As the situation continues to worsen aboard the Destiny, Col. Young is called back to Earth via the communication stones. When he arrives, Col. O’Neil informs him that the IOA back on Earth has come up with a seriously risky plan to get the crew aboard the ship home. In short, the plan is to divert power to the Stargate while the ship “recharges” inside a star. Unfortunately, the plan could also cause the ship to explode.
Thinking on behalf of the members aboard Destiny, Young asks O’Neil for more time to think about the decision. The IOA denies his request; they order Young, Chloe and Eli to use the communications stones to come back to Earth. They send Col. Telford and two scientists in their place to conduct the plan they came up with to get the crew home.
Most viewers will not be surprised that Rush is extremely hostile toward the idea and attempts to stall the other scientists for as long as possible. While undergoing preparations for the experiment, one of the crew members aboard Destiny is near-fatally wounded when a pipe explodes inside a corridor he is working. Telford blames Rush for the accident and forces him to play ball by helping the experiment move forward.
Back on Earth, Eli and Chloe visit their families for what could be the last time (if the ship were to explode while their bodies were still aboard, they would also die on Earth). Eli visits his mother as one of the IOA scientists. The emotional scene is especially hard because he cannot tell her who he really is or what he is really doing. Later that evening, he and Chloe go to a club with her friends (she claims to be a cousin), and the two drink away their sorrows.
Several times during the episode Destiny drops out of FTL which causes the communication stones to be interrupted, briefly causing the three users to come back to their own bodies. At one point, the ship comes out of FTL while Col. Young is making love to his wife. An awkward few seconds pass as Telford actually comes back to his own consciousness during the… festivities.
When the ship finally comes out of FTL for a final time and enters a nearby star to recharge, the scientists and Col. Telford begin to go ahead with the plan. As they route more and more power to the Stargate, however, it begins to overload and the ship begins to shake. Fearing it actually will explode, Col. Telford and the scientists quickly abandon Rush and the crew and go back to the communications stones where they escape home to Earth.
As soon as the three are gone and it is confirmed that Col. Young, Eli and Chloe are safely back aboard destiny, Dr. Rush slyly shuts down the numerous bells and whistles and stops the ship from “overloading”. While the entire crew is still in shock, Rush begins to explain the situation.
With a giant “gotcha” smile on his face, Rush explains that he created the theatrics before them. He tricked Col. Telford and the scientists by making it look as if the systems were overloading so they would leave the ship and allow Col. Young to once again regain command of Destiny.
Luckily, Rush pulled it off without a hitch and later, Col. Young once again uses the communication stones to return to Earth. This time, it is made clear to the IOA that they have no choice but to play by his rules and he is going to command the ship and its crew according to what he sees is in their best interests.
Although they may not make it home for a while, the Destiny is finally its own command, although still flying aimlessly billions of light years from home.
Before the credits roll, however, Col. Young’s wife gets a knock at her door. She opens it… to Col. Telford.
