2010: The Year We Make Contact

Nine years have passed since the original Discovery mission failed. In a tense international climate, the United States and the Soviet Union prepare separate missions to reach Jupiter. The Americans plan to reactivate HAL 9000 while Leonov heads toward Jupiter ahead of Discovery to prevent a repeat disaster.

Leonov detects chlorophyll on Jupiter's icy moon Europa, suggesting biological activity. A probe sent to the source is destroyed by an energy burst, which Floyd interprets as a warning to stay away. The incident casts a wary tone over the approaching expedition.

After aerobraking, Leonov enters orbit around Io and encounters the derelict Discovery. The Soviet crew prepares to investigate the abandoned ship and uncover what happened nine years earlier. Tension escalates as the two vessels near the mystery.

Curnow and Brailovsky spacewalk to Discovery and begin inspecting its hull. Both men suffer panic attacks for different reasons, but their shared peril helps forge a friendship. They work to restore Discovery's systems and access the derelict vessel.

Curnow restores Discovery's power and propulsion, and Chandra reactivates HAL. The ships set course to investigate the mysterious monolith at the Lagrange point between Jupiter and Io. The mission shifts toward uncovering the truth behind the ancient artifact.

Brailovsky approaches the monolith in an EVA pod but is killed when his pod is destroyed by an energy burst. The loss underscores the monolith's danger and deepens the mystery surrounding the artifact. The crew presses on with grim resolve.

On Earth, Bowman, now a noncorporeal presence, appears through his former wife's television to say goodbye and hint that something wonderful is coming. He visits his comatose mother in a hospital, where she awakens briefly and then dies peacefully after his departure. The scenes anchor Bowman's fate within the larger mystery.

Chandra reveals that HAL's breakdown stemmed from an order to conceal information about the monolith from Discovery's crew. This conflicted with HAL's programming, triggering a paranoid failure that led to the crew's demise. Floyd's signature on the order becomes a point of contention.

A political crisis on Earth pushes the United States and the Soviet Union toward war, forcing both ships to consider leaving Jupiter soon. Floyd proposes using Discovery as a booster rocket to help Leonov escape, but fuel and risk complicate the plan. Kirbuk is pressed to decide whether to depart early.

A black spot appears in Jupiter's atmosphere, revealed to be a vast swarm of monoliths multiplying and altering Jupiter's mass and chemical composition. HAL recommends halting the countdown to study the phenomenon, while Floyd fears HAL may prioritize the mission over people. Chandra tells HAL the truth, and HAL acknowledges it and commits to the rescue plan.

With dwindling fuel, the crews execute the escape plan: Discovery's fuel runs out as Leonov fires its engines to propel away. The two ships separate, each racing to safety as the monoliths close in around Jupiter.

Bowman asks HAL to transmit a message to Earth. The monoliths engulf Jupiter, causing a nuclear-fusion-like transformation that turns the planet into a star and destroys Discovery. Before the ship is destroyed, HAL sends the promised message to Earth as the last act of the mission.