Original subtitles

- Moonbase Alpha status report.

403 days after leaving Earth's orbit.

Dr. Helena Russell recording.

For the sixth consecutive day, we've been traveling

in an area of deep space where the stars are so close

that we're constantly bathed in a lovely blue light.

There are no patients in the medical section,

our life-support systems are functioning smoothly,

and the universe about us is incredibly peaceful.

Looks like a swarm of space bees!

- Yeah, everyone with an atomic sting in its tail, maybe.

- Range?

- 980,000 and closing.

- Sensor reading?

- 53 unknown objects.

Dense, metallic, approximate length, 10 feet.

Insufficient data to compute intention.

- Course? - Heading away from Alpha.

- We have magnification.

Those are missiles!

- Hold it!

If they're passing, let 'em go.

- Commander!

They're turning!

- Red alert!

- Launch Eagle flights one and two!

- Medical, prepare casualty reception.

Rescue units stand by.

- Range closing, 180160.

- Raise defense shields.

130110.

Arm main lasers.

- At this closing speed we'll never get 'em all!

- Eagles climbing to intercept.

- Target!

- There are too many of them.

Some are bound to get through.

- Range critical.

- Prepare to fire!

- Commander!

Target changing course!

Hold fire!

- They're pulling away!

- No, they're locking into orbit around the moon Commander.

- Anything on armament?

- Still insufficient data.

Sensors unable to probe the shell.

- Detonation possibilities?

- Three: pressure, time-fused or remote control.

- I want a transporter Eagle ready for immediate lift-off.

We've got to check them out.

We certainly can't leave 50 missiles hanging over our heads.

Alan, bring us in close to that lead pair.

Tell Tony we'll take it from here.

Right.

- I also want all other Eagles to return to base.

- Tony, Eagle Four.

We'll maintain the mission from here.

Have all the other Eagles clear the area.

- Eagle flights One and Two, return to base.

- Confirm, Eagle flights One and Two, return to base.

Maya.

- Thank you.

- Alongside now, Commander.

Stand by for depressurization.

- Standing by.

- There's no uniform formation.

They're in clusters: two, three, and four.

- No evidence of electrical activity.

No heat emission.

- Rocket motor propulsion, gas ports.

That means a guidance capacity.

- No longer functioning.

- You got anything, John?

- Not enough for an assessment.

For that, we're going to have to take a look inside.

I'm bringing one down.

- Bringing one down?!

- Prepare one of the underground caves.

I wanna be as far from Command Center as possible

when we open this thing up.

Let's take it home!

- You heard the man.

- Rescue, Medical, and Decontamination units

proceed to underground research area.

Hold those doors!

- Stand by.

We've safeguarded against the obvious dangers,

bacteria, toxic chemicals.

All the rest is guesswork.

Tony, I want you to hook us up to main computer.

We're gonna run every single test possible

before we pierce this thing.

Fellas, suit up, we're bringing it in.

All right, let's go.

- Immediate relay.

Immediate relay.

- Begin the scan.

What have you got?

- Theoretical possibilities about the construction

technique, but nothing of any practical value

in terms of piercing it.

- Helena?

- Without opening it up, there's still no data

about the chemical or bacteriological dangers.

We'll have to go in blind.

All right, we're gonna cut it with a laser.

Activate all safety precautions.

- Cylinder pierced, Commander.

- Let's take a look.

Moving parts.

There's some sort of mechanism inside.

- Perhaps a detonation device?

- Computer reaction?

- No radiation increase, no bacteriological change,

no pressure variation, no toxic chemical presence.

- Fill it with nitrogen.

Freeze that device.

Stay in there, Helena, you too, Mathias, stay in there!

Maya, are you all right?

- Commander.

- What is it?

- It's humanoid.

And we've just killed it.

- Dr Russell!

- Start the defibrillator.

He's alive! - Alive?

- Just barely.

- That's impossible.

The liquid nitrogen we injected in to the container

should have frozen him to death.

- He was already in a state of deep freeze

before we injected the container.

Cryobiology, the application of freezing techniques

to living tissue.

He's fading.

Increase the voltage.

- Is there any chance he'll make it?

- We still can't assess the effect of the explosion on him.

- Tony. - Yeah?

- I want you to bring another one of those containers down.

- Prepare transporter Eagle for launching.

Any particular container?

- Yes, make it the twin of the one we've got.

- Right.

Why bring another one down?

We don't know how to unseal it!

- Helena, he can tell us how to open it.

We've got to keep him alive!

- I'm a doctor, John.

I save life for the sake of saving life.

- Helena, these people know the secret of traveling space.

Someday our survival may depend on knowing that secret.

- Well we know part of the answer already.

There's a plastic membrane covering his entire body.

You can't see it, it's as fine as tissue.

Unfortunately, it's insulating his heart

against the electrical stimulation.

- He's fading again.

- Double the voltage.

- It'll kill him! - Double it.

We have normal respiration.

Nurse.

- Cantar.

My name is Cantar.

- Cantar?

- My people, you must save my people.

- We will if you help us.

- Have you, have you, have you sighted the others?

- Yes, they're in orbit around our base.

- You must recover them immediately.

The cylinders.

The cylinders.

- Let him rest, John.

- We've got to know.

How do we open those containers?

- They're not constructed to withstand gravitational forces.

If they're left in orbit, they'll shatter.

- How do we open them without blowing them apart?

- To relieve the internal pressure

you must heat the capsule from the outside.

- Heat's seven points off maximum.

- Kill it.

Maya.

- Zova!

She is my wife.

Those containers were in pairs.

- In pairs, threes or fours, family groups.

It appealed to their sadistic sense of humor.

- Whose sense of humor?

Where are you from?

- I come from Golos, known to us as the Peace Planet.

You were invaded?

- No, we were cast out, exiled.

It was an internal struggle.

We were unarmed, helpless.

The others were few in number, but ruthless.

- Is she breathing?

- She'll be all right.

- You are humane people.

You will save us all, I know that.

- Out of the question.

Our life-support facilities cannot support any more.

It's impossible for us to bring those containers down.

- In 36 of your hours,

gravity will shatter those containers.

Can you stand by and let that happen?

Can you, Commander?

Our medical officer, Dr Russell,

is in charge of life-support systems.

Helena, could you try to explain?

- We can't even permit any new births here on Alpha.

We can barely sustain the people we have.

- You see, Cantar, we have no choice.

- We can give you a choice, Zova and myself.

We can use our skills to increase

your recycling capacity tenfold.

- In 36 hours?

- If that's all the time we have, yes.

- I'm sorry, Cantar, I can't take the chance.

- You say you want to learn the secret

of suspended animation and space travel.

You bring them down and I will give you the secret.

- No.

- Then, send us back!

Send Zova and myself back to die with our people.

Those are people out there, like you and me!

- They look like you and me,

but that's all we know about them.

About their minds, their motives, we know nothing.

- John, they're so young.

Must you always assume the worst?

- Yes, where the safety of Alpha is concerned.

- Then what do we do?

Abandon them and watch them die?

- Helena, when I was an astronaut cadet,

I was on a resupply mission to a Venus space station.

As we were preparing to dock,

a computer diagnosis informed us that 14 of the scientists

up there were sick, three already dead.

They had a disease unknown to Earth

against which we had no antidote.

My commander had to make a decision.

He couldn't bring that disease back to Earth.

We left those men to die.

- John, this situation is entirely different.

These people are free of any sickness.

And if they can increase our life-support capacity,

think what it can mean to us!

- Helena, they may have something,

something our sensors can't detect.

My concern is with the survival of this base.

- Survival... Is survival all important?

What sort of society is it that abandons 50 innocent beings?

- We're concerned about our survival, of course, John,

but at what price?

- Look, you asked what sort of people they are.

What sort of people are we?

Commander?

- Have Cantar come to my quarters immediately.

- Thank you, John. - Don't thank me yet.

- Dr Russell.

Commander.

- John! - What are you doing?

Have you gone mad?

- I had to make sure our weapons

were effective against them, I had to stun him.

All right.

All right, let's let them try to expand our life-support

systems, but I want security men on duty at all times.

- OK, I'll make sure they're never left alone

in the life-support complex.

- Don't look so worried, he'll be all right.

He'll regain consciousness in an hour.

- An hour?

- It's not such a long time and there'll be no ill effects.

- Moonbase Alpha status report, supplemental.

Dr Helena Russell reporting.

For almost 30 hours, Cantar and Zova have been working

to adjust our life-support systems.

The rest of our personnel are back on daily routine,

doing their jobs when on duty, relaxing when off.

We're all grateful for the compassion Commander Koenig

has shown toward the aliens.

There is once again a warm feeling

of well-being on Moonbase Alpha.

Security, life-support section.

- Everything under control? - Yes, sir.

- I want an immediate report on any break in the routine.

- Yes, sir. - Tony,

I'll be with Dr Russell if you need me, for anything.

- Right.

- Maya, you would be the envy of every woman on Earth!

To be able to change your hair color at will,

the color of your eyes to match your dress.

Take off a few pounds here, add an inch there.

To change your very form, wow!

- Helena, can I come in?

- Give me a minute, John.

I hope he likes it.

- Are you quite sure about Commander Koenig's

sense of humor?

- Mmm-hm.

- Helena.

All right.

Which is it?

- You mean you can't tell?

- Well, of course, I can tell.

Maya can only hold that shape for one hour.

All I have to do is sit back and wait.

- Why wait that long?

- What'd you have in mind?

- Well?

- Well?

- Very simple, nothing to it.

- Really?

- There was absolutely no difference.

- Oh!

You know something?

I take back everything nice I've ever said about you,

including the fact that you're a man of perception.

- Helena, I think you're needed in the research unit.

Your friends are waiting to start work.

And Maya, back to your station.

- Yes, Commander.

- You're very talented, that's terrific.

- I'm glad you like it.

I was going to give it to you.

- Was?

- No difference, huh?

- I'll see you in the recreation room.

- Yes.

- Lift!

- Can't shift it.

- Maya, get down here right away!

- Medical Section. - Emergency, Area B.

- What happened?

- Circuit overload.

Life-support system.

- Life-support?

- Is it working?

- We're making progress.

- But we can't be certain until we can make a final test

in the power section.

- The power section's off limits, Commander's orders.

- When the time comes, I'll talk to the commander,

I'm sure he'll understand.

I must try again.

- The sound, it doesn't bother your ears?

- No.

- It does mine, I'll be out here.

- Maya, the girder!

OK, that's it!

Clear!

- I don't understand.

It never happened before.

And it won't happen again!

Commander, we have another casualty in here!

- Get down to life-support,

I want those aliens out of there.

And no arguments, go!

- Final test. - Good luck.

Cantar!

- Stop!

- Commander's orders, no one's to go in there.

Hey, Maya, wait a minute,

let's not explode on them like a couple of rockets.

Play it cool, we don't want to panic them, OK?

Maya!

- The door's jammed, Commander!

- Give me that!

- Mator!

Exiles!

- A puny weapon against us, but it has its uses.

- Destroy the system and within hours

hundreds of our people will be dead!

- Bring Ragnar here.

Tell him Cantar will destroy

all life on Golos unless he comes.

Bring him!

You look at me with surprise, Dr Russell.

Contempt.

- You're like the people here on Golos,

crippled by your moral ideas of loyalty,

gratitude, and fair play!

- And you and Zova are free spirits, I suppose?

Free to hate, threaten and kill!

- You're wasting your breath, Helena.

He doesn't even understand what you're talking about.

- No!

Let her speak!

- Yes!

It amuses us!

- It's clear to see why you were exiled.

- Yeah, what I don't understand is why didn't they kill you?

- I have come as you wished, Cantar.

- Ragnar!

I want Ragnar!

- Ragnar is dead.

Long dead.

I am Mirella, chief Councillor of Golos.

- His daughter?

- His descendant.

Ragnar died over 300 years ago.

- Of course!

Time on Golos continued while we floated frozen in space.

- In Ragnar's time, you were cast out

for crimes against our people.

Now you come back with weapons and threats of destruction!

- Are these your allies?

- We're his prisoners.

- Two of you can't hope to hold

all of Golos to ransom forever!

- Two of us now, but there will be more.

On Moonbase Alpha, we have found the ideal platform

to recover our people.

- You don't think Commander Koenig will let you.

- Zova will make sure he does.

- Activity in Life-Support.

- Give me a visual.

- Commander Koenig, I think we should talk.

A simple arrangement.

You recover our people

and we return Helena Russell and Tony Verdeschi.

- You do knowhow to show gratitude!

- Contact is possible.

Can I give him your answer?

- You're asking me to sell a whole planet into slavery?

No, I won't do it.

- You forget, we have Dr Russell.

- And we have you!

- Stop!

- Well, Commander?

- All right.

- A word of caution, Commander.

Your life-support systems

are now tuned to my mental processes.

I can destroy them by simple concentration.

- And you would!

- If you give me cause.

- We will recover the remaining containers.

Begin preparations now.

- Yes, Commander.

- You can't do it, Commander!

- You think I have a choice?

- That transfer process nearly blew

our whole life-support power system.

To attempt to transfer 50 more people

would inevitably destroy it!

- Launch recovery Eagles. - Yes, sir.

- 10 miles, Commander. - All right, Alan.

Let us know when we're alongside.

- Tell them, tell the people we are the new rulers of Golos.

Tell them, or I will destroy the main life plant!

- People of Golos.

This is your chief Councillor Mirella.

300 years ago,

- That protective membrane, get his attention, divert him.

- Right.

- Those exiles have now returned.

Alongside, Commander.

- All right, let's get ready.

- Alan, stand by for depressurization.

- Standing by.

- We have no choice, but to surrender to them.

- Ahh!

Later, you'll suffer for this!

Zova, he's tricked you, the lifeline, he unhooked it!

You'll die for what Koenig has done.

- You're getting old, Cantar!

I'm young!

I was young when Ragnar was alive and I'm still young!

Time is running out, Cantar!

- Nothing's changed! - You have changed.

No!

- You can't win!

Your protective membrane, it's gone!

It's pierced.

Look at yourself!

You're no longer young, Cantar!

You're aging!

Every second, you're aging 10 years!

Cantar!

You're beginning to decay, Cantar!

You're getting feeble!

Your mind is slowing down!

Your muscles won't respond!

You're too feeble to fire that gun!

Cantar, you're 300 years old!

- Thank you.

On behalf of the millions on Golos, I thank you.

- Are you all right, Tony?

- Yeah, I'm fine.

What happened?

- I'll tell you when we get back to Alpha.

- Can you help us get back to Alpha?

- I've double-checked the calculations.

The anti-gravity effect will return them

to their original course.

Activate!

- Commander!

I'm registering a tremendous surge of energy

from the Power Section.

- What took you so long?

- Who said there was an emergency?

- You know, if this was a military base,

you'd be court-martialed.

- Court-martialed?

Mmm-hm.

- Court martial.

A military or naval trial for breach of discipline.

Me?!

- It's all over Alpha.

That switch you pulled on the Commander.

First rule of any chain of command,

don't embarrass the man in charge!

- In your world, a kiss causes embarrassment?

- Well apparently it does in your world too,

since you had to change into another woman to do it.

- It's more fun that way!

Would you like to try?

Go on, Tony.

- I'm waiting, Tony!

- You've got a long wait, kid, ciao.

- Shallow, that's what you are, Tony.

What does it matter what I look like on the outside?

It's still me inside!

Kiss me.

Be known as a man of principle.

- I'd sooner be known as a man of taste.

- Oh, Tony!

- Maya!

- I bet you have a great big, long story

about how this came about.

And why you did that to me.

And probably, - I didn't do it.

- Probably, you think I look better that way.

- Helena, I can explain. - Then the way I did before.

- It's not quite as simple. I'll bet you can!

- Helena.

- I'll tell you what.

- What?

- Make me a pretty nose.