Zilly's War

I want to go to space.

You may be the most important scientist living today,

as the man credited for the discovery of this alien planet.

I can confirm what I found but I can't tell you much more than that, yet.

I just got a little lucky.

I pointed out where it was but...

...now it's up to other much more capable people to find out more about the planet.

More of this shit?

Who can tell me the only other planet that contains life?

Yes.

Zilly.

And the scientific name?

ZL-something.

Z... L...

ZL-24971

Yes Eve, thank you.

Discovered in 2023,

first detailed images sent back four years later.

Now, who can tell me why this planet is so important to us? Yes.

Because we're going to send people there?

Yes, that is one reason.

But it also has a lot to teach us about evolution and extinction.

Eve, would you close your computer please?

Thank you. Now, what we have discovered with this planet...

ZL-24971 is home to a strain of plant life...

...that undergoes complete extinction with every sunset.

When the eighty-eight hour day begins again,

the life cycle of the plant begins again as cells,

evolving into complex life forms by day's end.

Point five.

Eighty-eight point five hours in a Zilly day.

Now, science cannot account for why this happens. Yet.

I want to go to space.

You - you serious?

Why not?

I just never heard you say that before.

I've never said it.

Never told anyone.