          You are false data.

                      PINBACK
          Huh?

                      BOMB #20
          Therefore, I shall ignore you.

                      PINBACK
          Hello, bomb.

INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          False data can act only as a distraction.
          Therefore. I shall refuse to perceive you.

                      PINBACK
                      (over)
          Hey, bomb.

                      BOMB #20
          The only thing which exists is myself.

                      PINBACK
                      (over)
          Bomb?

EXTERIOR - SPACE

Talby, spinning, is reflected in Doolittle's face plate.

                      TALBY
          Doolittle! Help me.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Calm down, Talby. I'm coming.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      PINBACK
          Snap out of it, bomb.

INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          In the beginning there was darkness,
          and the darkness was without form and void.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          What the hell?

                      PINBACK
          Yoo hoo, bomb...

INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          And in addition to the darkness there
          was also me. And I moved upon the face
          of the darkness.

INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                      BOILER
          Bomb, hey bomb.

                      PINBACK
          Hey, bomb...

INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                      BOMB #20
          And I saw that I was alone.

Pause.

                      BOMB #20
                      (cont'd)
          Let there be light.

THE SCREEN GOES WHITE.

EXTERIOR - SPACE

IN DEAD SILENCE, THE WHITE SCREEN FADES DOWN TO SHOW A GIANT
WHITE FIREBALL IN SPACE. THE FIREBALL CONTRACTS TO A HARD
CORE, GROWING RED, THEN

A BLINDING WHITE FLASH.

Doolittle flies past, falling backward.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Whoa!

Talby, upside down, is falling in the opposite direction.

                      TALBY
          Doolittle, Doolittle, where are you?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Here I am. I think I'm spinning...We're
          both falling, Talby, in opposite directions,
          away from each other. My--my jetpack's gone.

                      TALBY
          What happened, Doolittle?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Bomb must have gone off inside the ship.
          Nothing we can do about it now. Hey, it
          looks like...the skipper. He made it.
          Commander Powell made it!

A block of ice with a man's body in it tumbles past,
end over end.

                      POWELL
                      (weakly)
          Men...men...what happened, men?

                      DOOLITTLE
          Yeah, the skipper always was lucky.

The planet begins to rise behind Doolittle.

                      DOOLITTLE
                      (cont'd)
          Looks like I'm headed for the planet,
          Talby. Going right toward it.

                      TALBY
          When you fall, Doolittle, if there's anyone
          down there on the planet, somebody may see
          you. They may see you coming down. What a
          beautiful way to die...as a falling star...

                      DOOLITTLE
          Guess you're right.

Talby turns his head and looks behind him.

                      TALBY
          Doolittle, I'm heading right toward something.
          It's behind me, in the distance. Something
          that glows.

Far behind Talby, coming nearer, is a shimmering point of
light.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Oh yeah?

                      TALBY
          Doolittle...I think it's the Phoenix
          Asteroids!

                      DOOLITTLE
          Phoenix?

The point of light is closer now, and it has begun to
differentiate into a group of beautifully colored frost-
like shapes.

                      TALBY
          It is, Doolittle, it's the Phoenix! They
          glow with all the colors of the rainbow,
          just like everybody said.

                      DOOLITTLE
          No kidding?

                      TALBY
          I'm going into them, I'm going to hit them.
          Doolittle...

                      DOOLITTLE
          Yeah?

                      TALBY
          Before we get too far away, and our signals
          start to fade, I just wanted to tell you...
          you were my favorite. I really liked you,
          Doolittle.

                      DOOLITTLE
          I really liked you too, Talby. Hey, some
          debris from the ship! It's coming right
          by me.

Several chunks of debris from the ship drift past Doolittle.

                      TALBY
          Doolittle, I'm catching up to the asteroids.
          I'm going to be a part of them in a minute.
          Doolittle, I'm going into them.

Talby drifts into the huge frost-like shapes, expanding and
glowing and spinning, slowly refracting all the colors of
the spectrum with a cold glow.

                      TALBY
                      (cont'd)
          I'm beginning to glow.

The field of spectral shapes, with Talby in their midst,
begin to drift away into the distance.

                      TALBY
                      (cont'd)
          They're taking me with them, with the
          Phoenix...going to circle the universe
          forever. I'm with them now...be back this
          way again some day. Doolittle, before
          it's too late, there's one last thing I
          want to tell you...

Talby's signal dies out as the glowing lights disappear into
the depths of space.

Doolittle is hanging onto a long, thin chunk of debris.

                      DOOLITTLE
          Hey, Talby! I've grabbed a piece of the
          ship, and I think I've figured out a way!

He pulls the piece of metal down beneath his feet, and
stands on it.

Crouching and extending his arms, Doolittle surfs down
into the atmosphere of the planet, banking and planing
as he disappears to a small dot.

END TITLES AND MUSIC OVER.
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