ALL SCI-FI

[Bud Brewster]

During the seven seasons of this remarkable series, it presented 152 episodes with stories that covered a wide range of science fiction topics, including space travel, time travel, aliens invasions, post-apocalyptic worlds, robots, scientific advancements, and a host of other imaginative concepts.

The acting, direction, writing, photography, and special effects were always top notch.

The stories ranged from very good to excellent, with many episodes which ranked as the best science fiction ever presented on television

Amazon offers the complete series box set for $97.53.

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Hot Damn, today I received my wonderful box set of The Outer Limits complete series, . . . just one day after I ordering it!

Frankly, I wasn't sure whether to start watching it from the very first episode, because I thought I remembered it too well. But as soon as I started it, I realized that this episode was packed with great scenes I didn't remember at all!

Anyone who truly loves science fiction should be an ardent fan of this amazing series. The first episode, The Sand Kings, is highly imaginative, extremely intelligent, brilliantly written, skillfully directed, and superbly acted by a stellar cast which included Jeff Bridges and his famous father, Lloyd Bridges!

Add to that the fact that the premise is awesome!
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A probe goes to Mars and brings back soil samples which contain dormant insect eggs. Scientist Jeff Bridges spends five years cultivating and nurturing these eggs in a controlled environment. Eventually the Martian insects hatch, lay more eggs, and their population increases.

So far, that's nothing new for insects, right?

But these aren't terrestrial insects. Even though Earth's ants have a remarkable hive instinct which enables them to do amazing things, these Martian insects take the whole concept to the next level.

These Martian insect possess a shared hive intelligence. That's what makes this story so compelling to watch.

In the opening scene, one of the insects demonstrates its intelligence by escaping the controlled habitat, defeating all the security measures at the government research project, and almost escaping.

All that happens in the first few minutes of episode!

Because of the risk this poses to Earth, the government shuts down Jeff Bridge's five-year-long project and fires him, forcing the poor guy to steal a small egg-laden sample of the soil and continue his research in a laboratory which he sets up in the barn at his home.

At this point the story becomes a struggle between Jeff and the intelligent Martian insects. Jeff wants to control these alien organism's development so he can eventually stun the world when he reveals the results of his research.

However, the Martian insects want to break free of their status as "lab rats" and escape into the wild!

The situation gets more complicated (and more interesting) when Jeff becomes intoxicated by the power he has over the micro-community of intelligent beings he's secretly keeping in his barn-laboratory!

Jeff Bridges creates an interesting and likable character. But the poor man is severely flawed by his all-consuming ambition to prove that the Martian insects are actually the sentient Martian aliens which mankind has been searching for since we first thought there were canals on the Red Planet!

Be advised, folks, that we don't actually see the Martian insects until near the end of the episode — just the fast movements they make beneath the sandy surface of their glass-enclosed environment in Jeff's barn. They're like super-gofers that race around under the soil like the graboids in Tremors!

I actually liked the fact the episode preserved the mystery of the Martian insect's appearance. It's similar to the way The Thing from Another World denied us a clear look at the alien throughout that classic movie.

This first episode of The Outer Limits set the bar pretty high for the rest of the series. It presents well-conceived science fiction stories which were presented with high production values.

Episode 2 is the second half of this two-part episode, and Jeff's struggle with the savage and intelligent Martian insects becomes a life-or-death battle!

I highly recommend the box set of this exceptional program.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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The Sand Kings - part 2

Part 2 of The Sand Kings dials up the "weirdness factor" to 10 as Jeff Bridges' mental state deteriorates. His delusions of godhood increase, and the Sand Kings are finally shown in all their creepy glory.

They eat the family dog . . . as well as the man who fired Jeff from his job at the research center.

By the climax, the Sand Kings are swarming all through Jeff's house, threatening to gobble up him, his son, and his wife. It's a dynamic story that never gets dull and never becomes predictable.
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Valerie 23 (S01 E02)

Valerie 23 features Sofia Shinas as Valerie, the sexiest (and creepiest) robot you'll ever see, and William Sadler (Die Hard 2) as a paraplegic who agrees to test her/it as a companion for disabled veterans.

The sexy part is the scene where Valerie decides to be the best damn woman William ever saw, so she strips down and seduces him (a jaw-dropping nude scene).

The creepy part is the scene where Valerie gets jealous of William's lovely physical therapist (Karen Allen from Robocop) and tries to kill her.

Miss Sofia Shinas returns in a later episode as the sexiest and creepiest robot nanny you ever saw.
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Blood Brothers (S01E03)

Blood Brothers is a fascinating episode that gives the viewer a lot to think about.

Charles Martin Smith (American Graffiti) and Martin Kemp play brothers who own a large drug company. Charles is a brilliant researcher, and Martin runs the business end of the corporation.

Charles invents a serum which allows the body to restore any damage in seconds — effectively neutralizing injuries, illness, and even aging!

But the brothers strongly disagree about what to do with the serum. Charles wants to give it to the world and cure all illnesses, while Martin wants to control the discovery . . . and by doing so, control the world.

It's interesting to note that Charles is dead wrong about wanting to make absolutely everybody immune to illness and aging. Brother Martin, greedy though he may be, points out that within a few years the lack of deaths due to aging, injury, and illness would create a population explosion that would plunge the world into starvation and chaos!

Statistically, 140 million babies are born every year in the world, but only 60 million people die. If the death rate plunges, it would be effectively like increasing the yearly birth rate by almost 50%.

Martin was actual right (but for the wrong reason) when he wanted to keep the serum a secret and administer it to a carefully chosen few.

The only possible solution to this problem would be to engineer the serum so that it also made the recipient sterile. Since absolutely everybody would be desperate to get this longevity miracle drug, we could deal with the over-population problem with the same serum that made people live longer.

Think of it this way; some of the healthy young people who wanted to have kids would be willing to wait a few years before getting the serum.

Conversely, the less healthy young people with genetic disorders, current illnesses, and family histories of cancer etc. would want to receive the serum right away. However, this would mean giving up their ability to have children, and that would help solve the over-population problem.

The bottom line is that a longevity drug would be disastrous without some way to prevent an over-population explosion that would doom mankind.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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The Second Soul (S01E04)


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Holy smoke, what a weird concept!

An alien spaceship containing refugees from a dying planet goes into Earth orbit and contacts mankind with the strangest request imaginable. Try to imagine the strangest request you can before reading the next paragraph, which reveals the bizzare thing the aliens want.

Mykelti Williamson plays a doctor who is in charge of providing the aliens with the thing they've requested. But he's bothered by it because he thinks it makes the aliens "parasites" — which is not actually true, because this is the definition of that term.
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An organism that lives in-or-on an organism of another species (its host) and benefits by deriving nutrients at the other's expense.
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The aliens aren't parasites, because the thing they request from mankind is . . . the bodies of our dead.

That surprised you, right?

These aliens are non-corporeal life forms who can inhabit a dead body — as long as the corpse can be repaired by the alien's regenerative powers. These aliens need to move into a new dead body every few years, and the spacecraft contains a over 100,000 aliens who need new bodies.

In a sense, these aliens are like body-less souls who need to inhabit soulless bodies!

The resurrected bodies which are being inhabited become part of human society, but the aliens don't have the memories of the deceased person they inhabit. They speak English and act perfectly normal — but the memories and the character of the deceased person is gone.

And that, of course, creates a terrible situation for the friends and relatives of the deceased.

Knowing that the loved ones they lost have come back from the dead and now living new lives makes these people yearn to reunite with them . . . despite the fact that they're no long human being on the inside!

Wild idea, eh? Gord lord, I love this series!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Virtual Future (S01E07)





This is a great "time travel" story, another example of the quality science fiction yhis series offers.

Josh Brolin plays a brilliant young research scientist who discovers that his newly developed VR suit has the unexpected ability to virtually project him several hours into the future for a brief period, allowing him to see and hear what's happening.

The CEO of the corporation he works for is delighted by this development, because it gives him the ability to gain advanced knowledge that will help his political aspirations.

David Warner does a fine job (as usual) as the ambitious and unscrupulous man who's willing to commit murder to win an upcoming election.

Kelly Rowan is the scientist's wife who helps him battle against Warner's plot to gain political poweer, and the expense of human lives.

The climax is dramatic and exciting, This is a highly recommended episode.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Living Hell (S01E08)





Elizabeth Peña (*batteries not included) plays a brilliant brain surgeon who has helped developed a chip which, when planted in patient with traumatic brain injury, simulates the damaged portion of the brain which regulates breathing and heart rate.

She plants the chip in the injured brain of Sam Robards, the victim of a mugger who shot him in the head. Things go well . . . for a while.

But then Sam begins to experience horrible visions which are being transmitted by a similar chip in the head of serial killer, a man which the surgeon had previously treated. Sam's nightmare experiences help him lead both the police and the doctor to the killer.

This is science fiction, horror, and suspence — not to mention one damn good story.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Mind Over Matter (S02 E05)





A slam bang sci-fi yarn starring Mark Hamill as a brilliant scientist who invents an A.I. computer that can tap into the mind of a person in a coma to find out if they're conscious . . . but unable to move!

When the woman Mark loves is hit by a car and hospitalized in a comatose condition, Mark uses his machine to join her in a virtual reality environment so she won't have to endure the foggy void in which she's existed since the car accident.

The twist in this episode is the fact that Mark's A.I. computer has fallen in love with him, and "she" is jealous of the woman he's helping maintain her sanity until her body heals.
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Forgive me for saying this guys, but all the episode the new version of The Outer Limits have impressed me more than those from the original series! The old series has become too dated for me these days . . .

As you all know, I'm fond of the better classic movies and TV series from the past. But I find that the best new productions are even more intellectually challenging.

And isn't that really the way it should be?
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Trial by Fire (S02 E05)


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What an amazing episode this is!

Robert Foxworth does a masterful job of playing a newly elected president who, on the very day of his election, must deal with the approach of six alien spacecraft headed straight for Earth at twice the speed of light!

Foxmworth is dedicated to the peaceful solutions of international problems, but his advisors during this crises repeatedly urge him to interpret the alien's actions as hostile. They inform him that the Russians are preparing to launch missiles at the ships when they get closer to Earth, and the military advisors plead with the president to order our own "nuclear deterrents" to be made ready as well.

President Forworth (with the support of his caring and intelligent wife) refuses to listen to these unfounded assumptions, hoping to learn that the aliens have come in peace.

I won't spoil the ending by saying more, but I will say that this episode is a nail-biting, edge-of-your-seat drama, with an ending that doesn't disappoint the viewer!

By the way, the cast includes Miss Teryl Rothery —





— whom I thought at first was the actress whose image I'd used to make a comparison photo of Isis from TOS - Assignment: Earth. In the post for that thread I feared I'd incorrectly identified the photo as being Victoria Vitri!







But I discovered that Miss Rothery simply bares a resemblance to Victoria Vitri, so I hadn't blundered aftere all.



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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Inconstant Moon (S02 E12)





This is the only novel or short story by Larry Niven I know of that filmmakers have had the balls to produce for television or the cinema!

Jeez, what a gutless bunch a sissies . . .

If you haven't read the story or seen this TOL episodes, I pity you. With that in mind, don't whine to me about the spoilers below.
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The sun erupts with a massive solar flare, and the Eastern hemisphere of the globe is burnt to a crisp! Europe and Asia are toast.

The main character in the Niven story (and TOL episode) looks out his window on a nice clear evening and quickly realizes that the blazing full Moon means that mankind is domed — either by a strong solar flare or supernova.

In the Niven story, the young man bravely decides to enjoy his last moments on Earth by spending them with a young lady he knows who will understand the situation and accept their fate. Together they indulge themselves in pleasurable (but not excessive) activities while they comfort each other and form a deep personal relationship.

But during the long night, they both realize that the lunar phenomenon doesn't fit the "supernova" scenario. They conclude that the sun has emitted a powerful solar flare — which means that half the Earth is now lifeless, but the half they are on will not be destroyed!

The Niven yarn is a survival tale about two people who are smart enough to figure out what they need to do to survive the changing nature of the world. It's a tale of optimism and intelligence, and it inspires its readers to face challenges like the one the story describes with hope and bravery.

Folks, if that isn't the proper purpose of science fiction, then I was wrong to have created All Sci-Fi when I first did, back in 2006.

And in view of the piss-poor number of contributions to this board lately, that seems to be the case.

So, if any of you folks want this board to continue, please get off your butts and get busy helping me keep the damn thing alive!
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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S4.E5 ∙ In the Zone (S02 E12)





Pat Morita is a scientist who uses his remarkable invention to accelerate the reflexes of an athlete who fights in an "arena" like competition.

This episode is a bit like :The Karate Kid" meets "The Ultimate Soldier"!
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Adrian Pasdar plays Tanner Brooks, an athlete who competes in a futuristic fighting match.

Pat Morita offers to use his new process to enhance Tanner's reflexes and turn him into a super-fast fighter for the upcoming championship fight.

But the process has some serious side effects, and Tanner Brooks ends "out of phase" with our dimension!

His only hope is the Pat Morita and Tanner's devoted wife can save him. This is yet another get episode of The Outer Limits.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Bud Brewster]

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S4.E22 ∙ The Balance of Nature (S02 E12)





This episode has a great concept, a fine cast, and a guest star who was featured in two classic 1950s science fiction movies.
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A brilliant young scientist has invented a machine which —if he can perfect it — will reverse the aging process! But his beloved wife is dying of cancer, and he tries to use his invention to reverse her physical condition to the point before the disease has ravaged her body.

Unfortunately the procedure fails, and she dies.

One year later, the young doctor has moved to a small coastal community in New England, where he works in this basement lab to perfect the device.

Shortly after moving into his suburn home, he meets his new next-door neighbors — an aging-but-aggressive salesman and his charming senior-citizen wife.

The wife is played by the lovely Barbara Rush, who starred in both When Worlds Collide and It Came From Outer Space.







Folks, I was delighted to learn that Miss Rush was just as charming and lovely as ever when this episode was filmed in 1998 — forty-five hears later!

Because of this, the story element which involved the fact that the young doctor falls in love the 74-year-old Miss Russ is totally believable! But she rejects the idea that they could have a life together because of the vast difference in their ages.

However, Barbara's husband has recently been fired from his job, and he's become both alcoholic and physically abusive to his devoted wife — a fact that the young doctor, who now loves Barbara, finds intolerable!

This climax is both highly imaginative and intelligent. Give this one a look if you get the chance.
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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)