"'The year is 1987 'and NASA launches the last of America's deep-space probes." "'In a freak mishap, Ranger 3 and its pilot, Captain William "Buck" Rogers, 'are blown out of their trajectory into an orbit which freezes his life-support systems 'and returns Buck Rogers to Earth 500 years later.'" "'Starfighter patrol to Lisa's Dream, decelerate, Lisa's Dream.'" " Decelerate or we'll fire." " Pulling out of range." "That ship is stolen property." "Where's that old ship all getting that speed?" " They know who's after them." " Wesley, Clayton, clam up." "What's a clam?" "Never mind." "Colonel Deering, may I speak to you, please?" "What's the problem?" "I volunteered to train our two friends in flight manoeuvres, not chase procedures." "But it's easier for us to go after that freighter than to scramble pilots on the ground." " This better be important." " They're headed for Necrosis IV." "Inside that asteroid belt?" "Affirmative." "If we don't catch them now we never will." "Full speed." "Enemy fighters!" "Scatter!" " I'm hit!" " Hold it together, Clayton." " What's your damage?" " Minimal." "Next time, watch for rear attacks as well." "Yes, Colonel." " I'm going after 'em." " I'm with you." "They've gone into the asteroids." "Clayton, Wesley, fall back!" "They're going in too fast." " What do we do now?" " We go home." "What are you doing, Alicia?" "Your mind is always off somewhere." "Five years I've owned you and you're always dreaming with your eyes open." "If the market for Terran servants wasn't so depressed I'd sell you." "(sighs)" "Well, don't just stand there - brush!" "You were smiling." "You think I'm hideous." "You think you're better than me because you have two normal hands." "Well, I can rectify that." "(Beeping)" "Yes?" "'Commander Corliss is back with the freighter from Earth.'" "Thank you." "Welcome home." " Did you have any problems?" " No." "The Directorate's security was to protect the contents of the freighter, not the ship." "Huer did send four Starfighters after me but they were destroyed when they tried to penetrate the asteroids." "When can we launch our attack?" "As soon as the gas is loaded into the missile containers." "It's three years since Wilma Deering's squadron tried to destroy us." "Three years." "I dream about that cabin fire every night." "The flames, the heat..." "The pain." "As do I." "But we're going to pay them back." "Within three days, all the people on Earth will die." "Was that lousy freighter worth the lives of two cadets?" "They were just kids!" "They had no business being out there!" "I didn't want them hurt any more than you did." "I'm sorry, it's been a long day." "Buck, that freighter was scheduled to be flown into deep space and destroyed." "Look at this and tell us if it was worth their lives." " This is a video inventory of what was on it." " 20th-century weapons?" "From an arsenal discovered near the country's ancient capital..." " Washington DC." " Washington DC." "Could those old weapons possibly be a threat to Earth?" "Those are nerve gas canisters, Wilma." "Drop one of those into our atmosphere, we'd all be dead within a week." "Oh, boy." "Yeah, I'd call it a threat." "That freighter was for Necrosis IV, so Corliss and Trent are probably responsible." "Which also means that that nerve gas isn't just a threat." "They'll use it." " Because of me." " Let me explain, Buck." "Corliss and Trent are gunrunners, with a base in the Necrosis asteroids." "Several years back they sustained severe injuries while resisting arrest, for which they swore revenge against Colonel Deering." "We have to destroy that base and that nerve gas." "Immediately." "Well, how will we penetrate that asteroid belt?" "Noah Cooper." "But he's retired!" "Yes." "But he knows the Necrosis belt better than Corliss." " But, Doctor..." " You need a guide, Colonel." "Talk to him." "That's an order." "Yes, sir." "Seemed a bit hard on her, didn't I?" "Perhaps I was, but we've had this discussion before." "When it comes to Noah Cooper..." "she just doesn't think very clearly." "Go with her, but let me give you a little background." "Colonel Deering's father flew with Noah's Earth Space Marine Squadron, and Noah was her first flight instructor." "He was very helpful to her early in her career." "Helped to develop her, and they formed a deep bond of friendship." "And then the squadron got old, Noah got old." "Last year she gave them their annual physical fitness test and she had to fail them." "All of them." "Including Noah." "And now you're asking her to ask him to come out of retirement." " You've put her in a difficult position." " Perhaps." "But it's imperative Noah help us." "All right." "I'll see what I can do." "Well, Twiki, Captain Rogers has his work cut out for him." "Bidibidi." "It's in the bag." "Bidibidi." " Pardon me?" " Bidibidi." "Everything's copacetic." " Bidibidi." " Copa-what?" "Bidibidi." "Forget it." "I trust Buck." "Bidibidi." "(♫ Lounge music)" "Hi, Plato." "He should be here by 1800 hours." "He spends a lot of time here." "It's not gonna be easy, is it?" "Noah's just too old to go into space again." "Even in the 25th century, they still throw people on the scrapheap cos of their age." "Buck, I didn't want to ground him." "It's just that he wasn't..." "he wasn't capable any more." "And I didn't want to see him get hurt." "Wilma Deering." "Hi, Noah." "What, no hug?" "Since when did you greet me without a hug?" "No matter what's happened, I still love you, Dizzy D, remember that." "Dizzy D?" "Hi." "Name's Noah, as in Noah Cooper." " Hi." "Name's Buck, as in Buck Rogers." " Buck." " Dizzy D?" " We've called her that since she was tiny." "She used to hang round, get into everything - drove us dizzy." "So we called her Dizzy Deering, Dizzy D for short." "Now she's grown up - old enough to take a man's silver eagles off him." "Noah, I..." "Hey, Cooper, you ready to take your whipping' playing Ten And Eleven?" " Sure, Red." "Sorry, got a game waiting." " Noah, I..." "You know how important that kind of thing is to us... older people." "Noah, please listen to me for a moment." "We gonna play in the dark, Red, or what?" "' Hey, happy birthday!" " Happy birthday!" "I don't like parties or presents, and I don't like being reminded of how old I am." "But thanks." "Thank you." "Well, as long as we're here..." "Buck, meet what's left of the 69th Earth Space Marine Squadron." "Sergeant "Big Red" McMurty." "Hiya, Big Red." "Nice to meet you." " Corporal Schultz." "MK to most." " MK." " Lieutenant Harriet Twain." "My husband, Eli." " Glad to meet you." " (Barking)" " That's Lucky, our mascot." "Hiya, Lucky." "How are ya?" "I'm Captain Buck Rogers." "It's nice to meet all of you." "And you all know Colonel Deering." "I came to ask you to guide a squadron through the asteroids around Necrosis IV." "We're gonna destroy Corliss's base once and for all." "I can't." "My peripheral vision is shot." "Remember, Colonel?" "Wait a minute." "I understand your feelings but that base has to be destroyed." "You're not gonna penalise Earth for what Wilma did in the line of duty?" "All right, we'll do it." "And when I say we, I mean all of us, the Fighting 69th." "You know what we could do?" "Convert Seymour Class cargo sleds into Star Belly Bombers." "That's the ship we used years ago." "Give us 12 hours to equip these sleds with tail gun turrets, another 12 to train, and we can attack Necrosis IV in two days." "After which, we will all want our silver eagles back." "(Lucky barks)" "But you're all mandatory retirement age." " They don't look a day over 60." " Retirement is 85." "85?" "That's the deal." "I lead my old squadron through those asteroids or I lead nobody." "Then forget it." "Corliss would cut you to pieces." "(Roxanne) How much longer?" "They've started loading the gas into the missiles." "They'll be ready in 48 hours." "I'll get word to our people on Earth that they have two days to evacuate." "Our spy in New Chicago is still trying to discern how much the Defense Directorate knows." "Huer could know everything and it wouldn't matter." "They can't stop us." "It's only a matter of time before the Earth is destroyed." "Why, Alicia, you still have feelings for your home world?" "Ahh!" "Surely all your family must be dead by now?" "And if they're not, they soon will be." "Nine runs, you didn't hit the target once." "I didn't see you do any better." "And that was a safe and sane practice run." "What do we do when there are enemy fighters all around?" "Maybe we should stick to throwing birthday parties." "Go on and get some rest." " Do you still want to go with us?" " Sure." "A bad dress rehearsal's always a good sign." "I monitored your runs - nine runs, nine misses." "Don't say anything, you'll make it worse." "Noah is using 20-year-old cargo sleds, 30-year-old bombs and 85-year-old pilots." "How can I make it worse?" "When I was in the air force we disposed of a lot of nerve gas." "Noah's old-fashioned incendiaries are the best way to deal with old-fashioned nerve gas." "Dr Huer was wrong." "Why don't you and Noah face that before you get killed?" "Why don't you be honest with yourself?" " What do you mean?" " You love that old man and you're so afraid he'll get hurt it's clouding your judgment." "That was our spy in New Chicago." "She says the Defense Directorate is planning a bombing attack within days." "(Laughs) A bombing attack?" "Huer's insane." "No, he's desperate." "He knows that when the nerve gas leaves here his chances of destroying all our ships are practically nil." "How can anyone navigate the asteroids in bombers?" "We've just seen how difficult it is for Starfighters." "Even if they penetrate the asteroids, they don't stand a chance against our pulsar batteries." "Their pilots are committing suicide." "Alicia, fill the commander's glass." "I'm sorry, am I interrupting you?" "Well, what do we have here?" "A memory globe." "Probably the only reminder she has of her former world." "She's managed to hide it from me all these years." "Watch, Alicia." "Watch what's going to happen to your world." "Watch." "Finish this for me, will you?" "I wish you all the very best of luck." "You know how important this mission is so there's very little left for me to say." "Except that I'll see you - all of you - when you get back." " Does Wilma know we're going?" " Yes, but she's been keeping to herself." "I must admit, I am surprised she isn't here to see you off." "Bidibidi." " She must have made other plans." " (Lucky barking)" "Er..." "Noah, I've been against your leading this mission all along," "I still am, but it's because..." "I didn't want to find out what it would be like not to have you around." "And that goes for all of you too." "So maybe you'd better take me along, to keep an eye on you." "(Barking)" "Bidibidibidi." "Looks like I got myself a new copilot." "Come on." " Comfortable, Harriet?" " I'd rather be dropping bombs." "(Whistling)" " Piece of pacifier?" " Thanks." "(Humming)" "Thank you for setting me straight about how I feel about Noah." "Think nothing of it, Dizzy D." "Here comes the tough part - this will make that bombing run seem easy." "Stay close behind me and do exactly what I do." "And watch for falling rocks." "Phew!" "Enemy craft approaching." "Moving through the asteroids." "The attack force from Earth." "There are only three of them." "If they get through the asteroids they won't get any further." "Ready the squadron." "Just a little further, kids." "Doing fine." "Reminds me of my playground back home." "OK, start breathing again, everyone." "Stop breathing, we got company!" "Tight T formation." "Look alive, tail gunners." " You take over." " Got it." "Yahoo!" "Who's old?" "I'm not old." "'They're shooting from their tails.'" "They've modified sled class bombers." "Go beneath them, attack their bellies." "'Yes, sir.'" "Low-level bombers." "They're ancient." "But they could fly in below our pulsar screens." "They'll never get that far." "Nice shot, Big Red, but they're sending reinforcements." "Retreat temporarily to the asteroids." " Buck, we're losing control!" " All right." "Hang on!" "All right." "Bring her up slowly." "OK, all systems returning to green." "Prepare to rendezvous with Noah." "She's sluggish but we can finish the mission." "(Man) 'Surrender at once or be destroyed." "'Proceed to vector 9, 4-K-V, coordinate C." "'We will tractor beam you into the hangar.'" "You hear that, Noah?" "They've been captured!" " I heard." " What do we do, Noah?" "What can we do?" "We've lost them." "We've lost them." " You wanted to speak with me, Dr Huer?" " Yes, come in, please." "Put me on the desk, Twiki." "I think I'm going to be here a while." " Bidibidi." "So do I." " I've just heard from Major Cooper." "He's about to start his attack on Corliss's base." "I thought they were to have done so by now." "They were engaged by enemy fighters when they broke through the asteroids." "They had to regroup." "They lost Colonel Deering and Buck." "Oh, my." "Major Cooper fears they're being held on the base." "He also knows he has to go through with the bombing anyway." "Two chances left to destroy the nerve gas while it's still on Necrosis IV." "Frankly, I expected to have this chat right after they took off." "You did want to discuss alternatives should their mission fail, did you not?" "There's no harm in hoping they'd succeed." "There's little else we can do." " That's not quite true." " Come now, Dr Theopolis, surely you don't think Corliss will send a squadron to Earth to release the nerve gas?" "He'll send his ships individually and even if we destroy them all the odds are that one will come close enough to our atmosphere to poison it." "I was referring to the fact that we must take steps to see that Earth's leadership survives." "Obviously, nerve gas will have no effect on us computers, but you humans..." "Yes." "Yes, I know." "I know." "I'll alert Maintenance to ready the Omega Complex, but in the meantime, you and I, Dr Theopolis, must decide which of Earth's population will live and which will die." "It's a dreadful task, but we must..." "Twiki, where are you going?" "Bidibidi." "Bidibidi." "Bidibidi." "I know that, but..." "Bidibidi." "Bidibidibidi." " What was that all about?" " He was upset that we assumed." "Captain Rogers is never coming back." "We really must continue, Dr Huer." "We're low on fuel and time, Noah." "We've got to attack." "We can't, Wilma and Buck are down there." "And Corliss will be attacking Earth while we're here." "I've got to take that risk." "You can't afford to." "Dr Huer is counting on us." "It's an ammunition dump." "If we bomb it, Dizzy D and Buck won't have a chance." "Neither does the Earth, unless we attack." "The scanner indicates no movement outside the asteroids." "The Terrans must be drifting around in orbit inside the belt." "Whatever's left of them, that is." "That's right." "You haven't seen your handiwork, have you?" "Take a good look, Colonel." "I'm sure you've heard how eager we've been to thank you." "(Groaning)" "Yes." "Welcome, Colonel Deering." "It's been a long three years." "You were smuggling weapons to hostile colonies." "It was my duty to stop you." " Who's your friend, Colonel?" " Buck Rogers." "Roxanne Trent." "My pleasure." "Have you ever been in a fire, Rogers?" "Or should I say, have you ever been on fire?" "No, I can't say that I have." "Do you know what pain is, Rogers?" "There are all kinds of pain." "No." "I'm talking about a pain that's so intense the only way to stop it is to have its source removed." "Had a toothache once." "If you'd surrendered you could have been treated at any number of good clinics." "And spend the rest of our life in detention?" "With no hope of revenge?" "Oh!" "How you are going to wish we had surrendered, Colonel Deering." "Alicia, bring me the torch." "I said, bring me the torch." "Now you've captured me you have no reason to harm anyone else." "Let Buck go." "And give up any idea you might have had of attacking Earth." "And let all that nerve gas go to waste?" "Your grudge is with me." "Our grudge is with whomever we please." "And if the possibility of us murdering innocent people upsets you, Colonel, all the better." "You're criminals." "You were smuggling contraband three years ago." "Those weapons were outlawed because they were dangerous, but all you cared about was the price the Arcturans paid for weapons." "Any weapons!" "You didn't care how flammable or unsafe they were." "Whether you admit it or not, you deserved what you got." " Alicia, what are you doing?" " She's talking." "She can't talk." "She doesn't have the mind for it." "She might not be able to hear or speak but she can talk." "And she has a mind." "It's OK." "Stop that." "I don't want her to talk." "Get out of here." "It's all right, Roxanne." "They talk with their hands." "Behind his back." "And the Colonel?" "Tie her feet." "What happened when you shot down our ship, Colonel, was this." "The cargo exploded." "I tried to seal off the cabin, fell into the hold and became a living torch." "Roxanne managed to pull me out, finally." "Though you can see for yourself at what price." "Neither of you can ever understand what we went though, unless you were to go through it yourselves." "You will play me." "And Rogers will play Corliss." "No, let Buck go." "Do whatever you like to me, I don't care." "That's the point - you care for him." "Enough to beat the flames out with your bare hands." "Keep your hands to yourself, Wilma." "You've got better things to do with them." "Commander!" "There's movement in the asteroids!" "The Terrans are attacking again." "Send a squadron to intercept them." "Most of our fighters are armed with nerve gas missiles." "There are only two ships, we should have no problem." "Commander, the first attack left us with only four ships." "Ah!" "Take them to the holding room." " We're out of time, Noah." " We've got to attack now." "Maybe Dizzy D was right, you shouldn't have taken this assignment." "Yeah, maybe you're too old and too scared." "Damn it, you all love her too." " Of course we do, Noah!" " But we've got work to do." "We're going down." "Wait till the PCs are up full and then follow me in, Big Red." "Roger." "That's what a Marine likes to hear." "About to either be bombed or tortured." "Bet you've never been in this situation before." "Can't say that I have." " Sorry I got you into this." " That's all right." "Never a dull moment with you, Wilma." "That's why I keep you around." "Don't worry, we'll get out of this." "If you buy that, I've got a corner lot for you in Antarctica." "How'd you learn sign language?" "It's only for children born deaf." "Someone taught me in the 20th century." "You've seen it before?" "Yes, but there's really no need to learn it." "Deafness is usually cured in childhood." "Did you learn it from a friend or relative?" "A friend." "She was a teacher for handicapped kids." "I used to help out on field trips." "I think we've got a visitor." "She's gonna help us." "We're to distract the guards and stay close to the entry." "I think that could be arranged." "(♫ Slinky music)" "Hi." "I sure like men in uniforms." "It's true, she does." "(Sighs) Mmm." "You've got the cutest blue eyes." "You think there's any way we could..." "get together?" "When do you get off duty?" "I'm talking to all three of you." " She likes you." " You three have a date tonight?" "All right, just keep quiet The excitement's over." "Gentlemen, into the cell, if you please." " What do you think?" " I think they should strip." "Wilma!" "You heard what the lady said." " 'They got Tryon, I'm the only one left.'" " You said they were outnumbered!" "It's the tail mounts they're using, our fighters can't deal with them." "'One of them is damaged" " I'm going after it.'" "Noah, how bad are you hit?" "Scorpion, 155 degrees." "Bring us around" " I can't sight him up!" "He's closing in!" "Yee-hoo!" "Good shooting, Harriet!" "That's all of them." "Look at that, nothing but empty sky down there." " We got all of them." " Now we can drop some bombs." "All right, listen." "Red, I want you to make the first run." "I'll make sure these controls are operational." "'They've got pulsar batteries down there." "'What we have to do is come in low enough to fly beneath them.'" "Long and low, that's our approach." " Once you're there, just let 'em drop." " I'm ready." "Just give me the go sign." "She'll understand, Noah." "They'll both understand." "You're clear, Big Red." "Go." "One of them is positioning itself for a bombing run." "Ready the pulsar batteries." "Lock in the defence system." "They'll never get close enough." "Should we prepare an escape vessel?" "Pulsar batteries deployed." " The bomber's still coming." " Do as you see fit." "Remove the gas missiles from one of the fighters and prepare it for immediate launch, quickly!" "Our sled is through that door." "You two go first, and take it easy, OK?" "Go." "Both of you, come with me." " I said come with me!" " Run!" "Stop them!" "Tell them to let them go." "Tell them to let them go." "I have no qualms about firing." "Neither do I, Rogers." "Steady." " Steady." " (Humming)" "Steady." "More left." "Stop humming." "More left." "Got it." "Bomb away." "Bye, Dizzy D." "You fool, that's an ancient signalling device!" "Get the message?" "Get the door!" "You, get over there." " You missed." " If you'd stop the humming..." "Humming?" "I'm not humming." " Big Red to Mother 1." " We saw, Big Red." "Come on back up, now it's our turn." "Hold it steady." "We're almost there." "Second bomber approaching!" "We're trapped in here!" "Steady..." " Noah, Harriet." " Yes, Eli?" "I just wanted to say I..." "I love you both." " Ready?" " Right." "Hang on." "Bomb away." "This one's gonna hit!" "'A hit!" "By god, a hit!" "'" "Noah, you did it!" "Noah Cooper, you did it!" "'Keep it down out there.'" "'Dizzy D" " I mean, Colonel Deering.'" "And friends." "Still think we're too old, Colonel?" "Maybe I am, but you're not." "You've got an apology coming, Major Cooper." "Noah?" "Come in, Major Cooper." "Noah, why don't you answer me?" "They're gone." "Welcome!" "Welcome home." "I just heard, you destroyed the base." "Congratulations." "Buck, Colonel, you should have sent me a subspace message." "All the Federation leaders would have met you." " All of Earth is eternally grateful." " Glad to hear it." "Well, who is this we have here?" "Doc, this is Alicia." "We picked her up on the way back." "It's a long story." "I'm very pleased to meet you." "Where's Noah and the Twains?" "The base went up like a 50-megaton bomb." "Bidibidibidi." "We brought something Major Cooper asked for." "To be given to you on your return." "Twiki?" " Thank you, Twiki." " Bidibidibidibidi." "(Wilma) Silver eagles." "You'll be reinstated to active duty as soon as possible." "Thank you." "'Ready approach on tube 1-0-1 .'" "What's coming in at this hour?" "'69th Squadron cleared for approach.'" "Did he say 69th?" "'Sorry about being late.'" " Noah?" " Where'd he come from?" "'We got blown back into the asteroids." "'We had a little trouble but we're all fine.'" "Bidibidibidi." "Hot stuff." "'If Dizzy D's around, ask her if she still thinks I'm too old for this.'" " Harriet." " Oh, thank you." " Eli." " Cheers." "I took it upon myself to update the annual fitness test." "I hope you don't mind." "Not at all, you saved me the trouble of doing it." " Isn't that so, Doctor?" " Yes, indeed." " You wanna dance, Wilma?" " Thank you, no, Twiki." "Ah, nuts." "Where's Buck?" "He's late for his own party." "At the Registry." "I think he's trying to find Alicia's parents." "He couldn't pull off a miracle like that?" "He could." "I know you're wondering where I've been." "Five years ago, this young lady was kidnapped from her family." "May I present them to you?" " You've been busy, haven't you?" " I have." "I also dropped by the Medical Directorate - Alicia's having surgery next month." "She'll be able to hear in no time." " (Twiki) That's nice." " She'll have some adjusting to do." " Would you like to dance?" " Why not?" "Great!" "Twiki, I've just found you a dance partner." "(Twiki) Buck, can I lead?"