Force of Life

Air Date: 09/11/75    written by Johnny Byrne    Directed by David Tomblin

The title of this episode is somewhat ironic - it might be better titled 'Force of Death' - because the events of this story mean violent death/murder for several unlucky Alphans. As in several episodes, the moon is visited suddenly by an alien entity; it resembles a blue ball of light. But, its visit becomes alarming - unknown to anyone, it apparently infuses itself inside one of Alpha's technicians, Anton Zoref (Ian McShane). Zoref usually works in the Atomic Generator room. He begins to feel ill, feeling as if it's too cold. Then, the deaths begin - the first one is unintentional: Zoref kills a fellow worker simply by touching him; the fellow freezes instantly in death. But, later, Zoref intentional hunts down and kills his next victim. It's ascertained that he needs their energy; this all becomes apparent when he drains energy from various spots on the base. As one might guess, things do not get better for Zoref by the conclusion.
Some portions of this episode come across like a serial killer film in outer space. The way it's filmed, the tension - it becomes about  a stalking killer. But, that's not nearly the whole episode. It's also about the average tech worker on Alpha, his life, his woman, his work and  so on. It's about the consequences when Alpha crosses paths with an alien entity. There are brief hints about what it was all about at the end but it's not spelled out - the alien might have done what it did to facilitate its own evolution somehow. Well, that's fine for the alien, but it's fairly horrific for Zoref and a few Alphans. Zoref's arc is especially sad - it's unclear of how aware he is of what he's done and what is happening by the end, but his end is particularly brutal. He is the victim of a brutal, unfeeling cosmos and its denizens. On top of that, there didn't seem to be much compassion for Zoref by Alpha's leaders either. Only his lady friend felt grief at his passing. BoG's Score: 6.5 out of 10