This episode is one of the best pieces of 60's television that I've ever seen(and not just of science fiction), out of nearly a 100 total. I can completely imagine someone watching this on TV remembering it for years, even decades, after. Honestly, I don't see how you can realistically watch this and the also excellent Demon with a Glass Hand, and not recognize elements of them in The Terminator. I love the work of James Cameron, and I don't personally believe he intended to plagiarize anyone, but several of the concepts of that film clearly came from these two stories by Harlan Ellison, an author I intend to delve deeper into the writings of. The script is excellent, and the execution leaves rather little to be desired. From the dark, dystopian and terrifying future to the psychological accuracy, it's all almost entirely invariably spot-on. The editing and cinematography are magnificent. This is impeccably well-acted, including the kids, who are pretty convincing. Ansara is absolutely stunning; he has the chops to pull off the role, as well as the physicality to be credible in that aspect. This is exciting, engaging and chilling, with strong commentary. The plot is compelling, and it's well-paced from start to finish. I recommend this to any fan of sci-fi that isn't cheery and optimistic. 8/10
23 Reviews
One of the Best Outer Limits Episodes!
Chance2000esl3 June 2008
Warning: Spoilers
One is tempted to over rate this episode because of how its theme was used in 'The Terminator' (1984). And yes, James Cameron did admit he took ideas from Harlan Ellison's episodes of 'The Outer Limits.' But all of this doesn't matter. The episode is one of those great examples of thoughtful, well written, well acted and well edited 1960s television, not just of 1960s SF television.
We get the terrifying dehumanized far future of the Earth gradually pieced together and described by the philologist Tom Kagen, excellently played in the old-time hard boiled acting style by the movie veteran Lloyd Nolan. We get the interesting way in which communication develops between people who speak different languages (and I'm not just saying this because I've been teaching English as a Second Language for 25 years).
We get the skillful acting of Michael Ansara, a laboratory produced killing machine, "The Terminator," struggling to deal with the inner tensions of his discovering positive life and feelings beyond his limited, negative world view of "Kill the Enemy." Much better done by Ansara than by Arnold's humanization in 'Terminator 2' (1991). So many times the "Life is empty without love" theme of 'The Outer Limits' episodes is too heavy handed. Here it is posed as more of an open question: Did Quarlo (the killing machine) sacrifice himself for others, or was he just following his 'prime directive' to die rather than surrender?
We get little touches throughout the episode that add to or symbolize the theme: Quarlo thinking that the Kagen's house cat does enemy reconnaissance; Qualro's losing of his helmet, which is literally a set of blinders that keeps him from seeing and hearing more than 'Kill the Enemy'; the use of the 'speeded up' slang enriched future English-- 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971) is still years away.
This is real science fiction, not a junky cheap 'Outer Limits' 'bear' chase. Well acted by the major characters (Tim O' Conner's lines are the weakest part), fast moving and thoroughly enjoyable. What more do you want? I give it an 8.
We get the terrifying dehumanized far future of the Earth gradually pieced together and described by the philologist Tom Kagen, excellently played in the old-time hard boiled acting style by the movie veteran Lloyd Nolan. We get the interesting way in which communication develops between people who speak different languages (and I'm not just saying this because I've been teaching English as a Second Language for 25 years).
We get the skillful acting of Michael Ansara, a laboratory produced killing machine, "The Terminator," struggling to deal with the inner tensions of his discovering positive life and feelings beyond his limited, negative world view of "Kill the Enemy." Much better done by Ansara than by Arnold's humanization in 'Terminator 2' (1991). So many times the "Life is empty without love" theme of 'The Outer Limits' episodes is too heavy handed. Here it is posed as more of an open question: Did Quarlo (the killing machine) sacrifice himself for others, or was he just following his 'prime directive' to die rather than surrender?
We get little touches throughout the episode that add to or symbolize the theme: Quarlo thinking that the Kagen's house cat does enemy reconnaissance; Qualro's losing of his helmet, which is literally a set of blinders that keeps him from seeing and hearing more than 'Kill the Enemy'; the use of the 'speeded up' slang enriched future English-- 'A Clockwork Orange' (1971) is still years away.
This is real science fiction, not a junky cheap 'Outer Limits' 'bear' chase. Well acted by the major characters (Tim O' Conner's lines are the weakest part), fast moving and thoroughly enjoyable. What more do you want? I give it an 8.
Tremendously original and engaging.
planktonrules3 July 2012
The famed Sci-fi writer and crank, Harlan Ellison, wrote this story as well as one other episode of "The Outer Limits"--"The Demon With a Glass Hand". Both are among the very best episodes of a great series and both are very worthy of your attention. Interestingly, the concepts in these two shows have some similarities to "The Terminator"--so much so in Ellison's mind that he sued to have his name listed on the film's credits. I am not sure whether or not he had a valid case--all I know is that you've got to see these two shows.
The show begins in the far future. Two soldiers are somehow his by lasers at the same time and one is sent into the distant past of today--the other remained in limbo for much of the show. When the one soldier (Michael Ansara) arrived in the 1960s, he was ill-equipped to fit in, as he knew absolutely nothing but war and killing. It turns out he was actually bred for this purpose and getting along with others was NOT his strong point! Not surprisingly, he's soon taken into custody after his arrival. Heck, they think he's a nut and he's placed in a straight-jacket in a padded cell! Not knowing what to do with this guy, they assign a philologist (like a linguist) to work with the soldier (Lloyd Nolan). Very slowly, they begin to learn to communicate and form a bit of an understanding between them. Not exactly a friendship, the soldier at least understands that the man is NOT an enemy. In an odd twist, eventually the soldier is taken home to stay with the family of his new 'friend'. I could easily say more--but it wouldn't do the show justice and the twists that result you should just see for yourself.
All in all, while the idea of a super-soldier being magically transported to the past is crazy, it's still a great story because of the writing. You really care about the characters and Ansara and Nolan manage to do a lot with the script as well. Unusual, fascinating and well worth your time--it's a shame Ellison didn't write more for this series. I assume this is because "The Outer Limits" ended soon after he wrote these two shows but it also might have had something to do with Ellison's personality, as he is notorious for alienating himself from authority. Still, a heck of a writer...
The show begins in the far future. Two soldiers are somehow his by lasers at the same time and one is sent into the distant past of today--the other remained in limbo for much of the show. When the one soldier (Michael Ansara) arrived in the 1960s, he was ill-equipped to fit in, as he knew absolutely nothing but war and killing. It turns out he was actually bred for this purpose and getting along with others was NOT his strong point! Not surprisingly, he's soon taken into custody after his arrival. Heck, they think he's a nut and he's placed in a straight-jacket in a padded cell! Not knowing what to do with this guy, they assign a philologist (like a linguist) to work with the soldier (Lloyd Nolan). Very slowly, they begin to learn to communicate and form a bit of an understanding between them. Not exactly a friendship, the soldier at least understands that the man is NOT an enemy. In an odd twist, eventually the soldier is taken home to stay with the family of his new 'friend'. I could easily say more--but it wouldn't do the show justice and the twists that result you should just see for yourself.
All in all, while the idea of a super-soldier being magically transported to the past is crazy, it's still a great story because of the writing. You really care about the characters and Ansara and Nolan manage to do a lot with the script as well. Unusual, fascinating and well worth your time--it's a shame Ellison didn't write more for this series. I assume this is because "The Outer Limits" ended soon after he wrote these two shows but it also might have had something to do with Ellison's personality, as he is notorious for alienating himself from authority. Still, a heck of a writer...
It's Hard Not to Associate This Story With Terminator
Philo-192 October 2008
Quarlo__Kobrigny__Privt__RN_CN_TN_TO!
I saw this when broadcast in 1964 and retained scattered detail ever since. This episode led me to purchase the second season set of Outer Limits so I could check the accuracy of my memory. (Not perfect. I thought his last name was Kobrigniak but had his 'serial number' as close as intelligibility allows.
My point in this detail is that when I first saw Terminator on VHS tape rented from a video store in 1985, THIS is the association I flashed on. This was before the internet and IMDb so I had no way of knowing Harlan Ellison wrote the script for 'Soldier' but I did review the credits to see if I could determine a link between two stories where soldiers from an apocalyptic future are transported back in time to fight it out in "the present".
Harlan Ellison was a prolific Sci-Fi writer and produced a number of excellent stories both in print and for visual media but I was more into Asimov and barely knew his name in 1964. I don't think the way he does and some of his stories (I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream) leave me cold. However, though I may disagree with Ellison's view of many things, I think he got it right when he claimed credit for the idea behind Terminator. The details are different and the franchise has evolved into a time travel conundrum that writers are still playing with in Sara Conner Chronicles, but where else have you heard of the basic premise?
The future in the 40s, 50s, and early 60s was almost always a bright utopia. ("The Marching Morons" not withstanding) This is not true in 'Soldier' and I think the similarities with Terminator are to many to ignore.
Ellison probably should not get a credit saying "based on" but certainly you might describe The Terminator as "inspired by a story by Harlan Ellison". Cameron would have been 10 years old when this played on TV. Maybe he did not 'memorize' it the way I did seeing that broadcast at age 17, but I'll bet he saw it...even if he does not really remember doing so. Memory works that way. "Inspired by".
I saw this when broadcast in 1964 and retained scattered detail ever since. This episode led me to purchase the second season set of Outer Limits so I could check the accuracy of my memory. (Not perfect. I thought his last name was Kobrigniak but had his 'serial number' as close as intelligibility allows.
My point in this detail is that when I first saw Terminator on VHS tape rented from a video store in 1985, THIS is the association I flashed on. This was before the internet and IMDb so I had no way of knowing Harlan Ellison wrote the script for 'Soldier' but I did review the credits to see if I could determine a link between two stories where soldiers from an apocalyptic future are transported back in time to fight it out in "the present".
Harlan Ellison was a prolific Sci-Fi writer and produced a number of excellent stories both in print and for visual media but I was more into Asimov and barely knew his name in 1964. I don't think the way he does and some of his stories (I Have No Mouth, and I Must Scream) leave me cold. However, though I may disagree with Ellison's view of many things, I think he got it right when he claimed credit for the idea behind Terminator. The details are different and the franchise has evolved into a time travel conundrum that writers are still playing with in Sara Conner Chronicles, but where else have you heard of the basic premise?
The future in the 40s, 50s, and early 60s was almost always a bright utopia. ("The Marching Morons" not withstanding) This is not true in 'Soldier' and I think the similarities with Terminator are to many to ignore.
Ellison probably should not get a credit saying "based on" but certainly you might describe The Terminator as "inspired by a story by Harlan Ellison". Cameron would have been 10 years old when this played on TV. Maybe he did not 'memorize' it the way I did seeing that broadcast at age 17, but I'll bet he saw it...even if he does not really remember doing so. Memory works that way. "Inspired by".
I loved staying up late to see my uncle
stewarttim21 January 2017
I loved this episode, my uncle Allen Jaffe and Michael Ansara had mutual respect for one another. When I would visit him he would tell nearly endless stories about the people he worked with. He had fond words for Michael And are.
This particular episode I was allowed to stay up really late, for a young school boy, and watch him fight once again.
Lloyd Nolan was great at being the one who decodes Quarlo's speak. This was my introduction to the great series The Outer Limits. Between outer limits and twilight zone, we learned that alternate worlds and universes existed, at least on TV. These two shows also brought forth some of the greatest actors, writers, and other talent and produced a high quality show with little to no budget. There are many of my generation that still love to watch the show, I'm glad there are reruns and DVDs of these great shows.
This particular episode I was allowed to stay up really late, for a young school boy, and watch him fight once again.
Lloyd Nolan was great at being the one who decodes Quarlo's speak. This was my introduction to the great series The Outer Limits. Between outer limits and twilight zone, we learned that alternate worlds and universes existed, at least on TV. These two shows also brought forth some of the greatest actors, writers, and other talent and produced a high quality show with little to no budget. There are many of my generation that still love to watch the show, I'm glad there are reruns and DVDs of these great shows.
LLoyd Nolan, Philologist and Cradle Robber
Hitchcoc13 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
Michael Ansara plays a soldier who was created in some genetic pool of the future. He is a fighting machine with only one direction in his path. He suddenly finds himself back in the sixties, captured by the authorities and locked in a cell with padded walls. Enter Lloyd Nolan, an expert on languages who befriends the guy, though it's hard to imagine him even slightly friendly. Nolan is laughed at by his FBI colleague because he appears to be naive and physically lacking. He is actually an older man, probably in his sixties, who has a young wife and a couple of teenage children. This is an odd part of the story. He feels if he can take the guy home and integrate him with a 1960's nuclear family, he will soften him and set him in a different direction. Unfortunately, he escapes and arms himself at a gun shop. Meanwhile, his adversary from the future finally makes it through into this time and is bound to confront our guy. The two children are so out of place, little Bobby and Susie Creamcheese, and they start to connect with the guy. The problem for the viewer is that this seems so darned weird. This guy could throttle the whole family if he wanted to. Quite a risk for the folks. Still, the story is quite fascinating and I don't mean to make it sound silly. The attempt by Nolan to solve the language barrier is well done. He is also very heroic and perseveres through countless obstacles.
The Cat Knew
cjskama-956-51570612 July 2019
Warning: Spoilers
Sometimes when my cat looks at me, it's as if he already knows how to think-speak. Great SF has little touches to make it come alive, and Macbeth in "Soldier" was a great example. Cats are usually wary of strangers, but Macbeth did not shy away from Quarlo. Maybe in the future humans will evolve enough to catch up to the secret ways cats communicate. And Macbeth knew of the enemy's approach before anyone else and alerted the humans. Another touch was how Kagan's son picked up on Quarlo's slang. But to my mind Macbeth made this episode stand out.
Highly Recommended
remingtonresearch-118 July 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this episode when it first aired. I was seven years old.
It was always there in back of my mind so that I purchased it on video cassette when it was first available.
There were a few things I misremembered. I thought that Quarlo was caught by the teenage daughter eating cat food instead of thrown out food, and I thought there was some kind of teen party thrown while Quarlo was living with the Kagens. Chalk that up to memories getting mixed up. I did remember Quarlo talking to the cat.
This episode played again recently on a new HD channel that shows old TV shows and movies. I logged on to IMDb and saw these comments. I had never thought of the connection to Terminator until I read these comments. I'll have to watch the show again, but it seems to me that one of the scenes from the future world shows human skulls on the ground - much like Terminator - and the beams of light in the sky sort of remind me of Skynet, but those could be too generic to draw a comparison.
Michael Ansara, who later played the Klingon Kang in Star Trek OS and DS9 is great in this role. One of the best of the old Outer Limits series.
It was always there in back of my mind so that I purchased it on video cassette when it was first available.
There were a few things I misremembered. I thought that Quarlo was caught by the teenage daughter eating cat food instead of thrown out food, and I thought there was some kind of teen party thrown while Quarlo was living with the Kagens. Chalk that up to memories getting mixed up. I did remember Quarlo talking to the cat.
This episode played again recently on a new HD channel that shows old TV shows and movies. I logged on to IMDb and saw these comments. I had never thought of the connection to Terminator until I read these comments. I'll have to watch the show again, but it seems to me that one of the scenes from the future world shows human skulls on the ground - much like Terminator - and the beams of light in the sky sort of remind me of Skynet, but those could be too generic to draw a comparison.
Michael Ansara, who later played the Klingon Kang in Star Trek OS and DS9 is great in this role. One of the best of the old Outer Limits series.
Time Sent
AaronCapenBanner15 March 2016
Michael Ansara stars as Quarlo, a hardened soldier from the future who has accidentally been sent back in time to 1960's America, where he uses his advanced weapon to destroy a police car, though after his helmet is knocked off, he is captured and held in a secret location, where language expert Tom Kagan(played by Lloyd Nolan) tries to make contact with him, much to the disbelief of Agent Paul Tanner(played by Tim O'Connor) When a second future soldier is sent back to this time as well, Quarlo must make one last stand to defend his non-enemy Kagan, and his family... Entertaining and imaginative episode may well have inspired "The Terminator", even if the film greatly improved the scope and F/X on display here. Teeters close to the comical at times, but never does fall over.
Quarlo Quandaries...
hitchcockthelegend20 July 2019
Soldier is directed by Gerd Oswald and written by Harlan Ellison and Leslie Stevens. It stars Lloyd Nolan, Michael Ansara, Tim O'Connor, Ralp Hart and Jill Hill. Music is by Harry Lubin and cinematography by Kenneth Peach.
Season 2 - Episode 1
A soldier named from the far future Quarlo (Ansara), conditioned from birth to be a killing machine, is teleported back to present day 1964. Psychiatric linguist Tom Kagan (Nolan) is assigned the near impossible task of getting to the bottom of who Qarlo is, and where has he come from? As some headway is made and things begin to unravel, another soldier from the future arrives to kill his enemy, Quarlo.
Written by expert science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, Soldier became famous for being the episode that saw Ellison charge James Cameron with plagiarism when he wrote the screenplay for The Terminator. The subsequent legal battle saw Ellison receive a writing credit on later prints of The Terminator. Regardless of that, what we have here is superb start to series 2, a smart thought out sci-fi story with tense sequences and spiffy sci-fi visuals to aid the viewing experience. 8.5/10
Season 2 - Episode 1
A soldier named from the far future Quarlo (Ansara), conditioned from birth to be a killing machine, is teleported back to present day 1964. Psychiatric linguist Tom Kagan (Nolan) is assigned the near impossible task of getting to the bottom of who Qarlo is, and where has he come from? As some headway is made and things begin to unravel, another soldier from the future arrives to kill his enemy, Quarlo.
Written by expert science fiction writer Harlan Ellison, Soldier became famous for being the episode that saw Ellison charge James Cameron with plagiarism when he wrote the screenplay for The Terminator. The subsequent legal battle saw Ellison receive a writing credit on later prints of The Terminator. Regardless of that, what we have here is superb start to series 2, a smart thought out sci-fi story with tense sequences and spiffy sci-fi visuals to aid the viewing experience. 8.5/10
"He was born and raised in a hatchery..."
classicsoncall5 June 2022
Warning: Spoilers
I have to admit, while watching this episode I didn't think of any connection to "The Terminator" at all. I think that when one reviewer mentions a pertinent fact about a movie or TV program, others pile on to demonstrate knowledge they just came by. I've probably done it myself so I can't be too judgmental. Just an observation.
I thought the episode was pretty good with some minor nit-picks, which I almost always come up with in these stories. A big one was when Tom Kagan (Lloyd Nolan) brought Quarlo (Michael Ansara) home to his family. He allowed teenage son Loren (Ralph Hart) show Quarlo to the room he would occupy without any supervision! The same type of scenario occurred in the Outer Limits episode 'The Special One', and I just shake my head over allowing a complete stranger take off with a member of the family, let alone a child. Especially in this case knowing what a warlike existence the futuristic warrior came from. Later on I had to laugh when the enemy soldier from the future burned his way into the Kagan home with the wall literally burning apart. No thought of calling the fire department or running for an extinguisher, all members of the Kagan household simply stood around to see what would happen next. Which to my mind made an unsatisfactory conclusion since both soldiers simply disappeared as if by magic, presumably back to the time they came from eighteen hundred years in the future. But who knows? I guess it was called "The Outer Limits" for a reason.
I thought the episode was pretty good with some minor nit-picks, which I almost always come up with in these stories. A big one was when Tom Kagan (Lloyd Nolan) brought Quarlo (Michael Ansara) home to his family. He allowed teenage son Loren (Ralph Hart) show Quarlo to the room he would occupy without any supervision! The same type of scenario occurred in the Outer Limits episode 'The Special One', and I just shake my head over allowing a complete stranger take off with a member of the family, let alone a child. Especially in this case knowing what a warlike existence the futuristic warrior came from. Later on I had to laugh when the enemy soldier from the future burned his way into the Kagan home with the wall literally burning apart. No thought of calling the fire department or running for an extinguisher, all members of the Kagan household simply stood around to see what would happen next. Which to my mind made an unsatisfactory conclusion since both soldiers simply disappeared as if by magic, presumably back to the time they came from eighteen hundred years in the future. But who knows? I guess it was called "The Outer Limits" for a reason.
If you can ignore the hokey props, this is a great episode.
liambean13 January 2018
Warning: Spoilers
Harlan Ellison ("The Demon with a Glass Hand") brings a brilliant vision of the future (again) to The Outer Limits.
If you can get past the obvious First Century Roman chest-plate and modified football helmet, this is quite a good story.
Ellison utilizes time travel, laser technology, advanced engineering, "grown" humans, and birth to death military conscription to pit future man against present day humans.
Our protagonists are a linguist and a soldier from sometime in the far future. What makes this installment interesting, is Kagan (played by Lloyd Nolan) and Qarlo Clobregnny (played by Michael Ansara) have to try to figure each other out. Quarlo speaks a language no one is familiar with. Also, he is obviously a soldier, but his weapon is far in advance of anything anyone has ever seen. (he disintegrates a police patrol car). Kagan's job is to try to interpret the language and, in the process, try to understand the mindset of Quarlo.
To everyone's surprise Quarlo is speaking English.
This isn't just an exploration of possible future technology. It is also an study of two people from vastly different societies, and their attempts to relate to each other.
As with many of Ellison's stories, this one ends with an unanswered question. Did Quarlo try to protect his new family, or was he just acting as a soldier.
Well worth the watch.
If you can get past the obvious First Century Roman chest-plate and modified football helmet, this is quite a good story.
Ellison utilizes time travel, laser technology, advanced engineering, "grown" humans, and birth to death military conscription to pit future man against present day humans.
Our protagonists are a linguist and a soldier from sometime in the far future. What makes this installment interesting, is Kagan (played by Lloyd Nolan) and Qarlo Clobregnny (played by Michael Ansara) have to try to figure each other out. Quarlo speaks a language no one is familiar with. Also, he is obviously a soldier, but his weapon is far in advance of anything anyone has ever seen. (he disintegrates a police patrol car). Kagan's job is to try to interpret the language and, in the process, try to understand the mindset of Quarlo.
To everyone's surprise Quarlo is speaking English.
This isn't just an exploration of possible future technology. It is also an study of two people from vastly different societies, and their attempts to relate to each other.
As with many of Ellison's stories, this one ends with an unanswered question. Did Quarlo try to protect his new family, or was he just acting as a soldier.
Well worth the watch.
Name rank & serial number
kapelusznik1821 November 2014
Warning: Spoilers
****Spoilers*** It's 3764 and futuristic solider Qarlo Crobgenny, Michael Ansara, during a fight to the death with his enemy combatant ,Allan Jaffe, is suddenly together with Jaffe teleported to the year 1964. Finding himself in a world that he has no reason to be in Qarlo become defiant and violent looking at everyone he comes in contact with , in not being schooled in the humanities, as the enemy. Finally caught and subdued by some half dozen policemen it's psychiatrist and language expert Dr. Tom Kagen, Llyod Noland, who's assigned by the US military to brake through to Qarlo and find out just what his bag is and makes him tick. And just what his reason, if there is one, is from him being so far away from home as well as time.
Obviously a precursor to the movie "The Terminator" this "Outer Limits" episode is about a man or robot who has to realize that not everyone is out to get him. He also has to realize that Dr. Kagen is his friend not his enemy from the future that takes a while to sink into his kill or be killed controlled brain. It's just when Qarlo finally accepts Dr. Kagen and his family as his friends that his enemy from the future, Jaffe, literately bursts upon the scene.
****SPOILERS****With the unexpected help of the Kagen family pet cat McBeth, who alerts Qarlo of the coming danger, Qarlo in a life and death struggle ends up not only saving Dr. Kagen and his family but somehow is transported back into the future. One of the better "Outer Limits" episodes about time travel that was copied in the "Termintor" movies some twenty and thirty years later with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the soldier or hit-man from the future. In this case Michael Ansera who's physique doesn't match up to Mr. Schwarzenegger was somewhat more convincing in that he spoke a foreign, for 1964, language as well as acted as if in fact he was a man of the future. By him not knowing that he's now living in the past which made him both confused as well as violent by what he encountered there.
Obviously a precursor to the movie "The Terminator" this "Outer Limits" episode is about a man or robot who has to realize that not everyone is out to get him. He also has to realize that Dr. Kagen is his friend not his enemy from the future that takes a while to sink into his kill or be killed controlled brain. It's just when Qarlo finally accepts Dr. Kagen and his family as his friends that his enemy from the future, Jaffe, literately bursts upon the scene.
****SPOILERS****With the unexpected help of the Kagen family pet cat McBeth, who alerts Qarlo of the coming danger, Qarlo in a life and death struggle ends up not only saving Dr. Kagen and his family but somehow is transported back into the future. One of the better "Outer Limits" episodes about time travel that was copied in the "Termintor" movies some twenty and thirty years later with Arnold Schwarzenegger as the soldier or hit-man from the future. In this case Michael Ansera who's physique doesn't match up to Mr. Schwarzenegger was somewhat more convincing in that he spoke a foreign, for 1964, language as well as acted as if in fact he was a man of the future. By him not knowing that he's now living in the past which made him both confused as well as violent by what he encountered there.
I am unsure why this is rated so high and so loved
hung_fao_tweeze4 January 2015
Warning: Spoilers
I was fortunate to have lived through the original broadcast of this series. For the most part, the first year was dark, brooding, frightening, etc and yet maintained a certain level of intelligence in the story telling and/or morality that it attempted to convey. Rather than cater to its audience, it expected the audience to keep up. The days following each of those episodes we would gather and discuss the episodes and try to explain or expand on the theme presented. So, we were a bit disoriented when this show was moved to a different day and time. The music was decidedly different as well.
Keep in mind that I was an unsophisticated 7 year old. What did I know about the politics of running a major broadcasting station or cobbling together a plausible science fiction tale? What I do remember is at the conclusion of this episode I was not experiencing the same 'awe and mystery' promised by the control voice at the beginning of the episode. I was entirely unsatisfied by the resolution and, most telling, is that we barely felt the need to discuss and ferret out this episode's nuance over the next few days. In fact, we discussed the unique cigarette featured more than the helmet, the weapon, morality play or anything that we should have been discussing. Thus, this episode fell into the bin of the unmemorable.
Having viewed this again has not made me do any more than pine-melancholic for the spirit of the first ground-breaking season. Harlan Ellison may be a great sci-fi writer, but it doesn't show here. The more obvious flaws are the contradictory nature of the language Michael Ansara speaks (guttural, chopped and nearly indecipherable) versus that which menaces from his helmet's ear-phones (clear, concise and easy to understand). It is not clear why the broadcast of the message continues to command after the time travel has completed. One would be likely to believe that that the broadcaster no longer exists in our time(?). The helmet, armor, and weapon outfitting the 'soldiers' are unimaginative and underwhelming. The best part is when Ansara disintegrates a police car - and the weapon isn't even in this particular shot. Once captured we have to be told verbally how completely unusual and far beyond our capabilities the weapon is. I was never convinced. It looks like a toy and not even one I wanted to have even at 7 years old. Meanwhile, a second soldier involved in the time travel is being kept suspended somewhere until the plot apparently needs him. Then he is conveniently released from the 'time lock' so he can track down Ansara and both can conveniently disintegrate on the living room floor while the family seems to stand there tapping their feet awaiting the end of this semi-epic struggle. Too many conveniences in this plot. Afterward the control voice speculates about whether Ansara ever did really feel any familiarity or compassion for the family that took him in. At no time did this story convince me of anyone's motives except for the doctor who made the attempt to be empathic to the soldier.
Yes, there seemed to be a major shift in the show's attitude that even 7 year old fans noticed then. It was disappointing when I first saw it. It still is disappointing today. Ben Brady and gang seem to have no idea how to handle this genre. Instead of a multi-layered thought provoking adventure, we ended up with something slightly better than average 1950s drive-in theater vehicle. Instead of me questioning my place in the Universe after the episode, I wondered whether next week's episode would be better. Alas, it wasn't.
Keep in mind that I was an unsophisticated 7 year old. What did I know about the politics of running a major broadcasting station or cobbling together a plausible science fiction tale? What I do remember is at the conclusion of this episode I was not experiencing the same 'awe and mystery' promised by the control voice at the beginning of the episode. I was entirely unsatisfied by the resolution and, most telling, is that we barely felt the need to discuss and ferret out this episode's nuance over the next few days. In fact, we discussed the unique cigarette featured more than the helmet, the weapon, morality play or anything that we should have been discussing. Thus, this episode fell into the bin of the unmemorable.
Having viewed this again has not made me do any more than pine-melancholic for the spirit of the first ground-breaking season. Harlan Ellison may be a great sci-fi writer, but it doesn't show here. The more obvious flaws are the contradictory nature of the language Michael Ansara speaks (guttural, chopped and nearly indecipherable) versus that which menaces from his helmet's ear-phones (clear, concise and easy to understand). It is not clear why the broadcast of the message continues to command after the time travel has completed. One would be likely to believe that that the broadcaster no longer exists in our time(?). The helmet, armor, and weapon outfitting the 'soldiers' are unimaginative and underwhelming. The best part is when Ansara disintegrates a police car - and the weapon isn't even in this particular shot. Once captured we have to be told verbally how completely unusual and far beyond our capabilities the weapon is. I was never convinced. It looks like a toy and not even one I wanted to have even at 7 years old. Meanwhile, a second soldier involved in the time travel is being kept suspended somewhere until the plot apparently needs him. Then he is conveniently released from the 'time lock' so he can track down Ansara and both can conveniently disintegrate on the living room floor while the family seems to stand there tapping their feet awaiting the end of this semi-epic struggle. Too many conveniences in this plot. Afterward the control voice speculates about whether Ansara ever did really feel any familiarity or compassion for the family that took him in. At no time did this story convince me of anyone's motives except for the doctor who made the attempt to be empathic to the soldier.
Yes, there seemed to be a major shift in the show's attitude that even 7 year old fans noticed then. It was disappointing when I first saw it. It still is disappointing today. Ben Brady and gang seem to have no idea how to handle this genre. Instead of a multi-layered thought provoking adventure, we ended up with something slightly better than average 1950s drive-in theater vehicle. Instead of me questioning my place in the Universe after the episode, I wondered whether next week's episode would be better. Alas, it wasn't.
Very good episode, terrific science fiction, classic "Outer Limits."
brianjcavanaugh20 March 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Michael Ansara portrays Quarlo, a soldier of the future. He works alone to cross battlefield lines and kill the enemy. The depiction of the future is intense; ugly, violent, and incredibly frightening. The sky is filled with streaks of light from super weaponry, and the ground is a burnt, desolate wasteland. Through some kind of energy discharge Quarlo suddenly finds himself transported to 1960's America, and in the hands of the military. They can't communicate with him because, though he speaks English, it is a changed language from hundreds of years in the future, filled with unknown slang, military terms, and shorthand. A scientist tries to make a connection with Quarlo by bringing him to his home to stay with his family. But things are too strange for the soldier because he simply doesn't understand, his conditioning for violence is too strong, even though he does not want to do his benefactors harm. Suddenly his nemesis appears, an enemy infiltration soldier from the future. He must revert to his training in order to save his new friends.
After James Cameron made the film "The Terminator," Ellison claimed his work was the source, namely this story. Personally, I don't find all that much in common between the two. Yes, both have a soldier from the future, but that's where it ends. The 101 is a machine sent to kill a rebel leader pre-conception, and Reese is an actual soldier sent intentionally through time to stop him. Quarlo is a minion soldier somehow accidentally sent back in time, confronted with calm and peace for the first time, only to have to fight his enemy once again. Sorry Mr. Ellison, I don't agree with the connection you make with this or the other episode you wrote.
Highly recommended viewing.
After James Cameron made the film "The Terminator," Ellison claimed his work was the source, namely this story. Personally, I don't find all that much in common between the two. Yes, both have a soldier from the future, but that's where it ends. The 101 is a machine sent to kill a rebel leader pre-conception, and Reese is an actual soldier sent intentionally through time to stop him. Quarlo is a minion soldier somehow accidentally sent back in time, confronted with calm and peace for the first time, only to have to fight his enemy once again. Sorry Mr. Ellison, I don't agree with the connection you make with this or the other episode you wrote.
Highly recommended viewing.
Many Thanks To Philo_10
bob_lombardo12 May 2009
Warning: Spoilers
I saw this show when it was first aired and have such a vivid memory of Michael Ansara addressing the Family Cat as "C.O. Prowler" because in his future world Cats were used to as Commanding Officers apparently because of their Stealthiness. But for the life Of me I could not remember the line that Ansara would use to report in to the cat.. So thank you Philo for the "Quarlo__Kobrigny__Privt__RN_CN_TN_TO!" line ... The story as i remember it started off when a book case was moved and the space behind it was an entrance into another dimension where the future war was being fought. The young boy in the family makes first contact with Quarlo and befriends him.
For years I noticed the similarities between this story and the Terminator Series, but I would not go so far as to say the idea is stolen. But now I feel I have to send for the DVD.
For years I noticed the similarities between this story and the Terminator Series, but I would not go so far as to say the idea is stolen. But now I feel I have to send for the DVD.
"I did something."- Harlan Ellison
poe-4883321 July 2018
Among the many accomplishments of Harlan Ellison was SOLDIER, his anti-war war story about a soldier from the future cast into the Past (our Present) and pursued through Time by an enemy soldier. Riveting stuff, Then and Now, and one of the many highlights of THE OUTER LIMITS (the original series). Ellison may be gone, now, but his Words (and DEEDS) will live Forever: he always took the Moral High Ground and never flinched, never gave an inch, even in the face of seemingly unbeatable odds. In a world where 90% of the Earth's population breathes polluted air (and drinks polluted water and eats tainted food) and 7 Million people die every year from breathing that pollution, Ellison was vital to our Understanding of what it is we should be standing for (and standing firmly AGAINST). He was and always will be an Inspiration to those of us whose voices mostly go unheard.
Creative and imaginative.
Sleepin_Dragon19 September 2023
A pair of earrings soldiers from Earth's future are caught up in a freak accident, and transported back to Earth, one of them, Quarlo Clobregnny is caught by The Authorities, Philologist Kagan is called in to try to break down the language barrier.
On the outside, you could easily mistake this for simply another man in a space suit sci fi drama, but this is a whole lot more.
It's well imagined, well realised, and Quarlo as a character has several different layers, he arrives with alien principles and beliefs, and one single strategy, to kill, he's essentially a human, without any humanity.
Kagan is equally interesting, was he well meaning, naive, daring, or a little cavalier? I'm not sure anyone would put their family at risk like that.
Some decent special effects for the time, and that battle ground set looked pretty good.
I have to comment on that much talked about moment, the first thing you do when you meet an alien, you give him a cigarette, obviously we're in more enlightenment times now, but that was just all kinds of wrong, but just remember the context.
A good start to series 2.
8/10.
On the outside, you could easily mistake this for simply another man in a space suit sci fi drama, but this is a whole lot more.
It's well imagined, well realised, and Quarlo as a character has several different layers, he arrives with alien principles and beliefs, and one single strategy, to kill, he's essentially a human, without any humanity.
Kagan is equally interesting, was he well meaning, naive, daring, or a little cavalier? I'm not sure anyone would put their family at risk like that.
Some decent special effects for the time, and that battle ground set looked pretty good.
I have to comment on that much talked about moment, the first thing you do when you meet an alien, you give him a cigarette, obviously we're in more enlightenment times now, but that was just all kinds of wrong, but just remember the context.
A good start to series 2.
8/10.
The ultimate infantryman
nickenchuggets28 August 2023
Warning: Spoilers
While The Outer Limits isn't nearly as known today as many want it to be, it still has a far reaching influence that can be seen in works of science fiction long after the show originally aired. This episode (along with Demon With a Glass Hand) is often credited with providing the groundwork for James Cameron's The Terminator (for reasons I'll get to soon). While not a direct ripoff, The Terminator's storyline does have many similarities with the plots of these two episodes. Soldier begins on a battlefield 18 centuries from now. A desolate wasteland is all that's left of a bleak and broken future planet Earth. A soldier named Qarlo (Michael Ansara) sustains a hit from a laser rifle fired by a rival warrior just as Qarlo fired his weapon at him. Both men are thrown into a time warp due to the beams crossing and Qarlo is teleported back in time to 1964. The other soldier continues to remain suspended in the vortex. Qarlo disintegrates a cop car with his laser gun and is arrested. He is brought to a language expert named Dr. Kagan (Lloyd Nolan) who tries his best to familiarize Qarlo with this world that is totally alien to him. Qarlo is put in a padded room and only repeats a single phrase over and over again. At first, Kagan thinks it's incomprehensible, but it soon becomes clear that he's providing his name, rank and serial letters (what captured soldiers are told to say to the enemy). Kagan attempts to show Qarlo right from wrong by presenting films of loving families and warfare, saying the former is good and the latter is bad, respectively. Qarlo attacks Kagan since he comes from a place where he has only one purpose: to kill his adversaries. Undaunted, Kagan decides to take Qarlo home to his wife and two children. Although he thinks Kagan's wife is an enemy at first, he eventually calms down. However, soon after this Qarlo robs a gun from a shop and goes back to Kagan's house. Kagan's family manages to convince Qarlo that Kagan isn't his enemy and he's only trying to help, so Qarlo puts aside the rifle. Concurrently, the time warp holding the other soldier prisoner wears off and he arrives in present day America (which is his past). The enemy soldier hunts down Qarlo and finds him in Kagan's living room. Using his laser rifle to carve an opening into the wall, he intends on killing Qarlo but gets distracted by Kagan's cat. Qarlo tackles the enemy soldier and they both vanish, apparently dead. As suddenly as Qarlo was brought into this era, he disappeared out of it. The only question now is did he kill the enemy because it was his job, or to protect the one man he could call his friend? Like most Outer Limits installments, Soldier offers an interesting story that is quite easy to follow but still manages to captivate. Maybe this is why the writers for The Terminator decided to at least partially copy it, because the similarities between the two are just too great to pass off as a coincidence. Both involve a soldier being sent back into time to protect somebody from another future soldier being sent back into time. Maybe if that's where the similarities end that would be excusable but literally the first thing we see in the episode is a battlefield that looks suspiciously similar to the future scenes in the first Terminator movie; a barren wasteland that has soldiers firing laser beams. Harlan Ellison (who wrote this episode) sued the production company behind The Terminator for apparent plagiarism, which resulted in the credits of the first movie including a nod towards his original script. Similarly, Demon With a Glass Hand involves aliens from the future trying to kill Robert Culp because he is actually a robotic soldier tasked with safeguarding the whole human race (unbeknownst to himself). How can you not think Terminator? Overall, Soldier may be the start of Outer Limits' often reviled second season, but even in its weaker season the show demonstrated its ability to write sci-fi concepts so stimulating that they would be used as the blueprint for one of Hollywood's biggest action movies.
Soldier
Prismark1025 September 2023
Harlan Ellison's story Soldier is probably the best known of The Outer Limits one. After all Ellison sued James Cameron and ended up with a story credit for The Terminator movies.
The opening scenes in the battlefield of the future has similarities as well as two fighting soldiers getting transported back to Earth of the past.
Qarlo Clobregnny (Michael Ansara) is captured and put in a padded cell as he is too prone to violence. Tom Kagan (Lloyd Nolan) is the linguist expert who comes to understand that Qarlo is speaking an evolved form of English. That he has been bred from war and is from Earth of the future.
Tom wants Qarlo to understand about humanity and love, not war. Tom even persuades his superior Paul Tanner to let him take Qarlo to his house. All the time the other soldier is also somewhere in Los Angeles.
There are some interesting concepts but it is stuck with limitations of 1960s television. It was odd how Tom offers Qarlo a cigarette and lighter when they first meet. Apart from giving this potential alien a cancer stick. I kept wondering what if Hannibal Lecter was there instead of Tom. Just how he would had used a lighter and a lit cigarette as a weapon. That is before a killing machine is taken to Tom's home and perfect family.
Much of the concepts remain unexplored as the story comes to an abrupt end.
The opening scenes in the battlefield of the future has similarities as well as two fighting soldiers getting transported back to Earth of the past.
Qarlo Clobregnny (Michael Ansara) is captured and put in a padded cell as he is too prone to violence. Tom Kagan (Lloyd Nolan) is the linguist expert who comes to understand that Qarlo is speaking an evolved form of English. That he has been bred from war and is from Earth of the future.
Tom wants Qarlo to understand about humanity and love, not war. Tom even persuades his superior Paul Tanner to let him take Qarlo to his house. All the time the other soldier is also somewhere in Los Angeles.
There are some interesting concepts but it is stuck with limitations of 1960s television. It was odd how Tom offers Qarlo a cigarette and lighter when they first meet. Apart from giving this potential alien a cancer stick. I kept wondering what if Hannibal Lecter was there instead of Tom. Just how he would had used a lighter and a lit cigarette as a weapon. That is before a killing machine is taken to Tom's home and perfect family.
Much of the concepts remain unexplored as the story comes to an abrupt end.
Boring story, no connection to Terminator save time travel
tymothys23 May 2013
Warning: Spoilers
I was terribly disappointed in this episode. Namely i was watching it for reference to Terminator, yet saw but a skeleton of reference, just because two soldiers come back to fight, with no apparent reasoning behind their time travel, does not a Terminator make. No wonder Cameron was so disappointed the producers paid off Ellison, i would have fought it to the bone. There is a story by Philip K. Dick that has much more similarity. Of it's own the story was boring and dreadfully long, could have taken place in half an hour with a better ending. The one good aspect of the story is that at least the future soldier knew how to smoke a cigarette, shows at least we keep our unhealthy addictions well into the future.
The Under-Rated Season Two Begins
StuOz12 July 2014
A soldier from the future appears in 1964.
I like the opening few minutes when the "soldier" is in the future and then in the streets of 1964. The very ending is also cool. But I can't say I am the biggest fan of what happens in the endless cage scenes. It just seems to go on and on a bit. However, I am sure the whole hour was a knockout in 1964. Season two has several wonderful episodes and this is not the best season opener to me.
My views of season two are a bit different to many other posters. I actually like the "William Shatner going frozen episode" and the "Killer Weeds episode". In fact in my view at least, the season only had two stinkers and the rest of the shows were okay or fine. However, The Outer Limits requires repeat viewings, there have been many cases where an episode sucked to me in the 1980s but is rather cool today.
I like the opening few minutes when the "soldier" is in the future and then in the streets of 1964. The very ending is also cool. But I can't say I am the biggest fan of what happens in the endless cage scenes. It just seems to go on and on a bit. However, I am sure the whole hour was a knockout in 1964. Season two has several wonderful episodes and this is not the best season opener to me.
My views of season two are a bit different to many other posters. I actually like the "William Shatner going frozen episode" and the "Killer Weeds episode". In fact in my view at least, the season only had two stinkers and the rest of the shows were okay or fine. However, The Outer Limits requires repeat viewings, there have been many cases where an episode sucked to me in the 1980s but is rather cool today.
For the time, yes it may have been the best you could see . . .
donny617 December 2014
The part about the first encounter with Lloyd Nolan, where he "teaches" the soldier how to smoke, just not right. But totally right for the era when doctors, dentists and sports heroes, even Andy Griffith were extolling the "benefits" of tobacco smoking. Some may find that to be such a tickle, but it was part of the propaganda of the day and reminds me of the denial there was with the public and how it's just starting with pro-dope smokers now blooming before our eyes in this generation. And, i'm still a fan of Outer Limits simply because of the introduction of the future stars that i was to become familiar with such as Lloyd and Michael Ansara, fun to then see them grow up!
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