The Outer Limits (1963) 1.07

O.B.I.T.

starring Peter Breck, Jeff Corey

directed by Gerd Oswald

US Senator Orville (Peter Breck) conducts an inquiry into the death of US Army Captain James Harrison, who was strangled to death while on duty at the Cypress Hills Research Center. A number of witnesses are called upon to testify at the hearing.

Morale at the center is low. There are rumors that the security operation at the center is spying on the scientists who work there. Senator Orville demands to see a demonstration of OBIT or Outer Band Individuated Teletracer, the device that is used to spy on the scientists. Byron Lomax (Jeff Corey), the current acting director of the center, tells the senator about OBIT.

Dr. Clifford Scott, the director of Cypress Hills, is missing. Senator Orville wants to talk to him. No one seems to know where Dr. Scott is, including his wife, but then Colonel Grover, the military liaison, takes Senator Orville to see Dr. Scott. The director of the research center tells the Senator about the monster he saw using OBIT and about how he’s been kept under house arrest in a rest home ever since he tried to tell others about what he saw.

Senator Orville convinces Scott to come back to Cypress Hills the next day and testify about what he saw. Dr. Scott uses OBIT at the hearing to reveal that Lomax, who is also present at the hearing, is the alien he saw. Lomax declares that the human race is doomed and then disappears into thin air in the middle of the hearing. 

Thoughts

I didn’t recognize any of the actors in this episode although I have seen a few of them in other things. 

I really like the way this episode is shot. I love some of the closeups on Byron Lomax and the overhead shot as the episode is ending. There might be others shots that I can't recall.

I like this episode but it feels a bit off, like something is missing or doesn’t add up. There is a message in here that doesn't seem dated in the least bit, about the surveillance state and the effect it has on those who are part of it. 

Notes

Peter Breck was in one movie I have seen, The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982). This is the the only episode of this show in which he appeared. He also appeared in episodes of The Incredible Hulk,  The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Outer Limits (1995).

This is the only episode of this show in which Jeff Corey appeared. He also made appearances on Star Trek (1966), Night Gallery, The Six Million Dollar Man, and The Bionic Woman. He also appeared in a few movies I have seen including Battle Beyond the Stars (1980), The Sword and the Sorcerer (1982), and Conan the Destroyer (1984).

Alan Baxter played the part of Colonel Grover. He appeared in a few other anthology shows including Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour, and the one episode of  Westinghouse Desilu Playhouse that I have seen, 1.06 The Time Element.

Harry Townes played the part of Dr. Clifford Scott. This is the only episode of this show in which he appeared but he also appeared in episodes of Alfred Hitchcock Presents (1955), The Twilight Zone (1959), The Alfred Hitchcock Hour. He also appeared in an episode of Star Trek (1966) that I saw recently, 1.21 Return of the Archons, and and episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

This is the first of 14 episodes of this show that Gerd Oswald directed. He also directed two episode of Star Trek (1966), the first of which was 1.13 Conscience of the King. The last two things he directed were episodes of The Twilights Zone (1985).