In the Blink of an Eye (2026) Movie Script
1
[stones clacking]
[clacking continues]
[Thorn speaking foreign language]
[Lark speaks foreign language]
[Ebb gurgling]
[Thorn mutters]
-[Hera] Hmm.
-[Thorn chuckles]
[chuckles]
[gurgling continues]
[Hera, Thorn speaking foreign language]
[fire crackling]
[Hera, Thorn moaning, grunting]
[person 1 sighs]
Maybe if I just... I don't...
-[person 2] Wait. How's that?
-[person 1] I'm just not gonna be able...
-[person 2] Is that better? No?
-[Claire] No, it's not really.
-It's not gonna...
-[person 2] Yeah.
-[Claire] Sorry. Maybe you should stop.
-Should I...
Just... Sorry, my-my mind's just not here.
[breathes deeply]
[sighs] Well... [groans, sighs]
We should probably just
both go to sleep here, huh?
'Cause we're pretty drunk and...
I think you should go home actually.
Oh.
Uh...
[people chattering in distance]
Oh, okay.
[sighs]
You know, just... I... 'Cause we
don't have to do anything tonight.
-I know that.
-[Greg] Yep.
We could try it again another time.
This doesn't really fit
into my future plans
-'cause I'm really here to work, so...
-Yeah. Well, me too.
[sighs]
I'm sure I'll see you around.
Uh, off or on?
-[Claire] Huh?
-Lights.
On. On, on, on.
I'm gonna work, so on.
[sighs]
[sighs]
[vibrator buzzes]
[alert buzzing]
[electronic voice on intercom]
Good morning, Coakley.
Good morning, ROSCO.
How are you today?
[ROSCO] I'm fine. How did you sleep?
[spits] Fine.
What did you get up to last night?
Nothing really. Just thinking.
Oh, cool.
[panting] Hey, lay some numbers out,
mate, would ya?
[chuckles] Anything specific?
[pants] Are we there yet?
[chuckles] Let's see.
It's already been 210 years,
so we should reach Kepler 16b
in 126 years.
[sighs] Won't that be nice, huh?
-Mm-hmm.
-[sighs]
[grunts]
-[groans]
-[bone crunches]
[sighs]
[phone chimes]
[breathes deeply]
It's just you and me, buddy.
[groaning]
[groaning, panting]
[coughing]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[coughing continues]
[speaking foreign language]
-[breathing shakily]
-[murmurs]
[coughing continues]
[Claire] Okay, here we go. [sighs]
Looking at his left palm...
Not quite sure what we have here.
Perhaps he's holding something?
[mutters]
[phone buzzing]
[Claire] Just working.
[people chattering]
Yeah.
It's good.
Um, it's kind of all very new,
but they seem nice.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit.
What? Um... Uh, no.
Uh, no, it... it's just me.
That's... That...
That's the whole point of it,
is that I'm the one who's
extracting and sequencing mtDNA,
looking for introgression,
uh, determining the age.
My research is kind of a big deal.
Like, I could publish a paper.
I don't know yet.
That's why it's exciting.
We could, um... We could live longer.
We could cure cancer.
We could find out where we come from.
Princeton is barely New Jersey.
Listen, Mom, I should go.
Okay. Love you too.
[beeps]
[machinery hisses]
[grunts] Ow.
Shit. [winces]
-Hey, ROSCO?
-[chimes]
-[ROSCO] Yes?
-What's for lunch?
[machine chimes]
Impact deceleration?
[sighs]
Steady at 10.5 meters per second squared.
I'm still monitoring all the systems.
-You don't need to worry about that.
-I know. It's just...
I have to have something to do, you know?
I worry about you.
Is that what you're up all night
thinking about?
I think about a lot of things.
You're not getting enough water?
I can run soil samples if you'd like.
No, feels wet enough.
Give me just a moment.
[monitor beeping]
Monitors show the soil is wet enough.
Uh-huh. Thank you.
I ran the O2 levels,
and they're a bit low.
Would you look at the palms
in the greenhouse?
-How low?
-It's a minimal difference,
but you should check the plant health
while you're there.
How minimal?
What's the difference
that you noticed in the oxygen?
Just under 1%.
Minimal, but the oxygen
from the plants should be stable.
Okay. Okay.
Whoa. Gosh.
Yeah, these don't look
especially healthy to me.
What's wrong with them?
I don't know. They're sick.
I don't know if it's bacterial
or fungal or what, but, um,
we gotta disinfect the greenhouse.
I'll collect samples
from all the diseased plants
so we can find the contaminant.
There shouldn't be any contaminants.
Well, there are.
[phone ringing]
[sighs]
[ringing stops]
[phone chimes]
[chuckles]
[phone rings]
Mom? Can you hear me?
No. So-Sorry, I can't... I can't hear you.
Hold on. I'm just gonna step out.
Can you hear me? Hello?
Sorry, the reception isn't great.
Can you hear me?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, sorry.
I was... I was underground.
Um, everything's... Yeah. Yeah.
Uh, you called twice. So what's up?
Mm-hmm.
What does that mean?
Okay, but... [stammers]
why didn't you, um...
It... That... It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
[stammers] What did the doctor say?
[sighs]
Okay. Actually,
can I just talk to somebody?
Are you still there? Because I can...
[no audible dialogue]
Ow.
[sighing]
Hey, ROSCO?
[ROSCO] You've now lost
4.5% of productive palm mass.
Cool. I was gonna ask you to tell me
a story or a joke or something.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I thought you were asking
for a status update.
My mistake.
Hundred percent not what I wanted to hear.
Sure, that makes sense.
But thanks. [sighs]
Why didn't the sun go to college?
Why?
Because it already had a million degrees.
-[partygoers chattering]
-["Wow and Flutter" playing]
[Claire breathing heavily]
You were, like, sh... like,
shaking there for a minute.
That's kinda sexy.
Kinda?
Very. It was very sexy, is what I mean.
I just have never had,
like, such an intense...
without, you know, um...
Um, sorry, just... Are you not...
Are you saying you never had an orgasm?
-No, that is not what I'm saying.
-No, I didn't think so.
-I have to go to the bathroom.
-That's good. That's... I...
-[Claire] No, I just...
-Phew, you know?
I've never, you know, from...
[inhales sharply] Never mind.
Hey, I'm, um... I'm really glad you texted.
[Claire] Yeah, glad I texted too.
Yeah, I honest...
I honestly didn't expect that.
[toilet flushing]
[tap running]
Uh, there's a toothbrush.
It's under the sink
-if you value dental hygiene like I...
-No, I... I have to get up early.
Uh, yeah. I mean, me too.
[sighs] I have... I have
to catch a flight to Vancouver.
Wh-What's in Vancouver?
My mom.
[Greg] Oh. I did not know
that you were from, uh...
-Canada. Yeah. Deal-breaker?
-[Greg stammers]
[laughs] No.
[clicks tongue] Uh, j-just a visit then?
Um, it's actually k-kind of heavy.
So, I don't... I just... Um...
Not a problem.
I get... I'm just a sex object, so...
-You got it.
-[Greg chuckling] Right.
[Claire] Oh.
See ya. I'll text you.
[sighs]
[Thorn coughing]
[wheezing, coughing]
[both speaking foreign language]
[coughing]
[coughing continues]
[speaking foreign language]
[Hera speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[flight attendant] Ladies and gentlemen,
we have now landed in Vancouver.
I feel powerless.
Because you are.
[sighs]
[clock ticking]
Well, what do we do?
[sighs]
[ticking continues]
[Coakley] What if we lose
30% of our palm fronds to this?
-[ROSCO] That would mean mission failure.
-[Coakley] The whole thing?
Yes.
[Coakley] Fifteen?
That would also mean mission failure.
Okay, ten?
-Mission failure.
-What is the acceptable margin of error?
Six percent.
[chuckling]
I'm not sure what's so funny, Coakley.
The babies' lives are at risk.
[inhales sharply]
[stammers] That's a pretty slim
margin of error there, buddy.
There shouldn't be a contaminant
that affects the palm health.
I don't know what to tell you.
They're sick.
The closed system
shouldn't allow for any outside pathogens.
[sighs] How much have we lost already?
Five percent.
Okay. Um, let's work on an antibiotic,
an antiviral.
[stammers] Let's figure out what this is.
Yeah? [inhales sharply]
Finish prepping those samples,
and hopefully we can sequence
the infestation's DNA.
Gotcha.
[sighs, mutters]
[Thorn breathing shakily]
[groaning]
[speaking foreign language]
[Lark speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[breathing shakily, groaning]
[speaking foreign language]
[shuddering, wheezing]
[shushes]
[speaking foreign language]
[Thorn wheezing]
[Lark gasps, cries]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[shouting, grunting]
-[Hera shushes]
[Hera, Lark speaking foreign language]
[Hera sighs]
[speaking foreign language]
[sighs]
-[speaking foreign language]
-[Thorn breathing shakily]
[Lark humming]
[Thorn breathes deeply]
[device beeping]
[humming continues]
[line rings]
[Greg on laptop] What? Hey. Whoa.
-[Claire] Oh, wait, were you sleeping?
-Hi.
Nope, I was not.
I was... I was, like, laying down.
I was resting my eyes, but I'm not asleep.
Oh, no, I forgot how late it is there.
It is not. No, it's... I'm wide awake.
-You're lying.
-[chuckles] I'm not lying.
Look, I'm wide awake.
Wide awake. Ready to talk. Boom.
[chuckles] Hello.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-Do you wanna see my yearbook?
-Uh, desperately. [chuckles]
Okay.
[strains] All right. [sighs]
Okay, let's see.
Oh, debate.
-Wow.
-Mm-hmm.
Wait, how old are you here?
Sophomore year.
Yeah, I bet you were great at debate.
I was good.
-Yeah, I made a girl cry.
-Yeah.
[laughs] Yeah, of course.
Of course you did.
This is weird.
What?
I never had a boy on my bed here before.
Oh. Oh, well, um...
well, it's an honor to be here.
[chuckles]
[Greg speaks indistinctly]
Hello?
Wait, I think
you're breaking up a little bit.
[Greg speaks indistinctly]
Hello?
[no audible dialogue]
-[speaks indistinctly] Oh, hey.
-Can you hear me?
-Yes. Wait, can you hear me?
-Now?
Yep, yep, yep.
Gotta get down here. [chuckles]
[laughing] Hey.
Hi.
Hi.
My mom's dying.
Doing what they can, but, um,
it's not looking good.
Oh. Oh, Cl... Uh, Claire, I... Um...
God, I'm sorry.
Me too.
[sniffles]
[sighs]
[chuckles] You're sideways.
So are you.
[sighs]
[Thorn breathing heavily]
[Coakley] It must be nice not to, like,
waste time worrying about dying.
[ROSCO] I think about death sometimes.
I wouldn't say I worry though.
-Hmm.
-Do you think about death?
Ordinarily, no.
What's it like when you think?
I don't know.
My neurons are firing.
I understand it
from a mechanical standpoint.
Uh-huh.
But I'm curious to hear...
What is it like?
ROSCO, I-I don't know.
Um, can you turn off
all the nonessential electrical units
so we can save on O2 waste?
It won't make much of a difference.
A little though?
Of course. A little.
All right.
Turn 'em all off. I'm fine in the dark.
Okay. [sighs]
Sorry. I'm sorry.
What's it like when you think?
I think that you humans feel,
at any given moment, like you...
your mind is in one place.
I have many more moments,
many more places. Does that make sense?
-Yeah.
-[chimes]
What was that?
I have a formula
for an antiviral that may work.
[Thorn breathing deeply]
[waves crashing]
[stones clacking]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[stones clacking]
[Lark gasps]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[Lark screams]
[Hera sobbing]
[whimpering]
[sobbing]
[whimpering continues]
[sobbing]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
I have removed an object
which appears to be organic material,
but until we do an MRI,
we can't be positive...
-[phone chimes]
-exactly what we're looking at.
No, Mom. No, don't say that, okay?
We're... We're just gonna deal with this.
No, no, no, no. [shushes] Mom,
what if I, um, maybe... maybe...
Okay... [stammers] ...I'll come out Friday.
Okay? Because I want to. That's why.
I, uh... I'm... I'm gonna have to
leave my fellowship.
I gotta take care of my mom, and, um,
I have a meeting with the dean in,
like, an hour.
Oh.
You know this.
Uh, about your mom, yeah, but n-not, uh...
Yeah. So bye-bye
career-changing work or whatever.
[breathes deeply]
I have to shower.
-Yeah. No, yes, go shower.
-Okay.
[shower running]
[sighs]
So...
we're still losing palms.
[ROSCO] Yes.
The antivirals aren't working.
No.
I honestly don't...
What?
[machine chimes]
[Coakley] What if we cut our losses here?
ROSCO, humor me.
[ROSCO] What do you mean?
We can't save these palms.
The palms create the oxygen needed
for life on board...
I know, I know. [stammers] Yeah,
but these ones are gonna die
because they have an unforeseen parasite
that we can't kill.
Yet. We may still be able to create
a strain of palm that is immune.
But the one thing we know will kill
the virus is if we kill the host.
-Yeah?
-Yes.
So, why don't we kill the host?
I don't follow.
We kill the palms.
We get rid of all the palms,
and we jettison the soil,
and we wait, uh, a day, a week...
I don't know.
How long can we survive
without fresh oxygen?
That depends on your heart rate.
Okay, but you see what I'm saying, right?
Why are we trying to salvage these plants?
We could just kill them and kill the virus
and then plant new ones.
If we kill all the palms,
there won't be enough oxygen for two years
while the new ones grow in.
Plus it would take the entire journey
to reach proper O2 levels for the babies.
[sighs] Okay.
Um, what are the top five uses of oxygen
on the ship?
Life support for you and the embryos.
What else?
The other uses are negligible
by comparison.
You're the organic systems.
You use 98% of the oxygen.
Well, then the organic systems
aren't going to make it.
But both you and the babies
are mission critical.
Well, what if...
what if we eliminate one?
Which one?
I use the most oxygen.
So what if I kill myself,
and then you and the ship continue on?
And when you get to Kepler,
most of the labor can be automated.
So you would manage the drones
and incubate the stem cells
and raise the kids
and pass the whole thing off.
Would that work?
Uh, I'm not equipped for...
No.
Are you sure?
[sighs] I'd need to run through
every protocol
for the rest of the mission, but...
Conversely...
We find a way to generate
additional oxygen?
A backup greenhouse?
Would that work?
I don't know.
We can't make space for it
without losing an essential system,
but I could run calculations to be sure.
Okay.
[sighs]
[no audible dialogue]
[Claire sobbing]
[crickets chirping]
[ROSCO] I was thinking, I figured out
where to put a secondary greenhouse.
Mm-hmm.
In the computer space.
Convert my mainframe to plants,
use the algae on board.
-But...
-It's the perfect spot.
It'll feed oxygen directly
to the life-support system.
Yeah, but you'd be fried, like,
permanently.
Yes.
Doesn't that bother you?
No.
The best-use case for me is
that you survive
and make it to the planet.
That would be my recommendation.
No, no, I'm not choosing
between you or me.
Let me run a simulation and see
who's more likely to complete the mission.
[inhales deeply]
Okay.
[grunts, pants]
[groaning]
[speaking foreign language]
[breathing sharply]
[grunts]
[Lark breathing sharply]
[speaking foreign language]
[Hera breathing heavily]
[grunting]
[grunting continues]
[speaking foreign language]
[baby crying]
[Thorn shushing]
[shushing continues]
[baby gurgling]
[speaking foreign language]
[shushing]
[speaking foreign language]
[Hera groaning]
[baby crying]
[speaking foreign language]
[sniffles, sighs]
[crying stops]
[alert buzzing]
[sighs]
[ROSCO] Good morning, Coakley.
Morning.
Okay, so,
what did you decide?
Who's more likely to survive
to the planet?
You or me?
I can't actually answer the question.
It's impossible for me
to predict your behavior, which is...
Who's more likely?
You are.
Show me the math.
[inhales deeply] I'd rather not.
Excuse me.
I'd rather not.
It isn't that promising.
Let me see.
Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
No, I wanna double-check this.
[chuckles] My math's not wrong.
Oh, I know. I'm just...
I-I'm not sure
I believe the answer you're giving me.
What if you're lying?
I'm not.
What's this factor here?
There is a certain serendipity...
[stammers] ...creativity, luck,
whatever you wanna call it,
that is hard for me to include in
any calculation of human survival rates.
So you're juicing my numbers
with sheer dumb luck.
[inhales deeply] I am. Yes.
[sighs]
[Claire on phone] It's bad.
[Greg sighs on phone] I am sorry.
[Claire sniffles] I don't know
if I can make it through this.
You can.
I don't know if we can make it.
We can.
We are.
We will.
[voice breaks] I'm... I'm not coming back,
and you're always busy.
I don't know what I'm...
Maybe the timing's wrong...
you know?
Maybe we're just not supposed
to be together.
Maybe it's just too hard and too much.
And why bother?
[Greg] I don't even think it makes sense,
but I just feel this confidence
that, like, I can see the future with us.
[Claire] What does it look like?
[Greg] Good.
Worth it.
[Coakley sighs]
[sighs]
[grunting]
-[ROSCO] Hey.
-Hi.
You're not gonna try to, like,
gas me or electrocute me
while I'm doing this, right?
[ROSCO chuckles]
I couldn't even if I wanted to.
There's a lever on the podium there.
That will stop electrical from firing.
Uh-huh.
It will be pretty quick.
Oh, good. [inhales deeply, sighs]
Is it gonna hurt you?
Hmm, no. No.
[sighs]
Any last words?
Take good care of the children for me.
[sniffles]
[voice breaks] You were my only friend.
You'll be okay.
[inhales deeply] Okay.
I'm sorry.
Goodbye, Coakley.
[mainframe powering down]
[whimpering]
[breathing heavily]
[baby crying]
[sobbing]
[crying continues]
[groans]
[sighs]
[waves lapping]
[instrument playing]
[Lark mutters]
[speaking foreign language]
[Lark chuckles]
[baby crying]
[Lark speaking foreign language]
[Thorn speaking foreign language]
[phone buzzing]
[alert buzzing]
[sighs]
[phone ringing]
Greg. Hi.
Yeah. No, I was going to, I just...
-Next.
-Yeah, um,
I-I'm gonna call you back. I have to go.
-[thunder rumbles]
-[Thorn grunting]
[Thorn groans]
[Greg chuckles]
[phone chimes]
[people chattering]
[crying]
[panting]
[speaking foreign language]
-[shushes]
-[crying continues]
-[speaking foreign language]
-[Lark speaking foreign language]
[panting]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[crying continues]
-[Lark speaking foreign language]
[Thorn shushes]
[speaking foreign language]
-[shushes]
-[crying continues]
Do you realize that we've now spent
more time apart than together?
-D-Do you know that?
-Yeah, I do. I have a calendar.
Yeah. So, like...
I don't wanna do this to myself, you know?
I don't... I-It doesn't feel good.
I don't like it.
Wait. Me or the situation?
I don't think it matters.
No, I think that matters a lot.
[stammers] Do you not like me,
or do you not like the situation?
Can we isolate the variables here?
I'm not gonna isolate the variables, okay?
There's no isolation of variables.
I'm stuck in my mom's attic,
and my boyfriend is in New Jersey.
And he's administering midterms.
And I sleep with my phone next to my bed
because that's, like, the closest thing
I have to a relationship,
and I... [sniffles]
I'm not even mourning my mom
because I'm mourning my boyfriend.
I can't love someone this much, okay?
It's too painful.
[sniffles]
[Greg laughing]
What?
You love me?
Since when?
I just told you I'm in pain.
This is painful.
I know. I just...
That is... That's so sweet,
-and that is so you.
-[sighs]
[laughs]
Hey, hey, hey,
I love you too.
Fine.
Fine.
[machine humming]
[baby crying]
[gasps]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[Thorn grunting]
-[baby crying]
[Lark gasps]
[alert beeping]
[sighs]
[inhales deeply, sighs]
[baby crying]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[crying continues]
-[speaking foreign language]
[both speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[Thorn breathes shakily]
[Thorn, Lark panting]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[clock ticking]
[Claire] Hey, so, you know,
I've been petitioning to school
to let me continue
remote research on my guy.
Well, I think we're gonna be able
to publish with the new team,
which would just be... Greg?
That is amazing.
-What?
-Yeah.
You're amazing, Claire.
Look.
Yeah, yeah, let me see.
And... And what's cool is if...
if they... if we publish,
my name would be first
because I started the research
even though I'm not on the ground.
[stammers] "We would be thrilled
to retain your keen eye." Okay.
I still can't believe you're here.
Like here, here.
You should be in this computer.
[chuckles]
You're happy.
-No, shut up.
-Yeah.
[chuckles] Oh, I brought you something.
-What?
-Uh, a Christmas present.
-[Claire] It's July.
-Yeah, but I hadn't seen you. So...
You bought something for me.
[stammers] I didn't actually buy anything.
I stole it.
Oh, you stole something for me?
Yes, I did.
What is it?
[chuckling] It's the, um... From the lab.
That's that thing.
The thing that your guy was holding.
It's... [chuckles]
-What?
-[chuckling] Yeah.
-What the hell is wrong with you?
-Hmm?
-Seriously?
-[stammers]
Yeah, it was just...
It was after hours,
and I... [sighs] ...went in.
They hadn't even changed the pass codes.
So I saw it, and...
[inhales deeply]
This is completely inappropriate.
These are mixed messages.
I am... I-I don't...
[pants]
I feel really happy,
but I also feel really sad, and, uh,
I-I-I'm... [sniffles]
I'm kind of freaking out.
Uh, can I just... I think you're happy.
-Am I?
-I think so.
[sighs] Okay.
[chuckling] Okay.
Okay.
[hunters shouting in foreign language]
[shouting continues]
[instrument playing]
[shouting stops]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[instrument plays]
-[speaking foreign language]
[blows]
[speaking foreign language]
[instrument whistles]
[both chuckling]
-[hunter exclaims]
-[instrument whistles]
[hunters clamoring]
-[instrument whistles]
-[clamoring continues]
-[instrument whistles]
-[clamoring continues]
[shouting in foreign language]
[villagers chattering]
[shouting continues]
[baby crying]
Oh, hi. [chuckles] Hi.
-[crying continues]
-Hi, sweetie.
Hi, you're here. [chuckles]
You're alive.
I know.
[shushes]
[crowd on TV] Happy New Year!
[Claire inhales sharply]
-[crowd member 1] Happy new year.
-[crowd member 2] We did it everyone.
-Wake up.
-Mm-mmm.
Wake up. It's the future.
I don't care.
-Hello?
-[groans]
-It's the future.
-Okay.
Okay.
I think we should move.
I... What?
What are we talking about right now?
Like, I think we should
move out of this house.
It just feels like the past, you know?
Oh, I like this house.
I-I just don't want our kids
to feel stuck.
Well, they are four and zero.
So they're gonna feel stuck
wherever we put them.
W-Why are you so neurotic all of a sudden?
Should I submit for this professorship?
Is that what this is about?
I already wrote the application.
You did?
Should I? I shouldn't.
-Oh, I should?
-[stammers] We should go to bed.
Yeah.
Position's full-time?
Yeah. [sighs]
[Greg] I guess the question is,
if you're there, will you miss being here?
And if you're here,
will you miss being there?
[sighs]
Exactly.
[dog barking]
[villagers chattering]
[chattering continues]
[Coakley] Our old home was dying,
so we had to leave.
And now we're making a new home.
And this one we're gonna take
really good care of.
And those are all the drones
that are going around the new planet.
And that is drone seven.
There are 50 of them.
They're flying all around.
They're planting trees.
They're... They're shooting seeds
in the ground with a little seed gun.
Isn't that cool? Yeah.
There's gonna be enough air down there
in 12 years and 10 months.
-[child] Then we will live there?
-Yeah.
When you're older, like me.
Will you be older?
[inhales sharply] Uh, no.
You'll get older,
but I'll... I'll be the same.
Why?
Um, it's how we were made.
We're... We're not the same.
We are different?
Yes. Yes, because you, um, you grow up,
like, really, really fast,
and I grow really, really slow. [chuckles]
Why won't we both grow the same?
Um, well...
[sighs] ...a long time ago people decided
that it was actually bad
to live a long time.
So it's bad for you?
[stammers] It's not bad. It's just...
[stammers] Only for certain people.
People who have to live a long time.
And I don't have to?
No, you don't have to.
I do 'cause I have to keep an eye on you.
[chuckles]
Then I will be older than you?
Yeah. Someday, yeah.
[children clamoring, laughing]
[speaking foreign language]
[Thorn grunts]
[speaking foreign language]
[children chuckling]
[speaking foreign language]
[shouts in foreign language]
[children scream, laugh]
[Thorn laughs]
[Greg] You recognize these guys?
This is one of our earliest ancestors,
the Neanderthals.
Can you tell me something
about Neanderthals?
These are the cavemen?
Nailed it. Nailed it first try.
Did your mom ever tell you that you are
one of our favorite students? I think.
-The only student. Hi.
-[Greg] Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting.
[chuckles]
-Did you already start without me?
-[Greg] We did. Just a little bit.
[Claire, Greg kiss]
Does anyone know
what happened to Neanderthals?
-[student 1] Dinosaurs?
-[docent chuckles] No.
We did. Other people.
Does anyone know what species we are?
[student 2] Homo sapiens?
That's right.
Homo sapiens replaced Neanderthals.
We were smarter.
How did you know that?
-[docent] Uh, know what?
-That we were smarter.
Uh, well, we made tools.
We created sophisticated art.
And that flute isn't art?
It's a misnomer.
Neanderthals
were actually very sophisticated.
Oh, okay.
Thank you.
Let's move on down
to see the saber-toothed tiger.
Okay. We have to remember
that we don't interrupt other classes.
Sorry.
No, it was a really good question.
Homo sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted
for millennia.
What does that mean?
They lived together.
They made families.
[elder speaking foreign language]
[villagers cheering]
I don't like the babies.
You know you used to be a baby, right?
No.
[chuckling] Okay. Great.
Let's do our chores. Come on.
Now?
Yes, now.
You know what we say,
we only get there...
If everyone does their part.
[Coakley] Good job.
Okay.
There you go.
Thank you, ROSCO.
Thank you, ROSCO.
[exclaiming]
[villagers cheering]
[Claire] Uh, Greg.
-[moaning on laptop]
-[Greg] What?
[Claire] Can you come up here, please?
[Greg clears throat]
-Yeah, what is it?
-New parenting challenge for you.
Pass.
[chuckles] Oh, wow.
Our son's jerking it.
[chuckling] Yeah.
[sighs]
Why were you looking at his, uh...
I-I wasn't snooping, I swear.
I was up here to print that paper.
So, do you want this to be
a father-son moment,
or do you want me to talk to him?
Uh, I don't... Is there really
anything to say? 'Cause...
About human sexuality?
The ethics of porn consumption?
Okay. Then yes, I will talk to him.
-Just gonna Google it.
-[sighs]
"What to say
when you catch your son jerking it."
[chuckling] Well, I'm sorry,
we can't all be gifted teachers like you.
Oh, my God.
The years of homeschooling wasted.
I guess that's just the nature of life,
right?
You just... You start out like this cute,
pure little thing,
and then you just develop
into a damn freak.
[chuckles] Takes after his mother.
Uh, should we look at his browser history?
Okay. Well, yes, porn.
But also science.
Look, so much science. Wow.
He was reading about autophagy on his own?
"Human genome studies."
All right. Well, I think he seems pretty
well-balanced, all things considered.
[both chuckle]
[sighs]
-Okay.
-[machine beeping]
[grunts]
I can't do it.
All right.
I can see you're getting cranky.
This is stupid.
I hate doing the simulations.
-And...
-Hey, listen to me. Listen to me.
If something happens to me
and I can't land this ship,
you are second-in-command.
You are in charge.
So you can be mad about it now,
but you don't have a choice.
You gotta learn this.
No running!
'Cause if you can't do it right,
then no one survives.
You understand?
[speaker] Imagine we could stop time.
We could press pause on something that's
plagued mankind from the very beginning
and we could, just maybe...
live forever.
[audience clamoring]
It's a pipe dream.
Something for alchemists
and witch doctors and science fiction.
Until now.
-[thrusters rumbling]
-[alarm blaring]
[rumbling continues]
V!
It's okay! It's okay.
[alarm continues]
[screaming]
[villager speaking foreign language]
[screaming]
We've had a fully-sequenced
human genome for decades.
We know the face of our villain.
This strand of DNA, CH14,
it's responsible for turning off
our ability to repair
and rebuild cellular structures.
Early experiments with CRISPR
let us snip and stitch DNA in and out,
which we thought would be enough,
but aging, decay, is built in.
It's in more than one place.
So, what we've done is created
a system of self-repair.
Of maintenance at the molecular level
that will mend what breaks,
repair what fails,
and trick the body
into continuing to produce fresh,
new, healthy cells far longer
than ever before.
[audience applauding, cheering]
-[ship powering down]
-It's okay. We're done. We're landing.
V, I need your help.
Everyone, stay put.
[baby crying]
-[sighs, sniffs]
-[crying continues]
A gene replacement
technology that we call ELIXIR.
[audience applauding, cheering]
-[Coakley] Okay.
-[grunts]
And you'll...
I'll keep the kids safe until you're back.
[baby crying]
-[applauding continues]
-[sighs]
That is our kid.
We made him.
How?
[David] Imagine if our great minds,
our Einsteins, our da Vincis,
our Mozarts could live
200, 300, 500 years.
The human lifespan has always been,
to the universe around us,
nothing more than the blink of an eye.
That's about to change.
For all of history,
time has been the enemy.
Imagine what we'll accomplish
now that we've beaten it.
[audience applauding]
[Coakley] No. No, it's... it's for you.
You're the future.
Would you wanna do it?
Live forever?
No.
[speaking foreign language]
[Claire] I don't know.
Life seems so improbable.
[speaking foreign language]
Finding each other.
Building a life.
[speaking foreign language]
Making little people.
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[Claire] Watching them grow.
And then, suddenly,
it-it all makes sense looking back.
[David] Hey, Mom.
Hey.
Greg?
No, no, it's Dave.
No. [chuckles]
[Claire] But that's
because you know it will end.
That's... That's the point.
That's where the meaning is.
It ends.
[instrument playing]
[sibling sniffles, cries]
[clock ticking]
[no audible dialogue]
You weren't related to me any more
than any of the rest of you are, but,
uh, you're still my kid.
I really didn't think
I'd live to see this all happen.
I thought I'd be
the last person ever, maybe.
I didn't think,
"What if we make it?"
"What if we survive?"
I did not think about time...
at all.
I just couldn't imagine seeing you grow.
And I couldn't imagine,
once you were gone...
that I'd still see you.
And I'd see everyone
that was there before you.
[no audible dialogue]
And now I see you in your children...
and in your children's children.
I guess we never really go away.
And what a beautiful thing.
We're all still here.
[stones clacking]
[clacking continues]
[Thorn speaking foreign language]
[Lark speaks foreign language]
[Ebb gurgling]
[Thorn mutters]
-[Hera] Hmm.
-[Thorn chuckles]
[chuckles]
[gurgling continues]
[Hera, Thorn speaking foreign language]
[fire crackling]
[Hera, Thorn moaning, grunting]
[person 1 sighs]
Maybe if I just... I don't...
-[person 2] Wait. How's that?
-[person 1] I'm just not gonna be able...
-[person 2] Is that better? No?
-[Claire] No, it's not really.
-It's not gonna...
-[person 2] Yeah.
-[Claire] Sorry. Maybe you should stop.
-Should I...
Just... Sorry, my-my mind's just not here.
[breathes deeply]
[sighs] Well... [groans, sighs]
We should probably just
both go to sleep here, huh?
'Cause we're pretty drunk and...
I think you should go home actually.
Oh.
Uh...
[people chattering in distance]
Oh, okay.
[sighs]
You know, just... I... 'Cause we
don't have to do anything tonight.
-I know that.
-[Greg] Yep.
We could try it again another time.
This doesn't really fit
into my future plans
-'cause I'm really here to work, so...
-Yeah. Well, me too.
[sighs]
I'm sure I'll see you around.
Uh, off or on?
-[Claire] Huh?
-Lights.
On. On, on, on.
I'm gonna work, so on.
[sighs]
[sighs]
[vibrator buzzes]
[alert buzzing]
[electronic voice on intercom]
Good morning, Coakley.
Good morning, ROSCO.
How are you today?
[ROSCO] I'm fine. How did you sleep?
[spits] Fine.
What did you get up to last night?
Nothing really. Just thinking.
Oh, cool.
[panting] Hey, lay some numbers out,
mate, would ya?
[chuckles] Anything specific?
[pants] Are we there yet?
[chuckles] Let's see.
It's already been 210 years,
so we should reach Kepler 16b
in 126 years.
[sighs] Won't that be nice, huh?
-Mm-hmm.
-[sighs]
[grunts]
-[groans]
-[bone crunches]
[sighs]
[phone chimes]
[breathes deeply]
It's just you and me, buddy.
[groaning]
[groaning, panting]
[coughing]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[coughing continues]
[speaking foreign language]
-[breathing shakily]
-[murmurs]
[coughing continues]
[Claire] Okay, here we go. [sighs]
Looking at his left palm...
Not quite sure what we have here.
Perhaps he's holding something?
[mutters]
[phone buzzing]
[Claire] Just working.
[people chattering]
Yeah.
It's good.
Um, it's kind of all very new,
but they seem nice.
Oh, shit. Oh, shit.
What? Um... Uh, no.
Uh, no, it... it's just me.
That's... That...
That's the whole point of it,
is that I'm the one who's
extracting and sequencing mtDNA,
looking for introgression,
uh, determining the age.
My research is kind of a big deal.
Like, I could publish a paper.
I don't know yet.
That's why it's exciting.
We could, um... We could live longer.
We could cure cancer.
We could find out where we come from.
Princeton is barely New Jersey.
Listen, Mom, I should go.
Okay. Love you too.
[beeps]
[machinery hisses]
[grunts] Ow.
Shit. [winces]
-Hey, ROSCO?
-[chimes]
-[ROSCO] Yes?
-What's for lunch?
[machine chimes]
Impact deceleration?
[sighs]
Steady at 10.5 meters per second squared.
I'm still monitoring all the systems.
-You don't need to worry about that.
-I know. It's just...
I have to have something to do, you know?
I worry about you.
Is that what you're up all night
thinking about?
I think about a lot of things.
You're not getting enough water?
I can run soil samples if you'd like.
No, feels wet enough.
Give me just a moment.
[monitor beeping]
Monitors show the soil is wet enough.
Uh-huh. Thank you.
I ran the O2 levels,
and they're a bit low.
Would you look at the palms
in the greenhouse?
-How low?
-It's a minimal difference,
but you should check the plant health
while you're there.
How minimal?
What's the difference
that you noticed in the oxygen?
Just under 1%.
Minimal, but the oxygen
from the plants should be stable.
Okay. Okay.
Whoa. Gosh.
Yeah, these don't look
especially healthy to me.
What's wrong with them?
I don't know. They're sick.
I don't know if it's bacterial
or fungal or what, but, um,
we gotta disinfect the greenhouse.
I'll collect samples
from all the diseased plants
so we can find the contaminant.
There shouldn't be any contaminants.
Well, there are.
[phone ringing]
[sighs]
[ringing stops]
[phone chimes]
[chuckles]
[phone rings]
Mom? Can you hear me?
No. So-Sorry, I can't... I can't hear you.
Hold on. I'm just gonna step out.
Can you hear me? Hello?
Sorry, the reception isn't great.
Can you hear me?
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Yeah, sorry.
I was... I was underground.
Um, everything's... Yeah. Yeah.
Uh, you called twice. So what's up?
Mm-hmm.
What does that mean?
Okay, but... [stammers]
why didn't you, um...
It... That... It doesn't matter.
It doesn't matter.
[stammers] What did the doctor say?
[sighs]
Okay. Actually,
can I just talk to somebody?
Are you still there? Because I can...
[no audible dialogue]
Ow.
[sighing]
Hey, ROSCO?
[ROSCO] You've now lost
4.5% of productive palm mass.
Cool. I was gonna ask you to tell me
a story or a joke or something.
Oh, I'm sorry.
I thought you were asking
for a status update.
My mistake.
Hundred percent not what I wanted to hear.
Sure, that makes sense.
But thanks. [sighs]
Why didn't the sun go to college?
Why?
Because it already had a million degrees.
-[partygoers chattering]
-["Wow and Flutter" playing]
[Claire breathing heavily]
You were, like, sh... like,
shaking there for a minute.
That's kinda sexy.
Kinda?
Very. It was very sexy, is what I mean.
I just have never had,
like, such an intense...
without, you know, um...
Um, sorry, just... Are you not...
Are you saying you never had an orgasm?
-No, that is not what I'm saying.
-No, I didn't think so.
-I have to go to the bathroom.
-That's good. That's... I...
-[Claire] No, I just...
-Phew, you know?
I've never, you know, from...
[inhales sharply] Never mind.
Hey, I'm, um... I'm really glad you texted.
[Claire] Yeah, glad I texted too.
Yeah, I honest...
I honestly didn't expect that.
[toilet flushing]
[tap running]
Uh, there's a toothbrush.
It's under the sink
-if you value dental hygiene like I...
-No, I... I have to get up early.
Uh, yeah. I mean, me too.
[sighs] I have... I have
to catch a flight to Vancouver.
Wh-What's in Vancouver?
My mom.
[Greg] Oh. I did not know
that you were from, uh...
-Canada. Yeah. Deal-breaker?
-[Greg stammers]
[laughs] No.
[clicks tongue] Uh, j-just a visit then?
Um, it's actually k-kind of heavy.
So, I don't... I just... Um...
Not a problem.
I get... I'm just a sex object, so...
-You got it.
-[Greg chuckling] Right.
[Claire] Oh.
See ya. I'll text you.
[sighs]
[Thorn coughing]
[wheezing, coughing]
[both speaking foreign language]
[coughing]
[coughing continues]
[speaking foreign language]
[Hera speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[flight attendant] Ladies and gentlemen,
we have now landed in Vancouver.
I feel powerless.
Because you are.
[sighs]
[clock ticking]
Well, what do we do?
[sighs]
[ticking continues]
[Coakley] What if we lose
30% of our palm fronds to this?
-[ROSCO] That would mean mission failure.
-[Coakley] The whole thing?
Yes.
[Coakley] Fifteen?
That would also mean mission failure.
Okay, ten?
-Mission failure.
-What is the acceptable margin of error?
Six percent.
[chuckling]
I'm not sure what's so funny, Coakley.
The babies' lives are at risk.
[inhales sharply]
[stammers] That's a pretty slim
margin of error there, buddy.
There shouldn't be a contaminant
that affects the palm health.
I don't know what to tell you.
They're sick.
The closed system
shouldn't allow for any outside pathogens.
[sighs] How much have we lost already?
Five percent.
Okay. Um, let's work on an antibiotic,
an antiviral.
[stammers] Let's figure out what this is.
Yeah? [inhales sharply]
Finish prepping those samples,
and hopefully we can sequence
the infestation's DNA.
Gotcha.
[sighs, mutters]
[Thorn breathing shakily]
[groaning]
[speaking foreign language]
[Lark speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[breathing shakily, groaning]
[speaking foreign language]
[shuddering, wheezing]
[shushes]
[speaking foreign language]
[Thorn wheezing]
[Lark gasps, cries]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[shouting, grunting]
-[Hera shushes]
[Hera, Lark speaking foreign language]
[Hera sighs]
[speaking foreign language]
[sighs]
-[speaking foreign language]
-[Thorn breathing shakily]
[Lark humming]
[Thorn breathes deeply]
[device beeping]
[humming continues]
[line rings]
[Greg on laptop] What? Hey. Whoa.
-[Claire] Oh, wait, were you sleeping?
-Hi.
Nope, I was not.
I was... I was, like, laying down.
I was resting my eyes, but I'm not asleep.
Oh, no, I forgot how late it is there.
It is not. No, it's... I'm wide awake.
-You're lying.
-[chuckles] I'm not lying.
Look, I'm wide awake.
Wide awake. Ready to talk. Boom.
[chuckles] Hello.
-Hi.
-Hi.
-Do you wanna see my yearbook?
-Uh, desperately. [chuckles]
Okay.
[strains] All right. [sighs]
Okay, let's see.
Oh, debate.
-Wow.
-Mm-hmm.
Wait, how old are you here?
Sophomore year.
Yeah, I bet you were great at debate.
I was good.
-Yeah, I made a girl cry.
-Yeah.
[laughs] Yeah, of course.
Of course you did.
This is weird.
What?
I never had a boy on my bed here before.
Oh. Oh, well, um...
well, it's an honor to be here.
[chuckles]
[Greg speaks indistinctly]
Hello?
Wait, I think
you're breaking up a little bit.
[Greg speaks indistinctly]
Hello?
[no audible dialogue]
-[speaks indistinctly] Oh, hey.
-Can you hear me?
-Yes. Wait, can you hear me?
-Now?
Yep, yep, yep.
Gotta get down here. [chuckles]
[laughing] Hey.
Hi.
Hi.
My mom's dying.
Doing what they can, but, um,
it's not looking good.
Oh. Oh, Cl... Uh, Claire, I... Um...
God, I'm sorry.
Me too.
[sniffles]
[sighs]
[chuckles] You're sideways.
So are you.
[sighs]
[Thorn breathing heavily]
[Coakley] It must be nice not to, like,
waste time worrying about dying.
[ROSCO] I think about death sometimes.
I wouldn't say I worry though.
-Hmm.
-Do you think about death?
Ordinarily, no.
What's it like when you think?
I don't know.
My neurons are firing.
I understand it
from a mechanical standpoint.
Uh-huh.
But I'm curious to hear...
What is it like?
ROSCO, I-I don't know.
Um, can you turn off
all the nonessential electrical units
so we can save on O2 waste?
It won't make much of a difference.
A little though?
Of course. A little.
All right.
Turn 'em all off. I'm fine in the dark.
Okay. [sighs]
Sorry. I'm sorry.
What's it like when you think?
I think that you humans feel,
at any given moment, like you...
your mind is in one place.
I have many more moments,
many more places. Does that make sense?
-Yeah.
-[chimes]
What was that?
I have a formula
for an antiviral that may work.
[Thorn breathing deeply]
[waves crashing]
[stones clacking]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[stones clacking]
[Lark gasps]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[Lark screams]
[Hera sobbing]
[whimpering]
[sobbing]
[whimpering continues]
[sobbing]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
I have removed an object
which appears to be organic material,
but until we do an MRI,
we can't be positive...
-[phone chimes]
-exactly what we're looking at.
No, Mom. No, don't say that, okay?
We're... We're just gonna deal with this.
No, no, no, no. [shushes] Mom,
what if I, um, maybe... maybe...
Okay... [stammers] ...I'll come out Friday.
Okay? Because I want to. That's why.
I, uh... I'm... I'm gonna have to
leave my fellowship.
I gotta take care of my mom, and, um,
I have a meeting with the dean in,
like, an hour.
Oh.
You know this.
Uh, about your mom, yeah, but n-not, uh...
Yeah. So bye-bye
career-changing work or whatever.
[breathes deeply]
I have to shower.
-Yeah. No, yes, go shower.
-Okay.
[shower running]
[sighs]
So...
we're still losing palms.
[ROSCO] Yes.
The antivirals aren't working.
No.
I honestly don't...
What?
[machine chimes]
[Coakley] What if we cut our losses here?
ROSCO, humor me.
[ROSCO] What do you mean?
We can't save these palms.
The palms create the oxygen needed
for life on board...
I know, I know. [stammers] Yeah,
but these ones are gonna die
because they have an unforeseen parasite
that we can't kill.
Yet. We may still be able to create
a strain of palm that is immune.
But the one thing we know will kill
the virus is if we kill the host.
-Yeah?
-Yes.
So, why don't we kill the host?
I don't follow.
We kill the palms.
We get rid of all the palms,
and we jettison the soil,
and we wait, uh, a day, a week...
I don't know.
How long can we survive
without fresh oxygen?
That depends on your heart rate.
Okay, but you see what I'm saying, right?
Why are we trying to salvage these plants?
We could just kill them and kill the virus
and then plant new ones.
If we kill all the palms,
there won't be enough oxygen for two years
while the new ones grow in.
Plus it would take the entire journey
to reach proper O2 levels for the babies.
[sighs] Okay.
Um, what are the top five uses of oxygen
on the ship?
Life support for you and the embryos.
What else?
The other uses are negligible
by comparison.
You're the organic systems.
You use 98% of the oxygen.
Well, then the organic systems
aren't going to make it.
But both you and the babies
are mission critical.
Well, what if...
what if we eliminate one?
Which one?
I use the most oxygen.
So what if I kill myself,
and then you and the ship continue on?
And when you get to Kepler,
most of the labor can be automated.
So you would manage the drones
and incubate the stem cells
and raise the kids
and pass the whole thing off.
Would that work?
Uh, I'm not equipped for...
No.
Are you sure?
[sighs] I'd need to run through
every protocol
for the rest of the mission, but...
Conversely...
We find a way to generate
additional oxygen?
A backup greenhouse?
Would that work?
I don't know.
We can't make space for it
without losing an essential system,
but I could run calculations to be sure.
Okay.
[sighs]
[no audible dialogue]
[Claire sobbing]
[crickets chirping]
[ROSCO] I was thinking, I figured out
where to put a secondary greenhouse.
Mm-hmm.
In the computer space.
Convert my mainframe to plants,
use the algae on board.
-But...
-It's the perfect spot.
It'll feed oxygen directly
to the life-support system.
Yeah, but you'd be fried, like,
permanently.
Yes.
Doesn't that bother you?
No.
The best-use case for me is
that you survive
and make it to the planet.
That would be my recommendation.
No, no, I'm not choosing
between you or me.
Let me run a simulation and see
who's more likely to complete the mission.
[inhales deeply]
Okay.
[grunts, pants]
[groaning]
[speaking foreign language]
[breathing sharply]
[grunts]
[Lark breathing sharply]
[speaking foreign language]
[Hera breathing heavily]
[grunting]
[grunting continues]
[speaking foreign language]
[baby crying]
[Thorn shushing]
[shushing continues]
[baby gurgling]
[speaking foreign language]
[shushing]
[speaking foreign language]
[Hera groaning]
[baby crying]
[speaking foreign language]
[sniffles, sighs]
[crying stops]
[alert buzzing]
[sighs]
[ROSCO] Good morning, Coakley.
Morning.
Okay, so,
what did you decide?
Who's more likely to survive
to the planet?
You or me?
I can't actually answer the question.
It's impossible for me
to predict your behavior, which is...
Who's more likely?
You are.
Show me the math.
[inhales deeply] I'd rather not.
Excuse me.
I'd rather not.
It isn't that promising.
Let me see.
Mm-hmm.
Mmm.
No, I wanna double-check this.
[chuckles] My math's not wrong.
Oh, I know. I'm just...
I-I'm not sure
I believe the answer you're giving me.
What if you're lying?
I'm not.
What's this factor here?
There is a certain serendipity...
[stammers] ...creativity, luck,
whatever you wanna call it,
that is hard for me to include in
any calculation of human survival rates.
So you're juicing my numbers
with sheer dumb luck.
[inhales deeply] I am. Yes.
[sighs]
[Claire on phone] It's bad.
[Greg sighs on phone] I am sorry.
[Claire sniffles] I don't know
if I can make it through this.
You can.
I don't know if we can make it.
We can.
We are.
We will.
[voice breaks] I'm... I'm not coming back,
and you're always busy.
I don't know what I'm...
Maybe the timing's wrong...
you know?
Maybe we're just not supposed
to be together.
Maybe it's just too hard and too much.
And why bother?
[Greg] I don't even think it makes sense,
but I just feel this confidence
that, like, I can see the future with us.
[Claire] What does it look like?
[Greg] Good.
Worth it.
[Coakley sighs]
[sighs]
[grunting]
-[ROSCO] Hey.
-Hi.
You're not gonna try to, like,
gas me or electrocute me
while I'm doing this, right?
[ROSCO chuckles]
I couldn't even if I wanted to.
There's a lever on the podium there.
That will stop electrical from firing.
Uh-huh.
It will be pretty quick.
Oh, good. [inhales deeply, sighs]
Is it gonna hurt you?
Hmm, no. No.
[sighs]
Any last words?
Take good care of the children for me.
[sniffles]
[voice breaks] You were my only friend.
You'll be okay.
[inhales deeply] Okay.
I'm sorry.
Goodbye, Coakley.
[mainframe powering down]
[whimpering]
[breathing heavily]
[baby crying]
[sobbing]
[crying continues]
[groans]
[sighs]
[waves lapping]
[instrument playing]
[Lark mutters]
[speaking foreign language]
[Lark chuckles]
[baby crying]
[Lark speaking foreign language]
[Thorn speaking foreign language]
[phone buzzing]
[alert buzzing]
[sighs]
[phone ringing]
Greg. Hi.
Yeah. No, I was going to, I just...
-Next.
-Yeah, um,
I-I'm gonna call you back. I have to go.
-[thunder rumbles]
-[Thorn grunting]
[Thorn groans]
[Greg chuckles]
[phone chimes]
[people chattering]
[crying]
[panting]
[speaking foreign language]
-[shushes]
-[crying continues]
-[speaking foreign language]
-[Lark speaking foreign language]
[panting]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[crying continues]
-[Lark speaking foreign language]
[Thorn shushes]
[speaking foreign language]
-[shushes]
-[crying continues]
Do you realize that we've now spent
more time apart than together?
-D-Do you know that?
-Yeah, I do. I have a calendar.
Yeah. So, like...
I don't wanna do this to myself, you know?
I don't... I-It doesn't feel good.
I don't like it.
Wait. Me or the situation?
I don't think it matters.
No, I think that matters a lot.
[stammers] Do you not like me,
or do you not like the situation?
Can we isolate the variables here?
I'm not gonna isolate the variables, okay?
There's no isolation of variables.
I'm stuck in my mom's attic,
and my boyfriend is in New Jersey.
And he's administering midterms.
And I sleep with my phone next to my bed
because that's, like, the closest thing
I have to a relationship,
and I... [sniffles]
I'm not even mourning my mom
because I'm mourning my boyfriend.
I can't love someone this much, okay?
It's too painful.
[sniffles]
[Greg laughing]
What?
You love me?
Since when?
I just told you I'm in pain.
This is painful.
I know. I just...
That is... That's so sweet,
-and that is so you.
-[sighs]
[laughs]
Hey, hey, hey,
I love you too.
Fine.
Fine.
[machine humming]
[baby crying]
[gasps]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[Thorn grunting]
-[baby crying]
[Lark gasps]
[alert beeping]
[sighs]
[inhales deeply, sighs]
[baby crying]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[crying continues]
-[speaking foreign language]
[both speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[Thorn breathes shakily]
[Thorn, Lark panting]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[clock ticking]
[Claire] Hey, so, you know,
I've been petitioning to school
to let me continue
remote research on my guy.
Well, I think we're gonna be able
to publish with the new team,
which would just be... Greg?
That is amazing.
-What?
-Yeah.
You're amazing, Claire.
Look.
Yeah, yeah, let me see.
And... And what's cool is if...
if they... if we publish,
my name would be first
because I started the research
even though I'm not on the ground.
[stammers] "We would be thrilled
to retain your keen eye." Okay.
I still can't believe you're here.
Like here, here.
You should be in this computer.
[chuckles]
You're happy.
-No, shut up.
-Yeah.
[chuckles] Oh, I brought you something.
-What?
-Uh, a Christmas present.
-[Claire] It's July.
-Yeah, but I hadn't seen you. So...
You bought something for me.
[stammers] I didn't actually buy anything.
I stole it.
Oh, you stole something for me?
Yes, I did.
What is it?
[chuckling] It's the, um... From the lab.
That's that thing.
The thing that your guy was holding.
It's... [chuckles]
-What?
-[chuckling] Yeah.
-What the hell is wrong with you?
-Hmm?
-Seriously?
-[stammers]
Yeah, it was just...
It was after hours,
and I... [sighs] ...went in.
They hadn't even changed the pass codes.
So I saw it, and...
[inhales deeply]
This is completely inappropriate.
These are mixed messages.
I am... I-I don't...
[pants]
I feel really happy,
but I also feel really sad, and, uh,
I-I-I'm... [sniffles]
I'm kind of freaking out.
Uh, can I just... I think you're happy.
-Am I?
-I think so.
[sighs] Okay.
[chuckling] Okay.
Okay.
[hunters shouting in foreign language]
[shouting continues]
[instrument playing]
[shouting stops]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
-[instrument plays]
-[speaking foreign language]
[blows]
[speaking foreign language]
[instrument whistles]
[both chuckling]
-[hunter exclaims]
-[instrument whistles]
[hunters clamoring]
-[instrument whistles]
-[clamoring continues]
-[instrument whistles]
-[clamoring continues]
[shouting in foreign language]
[villagers chattering]
[shouting continues]
[baby crying]
Oh, hi. [chuckles] Hi.
-[crying continues]
-Hi, sweetie.
Hi, you're here. [chuckles]
You're alive.
I know.
[shushes]
[crowd on TV] Happy New Year!
[Claire inhales sharply]
-[crowd member 1] Happy new year.
-[crowd member 2] We did it everyone.
-Wake up.
-Mm-mmm.
Wake up. It's the future.
I don't care.
-Hello?
-[groans]
-It's the future.
-Okay.
Okay.
I think we should move.
I... What?
What are we talking about right now?
Like, I think we should
move out of this house.
It just feels like the past, you know?
Oh, I like this house.
I-I just don't want our kids
to feel stuck.
Well, they are four and zero.
So they're gonna feel stuck
wherever we put them.
W-Why are you so neurotic all of a sudden?
Should I submit for this professorship?
Is that what this is about?
I already wrote the application.
You did?
Should I? I shouldn't.
-Oh, I should?
-[stammers] We should go to bed.
Yeah.
Position's full-time?
Yeah. [sighs]
[Greg] I guess the question is,
if you're there, will you miss being here?
And if you're here,
will you miss being there?
[sighs]
Exactly.
[dog barking]
[villagers chattering]
[chattering continues]
[Coakley] Our old home was dying,
so we had to leave.
And now we're making a new home.
And this one we're gonna take
really good care of.
And those are all the drones
that are going around the new planet.
And that is drone seven.
There are 50 of them.
They're flying all around.
They're planting trees.
They're... They're shooting seeds
in the ground with a little seed gun.
Isn't that cool? Yeah.
There's gonna be enough air down there
in 12 years and 10 months.
-[child] Then we will live there?
-Yeah.
When you're older, like me.
Will you be older?
[inhales sharply] Uh, no.
You'll get older,
but I'll... I'll be the same.
Why?
Um, it's how we were made.
We're... We're not the same.
We are different?
Yes. Yes, because you, um, you grow up,
like, really, really fast,
and I grow really, really slow. [chuckles]
Why won't we both grow the same?
Um, well...
[sighs] ...a long time ago people decided
that it was actually bad
to live a long time.
So it's bad for you?
[stammers] It's not bad. It's just...
[stammers] Only for certain people.
People who have to live a long time.
And I don't have to?
No, you don't have to.
I do 'cause I have to keep an eye on you.
[chuckles]
Then I will be older than you?
Yeah. Someday, yeah.
[children clamoring, laughing]
[speaking foreign language]
[Thorn grunts]
[speaking foreign language]
[children chuckling]
[speaking foreign language]
[shouts in foreign language]
[children scream, laugh]
[Thorn laughs]
[Greg] You recognize these guys?
This is one of our earliest ancestors,
the Neanderthals.
Can you tell me something
about Neanderthals?
These are the cavemen?
Nailed it. Nailed it first try.
Did your mom ever tell you that you are
one of our favorite students? I think.
-The only student. Hi.
-[Greg] Oh, yeah. I keep forgetting.
[chuckles]
-Did you already start without me?
-[Greg] We did. Just a little bit.
[Claire, Greg kiss]
Does anyone know
what happened to Neanderthals?
-[student 1] Dinosaurs?
-[docent chuckles] No.
We did. Other people.
Does anyone know what species we are?
[student 2] Homo sapiens?
That's right.
Homo sapiens replaced Neanderthals.
We were smarter.
How did you know that?
-[docent] Uh, know what?
-That we were smarter.
Uh, well, we made tools.
We created sophisticated art.
And that flute isn't art?
It's a misnomer.
Neanderthals
were actually very sophisticated.
Oh, okay.
Thank you.
Let's move on down
to see the saber-toothed tiger.
Okay. We have to remember
that we don't interrupt other classes.
Sorry.
No, it was a really good question.
Homo sapiens and Neanderthals coexisted
for millennia.
What does that mean?
They lived together.
They made families.
[elder speaking foreign language]
[villagers cheering]
I don't like the babies.
You know you used to be a baby, right?
No.
[chuckling] Okay. Great.
Let's do our chores. Come on.
Now?
Yes, now.
You know what we say,
we only get there...
If everyone does their part.
[Coakley] Good job.
Okay.
There you go.
Thank you, ROSCO.
Thank you, ROSCO.
[exclaiming]
[villagers cheering]
[Claire] Uh, Greg.
-[moaning on laptop]
-[Greg] What?
[Claire] Can you come up here, please?
[Greg clears throat]
-Yeah, what is it?
-New parenting challenge for you.
Pass.
[chuckles] Oh, wow.
Our son's jerking it.
[chuckling] Yeah.
[sighs]
Why were you looking at his, uh...
I-I wasn't snooping, I swear.
I was up here to print that paper.
So, do you want this to be
a father-son moment,
or do you want me to talk to him?
Uh, I don't... Is there really
anything to say? 'Cause...
About human sexuality?
The ethics of porn consumption?
Okay. Then yes, I will talk to him.
-Just gonna Google it.
-[sighs]
"What to say
when you catch your son jerking it."
[chuckling] Well, I'm sorry,
we can't all be gifted teachers like you.
Oh, my God.
The years of homeschooling wasted.
I guess that's just the nature of life,
right?
You just... You start out like this cute,
pure little thing,
and then you just develop
into a damn freak.
[chuckles] Takes after his mother.
Uh, should we look at his browser history?
Okay. Well, yes, porn.
But also science.
Look, so much science. Wow.
He was reading about autophagy on his own?
"Human genome studies."
All right. Well, I think he seems pretty
well-balanced, all things considered.
[both chuckle]
[sighs]
-Okay.
-[machine beeping]
[grunts]
I can't do it.
All right.
I can see you're getting cranky.
This is stupid.
I hate doing the simulations.
-And...
-Hey, listen to me. Listen to me.
If something happens to me
and I can't land this ship,
you are second-in-command.
You are in charge.
So you can be mad about it now,
but you don't have a choice.
You gotta learn this.
No running!
'Cause if you can't do it right,
then no one survives.
You understand?
[speaker] Imagine we could stop time.
We could press pause on something that's
plagued mankind from the very beginning
and we could, just maybe...
live forever.
[audience clamoring]
It's a pipe dream.
Something for alchemists
and witch doctors and science fiction.
Until now.
-[thrusters rumbling]
-[alarm blaring]
[rumbling continues]
V!
It's okay! It's okay.
[alarm continues]
[screaming]
[villager speaking foreign language]
[screaming]
We've had a fully-sequenced
human genome for decades.
We know the face of our villain.
This strand of DNA, CH14,
it's responsible for turning off
our ability to repair
and rebuild cellular structures.
Early experiments with CRISPR
let us snip and stitch DNA in and out,
which we thought would be enough,
but aging, decay, is built in.
It's in more than one place.
So, what we've done is created
a system of self-repair.
Of maintenance at the molecular level
that will mend what breaks,
repair what fails,
and trick the body
into continuing to produce fresh,
new, healthy cells far longer
than ever before.
[audience applauding, cheering]
-[ship powering down]
-It's okay. We're done. We're landing.
V, I need your help.
Everyone, stay put.
[baby crying]
-[sighs, sniffs]
-[crying continues]
A gene replacement
technology that we call ELIXIR.
[audience applauding, cheering]
-[Coakley] Okay.
-[grunts]
And you'll...
I'll keep the kids safe until you're back.
[baby crying]
-[applauding continues]
-[sighs]
That is our kid.
We made him.
How?
[David] Imagine if our great minds,
our Einsteins, our da Vincis,
our Mozarts could live
200, 300, 500 years.
The human lifespan has always been,
to the universe around us,
nothing more than the blink of an eye.
That's about to change.
For all of history,
time has been the enemy.
Imagine what we'll accomplish
now that we've beaten it.
[audience applauding]
[Coakley] No. No, it's... it's for you.
You're the future.
Would you wanna do it?
Live forever?
No.
[speaking foreign language]
[Claire] I don't know.
Life seems so improbable.
[speaking foreign language]
Finding each other.
Building a life.
[speaking foreign language]
Making little people.
[speaking foreign language]
[speaking foreign language]
[Claire] Watching them grow.
And then, suddenly,
it-it all makes sense looking back.
[David] Hey, Mom.
Hey.
Greg?
No, no, it's Dave.
No. [chuckles]
[Claire] But that's
because you know it will end.
That's... That's the point.
That's where the meaning is.
It ends.
[instrument playing]
[sibling sniffles, cries]
[clock ticking]
[no audible dialogue]
You weren't related to me any more
than any of the rest of you are, but,
uh, you're still my kid.
I really didn't think
I'd live to see this all happen.
I thought I'd be
the last person ever, maybe.
I didn't think,
"What if we make it?"
"What if we survive?"
I did not think about time...
at all.
I just couldn't imagine seeing you grow.
And I couldn't imagine,
once you were gone...
that I'd still see you.
And I'd see everyone
that was there before you.
[no audible dialogue]
And now I see you in your children...
and in your children's children.
I guess we never really go away.
And what a beautiful thing.
We're all still here.