Soldier (The Outer Limits)

"Soldier" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It opened the second season of shows on September 19, 1964. For the second season, Ben Brady took over as producer from Joseph Stefano.

"Soldier"
The Outer Limits episode
Episode no.Season 2
Episode 1
Directed byGerd Oswald
Written byHarlan Ellison
Cinematography byKenneth Peach
Production code34
Original air dateSeptember 19, 1964
Guest appearance(s)

This is the first of two episodes written by Hugo and Nebula award-winning science fiction author Harlan Ellison, and is adapted from his 1957 short story "Soldier from Tomorrow."

Plot

Eighteen hundred years in the future, two infantrymen clash on a battlefield. A random energy weapon strikes both, and they are hurled into a time vortex. While one soldier is trapped in the matrix of time, the other, Qarlo Clobregnny (Michael Ansara), materializes on a city street in the United States in the year 1964.

Qarlo is soon captured and interrogated by Tom Kagan (Lloyd Nolan), a philologist, and his origin is eventually discovered. Qarlo has been trained for one purpose – to kill the enemy, and that is all he knows. Progress is made in "taming" him after Kagan translates his seemingly unintelligible language – "Nims qarlo clobregnny prite arem aean teaan deao" – into colloquial English..."(My) name is Qarlo Clobregnny, private, RM EN TN DO"; his name, rank and serial letters, which is what any soldier would reveal if captured by the enemy. After a short time in captivity, Qarlo comes to live with the Kagan family, despite the reluctance expressed by Tom Kagan's government associates.

However, the time eddy holding the enemy soldier slowly weakens. Finally, he materializes fully, and tracks Qarlo to the Kagan home. In a final hand-to-hand battle, Qarlo kills the enemy soldier, but the question is posed whether he sacrifices his life just to kill the enemy or to save the Kagan family he has become attached to.

Production

Interiors were shot at Paramount Studios. Qarlo's "War Zone" was shot on the Paramount Sunset stage, a gigantic stage the size of three stages put together. A sky cyclorama ran all the way round it and a horizon line of mountains was placed in front of that in diminished perspective. A fog machine provided the landscape with a smokey haziness. The gun shop scene was filmed on the Paramount Backlot, on New York Street.[1]

The Terminator

Ellison brought suit against The Terminator production company Hemdale and distributor Orion Pictures for plagiarism[2] of this episode, since both works involve a soldier from the future who goes back in time and saves the life of a present-day woman from an enemy soldier from the future. According to the Los Angeles Times, the parties settled the lawsuit for an undisclosed amount, and an acknowledgement of Ellison's works in the credits of Terminator.[2] The credits were added only to the home video releases of Terminator and read simply, "Acknowledgment to the Works of Harlan Ellison".

James Cameron emphatically denied Ellison's allegations and was opposed to the settlement, stating "For legal reasons I'm not suppose [sic] to comment on that (the addition of acknowledgement credits) but it was a real bum deal, I had nothing to do with it and I disagree with it."[3]

Cast
  • Lloyd Nolan – as Tom Kagan
  • Michael Ansara – as Qarlo Clobregnny
  • Tim O'Connor – as Paul Tanner
  • Catherine McLeod – as Abby Kagan
  • Jill Hill – as Toni Kagan
  • Allen Jaffe – as The Enemy
  • Ralph Hart – as Loren Kagan
  • Marlowe Jensen – as Sgt. Berry
  • Ted Stanhope – as Doctor
  • Jamie Forster – as News Vendor
  • Mavis Neal Palmer – as Woman
  • Vic Perrin and Tim O'Connor - as the Voices in Qarlo and The Enemy's War Helmets (uncredited)

Notes
  1. The Outer Limits: The Official Companion (Ace Trade, 1986), page 295.
  2. Marx, Andy. "IT'S MINE All Very Well and Good, but Don't Hassle the T-1000". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 2009-08-22.
  3. "When Ellison Attacks". James Cameron Online. Retrieved 14 August 2015.
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