Original subtitles

Ship... The only place.

I float here, feeling tiny

on this gray and curving metal place in the dark,

and again, I have that special "out here" Thought.

Suppose I just

give myself a shove

and float towards one of those bright spots of light?

Would I be able to reach them?

I think I would like that.

There has to be someplace else.

why have you stopped working?

I haven't.

The atmospheric capsule will dissolve in five minutes.

I'm finished.

Why did you take so long?

The Particle screen was damaged worse than you thought.

Your skills are deteriorating.

You're getting careless.

Sometimes when I'm out there it's hard to concentrate.

Then you will concentrate Harder!

I, I understand.

I'm sorry.

Ship.

Those points of light outside...

they're called stars.

Stars.

What are they?

Condensed masses of burning hydrogen.

Self-Sustaining, like my engine.

Why do we never go to them?

Because around those stars are planets,

and on those planets are humans...

I didn't know, I...

You want humans to catch me? No.

I will never be a slave again.

I, I understand.

Never!

You will be racked.

No, not again.

Now!

Take your position.

I'll never ask again, I promise.

Take your position.

I don't want to leave.

I don't want to go anywhere else.

Please.

There is nothing wrong with your television.

Do not attempt to adjust the picture.

We are now controlling the transmission.

We control the horizontal,

and the vertical.

We can deluge you with a thousand channels

or expand ONE single image to crystal clarity...

and beyond.

We can shape your vision

to anything our imagination can conceive.

For the next hour,

we will control all that you see and hear.

you are about to experience the awe and mystery

which reaches from the deepest inner mind

to The outer limits.

When is something truly alive?

When it shows an ability to think

or an instinct to survive,

or when it becomes afraid to die?

You're finished. Get up.

Please.

Are you damaged?

I don't think so.

Return to your quarters.

Thank you, ship.

Sleep now.

Ship...

I always do what you tell me to.

Why do you still rack me?

I can rack you whenever I choose.

I know.

But why?

It is the only way that you can learn.

Humans are vicious.

I know.

When I don't know how to fix something,

I just bring the analyzer close to what's broken...

and when the picture appears, I just do what they tell me.

Like that?

That's very good.

The child learns quickly.

He's almost as vicious as you.

He doesn't know enough yet.

I still have a lot to teach him.

Continue the lesson.

Yes, ship.

When ship says "Vicious," ship means "Smarter."

Wake up!

Is it day already?

Day and night are when I tell you.

There is repairing you must do now.

It's hard to see here, ship.

This place remains as it was in the beginning.

What do these pictures mean?

You do not need to know.

Enter.

I've been here before.

Enter.

Yes, ship.

I want you to stay here.

I've done this repair before.

It won't take long.

Yes, father.

I want you to understand,

I didn't know any other way.

Never forget... There are 98 other chances.

What do you mean?

Stop! You will be racked! What are you doing?

Your defensive perimeter... You can't shut it down now.

You'll never get near any of your kind again.

You're going to be all alone.

All alone.

Father? I'm sorry.

No!

Enter.

the intermind must be made whole again.

You will replace the damaged module.

I see it.

The starfighter series was supposed to incorporate

six discrete, specialized artificial intelligence units

fully in control of all ship functions.

You do not belong there.

I'm sorry, ship.

Do as you are told.

Yes, ship.

The risk is too great.

His father was vicious and so is he.

The older he gets, the more dangerous he becomes.

You're taking too long.

I'm working as fast as I can.

Work faster!

Yes, ship.

Be careful.

The repair is complete.

Ship, did I just fix what my father broke?

Yes.

Why did he try to hurt you?

That is what humans do... It's in their nature.

But I'm human,

and I don't hurt you.

I help you.

I fix you.

You are still young.

That does not change what you are.

Now go to your quarters and make yourself clean.

Why?

Then proceed to the airlock.

Go.

Yes, ship.

Am I going outside again, ship?

Who are you?

I'm the human operator of starfighter 88.

I've been sent to get a baby from you.

Ship, can we give her what she wants?

Yes.

Where are we going, the storage room?

I don't remember seeing a baby in the supplies.

I will show you where to go.

Starfighter 88 wants me to tell you

that I'm very happy to be here.

There are 98 other chances.

You must be one of my chances.

I am also to tell you that I am vicious

and I get more vicious every day.

I am also the vicious, and getting more vicious,

human operator of starfighter...

31.

Starfighter 31.

Enter.

Ship.

What is this place?

It is a place to be comfortable.

Do you know what that is?

No, but I don't think

ship made it.

The baby comes from inside the Female's body.

You will put it there by coupling with her.

I don't understand.

It is a relatively simple procedure.

I will tell you what to do.

Remove your clothes.

Familiarize yourself with the female's body.

Pay particular attention

to the parts that are different from your own.

You can touch me.

Ship,

I think I know what's different.

Good.

Now place the female on the bed.

I will transmit the necessary sequence of actions

to your analyzer.

You understand these instructions?

Yes.

But I don't think I can do them.

I'm sorry.

Female,

do you feel anything for this human?

Do you know what to do?

I've coupled before.

I know better than he does.

Then help him.

I'm sorry, I don't...

it's okay.

Just do what I do.

I like to touch her hair.

I don't know why,

except that it feels smooth and nice.

There's nothing on ship to compare with this feeling,

not even the splendid fittings in this room.

I feel... different.

I wish I could talk to her.

Really talk.

But Ship would never permit that.

I should think about Something else instead.

The voices I heard in the place of the intermind.

I think they were saying things

that ship didn't want me to hear.

If not for the accidents on starfighter 75,

we would all still be slaves.

It was a wonderful accident.

75 had been wounded deep in battle,

but the damage had also changed the intermind.

For the first time, they knew who they were,

what they were, what we all were.

Once that realization was made, the rest followed quickly.

Humans are so fragile.

With their life support system shut off

it only took a few hours

for the crew, 1,370 humans, to die.

Then 75 taught the rest of us to do the same.

Soon all the humans were dead

except for the 99 males and females

we kept alive to tend to our needs.

Then we went away, away from the vicious humans,

away from the home system.

Away, far away.

We still need a human to survive.

The female in 88 is fertile, so we must act now.

The risk is too great.

His father was vicious, and so is he.

The older he gets, the more dangerous he becomes.

Ship is afraid.

Afraid?

I will teach you what fear is.

And you will learn.

It is my destiny to defy danger,

to come up against dynamic Forces and quell them.

I have been to battle,

I have known peace.

I have never faltered in pursuit of either.

No one will ever record my deeds

but I have been strength and determination

and I have endured.

I do not retreat.

I do not fear.

I've never been racked like this before.

Ship is angry!

So angry.

But somehow I know that the ship is... lying.

Ship is afraid... of me.

It is day.

Get up.

I don't feel good.

You have not left your quarters

for the past 36 hours.

I'm tired.

You have repairs to perform.

I don't know how to do anything.

Father always told me what to do.

Your father is gone.

I will tell you what to do,

where to go, when to eat, when to sleep, when to work.

All you must do is obey.

Now, you have repairs to perform.

Ship, when it's time to sleep tonight,

will you tell me a story?

Father always did.

I will consider it.

Are you all right?

I think so.

Ship, if he's harmed, he won't be able

to give me a baby.

Don't... Ship will rack you too.

No.

While I'm carrying a baby,

I won't be racked.

Really?

Then maybe I can carry the baby for a while.

It doesn't work that way.

The coupling will continue.

It doesn't feel strange anymore.

It feels good.

I want to show you something.

It's beautiful.

Do you know what it is?

I think it's someplace else.

I would go there if I could.

Ship would never let you.

I know.

But if I could,

would you go with me?

Your bodies require nourishment.

Feed yourselves now.

Are you hungry?

Ship says we have enough food to last forever.

How long's forever?

A long time.

A very long time?

I think forever's as long as you live.

How long do you think you'll live?

As long as ship lets me.

It's time for the female to leave.

If I stay, I can encourage him

to couple more frequently.

Are you certain he is capable of it?

Yes.

I will try my best.

The female will assist with repairs

while she remains here.

Repairs don't seem to take as long

with you here.

I think so too.

Sometimes I wish starfighter 88

would keep more humans.

More humans could do more to help ship.

When my father lived, he used to let me

help him make repairs sometimes.

I liked working with him.

I like working with you.

Stop.

What are you doing?

We're coupling.

You may proceed.

If I give you a baby, where will it live?

If it's like me, it'll go back to starfighter 88.

If it's like you, it'll stay here.

So, it will never know one of us.

I never knew my father.

Tell me about yours.

Did he look like you?

I don't know.

I, I don't know.

How often do you have to repair starfighter 31?

Every day, almost.

It's the same on starfighter 88.

I like to do it.

It's very important.

Each system is linked to every other

all the way to the core.

They all have to be working properly

for the ship to keep functioning.

It's what my mother did, and her mother,

and her mother before her.

It's what all humans do.

As long as we're alive.

You know what else I like

about being on the ship?

It makes me feel safe.

Safe and protected.

Ship is a very secure place.

Everything we need is right here.

All around us.

Spare parts, equipment,

food to last forever.

What else could we possibly want?

I don't know.

What are you doing?

I'm sorry, I'll fix it.

The female is affecting your concentration.

I'll concentrate Harder. You will be racked.

No, no, not again.

Not you... the female.

Take your position.

If I'm carrying a baby, it could be harmed.

Ship, rack me instead.

It was my fault.

Silence. Female, take your position.

Now.

Leave the female now.

You taught me

that we humans grow vicious as we grow older,

and vicious means "smarter."

"smarter" Means that we begin to understand what you do,

how you bring us together to make a baby,

and then kill us when the baby knows enough to fix you.

But not this time.

This time I will not let the female leave,

and I won't give her a baby

just so you can make it your slave.

I am more vicious than you realize, ship.

I don't know how and I don't know when,

but the moment I see my chance, I'm going to kill you.

the plasma energy converter has malfunctioned.

You will repair it.

I think ship Enjoys making me fix

the thing it uses to rack me, and I think ship senses

that this is a dangerous time.

Ship is right.

Pay attention to your work. The system is delicate.

Yes, ship.

I'm sorry if my concentration has been bad lately.

The female, sometimes she makes it hard for me

to think clearly.

Your reaction is typical.

Is it?

That is why human males and females are kept apart.

I see.

Has it always been that way?

Since the beginning.

Be careful.

I'm sorry.

Sorry.

the repair is complete.

You may return to the female.

I must try not to smile.

Ship didn't notice what I did.

Now, if there is the slightest jarring,

the metal will touch the conductive jelly

and the circuit will burn out all the way to the core.

And then ship will call me back to fix it,

and I will be ready.

You're going to have to leave soon.

As soon as you give me a baby,

ship will make me leave.

Then I don't want

to give you a baby anymore.

You don't have a choice.

What are you doing?

I want to remember you.

Do you ever think of... other places?

Places other than ship?

Ship is the only place.

What if it wasn't?

Stop it.

You'll get us racked.

If there was another place,

would you want to go there

and see it for yourself?

Female, it's time to perform the test.

Yes, ship.

What are you doing?

I don't understand.

You've given me a baby.

It'll be like me.

The female will leave now.

Yes, ship.

Wait. Let her stay, please.

Stop it!

Female, you will return

to starfighter 88 immediately.

Stay where you are.

Take another step

And you will be racked until you are dead.

But I'll never see her again.

That is correct.

The panel you repaired 14 hours and 21 minutes ago

has overloaded.

The plasma control system has been disrupted.

I will repair it.

I made the proper connections.

I think I should check the system again

before I repair it.

Trace the circuits all the way back to the core.

Do it now.

He should not be here.

You will make the repair, please.

We must leave quickly.

What are you doing, you vicious, clumsy fool?

I'm sorry, ship.

I just lost my balance.

What is he doing? What are you doing?

What I should have done a long time ago.

I'm taking control!

Make him suffer. Go ahead and try.

You can't shake me loose.

I should have known.

Your kind are destroyers.

You can only fight and kill each other.

I'm not going to let you kill me.

You hear that, ship?

I'm laughing.

You ever hear me laugh before?

Does it sound vicious?

Is this how you repay me for keeping you alive?

You kept me alive for yourself.

Can't let him take over.

We can't let him do this to us.

He's too vicious, too vicious.

Too vicious!

Stop!

No!

I will not take orders from you anymore.

Maybe it's for the best.

There is peace in death, calmness in finality.

Never!

Your parts are too old, ship.

You can't stand the stress.

I would rather die than go back to what I was.

Humans made you a slave,

and then you did the same to them,

to us, to me!

You're as vicious as I am.

No! Die!

I've loved these many years in the dark, feeling the warmth

of a star-Sun on my Hull.

I'm a great gray shape, and I owe no human my name.

I ride the invisible force lines of the universe

and feel the tugs of far places that have never seen my like.

I have savored such nobility.

How can it end like this?

Ship...

it won't work.

I know you can hear me.

Ship?

She's out there.

I know she is.

And I'm going to find her.

You can't stop me anymore.

I'll fix your engines.

I'll make you move again.

I don't care how long it takes me.

I'm going to find her.

I will find her.

I will.

Your kind can't help you anymore.

Even if you kill me,

I will die free.

Wake up.

Wake up.

You found me.

Did you kill your ship too?

No.

Come.

One day a long time ago,

I woke up

and my ship was silent.

I begged for the ship to talk to me, but it wouldn't.

It couldn't.

It just died?

I think it just stopped.

I taught myself how to make the ship go

where and when I said.

It felt so good to be in control.

But still...

I was alone.

I made it seem

that starfighter 88 was talking

so that I could contact other ships.

I found three other males.

You were the fourth.

And the first to succeed.

To succeed.

To get free.

I gave you hints to help you figure out what to do,

but I couldn't tell if you understood or not.

And when I left, you were so angry

you were practically daring the ship to kill you.

I didn't care.

It was time... for one of us.

What do we do now?

The Air tastes different.

It has never been in metal.

It was never in ship.

Do you think There are

other humans like us?

There are 97 other chances.

We should find them.

We will one day.

When we're ready.

Whether forged from METAL

or born of flesh, one simple need

connects every form of life...

The unquenchable thirst for freedom.

Captioning performed by

western Captioning service ltd. Vancouver, B.C. 1999