20. Gauntlet

Complete story — includes the ending

Eli discovers a way to track the command ships over long distances. The crew learns an ambush is waiting at every resupply point in the current galaxy. The crew modifies the ship's shields to specifically counteract the drone weapons and drops out of FTL right on top of a command ship. Destiny takes severe damage before destroying the command ship. Returning to FTL, the crew has supplies for one month. Eli proposes a plan to put the entire crew in the stasis pods for about 3 years, with the energy saved allowing the ship to stay in FTL until reaching the next galaxy. Vignettes are shown of several crew members making a final visit to earth via the Ancient communication stones. The crew learns some of the pods are damaged, prompting a daring plan to use a shuttle as a distraction while an away team gathers minerals from a dangerous planet. After successful repairs, all but Rush, Young and Eli are placed in stasis. A final pod is discovered to be non-functional. Rush volunteers to stay out and fix it, but Young speaks to Eli, who asserts his intelligence and willingness to try and fix the broken pod. If he fails, there will not be enough power to keep him alive and make it to the next galaxy. Young and Rush enter stasis, as the ship's systems power down. The episode closes with Eli standing on the observation deck, smiling in an enigmatic way, as Destiny makes its way through the galaxy in FTL.