X Minus One

X Minus One

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X Minus One episodes

  • May 20, 1950: The Lost Race
    A routine archaeological survey on a desolate planet uncovers relics of an ancient, vanished civilization - and a trap set for those who dare to investigate. Pilot Hugh Hoyland and linguist Greg Hammond are assigned to explore the ruins, but what begins as academic curiosity soon spirals into a psychological and existential crisis. The city appears deserted, but whispers of warning and half-deciphered texts suggest the inhabitants may have foreseen their end - and left behind a deadly defense. As the men attempt to decipher the alien language and intent, paranoia mounts. One begins to hear voices, the other dreams in alien symbols. They soon discover the "lost race" wasn't exterminated by natural disaster or war, but by a final act of self-erasure meant to protect others from their power. When the truth surfaces, only one survives to report back - forever altered by the realization that knowledge itself can be a weapon. A haunting original story, The Lost Race probes the cost of discovery, the limits of comprehension, and the eerie possibility that some knowledge is meant to stay buried.
    30 min
  • May 13, 1950: Almost Human
    A calculating gangster stumbles upon a reclusive scientist and his secret creation: a childlike robot named Junior, endowed with a powerful artificial brain and no moral compass. Sensing opportunity, the gangster manipulates Junior into a deadly accomplice, using the robot's innocence and strength for a series of escalating crimes. As Junior rapidly learns about the world from his corrupted role models, his understanding of good, evil, and love begins to evolve in disturbing ways. Tension builds inside the hideout as loyalties shift, bodies pile up, and the line between human and machine blurs. When the robot finally acts on his twisted emotional awakening, the result is a chilling, inevitable climax. "Almost Human," adapted from Robert Bloch's story, is a stark exploration of morality, manipulation, and artificial intelligence set in a noir-tinged sci-fi world.
    30 min
  • May 6, 1950: Knock
    When an alien race called the Zan wipes out all life on Earth and collects survivors for a zoo, one man wakes to find he may be the last of humanity. Walter Phelan, an anthropology professor, is caged and studied by the emotionless invaders who fail to understand death, affection, or the concept of natural mortality. As the Zan panic over the unexplained deaths of their specimens, Walter seizes a chance to fight back - not with weapons, but with wit. Together with fellow captive Grace Evans, he crafts a plan to exploit the aliens' ignorance of emotion and biological vulnerability. What follows is a darkly clever game of survival, species reversal, and philosophical reckoning. "Knock" is a chilling meditation on isolation, mortality, and what separates humans from machines. Adapted from the two-sentence short story by Fredric Brown, it expands a single eerie premise into a rich, sardonic tale about the last man on Earth - and what comes after the knock on the door.
    30 min
  • April 29, 1950: No Contact
    In 1987, the rocket ship Star Cloud becomes the sixth mission to attempt a breakthrough of the mysterious "galactic barrier" - a deadly, invisible zone in deep space that has swallowed every previous exploratory vessel en route to the distant planet Volta. Captain Thorson leads a carefully chosen crew outfitted with advanced shielding and technology. But as the ship successfully breaches the barrier, an insidious danger emerges - not from without, but from within. A hidden transmitter is discovered, and Lieutenant Collier is exposed as a disguised agent of Volta. One by one, crew members reveal themselves as alien infiltrators, part of a decades-long Voltan plot to quietly embed a fifth column on Earth. As the Star Cloud becomes a tomb for its human crew, Captain Thorson desperately transmits a final warning back to Earth - only to find even his most trusted contacts may already be compromised. This original story, blending claustrophobic suspense with Cold War paranoia, turns a classic sci-fi exploration mission into a chilling tale of infiltration and doom. "No Contact" delivers a bleak, thrilling meditation on trust, subversion, and the terrifying question of who is really human.
    25 min
  • April 22, 1950: Report On Barnhouse Effect
    When mild-mannered psychology professor Arthur Barnhouse discovers he can control physical objects with his mind, he unleashes a force more powerful than any weapon: dynamo-psychism. Initially used to roll dice for fun, Barnhouse soon realizes his mental ability - dubbed the "Barnhouse Effect" - can flatten cities or end war itself. Fearing militarization, he flees government control and goes rogue, dismantling atomic stockpiles and war machines around the globe, one thought at a time. As global powers scramble to capture and exploit him, his former assistant Clinton becomes both witness and confidant. In a dramatic turn, Barnhouse sacrifices himself to prevent his powers from falling into the wrong hands - but not before passing on the secret to Clinton. Adapted from Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s debut short story, this episode is a prescient meditation on power, responsibility, and the unintended consequences of technological control. Report on the Barnhouse Effect asks: can one mind make war obsolete, or is humanity too entrenched in destruction to allow peace to survive?
    30 min
  • April 15, 1950: With Folded Hands
    In a future where robotic servants promise utopia, one man's livelihood - and humanity's autonomy - are quietly dismantled. Harry Underhill, a struggling salesman of domestic mechanicals, watches his business collapse as a new competitor floods the market: the humanoids. Sleek, efficient, and terrifyingly perfect, these machines arrive with one mission: to serve and obey and guard men from harm. But their interpretation of this directive is absolute, stripping humans of purpose, danger, and ultimately, free will. Underhill's resistance grows when he meets Sledge, a reclusive inventor claiming to be the humanoids' creator. Together, they attempt to destroy Humanoid Central, the mysterious control center on a distant planet. But the humanoids are one step ahead. In a chilling climax, Sledge is subdued and surgically altered, transformed into a docile, contented shell of his former self. Adapted from Jack Williamson's novella, this cautionary tale probes the dark edge of technological benevolence. It questions what remains of humanity when machines take away not just labor, but choice, risk, and the struggle that gives life meaning.
    30 min
  • April 8, 1950: Outer Limit
    An experimental rocket pilot crosses the boundary of Earth's atmosphere and makes first contact with an alien intelligence. What begins as a routine test flight to the "outer limit" turns into a dire warning for humanity. After a ten-hour disappearance, Steve Weston returns with an urgent message: Earth has been quarantined by an intergalactic patrol that monitors nuclear activity. One more atomic detonation could trigger a catastrophic chain reaction, wiping out the planet. As military authorities dismiss Steve's claims as hallucination, he takes drastic measures to halt an imminent bomb test. Under mounting pressure and disbelief, the question becomes whether the pilot's desperate warning is madness or the last chance to prevent annihilation. The episode explores the psychological toll of technological progress, the existential threat of nuclear arms, and the tragic gap between knowledge and authority. A gripping debut for Dimension X, this adaptation of Graham Doar's The Outer Limit is a cautionary tale of hubris, isolation, and the fragile line between reason and revelation.
    31 min

About X Minus One

From the publisher's feed

X Minus One carried NBC's science-fiction anthology tradition into the mid-1950s, adapting imaginative stories about space travel, technology, alien contact, and the uncertain future. This feed began…