The GREATEST Twilight Zone EVER -- "A Small Talent for War"

[tom_paine]

This episode was amazingly good, with a fantastic twist ending

(but the catch is it's a 1980s Twilight Zone, not an original)

The story takes place in the security council of the UN, where everyone is arguing about the alien ship that has materialized.

In the midst of the bickering an alien "beams down". He informs the Security Council that his race is responsible for life on Earth, having seeded it and many other worlds 2 million years ago.

But they've been watching us and are disappointed. You see, we have a "small talent for war". They have watched our petty border disputes, our wars and the nuclear balance of terror which precludes any real victory and they despair for they bred us for far finer things, says the alien ambassador.

As a result, the alien demolition crew is going to put an end to the experiment and thus the human race. The US ambassador begs for just 24 hours "to show the promise that you saw in us 2 million years ago."

The alien ambassador shrugs his shoulders and says, "I don't know what you could possibly do in that short a time, but you have your 24 hours."

So the UN works feverishly overnight, cobbling together old treaties and creating a blueprint for Total Peace on Earth. After a day of this, they have it done, and are congratulating themselves and shaking hands (this was during the Cold War, so there was plenty of US/Soviet comaraderie here).

The alien ambasaador reappears and the US ambassador happily hands him the big document, "The human race has finally made common cause against our primitive savagery."

The alien ambassador leafs through the document cursorily, then begins to laugh. The human ambassadors join him, happy they are going to live. Right up until the alien says, "I fear you have misunderstood me."

In the shocked and stunned silnece he continues, "My people breed WARRIORS, gentlemen, warriors to fight for us across the galaxy. You're pirmitive savagery is an issue here but it has not bred true.

"You fight erratically and clumsily. You're weapons are shcokingly crude and what's worst...you long for peace. But I thank you for a most amusing day. You people have a delightful sense of the absurd. As your fine Earth actor Edwin Wynn once said, 'Dying is easy; comedy is hard.'"

And darkness falls on humanity and the Earth.

Fantastic, eh?

[Rashind]

1. That's super.

Reminds me of a comment someone made on another site. something along the lines of "the nature of the universe is violence: what does it say about humanity that we only perceive parts of it as such?"

[Speck Tater]

2. Wow! Yeah, that was great. But my favorite...

... is the Buster Keaton silent movie one where he takes a time machine into the future where there is sound.

[Aristus]

3. Who wrote that episode?

Was it Harlan Ellison? Sounds like him.

[tom_paine]

4. Yep, I think so

Nope, I just checked.

http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Vault/4144/twilightzone851st.html#015b

[Aristus]

5. Oh well. Sounded like his stuff.

His story "Soldier" is just breathtaking.