Flight Of The Navigator (1986)

Flight Of The Navigator (1986) Full Recap

On July 4, 1978, at the South Florida Frisbee Dog Championship, a boy named David seems quite pleased with how well the participating dogs are doing. He eventually tries to train his dog, Bruiser, to catch a Frisbee, because he hopes to participate in the championship one day. Unfortunately, Bruiser appears to be quite lazy, and he just ignores David. After the championship ends, David's younger brother, Jeff, sees him and jokes that Bruiser will never be able to catch a Frisbee.

David seems pissed by this, and he says that Bruiser will win the championship one day. Jeff finds this funny, and as the boys are about to argue about this, their parents, Bill and Helen, get them to stop. Almost immediately, a strange aircraft flies over the field, and everyone pauses to look at it. Shortly after, Bill and Helen leave with the kids, and in the car, Jeff starts taunting David to get him pissed.

Before David can do anything, Bill tells him to leave Jeff alone, and he looks disappointed by this. Just as Bill drives near the house of one of Jeff's friends, he asks his parents if he can stop there to play. Bill says it's fine, but that he has to be careful with the fireworks. As Jeff then gets out of the car, he and David insult each other before Bill drives away.

When they get home, Bill and Helen tell David that he has to be nicer to his brother. David says that Jeff is a jerk, but Bill tells him not to talk about his brother like that. Helen also mentions that David has to remember that he's the older brother. After this, Helen and Bill head into the house, and as David waits outside with Bruiser, a girl named Jennifer rides her bike past the house and greets him.

David also says hi to Jennifer and continues staring at her because he has a crush on her. Shortly after, he enters his room and uses a small telescope to watch Jennifer while she's on a boat with her friends. Bill suddenly enters his room and asks what he's doing, and David says he's just watching the boats. As Bill then sees that he's looking at Jennifer, he realizes that his son likes her.

David denies this and says that he barely even knows her. Bill then asks if he has ever tried talking to her, but David says he doesn't know how to talk to girls. Bill says he just has to try to strike up a conversation, and that it's not really hard. Almost immediately, Helen enters the room and tells David not to forget to feed Bruiser.

Later that night, while David is feeding Bruiser, Helen tells him to go and meet up with Jeff on the road because he’s already on his way home. David says that Jeff is old enough to find his way home, but Helen insists that he has to go and meet his brother. After David leaves the house with Bruiser, he heads into the woods and starts talking about how he needs to become the kind of guy that girls like. Suddenly, Bruiser starts barking strangely, and David assumes that he's just scared.

As David continues walking through the woods, he hears a strange sound and wonders what it is. Almost immediately, Jeff jumps out to scare David, and he looks pissed by this. Before he can do anything, Jeff runs away, and David sees Bruiser standing by the edge of a ditch. David looks confused by this, and as he goes closer to see what Bruiser is looking at, he falls into the ditch.

Luckily, he doesn't get hurt, and he quickly stands up so he can head back home. Interestingly, Bruiser doesn't seem to be around anymore, and David just heads home alone. When he gets there, he sees that the front door is locked, and he assumes that Jeff is responsible for this. He then bangs on the door and tells Jeff to open it.

Suddenly, a strange woman opens the door, and she asks who David is. David says he lives in the house, but the woman mentions that he's probably mistaken. Before she can close the door, David stops her and asks for his mom, but the woman says she has no idea what he's talking about. As she asks if he's lost, David barges into the house and starts looking for his parents.

The woman tries to stop him, but David just ignores her. He then checks his room and sees the woman's husband inside. As David looks shocked, the man asks what the problem is, but he just leaves the room. The man then follows him and asks what his name is and where he lives. David doesn't seem to understand what's happening, and he starts crying while asking for his mom and dad.

The man then tells his wife to call the police so they can figure out what's happening. When David gets to the police station, one of the officers figures out that there was a missing persons report filed for him eight years ago. A detective named Banks looks shocked by this, and he assumes that the report is likely a mistake. However, the officer tells him that she ran it through the computer three times, and it's not a mistake.

She also tells Banks that David was declared legally dead a few years ago. As David hears this, he asks who's dead, but Banks just tells him not to worry because they're only trying to understand what happened. After this, Banks and the woman officer take David away from the police department. While they're in the car, the officer asks David for his age, and he says that he's twelve.

The officer also asks what today's date is, and David says it's the 4th of July 1978. Banks and the officer are shocked by this, and David wonders if he said something wrong. Shortly after, Banks stops the car and heads toward a nearby house. As David asks who lives there, the officer says they're not sure yet.

After this, Banks knocks on the door, and Bill comes over to open it. As Banks then asks Bill about his son, who went missing, David sees his dad and runs out of the car. However, when he gets closer, he sees that Bill is now looking older. Helen also comes outside and cannot believe that David is back.

David seems confused about what's happening because his parents now look older. As he struggles to understand this, he just passes out. Elsewhere, a NASA director named Dr Faraday arrives at a scene where a strange alien ship has just been found. As he meets some other people at the scene, he asks if there's sign of life inside the ship, but he's told that no one has been able to determine what's inside.

After this, he meets a night guard named Brayton, who was the first person to see the ship. Brayton says the ship crashed into an electric tower and suddenly stopped about 100 yards away from it. As Faraday wonders how they'll move it back to the NASA research center, Brayton slightly pushes the ship to show that it won't take much to lift. Meanwhile, David is taken to the hospital, and he starts freaking out just as he gets there.

Bill and Helen happen to be with him, and they tell him not to be scared because they won't let anyone hurt him. David then asks what happened to them and if they know that there are people living in their house. Bill says he doesn't have answers to all that's happening, but that David being alive is the only thing he cares about. As Bill then asks where David has been all this time, he looks confused and says that he went to pick up Jeff.

He adds that they can just ask Jeff because he's the only one who can prove that he didn't go anywhere. Suddenly, Jeff shows up in the room, and it turns out that he's now 16 years old. David looks confused by this, but his parents confirm that it's Jeff. Almost immediately, the doctor calls Bill and Helen to see him outside the room, and Jeff walks toward David's bed.

He says it's quite weird that his brother hasn't changed, but David refuses to believe that Jeff is now older. Jeff then apologizes for jumping at David to scare him in the woods the other day. David still doesn’t understand what’s happening, but Jeff then shows him one of the posters that their parents made him put up around the town after his brother went missing. As David looks shocked, Jeff mentions that it has been eight years since that night.

David still doesn't get this, but as Jeff reminds him about how they used to insult each other, he mentions that he's scared. Jeff then says he's sure they'll figure out something. As his parents return to the room, David tells Bill that he wants to go home, but his dad mentions that the doctor wants him to stay in the hospital for a couple of days. David tells Bill not to let him stay, but his dad says they have to figure out where he has been all these years.

He adds that the doctor only wants to run some tests to help David remember what happened. Helen also mentions that they won't let anything happen to him. After she tells Bill and Jeff to go home while she stays for the night, they say goodbye to David before leaving. David then asks Helen if he was really gone for eight years, and she confirms this.

David looks scared when he hears this, and he says it feels like he’s in a bad dream. The next day, the alien ship is taken to the NASA research center, and the scientists there start looking at it. That night, while Jeff is studying inside David's room, David suddenly wakes up and says that someone is hurt and calling his name. Jeff looks shocked by this, and as he asks what's happening, David says that he keeps hearing a voice calling him and saying something over and over again, but that he can't understand the message very well.

As Jeff asks what the voice was saying, David mentions that he can't explain it. Jeff seems confused by this, and David asks if his brother thinks he's losing his mind. Jeff says he believes what David is saying, but that he shouldn't worry much about it. David then thanks Jeff for believing him, and after this, he goes back to sleep.

The next day, Faraday is informed by one of the NASA scientists that the ship is impossible to open. Faraday believes there has to be something inside, and he mentions that they have to do everything they can to open it. Back at the hospital, the doctors run some tests on David's brain while someone asks him about the things that happened on the night he went missing. As he narrates what happened, one of the nurses notices that he's transmitting in alpha waves with complex frequency patterns.

Another nurse mentions that David is communicating directly with the computer in binary code. The senior doctor looks shocked and wonders how David is able to do that. Suddenly, David's brain starts transmitting a strange pattern that displays the image of the alien ship on the computer. Shortly after, the diagram of the ship is sent to Faraday, and he comes over to the hospital to try to convince David to come with him to the lab so that they can figure out what happened to him.

David doesn't seem interested in this, and Bill also mentions that he won't let his son spend his time at a research facility. Faraday then mentions that he can help David get the answers that he truly seeks. He adds that he only needs 48 hours to try to figure out what really happened and why David didn't age. David says he wants answers, and he follows Faraday to the research center.

As they almost get there, David hears the voice talking to him again, and he asks who it is. Faraday and his assistant look confused by this, but David eventually says it's nothing. Shortly after, they arrive at the research center, and David is taken to the room where he'll be staying for the next two days. David then asks when he can speak to his parents, and Faraday says he'll call them tomorrow.

He also tells David to have fun in the room and watch some TV if he wants. After this, Faraday leaves the room and locks the door. David is shocked by this, but he eventually goes to watch TV. As a music video comes on, David looks confused, but before he can say anything, a strange robot enters his room and heads toward him.

David doesn't know what to do about this, but a girl named Carolyn suddenly enters the room and says that she's sure he must be really hungry after his trip. David then asks what the robot is, and Carolyn says it's RALF. David doesn't get this, but Carolyn mentions that RALF is an acronym for Robotic Assistant Labor Facilitator. She adds that Ralf is used to deliver mail and supplies within the research center.

After this, Carolyn asks why David is being held under maximum security. David jokes that he's a national security secret, and Carolyn says she probably shouldn't be talking to him. Before she leaves, David asks why his favorite TV show isn't available anymore, and Carolyn mentions that it was canceled a long time ago. As Carolyn wonders how he didn’t know that, David says he has been gone for eight years.

Carolyn asks if he went to outer space, but he mentions that he doesn't know. As she calls him a weird kid, he jokes that she's the one with purple hair. Carolyn then talks about the concert she went to with some friends. As she says the name of her favorite singer, David looks confused, and Carolyn realizes that he wasn't lying when he said he was gone for eight years.

She asks if it was like a coma, but David says he can't remember. The next day, David gets to call his parents, and they inform him that they're already preparing for his return home. After this, David is taken to a lab for a test to be conducted on him. As he's then asked for his name, his brain gets connected to a computer, which answers the question for him.

David looks shocked by this, and as he’s asked where he has been for the last eight years, the computer responds that he was in analysis mode on a planet called Phaelon. David and the scientists look shocked, and Faraday asks what was powering the craft that he was traveling in. The computer then starts displaying strange symbols on the screen, and the scientists realize that David's head is full. Faraday says it might take them years to decipher the strange symbols, but David looks confused.

As he asks who's putting the symbols on the screen, Faraday says it's him. David says it's impossible, but Faraday asks how far it is from Earth to Phaelon. Even though David says he doesn't know, the computer responds that it's 560 light years. Faraday then asks how long it took to get there, and it responds that it was 2.2 solar hours.

Faraday looks shocked by this, but he realizes that David traveled at the speed of light. He also explains to David that, at such speed, he would've been gone for only a few hours while eight years passed on Earth. David looks confused by this, but as Faraday asks where Phaelon is, the computer suddenly starts searching through multiple star charts. As it eventually locates Phaelon, David seems scared because he doesn't understand what's happening, and he quickly runs away from the lab.

Faraday looks disappointed by this, and he mentions that 48 hours won’t be enough for him to study David's brain. Later that day, Carolyn comes over to give David his food. She then asks how things are going for him, but he complains about what happened earlier. However, he mentions that he'll be able to go home tomorrow.

Carolyn asks if that's what they told him, and David looks confused by this. Carolyn then mentions that his name is on the meal sheet for the coming week. David looks pissed by this, and he bangs on the one-way mirror inside his room while saying that he wants to go home. Carolyn eventually tells him to calm down, and David begs her to help him contact his family and tell them what's happening.

Carolyn says she'll do that, and David thanks her for this. The next day, David wakes up and hears someone calling for help. As David asks how he can help, the voice asks if he's coming. David says he is, and Ralf suddenly enters his room. David then hides inside Ralf's inner compartment, and the robot takes him past all the guards at the facility.

He eventually gets dropped off in the warehouse where the scientists kept the alien ship, and he just walks toward it. Suddenly, the ship lowers a staircase for David, and he heads inside. The ship's interior looks quite weird, and as David looks confused, a seat appears behind him. The ship's control system also comes on and tells David to sit down.

David looks shocked and asks if the control system is the one that has been calling him. The control system confirms this, and it calls David the navigator, while telling him to sit down. After he does this, the voice mentions that David has the information required to complete the ship’s mission. David says there must've been a mistake, but the voice mentions that he doesn't make mistakes.

He adds that David's brain has been programmed with all the appropriate star charts needed for his mission. David asks if that's why his brain keeps coming up with strange things on computers, and the voice confirms this. Almost immediately, one of the guards watching the ship suddenly sees the staircase. He looks shocked by this and alerts everyone in the facility.

As they all head toward the warehouse, the control system tells David that some aliens are coming toward them. David looks confused by this, but as he realizes that the voice is talking about Faraday and the other scientists, he mentions that they're human beings. David then says he'll handle the situation, but as he stands by the entrance, he sees the guards holding guns. Even though Faraday tells David to come outside, he refuses to listen to the NASA director.

The voice then suggests leaving the warehouse, and David agrees to do this. After David returns to his seat, the door gets closed, and the ship leaves the warehouse. As it stays just outside the building, the control system says it must complete its mission and return to Phaelon. David says he doesn't want to go to Phaelon, and that he wants to go home.

The voice then says that he's waiting for David's command before he can do anything. David says he needs to think, and that the control system has to take them 20 miles away from the research center. While Faraday and the others wonder what's going on, the ship suddenly flies 20 miles into space. David says he wants them to stay on land, and the ship heads back to the research center before blasting off to another location 20 miles away.

David looks impressed by this, but when the ship stops, he tells the voice to open the door for him because he needs to pee. The voice doesn't understand what peeing means, but David explains it before heading out of the ship. While he's peeing, he asks the control system what it's doing on Earth, and it mentions that it was sent from Phaelon to borrow samples of life from different galaxies for study. The voice adds that on Earth, he chose David.

He also mentions that back on Phaelon, they discovered that the inferior species on Earth only use ten percent of their brain, so they filled it up with star charts to see what would happen. David asks what happened, and the voice says the information leaked. The voice then explains that when the ship crashed into the electrical towers, its star charts were erased, and that it now needs the ones in David's head to complete its mission. David asks why it took the ship eight years to bring him back, and the voice says that even though he normally takes his specimens back in time to the exact moment and place he took them, he discovered that it was too dangerous to take David's fragile body back.

David looks disappointed by this, and as some helicopters get close to them, he tells the voice to take him back home. The voice then says he'll do that if David gives him the star charts he needs. David says he'll do that, and he quickly enters the ship so they can leave the scene. After they leave, the helicopters are unable to track the ship, and Faraday looks disappointed.

On the way, David decides to name the voice Max. He then tells Max to take them to a place where they can't be found. Almost immediately, Max takes them into the ocean, and David looks scared. He eventually realizes that the ship is safe underwater, and this makes him calmer. As Max then programs his circuitry to enable the smooth transfer of the star charts from David's brain, David sees some strange animals inside the ship.

Max says they're the other specimens that were studied on Phaelon, and that he plans to take them back home when the star charts are restored. As David admires them, he sees a harmless creature called a Puckmarin, and he plays with it. Max eventually mentions that the Puckmarin is an orphan, and David says he wishes he could take it home. After this, Max completes the transfer process and gets the star charts from David.

Interestingly, he picks up some of David's bad habits and starts talking like a real human. He also seems to be quite playful, and he nearly crashes the ship while trying to get David to take control of it. Elsewhere, Bill calls Faraday to ask about his son, and the NASA director mentions that he's fine. After the call ends, Faraday asks his staff if David met anyone before he escaped.

As he's told that Carolyn was the last person David met up with, he orders the guards to find her. Shortly after, Carolyn visits David's parents and tells them what's really happening. Bill and Helen are left shocked by this, but before they can do anything, some agents from NASA show up at the house to inform them that Faraday wants them to stay indoors. One of them also catches Carolyn before she escapes, and she's taken back to the base.

Back on the ship, David struggles to find his way back home. After he finds himself in Tokyo, he leaves immediately and heads back to the United States. When he gets there, he tries to ask for directions to Fort Lauderdale from some people in a car, but they look really scared and drive away. After this, David heads to Florida and gets to a place called Al's Gator City.

He then stops there so he can call his parents to ask for directions to their house in Fort Lauderdale. As he gets out of the ship, the owner of the place, Big Al, looks really shocked. David asks if he can borrow some change to call his parents, and Big Al just gives him what he wants while still staring at the ship. David then drops the coins into the payphone and calls his parents.

As the phone rings, Jeff secretly answers it, and Helen distracts the NASA agents so that they won't know what's happening. David then mentions that he needs directions to the house, and Jeff asks if he knows some places close to them. David says he doesn't, and he just tells Jeff to give him a signal so that he can see it when he's up in the air. Jeff agrees to do this, and David quickly leaves Al's place.

Flight Of The Navigator (1986) Ending Explained

Following this, David heads toward Fort Lauderdale while Jeff finds some fireworks, which he wants to use to give his brother a signal. After he finds them, he sneaks out through the window and heads to the roof to light the fireworks. Meanwhile, Faraday is able to track the ship, and he realizes that David is going home. Elsewhere, Jeff lights the fireworks very well, and David sees the signal just as he arrives in Fort Lauderdale.

When he gets to the house, Faraday already happens to be there, and he tells David to come outside. David's parents also urge him to come back home, but he suddenly realizes that things are now different for him. After he says that he loves his parents, he heads back into the ship and says that his home is back in 1978. He adds that if he stays in 1986, he'll become a guinea pig for the rest of his life.

Max says it's too dangerous to take David back in time because he might get vaporized, but he still tells the control system to try it. As Max agrees to do it, David asks if he'll see him again. Max says he doesn't know, and he tells David that they must start their journey. After this, Max takes David back in time, and even though the journey gets very dangerous and turbulent, the ship arrives in 1978.

David gets dropped off in the part of the woods where he fell the other day, and he quickly stands up so he can head home. When he gets there, his parents and brother happen to be on a boat near the house, and they call him to join them. David looks happy to be back in 1978, and as he enters the boat, he tells his mom that he loves her. Helen thanks him for this, and David then heads over to tell Jeff that he also loves him.

Their parents are shocked by this, but they seem happy because they've always wanted their kids to get along well. After this, the Puckmarin pokes its head out of David's bag, and Jeff looks shocked to see it. David then puts the creature back inside the bag before telling Jeff not to say anything so that their parents won't know about it. Jeff smiles and agrees to stay silent, and David looks happy about this.

He then stares at the sky and hears Max telling him that they'll see each other later. After a strange encounter in the woods, David heads back home and realizes that he has been missing for eight years. As he struggles to understand this, he eventually figures out that he’s connected to an alien ship that was used to transport him to another planet for only a few hours, which translates to eight years on Earth. Even though he gets a chance to reunite with his family in his new reality, David insists on going back to 1978 because he doesn’t want to spend the rest of his life in a lab.

When he then arrives home, he realizes how much he loves his family and also decides to stop fighting with his brother.