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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.