The Cold Equations (The Twilight Zone)

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The Cold Equations is an episode of the third season of 1980s television series The Twilight Zone.

Contents

[edit] Cast

  • Thomas Barton: Terrence Knox
  • Marilyn Cross: Christianne Hirt
  • Commander: Michael J. Reynolds
  • Gerry Cross: Barclay Hope

[edit] Opening narration

"On the frontier, any frontier, there can be little margin for error. Just as the first covered wagons making their way across the American desert had a finite supply of food and water, so too on this even vaster frontier are there laws that must be strictly observed. Thomas Barton has been piloting Emergency Dispatch Ships for five years. He has never been faced with this particular law of the frontier, until now. Thomas Barton is about to discover firsthand that there are limits, even here in the boundless reaches of the Twilight Zone."

[edit] Synopsis

Thomas Barton is an astronaut who must deliver a vital cargo of vaccine to a plague-stricken colony world. Simple enough, except for one catch; a young girl, Marylin, has stowed away on his vessel with hopes of reuniting with her brother once the vessel reaches the colony world. Now the entire mission is in jeopardy, as her presence on board was not calculated into the flight plan and there will be no way for the pilot to compensate for her added weight. They attempt to compensate by jettisoning all possible extra weight, but this is ineffective; Barton briefly considers killing himself so the girl can survive, but she will not be able to pilot the ship herself. Resigned to her fate, she enters the airlock and jettisons herself into space, leaving Barton to grieve in silence.

[edit] Closing Narration

"In the darkness, Thomas Barton hurtles toward his destination with the realization that there is room for emotion on the wilder frontiers of the universe. Emotion and memory of a girl who had not known sometimes it takes a human life to balance the cold equation in the black geometry of the Twilight Zone."

[edit] Trivia

Based on the original short story by Tom Godwin, this was made into a longer feature for the SciFi channel starring Bill Campbell and Poppy Montgomery. It was also made into an episode of the X Minus One radio program in 1955.