52 years ago today, the Outer Limits debuted on ABC. The show was truly groundbreaking, and there has been nothing like it since on television. Although there were only 49 episodes, the show has had an influence on just about every science fiction television show that came after it. The look and feel and general creepiness of the X-Files is due to the same creepiness in the Outer Limits.
As created by Leslie Stevens, the show was originally envisioned to show how humans can be just as alien and monstrous as the other life forms that we will surely encounter when they venture into space. The ABC network, on the other hand, wanted a monster show. Stevens and the network fought constantly doing the shows short life. But Stevens got the upper hand, as we can see looking back at the show.
Leslie Stevens appeared to give in to the network’s demands early on. He did indeed give them a monster every week. But he didn’t tell them that the monster of the week was almost always the human beings in that week’s show. The following are a few good examples of what Leslie Stevens got past the network.
Tourist Attraction. A millionaire discovers a rare species of human size amphibians in the Amazon. After capturing one, its fellow amphibians begin to stalk and terrify the members of the millionaire’s entourage. The millionaire refuses to let the amphibian go, which results in great destruction of the city the millionaire lives in, as the amphibians use their psychic powers to create havoc. The amphibians are peaceable lot, driven violence only after one of their own kind has been kidnapped.
The Zanti Misfits. A small spaceship lands in the Arizona desert, bringing with it a small horde of the Zanti. The Zanti are tarantula sized aliens with hideous, scary human heads. An escaped prisoner opens the Zanti ship and lets the aliens out. The alien Zanti converge on the nearby Army base, where all the Zanti are destroyed. The Zanti leaders contact the Army base, thanking us for killing their most vicious prisoners. The peaceful Zanti could not do it themselves, but they knew that humans would have no trouble destroying creatures that they found to be different from them.
The Mice. A human convicted of murder named Chino volunteers to be transmitted to the planet Chromo, while that planet transmits one of their people to Earth. The Chromite comes to Earth first. It is allowed to roam freely on the grounds of the science Institute. Chino soon discovers that the Chromite is actually killing people and blaming it on Chino. It turns out that the planet Chromo also sense one of their criminals to Earth. Both volunteers were simply experimental mice, easily disposed of without risking anyone important.
The Architects of Fear. A group of scientists, fearing an imminent alien invasion, hatch a plan to unite all the nations of the world against that alien threat. One of them volunteers to be transformed into an alien. At the right time, he is placed in a spaceship and dropped from near orbit to land in a nearby suburb. The alien/scientist has second thoughts about his mission and tries to go home to see his wife. Naturally, she misunderstands who he is and he dies just as she realizes that the alien is her husband. The monsters in this particular episode were the scientists trying to fool the human race the foolish ruse.
This gives you some idea of the incredible ideas the show dealt with. While not every episode was a gem, there were enough excellent episodes that are memorable to this day. Even today, whenever I see a piece of newspaper being blown across the street, I still wonder if there might be an alien presence making a newspaper move by itself instead of the wind. I highly recommend seeking out and watching The Outer Limits.
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To Your Future,
Tom, the High Traffic Wizard
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