"Demon with a Glass Hand" is an episode of the American television series The Outer Limits, written by Harlan Ellison and directed by Byron Haskin. It originally aired on October 17, 1964, as the fifth episode of the second season. In 2009, TV Guide ranked it #73 on its list of the 100 Greatest Episodes.
Plot Summary
The story follows Trent (Robert Culp), a man with no memory of his life before the previous ten days. His left hand has been replaced by an advanced computer shaped like a hand and protected by a transparent material. Three fingers are missing, and the computer tells him they must be reattached before it can reveal what is happening. Trent is being hunted by humanoid aliens called the Kyben, who possess the missing appendages. The action takes place in the historic Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles, which the Kyben have sealed off.
Trent enlists the help of Consuelo Biros (Arlene Martel), a woman who works in the building. A captured Kyben reveals that both of them are from a thousand years in the future, where Earth has been conquered by the Kyben but all surviving humans have mysteriously vanished. The Kyben are being killed by a radioactive plague unleashed by humanity as a last defense.
In the climax, Trent defeats the Kyben, recovers the missing fingers, and learns the terrible truth: He is not a man, but a robot. Brain-scans of the human survivors have been digitally encoded onto a gold-copper alloy wire wrapped around a solenoid in his thorax. Immune to disease, he must protect his cargo for 1,200 years until the plague dissipates, then resurrect the human race. Consuelo leaves him in horror, and Trent is left to face over a millennium of lonely vigil.
Production and Legacy
- Harlan Ellison wrote the script specifically with Robert Culp in mind for the lead role.
- The episode was largely shot in the Bradbury Building, the same location used for the final scenes of Blade Runner.
- Ellison's original story outline depicted a cross-country chase, but producer Ben Brady suggested containing the action in a single building, creating a vertical climb that heightened tension.
- The episode won the 1965 Writers Guild of America Award for Outstanding Script for a Television Anthology.
Influence and Adaptations
- A graphic novel adaptation illustrated by Marshall Rogers was published by DC Comics in January 1986.
- Ellison's script was published in Brain Movies Volume One (2011).
- A sequel for Babylon 5 was discussed but never produced.
- The music group Cabaret Voltaire sampled dialogue from the episode in several songs.
- A motion picture adaptation was announced in June 2014.
Plagiarism Allegations
Contrary to some media reports, Ellison clarified that The Terminator was not based on "Demon with a Glass Hand" but on his other Outer Limits script, "Soldier." Ellison did receive a settlement from James Cameron, but it pertained to "Soldier," not this episode.
