The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985–1992): Season 4, Episode 12 - Here There Be Tygers - full transcript
An Earth exploration ship lands on a beautifully green and lush but apparently uninhabited planet. The company representative that has financed the trip, Chatterton, is there for only one reason and is to see what resources they might be able to exploit. For Driscoll, one of the crew members, he believes he has found Eden. There are also strange forces at work on the planet with Chatterton feeling tremors that the others do not. Driscoll soon realizes that the planet is alive and can grant you your every wish. It will also mete out punishment to those who would harm it.
[music playing]
RAY BRADBURY: People ask,
where do you get your ideas.
Right here.
All this is my
magician's toy shop.
I'm Ray Bradbury and this is--
[music playing]
Another planet to beat
at its own game, Forrester.
Get in and rip out its
minerals and take off before it
blows up in your face.
You know, we have too much
respect for other worlds
to treat them the way
you do, Chatterton.
You're the mineralogist.
You do your mining and
ripping and scraping.
We're astronauts.
Our job's to get you
there and back safely
and without incidents.
Doesn't look much
like from here, does it?
All worlds 10 miles up
look pretty much the same.
But when you get down, each
one is a brand new experience.
Civilizations to study,
pasts to understand.
There's no problem
studying the past Driscoll,
you're an archaeologist.
You should know that.
Not everything boils
down to dollars and cents.
Altitude 20,000
feet and circling.
Start the final
descent sequence.
That planet down there.
with so much copper,
iron, uranium.
New beauty.
New beauty.
I've been to dozens of
planets in the past 10 years
and I never cease to
marvel at what we find.
Each one is special, in
a different kind of way.
Assume landing
positions, please.
Looks like iron country to me.
And here there'll
be tigers, my friend.
Don't you forget that.
What?
Here there'll be tigers.
It's what old explorers
would write on their charts
to identify dangerous places.
30 seconds to touchdown.
[engine noises]
And we've landed.
The atmosphere seems
perfect and the planet
reads as earth synchronous.
We're in luck.
And no signs of life so far.
Yeah, well bring
your gun along.
I've never yet met a planet
that didn't bite and scratch.
You ready, captain?
[music playing]
[mechanical ramp lowers]
[music playing]
It's beautiful.
[birds chirping]
What are the sensors saying?
Any hostiles?
No life heat indicated.
It's too green, too peaceful.
I don't like it.
Check your weapons.
I give the orders here, if
you don't, mind Mr. Chatterton.
And my company pays
the bills and gives us
billions of dollars
worth of equipment
that must be protected
at substantial risk.
I think we have the same
concerns, Mr. Chatterton.
I also have the safety
of my crew to consider.
We're all armed.
Shall we take a look around?
[loud roar]
Looks as if you're
upsetting the gods that
rule this planet, Chatterton.
You're a funny guy, Driscoll.
Planet's obviously
subject to earthquakes.
So let's move it.
I want the drill ready in half
an hour, I'll get my samples,
we're out of here.
We have to reconnoitre first,
you know that, Chatterton.
Make sure there's
nothing hostile,
send a report on this
planet back to Earth.
That's the procedure.
Besides, it's not every day
we land on a planet that looks
as marvelous as this one does.
Be a shame not to find
out more about it,
uncover her secrets
before we start pillaging.
OK, let's get it over with.
Black, Armstrong,
stay here, stand guard.
We'll take a look around.
It looks like a golf course,
only you could walk forever
and never finish your game.
Yeah, right.
If only we brought
our clubs, huh?
Knock it off, you two.
Hey, wait a minute.
I knew there was
something wrong.
This grass looks freshly cut.
It could be a species of
dichondra, always short.
Well, I don't like it.
Alert home base.
Tell them there
might be trouble.
It won't make any difference.
What does that mean?
No rescue missions
to hostile planets.
Since when?
Since they decided that
a space ship is worth
more than a few human beings.
You mean if anything happens
to us, nobody gives a damn?
Oh, they'd care, but
they wouldn't do anything.
It's a new policy.
What?
You mean if a rocket
fails to return,
they don't send a second
rocket to find out why?
That's crazy.
There could be a
million reasons.
Sure.
But they don't want to lose
two rockets if one ship
confirms a planet is hostile.
So, we're on our own.
You got it.
We can only encourage
travel to peaceful worlds,
like this one.
You hope.
I've often wondered what
happened to all those people.
Those lost expeditions on worlds
that we'll never try again.
That's easy.
They were shot, stabbed,
eaten by aliens.
Come on, let's get to
work before this planet
shows us its true colors.
[loud roar]
It was just a
breeze, Chatterton.
It's just a great
kite-flying breeze.
Feel it?
Feel that?
Remember how it felt to
run when you were a kid?
How the wind felt?
Like feathers on your arms.
And you ran and ran and
thought any minute, I can fly.
Yeah.
Only you never quite did.
Yeah, it's funny, with
all our advanced knowledge,
we've never really flown.
Not by ourselves.
No, we need tons
of metal to sit in.
It'll get you where you're
going in the blink of an eye.
Yeah, But we've never
really flown like birds fly,
not under our own power.
I've always wanted to do that.
Think how great it would be
if you just put your arms out
like this, huh, and run.
And run and you fly.
[music playing]
Look at me.
I can fly.
I can fly.
[music playing]
Driscoll, how did you do that?
I don't know, Captain.
I just asked the wind to fly me.
And it did.
Rubbish.
Freakish air currents,
I've seen it before.
Now I've got work
to do, Forrester,
and a schedule to maintain.
There's always time to
study special phenomena.
It's in the contract.
I think even you
will have to admit
that flying without the
aid of any man-made device
is a pretty special phenomenon.
May be, but it's not
getting any work done.
It's not putting any
dollars in my pocket.
Now let's go.
You can study all you
want while I'm working.
It's got to be air
currents, Captain.
You get caught in a--
No.
No, you're wrong.
It's something else.
It's something alive.
It's a power.
It's force.
Maybe I'm not
making myself clear.
Back to the ship, everybody.
I'm running this
expedition, Chatterton.
I think I can do
it again, Captain.
Do it at will.
Let me show you, Chatterton.
I think we can all do it.
Don't, Driscoll.
[air suction]
Help, help.
Get me down.
- Can't be air currents.
Get me down!
Get me down!
He's suspended in midair.
No, it's something else.
Just put him down.
It's OK.
Want to tell me
what you're doing?
It's OK.
Just put him down.
What was all that about?
I don't know, Captain.
I'm not sure.
All right, better move on.
[music playing]
[loud roar]
Oh, boy.
Isn't this everything anybody
could ever want or need?
What's that old expression?
A glass of wine, thou.
You settle for water?
Careful, Koestler.
Test it first.
Hey, it's pure.
Taste like wine, sir.
She's right.
It is wine.
[chuckling] Too bad we don't
have fish to go with it.
It's vinegar.
Better stick to your
canteen, Chatterton.
Captain, look
Chatterton may be right.
This water may be polluted.
This water's warm.
This fish is cooked.
So what I think, is that
this planet, it's alive.
OK, let's say I
go along with you.
The planet is alive.
It is a race unto itself.
And a living thing
must have a purpose.
So suppose the
purpose of this world
is to make someone, us, happy.
Well, what good is
a bagful of miracles
if you have no one
to share them with?
The wine's gone to
your head, Driscoll.
It's just a planet with
some of the greatest strains
of minerals I've ever seen.
Aren't you tired of
looting and stripping
all the planet's resources?
We're not taking
anything from anyone.
No one's here.
And I'll my iron quite over
the next 10 years out of it.
Yeah, and then
there'll be nothing left.
I mean, why must you perpetuate
the terrible destruction
that you and people like you
brought about on the Earth?
Why must you spoil every
planet in the universe?
You know, I just love armchair
ecologists like you, Driscoll.
You're always crusading.
But I never see you
turn down a paycheck.
You're right.
But the older I get, the less
I can stomach people like you.
Feeling's mutual, buddy.
That's enough Driscoll.
The fish is poison.
Better eat nothing but
the ship's food from now on.
It'll be safer.
He doesn't know
when he's well off.
Is there anything we can
do to stop him, Captain?
He practically
owns the expedition.
We can't stop him, but we
don't have to help him.
Hey, well where's he gone?
Chatterton?
Chatterton!
There's something wrong.
We have to get back, Captain.
Hurry!
[drilling]
Stop it!
Stop that drill!
You, give me that.
Get away from me.
Idiot!
Stop this!
Chatterton's doing
what he came her to do.
Don't you hear it?
Can't you hear the screaming?
He's hurting her.
- Who?
- The planet!
[thunderclap]
[explosion]
What the hell was that?
That's what I'm
trying to tell you.
It's alive.
Oh, alive is it?
Well, not for long.
We've got to
stop him, Captain.
He's going to destroy her.
[music playing]
Chatterton!
Chatterton, where are you?
Tell us, Chatterton.
[loud roar]
[scream]
He was right.
Here there'd be tigers.
It's a funny thing.
I'm not afraid.
Well, Chatterton's
vanished, probably
come to some
horrible end, and yet
here we sit, talking calmly.
No one's trembling or running.
It's crazy, huh?
But it's right.
We trust it.
It trusts us.
It's incredible.
Here that?
It's raining all around.
Ahead, behind, but not on us.
The wind flies us, the
trees and streams feed us.
Our every wish
seems to be granted.
So I've been thinking, while
we've been traveling for years,
but we're all unattached,
wouldn't it be
nice to settle down someplace?
Here?
Well, why not here?
I mean Earth, gotta
work like hell just
to save enough money
to buy a house.
And you're paying taxes.
The cities stink.
Here, you wouldn't
even need a house.
I know.
If we go back to
Earth and tell everyone
what a lovely planet this
is, they're going to come
swarming in here and ruin it.
No, I don't think so.
Firstly, I don't think
this planet would
allow a full-scale invasion.
I don't know what it would do.
Some interesting things I bet.
Besides, I respect it too
much to let that happen.
We'll go back and
say it was hostile.
Which it would be, to the
average person like Chatterton,
coming here to hurt it.
I guess it would get lonely.
[laughter]
Captain, let's not leave.
Let's not go back to Earth.
They will never come
and investigate.
They'll think we
were destroyed here.
What do you say?
We've got our jobs to do.
People invested in our ship.
We owe it to them to go back.
Take off in five minutes.
[music playing]
Driscoll.
Sir?
We can't stay.
You know the rules.
If a planet's
hostile, we move on.
But it's the
Garden of Eden, sir.
Forbidden fruit, Driscoll.
You come back, now.
[loud roar]
It's an earthquake, Captain.
We got a reading of seven.
Both of you, get back quick.
Driscoll.
Driscoll!
Driscoll!
Captain, quick.
[engine accelerating]
It's all right.
It's all right I'm staying.
[engine accelerating]
Captain, look.
[music playing]
What about Driscoll?
Oh, that's for us.
We turned away from Eden.
It's putting on this show to
tell us never to come back.
Yeah.
[music playing]
RAY BRADBURY: People ask,
where do you get your ideas.
Right here.
All this is my
magician's toy shop.
I'm Ray Bradbury and this is--
[music playing]
Another planet to beat
at its own game, Forrester.
Get in and rip out its
minerals and take off before it
blows up in your face.
You know, we have too much
respect for other worlds
to treat them the way
you do, Chatterton.
You're the mineralogist.
You do your mining and
ripping and scraping.
We're astronauts.
Our job's to get you
there and back safely
and without incidents.
Doesn't look much
like from here, does it?
All worlds 10 miles up
look pretty much the same.
But when you get down, each
one is a brand new experience.
Civilizations to study,
pasts to understand.
There's no problem
studying the past Driscoll,
you're an archaeologist.
You should know that.
Not everything boils
down to dollars and cents.
Altitude 20,000
feet and circling.
Start the final
descent sequence.
That planet down there.
with so much copper,
iron, uranium.
New beauty.
New beauty.
I've been to dozens of
planets in the past 10 years
and I never cease to
marvel at what we find.
Each one is special, in
a different kind of way.
Assume landing
positions, please.
Looks like iron country to me.
And here there'll
be tigers, my friend.
Don't you forget that.
What?
Here there'll be tigers.
It's what old explorers
would write on their charts
to identify dangerous places.
30 seconds to touchdown.
[engine noises]
And we've landed.
The atmosphere seems
perfect and the planet
reads as earth synchronous.
We're in luck.
And no signs of life so far.
Yeah, well bring
your gun along.
I've never yet met a planet
that didn't bite and scratch.
You ready, captain?
[music playing]
[mechanical ramp lowers]
[music playing]
It's beautiful.
[birds chirping]
What are the sensors saying?
Any hostiles?
No life heat indicated.
It's too green, too peaceful.
I don't like it.
Check your weapons.
I give the orders here, if
you don't, mind Mr. Chatterton.
And my company pays
the bills and gives us
billions of dollars
worth of equipment
that must be protected
at substantial risk.
I think we have the same
concerns, Mr. Chatterton.
I also have the safety
of my crew to consider.
We're all armed.
Shall we take a look around?
[loud roar]
Looks as if you're
upsetting the gods that
rule this planet, Chatterton.
You're a funny guy, Driscoll.
Planet's obviously
subject to earthquakes.
So let's move it.
I want the drill ready in half
an hour, I'll get my samples,
we're out of here.
We have to reconnoitre first,
you know that, Chatterton.
Make sure there's
nothing hostile,
send a report on this
planet back to Earth.
That's the procedure.
Besides, it's not every day
we land on a planet that looks
as marvelous as this one does.
Be a shame not to find
out more about it,
uncover her secrets
before we start pillaging.
OK, let's get it over with.
Black, Armstrong,
stay here, stand guard.
We'll take a look around.
It looks like a golf course,
only you could walk forever
and never finish your game.
Yeah, right.
If only we brought
our clubs, huh?
Knock it off, you two.
Hey, wait a minute.
I knew there was
something wrong.
This grass looks freshly cut.
It could be a species of
dichondra, always short.
Well, I don't like it.
Alert home base.
Tell them there
might be trouble.
It won't make any difference.
What does that mean?
No rescue missions
to hostile planets.
Since when?
Since they decided that
a space ship is worth
more than a few human beings.
You mean if anything happens
to us, nobody gives a damn?
Oh, they'd care, but
they wouldn't do anything.
It's a new policy.
What?
You mean if a rocket
fails to return,
they don't send a second
rocket to find out why?
That's crazy.
There could be a
million reasons.
Sure.
But they don't want to lose
two rockets if one ship
confirms a planet is hostile.
So, we're on our own.
You got it.
We can only encourage
travel to peaceful worlds,
like this one.
You hope.
I've often wondered what
happened to all those people.
Those lost expeditions on worlds
that we'll never try again.
That's easy.
They were shot, stabbed,
eaten by aliens.
Come on, let's get to
work before this planet
shows us its true colors.
[loud roar]
It was just a
breeze, Chatterton.
It's just a great
kite-flying breeze.
Feel it?
Feel that?
Remember how it felt to
run when you were a kid?
How the wind felt?
Like feathers on your arms.
And you ran and ran and
thought any minute, I can fly.
Yeah.
Only you never quite did.
Yeah, it's funny, with
all our advanced knowledge,
we've never really flown.
Not by ourselves.
No, we need tons
of metal to sit in.
It'll get you where you're
going in the blink of an eye.
Yeah, But we've never
really flown like birds fly,
not under our own power.
I've always wanted to do that.
Think how great it would be
if you just put your arms out
like this, huh, and run.
And run and you fly.
[music playing]
Look at me.
I can fly.
I can fly.
[music playing]
Driscoll, how did you do that?
I don't know, Captain.
I just asked the wind to fly me.
And it did.
Rubbish.
Freakish air currents,
I've seen it before.
Now I've got work
to do, Forrester,
and a schedule to maintain.
There's always time to
study special phenomena.
It's in the contract.
I think even you
will have to admit
that flying without the
aid of any man-made device
is a pretty special phenomenon.
May be, but it's not
getting any work done.
It's not putting any
dollars in my pocket.
Now let's go.
You can study all you
want while I'm working.
It's got to be air
currents, Captain.
You get caught in a--
No.
No, you're wrong.
It's something else.
It's something alive.
It's a power.
It's force.
Maybe I'm not
making myself clear.
Back to the ship, everybody.
I'm running this
expedition, Chatterton.
I think I can do
it again, Captain.
Do it at will.
Let me show you, Chatterton.
I think we can all do it.
Don't, Driscoll.
[air suction]
Help, help.
Get me down.
- Can't be air currents.
Get me down!
Get me down!
He's suspended in midair.
No, it's something else.
Just put him down.
It's OK.
Want to tell me
what you're doing?
It's OK.
Just put him down.
What was all that about?
I don't know, Captain.
I'm not sure.
All right, better move on.
[music playing]
[loud roar]
Oh, boy.
Isn't this everything anybody
could ever want or need?
What's that old expression?
A glass of wine, thou.
You settle for water?
Careful, Koestler.
Test it first.
Hey, it's pure.
Taste like wine, sir.
She's right.
It is wine.
[chuckling] Too bad we don't
have fish to go with it.
It's vinegar.
Better stick to your
canteen, Chatterton.
Captain, look
Chatterton may be right.
This water may be polluted.
This water's warm.
This fish is cooked.
So what I think, is that
this planet, it's alive.
OK, let's say I
go along with you.
The planet is alive.
It is a race unto itself.
And a living thing
must have a purpose.
So suppose the
purpose of this world
is to make someone, us, happy.
Well, what good is
a bagful of miracles
if you have no one
to share them with?
The wine's gone to
your head, Driscoll.
It's just a planet with
some of the greatest strains
of minerals I've ever seen.
Aren't you tired of
looting and stripping
all the planet's resources?
We're not taking
anything from anyone.
No one's here.
And I'll my iron quite over
the next 10 years out of it.
Yeah, and then
there'll be nothing left.
I mean, why must you perpetuate
the terrible destruction
that you and people like you
brought about on the Earth?
Why must you spoil every
planet in the universe?
You know, I just love armchair
ecologists like you, Driscoll.
You're always crusading.
But I never see you
turn down a paycheck.
You're right.
But the older I get, the less
I can stomach people like you.
Feeling's mutual, buddy.
That's enough Driscoll.
The fish is poison.
Better eat nothing but
the ship's food from now on.
It'll be safer.
He doesn't know
when he's well off.
Is there anything we can
do to stop him, Captain?
He practically
owns the expedition.
We can't stop him, but we
don't have to help him.
Hey, well where's he gone?
Chatterton?
Chatterton!
There's something wrong.
We have to get back, Captain.
Hurry!
[drilling]
Stop it!
Stop that drill!
You, give me that.
Get away from me.
Idiot!
Stop this!
Chatterton's doing
what he came her to do.
Don't you hear it?
Can't you hear the screaming?
He's hurting her.
- Who?
- The planet!
[thunderclap]
[explosion]
What the hell was that?
That's what I'm
trying to tell you.
It's alive.
Oh, alive is it?
Well, not for long.
We've got to
stop him, Captain.
He's going to destroy her.
[music playing]
Chatterton!
Chatterton, where are you?
Tell us, Chatterton.
[loud roar]
[scream]
He was right.
Here there'd be tigers.
It's a funny thing.
I'm not afraid.
Well, Chatterton's
vanished, probably
come to some
horrible end, and yet
here we sit, talking calmly.
No one's trembling or running.
It's crazy, huh?
But it's right.
We trust it.
It trusts us.
It's incredible.
Here that?
It's raining all around.
Ahead, behind, but not on us.
The wind flies us, the
trees and streams feed us.
Our every wish
seems to be granted.
So I've been thinking, while
we've been traveling for years,
but we're all unattached,
wouldn't it be
nice to settle down someplace?
Here?
Well, why not here?
I mean Earth, gotta
work like hell just
to save enough money
to buy a house.
And you're paying taxes.
The cities stink.
Here, you wouldn't
even need a house.
I know.
If we go back to
Earth and tell everyone
what a lovely planet this
is, they're going to come
swarming in here and ruin it.
No, I don't think so.
Firstly, I don't think
this planet would
allow a full-scale invasion.
I don't know what it would do.
Some interesting things I bet.
Besides, I respect it too
much to let that happen.
We'll go back and
say it was hostile.
Which it would be, to the
average person like Chatterton,
coming here to hurt it.
I guess it would get lonely.
[laughter]
Captain, let's not leave.
Let's not go back to Earth.
They will never come
and investigate.
They'll think we
were destroyed here.
What do you say?
We've got our jobs to do.
People invested in our ship.
We owe it to them to go back.
Take off in five minutes.
[music playing]
Driscoll.
Sir?
We can't stay.
You know the rules.
If a planet's
hostile, we move on.
But it's the
Garden of Eden, sir.
Forbidden fruit, Driscoll.
You come back, now.
[loud roar]
It's an earthquake, Captain.
We got a reading of seven.
Both of you, get back quick.
Driscoll.
Driscoll!
Driscoll!
Captain, quick.
[engine accelerating]
It's all right.
It's all right I'm staying.
[engine accelerating]
Captain, look.
[music playing]
What about Driscoll?
Oh, that's for us.
We turned away from Eden.
It's putting on this show to
tell us never to come back.
Yeah.
[music playing]