The Long Morrow
Encyclopedia
"The Long Morrow" is an episode of the American television anthology series The Twilight Zone
.
in the year 1987, is sent to a planetary system 141 light-year
s from Earth
. The trip will take 20 years each way. To save him the ordeal of forty years of loneliness, he is to be placed in (newly-developed) suspended animation
. Before leaving, he meets and becomes enchanted by his young colleague, Sandra Horn (played by Mariette Hartley
). However, Horn would be 40 years older and Stansfield would still be young because of the suspended animation. Stansfield goes on his mission and 40 years later he returns (tragically, the job he was sent to do was already completed, using technology developed after he left). He thus returns a forgotten pioneer.
It is revealed on his arrival that he voluntarily disabled the suspended animation system about six months into his journey so that he would be the same age as Sandra when he finally returned. Unbeknownst to him, she placed herself in suspended animation so that she would be his age. In the tragic
end, an aged Stansfield sadly urges Horn to live her new life without him.
After Horn leaves, General Walters somewhat consoles him by saying, "Stansfield, you're really quite an incredible man. Maybe the one distinction of my entire life, that I knew you...that I knew a man who put such a premium, on love. Truly...quite a distinction, Stansfield..."; Stansfield nods.
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
.
Synopsis
Commander Douglas Stansfield (played by Robert Lansing) an astronautAstronaut
An astronaut or cosmonaut is a person trained by a human spaceflight program to command, pilot, or serve as a crew member of a spacecraft....
in the year 1987, is sent to a planetary system 141 light-year
Light-year
A light-year, also light year or lightyear is a unit of length, equal to just under 10 trillion kilometres...
s from Earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
. The trip will take 20 years each way. To save him the ordeal of forty years of loneliness, he is to be placed in (newly-developed) suspended animation
Suspended animation
Suspended animation is the slowing of life processes by external means without termination. Breathing, heartbeat, and other involuntary functions may still occur, but they can only be detected by artificial means. Extreme cold can be used to precipitate the slowing of an individual's functions; use...
. Before leaving, he meets and becomes enchanted by his young colleague, Sandra Horn (played by Mariette Hartley
Mariette Hartley
Mary Loretta "Mariette" Hartley is an American character actress.-Personal life:Hartley was born in Weston, Connecticut, the daughter of Mary Ickes “Polly” , a manager and saleswoman, and Paul Hembree Hartley, an account executive. Her maternal grandfather was psychologist John B...
). However, Horn would be 40 years older and Stansfield would still be young because of the suspended animation. Stansfield goes on his mission and 40 years later he returns (tragically, the job he was sent to do was already completed, using technology developed after he left). He thus returns a forgotten pioneer.
It is revealed on his arrival that he voluntarily disabled the suspended animation system about six months into his journey so that he would be the same age as Sandra when he finally returned. Unbeknownst to him, she placed herself in suspended animation so that she would be his age. In the tragic
Tragedy
Tragedy is a form of art based on human suffering that offers its audience pleasure. While most cultures have developed forms that provoke this paradoxical response, tragedy refers to a specific tradition of drama that has played a unique and important role historically in the self-definition of...
end, an aged Stansfield sadly urges Horn to live her new life without him.
After Horn leaves, General Walters somewhat consoles him by saying, "Stansfield, you're really quite an incredible man. Maybe the one distinction of my entire life, that I knew you...that I knew a man who put such a premium, on love. Truly...quite a distinction, Stansfield..."; Stansfield nods.