| The Enemy | |
|---|---|
| Season 1, Episode 7 | |
| |
| Air date | November 12, 1995 |
| Written by | Marilyn Osborn |
| Directed by | Michael Katleman |
| Episode guide | |
| Previous Eyes |
Next Hostile Visit |
The Enemy is the seventh episode of Season 1 of Space: Above and Beyond.
The episode aired November 12, 1995 on the Fox Network.
The members of the 58th are victims of a Chig mind-altering weapon on the contested planet Tartarus. Unable to control their innermost fears they begin to turn on each other.
Summary[]
Damphousse is being interrogated by Commodore Ross and LTC McQueen in a preliminary investigation regarding her actions on the Wild Cards' last mission. She may be charged with:
• Article 92 - Failure to obey an order or regulation
• Article 99 - Misbehavior before the enemy
The 58th Squadron members are questioned about an incident that had occurred while on a transport mission to Tartarus, a planet with atmospheric disturbances and poisonous ozone.
As soon as they are on the planet they are exposed to a strange white light. After a while, they find out that the light they have encountered effects those parts of the human brain where humans experience and perceive fear because every single one of the Marines react differently from their normal behaviour.
Suddenly, Paul is afraid of cockroaches and he destroys the radio in his terror to kill the insects. Vanessa freaks out when the packages of donor blood supplies are leaking and she refuses to step over the puddle of blood to leave the transport. Cooper suffers from severe claustrophobic attacks and tries to take off his helmet but he is prevented by Shane.
Only Nathan seems to be unaffected by the lightning and when they find a trench bunker with dead Marines who have killed each other in a mad frenzy, Nathan is the first who realizes how dangerous this mission really is. They are trapped in the bunker and Shane is suddenly afraid of the dark. All hell breaks loose when the Marines turn on each other, molesting each other with triggered guns, only Paul tries to remain calm and tells them that this is not who they are. He persuades them to return to the transport and try to repair the radio. They also decide that they should not expose themselves to any more white light otherwise they would go mad.
On their way back, Shane inadvertedly steps upon a mine and Paul and Nathan try to break the contact's laser beam connecting the detonator to the explosives with a hand mirror. Hawkes takes over when Paul notices a cockroach crawling inside his helmet. When the Marines return to the transport, Vanessa refuses to open the airlock because she has to step over blood to do so. Nathan and Cooper break in, but too late, the strange light returns, hitting the Marines full force.
Inside the transport, the Marines freak out completely, turning on each other and Hawkes tells them to stay away from him otherwise he will kill them all. Paul argues with them that they should remind themselves that this behavior is not normal and that they have to stop. When they are rescued by McQueen, Nathan hears a strange voice identifying it as Kylen. Shane pulls him back into the transport. On board the USS SARATOGA, McQueen wants to know what happened but the Marines are unable to describe their horrible experiences and tell him one by one that they have met their worst enemies: themselves.
Cast & Characters[]
Main Cast[]
- Morgan Weisser as 1LT Nathan West
- Kristen Cloke as 1LT Shane Vansen
- Rodney Rowland as 1LT Cooper Hawkes
- Joel de la Fuente as 1LT Paul Wang
- Lanei Chapman as 1LT Vanessa Damphousse
- James Morrison as LTC Tyrus Cassius "T.C." McQueen
Recurring Cast[]
Additional Cast[]
- Bob Koherr as Crazy Marine
- Danny Goldring as Sergeant Jackson
- Richard Lawrence as Dead Pilot (uncredited)
Crew[]
Director[]
Writer[]
Executive Producers[]
- Glen Morgan (executive producer)
- James Wong (executive producer)
- Stephen Zito (co-executive producer)
Producers[]
- Tim McHugh (producer)
- D. Howard Grigsby (producer)
- Herb Adelman (co-producer)
- Tom Towler (supervising producer)
- Ken Dennis (associate producer)
Music[]
- Shirley Walker