The Ray Bradbury Theater (1985–1992): Season 4, Episode 7 - And the Moon Be Still as Bright - full transcript

[theme song]

RAY BRADBURY: People ask,
where do you get your ideas?

Right here.

All of this is my
magician's toyshop.

I'm Ray Bradbury.

And this is--

[music playing]

[rustling leaves]

I smell death, Captain.

What makes you
so sure, Spender?

Just the wind.



Only the wind.

CAPTAIN WILDER: That must
have been a long time ago.

I don't think so.

There are no trees on Mars.

Where are these coming from?

[computer analyzer]

SPENDER: These
aren't leaves, sir.

They're ashes.

These are all that's left
of whoever lived here.

The Martians.

What happened?

We're not the first, sir.

The other expeditions to Mars--

Captain Black, Captain York--



at least one of them made it.

Well, what are you saying?

It was chickenpox.

What?

The fever burned
them into this.

And a whole people wiped out.

Insane.

Right, Cheroke.

Insane-- like saying that
mumps killed the Greeks

or that the noble Romans
died of athlete's foot.

[sighs] An entire
race dies, not with

dignity and majesty but, uh--

from a child's
dose of chickenpox.

A little gift from Earth.

They couldn't have known.

Well, we should have.

We never seem to care about the
effects we have on anything,

just the results so we
can make a report on them.

Now, wait a minute, Spender--

No, Captain!

Go ahead.

Tell them.

We and the expeditions before
us landed successfully on Mars.

[sighs] There was an
unforeseen circumstance.

We wiped out an
entire civilization.

But what the hell.

We made it.

That's all that
matters, isn't it?

We can be proud.

Hey, we got the
whole damn city.

So when are we
going in, Captain?

Tomorrow late.

We'll all need some rest.

Sure will.

Gonna have us a party.

Party time, baby!

Party time.

Bed full of leaves tonight.

[laughter]

[harmonica music playing]

BIGGS: Hey, Parkhill.
PARKHILL: Hm?

BIGGS: You remember last year--

New York?

[tossed bottle]

BIGGS: That hill over there--

I'm going to christen
it Omaha Hill!

The Nebraska claim.

Williams Valley.

And right here--

[laughs] the first settlement.

I'm going to christen
it Biggs Town.

(DRUNKENLY) I christen thee--

Biggs Town!

[music playing]

[face punch]

What the hell's the
matter with you, Spender?

That's enough, Biggs!

Come on, Biggs.

Biggs, you go to the medic.

You men finish up here.

Spender, you come with me.

You want to explain
what happened?

I don't know, sir.

I was just ashamed of Biggs--

of us.

It's been a long trip.

They're proud and excited.

And, dammit, they should be.

You are way out
of line, Spender.

I'm going to have to put you
on report when we get back.

Yes, sir.

I just hated the
idea of them watching

us make fools of ourselves,
polluting their planet.

CAPTAIN WILDER: Them?

Them.

The Martians.

Well, Spender,
this-- this expedition

is not going to ruin Mars.

I'll make sure of that.

Well, we humans have
a talent for ruining

big, beautiful things.

Only reason we didn't put
a hot dog stand on the Moon

is because it's a
little out of the way.

It would make a good
commercial proposition.

All they know, we're here
to pollute their water,

litter their streets, change
the names of their canals,

their mountain ranges.

It will be your
job as archaeologist

to find the old names.

And we'll use them.

Do what you're trained
to do, Spender.

And that does not
include slugging

your fellow crew members, OK?

Dismissed.

Yes, sir.

Hey!

Hey, you Martians!

Come out, come out,
wherever you are!

[laughs]

All the leaves here
need some sweeping up.

[laughter]

That's enough, you two.

[music playing]

SPENDER: "So we'll go no
more a-roving, so late

into the night.

Though the heart
be still as loving,

and the moon be
still as bright."

You think they know we're here?

You sound as if you
believe in spirits.

I believe in accomplishments.

Look at this.

Yes, it's beautiful.

They must have been a graceful
and philosophical people.

Yes.

And they must know we're
here to spit in their wine.

How they must hate us.

I don't feel hatred here.

The evidence is all
around us, Spender.

They were intelligent
and cultured.

And they probably
don't mind us being

here any more than they'd mind
children playing on a lawn--

knowing and understanding
children for what they are.

[distant crew laughter]

[shimmering sound]

[gasps]

What is this place, Spender?

It's a library.

With no books?

There's a million books--

right here.
- How do you know?

[sighs] Something
about this place--

I-- [laughs] I feel
like I've come home.

Home?

Mars?

Yeah.

I-- I don't think I
want to travel anymore.

No more a-roving.

BIGGS: [laughing]

Hey, take a look
at this, Parkhill.

What is it?

Some kind of art object?

[techno hiss]

[glass shattering]

Well, we looked
all over, Captain.

There's no sign of him.

That's three days now.

To hell with him, I say, sir.

PARKHILL: Yeah, I think we
should go on without him.

I mean, this searching
for him's a waste

of the expedition's time.

I'll be the judge
of that, Parkhill.

Dismissed.

[gunshot]

[gunshots]

[music playing]

I'll be damned.

I'm the masked Martian.

What did you say?

I'm going to kill you.

[laughs] What kind
of a joke is this?

Stand up.

Put the gun away, Spender.

[gunshot]

Beef teriyaki, boys.

Hey, here comes the loner.

CHEROKE: Hi, Spender.

You been hunting
around the ruins?

I've been living in the city--

studying their art,
learning their language,

reading their books.

I've been finding
out a lot of things.

What would you say if I
told you I'd found a Martian

prowling around the city?

Did you?
Where?

SPENDER: Never mind.

Let me ask you a question.

What would you do if
you were a Martian

and people came to your land
and started tearing it up?

I know how I'd feel.

I'm Cherokee.

I'd be pretty mad.

What about you guys?

Cramer?

Novis?

I talked to the Martian.

You understood him?

SPENDER: I told you.

I've learned their language.

What did he say?

He said, give me your boots.

So I gave him my boots.

Then he said, give
me your uniform.

I gave him my uniform.

Give me your gun, he said.

I gave him my gun.

Then he said, come with
me, see what happens.

I followed him back to camp.

He's here-- now.

I don't see any Martian.

I'm sorry.

[gunshot]

Ugh!

[gunshot]

You can come with me, Cheroke.

You can be with me on this.

You killed them!

They deserved it.

You're out of your mind.

I thought-- you
would understand.

[gunshot]

[music playing]

Huh--

[anguished cry]

[guns cocking]

All right.

Let's go.

[desert wind]

[gunshot]

[gunshot]

- Shoot to kill, right, sir?
- No.

No?

- Alive, Parkhill.
- Sir--

I want him alive!

Spread out.

We'll surround him.

[music playing]

[gunshot]

He's in there, sir.

We've got him cornered.

I think we can take
him with grenades.

We're not going
to blow him to bits.

I hope we don't have
to kill him at all.

Spender!

He's crazy, sir!

He'll kill you, sure as hell.

Spender!

I'm coming in to talk.

Cover him!

[guns cocking]

You OK?

How long can you hold out?

I figure about
six men's worth.

You could've killed
us all this morning

when you had the chance.

You know that.

Yeah, I know.

I got sick after
shooting Cheroke.

Oh?

I couldn't go on.

But it was too late.

Yes, too late for them.

Too late for you.

But I had to.

I guess it's a question
of what you care for--

what you love.

You love a race of dead aliens
more than your fellow man?

Maybe I do.

You're a human being,
Spender, not a Martian.

After I shot Cheroke and
I thought I couldn't go on,

I was so weak.

That's why I came back here--

to build up my strength again.

What did you
hope to accomplish?

Kill all of you and
live out my life here.

That would delay the next
expedition a good five years.

SPENDER: Right.

They'd take twice as long--

build 100 extra experimental
models to insure

against another failure.

You've got it all figured out.

Uh huh.

I figure that, with luck,
with this low gravity,

I could live for 80 years.

Maybe 90.

Meet every expedition
that lands.

I could delay the
invasion for decades.

Come here.

Let me show you something.

I've been here for just a
few days trying to learn.

But I think I'm beginning
to understand them.

The Martians realized
that, in order to survive,

they had to stop asking
the meaning of life.

Life is its own answer,
living in harmony with nature

and the other species.

You could stay here with me.

There's music 50,000 years old
like nothing you'll ever hear.

And you won't let me stay
here without trouble, either,

will you?
- No.

Then I'll have
to kill you all.

You're an optimist.

We've got you surrounded.

But I have a reason to fight.

That makes me a better killer.

Well, I'll let you go back now.

Start your attack.

Spender?

I'm sorry this is happening.

I'm sorry about all of it.

I'm sorry, too.

Sorry I started shooting people.

You're like me, but
you can handle it.

You don't shoot.

You don't kill.

You can work with people.

I-- [laughs] You're
me, but better.

Captain, when this is all
over, you'll still be alive.

What?

I decided when I started
I wouldn't kill you.

Maybe when all those
others are dead,

you'll change your
mind about staying.

I can't.

I'll have to keep
coming after you.

Spender, will you come quietly?

This is my last offer.

Thanks.

No.

Do me one favor.

If you win, try to see
to it that the tearing

apart of this planet
is restricted somehow.

Make the next expeditions
walk quietly here.

I'll do my best.

And if it helps, just try to
think of me as a very crazy guy

who went berserk one
summer day and was

never quite right again.

Might make it easier on ya.

So long, Spender.

Good luck.

There he goes!

I've got him!

[gunshot]

What did do that for, sir?

I'll handle this.

But, sir, if--

Marco, get out!

Wait outside, men.

Stay under cover.

[shimmering sound]

Spender, get going.

I'll give you 30 seconds.

Go on.

You obviously know this place.

Get away from here.

What is the matter with you?

Spender, don't make me do this.

[gunshot]

[laughs weakly]

You're-- Spender now--

sir.

You've got-- quite
a job ahead of you.

[laughs weakly]

[last breath]

SPENDER (VOICEOVER) "So
we'll go no more a-roving

so late into the night--

--though the heart be
still as loving, and the moon

be still as bright."

[end theme]