After viewing this episode, it became quite apparent to me that James Cameron used it to form the basis of the storyline for "The Terminator". In "The Man Who Was Never Born", the alien creature in human disguise portrayed by Martin Landau comes down to Earth to warn a young woman and prevent the birth of her son which would lead to dire consequences for all humanity much like the role of the Terminator in Cameron's film. It was interesting how the hideous looking creature was able to change its appearance into the handsome young man at a moment's notice. We also get to see a very young and attractive looking Shirley Knight as the potential mother which was a far cry from the way she looks now but she is still a marvelous actress as she was back then in this episode. The ending blew me away as we see her trapped in the traveling spaceship all by herself as the camera continues to move far away from her which adds the total despair of the scene as she is all alone and fading almost into non-existence. An ending which will stay with you for some time after viewing it which was evident of many of the great Outer Limits episodes. Although I wouldn't consider this one of the best episodes of the series, it certainly was a most interesting one.
29 Reviews
Brilliant, astonishing.
searchanddestroy-121 October 2020
One more outstanding example of the equivalence that may exist between OUTER LIMITS and TWILIGHT ZONE series topics and atmosphere. Intelligent story that also may be the DNA of TERMINATOR and BACK TO THE FUTURE movies, where some folks try to change the fate of history. When the Marty Landau's character does his best to change the future of the world, by preventing a wedding, mother and father of a possible evil scientist, I thought of Michael J Fox's character trying to make his parents meet; if not he will never exist....The same process but in reverse; no one seems to have noticed it.
The Outer Limits--The Man Who Was Never Born
Scarecrow-885 January 2011
Warning: Spoilers
A "time convulsion" sends an astronaut from 1963 into the future where he lands on Earth and meets a "child of the doomed age", a bright, intelligent but diseased man, Andro(Martin Landau in hideous make-up) who informs him of the time for which he now inhabits, an earth no longer the one he left. An extraterrestrial microbe, that's it, was the cause of mutations and the absence of reproduction. Bertram Cabot, Jr. is the biologist who would isolate and develop a symbiont with unforeseen side effects which created genetic changes and, in the process, destroyed humanity. Andro has an ability to alter his appearance through hypnotic suggestion, perhaps the sole attribute as a result from the microbe which led to the end of the human race. Captain Joseph Reardon(Karl Held), disgusted with all that remains of Earth being an extended underground library, will head back through the time warp, with Andro in tow as a means to warn the human race of their future destruction. What Reardon, or Andro for that matter, will not expect is to die due to his going back through the time warp perhaps because in doing so(as he was probably not supposed to do)altered the pattern of events which would lead to his demise. Andro will set out to kill Bertram Cabot Jr so that the future will be changed for the better, falling in love with the mother who was to give birth to the father of extinction, Noelle(a barely recognizable Shirley Knight, so lovely, young, and skinny), in the process. John Considine is Lt. Bertram Cabot, an army soldier who is to wed Noelle, finding a rival in Andro who has created an altered face and body to mask the monster underneath the suggestion. Andro begs for Noelle and Bertram to not marry, but when both refuse, he will plan to shoot Cabot on the day of their wedding as a desperate last resort. But Noelle may not be in love with Cabot after all..
Another one of those anti-war parables about how science, used as a way to defend one country against its enemies, can lead to devastating consequences. It also contains a "what if" scenario--if you could go back in time and change the course of history, would you? THE TWILIGHT ZONE had an episode similar to this(well, in regards to going back in time)with Russell Johnson(the Professor of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND) attempting to stop Lincoln's assassination called BACK THERE. So there have been other shows tackling the subject of the possibility of altering the course of history and the ramifications which come . The finale to this is certainly tragic and unnerving(what will happen to the person left alone?)and Landau's performance is quite haunting. What makes this episode's subject matter so interesting is that while containing a pacifist message, its better to not destroy ourselves by using science as a way to protect us and hurt the enemy, it considers the only hope for mankind the murder of one person so he can not give birth to the father of destruction. Even under heavy make-up, Landau echoes the aching and desperation in forbidding the future which led to humankind's undoing, especially since he gets a chance to see Earth as it was before some scientist f#cked it up.
Another one of those anti-war parables about how science, used as a way to defend one country against its enemies, can lead to devastating consequences. It also contains a "what if" scenario--if you could go back in time and change the course of history, would you? THE TWILIGHT ZONE had an episode similar to this(well, in regards to going back in time)with Russell Johnson(the Professor of GILLIGAN'S ISLAND) attempting to stop Lincoln's assassination called BACK THERE. So there have been other shows tackling the subject of the possibility of altering the course of history and the ramifications which come . The finale to this is certainly tragic and unnerving(what will happen to the person left alone?)and Landau's performance is quite haunting. What makes this episode's subject matter so interesting is that while containing a pacifist message, its better to not destroy ourselves by using science as a way to protect us and hurt the enemy, it considers the only hope for mankind the murder of one person so he can not give birth to the father of destruction. Even under heavy make-up, Landau echoes the aching and desperation in forbidding the future which led to humankind's undoing, especially since he gets a chance to see Earth as it was before some scientist f#cked it up.
Dream-like, touching, and sad
axsmashcrushallthree20 July 2006
"The Man Who Was Never Born" is a sensitive fantasy about a man named Andro who is caught in a limbo of time and space. In this episode, he traverses through several worlds, searching for a sense of connection, solidity, and resolution, which is frustratingly elusive.
I will not provide more plot details, aside from the fact that the ending is absolutely stunning and unforgettable. Overall, this is one of the greatest Outer Limits episodes. Martin Landau delivers an outstanding performance in the title role with great support by Shirley Knight. Conrad Hall's soft-focus black/white photography and Leonard Horn's incisive direction complement Anthony Lawrence's spare, compact screenplay to create a powerful viewing experience.
It is difficult to imagine that you will not be moved after watching this. 10/10.
I will not provide more plot details, aside from the fact that the ending is absolutely stunning and unforgettable. Overall, this is one of the greatest Outer Limits episodes. Martin Landau delivers an outstanding performance in the title role with great support by Shirley Knight. Conrad Hall's soft-focus black/white photography and Leonard Horn's incisive direction complement Anthony Lawrence's spare, compact screenplay to create a powerful viewing experience.
It is difficult to imagine that you will not be moved after watching this. 10/10.
The Man Who Was Never Born
sheknits5 November 2006
When I saw this episode as a teenager, a hundred or so years ago ;) when it originally aired back in the 60s, I knew that Martin Landau was destined for greatness. I was blown away even then!
It took him a few decades but when he won that Oscar for his part in the movie "Ed Wood," I definitely thought of his incredible acting job in this long ago episode of "The Outer Limits." "The Man Who Was Never Born" is just the best... Landau's performance made you want to weep for the tragic character he portrayed with such beauty and depth.
You know it's a strong performance when you as the viewer are made to care so much about the character, even though his extreme ugliness makes him something less than a feast for the eyes!
It took him a few decades but when he won that Oscar for his part in the movie "Ed Wood," I definitely thought of his incredible acting job in this long ago episode of "The Outer Limits." "The Man Who Was Never Born" is just the best... Landau's performance made you want to weep for the tragic character he portrayed with such beauty and depth.
You know it's a strong performance when you as the viewer are made to care so much about the character, even though his extreme ugliness makes him something less than a feast for the eyes!
One of the Very Best Outer Limits Episodes!
Chance2000esl16 March 2008
Warning: Spoilers
Warning: Spoiler Alert. No --- I can't spoil it for you if you've never seen it.
All I can say is like the few GREAT 'Outer Limits' episodes, this has many themes, a lot going on, great dialog, changes of situations and all in only 52 minutes! It's basically the 'tired' (not unless you bring something new to it!) science fictional 'What If' theme of 'What if you could go back in time and kill........'
Every scene is great. It begins with an astronaut accidentally winding up in the far future meeting the awful fate that awaits mankind, in the shape of the ugly, grotesque Andro (Martin Landau). After their great scene together, they go back in time, so Andro can prevent the evil future from occurring.
We'll forget about all the easy coincidences that make this a two and half hour movie telescoped down to fifty minutes. Who cares? This is one of the great episodes of television!
Now the scene changes to the imminent wedding in the boarding house where Andro is staying. Conveniently, he has the ability 'to cloud men's minds' and make everyone think he looks like Martin Landau in a natty 60s suit! He is there to kill. To save the future.
I can't say any more, except that what really elevates this to great theater is the uncompromising ending. No maudlin 'if only there is love' clichés so common in all the other episodes! As other reviewers have said, and I say too, it's sad, and unforgettable, but may I add truly horrifying! Even though Martin Landau's New England (?) accent is phony and grating, so what. I give this episode a 10.
All I can say is like the few GREAT 'Outer Limits' episodes, this has many themes, a lot going on, great dialog, changes of situations and all in only 52 minutes! It's basically the 'tired' (not unless you bring something new to it!) science fictional 'What If' theme of 'What if you could go back in time and kill........'
Every scene is great. It begins with an astronaut accidentally winding up in the far future meeting the awful fate that awaits mankind, in the shape of the ugly, grotesque Andro (Martin Landau). After their great scene together, they go back in time, so Andro can prevent the evil future from occurring.
We'll forget about all the easy coincidences that make this a two and half hour movie telescoped down to fifty minutes. Who cares? This is one of the great episodes of television!
Now the scene changes to the imminent wedding in the boarding house where Andro is staying. Conveniently, he has the ability 'to cloud men's minds' and make everyone think he looks like Martin Landau in a natty 60s suit! He is there to kill. To save the future.
I can't say any more, except that what really elevates this to great theater is the uncompromising ending. No maudlin 'if only there is love' clichés so common in all the other episodes! As other reviewers have said, and I say too, it's sad, and unforgettable, but may I add truly horrifying! Even though Martin Landau's New England (?) accent is phony and grating, so what. I give this episode a 10.
The second of OL's two "love stories"
garrard24 June 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Future Academy and Emmy winner Martin Landau plays "Andro," a horribly deformed human from Earth's future that, due to an chance meeting with an astronaut from our time, returns to the planet to change history so that the deformities that befell him and the rest of mankind will not transpire. Stage and screen veteran Shirley Knight guests with Landau as "Nicole," the woman that would give birth to the man that developed the bio-weapon that would alter humanity.
Through hypnotic suggestion Landau's character has the ability to change an individual's perception of him; thus, no one he encounters knows how he really looks. Later, however, during an attempt to disrupt Nicole and her fiancé's wedding, Andro loses control and reveals his image to the horror of all in attendance.
The tender exchanges between Landau and Knight gives this science fiction story a more romantic story line than only one other story in the series' short-lived history, the touching and tragic "Architects of Fear." Both of these were strong due to the interaction between their respective male and female leads.
Landau, who would also appear in the show's "The Bellero Shield" installment, and Knight are brilliant and provided one of the most memorable performances on this, and any other show of the 60's.
If it's not there, the installment belongs in the television show hall of fame.
Through hypnotic suggestion Landau's character has the ability to change an individual's perception of him; thus, no one he encounters knows how he really looks. Later, however, during an attempt to disrupt Nicole and her fiancé's wedding, Andro loses control and reveals his image to the horror of all in attendance.
The tender exchanges between Landau and Knight gives this science fiction story a more romantic story line than only one other story in the series' short-lived history, the touching and tragic "Architects of Fear." Both of these were strong due to the interaction between their respective male and female leads.
Landau, who would also appear in the show's "The Bellero Shield" installment, and Knight are brilliant and provided one of the most memorable performances on this, and any other show of the 60's.
If it's not there, the installment belongs in the television show hall of fame.
The End of Mankind
claudio_carvalho15 February 2018
When the astronaut Joseph Reardon accidentally travels through a time warp, he lands on a devastated Earth in 2148 A.D. He stumbles upon a mutant called Andro that explains that an ambitious scientist called Bertram Cabot Jr. had developed a bacterium that caused a biological disaster and the mankind became infertile mutants. Reardon decides to bring the Andro to 1963 to warn the authorities and prevent the disaster. However, Reardom feels that is dying after crossing the time warp and asks Andro to kill Cabot; then vanishes and Andro lands alone on Earth. He uses hypnotic suggestion to have normal appearance and goes to a boarding house seeking out Bertram Cabot Jr. But after meeting the young Noelle Anderson, he learns that she is Bertram Cabot´s girlfriend and Bertram Cabot Jr. has not been born yet. What will Andro do to save mankind?
"The Man Who Was Never Born" is so far the best episode of "The Outer Limits". The screenplay is very well-written, with drama and "A Beauty and the Beast" romance. The conclusion with open end is excellent and without time paradox. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "O Homem que Nunca Nasceu" ("The Man Who Was Never Born")
"The Man Who Was Never Born" is so far the best episode of "The Outer Limits". The screenplay is very well-written, with drama and "A Beauty and the Beast" romance. The conclusion with open end is excellent and without time paradox. My vote is ten.
Title (Brazil): "O Homem que Nunca Nasceu" ("The Man Who Was Never Born")
Time travel episode that I really liked!
archyros-3090925 June 2017
Warning: Spoilers
I usually hate time travel stories, because of the paradoxes, and because we know the outcome in advance. But this story is not like that. I first saw this episode as a child, back in the 1960s, and it was as good as I remembered. An astronaut from 1963 flies through a time warp into the future. A desolate future of a dying Earth.
A mutant brings him up to date, and they decide to try and stop this future from ever happening. The performances were wonderful in this rendition of Beauty and the Beast, and the make-up was great. And the consequences of time travel are still awful for those involved. Trying to save the Earth's future from the world-ending outcome of a scientist's deadly experiment does not result in a happy ending for all concerned.
The ending almost makes me cry. By changing the past events, Martin Landau's character Andro has saved the future, but has also prevented himself from being born, and he disappears during the flight back to the future. The woman who was to have given birth to the man who would have destroyed the Earth is left crying alone, without the Beast she had fallen in love with, in a spaceship she doesn't know how to operate, heading for the future Earth.
When I first saw this episode, I imagined her orbiting and dying of hunger. But now I imagine that the inhabitants of future Earth rescue her from a lonely fate, and she goes on, learning to live with her broken heart.
A mutant brings him up to date, and they decide to try and stop this future from ever happening. The performances were wonderful in this rendition of Beauty and the Beast, and the make-up was great. And the consequences of time travel are still awful for those involved. Trying to save the Earth's future from the world-ending outcome of a scientist's deadly experiment does not result in a happy ending for all concerned.
The ending almost makes me cry. By changing the past events, Martin Landau's character Andro has saved the future, but has also prevented himself from being born, and he disappears during the flight back to the future. The woman who was to have given birth to the man who would have destroyed the Earth is left crying alone, without the Beast she had fallen in love with, in a spaceship she doesn't know how to operate, heading for the future Earth.
When I first saw this episode, I imagined her orbiting and dying of hunger. But now I imagine that the inhabitants of future Earth rescue her from a lonely fate, and she goes on, learning to live with her broken heart.
Would you kill baby Hitler if you had the chance?
planktonrules25 June 2012
This episode explores the notion of killing evil before it has a chance to grow into a menace for mankind--sort of like if you could go back through time to kill Hitler. The show begins with an astronaut from 1961 landing in the future only to find that the planet has been decimated and what people are left are hideous creatures. One named Andro explains that all this was caused by a scientist who accidentally created a plague and wiped out most everyone on the planet. So, using the ship, Andro returns to the 1960s to kill the man who would one day destroy mankind. However, because he's so ugly, he's able to use cool psychic powers to make others think he looks just like Martin Landau! And, it turns out, he's arrived just in time to possibly prevent the scientist's parents from ever marrying! Overall, a very intriguing episode that only has one fault--the ending and the bride's reaction to Andro is just too weird and hard to believe. Still, it's a cool episode and one well worth your time. As usual for this series, it's well written and insightful. See this one.
What a WONDERFUL treasure THIS is!
stoneyburke28 January 2010
This is when and how my love affair with Martin Landau began. I saw this when the Outer Limits series was new...I have NEVER forgotten this episode.
The story is quite interesting and the acting by ALL is top-notch. The set-up and the story line may be read in others' reviews so rent it, steal it just get a hold of a copy..I found mine this day on VHS and it remains as lovely as it was 47 years ago! Oh Heck..I'll give you a few details..It starts out NOT on earth. A spaceman has a conversation with this mutant creature of a man who speaks with style and grace...yep, it's Martin. He, Martin, gets to earth and meets the lovely Shirley Knight...evidently it's his power of suggestion, a hallucination, that changes his ugly self into an eloquent and handsome man. I refrain from saying any more.
WOW the early 1960's were quite filled, thankfully, with such interesting and intellectual programs in this vein. Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, etc, were a grand insight to how the brainy writers and actors appeared and we were treated to same in spades!
The story is quite interesting and the acting by ALL is top-notch. The set-up and the story line may be read in others' reviews so rent it, steal it just get a hold of a copy..I found mine this day on VHS and it remains as lovely as it was 47 years ago! Oh Heck..I'll give you a few details..It starts out NOT on earth. A spaceman has a conversation with this mutant creature of a man who speaks with style and grace...yep, it's Martin. He, Martin, gets to earth and meets the lovely Shirley Knight...evidently it's his power of suggestion, a hallucination, that changes his ugly self into an eloquent and handsome man. I refrain from saying any more.
WOW the early 1960's were quite filled, thankfully, with such interesting and intellectual programs in this vein. Outer Limits, Twilight Zone, etc, were a grand insight to how the brainy writers and actors appeared and we were treated to same in spades!
Cry of the unborn
sol121817 June 2011
Warning: Spoilers
***SPOILERS*** It's when US Astronaut Capt.Joseph Reardon, Karl Held, went thought this space time convulsion that he traveled through time and landed on earth in 2148, not 1963 the time he was sent off into outer space, a good 185 years into the future. It's on what looks like a lifeless earth that Reardon meets one of the planets last survivors Andro, Martin Landau, who's face looks like an overused and well broken-in catcher mitt! Andro who despite his overly rotten tomato like looks has a perfect set of teeth that he seems to brush at least, in order to keep them white and shiny, twice a day!
Andro tells Reardon this story about this mad scientist who wanted to make a name for himself back in the late 20th Century who ended up destroying almost the entire human race. The guy Prof. Berton Cabot Jr created this microbe that when it escaped from his laboratory caused the human population to both mutate and die over the next 150 years leaving him as one of its few survivor. Andro seeing his chance to save the earth's population comes up with the bright idea to got back into space with the rocket-ship that Reardon piloted and re-enter that mysterious black hole that would bring him back to 1963. That plan works to refection with only one slight drawback: Reardon didn't make it but Andro did!
disguising himself as a 20th Century human being Andro tracks down Prof. Cabot Jr's future parents Let. Bertram Cabot Sr, John Considine, and his soon to be wife Noelle, Shirley Knight, and tries to keep them from both marrying and conceiving their fist child Berton Jr in preventing him from growing up and destroying the human race and the world as we know it!
***SPOILERS*** interesting final with Andro convincing Noelle to take off with him on the late Capt. Reardon's space ship in order to keep her from having Berton Cabot, the First, first child Berton Jr. During all this Noelle fell in love with Andro the "tall dark and handsome" stranger from the future despite seeing him as he really was when he dropped his guard, and disguise, as he tried and succeeded to interrupt Noelle's marriage ceremony by trying to unsuccessfully assassinate the groom Let. Cabot Sr.
Now in the darkness of outer space Andro like Capt. Reardon disappears out of existence in that traveling back and forth in time made him a non entity and thus prevented him from being born in the first place! As for Noelle she did reach her destination, which was edited out of the episode because of time restraints, the year 2148 and began a whole new life in a world that her son Berton Cabot Jr would have destroyed if she ended up giving birth to him!
Andro tells Reardon this story about this mad scientist who wanted to make a name for himself back in the late 20th Century who ended up destroying almost the entire human race. The guy Prof. Berton Cabot Jr created this microbe that when it escaped from his laboratory caused the human population to both mutate and die over the next 150 years leaving him as one of its few survivor. Andro seeing his chance to save the earth's population comes up with the bright idea to got back into space with the rocket-ship that Reardon piloted and re-enter that mysterious black hole that would bring him back to 1963. That plan works to refection with only one slight drawback: Reardon didn't make it but Andro did!
disguising himself as a 20th Century human being Andro tracks down Prof. Cabot Jr's future parents Let. Bertram Cabot Sr, John Considine, and his soon to be wife Noelle, Shirley Knight, and tries to keep them from both marrying and conceiving their fist child Berton Jr in preventing him from growing up and destroying the human race and the world as we know it!
***SPOILERS*** interesting final with Andro convincing Noelle to take off with him on the late Capt. Reardon's space ship in order to keep her from having Berton Cabot, the First, first child Berton Jr. During all this Noelle fell in love with Andro the "tall dark and handsome" stranger from the future despite seeing him as he really was when he dropped his guard, and disguise, as he tried and succeeded to interrupt Noelle's marriage ceremony by trying to unsuccessfully assassinate the groom Let. Cabot Sr.
Now in the darkness of outer space Andro like Capt. Reardon disappears out of existence in that traveling back and forth in time made him a non entity and thus prevented him from being born in the first place! As for Noelle she did reach her destination, which was edited out of the episode because of time restraints, the year 2148 and began a whole new life in a world that her son Berton Cabot Jr would have destroyed if she ended up giving birth to him!
Time Travel
StuOz26 June 2014
A guy must go back in time to prevent disaster from happening on earth.
Time travel is a theme that I always like. From The Time Tunnel to Star Trek I just can't get enough of it. I personally know Martin Landau from his two seasons of Space 1999 (1975-77) so it is rather pleasing to know his acting range, seen here, is much wider than that seen in Space 1999.
According to the connection section of this episode, Star Trek episode Miri (1966) lifted the "signal from planet" sound effect from this Limits episode. Nice to see the two shows cross over like that.
The Man Who Was Never Born is a fine hour.
Time travel is a theme that I always like. From The Time Tunnel to Star Trek I just can't get enough of it. I personally know Martin Landau from his two seasons of Space 1999 (1975-77) so it is rather pleasing to know his acting range, seen here, is much wider than that seen in Space 1999.
According to the connection section of this episode, Star Trek episode Miri (1966) lifted the "signal from planet" sound effect from this Limits episode. Nice to see the two shows cross over like that.
The Man Who Was Never Born is a fine hour.
All dressed up in a Wedding Gown with no GPS
thejcowboy2220 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
We make decisions in our lifetime. Good or bad. Often times I ponder and think about subtle changes in my past life and how things would turn out. A lone Astronaut, Captain Joseph Reardon (Karl Held) travels through a time warp in deep space. Lands on a barren desolate planet resembling Mars. Nothing but rocks and open spaces as far as the eye can see. For our traveler is not alone. Behind the rocks is a disfigured man. Horrible to look at. His face looks like petrified lava yet he approaches the bewildered astronaut.The disfigured man introduces himself as Andro (Martin Landau). Andro is peaceful and intelligent with a vast knowledge of Earth's past. I did say Earth. It appears that our Captain Reardon traveled 200 years into Earth's future. Bleak and empty with sole mutant to show for man's civilization. Andro fondly talks about Earth's past as he gives a tour of the lone hall of records. Andro fondly talks about 19th century literature. Mark Twain's life on the Mississippi, Anna Karenina putting on her white gloves. Yet the Television viewer and our Astronaut wonder what went wrong. Earth's future? A mutant man? a dried up planet? Andro tells the story of Late 20th century chemist Bertram Cabot Jr. who was experimenting with an Alien Bacterium which got out of hand mutating human DNA causing sterility/mass plague which manifested into the end result Andro. Andro asks Reardon if he could return through the time warp and hopefully change history by preventing the birth of Cabot. Andro knows the names of the birth parents and will attempt to quash their creation of the bane. The two lift off in Reardon's ship leaving the desolate earth of the future. While in Space Reardon feels funny as the ship passes the through the time warp. Reardon dissolves and Andro is left alone as the ship conveniently touches down in a swamp like area on Earth in the year 1963. Andro with his long robe and mutated skin sees of all things, the would be mother of Cabot, the lovely blonde Noelle (Shirley Knight). Andro has the power of illusion and transforms into a dashing young blade with the current wardrobe dark suit, skinny neck tie typical garb of 1963. The rest of the episode Andro tries to prevent the marriage to Cabot Sr. (John Considine) just back from the military. Andro uses all his charm on Noelle as an agitated Groom wants him out of the picture. Landau shows his softer side and compassion in the role. Maxine Stuart is the landlady of the boarding house who also played the disfigured, bandaged woman in the Twilight Zone episode Eye of The Beholder. In the end the problem is corrected but with corrections there comes a price!
Time's Sacrifice
hellraiser719 November 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Warning do not read unless seen episode.
This is my favorite episode of the series; it definitely predates "12 Monkeys" and even "The Terminator" as both have similar premises of a man going back in time to save the future.
The late Martin Landau is just excellent as Andros whom is a tortured protagonist and his mutated condition reflects that. You really feel for this character as he is faced with a ulitarism dilemma where he has to prevent a couple from conceiving a child whom will bring destruction to the future, by any means necessary. That's a pretty heavy dilemma for anyone despite possibly crossing an ethical boundary, there are the billions of lives at stake to consider.
But what really powers it is the interaction between both the girl and him which I think is beautiful. In a way it's almost kinda a Beauty and the Beast dynamic. Despite the image he's putting up to cover his real face she isn't concerned about his looks, she like/loves him for who he is as a person which is part of what love I feel is really about. And in the interaction we get more depth to his character and what kind of a future he's lived in, which gives him even more emotional weight and emphasize more with his mission.
The ending I'll admit is bittersweet and one of the saddest I've ever seen but just goes to show the meaning of love and sacrifice. The love of one is also the love of humanity itself.
Rating: 4 stars
This is my favorite episode of the series; it definitely predates "12 Monkeys" and even "The Terminator" as both have similar premises of a man going back in time to save the future.
The late Martin Landau is just excellent as Andros whom is a tortured protagonist and his mutated condition reflects that. You really feel for this character as he is faced with a ulitarism dilemma where he has to prevent a couple from conceiving a child whom will bring destruction to the future, by any means necessary. That's a pretty heavy dilemma for anyone despite possibly crossing an ethical boundary, there are the billions of lives at stake to consider.
But what really powers it is the interaction between both the girl and him which I think is beautiful. In a way it's almost kinda a Beauty and the Beast dynamic. Despite the image he's putting up to cover his real face she isn't concerned about his looks, she like/loves him for who he is as a person which is part of what love I feel is really about. And in the interaction we get more depth to his character and what kind of a future he's lived in, which gives him even more emotional weight and emphasize more with his mission.
The ending I'll admit is bittersweet and one of the saddest I've ever seen but just goes to show the meaning of love and sacrifice. The love of one is also the love of humanity itself.
Rating: 4 stars
I'll take pro-life propaganda movie titles for 500, Alex
TBJCSKCNRRQTreviews26 October 2012
Capt. Reardon is flying through space, in the most peculiar way, when he accidentally passes through a time warp(it happens more often than you might think). On the other side, he finds that, 200 years from now, humans look hideous(though they can hypnotize people to not realize this), so he travels back with one of them, Andros, supposing that, and I'm essentially quoting here, "if it will take us one way in time, it may take us the other way, too". With knowledge of what caused the malady, they are determined to fix our future, and maybe inspire a Hollywood director to make his breakthrough feature. This takes off immediately, engaging us in the story and the conflict and keeping to a quite fast pace, with constant developments and numerous scenes of tension and suspense. With only a few characters, all of them get enough screen time and interactions with each other that we know what they're like, and can focus on the central concept(would you kill Hitler before he had done anything?) and relationship(I won't tell you which). This is rather well-produced, in all respects. It's filmed quite competently, except for the one part where the cameraman seems to have a seizure. And the make-up FX, convincingly(seriously, you believe that that's his skin) transforming handsome(well, he was back then) Martin Landau into Quasimodo - without us losing track of it still being him(as mentioned, he can make people think he looks normal) when we see him as the people of today are made to see him. His acting and charm keeps *us* from freaking out at the sight of him, and in general, the performances are good. I recommend this to any fan of time-travel sci-fi. 8/10
Crimes of The Future.
Sleepin_Dragon12 March 2023
An astronaut unwittingly travels to a future Earth, where he encounters a future Earth dweller, a mutation, The astronaut pleads for The Dweller, Andro the return to Earth's present day, and correct the path.
Wow, this was an incredible episode, incredibly imaginative and thought provoking, The man who was never born delivers on every level, it hits hard, delivering a warning to the future, and poses one huge question, could you take someone's life away, knowing they were going to cause untold misery in the future ahead?
Great mix of sci fi and drama, the characters are so well drawn, so well rounded, that the story somehow has a real meaning.
Martin Landau delivers an outstanding performance, Shirley Knight and Conrad Hall are tremendous in support, credit to the makeup team Herr also, they did an impressive job on Landau.
It is very, very well produced, I loved the contrasting filming styles, especially the soft focused shots.
9/10.
Wow, this was an incredible episode, incredibly imaginative and thought provoking, The man who was never born delivers on every level, it hits hard, delivering a warning to the future, and poses one huge question, could you take someone's life away, knowing they were going to cause untold misery in the future ahead?
Great mix of sci fi and drama, the characters are so well drawn, so well rounded, that the story somehow has a real meaning.
Martin Landau delivers an outstanding performance, Shirley Knight and Conrad Hall are tremendous in support, credit to the makeup team Herr also, they did an impressive job on Landau.
It is very, very well produced, I loved the contrasting filming styles, especially the soft focused shots.
9/10.
"You can't change what is meant to be"
nickenchuggets24 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
A long time ago, I wrote about Architects of Fear, an episode from the first season of The Outer Limits, which is often considered the best in the entire series. I'm not sure if I would also think this, but at the end of the day, there are very few installments of the show that can be considered better. However, this one right here is a strong contender for that position. The Man Who Was Never Born is a genuinely tragic love story between two people that is made almost unfeasible due to the plot device of time travel. One person hails from the normal version of 1960s planet Earth, while the other comes from a grim future that holds absolutely no hope for humanity. The story begins with an astronaut named Joe Reardon landing on Earth, only to find a desolate and totally empty looking wasteland. He exits and comes across a hideously deformed "person" named Andro who tells him there's no way he could be from Earth: nobody has left the planet in almost 2 centuries. Joe is adamant his space mission started in 1963, but Andro tells him the year is 2148. The reason Andro looks the way he does is because the earth has sustained a horrible biological disaster all because of the actions of a single man: Bertram Cabot Jr. He was a scientist who developed a type of symbiont based on an extragalactic germ. This proceeded to disfigure humanity, their ability to reproduce, and even earth's entire environment. Joe is led by Andro into a large, underground archive of reading material consisting of the human race's finest minds, such as Mark Twain and Shakespeare. Andro says it's too late to stop what has already been done, and the earth is done for. Joe suggests taking Andro with him back to his own time so that people can know what kind of awful disfigurement awaits them in the future unless history is changed. However, as the rocket passes through the same time rift it went through earlier to make Joe land in 2148, he starts to freeze and eventually disappears. Before dying, Joe tells Andro to stop Cabot Jr. By any means necessary, even if he needs to murder him. Andro is able to change how he appears to normal humans so that they don't run away from him, so he takes on the appearance of Professor Andro (Martin Landau). While in 1963, Andro meets Noelle (Shirley Knight), a beautiful woman who currently lives in a boarding house. She is supposed to marry her boyfriend Bertram Cabot (John Considine) after he finishes being in the army. It's around this time that Andro realizes something is very wrong; he arrived too far into the past, Cabot Jr. Hasn't even been born yet, and these two people are destined to be his parents. Andro scrambles to do whatever he can in order to prevent the marriage from happening, since it means saving the entire human race. While this goes on, Noelle starts to actually like Andro, but Cabot Sr. Keeps getting in his way and tells him there is no way he's going to call off the marriage. Andro later attempts to murder him with a handgun Joe gave him during the wedding ceremony, which leads to his true (hideous) appearance being uncovered. Andro runs into the woods, along with Noelle. He monologues about how the entire world is doomed if she's going to continue along the path she's chosen, unless she dies right now. Noelle thinks there is another way to save the earth, and wants to go with Andro into the future, therefore eliminating any chance Cabot will give her a son. Cabot and some others try to hunt Andro down, but the ship lifts off before he can stop their departure. As the rocket passes through the time rift, the same fate that befell Joe happens to Andro. He has succeeded in his mission a little too well, and Cabot Jr. Was never born, but due to this, the germ that malformed Andro and the rest of humanity now doesn't exist either, meaning Andro has basically erased his own birth. Andro fades from the timeline, leaving a distraught Noelle stranded in 2148, completely alone. What a perfect episode. There are a handful of things on IMDB that I really wish I could rate higher than 10 stars (which is something that rarely presents itself) but this is an opportunity. Everything about this episode is essentially perfect. The gripping story, the way it manages to blend sci-fi with romance and somehow manages to not feel forced, the deeply sad and ironic ending, and so on. Just the inclusion of one of these things would have already made for an above average show, but when you put them all together like this, it's no wonder this one is a fan favorite. Even though I said this is arguably the best The Outer Limits has to offer, it does have a few mistakes in it. For one thing, Andro tells Joe in the beginning he's studied almost everything about Cabot's life, and if this is the case, I find it hard to believe he wouldn't recognize how his mother looks like. Moreover, the title itself is ironic seeing as how Andro arrives too early in the past to see his sworn enemy in person. Cabot Jr. Is the all encompassing evil responsible for the state of the world, but a scourge that Andro never finds. This means the title can refer to both Cabot Jr. Or Andro depending on your viewpoint. However you see it, The Man Who Was Never Born is one of science fiction television's finest moments. Andro, like a few other aliens from this show, is a hero, but is also attached to an inescapable sadness that crushes his frame of mind on everything.
Some logic problems, but they don't ruin the interesting premise.
fedor89 September 2021
Warning: Spoilers
One of the episodes that steers clear from generic, nonsensical, kiddie sci-fi that was so prevalent during this era, but instead offers a more layered story with a "what if" type of premise. Traveling back to the past to fix something - or to save the world in this case - isn't terribly original, wasn't probably even in 1963, but the way the story is constructed and presented was unusual for its time, and is helped by the good acting and mostly convincing dialogue.
Sure, Landau's ability to hypnotize others into perceiving him as he chooses is a clunky plot-device that allows him to travel back into Earth's past without becoming a side-show freak, and there is no rational explanation offered for this supernatural ability - except the flimsy implication that this is a beneficial side-effect of being a 22nd-century leprous mutant.
Also, the astronaut's ability to go back to the past with his ship is fairly dubious, considering that he didn't even know how he got to the future. Nor is it quite clear why he dies whereas Landau doesn't.
Nor does it make sense for Shirley Knight to follow Landau into the forest right after his armed intrusion at her own wedding. Even less logical is the fact that the groom didn't follow her to make sure she is alright - because she'd just gone to find the man who attempted to murder someone.
It takes far too long for the posse to find the couple, which means they weren't in a particular rush, by which time they are too late. Landau and Knight fly off into the future, because somehow she'd managed to fall in love with him in such a short period of time. (Admittedly, we aren't told how long Landau had stayed in the past.)
Another problem with this forest segment is that he is very vague about his mission, yet Shirley doesn't ever pose the obvious question that anyone would have done: "What the hell are you talking about?!" He was being very evasive and cryptic about his intentions, which would have caused any person to ask him to explain exactly what he is trying to accomplish.
Now, while on paper all these flaws may sound drastic, they aren't. The story is believable because the characters and their interactions largely make sense. If they didn't, then these other flaws would have been far more obtrusive.
A more minor point, because it isn't directly related to the main plot, is the unanswered question of what had happened to the flora and fauna of the future: did it too get devastated by the deadly microbe? The desolate landscape on Landau's future Earth resembles an alien planet hence we have to assume that the microbe brought devastation to all forms of life, not just humans - in which case Cabbot, Jr should not only be prevented from being born but his parents should be drawn and quartered. If I were Landau in this exact same situation I would have killed both without a second's hesitation. I'd have completed the mission in a jiffy! (In fact, killing one of them would have been enough, so I would have chosen to shoot the soldier, obviously. So I can bed Shirley? Why not. Nothing wrong with combining work with pleasure. And a little opportunism can't hurt.)
Of course, we couldn't expect Landau to be a cold-blooded killer the way I would have been in his predicament, otherwise what kind of a hero would he be?
The notion that a "man who was never born" saved the future of mankind (and possibly that of flora and fauna, which is far more important) is intriguing. Earth's ultimate hero - a person nobody would ever know even existed. Unless, of course, Shirley made it to the future safely, on that rocket ship. We don't find out whether she made it back safely or not. We know she can't fly a rocket (which Landau had managed, for some reason), but if the rocket was fully programmed to go on auto-pilot that would have meant that she safely reached the year 2148, in which case what would she have encountered there? And would Landau have received the recognition he deserved?
This story could easily have a sequel, but it would stray a lot from the original story.
Read my reviews of the entire series on my "The Outer Limits (1963-1965) - All Episodes Rated & Reviewed" list.
Sure, Landau's ability to hypnotize others into perceiving him as he chooses is a clunky plot-device that allows him to travel back into Earth's past without becoming a side-show freak, and there is no rational explanation offered for this supernatural ability - except the flimsy implication that this is a beneficial side-effect of being a 22nd-century leprous mutant.
Also, the astronaut's ability to go back to the past with his ship is fairly dubious, considering that he didn't even know how he got to the future. Nor is it quite clear why he dies whereas Landau doesn't.
Nor does it make sense for Shirley Knight to follow Landau into the forest right after his armed intrusion at her own wedding. Even less logical is the fact that the groom didn't follow her to make sure she is alright - because she'd just gone to find the man who attempted to murder someone.
It takes far too long for the posse to find the couple, which means they weren't in a particular rush, by which time they are too late. Landau and Knight fly off into the future, because somehow she'd managed to fall in love with him in such a short period of time. (Admittedly, we aren't told how long Landau had stayed in the past.)
Another problem with this forest segment is that he is very vague about his mission, yet Shirley doesn't ever pose the obvious question that anyone would have done: "What the hell are you talking about?!" He was being very evasive and cryptic about his intentions, which would have caused any person to ask him to explain exactly what he is trying to accomplish.
Now, while on paper all these flaws may sound drastic, they aren't. The story is believable because the characters and their interactions largely make sense. If they didn't, then these other flaws would have been far more obtrusive.
A more minor point, because it isn't directly related to the main plot, is the unanswered question of what had happened to the flora and fauna of the future: did it too get devastated by the deadly microbe? The desolate landscape on Landau's future Earth resembles an alien planet hence we have to assume that the microbe brought devastation to all forms of life, not just humans - in which case Cabbot, Jr should not only be prevented from being born but his parents should be drawn and quartered. If I were Landau in this exact same situation I would have killed both without a second's hesitation. I'd have completed the mission in a jiffy! (In fact, killing one of them would have been enough, so I would have chosen to shoot the soldier, obviously. So I can bed Shirley? Why not. Nothing wrong with combining work with pleasure. And a little opportunism can't hurt.)
Of course, we couldn't expect Landau to be a cold-blooded killer the way I would have been in his predicament, otherwise what kind of a hero would he be?
The notion that a "man who was never born" saved the future of mankind (and possibly that of flora and fauna, which is far more important) is intriguing. Earth's ultimate hero - a person nobody would ever know even existed. Unless, of course, Shirley made it to the future safely, on that rocket ship. We don't find out whether she made it back safely or not. We know she can't fly a rocket (which Landau had managed, for some reason), but if the rocket was fully programmed to go on auto-pilot that would have meant that she safely reached the year 2148, in which case what would she have encountered there? And would Landau have received the recognition he deserved?
This story could easily have a sequel, but it would stray a lot from the original story.
Read my reviews of the entire series on my "The Outer Limits (1963-1965) - All Episodes Rated & Reviewed" list.
Time travel the way it is suppose to be
samstokes20002 September 2017
Warning: Spoilers
Rubber monster make-up aside, this is a great example of the B&W videos of the early 1960s. It follows the "grandfather" paradox of time travel perfectly, if you change the past the future is affected. Every tool available to the film process for TV was used and the camera work is excellent. Acting is spot on, the technology shown for the future was reasonable, and in fact the seats for the "astronauts" look pretty futuristic. If you have access to Hulu, check this episode out. It isn't a fun watch, more tragic Twilight Zone, but good. You might want to split your viewing over two days as there isn't any of the modern tension devices so it might be boring.
So Many Pitfalls with the Time Travel Issue
Hitchcoc2 January 2015
This episode works pretty well, but one can dismantle in a few seconds with a bit of thought. When that Connecticut Yankee of Mark Twain's went back, Twain ignored the implications of the whole scientific world. Here we must recognize those things. An astronaut finds himself 200 years in the future, encountering an Earth that will likely die soon. Some well-meaning biologist has done something that has caused this horror. Because the astronaut has gone through a time warp, he makes the trip back, accompanied by a hideous future denizen, a man of great moral character and sadness over the results of humanities stupidity. As they find their way back to the present, the astronaut disappears because of time factors. The creature, however, manages to land the ship and sets about trying to kill the person responsible for the great calamity. At the very least, to stop his wife from producing an offspring. He barges in using a convenient form of hypnosis, shielding his ugliness, and tries to destroy the relationship and stop the wedding. The story ends about the only way it could because of the messing with causality. It's a really depressing conclusion. I'm still waiting to see if someone can really produce something satisfying when it comes to time travel.
Timelines
AaronCapenBanner10 March 2016
Martin Landau stars as Andro, a mutated human from the year 2148 that has been decimated by a virus inadvertently created by a scientist named Bertram Cabot Jr. Fate takes a hand when an astronaut from 1963 arrives in his starship right near Andro, who tells him his story, and accompanies him back in time in order to warn the Earth, and stop the disaster. Unfortunately, the astronaut mysteriously dies, then vanishes, leaving Andro alone in his past as he desperately tries to prevent the birth of the hated Cabot Jr, but instead finds himself falling in love with the mother Noelle(played by Shirley Knight)... Well acted story with tragic overtones and a most striking closing scene, even if the plot is heavily contrived and coincidence driven.
"You learn to bite first so you don't get bitten."
classicsoncall20 April 2022
Warning: Spoilers
In almost any time travel story you're likely to see, the intended result that a time traveler attempts to make to affect change for the future never works out. Something always thwarts the endeavor, or the original outcome has a way of working its way out from the altered circumstances. This story was different, in that the man from future Earth went back just a little too far to confront a situation that would have dire consequences for humanity two hundred years into the future. It was effective in its own way, but with the tragic result that prevented the birth of Andro (Martin Landau) from ever happening, a result of the so called 'butterfly effect' made popular in literature and other sci-fi films. In this story, the comparison was made to moving a pebble on the beach, a small occurrence that could have a ripple effect across time and space. The only flaw with this episode was how easily Noelle Anderson (Shirley Knight) fell out of love with her fiancé (John Considine) to turn her attention to Andro, especially when made aware of his true appearance. Not very credible, especially considering the outlandish claim of being from the year 2148.
Too many holes
jim_of_oz5 September 2020
Warning: Spoilers
The story was interesting but it had way too many plot holes. Girl gets terrified by monster then placidly returns home opens a book and leaves the door open. Astronaut flies over the Great Lakes and doesn't realize it's earth. He opens hatch to "unknown" planet and carries his helmet with him. Future earth librarian knows how to launch, land, and navigate space ship. Future earth guy infected with deadly bacteria returns to earth. There are more.
old themes, fair craft
Kirpianuscus16 April 2022
At first sight, all is familiar, from the time travel to the murder saving humanity. But the episode gives more than known things, using the fair frame , proposing a young Martin Landau doing his job more than well and a right build story . Short, a beautiful Sci. Fi., not the last for nostalgic feelings, nice resurrected.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
