Originally aired February 21, 1997 (Part 1) and February 28, 1997 (Part 2)
Written by Tony Blake & Paul Jackson (Part 1); Josef Anderson, Tony Blake, and Paul Jackson (Part 2)
Story by John Rhys-Davies (Part 1)
Directed by Jim Charleston (Part 1) and Jefery Levy (Part 2)
The Sliders arrive on a world about to be eliminated by rogue pulsars. They are arrested by Colonel Rickman and intelligence officer Maggie Beckett, and forced to work with the US government to develop sliding technology to save the lives of many.
Tropes present in the episode:
- Alternate History:
- On Maggie's world, the Soviet Union still exists in 1997 and it is on the verge of war with the US. Maggie fought in a battle called the Siberian Push.
- It was later revealed in "Common Ground" that the Japanese invaded the west coast of the US during World War II and the Marines fought block by block but the Japanese kept pouring in reinforcements. After the American lines were broken, the US government dropped two atomic bombs, one on Los Angeles and another on San Diego. This became known as the Battle of California, of which Maggie's grandfather was a veteran. That episode also mentioned that there was a Third World War but, if atomic bombs were used, it did not result in a nuclear holocaust.
- Apocalypse How: Class X on Pulsar Prime.
- Bittersweet Ending: Arturo is dead, the group is upended, and a murderous lunatic is on the loose through the multiverse. However, 150 people are saved.
- Bloodless Carnage:
- The crowd of civilians is gunned down in front of the military base, and no blood is shed.
- Also, Arturo doesn't bleed when he is shot by Rickman.
- Character Death: Arturo dies in Part 2 after being shot by Rickman.
- Convenient Replacement Character: Maggie decides to join the Sliders to track down Rickman in the same episode where Arturo dies.
- A Day in the Limelight: Despite her being a guest star, Kari Wührer's Maggie Beckett gets a lot of screen time and an extensive Backstory. Come the end of the episode, it becomes clear why.
- Doomed Hometown: Pulsar Prime is destroyed by the end of Part 2.
- Earth-Shattering Kaboom: The ultimate fate of Pulsar Prime.
- Enemy Mine: The main reason that Maggie joins the Sliders is to track down Rickman.
- Genius Cripple: Dr. Steven Jensen, Maggie's husband.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Arturo takes the bullet for Quinn.
- Honor Before Reason: Quinn is opposed to the group going home before they honor their promise to Maggie's people.
- Intergenerational Friendship: Rembrandt befriends a young boy named Malcolm.
- Jerkass:
- Colonel Rickman is a nasty piece of work, to say the least.
- Maggie also qualifies. She's rather unpleasant and rude to the Sliders.
- Just Before the End: Maggie's Earth is about to be destroyed when the Sliders arrive on her world.
- Nice Guy: Dr. Jensen, who's shown to be more pleasant, civil, and helpful than his wife and Rickman, though he isn't happy when he suspects Quinn and Maggie of being attracted to one another. Sadly, he's killed by Rickman.
- Not Even Bothering with the Accent: Colonel Angus Rickman of the US Military speaks with a strong British accent.
- Properly Paranoid: Jensen can see the attraction Quinn has for Maggie and calls him on it.
- Richard Nixon, the Used Car Salesman: Oliver North is or was the President of the United States on Maggie's world.
- Sadistic Choice: Rembrandt wants to get Malcolm on the list of those to be saved. Wade struggles with this, though, because for someone new to go on the list, someone has to be taken off.
- Series Continuity Error: Artistic License aside, the effect of the pulsar's radiation on Earth changes between part 1 and 2. In the first part, it is described as destroying all organic life while keeping everything else on the planet (as well as the planet itself) intact. Once the pulsar actually reaches Earth in the second part, the planet glows red and explodes.
- Talk to the Fist: During mid-argument, Rembrandt punches Quinn and knocks him to the ground.
- Take That!: A massive one to John Rhys-Davies from the production team, who decidedly wanted to make his exit as humiliating as possible. Arturo, who already had an incurable illness, gets his spinal fluid sucked out, leaving him almost unable to speak, then he gets shot, then the planet he's left on explodes. To make matters worse, all this happens in an episode based on a story pitched by...John Rhys-Davies himself.
- Taking the Bullet: Arturo takes the bullet for Quinn and dies.
- Wham Episode:
- Part 1 ends with Quinn finding Earth Prime.
- In Part 2, Rickman kills Arturo and Jensen, and escapes with the timer storing Earth Prime's coordinates. Maggie joins the team to avenge her husband.
- What the Hell, Hero?: Rembrandt reads Quinn the riot act for deciding when the group gets to go home. It culminates in Remmy punching him.Rembrandt: I am sick of you acting like God! You're just a guy who screwed up and stuck us with the bill.
