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At the core of this sci-fi classic is a creator’s heart.
Approx. 500 words; 2 minutes read time.
The Twilight Zone by Rod Serling helped define science fiction as we know it today. It first aired over sixty years ago, but the stories are as relevant now as ever. Using mystery, suspense, and a twist ending, Serling told tales on the edge of reality. This simple formula helped make The Twilight Zone fun and accessible. But each story has a message and often a warning about the dangers we pose to ourselves. Even when about futuristic or even alien subjects, The Twilight Zone at its heart is about us.
One of my favorite episodes is Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up?
On a snowy winter night, two state troopers investigate a UFO that has crashed into a frozen pond. Footprints from the pond lead the troopers to a nearby café. There they find a cook tending to a bus driver and his six passengers. The troopers inform the party they’ll have to wait until crews clear an iced-in bridge before they can leave. But wait - the officers count seven besides the driver and cook. Unclear who among them is the intruder, paranoia engulfs the small café. Tensions flare as each accuses the other of being an alien invader.
Serling wrote The Real Martian as an allegory of Cold War paranoia. The communist threat gripped the nation in the fifties and sixties, and panic was rampant. Anyone could be a spy – a coworker, a neighbor, even a spouse. Or so we thought. Trust eroded. People shuttered doors, wary of what might come in.
Sounds familiar. And it is. Serling’s stories are about fundamental challenges we all face – in any time.
At its core, science fiction is a powerful means to share stories that matter. Serling knew this and knew how to get to the heart of the human condition. The Twilight Zone was always about making heavy subjects watchable. Yes, Serling wrote stories about time travel, miraculous events, the future, and aliens. But he never forgot to put the human heart at the center of these stories.
I won’t give away what happens in Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? But some of those riders do get back on the bus. As for Serling’s message, take heed. If you find yourself headed down a treacherous road – or any dark path – be sure and trust who you are with. To do otherwise could leave you careening off an icy bridge alone, and strait into the The Twilight Zone.
Until next time. Science. Fiction. Create.
JRC
Want to watch Will the Real Martian Please Stand Up? It’s Episode 64 (Season 2, Episode 28) and first aired on CBS May 26, 1961. All episodes of The Twilight Zone are available to stream now on CBS All Access. You can also rent or buy episodes on Amazon.