Two aliens are retrieved from a drifting life pod, but instead of showing gratitude when brought aboard the Excalibur, they take a hostage and accuse Gideon of imprisoning, torturing and murdering their race – but when Matheson checks with Earth, there is no record of any contact with this species. Gideon learns from the male alien, Durkani, that his race’s deep space probes have photographed Earth, and that some kind of spacecraft from Earth supposedly crash-landed on their world, causing a firestorm of speculation and paranoia. Durkani and his colleague, Lyssa, have spent years investigating the rumors, the leads, and the scant evidence, until finally the authorities closed in on them and forced them to flee. Durkani believes that he and Lyssa were getting too close to secrets being concealed by the government – secrets pointing to a long-range plan for a takeover by the human race. Of course, Gideon doesn’t believe a word of it…but when another member of the same species approaches in another ship, demanding that Durkani and Lyssa be handed over for summary execution, Gideon wonders if the two might not be on to something very real.
written by J. Michael Straczynski
directed by Jerry Apoian
music by Evan H. ChenCast: Gary Cole (Captain Matthew Gideon), Tracy Scoggins (Captain Elizabeth Lochley), Daniel Dae Kim (Lt. Matheson), Carrie Dobro (Dureena Nafeel), David Allen Brooks (Max Eilerson), Marjean Holden (Dr. Sarah Chambers), Peter Woodward (Galen), Josh Clark (Kendarr), Francoise Robertson (Lyssa), Harry Van Gorkum (Durkani), Robert Caso (Maintenance Man), Sandra Gonzalez (Maintenance #2), Eric Whitmore (Security #1), Camila Griggs (Security #2)
Notes: British actor Harry Van Gorkum was one of the final contenders for the role of the Doctor in Fox’s 1996 TV movie revival of Doctor Who; he lost the role to Paul McGann.
LogBook entry by Dave Thomer with notes by Earl Green