Birthright" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 13 August 1995 during the first season.
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Opening narration
- 3 Plot
- 4 Closing narration
- 5 Trivia
Introduction
United States Senator Richard Adams suffers a head injury in a car accident. A brain scan reveals some very unusual features.
Opening narration
| “ | The Roman philosopher Boethius said, "In other living creatures, the ignorance of themselves is nature, but in men it is a vice." Imagine treading into the deep recesses of one's self and finding someone you never knew existed. | ” |
Plot
Senator Richard Adams (Perry King) is at the top of his game. However, after a press conference extolling the virtues of a new fuel additive BE-85, which is supposed to clean up the atmosphere, he and his aide, Evan Branch are in a serious auto accident. Branch is dead, and Adams has a head injury, but his attending physician, Dr. Leslie McKenna (Mimi Kuzyk), is baffled by his unusual x-rays that shows four frontal brain lobes and only three major organs. Before Adams can figure out what happened, a large security detail whisks him and his files away to the Sendrax Corporation, the home of BE-85. It turns out that Adams is an alien, and his "kind" are trying to keep their presence a secret. Also, because their body make up is different, BE-85, with long-term use, will reconfigure the Earth's atmosphere so it is poisonous to humans and compatible for the aliens. Adams realizes that he is in danger and escapes to see McKenna, the only person he can trust. Together, they unlock the secret of Adams' identity and the horror of the alien master plan, and they divulge the secret of BE-85 to Kyle Haller, an aggressive young reporter. Before Haller can expose the aliens, he is killed, and McKenna is framed for the murder. In the end, Adams thinks he has escaped the aliens, but then his taxi driver turns out to be an alien...
Closing narration
| “ | People have long feared invasion by forces from other worlds. If that horror comes to pass our leaders will stand as our first line of defense unless, of course, our leaders themselves... are the invaders. | ” |
Trivia
- The alien invasion in this episode is referenced again in the next episode, "The Voice of Reason".
Cast
Perry King ... Senator Richard Adams Mimi Kuzyk ... Dr. Leslie McKenna John Novak ... Dave Pettigrew Ken Ryan ... Agent Tennyson Garvin Cross ... Agent Bauer David Neale ... Evan Branch Jan D'Arcy ... Martha Adams Scott Swanson ... Kyle Haller Catherine Lough Haggquist ... Reporter (as Catherine Lough)