"Hearts and Minds" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It was first broadcast on 6 February 1998, during the fourth season.
Contents
- 1 Introduction
- 2 Opening narration
- 3 Plot
- 4 Closing narration
- 5 Notes
Introduction
A squad of soldiers is sent on a search and destroy mission against alien raiders to safeguard a vital source of profit for the North American Federation.
Opening narration
| “ | In order to survive, a soldier must fight many battles, physical as well as mental. But in the heat of the struggle, reality can sometimes fade, like memory, until only one thing remains certain...the first casualty of war is truth. | ” |
Plot
All soldiers of the team have drug injectors to protect them against an "alien virus". After a drug injector malfunction, the soldiers slowly realize that the drug is designed to cause hallucinations of disgusting looking aliens. The "aliens" are humans as well, but from another federation. The team tries to make contact with the "alien team" to explain the situation and ask for peace. But their drug injectors work properly and they kill everyone from the team, believing that they are the aliens. The final scene shows all the soldiers dead on the floor.
Closing narration
| “ | Humans kill for love, for revenge, for survival, and even for ideas. Perhaps the capacity to kill then is a very true part of our nature. But within this behavior, defined by fear, must we also be taught to hate? | ” |
Notes
- "Men Against Fire" – a 2016 episode of the anthology series Black Mirror has a remarkably similar premise.
- The fictional element "Pergium" was also mentioned in the original Star Trek series.
Cast
Christine Elise ... Lieutenant Rosen Miguel Fernandes ... Captain Tavernier (as Miguel Fernández) Dylan Walsh ... Sgt. Eldritch Vincent Gale ... Corporal Hawthorne Heather Hanson ... Archer Tong Lung ... Asian Leader Darryl Quon ... Asian Worker Michael Todd ... Alien