Although the Destiny has survived the violent turbulence buffeting them at the end of last week’s episode, “Darkness,” the crew’s situation has not gotten any better. The ship is still totally out of reserve power and on a collision course with a nearby star.
The only only chance any of the crew seems to have left is the lone shuttle. There is a downside, however, as the shuttle’s life support will only sustain a maximum of 17 people. The only chance they have left is abandoning ship; sending as many as they can to one of the three nearby planets in hope that at least one is habitable. Everyone else will have to face their fate with the Destiny. . .
Even Dr. Rush has given up hope as Col. Young devises a simple lottery to choose the 15 people who will hope to survive by leaving in Destiny’s last shuttle. Two more people will be specifically chosen based on leadership and potential survivability. The rest of the crew obviously does not take this well, but soon realizes there is nothing anyone can do.
As Destiny continues to careen towards the star, Rush tells Col. Young that he would like to withhold his name from the lottery. In what seems like a selfless act from the otherwise cold Dr. Rush, he states that he has always felt his life work was to find the Destiny and his destiny, no pun intended, is with the ship’s fate.
The episode turns to several different characters as they spend what might be their last hours alive on Destiny recording a sort of “message in a bottle” with a kino. After the lottery drawing, the 17 chosen (including 1st Lieutenants Scott and Johansen, but no other particularly notable cast members) disembark on the shuttle in hopes of finding a habitable planet to survive on.
After the shuttle goes radio-silent, the remaining crew on the Destiny spends what they think will be their last moments alive in a variety of ways. Some play cards and try to lighten the mood. Others pray and look to spirituality to give them comfort. Rush, Col. Young and Master Sgt. Greer all go back to their quarters in peace.
Back aboard the shuttle, the hopeful castaways find that although the final planet is rather inhospitable, it will sustain life, and they begin to plot their course for it. Their conversation is dribbled with thoughts of the crew still aboard the Destiny.
After finishing a book in his quarters, Rush suddenly looks at his watch and bounds out of his bed for the observation room where he begins to laugh maniacally before Eli and Chloe.
We soon find that apparently Destiny should have perished hours ago but didn’t because the shields were still holding very strong. In fact, the shields are holding so well that the Destiny is actually flying directly through the star. Before long, power systems begin to come back online as Rush explains this must have been the Destiny’s intention all along – to fly through the star and recharge itself with solar energy.
The engines come back online and Col. Young immediately tells Rush to get communications up so he can contact the shuttle and have them return to the Destiny.
Aboard the shuttle, the team fears the Destiny is finally gone and their hopes hit rock bottom just before they hear Col. Young calling them over the radio. 1st Lt. Scott answers an order to return to the ship immediately before the Destiny leaves the system behind.
As the Destiny begins to gain speed, however, the shuttle cannot keep up with it, even at full speed, to intercept its course and dock again. Rush and Eli quickly devise a plan to have Scott pilot the shuttle around the nearby planet to create a slingshot effect which should give the shuttle enough speed to land on the Destiny.
After a tense course readjustment, Scott manages to catch up with the Destiny and roughly lands the shuttle back on the ship, all crew safe and sound.
Before the episode ends, however, Col. Young confronts Rush on why he withdrew his name for the lottery. It suddenly strikes him that perhaps Rush knew all along the Destiny would survive its trip through the star. Although Rush doesn’t admit that he knew anything, the episode ends with Col. Young’s suspicion of Rush skyrocketing through the roof.
