“Common Ground” is episode three of season four of Sliders.
The Sliders arrive, in beach clothes and with drinks, at what Maggie says looks like a war zone. It’s 27 hours until they slide. They hear the sound of incoming artillery and start to flee. A figure in a protective suit staggers out and collapses; Maggie and the others carry him to safety inside a warehouse. Quinn asks Maggie when she became shrapnel-proof and she asks if she was just supposed to leave them there. Rembrandt thinks that might have been a good idea; the person they rescued is a Kromagg. Quinn thinks that might be good; they need to find information on the Kromagg homeworld and find Wade. Maybe Kromaggs are good guys on this world. More Kromaggs arrive, still taking inspiration from Nazi uniforms. Clearly not the good guys.
Maggie is being questioned by a Kromagg officer, Krolak, who wants to know about the timer. Or he’ll cook her eyes in their own juices and eat them. The Kromagg the Sliders saved, Commander Kromanus, arrives and tells Krolak to stop. Krolak is relieved to see Kromanus escaped without injury. Kromanus comments that he’s troubled that the perimeter guns were tested before he withdrew to safety. Krolak says it was a miscommunication and those involved have been punished. Kromanus clearly knows that Krolak was behind it. He wants the Sliders decontaminated and brought to his command chamber.
Kromanus welcomes them to Earth 147 and calls them Sliders. That’s what humans call quantum probability translocation, isn’t it? Sliding? The timer’s design is unusual and crude but it’s clearly a transdimensional facilitator. They claim they found it outside, but according to Kromanus, scans show they have none of the toxins the native population has. Where did they come from? Or he will let the subcommander continue his interrogation. They claim that Kromaggs invaded their world and they stole it to flee. Kromanus says such technology is forbidden to homo sapiens. The punishment is death. But they saved his life and he feels some obligation. He can’t let them go and is reluctant to order their execution. For the time being, they are under house arrest.
In their room, the Sliders wonder why Kromanus showed mercy. Maggie checks if the others thought Krolak was trying to frag his commander. They do. Perhaps it’s something they can take advantage of. Rembrandt says to do whatever they can to get out. He was in a camp for three months and if they miss the window, he’ll die before he stays 29 years with the Kromaggs and will take as many as he can with him.
Krolak heads to see Kromanus and both are having words until Kromanus is told there’s an interdimensional transmission for his eyes only. Another Kromagg tells him the Dynasty has been tracking a rogue human for some time. and they believe said human – Quinn – has arrived on Earth 147. Do not detain him. Efforts to penetrate the dampening field around their home have failed and Quinn could lead them there, as he was implanted with a tracking device in “Invasion”.
Quinn is talking to Maggie about Rembrandt when they see some human survivors. Kromanus appears behind them and says they haven’t taken many prisoners of war. On most worlds they conquer, the inhabitants offer only minimal resistance; their primitive weapons are no match for the Kromaggs. These humans wouldn’t yield. The war lasted for two years. They chose death over surrender. Maggie mentions the Battle of California on her own world. During the second world war – there were three – Japanese invaded the West Coast. When the American line broke, the Americans dropped two atomic bombs on their own cities, LA and San Diego, and their own troops. Kromanus is interested and wants to hear more. He invites Maggie for dinner.
Rembrandt has headed to a lab and sees Kromaggs enter with a body on a gurney. The gurney is taken into an autopsy room, Rembrandt underneath it. There are more bodies, but one isn’t dead. He garbs Rembrandt and tells him to stop them, then dies. Rembrandt is locked in.
Maggie heads to see Kromanus, who appears as human as that’s less stressful. Maggie says Kromanus wanted to see her because she’s a soldier; have the courtesy to treat her like one. He does, and apologises.
The Kromaggs are experimenting on humans on this world for a project. Krolak is trying to get rid of Kromanus, who seems different to other Kromaggs, which is causing internal problems. And the Sliders definitely want to leave the place. And more is learned about the Kromaggs.