Another reviewer mentioned the dubious mathematical calculations used in the story's main plot, requiring a forty year round trip to a distant galaxy. To that I would add the conjecture of space travel seventy times faster than the speed of light. I don't think so.
It didn't surprise me so much that Commander Stansfield actually got older during the long flight, but that Sandra Horn (Mariette Hartley) put herself into a state of suspended animation. My question though, is how Stansfield pulled off that trick once he was launched into space. How did he manage to nullify the hibernation pod, and at the same time avoid appearing older to the viewer in repeated flashbacks during the flight. A lot of liberty was taken here with the concept to pull off the story.
But in typical Twilight Zone fashion, the episode makes one think about human values and the extent to which Man (and Woman) will go to realize an ultimate ambition. That it didn't work out here is another one of those Rod Serling twists that provides just enough irony to ingrain it into our memories forever.
It didn't surprise me so much that Commander Stansfield actually got older during the long flight, but that Sandra Horn (Mariette Hartley) put herself into a state of suspended animation. My question though, is how Stansfield pulled off that trick once he was launched into space. How did he manage to nullify the hibernation pod, and at the same time avoid appearing older to the viewer in repeated flashbacks during the flight. A lot of liberty was taken here with the concept to pull off the story.
But in typical Twilight Zone fashion, the episode makes one think about human values and the extent to which Man (and Woman) will go to realize an ultimate ambition. That it didn't work out here is another one of those Rod Serling twists that provides just enough irony to ingrain it into our memories forever.