The Outer Limits is a science fiction anthology series created by writer, director, and producer Leslie Stevens. The series began airing in 1963, a few years after The Twilight Zone debuted. The shows have very different tones. The Twilight Zone played with parable and irony in its mix of sci-fi, fantasy, and horror elements; The Outer Limits is a much darker series intended to scare with its mix of sci-fi, horror, and thriller elements. I believe the best explanation I’ve ever seen for The Outer Limits is the phrase “Gothic science fiction,” meaning sci-fi stories with the atmosphere and tone of the Victorian Gothic novel.
In The Galaxy Being, the owner of a radio station becomes obsessed with a strange signal he picks up beyond static. He diverts power from the station to turn the sound into a 3D model. His obsession with the newest scientific breakthrough in microwave-analyzed sound is putting a wedge between himself, his family, and the rest of the world.
The first season of The Outer Limits can be defined by the monster. Almost every one of the original 32 episodes features some kind of monster figure as part of the story. The Galaxy Being exemplifies this concept. The 3D sound analysis turns into a ghostly vision of an extraterrestrial being.
The radio station owner is an expert in sound, adjusting frequencies and power systems on his experiment and radio broadcast at the same time. He makes quick work of defining a system of communication with the Galaxy Being. They ask each other questions. Soon enough, the Galaxy Being makes it clear why no other species has contacted Earth.
The Galaxy Being must have been shocking when it debuted. Imagine this: it’s 7:30pm on Monday night. Your family tunes into ABC to watch a new sci-fi show. About 15 minutes in, you’re confronted with an alien explaining the true nature of god, existence, and humanity’s impact on the galaxy. The episode only gets darker and stranger from there.
The monster design is simple and effective. The actor wears a full body suit and a sculpted mask. They edit this to look like a fuzzy image on a TV set, not quite coming into focus. They turn the contrast and brightness up high to make it look like he’s glowing. His potential impact is explained by the radio station’s wife before he first appears in a physical form: cold, almost freezing, and unnerving.
The Galaxy Being is a great blend of sci-fi and Gothic tropes. The radio station owner and the Galaxy Being are reflections of each other. They both sacrifice relationships with the beings around them to pursue knowledge they’re not meant to learn. Their connection creates a new and unsettling world with secrets hiding in every corner. There are people lurking in the shadows, ready to change their lives with selfish acts of power and control. More of the seams show on the effects in 2021, but the power of The Galaxy Being’s narrative demonstrates how The Outer Limits became a media sensation.
***
content warning: flashing lights, gun violence, violence against women
Up next: S1E02 “The Hundred Days of the Dragon.” The Outer Limits is streaming for free on The Roku Channel.