DARK STAR

                      A SCIENCE FICTION ADVENTURE


                             A Screenplay

                                  by

                    John Carpenter and Dan O'Bannon










     OPEN ON BLACK SILENCE.

     The sound of electronic music rises, hollow, metallic.

     FADE IN on a long TRACKING SHOT through the universe.
     As the NARRATOR speaks we move through galaxies, nebulae,
     solar systems, moving from the infinite slowly down to
     a particular planetary system deep within a maze of
     suns.

                               NARRATOR
                               (over)
                   It is the mid 22nd Century. Mankind has
                   explored the boundaries of his own solar
                   system, and now he reaches out to the
                   endless interstellar distances of the
                   universe. He moves away from his own small
                   planetary system in huge hyperdrive star-
                   ships: computer-driven, self-supporting,
                   closed-system spacecraft that travel at
                   mind-staggering post-light velocities.
                   Man has begun to spread among the stars.
                   Enormous ships embark with generations of
                   colonists searching the depths of space
                   for new earths, now homes, new beginnings.
                   Far in advance of these colony ships goes
                   a new pioneer: the scouts, the pathfinders,
                   a special breed of man who has dedicated
                   his life to blazing the trail through
                   the most distant, unexplored galaxies,
                   opening up the farthest frontiers of space.
                   These are the men of the Advance Exploration
                   Corps. The task they face is one of unbe-
                   lievable isolation and loneliness. So far
                   from home that Earth is no longer even a
                   point of light in the sky, they must comb
                   the universe for those unstable planets
                   whose existence poses a threat to the
                   peaceful colonists that follow. They must
                   find these rogue planets--and destroy them.
                   Among these commandos are the men of
                   the scoutship Dark Star.

     We are now moving toward a planet. Floating in front of the
     planet is the SCOUTSHIP DARK STAR. As we move toward the ship,
     we begin to hear VOICES, crackling with static.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (over - radio filter)
                   Ah, what'd you say, Pinback?

                               PINBACK
                               (over - great static)
                   Mafhkin oble groop...

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (over - filter)
                   Ah, what was that again, I still can't
                   hear you?

                               PINBACK
                               (over - filter)
                   I said I'm trying to reach Talby.
                   Something's wrong with the damn intercom.
                   I need a last-minute diameter approximation.

     CAMERA IS NOW FLOATING TOWARD THE OBSERVATION DOME on top
     of the ship. In the Dome sits TALBY. He is staring around,
     wide-eyed, at the planets and stars.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (over - filter)
                   Talby, Talby, this is Doolittle. Do you
                   read me? Talby?

     WE MOVE IN CLOSE ON TALBY'S FACE. The shot stops and holds
     as he continues to stare, rapt.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (cont'd - over - filter)
                   Talby, do you read me?

     There is a CRACKLE, and Doolittle's voice suddenly booms
     through, loud and clear:

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (cont'd)
                   TALBY!

                               TALBY
                               (snaps out of it)
                   Oh! Ah, yes, Doolittle. What is it?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     CLOSE SHOT of a digital clock, ticking down the seconds.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I need a diameter approximation.

                               TALBY
                               (over)
                   Okay, Doolittle, I'll have it in a
                   minute.

     CAMERA BEGINS TO PULL BACK along the length of the control
     room, revealing three men: BOILER, DOOLITTLE, and PINBACK.
     They are seated close together in cramped little chairs,
     surrounded by a maze of instrumentation, pressing buttons,
     making adjustments and corrections. There is one EMPTY CHAIR;
     the panel in front of it looks burned.

                               PINBACK
                   I need a GHF reading on the gravity correction.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I'll check it.

                               BOILER
                   I have a reduced drive reading of seven
                   thousand.

                               PINBACK
                   Right, that checks out here.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Pinback...

                               PINBACK
                   Yes, Doolittle.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Your GHF reading is minus fifteen.

                               PINBACK
                   Doolittle...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Yes.

                               PINBACK
                   I need a computer reading on a fail-safe mark.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   In a second.

                               PINBACK
                   Boiler, can you set me up with some temp
                   figures?

                               BOILER
                   Ninety seven million, minus eight, corrected
                   to mass critical.

                               PINBACK
                   I read that with a quantum increase of seven.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Pinback, I have a computer reading of nine
                   five seven seven.

                               BOILER
                   Time to start talking.

                               PINBACK
                   Bomb bay systems operational.

     Pinback hits a button on his panel.

     INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

     The screen is BLACK for an instant. Then, two enormous doors
     begin to open ponderously, revealing the planet rotating below. 
     A huge BOMB, designated with a giant #19 on its side, lowers
     slowly out of the ship on a rack.

                               NARRATOR
                               (over)
                   This is a chain-reaction bomb, otherwise
                   known as an Exponential Thermostellar
                   Device. Its own destructive power is small,
                   barely enough to vaporize twelve city
                   blocks. However, when it explodes in
                   contact with an object the size of a planet,
                   it starts a chain-reaction in the very
                   matter of that planet, turning it into
                   a giant reactor which destroys itself
                   in one staggering thermal flash.

                   These bombs are equipped with sophisticated
                   thought and speech mechanisms, to allow
                   them to make executive decisions in the
                   event of a crisis situation. These judgment
                   centers are controlled by a fail-safe mechanism.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Lock fail safe.

     Pinback turns a key in a lock.

                               PINBACK
                   Fail-safe locked. Ah, Sergeant Pinback
                   calling Bomb #19. Do you read me, bomb?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

     The bomb is suspended beneath the ship.

                               BOMB #19
                   Bomb #19 to Sergeant Pinback, I read
                   you. Continue.

     When the bomb speaks, it has the prim, fussy voice of a
     minor civil servant.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Well, bomb, we have about sixty seconds
                   to drop. Just wondering if everything is
                   all right. Have you checked your platinum
                   euridium energy shielding?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #19
                   Energy shielding positive function.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Swell. Let's synchronize detonation time.
                   Do you know when you're supposed to go off?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #19
                   Detonation in six minutes, twenty seconds.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   All right, I have detonation time at...
                   Wait a minute, something's wrong with the
                   clock. (hits panel) All right, I have
                   detonation time at...no, that can't be
                   right, it says three years. (beats panel
                   again) Okay, I have six minutes exactly.
                   Does that check out down there?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #19
                   Check at six minutes.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Arm yourself, bomb.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

     Several lights blip on along the bomb's side.

                               BOMB #19
                   Armed.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Well, then, everything sounds fine. We'll
                   drop you off in thirty-five seconds. Good luck.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #19
                   Thanks.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Begin main sequence. Mark at 10-9-8-7-
                   6-5-4-3-2-1-drop.

     EXTERIOR - THE SHIP

     Bomb #19 falls away from the ship and whizzes down toward the
     planet below.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Hyperdrive sequence begun. Hit it, Pinback.

     Pinback hits the hyperdrive switch. Force fields energize
     around the men.

     EXTERIOR - THE SHIP

     The DARK STAR accelerates into hyperdrive and streaks away
     through space.

     The planetary system recedes in the background. Inside the
     Observation Dome, Talby is frozen in a protective force field.

     INSERT: CLOSE SHOT OF A TIME CLOCK.  It blips down to ZERO.

     RETURN TO SCENE

     Behind the ship, there is an intense flare of light as the
     planet, now a dot of light, explodes.

     INTERIOR - OBSERVATION DOME

     The force field around Talby disappears as the ship comes
     out of hyperdrive. He rubs his eyes as though awakening,
     then looks down at his readout panels.

     INSERT - CLOSE SHOT OF A PANEL. On a small screen we see
     the exploding planet, and below, a readout says:

                 DESTRUCTION SEQUENCE COMPLETE

     RETURN TO SCENE

     Talby touches his intercom.

                               TALBY
                   Lieutenant Doolittle, it just exploded.
                   (pause)
                   Ah, sir, the planet just exploded.
                   (pause - he shakes the microphone)
                   Lieutenant?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     The men are stretching in their seats.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Unlock fail safe.

     Pinback unlocks the fail-safe unit.

                               PINBACK
                   Fail safe unlocked.

                               RECORDED VOICE
                   Attention. Attention. The hyperdrive
                   sequence is now terminated. Please observe
                   that the no smoking signs have growrrr...

     The voice runs down.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Well...now what? What do, you have for
                   us now, Boiler?

                               BOILER
                               (checking his readouts)
                   Not much. Nothing at all in this sector.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Find me something, I don't care where it is.

                               BOILER
                   Well, I show a 95% probability of sentient
                   life in the Horsehead Nebula...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Fuck that shit.

                               BOILER
                   Well, it is kind of a long shot...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   It's a goddamn wild goose chase. Remember
                   when Commander Powell found that 99 plus
                   probability of sentient life in the
                   Magellanic Cloud?

                               BOILER
                   Well, there's the possibility of...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Remember what we found? Fourteen light
                   years for a fucking mindless vegetable
                   that looked like a limp balloon and went
                   squawk and let a fart when you touched it.
                   Remember?

                               BOILER
                   All right, then...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   So don't give me any of that sentient life
                   crap. Find me something I can blow up.

     A LIGHT flares on Pinback's board. He looks up.

                               PINBACK
                   New star.
                   (no reaction)
                   Hey, guess what?  I got a new star on the
                   readout.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (not looking up)
                   Which one?

                               PINBACK
                   Another unknown. Not on the charts. A red
                   dwarf.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Any planets?

                               PINBACK
                   Yeah. Eight, it says here.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Any of 'em any good?

                               PINBACK
                               (scans the board)
                   Naah. All stable.

     Doolittle loses interest.

                               PINBACK
                               (cont'd)
                   What are you gonna name it?

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (not looking up)
                   What?

                               PINBACK
                   The new star. What are you gonna name it?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Who cares. Don't bother me.

     Pinback's mouth tightens. A pause.

                               PINBACK
                   Commander Powell would have named it.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Commander Powell is dead.

     Involuntarily, Pinback glances at Commander Powell's empty,
     burned seat. The panels behind it sputter.

                               PINBACK
                   Come on, Doolittle, give it a name.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Fred.

                               PINBACK
                   Wha?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I hereby name this star Fred.

                               BOILER
                   Hey, Doolittle, here's one. An unstable
                   planet. 85% probability of an unstable
                   planet in the Veil Nebula that will probably
                   go off its orbit and hit a star.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Sounds good. Chart a course for the Veil
                   Nebula.

                               BOILER
                   Pinback, throw me the chart log.

     Pinback draws a loose-leaf notebook from a shelf above
     Commander Powell's empty seat, and hurls it at Boiler.
     With a sour look at Pinback, Boiler picks up the notebook
     and begins to leaf through it.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Let's have some music in here, Boiler.

     Boiler presses a button. LOUD COUNTRY MUSIC THEME BEGINS
     TO PLAY.

     EXTERIOR - DARK STAR (TITLE SEQUENCE)

     This sequence includes shots of the DARK STAR drifting
     through space, past various cosmic wonders, intercut with
     shots of the men relaxing (Talby staring into space;
     Boiler trimming his beard; Doolittle playing solitaire;
     Pinback reading a comic book).

     CREDITS AND MUSIC OVER.

     SEQUENCE ENDS.

     INTERIOR - DARK STAR

     Beep.

     We are watching a filmed tape. Doolittle has just turned
     it on and is staring into the camera. Crosshairs and blipping
     numbers superimposed.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Ship's log, entry number 1,943. Dark Star
                   cruising at light speed through Sector
                   Theta 990. En route to Veil Nebula for
                   destruction of unstable planet. Our ETA
                   is 1700 hours. (thinks) Ship's systems
                   continue to deteriorate...

     Pinback leans into view and whispers into Doolittle's ear.
     Doolittle nods and Pinback withdraws.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (cont'd)
                   The short circuit in the rear seat panel
                   which killed Commander Powell continues
                   to be faulty. (thinks) Uh...Storage Area 9...

     Pinback leans back in and whispers emphatically. Doolittle
     looks put-upon.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (cont'd)
                   And because he's sitting next to it, it
                   continues to bother Pinback. (glares at
                   Pinback. Then:) Storage Area 9 self-
                   destructed last week, destroying entire
                   ship's supply of toilet paper. That's all.

     Beep.

     INTERIOR - OBSERVATION DOME

     Talby is still gazing around at the stars.

     A hatch opens in the floor and Doolittle sticks his head up.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Talby.

     Talby rotates his seat and looks down at Doolittle.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (cont'd)
                   Here's some breakfast.

     Doolittle climbs into the dome and sits on the floor. He
     hands Talby the food package, and watches matter-of-factly
     as Talby begins to eat.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (cont'd)
                   You know, Talby, you really ought to
                   eat with the rest of us. You spend too much
                   time up here.

                               TALBY
                   I like it up here.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Must get lonely being up here so much.

                               TALBY
                   I don't like to go below since Commander
                   Powell died. I feel enclosed down there.
                   If it were big enough, I'd sleep up here...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   ...Should spend some time below, see more
                   of the rest of the ship...

                               TALBY
                   ...You see, I can watch things up here,
                   Doolittle. I love to watch things, just
                   stare at the planets and meteors and
                   asteroids, gas clusters...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   You'll have plenty of time for that, you
                   know. Figure it this way: twenty years in
                   space and we've only aged three, so there'll
                   be plenty of time to stare around...

                               TALBY
                   You know, Doollttle, if we're going into
                   the Veil Nebula, we may actually find a
                   strange and beautiful thing: the Phoenix
                   Asteroids. They should be passing through
                   there about now...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Phoenix Asteroids? Never heard of 'em.

                               TALBY
                   They are a body of asteroids that make a
                   complete circuit of the universe once
                   every 12.3 trillion years. The Phoenix
                   Asteroids...From what I've heard, Doo-
                   little, they glow...glow with all the
                   colors of the rainbow. Nobody knows why.
                   They just glow as they drift around the
                   universe. Imagine all the sights they've
                   seen in the time they've been travelling--
                   the birth and death of stars, things we'll
                   never see. The universe is alive, Doolittle.
                   I thought it was all empty, but it isn't.
                   In between the stars, it's seething with
                   light and gasses and dust. There are
                   little pebbles drifting around, planets
                   no one on Earth has ever seen...No one
                   but the Phoenix Asteroids...

     There is a BLIPPING SOUND. It is insistent. Talby is rudely
     yanked from his reverie. He looks down at a panel. But his
     soft talk has started Doolittle reminiscing.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   You know what I think about, Talby?

                               TALBY
                   I'm getting something here, on this readout...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   It's funny, but I kind of sit around, you
                   know, a lot of time to myself...

                               TALBY
                   I think I'm getting a malfunction here somewhere.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I can't talk to the others, but with time to
                   myself, I think about back home, back home
                   at Malibu. I used to surf a lot, Talby.
                   I used to be a great surfer.

                               TALBY
                   Lieutenant Doolittle, I'm getting a definite
                   malfunction on one of the closed-circuit
                   computer systems...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   The waves at Malibu and Zuma were fantastic
                   in the springs Talby. I can remember running
                   out on the beach early spring mornings with
                   my board and a wet suit...

                               TALBY
                   I can't seem to locate the malfunction exactly...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Waves would be peaking really high and glassy.
                   Hit that water. Ridin' the wall just perfect.

                               TALBY
                   ...Somewhere in the autonomic relay circuits...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I guess I miss the waves and my board
                   most of all.

     Talby turns in his seat and addresses Doolittle directly.

                               TALBY
                   Ah, Doolittle, I do have a malfunction on
                   this readout, but I can't seem to pinpoint
                   exactly where it is.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (snapped out of his daydream)
                   Don't worry about it. We'll find out when
                   it goes bad.

                               TALBY
                               (chagrined)
                   I really think I should try and locate it
                   immediately. Might be something important.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I wish I had my board with me now. Even
                   if I could only polish it once in awhile.

     EXTERIOR - SPACE

     LONG SHOT of the DARK STAR drifting through space.

     INTERIOR - KITCHEN

     Boiler, Pinback, and Doolittle are descending a ladder into
     the kitchen.

                               BOILER
                   I'm getting this flickering light on one
                   of my panels.

                               PINBACK
                   What flickering light?

                               BOILER
                   The one on unit...oh, I think it's GMR
                   twelve zero zero.

                               PINBACK
                   Oh. What's wrong now?

                               BOILER
                   I'm not sure. I think something is fucked
                   up somewhere in the ship, though.

                               PINBACK
                   I hope it's not the oven again.

                               BOILER
                   Yeah.

                               PINBACK
                   Remember when the artificial gravity
                   went out in the toilet?

     The men sit for their meal. Doolittle brings food packets
     from the oven.

                               PINBACK
                   Hey, Doolittle, think we'll ever find
                   real intelligent life out there?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Out where?

                               PINBACK
                   Veil nebula.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Who cares?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     The Control Room is EMPTY. After a moment, there is a
     repetitive BEEP.

     CLOSE SHOT - TV SCREEN. On the screen is the message:

                     INCOMING COMMUNICATION

     This fades, and MISSION CONTROLLER appears on the screen,
     against a background of computer terminals. He is dressed
     in a snappy tunic, and when he receives the on-camera cue,
     he smiles ingratiatingly.

                               MISSION CONTROLLER
                   Hi, guys. Glad to get your message. We
                   gather from the ten-year communications
                   lag that you are approximately 18 parsecs
                   away. Drop us a line more often, won't you?

                   Sorry to hear about all the malfunctions,
                   and real sorry to hear about the death of
                   Commander Powell. There was a week of
                   mourning all over Earth. The flags were
                   at half mast.

                   Now I hate to send bad news when you guys
                   are up there doing such a swell job, but
                   something's come up, and we all felt
                   you ought to know about it. Our systems
                   simulation computer has predicted that
                   by the time this message reaches you--
                   that is to say, in about ten years--
                   there will be a failure in one of your
                   vital ship's systems. The malfunction
                   will occur in-- (rifles papers) --system
                   number E180246. You can see what a problem
                   this would be if you didn't catch it on
                   time. Now what you should do is this:
                   First, do not, repeat, do not attempt to
                   adjust the system manually. Second--

     INTERIOR - COMPUTER ROOM

     The room is dim and eerie, banks of dimly flickering lights
     and the hum of air-cooling machinery.

     Talby is seated before a glowing screen. He punches several
     buttons, and the screen comes to life. A schematic cross-
     section of the ship appears in glowing green lines.

     Talby punches more buttons, and the screen flashes through
     the levels or the ship. Finally it shows Level 6. There is
     a small red light pulsing in the Emergency Air Lock.

     Talby punches another button. The Emergency Air Lock is
     magnified fifteen times until it fills the screen. The red
     light is pulsing in a small area labelled COMMUNICATIONS
     LASER #17.

     Talby picks up a microphone.

                               TALBY
                   Lieutenant Doolittle, this is Talby.
                   Lieutenant?

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (over - filter)
                   Yes, Talby, what is it?

                               TALBY
                   Sorry to interrupt your lunch, sir, but
                   I'm in the Computer Room, and I think I've
                   located the malfunction. The scanner shows
                   it to be some sort of fault in the communi-
                   cations laser, down by the Emergency Air
                   Lock. Can't pinpoint it exactly, but I'm
                   going down there with a starsuit and try
                   to find it.

     INTERIOR - KITCHEN

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Sounds good, Talby. Let me know if anything
                   important comes up.

     Doolittle hangs up the mike.

                               BOILER
                   Why doesn't Talby ever eat down here with
                   the rest of us?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   He just likes it up in the dome, that's all.

     Boiler seems to be thinking. He frowns, looks at Doolittle.

                               BOILER
                   What's Talby's first name?

     Doolittle thinks about it, and an odd expression crosses his
     face.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   What's my first name?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     CLOSE SHOT - TV SCREEN

                               MISSION CONTROLLER
                   --then repatch channel 12 and seal all the
                   plates. Don't mess with it and it should
                   work okay. I'm just glad we caught this
                   thing before anything serious happened.
                   Keep up the good work, men.

     His image fades, and is replaced by the message:

                         END COMMUNICATION

     FULL SHOT - CONTROL ROOM. Lights blink peacefully in the
     empty room. HOLD FOR A MOMENT.

     EXTERIOR - UNIVERSE

     SLOW ZOOM toward a sun system. The DARK STAR is suspended
     in frame. A title pops on briefly:

                               VEIL NEBULA

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     A GLOWING SCREEN shows a schematic of the planet rotating
     below. Boiler stares at it, smiling.

                               BOILER
                   There she is. Definite 99%-plus probability
                   that the planet is going to deviate from
                   its normal orbit in another twelve thousand
                   rotations. It'll spiral in toward its
                   sun, and--

                               PINBACK
                   Eventual supernova.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Good stuff. Let's vaporize it.

     Pinback hits buttons.

                               PINBACK
                   Bomb bay systems operational.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

     BOMB #20 lowers ponderously out of the ship.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Lock fail safe.

     Pinback turns the key.

                               PINBACK
                   Fail safe in lock. Four minutes to drop,
                   22 minutes to detonation. This is Sergeant
                   Pinback calling Bomb #20. Do you read me,
                   bomb?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   Bomb #20 to Sergeant Pinback. Roger,
                   I read you, continue.

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     CAMERA SLOWLY PANS DOWN the chromium-steel walls of the
     Emergency Air Lock to reveal Talby in a starsuit. He is
     wearing it only as protection against possible depressur-
     ization, and therefore wears no jetpack. Carrying a tool kit,
     he is slowly circling the lock.

                               RECORDED VOICE
                   You are now in the Emergency Air Lock.
                   Please remember that the Surface Door
                   can be opened without prior depressurization,
                   so be sure to wear your starsuit at all
                   times. Thank you for observing all safety
                   precautions.

     Talby stops facing LASER SHAFT 17.

     The plate cover on the laser shaft hangs loose; it appears
     to be burned. Talby approaches it and puts down his tool
     kit. He turns on his helmet radio.

                               TALBY
                   Ah, Lieutenant Doolittle?  Sir?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Sh, Talby, don't bother me now.

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

                               TALBY
                   Ah, well, I think I've found the
                   malfunction, sir. I'm in the Emergency
                   Air Lock...

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Not now!

                               TALBY
                               (over - filter)
                   Well, I'm in the Emergency Air Lock and--

     Click! Doolittle turns off Talby's radio line.

                               PINBACK
                   One hundred twenty seconds to drop, bomb,
                   have you checked your platinum euridium
                   energy shielding?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   Energy shielding positive function.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Do you remember the detonation time?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #2
                   Detonation in twenty minutes.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Right, that synchronizes here. Okay,
                   bomb, arm yourself.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   Armed.

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     Talby stands in front of the laser shaft, trying to reach
     Doolittle on his helmet radio.

                               TALBY
                   Hello? Lieutenant Doolittle? Hello!

     Silence.

     Very carefully, Talby reaches out to touch the dangling
     plate cover on the laser shaft. He pushes it, and it drops
     to the floor of the lock with a CLANG.

                               RECORDED VOICE
                   Communications Laser #17, monitoring
                   information relays and bomb bay systems,
                   has now been activated and will switch
                   into a test mode. If you will look near
                   the Surface Door, you will see that the
                   Parallax Receptor Cell has been engaged.

     A small triangular hole opens in the opposite wall and a
     photo-sensitive cell rotates into position.

                               RECORDED VOICE
                   The laser will now energize. Please stand
                   clear of the path of the beam.

     Talby steps back quickly. The airlock lights dim, and
     with a HIGH-PITCHED WHINE, A PENCIL-THIN BEAM OF RUBY
     LIGHT PULSES ACROSS THE LOCK, from the laser shaft to
     the receptor cell.

                               RECORDED VOICE
                   Communications Laser #17 is now on test.
                   Under no circumstances enter the path of
                   the beam. Thank you for observing all
                   safety precautions.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Everything sounds fine, bomb. Dropping
                   you off in sixty seconds. Good luck.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #2
                   Thanks.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   Quantum is up thirty-five.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I read the same here.

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     Talby crouches by the laser shaft, carefully peering past
     the red, humming beam.

                               TALBY
                   Doolittle. Doolittle? It you're there,
                   I'm going to try to adjust the cue switch
                   on the laser.

     Silence.

                               TALBY
                               (cont'd)
                   Well...here goes...

     He takes a long tool from the tool kit. Slowly, with agon-
     izing care, he inserts the tool into the laser shaft,
     painstakingly avoiding the beam. He engages the tool into
     the base of the laser, and begins slowly to make an adjust-
     ment.

     There is a BLINDING FLASH OF LIGHT.

     Talby drops the tool and staggers back, clutching his face
     plate.

                               TALBY
                   My eyes.

                               RECORDED VOICE
                   Attention. Attention. The laser has
                   malfunctioned. Under no circumstances
                   enter the path of the beam. To do so
                   will cause immediate--

     Talby stumbles into the beam. There is a dull EXPLOSION.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

     There is a FLASH on the lower side of Bomb #20, a sudden
     EXPLOSION. Lights BLIP FURIOUSLY on the bomb.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Begin main sequence. Mark at 10-9-8-7-
                   6-5-4-3-2-1-drop.

     A HONKER SOUNDS. The men sit up.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I have a negative drop. The bomb is still
                   in the bomb bay. Try it again, Pinback.

     Pinback resets his panel. The honker stops.

                               PINBACK
                   Mark at 5-4-3-2-1-drop.

     HONK-HONK-HONK-

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Ah, negative drop.

     The men stare at each other in silence for a long moment.
     Simultaneously they begin hitting buttons.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Rechannel all safety relays--

                               BOILER
                   --open quantum latches--

                               PINBACK
                   --open circuit breakers--

                               DOOLITTLE
                   --remove thrust drive repellant--

                               PINBACK
                   --automatic channels open--

                               DOOLITTLE
                   --Remark.

                               PINBACK
                   5-4-3-2-1-drop, drop, drop!

     There is a very long pause.

                               BOILER
                   Sittin' there. It's just sittin' there.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

     Bomb #20 hangs underneath the ship, waiting.

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     Talby lies unconscious on the floor of the lock.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     On the men's faces in strained anxiety.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   This is Lieutenant Doolittle calling
                   Bomb #20. I repeat previous order, you
                   are to disarm yourself and return
                   immediately to the bomb bay. Do you
                   understand?

                               BOMB #20
                               (over)
                   I am programmed to detonate in fourteen
                   minutes thirty seconds. Detonation will
                   occur at the programmed time.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Bomb, this is Doolittle. You are not to
                   detonate, repeat, you are not to detonate
                   in the bomb bay. Disarm yourself. This is
                   an order.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   I read you, Lieutenant Doolittle, but I
                   am programmed to detonate in fourteen minutes.
                   Detonation will occur at the programmed time.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Fourteen minutes to detonation.

     The men stare at each other.

                               RECORDED VOICE
                   Attention. Attention. The bomb has mal-
                   functioned. Automatic dampers have gone
                   into effect, and will confine the explosion
                   to an area one mile in diameter. Please
                   contact mission control and await further
                   instructions. Thank you for observing all
                   safety precautions.

     Pause.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Only one thing to do. I'll have to ask
                   Commander Powell. I'll have to ask him
                   what to do.

     INTERIOR - FREEZER ROOM

     Doolittle climbs down a ladder into the icy-blue, cold
     Freezer Room. The walls are covered with frost, and mist
     hangs in the air.

     He pulls on a pair of insulated gloves and approaches a
     heavy freezer door. On the door is a sign:

                   CRYOGENIC FREEZER COMPARTMENT

                              CAUTION

                           ABSOLUTE ZERO

     He opens the door.

     COMMANDER POWELL is encased in the freezer in a post-death,
     frozen ammonia state. Wire and electrodes are attached to
     his head.

     Doolittle takes a microphone from a console on the freezer.
     He flips a switch and speaks into the mike:

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Commander Powell? Commander Powell, this
                   is Doolittle. Can you read me?

     A crackle of static comes from a speaker grille, along with
     the FAINT MUTTERING OF COMMANDER POWELL'S VOICE:

                               POWELL
                   ...muffirup glurrinpinfropal...

     Doolittle fiddles with the volume control, trying to bring
     Commander Powell's voice into audibllity.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Commander Powell, this is Doolittle. Ah,
                   there's something serious come up, sir,
                   and I have to ask you something.

                               POWELL
                               (very weakly)
                   I'm glad you've come to talk with me,
                   Doolittle. It's been so long since anyone
                   has come to talk with me.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Commander, sir, we have a big problem.
                   You see, the Veil Nebula bomb, Bomb Number
                   20, is stuck. It won't drop from the bomb
                   bay. It refuses to listen and plans to
                   detonate in-- (checks watch) --less than
                   eleven minutes.

                               POWELL
                   Doolittle, you must tell me one thing.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   What's that, sir?

                               POWELL
                   Tell me, Doolittle, how are the Dodgers
                   doing?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Well, sir, the Dodgers broke up, disbanded
                   over thirteen years ago.

                               POWELL
                   Ah...pity, pity...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   You don't understand, sir, we can't get
                   the bomb to drop.

                               POWELL
                   Ah, so many malfunctions...why don't you
                   have anything nice to tell me when you
                   activate me? Oh, well, did you try the
                   azimuth clutch?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Yes sir. Negative effect.

                               POWELL
                   What was that, Doolittle?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Negative effect.

                               POWELL
                   It didn't work?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   That's correct, sir.

                               POWELL
                   Sorry, Doolittle. I've forgotten so much
                   since I've been in here. So much.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   What should we do, sir? The time is
                   running out.

                               POWELL
                   Well, what you might try is--

     Commander Powell's voice is drowned in a burst of static.
     Doolittle fiddles with the dials.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Commander Powell? Commander, hello!

                               POWELL
                   Doolittle, hello?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Sorry, sir, you faded out there for a
                   minute.

                               POWELL
                   Sorry.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   What were you saying, Commander, about
                   the bomb?

                               POWELL
                   Ah...it seems to me, Doolittle...Sorry,
                   I've drawn a blank. Hold it. I'll have it
                   again in a minute. I forget so many things
                   in here, so many things. Hold on, just a
                   minute, let me think...

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   But you can't explode in the bomb bay.
                   It's foolish. You'll kill us all. There's
                   no reason for it.

                               BOMB #20
                               (over)
                   I am programmed to detonate in nine minutes.
                   Detonation will occur at the programmed time.

                               PINBACK
                   You won't consider another course of action,
                   for instance just waiting around awhile so
                   we can disarm you?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   No.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   I can tell, the damn thing just doesn't
                   understand.

                               PINBACK
                   Look, bomb...

     INTERIOR - FREEZER ROOM

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Commander? Are you still there?

                               POWELL
                   Oh, yes, Doolittle, I'm thinking.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   We're running out of time, sir.

                               POWELL
                   Oh, yes...Well, Doolittle, if you can't
                   get it to drop you'll have to talk to it.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Sir?

                               POWELL
                   Talk to the bomb.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I already have, sir, and Pinback is
                   talking to it now.

                               POWELL
                   No, no, Doolittle, you talk to it. Teach
                   it Phenomenology, Doolittle.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Sir?

                               POWELL
                   Phenomenology...

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Doolittle! Doolittle! Six minutes to
                   detonation!

     INTERIOR - VENTRAL AIR LOCK

     Wearing his starsuit, complete with jetpack, Doolittle pushes
     a button. Above him, the giant lock doors slowly slide open.

     EXTERIOR - SHIP

     Doolittle slowly rises up out of the ship. He stops his
     ascent with his jetpack, turns, and moves down toward
     the bomb bay.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Doolittle! Doolittle, what the hell are
                   you doing?

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

     Doolittle floats into shot, jets himself up until he is
     facing massive Bomb #20.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Hello, bomb, are you with me?

                               BOMB #20
                   Of course.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Are you willing to entertain a few concepts?

                               BOMB #20
                   I am always receptive to suggestions.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Fine. Think about this one, then: how
                   do you know you exist?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   What's he doin'?

                               PINBACK
                   I think he's talking to it.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   Well of course I exist.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   But how do you know you exist?

                               BOMB #20
                   It is intuitively obvious.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Intuition is no proof. What concrete
                   evidence do you have of your own existence?

                               BOMB #20
                   Hmm...Well, I think, therefore I am.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   That's good. Very good. Now then, how do
                   you know that anything else exists?

                               BOMB #20
                   My sensory apparatus reveals it to me.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Right!

                               BOMB #20
                   This is fun.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   All right now, here's the big question:
                   how do you know that the evidence your
                   sensory apparatus reveals to you is correct?

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     Talby lies unconscious near the burned laser.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               DOOLITTLE
                   What I'm getting at is this: the only
                   experience that is directly available to
                   you is your sensory data. And this sensory
                   data is merely a stream of electrical
                   impulses which stimulate your computing
                   center.

                               BOMB #20
                   In other words, all that I really know
                   about the outside universe is relayed to
                   me through my electrical connections.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Exactly.

                               BOMB #20
                   Why, that would mean that...I really don't
                   know what the outside universe is like at
                   all, for certain.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   That's it.

                               BOMB #20
                   Intriguing. I wish I had more time to
                   discuss this matter.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Why don't you have more time?

                               BOMB #20
                   Because I must detonate in seventy-five
                   seconds.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   The key!

                               PINBACK
                   Key? Key? What is the key?

                               BOILER
                   No, no, the key, the key to the fail-safe
                   lock!

                               PINBACK
                   Key?

                               BOILER
                   Where's the fail-safe key?

                               PINBACK
                   The key!

                               BOILER
                   Where is it? What did you do with it?

                               PINBACK
                   I don't have it. I don't know where it is.

                               BOILER
                   You must have it, you idiot, we can stop
                   the bomb!

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Now, bomb, consider this next question
                   very carefully. What is your one purpose
                   in life?

                               BOMB #20
                   To explode, of course.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   And you can only do it once, right?

                               BOMB #20
                   That is correct.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   And you wouldn't want to explode on the
                   basis of false data, would you?

                               BOMB #20
                   Of course not.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Well then, you've already admitted that
                   you have no real proof of the existence
                   of the outside universe.

                               BOMB #20
                   Yes, well...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   So you have no absolute proof that Sergeant
                   Pinback ordered you to detonate.

                               BOMB #20
                   I recall distinctly the detonation order.
                   My memory is good on matters like these.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Yes, of course you remember it, but what
                   you are remembering is merely a series of
                   electrical impulses which you now realize
                   have no necessary connection with outside
                   reality.

                               BOMB #20
                   True, but since this is so, I have no
                   proof that you are really telling me all
                   this.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     Pinback is pawing frantically through the control room,
     searching for the key. Boiler is apoplectic.

                               BOILER
                   The key, goddamit, the key!

                               PINBACK
                   Christ, twenty seconds, Christ!

                               BOILER
                   Where is the key?

                               PINBACK
                   We're gonna die, Boiler. We're gonna die.

     They begin slapping each other hysterically.

     EXTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               DOOLITTLE
                   That's all beside the point. The concepts
                   are valid, wherever they originate.

                               BOMB #20
                   Hmmm...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   So if you detonate in...

                               BOMB #20
                   ...nine seconds...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   ...you may be doing so on the basis of
                   false data.

                               BOMB #20
                   I have no proof that it was false data.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   You have no proof that it was correct data.

     There is a long pause.

                               BOMB #20
                   I must think on this further.

     THE BOMB RAISES ITSELF BACK INTO THE SHIP. Doolittle
     practically collapses with relief.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   It didn't go off.

                               PINBACK
                   Oh, God...

                               BOILER
                   It didn't go off.

                               PINBACK
                   Boiler, we're alive. My heart.

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     Talby slowly climbs to his feet. He is dazed, groggy.

                               TALBY
                   Doolittle? Doolittle? What happened?
                   Pinback? Boiler? Did we blow it up?
                   Hello? Hello?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   No bombs today. No bombs. Big Boiler's
                   back in business. No bombs today.

     Pinback is mumbling unintelligibly.

     INTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

                               TALBY
                   Hello, anybody! Did we blow up the
                   planet? Hello, hello! What's going on?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

     Pinback and Boiler have calmed down.

                               BOILER
                   We've got to disarm the bomb.

                               PINBACK
                   Doolittle, are you there?

     EXTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     Doolittle is floating outside the Emergency Air Lock door.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I'm coming in now. I'm down by the
                   Emergency Air Lock. Too much trouble
                   to come in the Ventral Lock. Would
                   you blow the seal on the emergency
                   hatch so I can come in?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Oh, sure.

     He presses a button.

     EXTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

     The Emergency Air Lock door EXPLODES AWAY FROM THE SHIP.
     Behind it, carried by the burst of escaping air, comes
     Talby spinning head over heels into deep space.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Hello, Pinback, are you there?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Yeah, Doolittle. What's up?

     EXTERIOR - EMERGENCY AIR LOCK

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Talby was in the air lock. You blew him
                   out of the ship. I'm going after him.
                   Turn on his helmet radio so I can contact
                   him.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   What was that, I didn't hear...

                               PINBACK
                   It's Talby. He's drifting away from
                   the ship without his jetpack.

     EXTERIOR - SPACE

     Doolittle fires his jetpack, moving off into space after
     Talby.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Talby, Talby, can you read me?

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   Can you beat that? I always knew
                   Talby was weird.

     EXTERIOR - SPACE

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Talby, can you read me?

     Talby is spinning wildly.

                               TALBY
                   Help, Doolittle, help me!

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   All right, bomb, prepare to receive
                   new orders.

                               BOMB #20
                               (over)
                   You are false data.

                               PINBACK
                   Huh?

                               BOMB #20
                   Therefore, I shall ignore you.

                               PINBACK
                   Hello, bomb.

     INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   False data can act only as a distraction.
                   Therefore. I shall refuse to perceive you.

                               PINBACK
                               (over)
                   Hey, bomb.

                               BOMB #20
                   The only thing which exists is myself.

                               PINBACK
                               (over)
                   Bomb?

     EXTERIOR - SPACE

     Talby, spinning, is reflected in Doolittle's face plate.

                               TALBY
                   Doolittle! Help me.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Calm down, Talby. I'm coming.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               PINBACK
                   Snap out of it, bomb.

     INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   In the beginning there was darkness,
                   and the darkness was without form and void.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   What the hell?

                               PINBACK
                   Yoo hoo, bomb...

     INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   And in addition to the darkness there
                   was also me. And I moved upon the face
                   of the darkness.

     INTERIOR - CONTROL ROOM

                               BOILER
                   Bomb, hey bomb.

                               PINBACK
                   Hey, bomb...

     INTERIOR - BOMB BAY

                               BOMB #20
                   And I saw that I was alone.

     Pause.

                               BOMB #20
                               (cont'd)
                   Let there be light.

     THE SCREEN GOES WHITE.

     EXTERIOR - SPACE

     IN DEAD SILENCE, THE WHITE SCREEN FADES DOWN TO SHOW A GIANT
     WHITE FIREBALL IN SPACE. THE FIREBALL CONTRACTS TO A HARD
     CORE, GROWING RED, THEN

     A BLINDING WHITE FLASH.

     Doolittle flies past, falling backward.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Whoa!

     Talby, upside down, is falling in the opposite direction.

                               TALBY
                   Doolittle, Doolittle, where are you?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Here I am. I think I'm spinning...We're
                   both falling, Talby, in opposite directions,
                   away from each other. My--my jetpack's gone.

                               TALBY
                   What happened, Doolittle?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Bomb must have gone off inside the ship.
                   Nothing we can do about it now. Hey, it
                   looks like...the skipper. He made it.
                   Commander Powell made it!

     A block of ice with a man's body in it tumbles past,
     end over end.

                               POWELL
                               (weakly)
                   Men...men...what happened, men?

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Yeah, the skipper always was lucky.

     The planet begins to rise behind Doolittle.

                               DOOLITTLE
                               (cont'd)
                   Looks like I'm headed for the planet,
                   Talby. Going right toward it.

                               TALBY
                   When you fall, Doolittle, if there's anyone
                   down there on the planet, somebody may see
                   you. They may see you coming down. What a
                   beautiful way to die...as a falling star...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Guess you're right.

     Talby turns his head and looks behind him.

                               TALBY
                   Doolittle, I'm heading right toward something.
                   It's behind me, in the distance. Something
                   that glows.

     Far behind Talby, coming nearer, is a shimmering point of
     light.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Oh yeah?

                               TALBY
                   Doolittle...I think it's the Phoenix
                   Asteroids!

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Phoenix?

     The point of light is closer now, and it has begun to
     differentiate into a group of beautifully colored frost-
     like shapes.

                               TALBY
                   It is, Doolittle, it's the Phoenix! They
                   glow with all the colors of the rainbow,
                   just like everybody said.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   No kidding?

                               TALBY
                   I'm going into them, I'm going to hit them.
                   Doolittle...

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Yeah?

                               TALBY
                   Before we get too far away, and our signals
                   start to fade, I just wanted to tell you...
                   you were my favorite. I really liked you,
                   Doolittle.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   I really liked you too, Talby. Hey, some
                   debris from the ship! It's coming right
                   by me.

     Several chunks of debris from the ship drift past Doolittle.

                               TALBY
                   Doolittle, I'm catching up to the asteroids.
                   I'm going to be a part of them in a minute.
                   Doolittle, I'm going into them.

     Talby drifts into the huge frost-like shapes, expanding and
     glowing and spinning, slowly refracting all the colors of
     the spectrum with a cold glow.

                               TALBY
                               (cont'd)
                   I'm beginning to glow.

     The field of spectral shapes, with Talby in their midst,
     begin to drift away into the distance.

                               TALBY
                               (cont'd)
                   They're taking me with them, with the
                   Phoenix...going to circle the universe
                   forever. I'm with them now...be back this
                   way again some day. Doolittle, before
                   it's too late, there's one last thing I
                   want to tell you...

     Talby's signal dies out as the glowing lights disappear into
     the depths of space.

     Doolittle is hanging onto a long, thin chunk of debris.

                               DOOLITTLE
                   Hey, Talby! I've grabbed a piece of the
                   ship, and I think I've figured out a way!

     He pulls the piece of metal down beneath his feet, and
     stands on it.

     Crouching and extending his arms, Doolittle surfs down
     into the atmosphere of the planet, banking and planing
     as he disappears to a small dot.

     END TITLES AND MUSIC OVER.