“Marooned” is episode seven of season one of DC’s Legends of Tomorrow.
Rip is watching a holographic message from Jonas and Miranda. After Jonas speaks, Miranda comes on and tells Rip that in London, things have changed. It’s hard to tell what is going on. There are soldiers and rumours and she hopes he’s okay. When the message finishes, it starts over again. The Professor Stein enters and says that he is sorry to interrupt. Rip says that he was working – well, he wasn’t – and was trying to find the optimal point to strike at Savage. But the trail has gone cold. To preserve the element of surprise, Rip wanted to travel further back in time (finally!) but nothing indicates where he can be found. Stein suggests that he may be able to help Rip look but Rip snaps back that he has been looking. Then apologises.
Rip says that the stakes are so high, that he vowed to save his family, but he has been failing them. That perhaps he is not the Time Master they need. Stein replies that Rip must be – because he’s the only one his family has. The professor asks if Gideon can help but apparently not. Rip explains that, after returning from a mission. Gideon would get an updated temporal database. With Rip having gone rogue, he is unable to do this. Stein says that what Gideon needs then is basically a software update. And that this problem explains why he has been holed up in here for the past week. Rip asks if it’s really been a week and Stein confirms this. Saying that some of their teammates are getting a tad antsy.
Antsy may be an understatement as Rory is throwing a knife into things. Snart is playing cards with Sara and tells her not to mind Rory as he’s just sore Snart didn’t leave him in 2046 (in the previous episode, “Star City 2046”, Rory wanted to stay but Snart cold cocked him and took him back). Rory says he’s sore because he was recruited for his unique ability to light things on fire and now he is locked in a spaceship, the one place that he can’t light things on fire. Rory leaves and Snart asks where he is going. Rory asks why – so that Snart can clock him in the head again. Sara asks Snart if everything is okay between the two of them. He replies just peachy.
Gideon tells Rip that she has intercepted a transmission from deep space, from the Acheron – the flagship of the time fleet. The message is from Captain Eve Baxter and she says that she is in critical need for a rescue. Rory asks why they care about this chick anyway and Rip replies they don’t – but the Acheron‘s computer will contain the current intelligence on Savage’s whereabouts. Rip tells Gideon to plot a course for deep space and Stein remarks that it’s astonishing the ships can travel into space. Jax is of the opinion that it’s astonishing that they are providing roadside assistance to the people who are chasing them. Snart is suspicious that the distress call just happened to reach them and Sara asks Rip how he knows it’s not a trap. He doesn’t. Rory is in anyway – the sooner the mission is complete the sooner he can get back where he belongs. To which Stein suggests prison. Rory tells him that any prison on Earth is better than this one. Rory is not happy.
Rip asks the professor and Jax to join the boarding party. Stein cannot think of anything more exciting than extravehicular docking. Jax can think of a few things that are more exciting. Rory says he wants to get this over with and Snart asks him if he thinks there is anything worth stealing on the other ship. Rory replies that he is looking for a change of scenery – if that’s okay with Snart. Rip tells Ray the ship is in his hands and tells Kendra that Palmer is in hers.
On the jumpship Stein says he feels like he’s 10 again. Rory asks if he did a lot of space travel at 10. The professor replies only in his dreams – after he read his first issue of Rick Starr: Space Ranger. Stein wanted to travel in space, surviving using his wits and laser guns. He even built a rocket out of a cardboard box. Rip asks what stopped him; Stein replies that NASA has strict guidelines on nearsightedness. Jax says and on smoking weed. Gideon can’t manage to link to the Acheron‘s computer. A self destruct code has disabled the ship’s temporal navigation system. Rip says that could be the result of a malfunction. Which, on thinking about it, sounds a tad dubious.
Rip has a flashback to something from his past. He is on a timeship, shooting at people and he is asked for an update. Rip says the ship has been boarded by time pirates. He arrives on the bridge and speaks to, of all people, Miranda. Who says it’s excellent that the ship has been boarded. Rip does not think she is taking things seriously. Miranda asks the compute to open a bulkhead. Rip asks her what the plan is and she tells him to hold onto something, strapping herself into a chair. Rip says he is holding onto something – it’s called a gun. She suggests something else – and then the bulkhead opens, sucking all the pirates out of the ship.
This was a simulation, which ends, and Time Master Declan enters. He congratulates Lt. Coburn and Rip says that she nearly got them killed. Declan replies that Coburn displayed unconventional thinking against overwhelming numbers – and Rip could learn something from her. However, when the two are caught making out afterwards, Declan tells them that there will be a disciplinary hearing. When he leaves, Miranda tells Rip they knew relationships were forbidden. He thinks there must be a way to fix it. She disagrees.
Stein remains in the jumpship and the others board the Acheron. Which is dark. Jax says that he is quoting every Star Wars film ever made when he says he has a bad feeling about this. Yes, all that’s needed is some flickering, damaged lights and perhaps a motion detector giving off a regular thud. Then the lights come on and Jax and Rip are grabbed. Rory holds out and is throttling one of the attackers when a gun is held to his head. When told to let the man go, Rory asks or what, and a knife is held to Jax’s throat. Rory does relent and when Jax asks who their captors are Rip replies that they are time pirates.
The leader of the pirates introduces himself as Captain Jon Valor. Rip asks what happened to Captain Baxter. Valor replies that they were on their way to the Vanishing Point for trial when they made their escape. Before the pirates could take control, Baxter destroyed the time drive. Which Rip says is protocol. Valor replies that it’s also protocol that another Time Master would come to the rescue. To which Rip responds that he isn’t a Time Master. The pirates know who he is, though – apparently he’s rather infamous as a scourge of the time pirates.
Rip tells the pirates that Vandal Savage will destroy the world, Time Masters and pirates alike, unless they work together. Valor is not interested. Rip says that he gave orders to his crew to shoot down any ship who approaches; Valor does not believe they will with Rip onboard. Rip says that his crew are iron-willed and battle-hardened, the most formidable warriors to navigate time and space.
So, of course, Ray is currently sitting in the captain’s chair pretending to be Kirk. Kendra tells him he isn’t Kirk – he’s Picard. Ray thinks that Picard is cautious, and sort of sexless. Kendra tells Ray that Vash didn’t think so (and she wasn’t the only one either). Besides, according to Kendra, Picard is way hotter than Kirk. Considering that Kendra just compared Ray to Picard, that’s a good thing for him to hear. Snart, listening to this, says that Rory was wrong, this isn’t a prison – it’s a torture chamber. Sara replies that Rory’s problem isn’t with the ship. Snart asks if she thinks it’s with him. Well, yeah. Sara replies that Snart did knock Rory out and force him to leave Star City 2046 – Disneyland for felons. Snart tells Sara that Rory will get over it. He runs hot, always has, but once Rory calms down things will be back to normal. Sara bets that sounded more convincing in Snart’s head.
Valor contacts the Waverider at this point and tells Palmer he is holding his crew hostage. Rip says that Ray will rein down fiery retribution if they are not released immediately. Valor tells Ray that if he surrenders, they will be dropped off any place and time they want. Valor gives Ray ten seconds. He won’t fire on the Waverider, because he needs the ship, but he does hold a gun to Rip’s head and Snart does not think he is bluffing. Rip says something, totally untrue, about Ray – which according to Gideon was a protocol set off by certain keywords. And the Waverider is on the move and preparing to fire. Gideon fires at the Acheron and Stein on the jumpship tries to find out what is going one. When he is unable to, he leaves the jumpship.
On the Acheron, Valor tells them to set a pursuit course and only target the life support systems. Onboard the Acheron, Stein is looking for the weapons targeting system. The first missile hits the Waverider and Gideon reports that telemetry is out and the hull has been holed. Ray asks Gideon to switch to manual and Snart and Sara head off to deal with the hole in the hull. And ask Kendra to make sure Picard doesn’t get them killed. Ray says at the moment, he’s more like Sulu. Or Han Solo (and the jump into deep space before the opening credits looked like the Millennium Falcon entering hyperspace; this episode is a bit of a Star Wars/Star Trek fanboy episode). On the Acheron, Valor orders it to target the thrusters and fire. Weapons are offline, though, as Stein has successfully disabled them.
On the Waverider, Snart has temporarily and partially sealed the hole in the hull with his cold gun. With the breech only being partially contained, the bulkhead doors shut, sealing them inside. Now the bulkhead doors shut? They didn’t when there was a great sucking hole in the hull (which didn’t actually suck either Snart or Sara). They will remain shut until the bulkhead is sealed too. Valor has figured out that Rip is giving secret commands over the comms and gets all three taken to the brig.
As they are thrown into the, already occupied, brig, Rip introduces him to Captain Baxter and says that they are here to rescue her. Baxter doubts that, given they have walked into a trap. Rip admits there may be some minor problems with the rescue. Rip asks Jax to disable the forcefield; Baxter says she has tried that but if Rip thinks the kid will have better luck. Jax objects to being called a kid, and Baxter says she meant criminal. Rory says that’s him. Baxter says that when they get out of here she will take Rip to the Vanishing Point to await trial before the Time Council. She says to look at the great Rip Hunter now. He replies look at her – prisoner in the brig of her own ship. Baxter doesn’t want Rip’s help as he wants to change history for his own selfish reasons.
Rip has another flashback, not the last. He and Colburn are standing in front of Declan. Declan says that Miranda Colburn and Rip Hunter are not their real names and asks why. So that their enemies do not know their true identities and make their ancestors and descendants in the timeline targets. As well as anyone else they might love. That’s why personal attachments are banned (so how could they have descendants then?) and grounds for dismissal. They will adjourn for one hour for their response but Declan doubts that any answer they might make will prevent the tribunal from dismissing them.
On the Waverider, Snart is asking Sara what dying is like. He expects that she will have a unique perspective. Sara replies that you’d expect it to be terrifying. Snart asks what she actually felt and Sara says lonely. As if everyone she loved was a million miles away. Sara tells Snart she may not like him but at least she isn’t alone. Snart says that the closest he came to dying was the day he met Rory. Sara replies that doesn’t surprise her. That isn’t what Snart meant though. He says it was his first day in juvie and he was 14 and the smallest kid by far. The older kids wanted to make sure he knew that and jumped him. Snart fought back and they pulled out a shiv. Snart thought that was it nut Mick stepped in. No-one messed with Snart afterwards and Rory has been standing up for him ever since. Sara hopes that Rory is standing up for Rip and Jax now, as who else will take on the pirates. Who else would be Professor Stein. Who manages to disable a pirate and take his uniform.
On the Waverider, Ray is heading outside to seal the whole – although the Atom suit wasn’t designed for outer space. In the Acheron‘s brig, Jax is unable to disable the forcefield and apologises. Rory says it isn’t his fault – it’s Rip’s. Rory says he was recruited because he can hit, hurt and burn things. To which Rip states that Rory was a package deal with Snart – a serial arsonist was never part of Rip’s plans to stop Savage. Especially one with the IQ of meat. Now Rip has to figure a way out. Rory already has and calls for a pirate. He tells Rip he may have the IQ of meat but he knows how to parlay. So, is Rory really turning his back on the rest of them?