"There is nothing wrong with your television. Do not attempt to adjust the picture. We are now in control of the transmission. We control the horizontal and the vertical. We can deluge you with a thousands channels, or expand one single image to crystal clarity and beyond. We can shape your vision to anything our imagination can conceive. For the next hour, we will control all that you see and hear."
THE CONTROL VOICE
[Season 1]
"Some of man’s greatest
achievements have been motivated by a driving need for love and acceptance.
What happens when that need for recognition, becomes a desire to be revered,
and then worshipped... like a god?"
- Sandkings, Opening
"What if you were to
wake up to a different world tomorrow... a world of invaders? Would you
raise your voice with the aliens, in a chant of remembrance and regret,
bidding farewell to a vanished world? Or would you fight against
those who might ultimately help us?
- Second Soul, Closing
"The one certainty
of the human experience is death. But what might happen when our effort
to prolong the inevitable starts to turn that battle around? Will someone,
or something, step in to ensure the final outcome? At what point does the
cost of survival... become too high a price for us to pay?"
- White Light Fever
"It is the differences
between people that cause conflicts. Differences in religion, in race,
in beliefs. What wars would be fought if the differences grew between two
intelligent species; The wars of evolution are fought over generations.
But sometimes only the fittest survive battles which last the briefest
moments."
- The Choice
"Men of war have long
known that warriors must often abandon those verities they defend. Peace,
human kindness, love... for they hold no meaning to the enemy. And so,
to win, do we become what we despise... and despise what we become?"
- Quality of Mercy, Opening
"There is the silence
of the oceans and the unending silence of space. There is the welcome silence
of serenity and the everlasting silence of death. A cry for help is lost
in the shrill noise of the world, but the faintest of whispers, when spoken
in silence, can resonate across a universe."
- The Message, Opening
"There is no sound,
no voice, no cry in all the world that can be heard... until someone listens."
- The Message, Closing
"It is said that God
made man in his image, but man fell from grace. Still, man has retained
from his humble beginnings the innate desire to create. But how will man’s
creations fare? Will they attain a measure of the divine? Or will they,
too, fall from grace?"
- I Robot, Opening
"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."
- Birthright, Opening
"What is our last line
of defense? Is it the military, with all of their power and might? Or is
it the courage of a solitary man?"
- The Voice of Reason, Opening
"Sleep soundly in the
knowledge that the dawn will come. Rest assured that our leaders are watching
over us. But beware. For it is only their vigilance that stands between
our restful slumber... and the end of the world."
- The Voice of Reason, Closing
[Season 3]
"What is freedom but
the ability to make choices? Between courage and cowardice, duty and love,
or even... heaven and hell. The nature of the choices we make define us
as human beings. We choose the world we inhabit."
- Tempests, Opening
"Errant computers can
be reprogrammed, imperfect machines redesigned... but human beings are
another matter."
- Awakening, Closing
"If we measure how
much we value life, solely by our dread of dying, then it may well be that
we have no sense of its value... at all."
- New Lease, Closing
"Perhaps we should
ask ourselves, will the next leap of science be a step into the future?
Or a plunge into the abyss"
- Double Helix, Opening
"The more we learn
about the universe around us, the more we realize how little we truly know.
But we will only find what wonders await us if no false walls are built
around our explorers, and no false restraints applied to the unquenchable
human thirst to know it all."
- Double Helix, Closing
"Young idealists often
dream of having the power to save the world. But would that dream turn
into a nightmare if saving the world could also mean destroying it?"
- Dead Man's Switch, Opening
"Each of us if forced
to make choices about our destinies. Those choices can turn an ordinary
man into a king, or reduce him to little more than a simple pawn. With
the fate of the world in your hands, what would you do?"
- Dead Man's Switch, Closing
"Even in the most innocent
of minds, there are still secrets best left unrevealed."
- The Revelations of 'Becka Paulson, Opening
"For centuries philosophers
and theologians have debated what it means to be human. Perhaps the answer
has eluded us because it is so simple. To be human is to choose."
- Feasibility Study
"Sometimes, to uncover
that which is hidden, we must first be made to look."
- A Special Edition, Opening
[Season 4]
"Do we have the power
to shape our lives, or are we predestined to be who we are? If our Fate
is but one amongst many, then whose life, if anyone's, is real? If our
lives are indeed the sum-total of the choices we've made, then we cannot
change who we are. But with every new choice we're given, we can change
who we're going to be."
- In Another Life
"When we have conquered
interstellar space, what will we gain? A new perspective on ourselves or
only a wider scope for our arrogance."
- Relativity Theory, Opening
"Cultural relativity.
It doesn’t need to be a complicated theory. Indeed, it can be as simple,
and as deadly, as a two-edged sword."
- Relativity Theory, Closing
"They say seeing is
believing. But the true question is... what do you believe you’ve seen?"
- Josh, Opening
"Throughout history
man has been driven to seek out his origins to determine whether he's the
result of a divine plan or merely the sum of all his yesterdays. But what
happens if, at the end of his search, he should discover he's neither?"
- Rite of Passage, Opening
"Every life is a destination
unknown, a journey of tragedies and triumphs that ultimately allows us
to discover not only our world, but more importantly, ourselves."
- Rite of Passage, Closing
"The endeavor to persist
in it’s own being is the essence of the individual thing."
- Identity Crisis, Closing
"Along with futures
we dare not imagine, come choices we dare not make."
- The Vaccine, Opening
"Our history abounds
with the exploits of heroes who brave overwhelming odds and live to tell
the tale. But is there a point at which the determination to survive...
comes at too high a price?"
- The Joining, Opening
"Mankind will be forever
doomed to destruction, if we continue to ask for the truth but then...
refuse to listen."
- To Tell The Truth, Closing
"If knowledge is power
and power corrupts... how will humankind ever survive?"
- Final Exam, Closing
"Humans are driven
to explore their history, to rediscover forgotten lives and times. For
deep down we have always known that our past... is often prologue."
- Sarcophagus, Opening
"Throughout the ages
humans have looked to the heavens and wondered, ‘Where did we come from,
and where are we going?’ But will we find those answers in the stars, or
in ourselves?"
- The Origin of Species, Opening
[Season 5]
"The burden of solitude
is a mighty one; be it a lone voice echoing in the dark, or the cry of
humanity in a desolate universe."
- Joyride, Opening
"When is something
truly alive? When it shows an ability to think or an instinct to survive
or... when it becomes afraid to die?"
- Human Operators, Opening
"Do our memories define
our identity? If we are merely the sum of our experiences, what do we become
if those experiences are lost?"
- Blank Slate, Opening
"How well can we ever
know our neighbors? Perhaps we might better ask, how well do we want to?
It is said that our relationships deepen as secrets give way to truth.
It may be, however, that there are some stones better left unturned."
- What Will The Neighbors Think?
"Even in the darkest
corners of despair there are glimmers of light we call truth. But what
if it is a light to which the rest of the world is blind?"
- Ripper, Opening
"The wounds of war
run deep, cutting across generations. But there is always the hope of healing,
so long as there are souls among us whose hearts are more full of love...
than hate."
- Tribunal, Closing
"From the time our
earliest ancestors looked to the stars we have wondered what secrets they
held. But will we be ready when those answers are disclosed?"
- The Inheritors, Opening
"It is our nature to
fear a dark purpose in that which we do not understand. But true evil may
lie more in ignorance than in suspicion."
- The Inheritors, Closing
"It is said that love
and truth walk hand in hand. But if the need is great enough, can we learn
to love a lie?"
- Stranded, Closing
"Some men lose themselves
in war... others find themselves."
- Starcrossed, Opening
"True sacrifice is
not what we surrender, but what we ultimately gain."
- Starcrossed, Closing
"In the struggle between
life and death, sometimes survival is not the only way to win."
- Better Luck Next Time, Closing
[Season 6]
"From muskets to sixguns
to assault weapons, the pages of our history run red with blood. But which
came first, the violent impulse or the weapon which answers it’s call?
The path to our own destruction may lie less in the weapons we conceive...
than the violence in our hearts."
- The Gun
"It is said that man
is created in God’s image. But what happens when we alter that image? Is
our reflection the only thing that changes?"
- Skin Deep, Opening
"Human history is marked
by our desire to expand our boundaries. But what happens when our reach
exceeds our grasp?"
- Manifest Destiny, Opening
"To sleep, perchance
to dream. But what happens when the dream is to never sleep again?"
- Stasis, Opening
"Sometimes, the best
way to hide the truth is to keep it in plain sight."
- Down To Earth, Closing
"No idea is so strong
it should not be tested by doubt, and no man so powerful that he is infallible."
- Decompression, Closing
"It is said that great
conflicts are not settled by words, but by iron and blood. But what if
we could revisit those decisions, would we surrender to violence?"
- Gettysburg
"As long as an enemy
is judged solely by his appearance, his victory is assured."
- Something About Harry, Closing
"The suffering we conceal
and the sorrow we hide may only be fully understood by those who share
a common pain."
- Nest, Closing
"How is the world to
survive once technology makes possible the day when one man holds our fate
in his hands?"
- Final Appeal (II), Opening
[Season 7]
"Religious devotion
can lead people away from temptation and evil. But is the path as clear
if that devotion is blind?"
- A New Life, Opening
"God is said to have
reached into the firmament and made humankind in his own image. But who's
image will be mirrored when we gain the same awesome power?"
- Replica, Opening
"The pursuit of material
things is ultimately pointless if one loses the things that are truly valuable
to the human spirit."
- Alien Shop, Closing
"Commitment and loyalty
are not stuffy issues of the past, but are enduring qualities that raise
us above creatures that procreate without compassion or disgression."
- Flower Child, Closing
"When a heart has been
turned cold by anger and grief, can patterns of destructive behavior be
averted or are they predestined?"
- Abduction, Opening
"In an ever more complex
and dangerous world, vigilance and guidance is needed for those most vulnerable
to it's cruelties... our children."
- Abduction, Closing
"As humanity spreads
to the stars, we will take with us our values and our laws. But how will
those laws and moral judgements apply to creatures and cultures alien to
our own?"
- Rule of Law, Opening
"The values we instill
in our children are those within ourselves. We should make sure they are
the values we want them to live by... and die by."
- Lion's Den, Closing
"We believe ourselves
to be an essentially noble race. But would that same assessment be made
from a truly objective view?"
- The Human Factor, Opening
"It is said we are
judged, not by our words, but by our deeds. And yet, how many of us are
ready to stand up to such scrutiny?"
- Human Trials, Opening
"Our choices define
us and sometimes... doom us."
- Human Trials, Closing
QUOTES FROM EPISODES
"Have hope. Not for
us — but for Earth."
- John to Bree, "The Quality of Mercy"
"I trust you will forgive
the lateness of the hour, we are very busy men and women... Mr. Strong,
please sit down. You must have powerful friends in this building to have
been granted a hearing with a committee that does not even officially exist."
- Chairman Thornwell, "The Voice of Reason"
"I've seen bombs fall
on villages from planes so far away you can't even hear them coming. I've
seen villagers look to the sky, and know that they can never strike back."
"You're overlooking
one thing. Those helpless villagers that you witnessed 27 years ago ended
up winning the war."
"You're right sir.
That's why I'm here. So can we."
- Strong and General Callahan, seeing echoes of Vietnam, "The Voice of
Reason"
"Sometimes I could
see this glow around people, and if I squeezed it down tight, things would
happen to them... Look at the straw... Focus... Squeeze the light down
to a point."
- Karen to Aggie, concentrating her mind, "The Choice"
"And you don't have
a problem with that?"
"Life is full of problems,
it's how we deal with them that defines us."
- Cheron, "Monster"
"On September 17th
1994 you were executed for the wilful murder of 8 women. I am here to carry
out that sentence. "
"I don't understand."
"Only one of us has
to."
- Dr. Theresa Givens, preventing a string of crimes, "Final Appeal"
"Science was a way
to lose myself. A way to find myself."
- Dr. Theresa Givens, "Final Appeal"
"You talk about the
arrogance of science Justice Hardison. What about the arrogance of those
who would try to remake us in their own image? I ask that we consider where
the greatest evil lies: in making a god of technology, or in making gods
of ourselves?"
- Chief Justice Kendall Woods, "Final Appeal"
"And then He set about
to create Man — well, actually Man and Woman to be politically correct,
although I don't believe that God was but hey, it was his ballgame."
- Ezekiel, "Final Appeal"
"I see irony everywhere.
It's like X-ray Vision."
- Ezekiel, "Final Appeal"
"Were humans put on
this earth to witness the wonders of the world or to become one?"
- Dr. Theresa Givens, "Final Appeal"
"Mental states do not
concern us. She is structurally uncorrupted."
- A Hanen technician, about a human jumper's health
"Free will is a gift.
It’s an instrument. How you play it is up to you. But it is best when it
is played from the heart."
- The Shopkeeper, "Alien Shop"
"Sometimes it takes
a lot of courage just to play the hand you got dealt."
- Red, "Alien Shop"
"I love the smell of
1969 in the morning."
- Gavin, enjoying life as a time travelling 'spanner', "Time to Time"
"The fate of a world
isn't determined by its best examples, but by its worst. It takes a few
to destroy the many, especially when even the best of you can be dragged
down into the mire. Judging from your example, brother against brother,
friend against friend, you people have such a potential for violence, sheer
and varnished wickedness, I've got every confidence you'll destroy yourself
before you build your first inter-stellar engine. We've got nothing to
fear from you."
- The Preacher, "Heart's Desire"
"Look, everyone acts
in their own self interest. Isn't that how this world works?"
"Not here Cody. Here
you had a chance to rise above all that and you failed."
- Cody and Danielle, "Abduction"
"The only thing that
has saved the Earth from complete annihilation is the fact that you have
nowhere to run to. That is about to change."
- Link, "Human Factor"
"Even acts of love
are often only fulfilling one's selfish needs."
- Link, assessing humanity, "Human Factor"
#
Garn's Outer Limits episode guide contains almost all the opening and closing control voices.