Double Helix (''The Outer Limits'')
| "Double Helix" | |
|---|---|
| The Outer Limits episode | |
| Episode no. |
Season 3 Episode 12 |
| Directed by | Mario Azzopardi |
| Written by | Jonathan Glassner |
| Production code | 56 |
| Original air date | 28 March 1997 |
| Guest appearance(s) | |
"Double Helix" is an episode of The Outer Limits television show. It first aired on 28 March 1997, during the third season.
Introduction
A geneticist, Dr Martin Nodel, is a researcher looking into introns, mysterious sections of DNA that he believes hold the secret to future evolution. He develops a formula that he believes will activate them, and tests it on himself.
Opening narration
| “ | Perhaps we should ask ourselves, will the next leap of science be a step into the future, or a plunge into the abyss? | ” |
Plot
After developing the liquid that acts on the intron (genetic material in DNA that acts as spacers and does not code for protein) he tests it on fish, and found that the liquid transforms the fish to amphibia. Then he tests it on himself, and begins experiencing strange symptoms, including a sort of map that grows on his back and a pattern that grows on his hand.
Shortly after he begins looking for students that are suitable candidates. They have to have a high IQ, never had surgery, and are free from imperfections such as tattoos or glasses. They also have to be in a certain age, weight, and height range.
After finding the needed candidates, he reveals the map. The area is discovered to be a hidden military area not on any normal map and, along with Nodel's son and his girlfriend, the group travels to the area.
Inside that area is a spaceship-type device with symbols that match the ones on the Doctor's hands. It activates, and a message from an apparent alien race is played back. The Doctor and the students decide to enter the ship on a journey to the home planet. Despite his son and son's girlfriend not qualifying, the Doctor says that they'd need someone like the two of them.
The ship takes off, and the episode ends.
Note
Another episode released in season 4, "The Origin of Species", continues the story.
Closing narration
| “ | 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. | ” |
Cast
- Ron Rifkin as Dr. Martin Nodel,
- Ryan Reynolds as Paul Nodel
- Tara Spencer-Nairn as Heather
- Scott Swanson as Reverend Leblanc
- Ken Pogue as Dean Hardwick
- William de Vry as Ben