When NASA astronaut Theodore Harris was in space for the first time on September 16, 1963, it didn't go quite as planned. Alone in his spacecraft, Harris panicked and aborted the mission when a mysterious violet light penetrated the cockpit and began enveloping his body.
Opening narration
| "The burden of solitude is a mighty one, be it a lone voice echoing in the dark or the cry of humanity in a desolate universe." |
Plot
In the investigation that followed Harris's encounter in space, no evidence could be found to support his story, leaving a blot on his NASA record and his life in ruins. And now, at age 63, he knows he can never make amends with his estranged wife, Madelaine, but he feels that he could clear his name if he could just get back to where he saw the light. When NASA turns him down, Harris is recruited by Carlton Powers, a self-made billionaire who plans to privatize space travel and thinks Harris's presence on the inaugural flight (on his new Daedalus spaceship) will help him sell the service.
Harris and Power are joined on the flight by Martin Reese, a skeptical tabloid reporter, Lil Vaughn, an eccentric fashion mogul, and Ty and Barbara Chafey, young newlyweds who won a contest to travel on the space plane. But none of the Daedalus passengers know that Harris has reprogrammed the flight plan to take the flight to the site of the close encounter that shattered his life as a young man.
The pilot and Powers eventually uncover Harris' plot and attempt to correct their course before the spaceship reaches Harris' intended coordinates. Harris is kept locked in his room but convinces Vaughn, a fellow believer, to let him out. He dons a spacesuit and exits through the airlock to proceed to his rendezvous alone. Floating in space, Harris sees the violet light once again and discovers that the source of the light was extraterrestrial observers who did not intend for Harris to become aware of their presence. To make amends, the alien observers send Harris back to the point in time when he first observed the light in 1963. Harris is given a second chance to live his life without the burden of the alien mystery.
Closing narration
| "Our lives are defined by our choices; paths taken, worlds explored. But once we commit, we can never go back and choose again... or can we?" |
Notes
- September 16, 1963 was the date that "The Galaxy Being", the first episode of The Outer Limits, aired on ABC. In both episodes, the protagonist was played by Cliff Robertson.
- This episode correctly predicted that the first space tourism flight would take place in 2001.
- This is the only episode written by David Alexander or Dan Wright.
Cast
- Cliff Robertson as Colonel Theodore Harris
- Andrea Martin as Lil Vaughn
- Mackenzie Gray as Martin Reese
- Erin Daniels as Barbara Chafey
- Adam J. Harrington as Ty Chafey (as Adam Harrington)
- Scott Hylands as Wayne
- Barry Corbin as Carlton Powers
- Peter Bryant as Commander Sullivan
- Pamela Perry as Madelaine Parkhurst
- G. Patrick Currie as Young Harris (as Gerry Currie)
- Lorena Gale as Committee Member
- Peter Kelamis as Brian Wakefield
- Paul Magel as Navy Frogman
- Joanna Piros as Reporter #1
- Kevin Hayes as Reporter #2
- Kevin Conway as the Control Voice (voice)