Season 3, Episode 4:
Self Inflicted Wounds, Part 2: Wait for the Wheel
Either Moya or the Pathfinder vessel must be sacrificed or else both will be destroyed — but neither crew is willing to give up their ship, and someone will have to make a sacrifice...
Tropes present in this episode include:
- Armor-Piercing Question: How Harvey warns Crichton to not get complacent.Harvey: You would do, well, anything to save your ship. Anything.
Crichton: Make a point.
Harvey: Why assume less of Neeyala? - Bittersweet Ending: Zhaan sacrifices herself to save the rest of the crew.
- Convenient Terminal Illness: Zhaan's condition has progressed to such an extent that she concludes it makes more sense for her to make the sacrifice than anyone else.
- Deathly Unmasking: Zhann opts to be the one to disconnect the Pathfinder ship from Moya, an act that will end with her being flung into the wormhole to her death. The others protest, but Zhaan explains she's past all hope of being cured by now, removing her shawl to show the horribly infected sores on her skull. As such, Zhaan experiences her Obi-Wan Moment bare-faced.
- Due to the Dead: The final scenes have the crew reflect on Zhaan's passing.
- Face Death with Dignity: Zhaan volunteers to sacrifice herself without a second thought and offers a dignified goodbye. Stark explains he's not a grieving mess because she shared her final moments with him and was at complete peace.
- Family of Choice: Zhaan refers to the entire crew as her family, and expresses thanks for what they have taught her, while Crichton compares Moya to the 'mother' of the crew.
- Heroic Sacrifice: Zhaan gives her life to separate the Pathfinder from Moya.
- Hidden Depths: Rygel agrees to help out of loyalty to Moya. He's also deeply touched to learn that Pilot likes him.
- Never Got to Say Goodbye: Averted. When Rygel expresses sympathy over him not being able to say goodbye, Pilot says Zhaan joined with his mind when he was unconscious and so did get to in a sense.
- Oh, Crap!: Crichton over the idea of yet another group of bad guys chasing the crew.
- Team Mom: When Zhaan says the crew became a family, D'Argo observes it was her who birthed it.
- Title Drop: "Point is is that most times you get a second chance. Just gotta wait for the wheel."
- Xanatos Gambit: As a final spite, Neeyala activates a homing beacon, which affects both her ship and Moya, due to being stuck together. As she says, the beacon will allow the Pathfinders to find either a vessel containing the knowledge they want or the ones responsible for its destruction.
