Some of the better entries in this series are those that take place in deep space. This is a bit of a "Star Trek Voyager" type of episode. A cargo ship has been driven into a hole of some kind where the stars have disappeared and ghosts of dead space travelers come aboard. Add to that the fact that the brother of one of the principle characters, who disappeared years ago on an explorer vessel, appears as a hologram/ghost. He imparts his contentiousness. The sibling rivalry continues beyond death. The dead man was the perfect son, sports star, military hero, and dad's favorite. However, he does have a secret that if brought up would tarnish his reputation. There are also some aliens that look like big praying mantises. They are also non-corporeal but very threatening. The issue at hand is, how does one get out of this spot and not become the next victim of this interplanetary graveyard. As with the aforementioned "Star Trek" thing, there is considerable jargon and a lot of activities taken at faith. Still, it's fun and suspenseful, and not as depressing as some of the other episodes.
7 Reviews
Probably the First Great Episode of the 90's Outer Limits
William_E_Hunter13 July 2021
Considering the 90's redo of The Outer Limits... I think the first episode of the series that I really appreciated was 'Dark Matters', which came 11 episodes into the first season. In my opinion, a show that takes that long to produce a truly interesting and enjoyable episode is probably on shaky ground. But still, it took Star Trek: The Next Generation an entire first season before it found its space legs, so there you go.
Speaking of Trek, the plot of this OL episode is one that can be found in a multitude of Trek shows: a crew of a space freighter get trapped in a strange, starless void where other ships have become imprisoned, physics go out the window and the dead can find no peace. It feels like the best kind of science fiction story, where the particulars of space travel are dealt with, but it also studies the humanity of the people who travel out into it.
'Dark Matters' features John Heard, an actor I always appreciate watching. Less so with the female lead, Annette O'Toole. I always find her a bit wooden in her roles: she's an actor you can actually see trying to act, which is not a good look for someone trying to breathe life into a character. When you place your characters into fantastic situations, you need rock solid performances to ground your audience and make the far-fetched seem plausible. O'Toole and the other weak link in the cast, Micheal Dolan as the spiritual crew member Rob, sabotage the episode somewhat.
Still though, 'Dark Matters' as a whole represents a solid episode of the series, exploring the dangers of space travel... and the darker recesses of the human heart.
Speaking of Trek, the plot of this OL episode is one that can be found in a multitude of Trek shows: a crew of a space freighter get trapped in a strange, starless void where other ships have become imprisoned, physics go out the window and the dead can find no peace. It feels like the best kind of science fiction story, where the particulars of space travel are dealt with, but it also studies the humanity of the people who travel out into it.
'Dark Matters' features John Heard, an actor I always appreciate watching. Less so with the female lead, Annette O'Toole. I always find her a bit wooden in her roles: she's an actor you can actually see trying to act, which is not a good look for someone trying to breathe life into a character. When you place your characters into fantastic situations, you need rock solid performances to ground your audience and make the far-fetched seem plausible. O'Toole and the other weak link in the cast, Micheal Dolan as the spiritual crew member Rob, sabotage the episode somewhat.
Still though, 'Dark Matters' as a whole represents a solid episode of the series, exploring the dangers of space travel... and the darker recesses of the human heart.
Religious space SF
Bored_Dragon4 January 2019
Warning: Spoilers
The transport spaceship gets pulled from hyperspace and gets stuck in the curvature of space and time. The crew soon discovers two more ships, one military and one alien. Soon the crews of these ships appear on their ship in an immaterial state. Holograms? Ghosts? Energy residues?
The episode quite convincingly presents the technical and spiritual elements of the story, exploring morale, religion, and human nature through SF drama. Technically it's nothing special, since this is just an episode of a low-budget series, but the story is interesting and the acting is above average for this type of series. One of the main roles is played by Annette O'Toole, known for the role of Lana Lang in the first Superman series and Martha Kent, Superman's mother in the "Smallville".
6/10
The episode quite convincingly presents the technical and spiritual elements of the story, exploring morale, religion, and human nature through SF drama. Technically it's nothing special, since this is just an episode of a low-budget series, but the story is interesting and the acting is above average for this type of series. One of the main roles is played by Annette O'Toole, known for the role of Lana Lang in the first Superman series and Martha Kent, Superman's mother in the "Smallville".
6/10
"It's kind of a cosmic speed bump."
classicsoncall23 July 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I thought the title of this episode had more to do with the personal conflict felt by Paul Stein (John Heard) over a childhood accident involving his brother than it did with the massive obstacle the crew of the transport vessel Nestor encountered in deep space. The two elements of the story were combined nicely however, and contributed to an effective sci-fi episode touching on aspects of religion, belief and human mortality. The alien life forms appeared threatening enough even if their mission was the same as the Nestor's crew to find a way out of their predicament, trapped in some type of void that bordered on death. The dialog between Paul and brother Kevin (David Cubitt) effectively led to Paul's release from the guilt he felt over the long ago tragedy, while offering a perspective to Kevin that would allow him to accept a past that didn't diminish his heroism in the line of duty. I still question using forced plasma injection into the hyperdrive to get the Nestor out of trouble, but it worked, so who am I to say?
Simply the Best...
Flashdime13 September 2008
I know, everyone who watches an anthology TV show like THE OUTER LIMITS regularly most likely has his/hers favorite Installments and this episode isn't among it (this is based on personal Inqueries I made concerning this show). When I saw DARK MATTERS in the first season of this then young show (despite the fact that this is the "second Beginning" since there was a predecessor) I immediately knew - no matter how long this show will run - it would be hard for any subsequent episode to surpass this single installment. After having seen all it's about 150 shows, despite some very good installment in between, I haven't changed my attitude. I was impressed by D.M. from the very beginning. The Cast was formidable and the SPFX especially the aliens featured on this show were terrific. But that was only the outer shell. It was the writing talent of Allan Brennert who took me under it's spell. His quality writing and his ability to combine elements of religion, science-fiction and - literally - the human soul is very fascinating and touching and, at least in my opinion, among the best even SF in literature can deliver. If you too are among those (few) who liked this episode check out his work on THE (New) TWILIGHT ZONE, especially HER PILGRIM SOUL which has similar Qualities and featuring a brilliant Gary Cole, QUARANTINE, and A SMALL TALENT FOR WAR for example.
Thank you
Thank you
Good plot, well played out
habren2 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
The excellent plot was well played out by all actors. I liked the idea of dark matter trapping the cargo vessel and the arch of the dead crew of the Slayan to help clarify the plot.
To me the technical explanations did not seem like far out techno babble, but logical explanations for the reason for them being torn out of hyperspace and getting trapped and for the crew of the Slayan to have died.
The live stock alien turtle was well created and the aliens were not excellent but good enough. The personnel disputes about shifts, experience and trust were credible.
I didn't like the idea of the souls of the dead remained on the ship so much, as this was a little too much being already an outer space episode, but it was a good way to explain the plot to the viewer.
Another small point of criticism was the unnecessary and revealing spandex outfits of the kids. If they wore normal clothes the point would have come across.
To me the technical explanations did not seem like far out techno babble, but logical explanations for the reason for them being torn out of hyperspace and getting trapped and for the crew of the Slayan to have died.
The live stock alien turtle was well created and the aliens were not excellent but good enough. The personnel disputes about shifts, experience and trust were credible.
I didn't like the idea of the souls of the dead remained on the ship so much, as this was a little too much being already an outer space episode, but it was a good way to explain the plot to the viewer.
Another small point of criticism was the unnecessary and revealing spandex outfits of the kids. If they wore normal clothes the point would have come across.
Great episode.
petewood-5995112 March 2020
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