"Lost Secrets"...at last!

[The Builder]

OK, you may all remember that I talked about doing a series of reviews/synopses of some of the original scripts with a comparison of how they differ, etc. I also said that I might have a surprise or two.

Well, that was eight months ago and I've lost my job since then so that was put on the back burner while I focused my efforts on finding employment. I'm still doing that.
However, all the negative publicity from the movie seems to have nearly killed any discussion here soooooo....

I'm skipping right to the ending I had planned for this series and providing everyone with a special treat! What's that, you might ask? How about the original LOTL movie script written by Todd Robinson back in 1998 when Disney had the film rights? Interested? I thought so. Obviously, I can't post the script verbatim in its entirety but I'm going to do a rather detailed synopsis with some of the choicer bits of dialogue to give you some idea of its "flavor". This is a 129-page script so I'm going to post the synopsis in bits and pieces as often as I can find the time.

And this one is no comedy! Enjoy!

(And George...my offer still stands. A copy of the Robinson script for a copy of the Tennenbaum script!)

The following synopsis is based upon a script Copyright (C) 1998 Walt Disney Pictures may not be reproduced by any means - physically or electronically - without their express written consent. It is presented here in synopsis form only for non-profit use only and was not intend to infringe upon the rights. Likewise, many of the characters contained here within are the sole property of Sid & Marty Krofft Productions. Please do not sell, reproduce, post, copy, or otherwise distribute this synopsis without my express written consent either. Thank you.

============================================
LAND OF THE LOST by Todd Robinson Walt Disney Pictures 1/23/98

The planet COOMB. A world with FOUR SUNS - one of which is a red giant. It's a world of neary endless parched flats - the remains of a large ancient ocean. As a HOODED HUMANOID figure makes his way across the desert, PAKUNI SLAVES pull heavy wagons up through narrow mining shafts to the surface. Deep below in a large cavern, more slaves mine large quantities of ore and dump it into a huge furnace. CHA-KA helps out a female Paku who is on the verge of collapse and has stopped working. A SLEESTAK DRONE - "the end of a genetic thread of intergalactic warriors, part insect part reptile" whips Cha-Ka across the back. He tries in vain to get the female to get up but the drone grabs her by the throat and brings her close to its face. As facial plates open up to reveal a toothy grin, it is the last thing she sees before it tosses her into the flames below.

The hooded figure comes to the ICAZA PENAL COLONY - an old crumbling yet still futuristic prison surrounded by forest and lush jungle.
A single PYLON towers above the other structures. He sneaks past the guards posted on the walls above and enters a foundry where molten carbon is being poured and cooled into molds to form octagon-shaped ingots of crystal. The smoke as they cool provides cover and allows him to slip past the sentries. Beneath the Great Pylon a large group of armed drones is addressed by a larger Sleestak - their leader, SKORR. A pair of guards drag a human male - brutally beaten - before him. The human - KAYTAH - wears the tattered shreds of Alliance diplomatic uniform. He looks up at Skorr in both shock and anger then demands to to speak to the Castellan. Skorr laughs and tells him that might be difficult since the Castellan's bones lie outside in the desert.

Pakuni slaves (including Cha-Ka) push a HUGE PARTICLE BEAM CANNON into place. SKORR takes a canister from Cha-Ka and removes one of the crystal ingots: "Gallium Arsenite. Pure Carbon." After loading it into the cannon, Kaytah tells him with great sarcasm that now he can blow up the entire planet but Skorr angrily reminds him that this is not the Sleestak's world as they were brought here 1000 years ago...as prisoners.. For crimes "committed against all humanity" Kaytah reminds him. He says that their quest for surviveal on a dying planet was no excuse for killing an entire galaxy. Skorr strides up and activates a MATRIX TABLE. Lights rise from the floor and coalesce to form a 3-D revolving hologram. "The time/space continuum. Unimaginable vastness. And Coomb, at its furthest possible outreach. The proud Sleestak, slave labor for a worthless mining post." Skorr's body armor parts to reveal THE MAGETTI which Kaytah apparently recognizes. SKORR places the crystal on a pinnacle which rises above the floor beneath the hologram. He explains that while ENIK refused to reveal its secrets, the Scrolls of the Ancients were more helpful. "The numerics are really quite simple once you understand the model." A drone cranks open the iris at the top of the Pylon as a shaft of sunlight passes across the floor towards the Magetti. Worried, Kaytah tells Skorr that he will be hunted down if he leaves before his sentence is up. Skorr says he doesn't have to go anywhere "when EVERYWHERE is right here."

As the sunlight reaches the Magetti, it acts as a prism and reflects thousands of shafts of light which converge and connect with the hologram to open a portal...a dimensional doorway. "Road map to the universe. The Elders were wise to chart the Matrix but fools to trust the keystone to a picket as weak as Enik." Kaytah gasps in horror as he sees the portal has opened onto MERIDIAN - his home. The cannon is wheeled to face the portal. Kaytah says the Alliance won't negotiate with him but Skorr says he was brought here - not to negotiate but to die! He tears into the human's stomach with one claw and tosses him into the portal "his entrails streaming behind him."
Skorr gives the order for the cannon to fire and the planet Meridian is gone! However, the portal suddenly closes denying Skorr the satisfaction of seeing it all first-hand. He whirls and sees the hooded figure at the matrix table. The hood drops...and it's ENIK. Stoic and regal.
Skorr's right-hand assassin - HASSAN - steps out of the shadows with his crossbow pointed at Enik. Enik reaches into his quiver and withdraws a FIVE-FOOT ARROW which he loads onto his "Atlatl" which fires the spear-like arrow and pins Hassan's arm to the wall. Enik opens another doorway and grabs the Magetti as the portal begins to close and Cha-Ka slips away unnoticed. Skorr orders his guards to fire at Enik but Enik jumps towards the portal just as it's closing. There's a shower of crossbow bolts . One of them hits him in the thigh but he continues to limp to the portal determined. He tosses the Magetti into the portal just as Enik somehow makes it through. The guards fire a second volley into the portal at him just as the portal closes.
Skorr draws his sword in fury and turns to a drone. He tells the drone that he had been assured that Enik was DEAD. He cuts the drone in half.

[The Builder]

CONT'D

In Pasadena, California. RICK MARSHALL (38) drives a Ford Explorer in a nice, quiet, upscale neighborhood. He sports a 2-day goatee. He pulls into a driveway at 1617 Point View and is pelted by the lawn sprinkler on the way to the door. HOLLY MARSHALL (13) opens the door wearing a "Like I Care" T-shirt as her Discman blares speed metal. Holly suggests he shave at some point unless he's out on a date. She yells upstairs for her mother. SARAH CARTER greets him. "Rick's ex, thirties, trim in her Dockers and Polo shirt, looks more like she ought to have toddlers than teenagers". She compliments his new look and invites him in for coffee. They may have moved on but there's clearly something still between them. "WILL MARSHALL, 16, their son, wiry with longish stringy hair, blows into the room. He never looks up from a 'Darkman' comic". He wears a hat. DAVID, Sarah's husband, greets Rick. He's in his 40s but has the looks of a tennis pro. Will grabs his duffle bug and loads it into the truck followed by Holly. Holly clearly doesn't want to go but she knows she has no choice. Sarah tells "Holl" to drop the attitude. She apologizes reluctantly, turns on her Discman, and leaves her own bags behind. Sarah tells Rick Holly is "thirteen going on thirty".
David says that while Rick has the kids they're going to go play golf in Del Mar. He takes their own luggage out to their BMW while Rick chats with his ex-wife. He can't believe she's going to spend the week playing golf and that David is going to bore her to death. She confesses that she's beginning to enjoy the game as well as her new life. She says it's more "civilized". She even admits that she smokes her husband's "La Gloria Cubana's" once in awhile much to Rick's surprise. They say their goodbyes and leave.

As Rick drives across the desert, Will reads a comic and Holly is upset that the batteries on her Discman are fried. Rick tries to engage in small talk and asks about school forgetting that it's July. Rick asks her what SHE wants to talk about and she says "How 'bout sex?"
Later, they stop at a Wal*Mart in Needles, Arizona. Holly happily puts fresh batteries into her Discman while Will starts on a new Marvel comic he just picked up. Holly asks him what this one is about and Will says it's about "world jumping", "temporal physics", and "synthetic time". Holly's sorry she asked and goes back to her music.
As Rick appears, Will asks if he can drive as David sometimes takes him to the mall and lets him drive in the parking lot when it's deserted.
Rick asks Will to remind him to break David's legs after the trip.
Later, they pass TOWER BUTTE - "a huge monolith of weathered sandstone" in Lake Powell. While Rick is occupied with a map, Will suddenly spots a blinding streak of light that disappears over a ridge. He gets excited and asks if it was a meteor, a missle, or possibly some top-secret government test. Both Rick and Holly think he's been reading too many comics.

They meet up with their guide, BEN PRATT, at a bank of the Colorado River. Holly asks why they always do "this 'extreme' stuff". Ben takes a quick family photo. After they launch, Ben comments that Rick is no novice to rafting. Holly just sits in the back of the raft playing her Discman again which is now double-bagged with ziplock. Rick can't believe she can just sit there but Ben assures him that the river will
"get her attention" soon enough. They begin paddling into some rapids and suddenly there is so much foam Holly can't even see the front of the raft. She's fully aware of her surroundings now. The guys are really having a blast. Once they're through the rapids, Will's hat is missing and Holly's Discman is soaked. At dusk, they make camp while Holly tries to dry off her Discman. Ben asks Rick what he does for a living and Rick says that he does government survey work tracking "habitat destruction of endangered species" in the Brazillian rainforests. Holly makes a sarcastic comment about his job. She thinks he spends way too much time on his work. Rick and Ben go out to find some dry wood for a fire. Holly gives up on trying to get her Discman working and tells her father she needs to take care of some "female" business and wanders off. Out in the woods Will sees a bunch of arrows imbedded in the ground...and patches of blood. As Holly looks for "a suitable spot", she spots the Magetti. She is entranced by the way the light reflects colors onto her face. She puts it around her neck when a scaly hand grabs her leg. She screams!

[The Builder]

Back at the campsite, Rick and Will hear Holly's scream, drop their collected wood, and run after her. Holly is terrified. Enik grips her leg with one hand and his Atlatl in the other. Her family arrives and Rick swings a large branch at Enik yelling to let her go. Enik raises
his sharp claw menacingly at Holly. The implication is clear. Rick drops the branch and tries to reason with the creature. Enik's claw reaches for Holly's neck. Rick yells out "NO!" when suddenly Enik cries out in pain and falls. Ben stands behind him with a heavy limb in
hand. Immediately, everyone makes a run for it. Will takes the lead and has the raft ready as the others come out of the woods and break for the raft as well. Rick carries Holly while the other men get the raft launched. The sun is setting in the sky high above the canyon. The Magetti begins to GLOW softly and unnoticed.

Down river, the rapids become extremely choppy, the current swift. Ben desperately holds onto a trailing rope while Will and Rick try to slow the raft down with their paddles. Rick sees the glowing Magetti. Ben, is suddenly lifted out of the water and tossed out into the river as Enik rises from the water and jumps into the raft. Rick attacks him with an oar. He tries again but Enik snaps the oar in two and hurls Rick into the river as well. Luckily, he manages to grab the trailing rope and climb aboard. Enik reaches again for the Magetti. Holly decides it's too much trouble to keep and says he can have it. The raft lurches as Rick tackles Enik. Just as the sun reaches its zenith, the Magetti's glow becomes almost blinding. Shafts of prismatic light bounce off the canyon walls like ricocheting bullets and a HUGE TEAR in space and time, opens and engulfs the river up ahead. They try to maneuver around it to reach the bank but the churning vortex keeps pulling them in. The raft - along with the river - is sucked "into the swirling void. The world spins away as they tumble through time and space, plunging, surreal from one dimension, into another."

COOMB. High above the ground, the portal re-opens and the water from the river spills out. The raft follows and crashes into the ground. The portal immediately closes and the light from the Magetti fades. The Marshalls are still for a moment. Everything is quiet. The roaring river is gone save for a few small pools around them. Holly is the first to speak but Rick silences her as the ground begins to SHAKE. It's rhythmic. Like giant footsteps. The trees ahead of them are
pushed back as something BIG approaches. They all stand up alarmed.
A TRI-TUSK KEELBREEDER burts forth from the forest. "A cross between a giant great white shark and a T-Rex. Standing forty feet high, it has a triple row of teeth and spikes covering its enormous body." It ROARS and then examines these tiny humans. Rick yells "Run!!" as the Marshalls run into the jungle with the Keelbreeder right behind them.
Rick spies a set of caves in the distance and tells his kids to follow him.

They reach an open meadow where a pack of lethargic buffalo-like THARGIGOTHS graze. The Keelbreeder bursts from the trees while Rick pulls an AEROSOL HORN from his pack and presses it. The Thargigoths stampede causing some of their own to be trampled or tossed around.
One of them is impaled on the Keelbreeder's dorsal spikes. The beast stops to tear it off of its body and enjoy a quick snack.
Then it continues the chase. The Marshalls race up the slope into the cave just as the Keelbreeder reaches them. It tries to stick its head into the opening but the beast is too big. It snaps at them and tries to force its head in further. The mouth of the cave begins to get larger. Rick scrounges for something to use against it as the beast turns his attention outside for a moment. It cries out in pain and backs away from the cave....the spear of an Atlatl is impaled in its snout. It lumbers off. The Marshalls are confused but glad the beast is gone. Enik steps forward into the cave. Rick cautiously thanks him for his assistance but Enik waves it away. Rick tries to ask his name and is surprised that he speaks English. Enik doesn't give his name but says that he speaks numerous languages. He also says that his aim was off otherwise his shot would have pierced the beast's brain. He will come back eventually. He says that the Magetti is his but suddenly falls to the floor gasping. Holly asks if it's dead but Rick points out that he's still breathing but he's definitely hurt and bleeding. Rick asks Holly for the Magetti and pockets it for safekeeping. He suggests they retrace their steps and try to locate the river and their gear.

In the Great Pylon, Skorr watches as the matrix table glows indicating that the Magetti has returned. He holds a small, doe-like pet, KOBELLE. Skorr orders search teams and demands they find the crystal and the "old one" - alive. Hassan points out that the Magetti is useless without the matrix and that he must come to them. However, Skorr wishes to capture Enik on his own terms.

[The Builder]

The Marshalls reach the remains of their raft and find Cha-Ka rummaging around in their things. He picks up an aerosol can and sprays himself in the face. It's insect repellent. After repeated coughing, he considers it useless and throws it away. Next, Cha-Ka finds the Discman. He gives it a lick and plays with the headphones. That's the last straw. Holly steps out from their cover and demands the "Fur Ball" put her CD player down immediately. The scared Paku takes off with the Discman. Before Rick can stop her, Holly is running off after
Cha-Ka. She catches up to the quick-footed Paku after he stumbles and corners him. She claims her property back and is disgusted that the primate's saliva is all over the casing. Her family catches up to her and Rick scolds her for running off without knowing what it was that she was chasing. Angry, Holly turns to her father and blames everything on him since the whole trip was HIS idea not hers. Rick admits she's right and apologizes. Will points out Cha-Ka's shackles and Holly says that along with her stolen property they confirm he's a thief. Rick fashions a makeshift lockpick using a keyring and removes the manacles from Cha-Ka's wrists. He then offers the lockpick to him. Cha-Ka is surprised at this act of kindness and offers Rick a blue fruit he calls "pongo". He shows him how to eat it. Rick is surprised to find the fruit has fermented and now Holly wants to try it too. Rick says no.
Then Cha-Ka sees the Magetti hanging out of Rick's pocket. His eyes widen: "Opima." Rick comments how everyone seems to want it for some reason and that's actually good for them as they're more likely to stay alive with it in their possession. It's beginning to get ark so Rick suggests they grab their gear and head back to the cave. Cha-Ka watches them curiously when Will turns back and invites him too.

Back at the cave, Enik has apparently disappeared. Rick shines his flashlight around the cave. Cha-Ka screams and points to Enik who has moved from his previous position. He remains tied up as they had left him but Enik has applied leaves to his wounds in their absence. Rick asks his son to gather firewood but to stick close to the cave. Enik finally gives Rick his name. Will returns with some wood and tries to light it with his Bic but the wood is wet. He removes a comic book "Evil Ernie" from his pack and tells his father he's read it already.
Rick smiles and tears up the pages to starts a fire. The light of the fire reveals Enik's face to them for the first time. Holly quickly grabs a can of bug spray and after she and Enik trade insults Rick asks Enik where they are. Enik says it's complicated. He goes to get his first-aid kit but Enik tells him he's almost healed and removes the leaves. It's as if the wounds were never there. Enik once again asks for his Magetti and when Rick refuses he stands up menacingly and says that he is a king and that the crystal is of no use to the humans. Rick doesn't t buy it and again asks where they are. Silence. Rick sighs and acts like he's going to smash it against the wall. Enik commands him to stop.

"Penile colony Alpha Sierra 2119. Coomb. Sixth elliptical in the Deka system."
Will can't believe it. He's ecstatic. "Another planet? Another time?"
Enik says that it is both and neither. Holly points out they they're BOTH geeks. Will asks if they're in a parallel universe then. Enik replies "In a sense. Yours is one such world and this, another. Corresponding aggregates that evolved quite differently." He then points out at the THREE MOONS rising outside the cave. Enik stretches out his hand asking again for the crystal. Rick politely declines stating that it IS useful to him. He continues to ask questions such as how they got there. "The Magetti is the keystone to a matrix. A system of beacons, pylons. Together they open portals across time and space." Rick asks how Enik arrived on Earth. Enik claims that "an ancient pylon" exists on Earth and that he took a chance that it was still there. Will feels vindicated. He DID see something in the sky at Monument Valley. Rick says if everything he's been told is true then they can use the Magetti to return home. Enik says it's not that simple. The crystal was designed to return to Coomb on its own as a sort of failsafe. If they want to leave, they must take it to the Great Pylon...and he's the only one who can take them there. "Oh, this gets better by the minute" exclaims Holly.
Rick has had enough and orders her to be quiet. Holly gets angry and is about to cry. She runs outside. Will follows to check up on her. Enik asks Rick if Will and Holly are his "adversaries" but Rick tells him that they're his children. Enik nods.

Outside, Holly looks up at the triple moons. Cha-Ka is concerned but keeps his distance. Will joins her and asks if she's alright.
"Let's recap. King of the Bug People says we're a billion miles from home. We gotta eat-me-a-saurus out here that wants to do lunch, and my CD player is history. That's all pretty heavy for a thirteen year old."
Will spots something and asks her to be quiet as a PATROL OF SLEESTAK DRONES move through the jungle below the cave. It starts to rain. An officer, TALBO, says that they found 'breeder tracks nearby and it's likely Enik was eaten. "We'll have to pick our way through dung piles to find him now." Skorr appears and senses something. He says Enik is alive and orders the patrol to spread out and begin a systematic search. Above, Rick and Enik surprise the kids and motions for them to be quiet. Enik tells them to follow him. Rick unties Enik's feet but not his hands.

Out in the jungle, they race to get away. Enik moves with tremendous speed while Cha-Ka has fallen behind. They can barely keep up. Rick asks to rest for a moment but Enik says they don't have the time. Holly asks why they're running from Enik's own people. Maybe they could have helped them. He says they're assassins sent to find him...because they think HE has the crystal. He lets the implications of all this sink in. The Marshalls get the picture. Holly says they should just give it to them then and maybe they'll let them use it to go home.
Enik says that that would be unwise since they will have no world to return to if Skorr possesses the Magetti. He says that all Skorr has to do is open a doorway to Earth and use his new weapon to destroy the planet from the other side of the universe. Earth won't stand a chance.

They arrive at the end of a humungous sink hole - "big enough to land a jet". It's steep sides are covered with vines and plants. that stretch down into darkness. Enik says they must go down and insists he be untied. After all, he is a king and should be worthy of trust.
Rick hesitates but finally agrees telling his protesting daughter that sometimes you have to accept a person's word. He starts tying his rope into a harness.

Skorr has entered the Marshall's cave and finds their campfire. He says they haven't been gone long and can't have gotten very far. Talbo points out a narrow passage in the back of the cave. Hassan orders him to go find them. At that point, Skorr sees the remains of Will's comic in the fire. He looks at the burnt pages with concerned interest.

[Timothy]

This is a movie I would love to see!

[Son of Zarn]

Please sir, may I have some more?

[The Builder]

As Rick prepares to go down into the hole first, Holly begs him not to leave them alone with Enik. Much to her surprise, Rick agrees and gives the harness to Enik and Cha-Ka letting them descend first. The two aliens repel down into an immense cavern as it rains. As Rick pulls the empty harness back up, Will asks if it'll hold. Hearing footsteps nearby, he quickly ties in both the kids and says he hopes so. They begin their descent.

Talbo approaches the hole and calls over the rest of the Sleestak. He sees the rope and prepares to cut it when Skorr stops him. If he slashes the rope, they can't pursue them. Hassan motions for the drones to load their crossbows and fire into the crevasse. As the Marshalls reach the bottom, dozens of bolts ricochet off the rocks around them. Enik pushes them out of harm's way just in time. Enik tells them they'll follow Cha-Ka and he'll lead them out. Rick yells at Enik for bring them all this way without a plan. Enik retorts that "the Paku IS the plan." Rick quickly looks over the cave and notices that the formations are limestone and deduces that they're in high country. Enik confirms that they are beneath the Cracktah Plateau. Rick says that the cave was carved out by water and that if gravity works the same way as on Earth, they can simply follow the water until they reach the outside. Up above, Talbo leads the Sleestak down into the sinkhole. Skorr orders him to bring back the crystal and Enik. He can do whatever he wants with the rest. Will points his flashlight at the rope and sees that it's moving. Someone's coming down. Rick says to save the flashlight and go on with the others. He then pulls a can of STERNO
from his backpack and rubs the flammable material into the rope before igniting it with his Bic. The rope quickly burns lighting up the cavern. The Sleestak quickly climb back to the top as the flames catch up to them. Skorr grabs Talbo's arm, calls him a coward, and then pushes him back into the crevasse to his death.

Enik kneels by the Sleestak's body and closes its eyes. He tells Rick that Talbo was his brother's son. The Marshalls offer their sympathies.
Enik goes on to say that their fate was sealed the moment his people
abandoned "the truths of the ancients. The right to quest for contentment. All things inherit the journey of discovery, but that no life shall enjoy these things at the expense of another." Rick says that his people are not so different after all. Enik says these truths are universal and "the only things worth fighting for".

The Sleestak have made camp as Skorr studies the comic book he found.
Kobelle lies at his feet content. Hassan enters and Skorr says that Enik travels with formidable company. "Great warriors", he calls them. After their defeat, Hassan is forced to agree but insists that it's only a temporary setback. Skorr draws his sword and stares it with admiration. "Magnificent, isn't it? The Emperor of Bendal offered it to me as a token of peace. I used it to behead him." Hassan remembers that day well but his eyes never leave the sword. He tells Skorr that he shouldn't worry about Enik's escape.
Skorr cuts him off mid-sentence and CUTS OFF HASSAN's HAND with one swift motion of the blade. Hassan clutches his arm in agony. Skorr says that Hassan is the one responsible not he. He throws the dismembered claw to the side and Kobelle springs after it. A FEMALE SLEESTAK
watches with fear. Skorr tells her not to worry. Hassan will simply grow another one.

In the caves, Cha-Ka leads them to an underground lake. Numerous waterfalls pour down from above into the basin. Cha-Ka seems disturbed by something and yells "Dah-ga!". He points to an archway on the other side that rises just above the water. Suddenly, a MOTH-LIKE CREATURE
flutters across the path cut by Rick's flashlight. It appears to be drawn to the light. Another appears. Then another. There must be a way out nearby. Dozens of moths appear. Then HUNDREDS creating a swarm.
A high-pitched sound pierces the air. It grows in volume and appears to be getting closer. "Dah-ga!" repeats the Paku. He's agitated. He doesn't like this. As the sound becomes almost deafening, it is joined by another sound. THUMP! Will's getting nervous and Cha-Ka repeats "Dah-ga!" again and again. Rick is sure he's trying to warn them about...something. Then HUNDREDS OF BAT LIKE CREATURES swarm around the
cave devouring the moths. Now even Holly is worried. As the bats fly around eating the moths, there is another sound - PSSSHHHH!

Rick quickly aims his flashlight at the cave walls where the sound originated. HUNDREDS OF BARNACLE LIKE CRUSTACEANS "bloom" exposing their soft insides and hungry mouths. Immediately, Cha-Ka is in the water heading for the submerged arch. Rick ushers everyone to follow suit. Then one of the crustaceans FIRES A 15-FT TONGUE with explosive and deadly accuracy ensnaring one of the bats and pulling it into its waiting orifice. The other crustaceans begin doing the same in rapid-fire succession snatching tons of the bats. Rick yells for everyone to get in the water fast! However, one of the giant tongues shoots out and knocks him down. He tells the kids to go on. Rick uses his knife to slash the creature's tongue and after dodging a few more attacks, gets into the water. However, Enik is not so lucky. They've got hold of both his ankle and his arm. Rick hacks away at the first tongue when they're both caught by yet another tongue and dragged across the floor.
Rick cuts them both free but Holly is hit in the back of the head by another tongue and bounces across the water. Enik grabs hold of the tongue and uses his teeth to rip it apart. He grabs hold of Holly and
follows the others into the tunnel. Once safe, Enik lets her go. She spurns her father's attempt to hug her and begins to pull the tongue slime out of her hair. She says that everything they encounter wants to eat them and begins to cry. Rick comforts her. Cha-Ka points out that the water is rising and the tunnel is growing more narrow. Holly is frightened as there is very little head room. Rick says she can do it.

Up ahead, the water meets the ceiling of the tunnel. Cha-Ka dives under and disappears. Will thinks that the Paku has abandoned them but Enik tells them to wait. Rick says they're running out of time. Then Cha-Ka appears and tells them (with Enik translating) that the way ahead is clear. However, the tunnel is narrow and the current swift. They'll have to each take turns. Holly STRONGLY protests this. Rick pulls out a GLOWSTICK from his pack, cracks it to activate it, and then slices it in two spilling the chemicals into the water. As they turn their flashlights off, Rick tells Holly to just follow the glow and assures her that she can do this. Cha-Ka takes hold of her hand. Holly says that Mom will never forgive Rick if this doesn't work. She takes a deep breath and goes under. Will follows. Surrounded by the tiny glowing particles, Holly and Cha-Ka follow the current to a small fissure which sucks the particles upward. Holly follows but is stuck for a moment. As the pressure builds, she is shot upwards through the blow-hole to the surface. She gasps for air. Taking in her surroundings, Holly finds herself in a large cave. Light from the other side reveals icicle-like limestone formations all around her. Holly takes it all in. It's breathtaking. The others finally surface and join her. Rick is relieved to see that she's ok. At that moment, the water around them begins to bubble as the blow-hole's pressure unexpectedly reverses and the water becomes a huge whirlpool! The kids and the Paku are sucked out to the center of the cave as they try to swim back in vain. Enik takes advantage of the situation, snatches the Magetti from Rick, and dives into the water with Rick right behind him.

[The Builder]

Rick wrestles with Enik for the Magetti while Will, Cha-Ka, and Holly are sucked towards a series of flumes ahead. Will grabs his sister and holds her tight. The current pulls them into one flume while Rick and Enik are drawn into another. Furious, Rick assaults the alien with all his might until Enik releases his hold on the crystal. In the first flume, the kids plunge into a wave of foam and water narrowly missing the stalactites just inches above them. They're thrown out of the cave into a pool of water. Will is having the time of his life! Cha-Ka helps Holly out of the water and then notices their father is not with them.

Meanwhile, in the other flume, Enik and Rick continue to fight oblivious to the rushing waters around them. Then they're forced out of the flume and rush towards "a thousand foot WATERFALL." Rick swims against the current and manages to grab hold of a low branch saving him. Enik grabs his arm but Rick tries to shake him loose. Enik insists that he have the crystal but Rick tries again to pry his arm loose. As Enik loses his grip, he finally relents and promises that he won't try to take the crystal and gives his word as a king. Rick grabs his arm and pulls him up.

In the jungle, Will and Holly call out searching for Rick but to no avail. They're worried. They rush out into the jungle leaving Cha-Ka behind but Will comes to his senses and tells Holly they'll just get lost. Holly starts crying saying they're already lost. Will admits she's right and says "Alright, more lost." Holly begins to panic but Will tries to get her to remain calm saying they'll find Dad and they have to keep trying. Until then, they're on their own. Cha-Ka catches up to them but keeps his distance. Will says they need to stick to the plan and follow Cha-Ka. Maybe he can lead them to the pylon. After he mentions the Magetti, Cha-Ka perks up and Will figures he understood. If they get there safely, Rick will find them since he's headed there too. Seeing the logic, Holly wipes away her tears and is forced to admit that her brother is right and that it's a good plan.

Rick and Enik reach the bottom of the waterfall. Noticing that Rick is shivering, Enik says the human must "rejuvenate" but Rick is determined to look for the kids. Enik tells him that with Skorr's army out in the jungle, they will be easy prey if they don't stick to the plan and continue their course. Rick says the plan is meaningless without his kids' safety. Enik reminds him what Skorr will do to his world if he retrieves the Magetti but Rick only says that without his children his world isn't worth living in. Enik doesn't understand and says that his kids would betray him under the right conditions. Rick replies that that's exactly what teenagers are SUPPOSED to do. Enik is still confused and says that makes him a fool. Rick corrects him and states that makes him a parent.

In a dark cell, Hassan sits feverishly as his hand has begun to regenerate. For the moment, it's rather small and weak. Skorr appears and tells him that their enemies must cross the desert and climb up the fortress walls to get to the matrix. Hassan says that the Sleestak outnumber them "a thousand to one". Skorr replies that he's learned it's better to be the hunter than the hunted...a lesson Enik taught him. He releases Hassan from the cell with a warning: "Fail me again, and you'll need to regenerate a new head."

As the kids rest for a moment to take a drink, they hear something moving behind them. Holly says they're being watched. Will nods. He tells her to grab her gear and move very slowly. There is an ominous GROWL from the behind. Cha-Ka wastes no time beating a hasty retreat.
The kids follow just as a PACK OF HUGE CEREBERUS (wild, 2-headed wolves) burst from the thicket and give chase. Holly looks back and is terrified at what she sees. The animals are gaining on them and snapping their salivating jaws at the anticipation of an easy meal.
Cha-Ka reaches a narrow path as the animals press forward but at a much slower rate. This troubles Will. Looking around, they find they're at the edge of a huge animal graveyard. Not just animals. The remains of armored Sleestak warriors lie among the huge bones as well. The wolves are almost at a slow crawl now. Holly wants to keep running but the wolves' behavior puzzles Will. Something's up and they know it. He tells everyone not to move. The wolves begin to whimper and paw the ground. The ALPHA MALE barks at one of the wolves who moves in slowly and then pounces! Suddenly, the jungle floor opens up and both the kids, Cha-Ka, and the attacking Cereberus are swallowed up by a huge fissure.

They land softly. Aside from the terrified yelping of the wolf somewhere above them, it is quiet. Holly says that she is unable to move. We see that they are all trapped in a HUGE WEB that runs across the narrow fissure. Above them, a man-sized SPIDER moves down a slender web strand from a tree at the edge of the chasm. Holly begins to panic!
Will warns her to remain still as the spider can feel their every movement through the web. The spider attacks the trapped wolf first and bounds it in a cocoon. Cha-Ka's fur apparently prevents the sticky web from ensnaring him and he rolls over onto the floor. Now the spider sets its sights on Will. He tells Holly to take his knife but he drops it on the ground below. Cha-Ka picks it up and climbs up to cut Holly free. Will begs her to help him before it's too late. However, the spider has already reached Will. It looms over him and begins binding his legs with its strands. Will screams as he's encased in a silk cocoon. Satisfied, it snatches the Cereberus and climbs to the top of its tree to eat. Some of the wolf's remains fall down and the other wolves at the top of the fissure fight over the spoils.

As the spider climbs back down to get Will, Holly covers herself in mud she finds at the bottom of the pit and uses it to climb up the web without getting stuck. She cuts Will's cocoon free of the web with the knife and they both fall to the ground just as the spider strikes.
Will's cocoon is cut open and although dazed manages to pull Enik's Atlatl from his pack. He fires a spear at the spider which pierces its absdomen causing it to fall from the web. In its death-throes it shoots strands of silk around, its body going into painful convulsions until it finally stops moving. Will is impressed with the weapon in his hand.
As they prepare to leave, Cha-Ka stops examining the spider carefully.
Its abdomen shifts slightly and something inside it moves. Its stomach splits open as HUNDREDS OF BASEBALL-SIZED BABY SPIDERS pour forth. Holly can't believe this. For the moment, however, the spiders focus their attention on their mother's corpse. They swarm around it like hungry pirahna devouring the larger spider. Will figures they should take advantage of the distraction and get moving.

Below the caprock, Rick continues the search for the kids. Enik assures him that they wil be heading to Icaza. Rick says that their best chance of reaching their objective (finding his kids) is to work at right angles to any trail they find. That way, the odds of their paths intersecting are greatest, Enik says that his own objective is to "unlock the matrix and lead" the Sleestak home...under the terms of the Alliance. Unfortunately, his people became impatient and he was overthrown. The Magetti taken from him. They continue walking when inadvertently they both step into snare loops and are pulled high into the air. Now hanging upside-down by his ankle, Rick's backpack - along with everything he's carrying - falls to the ground thirty feet below. In slow-motion, Rick tries to catch the Magetti as it slips off his neck but it too falls.

[Pylon-1]

Wow! This is fantastic...WHY DID THEY NOT USE THIS SCRIPT FOR THE MOVIE? What a great action adventure this would be.

[The Builder]

Probably because Disney owned the rights to the script and they allowed their film rights to lapse before entering production.

So far, you may have noticed there are no dinosaurs in this script. That may have been a factor as well. Of course, it wouldn't take much to change the Keelbreeder to Grumpy. This script has a lot of the show's heart and Rick and Enik's characterization are basically dead-on. However, some of the more memorable elements of the show are missing as well. The Lost City, the Sleestak God, the crevasse and land bridge, the earthquake, every single dinosaur...things the Ferrell film actually included.

Of course, those are just visuals and aren't really that necessary to the story.

A few more homages are coming up!

-Builder

[The Builder]

Cha-Ka leads the way as the kids plow through the jungle, a wave of baby spiders hot on their heels. Cha-Ka shouts "Oosana!" and scrambles across a deep water-filled ditch. As the kids cross over, the spiders try to follow. The first few are swept away by the water running through but the others begin to form a living bridge slowly extending their reach to the other side. Will grabs a big stick and wades back into the water. He begins furiously SMASHING the spider-bridge over and over again until not a single arachnid remains alive. He then climbs out of the ditch quietly and throws the stick into the water. He looks back at the dead spiders and then up to the sky: "I am so tired of things...CHASING ME!!"

After walking a bit, they spot movement in the jungle. It's all around them. HUNDREDS OF PAKUNI appear with leaves and plants attached to their fur that acts as a camouflage. It looks as if they came from nowhere. Will looks up. Hidden among the thick branches and foliage of the jungle is a GREAT PAKUNI VILLAGE - primitive huts linked together by a series of ladders and bridges like something out of Robinson Crusoe. They are quickly surrounded. The Pakuni approach still wearing the broken shackles that signify their former slave-status. CHIEF TA, wearing a lifevest scavenged from their raft, approaches. All of the Pakuni drop to their knees as TA approaches including Cha-Ka. Cha-Ka pantomines for Will and Holly to bow also. Ta shouts to his entourage: "Oganza opima!" Cha-Ka shows worry as another Paku prods Holly with its spear. They suddenly see that Ta has the Magetti around his own neck.
Will tries to approach Ta but he and Holly are brought down by blow darts from the other Pakuni and quickly lose consciousness.

Rick gently touches Holly's face as she lies unconscious next to Will.
We see that they are inside a wooden cage suspended high in the trees.
Enik too. He watches Rick's tender actions and confesses that he also is a father. Rick looks surprised to see sadness in the Sleestak's usually unexpressive eyes. There is a greater understanding between the two now. Enik realizes that they both fight for the same reasons. The kids begin to awaken.

A group of PAKUNI GUARDS release them from the cage and force them to go with them. They carry blowguns or spears for protection even though their prisoners' wrists are tied up. They are led to the center of the Village where Ta awaits them. Holly spies Cha-Ka with him and says that he sold them out. The assembled Pakuni cheer as Ta stands and speaks.
Enik says that Ta believes "the magic stone" can take them back to their true home. Rick was under the impression that the Pakuni were natives of this place but Enik admits that the Pakuni homeworld was
conquered early on by Skorr and that the inhabitants were harvested as slaves. Rick tries to get Enik to tell the Pakuni that they can help them and that they're friends. However, Ta replies that they can't be friends of the Pakuni if they're friends with a Sleestak.

Ta leads Enik, the Marshalls, and the rest of the Pakuni to a pylon sitting in the jungle. Enik explains that Ta seeks to use the pylon to open a doorway to their homeworld but as he pointed out earlier only the Great Pylon is capable of that. However, their attempts will give
away their location to Skorr and his army. Ta opens the pylon as he, the prisoners, and a small number of Pakuni enter and approach the pylon's matrix table. Enik tries to warn the Chief of the danger but the Paku will have none of it. Ta places the crystal on the table causing it to glow.

At the same time, a 3-D holographic map appears above the matrix table in the Great Pylon. On the map, a triangle lights up and starts to blink. Kobelle notices the light and starts barking but Skorr says that he sees it.

Inside the jungle pylon, a portal opens. Numerous Pakuni try to enter but succeed only in passing through a harmless hologram. Ta is angry and orders the guards to bring the "Sarisataka" to him. Enik apologizes and says that he can't help him because his world isn't there anymore.
They don't believe him and thrust their spears at him. Enik steps up to the matrix and brings forth an image of the Pakuni Homeworld. The Pakuni are horrified at the image before them. The planet is barren. Entire cities laid waste. Pakuni skeletons litter the landscape. The old and the young, men and women. All dead. The Pakuni in the pylon look to be in shock. Tears on their faces. Enik says that Skorr did this - his words addressed to the Pakuni but his eyes focused on the Marshalls. They understand now. Ta marches everyone outside and proclaims that the prisoners are to executed at dawn.

As the sun sets, the Marshalls and Enik find themselves back in their cage. Will asks his father if he remembers when he promised to take him to an air show once but couldn't make it because he was in Panama doing work. Rick says yes then Will confesses that after that day he destroyed every single model airplane they'd worked on together. Rick remembers. Will asks him why he was never there...why he was always someplace else. Rick says it's because he thought he was the only one capable of doing his job. Will goes on saying that the kids at his school were always asking about his father and a few even assumed that he was in prison since they never saw him. Instead, Will told them he was a SR-71 pilot off performing top-secret missions. Rick says he must have secretly wanted a superhero for a father but Will says that's not it. He just wanted him. As Holly hugs her father, she and Will both admit that regardless of what happens to them that they're glad they got to spend time with Rick. On the other side of the cage, Enik turns to look away from them.

Cha-Ka climbs up near the cage and whispers. Using a stone knife, he hacks at the strong vines keeping the cage door from swinging open. Will is pleased to see their Paku friend. Cha-Ka says he's sorry and that he just wanted to see his people get home. Rick says that's something they all have in common. After opening the cage, he cuts their wrists free of their bonds and gives the knife to Rick. Rick says they have to get the Magetti first.

Night. Torches provide light as Ta leaves his personal dwelling with two guards at his side. Rick springs down from the roof and holds the knife to Ta's throat. He orders Ta to tell the guards to back away but
Ta gets the point. The Chief orders them to comply. As Enik, Cha-Ka, and Holly appear, Rick asks Enik to tell Ta to give Rick the Magetti.
Ta complies just as Will returns with their stolen gear as well as Enik's Atlatl. Tension builds as each side waits for the other to make a move. "Back home, this is what we call a Mexican standoff" Will says.
Just then, a large volley of Sleestak bolts fills the air around them!

[The Builder]

HUNDREDS OF SLEESTAK WARRIORS emerge from the jungle below. The frightened Pakuni on the ground use the ropes to climb up higher into the trees as fast as they can. the Sleestak appear from all sides surrounding the village. Drones fire their crossbows into the crowds and Chief Ta is wounded. He drops the Magetti as he goes down but Rick retrieves it. The kids and Enik climb up to the Village just as the higher Pakuni above them begin reeling in the ropes and ladders to prevent the Sleestak from following. Many Pakuni don't make it. Will sees Enik lying on the ground and tries to help him. Rick climbs in a large basket and lowers himself to the ground. Rick tells Enik to climb in and then hoists both of them up. After Will helps Enik out of the basket, Rick jumps back in and returns to the surface. He tells his son he'll be back and to get the Pakuni to safety.

High in the trees, the Pakuni retaliate by throwing fruit, spears, or firing darts at the Sleestak drones. However, their body is too dense. Skorr appears and tells Hassan to burn the village as TWO HUNDRED DRONES fire phosphorus bolts into the Pakuni huts. The flaming bolts ignite burning everything they come in contact with including a few Pakuni unlucky enough to be in their path. The village burns quickly as Skorr looks on approvingly. He confirms that the perimeter has been secured. Up above, Enik helps to keep everyone moving as they move from one burning tree to another. Some Pakuni try to avoid the flames by jumping out of the trees only to find themselves caught in Sleestak nets. Enik tells everyone their best bet is to remain in the trees and climb past the Sleestak army. Will points to the ground as Rick emerges from the jungle running as fast as he can. Every crossbow is aimed in his direction. Will doesn't understand what his father is trying to accomplish. He'll be killed! Suddenly, the ground begins to SHAKE. "It's a diversion", Enik responds.

As the rumbling gets LOUDER, the drones turn towards the sound. A KEELBREEDER emerges from the jungle running at top speed! The Sleestak fire their bolts as the Breeder's jaws scoop up a drone and snap him in two. ANOTHER Breeder bursts from the other side of the forest snapping up two more Sleestak. Will looks on the scene with amazement. "So THAT's why the Pakuni live in the trees." Down below, Sleestak and Pakuni alike flee in terror. Skorr turns his attention to Rick but he's gone. His forces decimated or deserted. The two ravenous Breeders feeding on the survivors. While the village continues to burn, Rick takes advantage of the surrounding chaos and reunites with the others. Skorr screams in impotent fury.

Enik and Rick lead on as they escape into the jungle followed by more drones. Holly inadvertently triggers a snare as she and Will are caught in a huge net. They cry out for help but the drones have already caught up to them. Enik stops Rick from going back and tells him it would do no good for ALL of them to be captured. As the Sleestak lower the net, Skorr steps forward to examine their catch. Hassan asks if they should
track down the rest but Skorr says that they must come to HIM now.

Rick and Enik exit the jungle at the edge of a vast desert. Rick asks how big the desert is. Enik replies that the human would run out of water before he reached their destination. However, his body chemistry is different and it wouldn't be the first time that he's made it across. Rick doesn't understand how the Sleestak were able to appear and disappear without a trace. Enik said they used the pylon to open a nexus. Rick starts pacing...upset. He says that Enik planned this. He knew about the desert all along and that HE was the only one who could make it. Enik states matter-of-factly that he did not put a desert between Rick and his kids. Rick says he did that all by himself. He's visibly upset and blames himself for not being there for them. He says he was always trying to do the right thing and "save the world" when he should have just listened to what his kids wanted. They wanted their father and when he was ready for them, he found they had grown up and didn't need him. Only now they REALLY need his help and he's helpless.
Enik says it's hard being a father but they need to devise a plan.
Rick says he has a plan. He's going to kill Skorr. Enik tells Rick that the job of killing Skorr is his alone. Rick asks why. Enik replies "Because...he is my son."

[The Builder]

Dawn. The smoking ruins of the Pakuni Village. Those who remain, gather the bodies of their brethren and dump them onto a pyre. Rick looks on the carnage sadly. As Enik prepares to make the rest of the journey alone, Rick sees the sadness in the Sleestak's eyes and says he doesn't plan to come back. Enik admits that the odds are not in his favor.
A heavy wind begins to blow rustling the treetops and the clouds have grown dark. The beginngings of a storm. Rick looks at the sky and then turns to Enik. He says he might know of a way they could get to Icaza extremely fast. Enik replies if such a thing were possible that it might give them the element of surprise. Rick says that with the Pakuni's help he might just have a way. He makes a deal with Enik. He'll get them both there but in return Enik has to open a portal so his family can go home. The Sleestak considers the offer but insists that he must destroy the crystal. There may not be time to open the doorway before that happens. Rick says then they can die trying.

Inside a dark prison cell, Will and Holly sit waiting. Kobelle comes to the door and looks at them curiously through the bars. Holly moves closer to the animal in spite of her brother's warnings. She says it's cute and tries to pet the tiny animal when it's jaws open to reveal a second set of fangs!. Holly's startled as Kobelle lunges toward her with snapping jaws but she manages to pull her hand away at the last instant. Skorr approaches the cell door and says to forgive Kobelle for her manners but she has an insatiable appetite. Holly quickly moves away from the door and back to Will. Skorr throws a piece of meat on the floor that looks suspiciously like a limb. The tiny Kobelle springs onto the appendage and begins tearing into it voraciously stripping the meat clean off the bone in seconds. Skorr unlocks the cell with Hassan and two guards at his side. He shows her one of their tattered backpacks. Some of her CDs fall out and onto the floor along with what's left of her Discman. Skorr ignores these and concentrates on something else inside the pack. He finally pulls out a comic with "Lady Death" and "Evil Ernie" on the front cover and asks who the warriors are in the picture. He demands to know if the comic depicts the past or the present. Will smiles slightly. "Time rangers, world jumpers. They pack pulse rifles and static stingers." Holly's eyes meet his as he continues. He goes on to list their various "attributes" such as body armor and night vision and says that they're coming. "While you were barbecuing Pakuni, we sent a transponder through the nexus."

Skorr says it doesn't matter and demands Will tell him Enik's location and that of the Magetti if he wants to live. Will says that he'll know soon enough since Enik is coming for HIM. Skorr wonders if Enik will
actually be able to kill him this time. "We are a people of blood. It will be impossible for him to destroy his only child." Will and Holly
look to one another surprised. Skorr isn't surprised that Enik kept that to himself. In any case, he has other ways to get the information he wants. He holds out his "DOOM STAFF - a long, smooth rod with a gallium arsenite crystal attached to one end." Skorr gloats that he has found some rather intersting artifacts since taking over that his father wouldn't even acknowledge let alone use. He holds the staff out towards a drone as the Sleestak screams...its skin foldinng inwards and shriveling up...every fluid in his body evaporating. The kids are terrified. He turns to them and says they have "one half turn of the planet" to decide. He picks up Kobelle in his arms and says that by that time his pet should be hungry again.

At the Pakuni Village,the Pakuni work feverishly to gather ropevine and bamboo while others tie some of the larger pieces to together. Rick takes his knife and cuts into their rubber raft while instructing Cha-Ka to remove the down from their sleeping bags. Enik looks at the work curiously and asks Rick if this will work. Rick admits that it's only a prototype but he's confident. A number of Pakuni begin hoisting a large mast onto a bamboo frame bearing wheels and axles also cut from bamboo.
Cha-Ka leads Rick and Enik over to a clearing where Pakuni have tied down an incapacitated Keelbreeder. They struggle to keep it down by adding more ropes.

Later, after the work is completed, a HUNDRED PAKUNI blaze a trail through the jungle as others use ropes to pull the bamboo construction along. The Pakuni sing the same work song they used in the mines as they do so. This keeps this both focused and coordinated. At the edge of the desert badlands, they stop. Rick carves out a small bamboo cup and begins to build a "whiskey compass" by using his flashlight's magnet to magnetize the razor from one of his Bic disposables. He then pulls a flask of whiskey from his backpack and fills the bamboo cup.
Then he places the razor on the needle and waits for it to stop spinning. He cuts a groove in the direction of the needle and calls it north for sentimental reasons though he doesn't know whether Enik's world has true magnetic poles or not...or even where they are. Enik says that their destination lies beneath the setting red giant star, cuts another groove that way, and then seals his compass with the lens from his flashlight. He says that people on Earth only need the stars to sail by but the stars in this part of the universe are unfamiliar to him which is why he built the compass. He then drinks from the flask before offering some to Enik. Enik takes a quick swallow and asks if the drink is a spirit and says that they are forbidden among his people. Rick asks why that is when Enik suddenly falls down drunk after one sip. Rick begins to form an idea.

[Pylon-1]

Wow! What a great plot twist finidng out that Skore is Enik's son! This would ahve been a great movie with some minor changes that you already stated: adding a lost city, Dinos, land bridge and so on. the addition of Malic could probably be skipped thoug Your work is excellent!

[The Builder]

The Pakuni drag Rick's construction out onto the flats. It appears to be crudely-constructed "desert ship". It is triangular with a large number of bags lashed to its superstructure. The mast - made from the raft's remains - is thirty feet high complete with boom. The sail is made out of their raft remains stitched together with their sleeping bags and knapsacks. Spying a swiftly-approaching sandstorm on the horizon, Cha-Ka climbs aboard with Rick and an intoxicated Enik who is slowly recovering. As the wind begins to pick up, the Pakuni have to push the craft hard as the wheels refuse to budge.Eventually, the sandship moves and everyone holds on for dear life as it picks up speed.

In their cell, Will looks out through a small window when a flash of light in the distance grabs his attention. As the flashes continue, he motions Holly to come look saying that he recognizes the flashes as being Morse Code from his days as a Boy Scout. He says it spells out "D-A-D" and rummages through the remains of their backpack for one of Holly's CDs. He runs back to the window and uses the reflective surface of the disk to signal back. Unfortunately, he doesn't remember enough code to send back a coherent message but figures Rick will at least know that his message got through to the kids. Out in the desert, the sandship lies still with its sail lowered. Rick tells Enik that the kids got his message and know they're on their way. Rick asks if Cha-Ka is ready.

High atop the parapets of the fortress, DRONE GUARDS patrol the area surrounding the penal colony's gate. It is now dusk as the setting sun casts an eerie orange glow around the prison. One of the guards spies
something and calls out to the others...aiming their crossbows at the
swiftly-moving craft bearing down on the gate. As it gets closer, the walls of the giant fortress block much of the wind slowing the sandship down considerably. The guards let loose with a ferocious volley of bolts from their weapons which rips through both the deck and sails of the ship leaving them in tatters. It comes to a dead stop right outside the gate.

It is now night. The ship has been brought inside the gates and the guards - under the watchful eye of both Skorr and Hassan - search the craft carefully. Kobelle hungrily laps up a few pieces of pongo fruit from the shredded sacks strapped to the deck. The guards come up empty. Skorr is not pleased. Hassan figures that the passengers were probably blown off during the sandstorm and are most likely dead. Skorr isn't convinced and demands the craft be guarded at all times.

Outside in the desert, Rick and Enik have been watching. Enik congratulates the human on his plan's success but Rick confesses that
he stole the idea from "Homer" (You know the story...). Enik has no idea who this "Homer" is but says that he's glad that he got to know Rick. They begin to philosophize on the nature of existance and why their lives have come to this. "Why are beings like us, who have so much, so discontent?" Rick doesn't have a clear answer but suggests that "maybe we forget it's our right to exist, to be who we are, to be loved and valued by that standard alone. Maybe it's something only a parent can know." Enik thinks it's rather ironic that "in defense of that which I know to be true for all creatures, I'm supposed to destroy that which I love more than my life." Rick says that's a decision only he can make. Enik confesses he's not sure he can. "At some point, doing any good out here...it's go to start with us, with our families" reasons Rick. He wonders if it's too late for him to apply this newfound revelation to his own life and thanks Enik for making him realise this.

At the sandship, a single guard finds that he's having difficulty walking. He stumbles a few times as another drone comes to relieve him.
The first guard turns to face the other with weapon raised and then falls down to the ground giggling. Two more guards come over to investigate. The first guard struggles to get on his feet and tosses a pongo fruit to the others. One of the guards sniffs before taking a bite. He likes. He passes it around.

Some time later. all of the guards have gorged themselves on the intoxicating fruit and lie sprawled aboat the craft passed out.
The main spear of the craft opens up quietly as Cha-Ka slips away
unnoticed and enters the gate tower. He steps over several more drunk guards and releases the gates' counterweight opening the massive
portal. Rick and Enik rush inside and join Cha-Ka just as the gates
close again. Cha-Ka pulls the end off one of the craft's other spears and retrieves an armload of blowguns. Enik wishes him luck. Rick asks Enik to come visit his world if they manage to live through this. Up in the sentry tower, Hassan has been watching quietly.

In the Great Pylon, Skorr sits on his throne watching the hologram of the space-time continuum rise and spin before him. He calls to a drone standing before the matrix table to show him "the blue planet".
The drone complies and an image of Tower Butte in Arizona (BTW, that's the flat-topped mountain from "Close Encounters of the Third Kind" in case you didn't know). He then orders him to load the particle cannon and the drone leaves. Skorr begins to notice that his pet is behaving
rather oddly. Kobelle is on the other side of the chamber barking at
empty air and running in circles. Skorr picks her up curiously and then
calls for his guards.

In the cell block, Cha-Ka approaches the kids' cell when he is surprised by a SLEESTAK JAILER. The Jailer trains his crossbow on the Paku and orders him to stop. He then asks what Cha-Ka is doing there as this isn't where the Pakuni slaves are kept. He fires the crossbow but just as he pulls the trigger, he falls back throwing off his aim and sending the bolt in another direction missing Cha-Ka. Will and Holly
see Cha-Ka and cry out to him. Then they see their jailer sitting on the floor struggling to free the belt wrapped tightly around his neck.
As the Sleestak slumps to the floor, they see their father stand up holding the belt. Through the bars of the cell, he hugs them while Cha-Ka retrieves the keys from the unconscious jailer and opens the cell door. He hugs his kids again briefly and then tells them they need to get out of there. Holly asks where they're going and Rick replies "Home."