Death Ship

Jack Klugman stars as Earth spaceship Captain Ross, who is in charge of a science vessel meant to determine the suitability of a planet for colonization. Under his command are Lt's Mason(played by Ross Martin) and Carter(played by Fred Beir). All three men are shocked upon landing to discover their exact doubles on board a duplicate crashed ship already on the planet dead. The two Lt's. believe that they are now dead, ghosts basically, but obstinate Capt. Ross refuses to believe this, no matter how many times they have to go over it... Eerie outer space ghost story has fine performances by the three leads, and an effective atmosphere, but especially chilling is the idea that somehow Ross is able to prevent the other men staying in heaven... Deeply disturbing,(even absurd) though of course there may be something else going on here as well...

This is a very familiar episode. It was written by Richard Matheson who always raised the Twilight Zone to a higher level. In it, a group of space travelers (using the same tired flying saucer that has appeared numerous time in Serling's offerings) land on a planet with a friendly atmosphere. There is tremendous tension among the three, Jack Klugman's Captain an ornery, inflexible autocrat. They are on an exploratory mission and it is natural for them to do this. Upon looking out on the landscape, they see a crashed saucer, an exact copy of the one they are on. Since it is safe for them to do so, they enter the ship, and are aghast to find exact duplicates of themselves, in various poses, all of them dead. Klugman refuses to listen to anything the others say. They are in shock and believe that they have actually died. The two shipmates actually experience a kind of out-of-body experience where they find themselves meeting people who have died in the past. They have also experienced evidence of their own deaths: a newspaper clipping and a funeral bulletin. They are shocked into returning to the ship. Suddenly, the prospect of remaining on the planet becomes unacceptable and this leads to action.

This is a nicely done episode. Jack Klugman's Captain is insufferable. It makes one wonder how these three haven't killed each other long before this. He sees the others as weak and whimpering.

Simply mind-blowing. Likely one of THE most gruesome, terrifying concepts I've encountered to date. Quantum Physics and Existentialism together at last.

This episode was vaguely reminiscient of the earlier sci-fi episode titled "The Invaders" with Agnes Moorehead. If you enjoyed that one, this episode radiates the same "Okay, whal the heck is going on here? Vibe.

Klugman plays angry/compulsive quite well. (Just ask Henry Fonda...) Ross Martin was, as always, good, however, his acting seems its usual two-mentional portrayal.

In all, this episode should rank among the highest of Mr. Serling's efforts.

A great plot, great actors, great ideas, a bad ending that copies the ending of other stories in the series itself. Even before the end, it has the same level of fiction and suspense as the film The Forbidden Planet, but it is ruined by the ending, which is completely out of science fiction. Not following the style of the story at the end is the worst thing a movie can have. It destroys everything and it gets frustrating. But I still give it an 8 for the atmosphere, interpretation and development of the story. It holds your attention despite the disappointing ending.

A great plot despite the disappointing ending.

The absolute greatest episodes in "The Twilight Zone" - or even the greatest Sci-Fi stories in general - feature an uncanny atmosphere from start to finish, have bleak endings, and their plots continue to haunt your thoughts for several more days after. "Death Ship" ticks all the above boxes, and I honestly cannot understand why this episode isn't listed among the best and top-rated ones of the entire series.

Richard Matheson - who else? - delivers captivating Sci-Fi tale that handles with one of the most complex and sensitive themes of the genre, namely time-traveling and all the paradoxes and loops that come with it. It's not the story's main premise, though, and thanks to the longer running time (50 minutes) there is also room for mystery, suspense and melodrama (but not the irritating kind).

During a routine interstellar mission to scout for new resources, in the year 1997 (!), a three-headed space crew spots a strange reflection on an unknown planet. When they land to investigate, they make a shocking discovery, namely their own crashed ship with their own dead bodies inside. This naturally leads to paranoia, deep fear, hallucinations, extreme speculation, and severe disagreement between the three of them. "Death Ship" is a stupendous episode, brought to an even higher level by the integer performances, and the bitterly sad family moments.