Captain Cotter McCoy (Lou Diamond Phillips) is the first of a new breed of soldier. As part of a top-secret program overseen by Dr. Greg Olander (Robert Joy), General Langston Chase (Dale Wilson) and Cotter's friend, Colonel Pete Butler (Scott Kraft), the contents of McCoy's brain can be temporarily transferred into an android version of imself. This process creates a virtually indestructible fighting machine with the intelligence and experience of a human being.
Opening narration
| "Since our earliest beginnings, we have always believed in some form of transcendence. But when we finally discover how to transcend our own biological bodies, what exactly will we gain? And what will we leave behind?" |
Plot
During the final phase of testing, something goes wrong. During the transfer, the real McCoy's body is blasted with electricity, stopping his heart, inflicting serious brain damage and leaving Cotter's mind trapped in the android body. To make matters worse, the interface between his mind and the android body is flawed. McCoy's motor control is already beginning to break down and the interface will likely collapse within 12 hours.
General Chase is prepared to sacrifice McCoy to keep the program secret, but McCoy uses his enormous strength to break out and visit his wife, Holly (Teri Polo).
Together, they track down Olander and begin a desperate attempt to find a solution to Cotter's problem. They return to the base where they are confronted by Pete, who has undergone the transfer process into another android.
Pete has been jealous and resentful of Cotter's professional success, and he admits to sabotaging the project. He attacks Dr. Olander and Cotter, but Cotter temporarily gains the upper hand. He forces the android to again undergo the transfer process, but Pete's human body has been dislodged from the other chamber during the fight.
Sally is seen at Cotter's funeral, being comforted by Pete and Dr. Olander. It is revealed that Olander used Pete as a host and Cotter's consciousness lives on in Pete's body.
Closing narration
| "A great philosopher once said: "The endeavor to persist in its own being is the essence of the individual thing." But when the day comes that the mind and body can be separated, what will happen to the soul?" |
Cast
- Lou Diamond Phillips as Captain Cotter McCoy
- Robert Joy as Dr. Greg Olander
- Scott Kraft as Colonel Pete Butler
- Dale Wilson as General Langston Chase
- Teri Polo as Sally McCoy
- John McConnach as Commando
- Awaovieyi Agie as Guard
- Kevin Conway as the Control Voice (voice)