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in: Episodes, Episodes of Season One

Horizon Zero

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Horizon Zero
Horizon zero 13
Shuttle Chase
Overview
Series Earth: Final Conflict
Season Season One
Production
Original Air-Date November 24, 1997
Written By Richard C. Okie
Directed By David Warry-Smith
Episode Chronology
Order in Series 8th in Series
Order in Season 8th in Season
Previous Episode "Resurrection"
Next Episode "Scorpion's Dream"
Title Image
Horizon zero title

A team of astronauts steals a Taelon shuttle, with the plan to pilot it to Mars.

Summary[]

Teaser[]

Paul Chandler and his team appear before Da'an at the Taelon Embassy. General Kromer informs Chandler that his mission to Mars has been cancelled by President Daniel Thompson. Chandler is outraged and assumes that the decision was dictated to the president by the Taelons. Da'an assures Chandler this is not true. The Taelons have created a pilot training program as the first step in sending Humans to explore distant galaxies. Chandler refuses to be part of the program and storms out.

Act One[]

At an outdoor physical training course, Lili Marquette and William Boone exercise strenuously. They meet Paul Chandler and Lili tells Boone that she and Chandler went through flight training together. Lili and Paul then run through the course again and Lili says that she let Paul win.

At Boone's office in the Federal Building, Lili and Boone watch a broadcast of General Kromer announcing that President Thompson has cancelled the Mars mission. Lili says that the Taelons must be pressuring Thompson because the president has always been a great supporter of the space program.

At the Flat Planet Cafe, Lili buys Paul lunch. They discuss the demise of the Mars mission. Paul tells Lili that the Taelons have offered him a position as a shuttle pilot. He asks Lili to show him her shuttle.

At Boone's office, Lili tells Boone she's taking Paul for a shuttle ride. Boone tells her it's a good opportunity to find out what he knows about the cancellation of the mission.

In the shuttle, Lili explains how the controls are projected on the [[|Virtual Glass|virtual windscreen]]. She says she made some modifications for comfort after the Taelons gave her her own shuttle. She shows Paul how to use the Inter-Dimensional drive and the couple fly to Paris for dinner.

The next day, Boone sees a news report that President Thompson has received more than 700,000 letters and e-mails from people who are angry about the cancellation of the Mars mission. Lili tells Boone that her date went too well. Paul wants to fly a shuttle and he doesn't care that he'd be working for the Taelons. As Boone and Lili get ready to leave for Washington, D.C., they notice the shuttle is missing!

Act Two[]

At the Washington Headquarters, Da'an speaks with Qu'on. Qu'on says that the Synod cannot allow any human to fly a shuttle into space. Da'an reminds him that the shuttles have been programmed not to allow travel outside Earth's atmosphere.

Paul Chandler flies the shuttle into an abandoned hangar where his teammates, Frauke Manheim and Philip Hart are waiting. Chandler got access to the shuttle with Lili's fingerprints on a wineglass from dinner. The team plans to use the shuttle to complete their Mars mission.

Lili reports to Da'an]] and Sandoval for a de-briefing. She tells them that she invited Paul aboard the shuttle as a way to induce him to accept the Taelon job offer. Da'an orders them to use all necessary resources to recover the craft.

In a back room at the Flat Planet Cafe, Jonathan Doors tells Lili that Chandler is exactly the kind of man the Liberation movement needs. Lili disagrees, saying she could never trust him after he lied to her. Boone interjects; clearly the Taelons are worried about humans getting into space. Doors says they need to find Chandler to figure out why.

Lili recalls that Chandler fell in love with space while looking at the stars of West Virginia. His godmother, Anna Mae Emory lived there and had an aircraft supply business. They deduce that Chandler may have taken the shuttle there. The suspicion turns out to be correct and Boone and Lili take the three astronauts captive.

Act Three[]

Chandler tells Lili that his hero, Jim Lovell never got to reach the moon after the aborted Apollo 13 flight. Chandler doesn't want the same to be true for him and Mars. He planned to complete the mission and says he would never cooperate with the Taelons. Lili tells him that she and Boone don't agree with everything the Companions do either. She will help him override the shuttle's controls so he can get to Mars but she wants him to do some sightseeing on the way.

Boone reports to Da'an that they are searching all possible landing sites for Chandler and the shuttle. He asks Da'an if the Taelons did pressure President Thompson to cancel the mission. Da'an says that the Taelons provided Humanity with all necessary scientific data on the solar system. Boone says that if that were the only reason for the mission there wouldn't be such a great public outcry about the cancellation. He tells Da'an that Humans are best when they are reaching for new frontiers. Humans need to dream or they cease to be Human. Da'an tells Boone that he will bring this information to the Synod.

Back in Virginia, Lili and Paul discuss their relationship. After this mission, they may never see one another again. They are about to kiss when Augur arrives and interrupts them.

Act Four[]

Augur has come to help Lili override the shuttle's programming so the team can leave Earth's atmosphere.

Da'an contacts Qu'on and advocates telling Humanity about some of the Taelons' goals so that they can understand why space travel must be limited. Qu'on disagrees. He orders Da'an to find Chandler and the shuttle and use any force necessary to keep them from space. Boone and Sandoval report that they have found a property registered to Chandler's godmother and Da'an orders them there immediately.

Just before Boone and Sandoval arrive, Augur is able to enter the correct coordinates for the shuttle. Chandler tells Lili that if he doesn't make it back, they'll always have Paris. The astronauts take off and are pursued by Sandoval's shuttle. The shuttles enter inter-dimensional space together and Sandoval assumes that he will be able to catch Chandler when the navigational boundary is reached. He is shocked to see the shuttle leave Earth's atmosphere.

Coda[]

Boone and Lili join Jonathan Doors at the Flat Planet. Doors celebrates with champagne and shows Lili photos sent from the Mars mission. Flags from the United States, Great Britain and Germany have been planted on Mars.

Doors then shows Lili and Boone an image of the dark side of the Moon. The Taelon Mothership is in orbit. Doors said he suspected that but did not suspect a second image of a Taelon settlement on the Moon.

Gallery[]

Cast[]

Guest Starring[]

Other Cast[]

Trivia[]

  • This episode provides us with a glimpse of the Taelon Mothership. Also seen is a Taelon base on the far side of the moon.
  • The Taelon base would later be visited in "Through the Looking Glass", later in season 1.

References[]

Season Navigation[]

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