OUTER LIMITS, THE: SOLDIER {SECOND SEASON PREMIERE} (TV)
Summary
The second season premiere in this science fiction anthology series.
In this episode, somewhere on a barren battlefield, two soldiers wielding high-powered weapons are suddenly transported through time. One of the men, Quarlo Clobregnny, is shocked to find himself on a modern-day city street, and when he fires his unusual weapon, panic breaks out and he is captured by the police. Philologist Tom Kagan is brought in to analyze Quarlo's bizarre language, and government official Paul Tanner explains that Quarlo seems to be repeating the same phrase over and over again and demonstrates highly sensitive hearing. Though Paul warns him that the man is "a walking bomb," Tom enters Quarlo's padded cell and tries to engage him in conversation, and he soon determines that Quarlo is "the ultimate infantryman" and is stubbornly repeating his name, rank and serial letters. Paul is amazed to find that Quarlo's weapon has no discernible power source, and Tom uses star maps to determine that Quarlo is actually from Earth – but an Earth 1,800 years in the future, where he is dedicated to combating "The Enemy."
As the weeks pass, Quarlo demands to be "sent home" and, when touched by Tom, flies into a rage. Tom realizes that Quarlo has never known anything other than endless war. Paul is baffled when Tom, sure that the time-traveler now understands that he is not "Enemy," requests to take Quarlo to his own house in order to introduce him to the world of the twentieth century. Quarlo meets Tom's family, including pet cat Macbeth, and reveals that, in his time, animals are used for reconnaissance in battle. Quarlo fails to comprehend the idea of a family unit, declaring that "the state is all," and Tom realizes that he was created from artificial birth and trained as a fighter from childhood.
Tom sternly reminds his children not to tell their friends of the top-secret houseguest; soon, however, Quarlo escapes into town and breaks into a gun shop to secure a weapon. Tom pleads for a chance to reason with him, though Paul privately contacts Tom's wife and convinces her to alert him as soon as the visitor is disarmed. Tom gently convinces Quarlo to hand over the gun, trying to explain that the modern world is not yet a violent wasteland of "us and them." Suddenly, Quarlo's foe is teleported into the Kagan house, and Quarlo protects the family as he immediately resumes fighting with The Enemy. The two are transported through time again, and Tom is forced to wonder if he truly taught Quarlo the meaning of family and love, and whether Quarlo's grim future can be avoided. Commercials deleted.
Details
- NETWORK: ABC
- DATE: September 19, 1964 8:00 PM
- RUNNING TIME: 0:51:16
- COLOR/B&W: B&W
- CATALOG ID: 110465
- GENRE: Drama, fantasy/science fiction
- SUBJECT HEADING: Drama, fantasy/science fiction; Time travel
- SERIES RUN: ABC - TV series, 1963-1965
- COMMERCIALS: N/A
CREDITS
- Ben Brady … Producer
- Sam White … Associate Producer
- Gerd Oswald … Director
- Harlan Ellison … Writer
- Harry Lubin … Music by
- Lloyd Nolan … Cast, Tom Kagan
- Michael Ansara … Cast, Quarlo Clobregnny
- Tim O'Connor … Cast, Paul Tanner
- Ralph Hart … Cast, Loren Kagan
- Jill Hill … Cast, Toni Kagan
- Allen Jaffe … Cast, Enemy
- Marlowe Jensen … Cast, Sergeant Berry
- Catherine McLeod … Cast, Abby Kagan