Original subtitles

♪ TRANQUIL GUITAR MUSIC PLAYING ♪

♪ And I tried to write a symphony ♪

♪ But I lost the melody ♪

♪ Alas I only finished half ♪

♪ And finish I suppose I never may ♪

♪ Anyway I love you ♪

♪ That's all I have to tell you ♪

♪ That's all I've got to say ♪

♪ That's all I've got to say ♪

♪ That's all I've ♪

♪ Got to ♪

♪ Say ♪

[CHEERING]

Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.

- C'mon, one more! - No, no, no. No, that's it.

That's it, I can't. I can't, my fingers are too fulla beer.

They barely work as it is.

- Well, finish the job. - Thanks, man.

Hey, this is why I love hosting parties...

'Cause you can drink. You don't have to go anywhere.

- Cheers. - Cheers!

♪ SLOW JAZZ PLAYING ♪

- ISAAC: Hello, Ensign. - Hello.

ISAAC: May I speak with you for a moment?

Sorry, busy having fun.

Rough burn, man.

ISAAC: I have been attempting to converse

with Ensign Burke for some time.

However, my overtures have been largely declined thus far.

Yeah, that's going to be a tough one, Isaac,

and I don't have to tell you why.

ISAAC: My command of the nuances of discourse

would seem to be deficient.

Ah, don't beat yourself up.

ISAAC: It is an elusive skill.

How does one begin a conversation

with a biological life form?

L-Like in general?

ISAAC: Yes.

There's no simple answer to that, but,

I guess a good place to start

is to ask the other person about themselves.

People like it when you take an interest in their lives.

ISAAC: Please clarify.

Well, it could be anything.

Ask them do they play any sports,

what kind of music do they like?

What are some of their hobbies?

Give them a compliment on their haircut.

Whatever you could think of.

It's really not that hard once you get the hang of it.

♪ ♪

Hey, Gordon, what's this?

Oh.

It's a...

- It's a cellphone. - A what?

It's a communication device, from the early 21st century.

Wow. Is it real?

Nah. It's a replicated version

of a real one they found in a time capsule on Earth.

Belonged to a woman named Laura Huggins.

Here, I'll show you.

Is that her?

Yeah.

She was really pretty.

She was, yeah.

You know, you can learn a lot about

the people of that time period, from one of these things.

I learned a lot about her.

Had the computer replicate this as a...

Sort of memento.

To keep her in my thoughts.

You talk like you knew this girl.

Kind of feel like I did.

Want to take a selfie?

A what?

Something I learned from Laura.

Thank you for the invitation to your party, Lieutenant.

I must be going.

Oh, here, wait, before you go. Get in this.

Okay, everybody, big smiles, okay? Big smiles.

Here we go.

[SHUTTER CLICKS]

♪ TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Essentially, it's two major breakthroughs for the price of one.

And I mean major.

First off, the projection radius of the field

is about three orders of magnitude greater

than Dr. Aronov's original device.

Which means what?

Which means the temporal field expansion

could theoretically encompass an entire ship.

That's... a significant upgrade.

Hey, man, what's goin' on? We were supposed to have lunch.

Ah, sorry, man, I got sidetracked.

Well, we doin' it?

I can't. I'll owe you one?

All right, well, I'm starving.

KELLY GRAYSON: You said there were two breakthroughs.

Egg salad sandwich.

ISAAC: We have managed to increase

the temporal resolution of the field.

In other words, we can tune the field down

to the exact millisecond.

Oh, Gordon, can I borrow your sandwich?

Sure.

Now, in ten seconds, I'm going to send this sandwich

exactly ten seconds into the past.

[ENERGY PULSING]

Where'd that come from? JOHN LAMARR: The future.

Now watch.

You just sent that sandwich into the past,

and that's why it appeared ten seconds ago.

- Boom. - Well, why wouldn't you just keep it?

Then you could have two sandwiches instead of one.

ISAAC: If Commander Lamarr had not followed through

with his intent to send the sandwich into the past,

it would have caused a temporal paradox.

In which case an entirely new universe

would've branched off from this one,

all because of a sandwich.

Makes your head hurt.

Hey, wait! [SNAPS FINGERS] I got an idea!

Can you send that three months into the future?

Yeah, why?

Because three months from now, it'll appear,

and that'll be a nice surprise.

Okay.

[ENERGY PULSING]

Aw, I'm excited.

I can't wait to eat that sandwich.

Well, as novel as this is,

it also means the Aronov device

just became a lot more potent.

The Admirals should be notified.

It's undeniable they've achieved something extraordinary,

but I have to admit, I wish they hadn't.

March of progress. Can't stop it.

The weaponization of time travel

has always been the unthinkable horror.

If the Krill or the Kaylon ever achieved it,

they could skip the galactic brinksmanship

and simply destroy the Union at its inception.

How do you want us to handle it?

I'm going to recommend the immediate dispatch of a convoy

to escort you to the maximum security research station

on Sabik Three.

You'll transfer the device and all data over to their care.

John's gonna weep. He's losing his favorite toy.

That toy is gonna be a hell of a lot safer there.

I'll contact you soon. Perry out.

♪ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Captain, we're being hailed by the California.

It's Admiral Ozawa.

Put her on.

Go ahead, Admiral.

Captain, we've been hailing the station

for the past five minutes, there's no response.

- Talla. - Doing it now.

Hailing on every channel.

No answer.

I'm ordering all ships to increase speed to maximum.

We'll stay with you.

Ozawa out.

I have a bad feeling about this.

♪ INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Life signs?

ISAAC: None, sir.

They found out we were coming.

[COMPUTER BEEPING]

Captain.

A convoy of Kaylon ships is dropping out of quantum.

♪ INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING ♪

♪ THEME SONG PLAYING ♪

♪ INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING ♪

- Evasive maneuvers, pattern beta! - Aye, sir!

[EXPLOSION]

Deflectors down to 50%!

Full auxiliary power!

[EXPLOSION]

ISAAC: Kaylon interceptors in pursuit.

ED MERCER: Gordon, pattern delta five.

Aye, sir!

Navigational array is offline.

[EXPLOSION]

ISAAC: Explosive decompression on decks E and F.

Sir, incoming message from Admiral Ozawa.

Put her on!

All ships! We're taking heavy losses!

I'm ordering a full retreat,

bearing 1-6-7 mark 12.

We'll try to lose them in the Veil nebula.

- Gordon! - On it!

[ELECTRONIC BUZZING]

Tractor beam has locked on!

Full reverse power.

No effect!

- Hail the Kaylon! - Hailing!

KAYLON: You will surrender the device.

Back off now or we'll destroy it ourselves.

You will surrender the device or you will die.

Prepare to be boarded.

Talla. Go to the lab. Destroy the Aronov device.

Oh, god, hang onto something!

[TALLA GROANS]

- Talla! - Medical team to the bridge!

Ed, I'll go.

- Do it, go! Charly, take the helm. - Aye, sir!

♪ INTENSE MUSIC PLAYING ♪

- You sure you're all right? - Yeah, I'll be fine.

ISAAC: Captain, Kaylon vessel is activating docking clamps.

I can't shake us loose, Captain!

Options! ISAAC: Sir.

A forced overload of the deflector

array could disrupt their tractor beam.

Mercer to Lamarr!

We're gonna use the quantum core to overload the deflectors!

On Isaac's command!

Aye, sir, rerouting power now!

[ENERGY PULSING]

ISAAC: Core output 60%.

Core output 76%.

98%.

Core overloading.

- We're loose! - Get us out of here!

Bortus to Captain. Still no sign of the Kaylon.

It is possible they have given up their pursuit.

MERCER: All right, keep me posted.

Mercer out.

And it's not possible he was injured during one of the blasts?

On his way back to the bridge?

I've done a full scan.

If he hit his head and took a fall somewhere,

I'd know about it.

Captain, these magnetic impedance readings, they don't add up.

What do you mean?

Well, the residual energy signature

makes it look like the Aronov device

has been running at full power,

but it hasn't been activated in days.

Could there have been some sort of overload?

You mean could he have been vaporized by a power surge?

No. No way.

The scans would pick up any organic residue.

There's nothing.

Well then where the hell is he?

- [SPEAKER BEEPS] - BORTUS: Bridge to Captain.

Go ahead.

BORTUS: We are... being hailed.

By who?

BORTUS: By... Lieutenant Malloy.

[MONITOR BEEPING]

Where is it coming from?

ISAAC: The message appears to have originated from Earth.

However, it is encoded on a sub-quantum carrier wave,

calibrated to 3.7 times the speed of light.

At such a velocity, its time of transmission would be...

approximately 400 years ago.

So it was calculated to reach the Veil nebula from Earth

at exactly this point in time.

ISAAC: Affirmative.

There is some degradation,

however the message is largely intact.

GORDON MALLOY: Malloy to Orville. [BACKGROUND CLATTER, STATIC]

I'm sending this message to you from... the year 2015.

I've been here for six months, and I'm... [STATIC]

in case it reaches you.

[STATIC]

I've encoded my temporal coordinates within this message.

[STATIC]

Uh... I'm trapped here.

[STATIC]

if you can.

I know it's a long shot, but if you're able... send help.

I miss you guys.

[STATIC]

End transmission.

Gordon Malloy.

Pilot and flight engineer for a private charter airline.

Died in Pasadena, California, July 12th, 2068.

How did this happen?

Well, we think we know, because in fact,

we've seen it before.

ISAAC: As you will recall,

when Commander Grayson's younger self

was transported to our time,

we were able to confirm that human cognition

played a role in the temporal displacement.

LAMARR: We think we're looking at a similar explanation here.

The other night at the party, Charly was asking Gordon

about the cellular phone in his quarters.

Got him talking about Laura.

Now, we're still just beginning to understand

the relationship between temporal theory

and observer perception,

but the short of it is, Gordon was close to the Aronov device

when we overloaded the deflectors.

The burst of energy from the quantum drive

amplified the temporal field before it collapsed,

and he got caught in the displacement wave.

I might be off base, but my bet

is that his subconscious picked that destination point:

the early 21st century.

So he's... trapped in the past?

He was.

According to these records, he lived and died back there.

So... if that's the case,

it must mean we weren't able to save him.

She is correct. We have already failed.

Not necessarily.

See, that's where temporal mechanics gets muddy.

It's all in flux.

ISAAC: Our behavior is, as yet, a variable.

Until and if we make the attempt to rescue Lt. Malloy,

we are existing in a superposition

of several possible timelines.

Then he can be rescued.

But... why is there any record of him at all?

He knows the law.

If you find yourself displaced in time,

you make yourself as invisible as you can.

You do everything in your power not to interfere.

Now that, I can't answer.

Is it possible for us to go back and get him?

With the upgrades to the Aronov device

and the temporal coordinates Gordon sent us in the message,

we got a shot.

But it's gonna put a hell of a strain on the quantum drive.

He's calling out to us from the past, asking for our help.

And temporal law compels us to try.

♪ CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC PLAYING ♪

♪ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Mercer to Lamarr. Report.

Ready here, Captain.

MERCER: Isaac?

ISAAC: Temporal coordinates have been encoded and locked.

MERCER: Initiate sequence.

Acknowledged.

♪ ENERGETIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

ISAAC: All power couplings are linked.

Yaphit, ramp up the dysonium injectors.

Take us to 100% flow-field density.

Doing it.

Quantum core is at maximum output.

Isaac, what's your status?

ISAAC: I will require additional power

to increase chronon energy levels.

Lamarr, give Isaac as much as you can spare.

Diverting auxiliary power.

[ENERGY PULSING]

ISAAC: Temporal field is weakening.

The core's destabilizing!

All sections reporting structural integrity alarms.

Captain, we're hitting the ceiling down here!

Isaac! ISAAC: Stand by.

Commander Lamarr,

transfer emergency power reserves

to the quantum core on my mark.

Three, two, one,

mark.

[LOUD RUMBLING]

Isaac, talk to me.

ISAAC: Captain, I believe,

we have successfully made the transition.

Let's find out.

Ensign Burke, set course for Earth.

Aye, sir.

♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

♪ TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Sir, I'm picking up old-style communication signals

on multiple radio frequencies.

It looks like we've arrived in the right century.

Electromagnetic screens?

Functioning.

We are undetectable to their surveillance technology.

Let's play it safe. Keep us on the far side of the moon.

LAMARR: Lamarr to bridge.

Go ahead.

LAMARR: I got some bad news.

The time jump ate up the last of our dysonium reserves

before we reached the temporal coordinates Gordon sent us.

- We didn't quite make it. - What do you mean?

Talla confirmed this is the 21st century.

It is, but our target date was 2015.

We came up a little short.

According to our astrometric scans... we're in 2025.

2025?

So, Gordon...

From Gordon's perspective, he's been here for ten years.

Jesus.

I don't suppose we can try again.

Sir, without dysonium,

we can't get back to our own time from here.

Then we'll just have to go down there and get him,

worry about how to get back later.

ISAAC: Captain, in the early 22nd century,

deposits of dysonium were discovered inside Earth's mantle.

However, at this current point in time, they remain untouched.

I believe we may be able to extract a sufficient quantity

using a remotely directed geodetic probe.

All right. Kelly and I will go after Gordon, bring him home.

John, you'll get the dysonium. Make every effort to avoid...

Captain, I'm not trying to shirk duty here,

but we just put this ship through hell.

Alright, there are about a thousand systems on board

that need to be inspected and repaired just to stay afloat,

including life support.

Well, is there anyone on your engineering team who's up to it?

There's one guy who could do it

a hell of a lot faster and more efficiently than I can.

Who?

You're lookin' at him.

Isaac?

ISAAC: Commander Lamarr is correct.

I am able to direct a geodetic probe

with greater precision than a biological.

However, its course will need to be plotted in real time

with the proper adjustments,

to ensure minimal geological disruption,

now, and in the future.

You make a wrong turn, you could displace a fault line

that causes an earthquake 20 years in the future.

You basically gotta drill

while you're calculating trajectories in multiple dimensions.

ISAAC: I will require the assistance of Ensign Burke.

I'm gonna ask a pretty basic question here.

How the hell is Isaac supposed to walk around

21st-century Earth?

♪ SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

CHARLY BURKE: Navigation and flight controls

are on-line and ready for launch.

Cloaking system is standing by.

Looks like there's a lot of air traffic down there.

Reporting for duty, sir.

I still say this is a bad idea.

Those things screwed us on that Krill ship.

It's our only option.

Come on. Let's go.

[HYDRAULICS WHIRRING] [CHARLY SIGHS]

All set for departure.

Take us out.

♪ EPIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

I have accessed their airspace control network.

Uploading locations and flight vectors for all air vehicles

within a 1,000-kilometer radius.

Great. At least we won't hit a plane.

Do you play any sports?

♪ ♪

[HYDRAULICS WHIRRING]

Okay. We all know we're threading a needle here.

Avoid any unnecessary temporal footprints,

but complete the mission at all costs.

Simple as that.

All right, let's go.

♪ CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC PLAYING ♪

[JET ENGINE IDLING]

[ENGINES POWERING DOWN]

You want those TKS panels installed in the Hawker?

Yeah. If it's good to go by tomorrow,

we can put it back in service by the fifth.

Got it.

Hey, Gordo, you expecting clients?

No, why?

Gordon.

My god.

How are you?

I'm...

I can't believe this is happening.

You're here.

You're actually...

You're actually here.

Yeah. About ten years too late.

Are you okay?

I'm...

I'm fine, yeah.

I just... I can't believe it's you.

I'm so sorry it took us so long.

I just never expected to see you guys again.

Well, we're here now.

And we're gonna try and make it home.

Home?

Yes.

Can we take a ride?

Somebody already had "Orville" with an R.

I was so pissed.

"O-ville" was the best that I could do.

Sounds like a shitty band.

[SNIFFS] What's that smell?

Oh sorry, Right Guard. [LAUGHS]

I was late for work today, I had to get ready in the car.

Accidentally popped the top off the can. It sprayed everywhere.

Seems like you've... acclimated to this century.

Yeah. Y'know, this time period gets a bad rap,

but there's a lot to like about it if you look hard enough.

Like what?

Well, you know, it's like watching your little brother

make a bunch of stupid mistakes.

Yeah, he's an idiot now,

but you can see him learning, and growing,

and you know that someday all those mistakes

are gonna turn him into a smart guy.

That's pretty forgiving,

when you think about what these people left us to clean up.

I guess I've always had an attraction to this era.

And over the years, I've gotten comfortable here.

You know, when no one came for me, I...

had to make peace with the fact that this was home now.

Hell, I didn't even know if the Orville

survived the battle with the Kaylon.

Look, Gordon, I can't imagine how hard this has been for you.

But, Jesus Christ, you're a Union officer.

And I wouldn't be doing my job if I didn't point out...

Please, please, don't say it, please.

Temporal law. Stay invisible. Don't interact with anyone.

If we make it back, you're gonna have to answer for this.

You know that.

[TURNS OFF ENGINE]

I'm not going back with you.

- What? - What do you mean?

Come inside.

Sweetie? [KEYS JINGLE]

WOMAN: Hi, baby. Hi. GORDON: Hi.

Oh. Who are your friends?

- This is Ed and Kelly. - Hi.

This is my son Edward, and my wife Laura.

[LAURA GIGGLES]

[MONITOR BEEPING]

I believe I have located the nearest dysonium deposit.

It appears to be six kilometers below the crust.

Can you get a lock on the optimal drilling site?

I believe so.

Increasing scan resolution will take a moment.

What kind of music do you like?

- What? - [SCANNER BEEPING]

There is a suitable bore site 23.7

kilometers from our present position.

That's a good hike. We could use some transportation.

Look.

♪ ROCK GUITAR PLAYING ♪

I have an idea.

♪ ROCK MUSIC PLAYING ♪

[INDISTINCT CHATTER]

♪ Yeah, you got ♪

♪ Satin shoes ♪

♪ Yeah, you got... ♪

Two of those, please.

Damn. That's straight bourbon, honey.

Yeah, and I'm from Texas.

Is this your boyfriend?

Oh, my god, no.

I mean...

no, this is my...

brother.

I'm Sam. This is RJ.

I'm Charly, this is Isaac.

A pleasure to meet you.

What are some of your hobbies?

So listen, you, uh... you got a couple bikes out there?

Two Screamin' Eagle V-Rods.

Ooh, yeah, those are beauties.

I, um, don't suppose you'd let us borrow them for a few hours?

[LAUGHING]

Your sister's got some big ol' balls on her, doesn't she?

Negative. Her anatomical construct is comprised of...

So tell me... who's the strongest guy in here?

[SPLUTTERING]

That would probably be, uh... me.

He's fulla shit. It's Richie over there.

Okay. How about this:

If my brother here can beat Richie in an arm-wrestling match,

you give us your bikes.

[LAUGHING]

- Are you kiddin' me? - Is it a bet?

Well, what do we get if you lose?

I lose...

you choose.

♪ I've been beggin' ♪

♪ On my knees ♪

♪ I've been kickin' ♪

♪ Help me please ♪

♪ ROCK GUITAR PLAYING ♪

Try to make this believable.

Understood, Ensign.

Don't call me... never mind.

Okay.

On my mark.

Aaannnd...

Go! [BIKERS CHEERING]

Oh, no, I am losing.

BIKERS: Ohh!

It would appear this is not one of your hobbies.

Better luck next time.

♪ ♪

So, I was singing at this little pub back in New York,

and one night this awkward kind of dorky guy walks in...

- Oh, come on! - And...

And he's all alone, and he's clapping louder than anyone,

so obviously you know what my first thought is,

weirdo loner, creepy guy... [GORDON LAUGHS]

who's probably gonna ask if he can buy me a drink.

- Which of course I do. - Which of course he does.

And so I'm like...

Dad, can I have some more juice?

Of course you can, pal. Do you want my help?

No, I got it.

Okay.

LAURA: So, I'm like, you know, ten seconds away

from blowing him off and walking to my car,

and then he starts talking to me about my music.

And... [SIGHS]

it was so immediately clear that he...

got it.

You know, he was really hearing

what I was trying to do up there

and-and, understood,

why it was the most important thing in my life.

You know, a lot of guys had come to my shows

and thrown out compliments trying to score, but with him...

I had no intention of having sex with her.

I thought she was ugly, really.

- [LAUGHING] Stop. Let me finish. - GORDON: Okay.

He just really cared about getting to know me.

You know, and so I thought,

hey, not my usual type, but... [LAUGHS]

what the hell, give it a shot.

I had just broken up with this guy Greg,

and the last thing that I wanted was another douchebag...

- But she went out with me anyway. - That's right, yeah.

Look at us. Seven years later, that douchebag is my husband.

I'm her douchebag. [LAUGHS]

Well, this is a very delicious lunch. Thank you.

Sure.

So, how long have you been in aviation?

- Five years. - Ten years.

- Seems like five, doesn't it? - It does.

That's why I said five 'cause it seems like it.

But yeah, ten years.

And Gordon tells me that you work out of the Boston area.

You must be Sox fans.

Yeah, yeah, I mean, it gets cold out there,

so socks are, um...

Socks are important.

[ELECTRONIC HUMMING]

Hey. Bortus is asking for a shipwide status report.

- How we doing down here? - Uh, slow but steady.

Would you hand me that phase modulator?

You think we're gonna be able to make it home?

Well, Orville's a tough ship.

If Isaac and Charly get the dysonium, she'll make it.

- [GROANS] - What's wrong?

I tweaked a muscle in my upper back. Acts up sometimes.

I've been meaning to see Dr. Finn, I've just been so busy.

- Where? - Right shoulder?

Want me to see if I can get at it?

That's very nice, but I've tried.

With a Xelayan?

Well, no.

Okay, take a stab at it.

Holy shit.

Hang on, I feel it.

Oh, my god...

Oh, my god.

Ahh!

- Yep. - Ahh!

- Sorry, did that hurt? - No. No, no. Keep going, keep going.

Wow, how long you known how to do this?

I don't know how to do this.

Ahh! Whoo!

TALLA KEYALI: Yep. [JOHN OOHING AND AHHING]

[JOHN LAUGHS]

Ahh! It's like a 50 G-force, completely focused and controlled.

Oh, my god!

Ahh, you gotta be kidding me with this shit.

Yep, there it is.

Got it.

Better?

[DOGS BARKING IN DISTANCE]

Can we talk now?

Yeah. We can talk.

Look, I understand that you got a raw deal, I really do.

But I want to hear a goddamn good explanation

for what's happening, because the way I see it,

we oughta haul your ass back to the ship right now

and throw you in the brig.

- Shut up. - Excuse me, Lieutenant?

No. No, I'm not your lieutenant.

I'm not your helmsman, I'm not your crew.

I'm Gordon Malloy,

- and this is my house. - KELLY: Gordon.

You're guilty of about 50 counts of temporal contamination.

You broke the law, and god knows what the consequences...

Screw the law!

I spent three years obeying the law.

I hid in an abandoned cabin in the woods of Connecticut

and I did my goddamn duty.

I stayed invisible. I didn't see anyone, I didn't go anywhere.

You know what I ate?

Animals. Yeah.

I was holding my weapon when I got sent

back, and I used it to kill animals.

You wanna talk about breaking the law?

Here it's no big deal, but in our time?

I'm a serial murderer, folks.

You know what that does to your head?

So after three years, I said the hell with it.

Temporal law can blow me.

Yeah, looks fine on paper,

but the Union has no idea,

what it's like to be trapped, no idea.

So...

So I went looking for her.

And I found her. And I made a life for myself.

And I will not let you make me feel like shit for doing it.

I'm a human being. We're social creatures.

Without each other, we die.

Was I supposed to die?

To protect the timeline? Yes.

Maybe this is how it's supposed to be! Who's to say?

Who's to say I shouldn't be able to do whatever I want?

Oh. Seems you really have acclimated to this century.

When you joined the fleet, you took an oath to the Union.

You're here.

You're here. Which means the Union still exists in the future.

If anything was gonna happen, it already happened.

- That's how the physics works. No. - No.

- The timeline is okay. - You're deluding yourself.

Nobody really understands time travel.

According to Isaac, it's all still in flux.

He says observer interaction is still a variable,

and until we act, one way or the other,

all timelines are possible.

How do you know that your son won't grow up to start a war

that could delay or even prevent Union emergence?

Or maybe, maybe one of his descendants helps create it.

Or maybe even gives birth to you.

Or to me.

That's my point.

Gordon, without knowing, we can't interfere.

We don't have the wisdom, we don't have the foresight.

You may have done irreparable damage already, we don't know.

But the longer you're here, the greater the risk.

According to Isaac, we're existi...

Oh, yeah, and Isaac's always been trustworthy, hasn't he?

- Oh, Jesus, Gordon, come on... - What?

What? He helped the Kaylon kill thousands of people.

That we know for sure.

So a verifiable crime is less serious than a hypothetical one?

Nice priorities.

You have to come with us.

Forget it.

You sent that message.

You wanted us to come take you home.

We're here.

Ten years ago I wanted it!

More than anything in the galaxy.

But not now.

You took too long.

And I'm happy here.

LAURA: Gordon?

I think you need to go.

♪ ♪

GORDON: That's the truth. All of it.

My...

My god, say something.

I know.

You...

what?

I...

I know.

I...

Somehow I think I've always known.

There's just something about you that's...

different.

It's this energy that surrounds you.

How you see the world.

The way you are with me.

Even when the pandemic came...

you knew.

When everything around us seemed like it was falling apart...

you told me it was gonna be okay.

And you know what?

I believed you.

Because...

you know.

Don't you?

And it...

it doesn't change the way you feel?

About us?

You mean because you've been lying to me our entire life?

Laura, if I had told you...

It would've been useless.

Well, would it?

I honestly don't know.

I suppose that's why it was meant to happen now.

When I was ready to hear it.

And I know it's the truth.

I fell in love with you...

three centuries after you were gone.

Where do we go from here?

They want to take me back.

And...

what do you want?

I want you.

♪ ♪

♪ TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

[ELECTRONICS CHIRPING]

The entry point coordinates

are directly beneath that structure.

Come on.

We're in luck. It looks vacant.

WOMAN: Excuse me.

Hi. I'm Nancy Weber. This is my listing.

- Hi. - Are you interested in the house?

We, um...

Yes.

Yeah, we're... we're interested.

Don't tell me. Young couple looking to buy their first home.

You... you guessed it.

Well, you picked a good one. The house, I mean.

Although the guy is pretty cute too. [GIGGLES]

So cute.

Come on in.

You going for a hike?

ISAAC: A hike? NANCY: The backpack.

BURKE: Yes, we are. This afternoon.

So how long have you two been a couple?

Oh... few years.

Right, honey?

Affirmative. Our pairing has flourished for some time.

Well, this is the main living area.

Plenty of room for just the two of you,

or if you're looking to start a family.

I'm assuming you don't have kids yet?

Negative. Insemination has yet to occur.

Jesus Christ.

Is there a, um, basement of some kind?

Yes, there is.

Could we see it?

Of course.

The previous owners used this primarily for storage,

but with a little work, it's a perfect space

for a game room or an office, or even a small home gym.

The house is really great, and the price is fair.

Could we have a moment alone to discuss it between ourselves?

Absolutely. Take your time.

And I really think you're gonna love it, trust me.

Okay. We have to do this fast.

[ELECTRONICS CHIRPING]

The dysonium deposit is bearing 0-0-6 mark 17,

relative to the geometric center of the Earth.

Once the device is active, we will need

to continuously adjust the trajectory

in order to avoid petrological disequilibrium.

You mean don't crack the egg.

A crude analogy.

All right, let's fire it up.

[ELECTRONIC CHIMING AND HUMMING]

[ENERGY PULSING]

The geodetic probe has entered the crust.

Descending at 56.7 meters per second.

Tectonic stress is rising.

I see it. Rotate descent vector to

bearing 0-0-7 for eight seconds, now.

Rotating vector.

[ALERT BEEPING]

A pressure gradient is shifting in a nearby aquifer.

Pull back 20 meters and redirect laterally.

Acknowledged.

The gradient has stabilized. Tectonic stress is nominal.

Redirect, bearing 0-1-1 mark 12.

[GEARS WHIRRING]

Density transition confirmed.

We have breached the mantle.

[SIGHS]

Okay. Now we wait.

I like your hair.

Okay, what the hell are you doing?

Please clarify.

You've been asking all these random questions,

like, "What music do you like, what sports do you play?"

You're acting totally weird. What's going on?

I am attempting to initiate a conversation with you.

Why? If you have something to say, just say it.

Don't dick around with all this small talk.

Very well.

During my observations of biological customs,

I have seen many instances of recognitional declaration

when one individual performs a service for another.

The humans call it a "thank you."

Yeah?

I never said "thank you."

For my reactivation.

Oh.

In effect, you saved my life.

Yep. Sure. I guess I did.

Thank you.

The appropriate response is, "You are welcome."

Yeah, well, let's skip that part.

I do not understand.

Do you not wish to avail yourself of my thanks?

Isaac, I was doing my duty.

And I can promise you, I didn't like it one bit.

I was separating my job from my personal feelings, that's all.

I see.

You still harbor negative sentiments toward me.

We have to work together. Every day.

But that doesn't change what you did,

and who I lost because of it.

Does your machine brain have any concept of what love is?

I do not understand.

Well, I'll help you.

Amanda wasn't just my best friend.

I loved her.

And I never got to say it to her.

She was someone I could've seen

spending the rest of my life with.

And I have no idea if she felt the same way.

I waited too long to ask.

And then she was gone.

You took her life, and by doing that, you took mine.

Or what mine could've been.

So yeah. I still harbor "negative sentiments."

Nonetheless... I thank you.

[MONITOR CHIRPS]

Extraction complete.

The plasma drill has been deactivated.

Okay. Let's seal it up, quick.

[ENERGY PULSING]

Let's get outta here.

So, what do you say? Is it home?

We just broke up.

[FAMILY CHUCKLING]

What did you think the words "pay per view" meant?

I never thought about it.

I thought it was like some foreign expression

like "a la carte" or "in escrow."

[CANNED LAUGHTER, GORDON CHUCKLING]

ACTOR 1: Well, it is not. ACTOR 2: Oh, man!

[DOORBELL RINGS]

ACTOR 1: Ah, so, what's your good news?

ACTOR 2: Oh, I got fired.

[CANNED LAUGHTER]

ACTOR 1: Jack! [TV CLICKS OFF]

No.

No.

Whatever you think you're gonna do,

you can forget it and get the hell out of here.

- Gordon... - I said get out!

Gordon, what's going on?

- They're here to take me away. - What?

You can't stay here, and you know it.

Then you should've gotten your goddamn dates right

and shown up ten years ago!

- I'm not leaving! - You don't have a choice.

What... you're gonna haul me outta here by force?

If I have to.

Okay.

All right. I'll go.

We all will.

I'm sorry, Gordon. No.

I'm not leaving here without my family.

Daddy, what's wrong?

It's okay, honey.

What, are you gonna kill us?

No. Just a heavy stun.

And when you wake up, we'll be gone.

And we will disappear so deep into this world

that you won't have a prayer of finding us again, ever.

So you have two choices: The door or the floor.

Take your pick.

Gordon, you know what you're doing is...

ISAAC: Isaac to Captain Mercer.

- [COMSCANNER CHIRPS] - Go ahead.

ISAAC: We have secured the dysonium,

and we are returning to the shuttle.

Acknowledged. Mercer out.

[COMSCANNER BEEPS]

All right. We're bringing you home.

I don't think you heard me. I told you I am not...

From 2015.

What...?

Farther back down the timeline, you're there,

asking for our help.

It's a ten-year jump. We'll make it.

No. No, no, no, you can't.

Gordon, what does he mean?

He means... going back for me.

Ten years in the past.

What?

No, what about... GORDON: Us?

There won't be any us.

No us, no Edward.

No baby.

What kind of people are you?

I'm so sorry. But this reality was never supposed to exist.

Our reality? My son's? My baby's?

You're saying they won't exist?

I...

I don't know.

That's the reason it's illegal and immoral,

to play god with history.

Who's playing god? Huh?

The only one playing god here is you.

Is it illegal to erase people from existence?

Because I call that murder.

Goodbye, Gordon. We'll see you soon.

Ed! I'm begging you... please don't do this!

Please don't take my family away!

Jesus Christ, if you have any shred of decency,

please don't do this!

Ed!

Ed!

♪ MELANCHOLY MUSIC PLAYING ♪

♪ ♪

What's going to happen?

Daddy, are we in trouble?

No.

Listen...

No matter what...

I will always love you both.

Do you understand?

Always.

This family...

is stronger than time.

And no matter what happens...

no one can take that away from us.

I believe you.

[EXHALES]

♪ ♪

♪ ENERGETIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Mercer to Lamarr. What's our status?

We managed to extract about eight kilos of dysonium

from the geodetic probe, Captain.

Will that be enough?

It'll be tight, but yeah, I think so.

ISAAC: The revised temporal coordinates

have been encoded and locked.

Okay. Let's try this again.

Open the dysonium injection valves.

[RUMBLING]

ISAAC: Power couplings are linked.

I am initiating the temporal field.

[ELECTRONIC WHIRRING]

Core is stable.

Full power in five,

four, three, two...

[MACHINES POWERING DOWN]

- [COMSCANNER CHIRPS] - Report.

LAMARR: Stand by, Captain.

It's not a bull's-eye, but we're close.

Gordon arrived about a month ago.

All right.

Let's bring him home.

♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

[HYDRAULICS WHIRRING]

Ahhh, man.

It is good to be back.

It's good to have you back.

I'm glad we...

I'm glad we made it.

I never doubted you for a second.

What?

We'll talk about it later.

It's completely shot. Fried from the inside out.

Can you repair it?

If we had six months, maybe.

This isn't a quantum drive we're talking about.

This is cutting-edge temporal technology.

Maybe if Dr. Aronov himself were here, he could speed it along,

but he's not going to be born

for another three and a half centuries.

Well, we don't really have a choice, do we?

If it takes six months, so be it. We have to try.

Can't just fly into the future without it.

I am a goddamn idiot.

What do you mean?

That's exactly what we do.

♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

We need the Aronov device to travel to the past, yeah?

But if we wanna travel to the future,

we got a built-in method right here.

We've had it the entire time.

Explain.

Whenever we're using the quantum drive,

we're moving faster than light.

But the quantum field creates a bubble around the ship,

isolating us from the normal spacetime continuum.

Otherwise, we'd be subject

To Einsteinian relativity: time dilation.

The closer we get to the speed of light,

the faster time passes outside the ship.

Well, don't you see?

We just shut down the field.

The very thing it's supposed to prevent,

we just allow to happen.

We push the ship as close as we can to the speed of light

and let Einstein take care of the rest.

ISAAC: Without the field in place,

such a speed would put the Orville at high risk of collision.

Even a particle of interstellar dust could compromise the hull.

We reroute every last drop

of available power to the deflectors.

Even life support.

Hell, the whole trip won't take but a couple of minutes.

There's a star, Alpha Tucanae,

about 200 light-years away from Earth.

Charly plots a course that avoids all

gaseous nebulas and interstellar dust.

If we travel at 99.9999% the speed of light,

we'll get there and back in just a few minutes.

But on Earth, 400 years will have passed.

Precise calculations will be required

to ensure our arrival time is accurate.

Yeah, the math'll be your job, buddy. Enjoy that.

So, what do you think?

Do it.

[MONITOR BEEPING]

♪ DRAMATIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Status, Ensign?

Course laid in, sir.

Helm has been re-calibrated for relativistic velocity.

Everyone buckle up.

Bridge to Lamarr. On your mark.

Acknowledged, Captain.

Gordon. Engage quantum drive.

♪ EPIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Hard to believe we're watching decades pass out there.

♪ ♪

Approaching Alpha Tucanae.

- John? - All clear.

Decelerating.

Two hundred years down, 200 to go.

- Course set for Earth. - Bring us about.

Aye, sir.

Lamarr. On your mark.

Engage main drive.

[THRUSTERS HUMMING]

Lamarr to bridge.

Gordon, switch to computer control.

Implement Isaac's presets.

Done.

Take us home, baby.

♪ EPIC MUSIC PLAYING ♪

Approaching Earth.

Magnify.

That's more like it.

Talla?

Union Central is responding, sir. We have permission to dock.

♪ TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

I don't even know what to say.

It must have been the hardest thing

you've ever had to do in your life.

Yeah, that's an understatement.

[SCOFFS]

I just...

I can't believe I would be that selfish.

I mean, to risk the timeline, to threaten you...

You were tested to a degree that none of us have ever been.

Who's to say that we wouldn't have done the same?

A family does powerful things to a person.

Look...

I know that...

there's nothing that's gonna make you feel better.

But for what it's worth...

you did the right thing.

As hard as it was, you put your duty first.

Yeah, you're right. I don't feel better.

There are two children who will never be born.

And a future that will.

Hey. How long has it been since the three of us did this?

Long time.

Just like the old days.

In the old days, we would have finished

off that bottle and drained two more.

Yeah, well, we were younger.

You're right. Let's try for three.

♪ TRANQUIL MUSIC PLAYING ♪

♪ THEME SONG PLAYING ♪

♪ FANFARE PLAYING ♪