episode #129 - Probe 7, Over and Out

Air Date: 11/29/63    written by Rod Serling    Directed by Ted Post

Another episode focusing on an astronaut (Richard Basehart) and the tense situation he finds himself in. In this case, it's just after he has crashlanded on another planet; his ship is not repairable and he has a broken arm. In the story, though, his problems are not so severe when compared to what is happening at home. He has managed to stay in contact with his home world and the news is dire: nuclear war has broken out - it looks like he will outlive his fellow humans, despite his situation. Then, there's someone lurking near his crash site; soon enuff, a thrown rock knocks him out. The lurker turns out to be a female (Antoinette Bower), also looking worse for wear.
Serling threw in the usual TZ twist at the end, but it's one of the weakest climactic twists in the series - sort of what a high school student and sci-fi fan might write, based on a few stories he'd read. Basehart gives an earnest but dull performance, either talking to himself or trying to communicate with the female. The locale - supposedly an alien planet - is a rather typical forest. It's a fairly boring episode, overall.  BoG's Score: 5.5 out of 10

Twilight Trivia: actor Basehart would begin his regular role as Admiral Nelson on Voyage to the Bottom to the Sea a year later.
Star Trek TOS actor alert: Bower would appear as an alien in human form in the episode Catspaw.