The first episode of The Outer Limits contains many elements which would reoccur throughout its run. A dedicated scientist who is obsessed with his work and neglects his emotional life until it's almost too late. A misunderstood alien visitor. A clash between high ideals of scholarship and the more venal concerns of commerce and greed. There are some minor differences between this pilot and later episodes, most notably a slightly longer title sequence which merges into the first scene of the story. But the strengths of the series are self-evident: intelligent writing, a well-realised alien creature and a terrific film noir look to it all, lots of stark shadows and a hard cold look to the picture. Cliff Robertson is ideal as the man reaching out to the stars, but missing the importance of people around him. A great template for the series.
23 Reviews
Not surprisingly, the first show from the series was about aliens...
planktonrules26 September 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Cliff Robertson stars as a radio station owner and amateur scientist. Using his station's transmitter, he's begun sending messages across the galaxy--and has created a device to transmit images in 3-dimensions! And, not surprisingly, he DOES make contact--with a weird-looking but seemingly benevolent creature. However, the alien was warned him NOT to increase the power output. Later, however, a stupid DJ jacks up the power--and this somehow sucks him through the device to planet Earth! However, there is something about the alien's biochemistry--he exudes radiation and an electrical storm follows him as he walks about the planet. Eventually, Robertson discovers the alien and wants to help send him back home.
This is an interesting episode because of two big reasons. First, the alien was NOT evil--just different and curious. It was a bit change from the typical alien in 50s sci-fi movies. Second, when you read on IMDb's trivia page how they made this very effective looking alien, it's really amazing how cheaply they made the creature--as "The Outer Limits" had a tinny budget and always seemed to make the most of it. The net effect is an entertaining and quite philosophical look at alien life as well as human nature. A good start to the series.
This is an interesting episode because of two big reasons. First, the alien was NOT evil--just different and curious. It was a bit change from the typical alien in 50s sci-fi movies. Second, when you read on IMDb's trivia page how they made this very effective looking alien, it's really amazing how cheaply they made the creature--as "The Outer Limits" had a tinny budget and always seemed to make the most of it. The net effect is an entertaining and quite philosophical look at alien life as well as human nature. A good start to the series.
Don't Touch That Dial!
fenian21537 January 2010
Warning: Spoilers
The other review of this episode hit the nail on the head: a brilliant template for the series. Cliff Robertson plays the single-minded radio station technician who contacts a being from another galaxy. He discovers the Galaxy Being and himself share traits such as intense curiosity and a willingness to take huge risks. When he's forced by his wife to step away from his experiment for a time, Alan (Robertson) tells a fill-in disc jockey not to increase transmitter power. He neglects to tell him the reason for this request. Of course the DJ takes this as a challenge and, once Alan is gone, turns the power dial all the way to maximum. The Being from another world is then instantly transported to Earth and all hell breaks loose. Besides his appearance, the thing that made the biggest impression on my ten-year old mind when this was originally broadcast in 1963, was the alien's assertion that "...electromagnetic radiation, infinity, God...all the same".
End of Transmission
claudio_carvalho10 February 2018
The radio station KXKVI operator Alan Maxwell (Cliff Robertson) uses most of the station´s power to research the space seeking life. When he contacts an extraterrestrial being from Andromeda, they exchange experiences and information. They agree that their experiment is illicit in both planets but they decide to go on in their conversation. However, Alan´s wife Carol Maxwell (Jacqueline Scott) interrupts him and forces Alan to go to a feast offered by the mayor and the community to him. The reluctant Alan goes to the banquet and leaves the channel of communication with the alien open in low power. He warns the Radio DJ Gene 'Buddy' Maxwell (Lee Philips) to keep the transmission in low power. However Buddy turns the power up to full, bringing the alien to Earth and causing havoc in the community.
("The Galaxy Being" is the first episode of "Outer Limits" with a great story of direct contact with an alien. In the period of the Cold War, there is an exaggerated importance and participation of the army. The special effects are ahead of time. The conclusion with the ignorance of the army and the being fading out is the reflection of this dark period. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Ser da Galáxia" ("The Galaxy Being")
("The Galaxy Being" is the first episode of "Outer Limits" with a great story of direct contact with an alien. In the period of the Cold War, there is an exaggerated importance and participation of the army. The special effects are ahead of time. The conclusion with the ignorance of the army and the being fading out is the reflection of this dark period. My vote is eight.
Title (Brazil): "O Ser da Galáxia" ("The Galaxy Being")
The Start Of A 1960s Trilogy
StuOz25 June 2014
Cliff Robertson makes contact with a friendly being from the outer limits of the galaxy.
I was not alive in 1963 when this first aired, instead I first saw it in about 1980 when I was still a High School kid.
The wonderful musical score, the B&W photography, the script, the acting from Cliff Robertson (aka Shame from the Adam West Batman series) all come together to create a top pilot for a top series! This pilot has no negatives, everything about it is good. As for the series as a whole (which I will do 49 IMDb reviews for), I view The Outer Limits as a pre-Star Trek (1966).
Granted, Limits was a monster-of-the-week show and Star Trek was not, but both shows were complicated and adult compared to Irwin Allen's Big Four 1960s Shows...so for that reason I pair up Limits with Star Trek (and the 1967 series The Invaders makes that pair a trilogy).
I was not alive in 1963 when this first aired, instead I first saw it in about 1980 when I was still a High School kid.
The wonderful musical score, the B&W photography, the script, the acting from Cliff Robertson (aka Shame from the Adam West Batman series) all come together to create a top pilot for a top series! This pilot has no negatives, everything about it is good. As for the series as a whole (which I will do 49 IMDb reviews for), I view The Outer Limits as a pre-Star Trek (1966).
Granted, Limits was a monster-of-the-week show and Star Trek was not, but both shows were complicated and adult compared to Irwin Allen's Big Four 1960s Shows...so for that reason I pair up Limits with Star Trek (and the 1967 series The Invaders makes that pair a trilogy).
The Outer Limits--The Galaxy Being
Scarecrow-883 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
Stealing power from his radio station's transmitter shed, Alan Maxwell(Cliff Robertson), an "electronics wizard", believes he has made contact with an alien being in a far reaching galaxy. Through his "bleeding electricity" with expensive equipment such as transistors, circuits, cathode ray tubes so he can develop visual 3 dimensional waves of sound on a visible screen, Alan believes he can reach the "secrets of the universe." Through a binary system thanks to Alan's computer, the alien can communicate to him with thought patterns, telling him that it is from Andromeda. When Alan must attend an award ceremony in his honor for what the radio station has done for the community, a temporary DJ decides to turn up the transmitter power so his voice could be heard cross country in turn causing the alien being to surface on Earth, the creature's radioactive power a danger to any human being it comes in contact with. Essentially electromagnetic microwaves, the transmitter's signal caught the alien being, giving it form. Because the alien had a desire to explore against the wishes of those it belongs, there are consequences. Actually a non-violent creature, it saves Allan's wife when she is shot by military aiming to kill the alien at the command of the government, considering the being a threat to humankind. Good sci-fi story with a message beckoning mankind to seek out the mysteries of the universe and explore beyond our own planet. The story also warrants against using violence just because we may not understand those who are different than us. What I always liked about this show was how grounded in science it was. And the screenplay is quite intellectually sound(we are carbon based life forms, the alien is nitrogen), even if the budget for the show isn't as rewarding. Jacqueline Scott is Carol, Alan's wife, who pleads with him to abandon his radio experiments and pay more attention to her and his duties running the station. Lee Philips is Gene "Buddy" Maxwell, Alan's brother and the voice of the radio station, questioning why he is wasting so much electricity and not giving credence to the sponsors who pay for them to broadcast. The creature is essentially a man in a rubber suit, but through an effective lighting technique, giving the creature a bright glow, it is odd and unnerving.
The Outer Limits-Episode one!!
elo-equipamentos27 October 2017
This series finally landed officially here in Brazil, really good news if you living here, we must pray everyday when it's happen, l've figure out the most probable The Twilight Zone's alike, watching the first episode gave me a good impression and l'm very excited about to came, how l've been watching sixty series at once, following three movies between, then l have to wait probable two months to watch the second episode, in this pilot had as guest star Cliff Robertson, not bad for a starting!!
Resume:
First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25
Resume:
First watch: 2017 / How many: 1 / Source: DVD / Rating: 7.25
Excellent pilot with daring discussion.
patrickbroderick_200017 August 2014
As the other reviewers pointed out, this was the beginning of a wonderful series of science fiction on early television. Even with a limited budget,Leslie Stevens & his colleagues managed to convey the effects needed for each thought-provoking story very well. Even the Schaper Cootie lookalikes in "The Zanti Misfits" scared the s#!+ out of me when I was a kid. (I couldn't play with the toy/game for a couple of months after that.)
But this episode also contained a unique, fascinating discussion of God, life & death and existence - an interesting give and take on mortality, immortality and how the universe all tie in together on a basic level. Similar to Kenobi explaining the Force to Luke but more grounded in the real science of physics and matter.
When I first saw this, it blew my Catholic-raised mind. Then I realized this was from 1963 and was stunned it was even allowed to air. But sci-fi can get away with this kind of thing since it's not 'real'.
Like the 1st interracial kiss on "Star Trek" or discussions on racism and intolerance that wouldn't make mainstream TV for several more years - when "All in the Family" burst on the airwaves. (A show that would never be made now, thanks to political correctness.) If you haven't seen it, give this episode a try and see what your reaction is to the Q&A between the Terran and the Andromedan.
And remember, don't be offended. It's just another point of view.
But this episode also contained a unique, fascinating discussion of God, life & death and existence - an interesting give and take on mortality, immortality and how the universe all tie in together on a basic level. Similar to Kenobi explaining the Force to Luke but more grounded in the real science of physics and matter.
When I first saw this, it blew my Catholic-raised mind. Then I realized this was from 1963 and was stunned it was even allowed to air. But sci-fi can get away with this kind of thing since it's not 'real'.
Like the 1st interracial kiss on "Star Trek" or discussions on racism and intolerance that wouldn't make mainstream TV for several more years - when "All in the Family" burst on the airwaves. (A show that would never be made now, thanks to political correctness.) If you haven't seen it, give this episode a try and see what your reaction is to the Q&A between the Terran and the Andromedan.
And remember, don't be offended. It's just another point of view.
"It looked like a man, but it wasn't."
classicsoncall13 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
Seen today, the image of the Galaxy Being seems incredibly tacky but was probably quite creative some sixty years ago when this first aired. How the look was achieved is mentioned in an IMDb trivia note which bears reading if one is interested. The first time I tried watching this episode some years ago I kept nodding off, and every time I opened my eyes, all I saw was the gimmicky flashing of lights and pulsing energy strobes. It turned me off to the story and unfortunately, turned me off to the series without really giving it a chance. In my fully conscious state today, I was intrigued by the conversation between the Galaxy Being and the obsessive radio station operator, Alan Maxwell (Cliff Robertson). Their dialog touched on concepts of immortality, infinity and God, territory that must have seemed foreign to a Sixties viewing audience. Soon after the alien entity was drawn into our dimension by the curious replacement DJ (Burt Metcalfe), and upon the arrival of military authorities with heavy weaponry, I was reminded of the 1951 science fiction film, "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Notwithstanding the destruction left in its path, the Galaxy Being offered a message to Earthlings to explore the mysteries of the universe, without a specific warning to stop meddling in forces with the potential to wipe out mankind or be a threat to other galaxies. That message was implied in the earlier conversation with Maxwell however, and was just as poignant back then as it would be today, as we continuously strive to expand our knowledge of the universe.
Frightening when I was four
peterp-hubka2 March 2022
First Transmission
AaronCapenBanner10 March 2016
Warning: Spoilers
First episode of this classic TV series stars Cliff Robertson as Alan Maxwell, who runs a radio station with his brother Gene(played by Lee Philips) who acts as a Disc Jockey there, while Alan is the explorer/inventor who creates a means of communicating with a being from another galaxy who is quite similar in feeling and circumstance to him, that is also conducting unauthorized experiments. When Alan is forced to attend a party, another DJ foolishly increases the power, ejecting the galaxy being out of his containment field and into the world, creating chaos in its wake... Fine way to start the series is both interesting and intelligent(if a bit contrived).
Just Don't SETI Well
darbski7 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Yeah, nobody mentioned the part about it being years before SETI was up and running. I know that we're so erudite about technology and all that we can look back and view with almost pitiful acknowledgment of this show's attempt to maybe tell another side of things - good or bad.
I give it a 10 because of the acting, and the fact that the presentation of life as another form of existence was very interesting considering our preconditioning that all must be made (even god) in our image.
I give it a 10 because of the acting, and the fact that the presentation of life as another form of existence was very interesting considering our preconditioning that all must be made (even god) in our image.
A good Pilot for a great Science Ficiton show!
b_kite4 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Episode 1 has Adventurous radio station operator Alan Maxwell (Cliff Robertson)
contacting a fellow experimenter and alien being in another galaxy. When he is
forced however by his unbelieving wife (Jacqueline Scott) to go to a benefit
event in his honor,
he locks the being in 3D communication, but a upstart DJ who wants to impress
by opening the signals range, boosts the signal all the way up, unknowingly
sucking the alien, who's composed of electricity, into the remote desert town,
witch wrecks havoc in the process. Now its up to Alan to send the alien being
back in time before its to late.
Its no suprise that the first episode of this wonderful '60 sci fi anthology series was about a human contacting an alien being from another galaxy. The story about a radio station operator managing to find life outside earth thru a radio station signal is a pretty nice unique story. The creature itself is done very well I must say and holds up very good by today's standards. However the only thing that is keeping me from giving this a higher rating is that it seems every character in this thing is an insensitive idiot other then Cliff Robertson. The wife as I think another review stated is the worst and seems to be here for nothing other then to give Robertson's character a hard time, which makes it even more better towards the end when the being saves her life in an incredible stupid scene were she is accidentally shot. All in all its a nice start to a much to short lived series.
Its no suprise that the first episode of this wonderful '60 sci fi anthology series was about a human contacting an alien being from another galaxy. The story about a radio station operator managing to find life outside earth thru a radio station signal is a pretty nice unique story. The creature itself is done very well I must say and holds up very good by today's standards. However the only thing that is keeping me from giving this a higher rating is that it seems every character in this thing is an insensitive idiot other then Cliff Robertson. The wife as I think another review stated is the worst and seems to be here for nothing other then to give Robertson's character a hard time, which makes it even more better towards the end when the being saves her life in an incredible stupid scene were she is accidentally shot. All in all its a nice start to a much to short lived series.
A Great Premise, but its Aging is Awful!
andrewestrella2 November 2018
Warning: Spoilers
So, I really enjoyed the concept of this to a great extent. Basically, the Pilot attempts to show the mystical, spiritual, and ghostly nature of the perception of the radio at the time, and even went as far as showing how it can be used to communicate with an alien from space. Albeit, the alien looks god-awful.
Still, I enjoyed the premise, even if it is scientifically inaccurate by today's standards. The alien's design was awful and I chuckled every time the camera was just move closer and closer the alien, like I was supposed to be scared, like what? I am just wanting to laugh, so stop! Haha. Regardless though, the episode was enjoyable, kept my interest along the way, and had a main character that I kind of liked. His dialogue with the alien was actually pretty intriguing. "Do you believe in a God?" "Why are there holes on your face?" It was just kind of fun.
I am looking forward to the rest of the season and overall series though, even if this was kind of horribly aged.
Also, anybody else lol when the police shot the main character's wife for no reason?
Still, I enjoyed the premise, even if it is scientifically inaccurate by today's standards. The alien's design was awful and I chuckled every time the camera was just move closer and closer the alien, like I was supposed to be scared, like what? I am just wanting to laugh, so stop! Haha. Regardless though, the episode was enjoyable, kept my interest along the way, and had a main character that I kind of liked. His dialogue with the alien was actually pretty intriguing. "Do you believe in a God?" "Why are there holes on your face?" It was just kind of fun.
I am looking forward to the rest of the season and overall series though, even if this was kind of horribly aged.
Also, anybody else lol when the police shot the main character's wife for no reason?
An impressive debut episode.
Sleepin_Dragon12 February 2023
Alan Maxwell, an Operator and Radio Station KXKVI UAE's The Station's technology and power to search for life in The Galaxy, he unexpectedly happens across a being from another galaxy, and an accident brings it to Earth.
I can only imagine what audiences first thought when they say down to watch this first episode. Considering it was made in 1963, this was quite advanced, those special effects, though dated now of course, were better than anything else I can think of from that time.
I would assume that better episodes will follow, but in the context of things, I think this was a pretty impressive first episode, and really did its job in managing to hook audiences.
The alien being really did surprise me, I was expecting it to be a mindless killing machine, instead it was reasoned and intelligent, not what I was expecting.
Creatively produced, imaginatively written and well acted, I thought this was an impressive start.
8/10.
I can only imagine what audiences first thought when they say down to watch this first episode. Considering it was made in 1963, this was quite advanced, those special effects, though dated now of course, were better than anything else I can think of from that time.
I would assume that better episodes will follow, but in the context of things, I think this was a pretty impressive first episode, and really did its job in managing to hook audiences.
The alien being really did surprise me, I was expecting it to be a mindless killing machine, instead it was reasoned and intelligent, not what I was expecting.
Creatively produced, imaginatively written and well acted, I thought this was an impressive start.
8/10.
Top marks
Leofwine_draca18 February 2022
I wasn't expecting to enjoy this as much as I did but it's a great little episode. The alien being looks fantastic and the primitive SFX work an absolute treat. The story is mannered, reasoned and intelligent and it's much more than an alien-on-the-rampage tale. Top marks!
The Galaxy Being
Prismark104 February 2023
The first episode of The Outer Limits is essentially The Day The Earth Stood Still recycled.
Alan Maxwell (Cliff Robertson) is an obsessed radio station technician who uses the power to track for alien lifeforms.
He makes contact with a liked minded alien from another galaxy. They communicate and the alien tells Alan that he should not be in contact with him. Humans have a reputation for violence.
While Alan is whisked off to an award dinner in his honour. The alien is zinged to Earth when the radio DJ increases the power. This causes havoc as people getting near the alien get radiation burns.
I found that the first episode was too talky. It seemed a bit far out why Alan Maxwell was deserving of a mayoral award banquet. Some of the science was a bit flaky.
However it does hit the paranoia of the 50s and 60s, that was touched on by other sci-fi shows and movies.
Alan Maxwell (Cliff Robertson) is an obsessed radio station technician who uses the power to track for alien lifeforms.
He makes contact with a liked minded alien from another galaxy. They communicate and the alien tells Alan that he should not be in contact with him. Humans have a reputation for violence.
While Alan is whisked off to an award dinner in his honour. The alien is zinged to Earth when the radio DJ increases the power. This causes havoc as people getting near the alien get radiation burns.
I found that the first episode was too talky. It seemed a bit far out why Alan Maxwell was deserving of a mayoral award banquet. Some of the science was a bit flaky.
However it does hit the paranoia of the 50s and 60s, that was touched on by other sci-fi shows and movies.
Amazing b/w effects
lucyrfisher8 January 2022
Warning: Spoilers
The radio station owner and the alien, once they're in contact, cover the big questions. God? He is electromagnetism. Can the alien die? No. The station owner's wife interrupts - they're expected at an awards ceremony. So the man leaves this fascinating metaphysical dialogue to accept an award and dance the cha cha with a lot of middle-aged townspeople. Meanwhile the substitute DJ turns up the power and the alien is sucked into our world. He and it are incompatible. The army are called out and shoot on sight. The alien can't go back or he'd be punished by dissolution, so to save Earth he dissolves himself, after another philosophical exchange. "What will it be like?" asks the station manager. The alien opts to find out.
How being a pushover husband can result in death, destruction and mayhem.
fedor822 April 2021
Warning: Spoilers
Robertson makes the discovery of the century - an alien being - yet he allows himself to be blackmailed by his inept wife into ABANDONING communication with this thing just so he can waste an hour on a ceremony intended to honour him (whatever for... after all, his non-supportive wife did call him a "nobody" just minutes earlier). This alone hampers the story's credibility and logic considerably.
The wife scolds him for not taking care of the business, clearly implying that he runs the radio station so badly that it borders on ruin - yet Cliff is a respected member of the town who is about to get his own honorary plaque!
In other words, his whiny wife serves as a total source of misinformation and contradictions. Through her we find out that Cliff allegedly gets "very angry" whenever someone challenges his experimental scientific work. Yet, there is zero evidence of this non-existent aggressive personality trait: Cliff doesn't even get mildly upset - while he is being disturbed and blackmailed - just as he is in the midst of his incredible discovery. Quite to the contrary: far be it for his wife to have to walk on eggshells around him; he appears instead to be a proper pushover, not at all a stubborn fanatical hobby astronomer as she suggests.
Ask ANY astrologist, cosmologist, astrophysicist or hobby UFOlogist whether this scenario seems remotely realistic and they'd laugh it off as ludicrous. Nobody on this entire planet would be coerced into leaving their lab under such circumstances. Of course, this banquet or whatever is just a dumb plot-device utilized by the writer in order to push the plot in the desired direction i.e. To allow the alien to unnecessarily (and illogically) cause havoc. What are the odds that Cliff stumbles upon the discovery of the century at THE EXACT day when there is a luncheon in his honour, which he "must" attend to? Almost as low as Sean Penn winning the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The interaction between Cliff and the alien isn't particularly well thought-out either. The alien tells Cliff that "matter time and space are all the same... infinity is God", which is the sort of vague claptrap that is acceptable in a sci-fi pulp comic-book, but appears somewhat childish on the screen. Nor is their conversation very logical: they communicate in English, through some hokey translation device I presume, yet the alien asks stuff like "what does nose mean?" But this is fairly minor stuff, and anyway fairly common in sci-fi.
Certainly very minor compared to the nonsense that "it is forbidden to communicate with Earth because you (Earthlings) are a danger to other galaxies". The alien is of course referring to nuclear bombs which Cliff had mentioned just prior. Question: if these aliens are electro-magnetically-nitrogenically immortal then what the hell have they got to fear bombs for?! Another question: how could Earth possibly be a danger to "other galaxies", when it's not even a threat to Neptune! (Try detonating a nuclear device there, and it would be like a mere firecracker exploding.) Nor even Mars, in fact. Does this writer even know what a galaxy is? Somehow I doubt it. He must have confused it with "solar system"; many hack sci-fi writers use "galaxy" and "universe" anyway as synonyms. 20th-century Earth being a threat to "other galaxies" is the kind of hooey that should be only in "Plan 9" and other such ultra-cheesy B-movie nonsense. ("Plan 9" is LITERALLY about Earth being a threat to the universe due to its weapons of mass destruction.)
Yet later on the alien in his clumsy speech to the military says: "You people of Earth, there are powers in the universe beyond anything you know." This kinda contradicts the stuff about humankind posing a threat to the galaxy. If humans are so technologically backward then surely their nuclear weaponry is a minor threat at best. One of several glaring contradictions in this sloppy script.
And, man, is that speech dumb or what: the alien - projecting Gandhi - warns humans to stop using force, yet this alien seems to happily ignore all the carnage which he caused in the small town. So is he a selfish dolt incapable of self-criticism or just a manipulative, deceiving spin-doctor? We already knew that he broke the laws of his world by contacting Earth, so who is this renegade to moralize to anybody? His decision to break his world's stringent law caused death and destruction, so he really has no high moral ground to stand on. He is a hypocrite, if anything. Either that, or an idiot.
Even dumber though is the crowd's utterly unrealistic reaction after the alien bids them farewell: both the civilians and the military CASUALLY disperse as if leaving a night-club or a garage sale! In fact, there is more excitement and animated reactions to be found among buyers of one-dollar books than among this bunch that had just witnessed a visitor from outer space! Laughable direction.
When all is said and done, Cliff's whiny wife basically caused the demise of at least 5 people, because she blackmailed her hubby to attend the luncheon at all cost. So the message must be this: keep your wife in submission, don't be a submissive beta like Cliff otherwise things will go South. The writer Stevens obviously never intended this, but hey, that's what all of this boils down to, whether he wanted it or not. Then again, maybe he did, because he had her shot.
Yes, shot. I mean by the dumb cop, not by Stevens. Shot point blank, execution style, and for no reason whatsoever. The cop even had ample time to figure out that it was a civilian woman appearing at the door, not a monster or Al Capone. That scene is so utterly idiotic, even Ed Wood might have had qualms about it. This too was just a dumb plot-device used only so the alien could display his healing power, proving what a goody-two-shoes he is after all. But where were those healing powers for the people he killed in the car and the radio station? Logic holes abound.
How about showing some of that "superior" brain power though? The alien waltzed through the town, causing devastation and death, which means either he just didn't give a hoot, or he's as thick as Cliff's wife.
Robertson is a very good actor, and the alien special effects are fairly nice, but this script was simply too generic and undisciplined to result in a good episode.
The wife scolds him for not taking care of the business, clearly implying that he runs the radio station so badly that it borders on ruin - yet Cliff is a respected member of the town who is about to get his own honorary plaque!
In other words, his whiny wife serves as a total source of misinformation and contradictions. Through her we find out that Cliff allegedly gets "very angry" whenever someone challenges his experimental scientific work. Yet, there is zero evidence of this non-existent aggressive personality trait: Cliff doesn't even get mildly upset - while he is being disturbed and blackmailed - just as he is in the midst of his incredible discovery. Quite to the contrary: far be it for his wife to have to walk on eggshells around him; he appears instead to be a proper pushover, not at all a stubborn fanatical hobby astronomer as she suggests.
Ask ANY astrologist, cosmologist, astrophysicist or hobby UFOlogist whether this scenario seems remotely realistic and they'd laugh it off as ludicrous. Nobody on this entire planet would be coerced into leaving their lab under such circumstances. Of course, this banquet or whatever is just a dumb plot-device utilized by the writer in order to push the plot in the desired direction i.e. To allow the alien to unnecessarily (and illogically) cause havoc. What are the odds that Cliff stumbles upon the discovery of the century at THE EXACT day when there is a luncheon in his honour, which he "must" attend to? Almost as low as Sean Penn winning the Nobel Prize in Physics.
The interaction between Cliff and the alien isn't particularly well thought-out either. The alien tells Cliff that "matter time and space are all the same... infinity is God", which is the sort of vague claptrap that is acceptable in a sci-fi pulp comic-book, but appears somewhat childish on the screen. Nor is their conversation very logical: they communicate in English, through some hokey translation device I presume, yet the alien asks stuff like "what does nose mean?" But this is fairly minor stuff, and anyway fairly common in sci-fi.
Certainly very minor compared to the nonsense that "it is forbidden to communicate with Earth because you (Earthlings) are a danger to other galaxies". The alien is of course referring to nuclear bombs which Cliff had mentioned just prior. Question: if these aliens are electro-magnetically-nitrogenically immortal then what the hell have they got to fear bombs for?! Another question: how could Earth possibly be a danger to "other galaxies", when it's not even a threat to Neptune! (Try detonating a nuclear device there, and it would be like a mere firecracker exploding.) Nor even Mars, in fact. Does this writer even know what a galaxy is? Somehow I doubt it. He must have confused it with "solar system"; many hack sci-fi writers use "galaxy" and "universe" anyway as synonyms. 20th-century Earth being a threat to "other galaxies" is the kind of hooey that should be only in "Plan 9" and other such ultra-cheesy B-movie nonsense. ("Plan 9" is LITERALLY about Earth being a threat to the universe due to its weapons of mass destruction.)
Yet later on the alien in his clumsy speech to the military says: "You people of Earth, there are powers in the universe beyond anything you know." This kinda contradicts the stuff about humankind posing a threat to the galaxy. If humans are so technologically backward then surely their nuclear weaponry is a minor threat at best. One of several glaring contradictions in this sloppy script.
And, man, is that speech dumb or what: the alien - projecting Gandhi - warns humans to stop using force, yet this alien seems to happily ignore all the carnage which he caused in the small town. So is he a selfish dolt incapable of self-criticism or just a manipulative, deceiving spin-doctor? We already knew that he broke the laws of his world by contacting Earth, so who is this renegade to moralize to anybody? His decision to break his world's stringent law caused death and destruction, so he really has no high moral ground to stand on. He is a hypocrite, if anything. Either that, or an idiot.
Even dumber though is the crowd's utterly unrealistic reaction after the alien bids them farewell: both the civilians and the military CASUALLY disperse as if leaving a night-club or a garage sale! In fact, there is more excitement and animated reactions to be found among buyers of one-dollar books than among this bunch that had just witnessed a visitor from outer space! Laughable direction.
When all is said and done, Cliff's whiny wife basically caused the demise of at least 5 people, because she blackmailed her hubby to attend the luncheon at all cost. So the message must be this: keep your wife in submission, don't be a submissive beta like Cliff otherwise things will go South. The writer Stevens obviously never intended this, but hey, that's what all of this boils down to, whether he wanted it or not. Then again, maybe he did, because he had her shot.
Yes, shot. I mean by the dumb cop, not by Stevens. Shot point blank, execution style, and for no reason whatsoever. The cop even had ample time to figure out that it was a civilian woman appearing at the door, not a monster or Al Capone. That scene is so utterly idiotic, even Ed Wood might have had qualms about it. This too was just a dumb plot-device used only so the alien could display his healing power, proving what a goody-two-shoes he is after all. But where were those healing powers for the people he killed in the car and the radio station? Logic holes abound.
How about showing some of that "superior" brain power though? The alien waltzed through the town, causing devastation and death, which means either he just didn't give a hoot, or he's as thick as Cliff's wife.
Robertson is a very good actor, and the alien special effects are fairly nice, but this script was simply too generic and undisciplined to result in a good episode.
Interesting but Tacky
Hitchcoc1 January 2015
I'm just rewatching the original series. I have to say that while this episode has an interesting concept, the acting and the basic plot elements are lacking. The interaction among the characters is stiff and unbelievable. The wife is an insensitive stiff who refuses to listen to her husband, not even giving him a chance to explain himself or to involve him in what he is doing. Cliff Robertson has made an intergalactic connection where a being that is brought to him through waves he receives in a radio transmission station takes on a corporeal being when a silly dial is turned up by an idiot disc jockey. The thing begins to run around town, emitting some kind of death ray, while Cliff attends and awards ceremony in his honor. How they attempt to come to grips is amazingly stupid. Not a very good beginning to the series.
Great pilot
goodbadodd110 November 2018
the discovery of a nobody
AvionPrince1629 February 2024
Warning: Spoilers
That first episode of outer limits talk about the discovery of a man who work at a station and will discover a different form of life from another planet.
We see that man completely focus on his work and that discovery .
Its completely hard to believe but let us use our. Imagination about "if" it happened one day .
So the worries come when the man get away and that something happened in the station with that form a life who get away of his limits. It made us completely make us interested again about what will happened.
We have that kind of worries and we witness that form of life living in that planet earth
An episode that need to make us quite imaginative even if its hard to believe .
But its ok : we watch until the final resolution.
A nice first episode and a nice start of the show. And whats really about.
We see that man completely focus on his work and that discovery .
Its completely hard to believe but let us use our. Imagination about "if" it happened one day .
So the worries come when the man get away and that something happened in the station with that form a life who get away of his limits. It made us completely make us interested again about what will happened.
We have that kind of worries and we witness that form of life living in that planet earth
An episode that need to make us quite imaginative even if its hard to believe .
But its ok : we watch until the final resolution.
A nice first episode and a nice start of the show. And whats really about.
The alien was incredible looking as well as Jacqueline Scott and about God
bmulkey-8159716 March 2023
Warning: Spoilers
Cliff Robertson in the technical lead is A-OK but nothing he should have won an Emmy for ( and he did not). Jacqueline Scott OTOH is very beautiful viewing and wears and elegantly walks in very high heels. Truly incredible. The creature is shown in a visually highly impressive way especially when it starts to hit town. The special effects monster ( somebody played him ) and Miss Scott are what is best about the ep indeed.
On the point about God however. He is not made by us in our image. The Bible has great scientific accuracy ( like round Earth and jet streams and much more!) proving it is His word indeed. God is a sub-theme briefly in this this ep.
On the point about God however. He is not made by us in our image. The Bible has great scientific accuracy ( like round Earth and jet streams and much more!) proving it is His word indeed. God is a sub-theme briefly in this this ep.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
