The Zanti Misfits

"The Zanti Misfits" is an episode of the original The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 30 December 1963, during the first season.

1 Introduction
2 Opening narration
3 Plotline
4 Closing narration
5 Cast
6 External links

[edit] Introduction

An alien species demands that Earth provide a penal colony for its criminals.

[edit] Opening narration

Throughout history compassionate minds have pondered this dark and disturbing question: what is society to do with those members who are a threat to society, those malcontents and misfits whose behavior undermines and destroys the foundations of civilization? Different ages have found different answers. Misfits have been burned, branded and banished. Today on this planet earth the criminal incarcerated in humane institutions or he is executed. Other planets use other methods. This is the story of how the perfectionist rulers of the planet Zanti attempted to solve the problem of the Zanti misfits.

[edit] Plotline

Military forces have cordoned off a California ghost town awaiting the arrival of a spacecraft from the planet Zanti. The Leaders of that world have decided that the Earth is the perfect place to exile their undesirables. They threaten "total destruction" if their penal ship is molested. But Ben Garth, a bank robber on the lam, crosses the cordon and approaches the Zanti ship, triggering an ugly jailbreak. Earth's nervous soldiers launch an anti-Zanti attack, killing all the aliens - and fearfully awaiting the expected reprisal. Instead, they get a message of thanks from the Zanti leaders. It seems they can't execute their own kind, so they sent them to the experts on killing — us.

[edit] Closing narration

Throughout history various societies have tried various methods of exterminating those members who have proven their inability or unwillingness to live sanely amongst their fellow men. The Zantis tried merely one more method neither better, nor worse than all of the others, neither more human, nor less human than all others, perhaps merely non-human.

[edit] Cast

Michael Tolan – as Steve Grave
Olive Deering – as Lisa
Robert F. Simon – as General Hart
Bruce Dern – as Ben Garth
Claude Woolman – as Major Roger Hill
Lex Johnson – as Communications Operator (uncredited)
Joey Tata – as Radar Operator (uncredited)
George Sims – as Computer Technician (uncredited)
Mike Mikler – as Air Police Sergeant (uncredited)
Bill Hart – as Corporal Delano (uncredited)
Vic Perrin – as voice of Zanti Prisoner (uncredited)
Robert Johnson – as voices of Radio Newscaster/Zanti Regent/Zanti Commander (uncredited)
John Elizalde – as voice of Zanti (uncredited)