Forbidden Planet

In the final decade of the 21st century

men and women in rocket ships landed on the moon.

By 2200 A.D., they had reached the other planets of our solar system.

Almost at once there followed the discovery of hyper-drive

through which the speed of light was first attained

and later greatly surpassed.

And so at last, mankind began the conquest

and colonization of deep space.

United Planets cruiser C-57-D

now more than a year out from Earth base on a special mission

to the planetary system of the great main sequence star, Altair.

- When do we get a D.C. fix, Jerry? - Half a minute, skipper.

Ship on course, sir. We'll reach D.C. point at 1701.

That's less than three minutes now.

- All right, take it away. - Aye, aye, sir.

Chief, we'll drop back below light speed in about three minutes.

- Got your breakable gear stowed? - Aye, aye, sir.

All right. Good.

D.C. set and punched on, skipper.

All right, attention. Captain to crew. All hands squared away to decelerate.

Ship's beeper will, as usual, sound ten times after lights dim.

- Come on, doc. D.C., Bosun. - Aye, aye, sir.

D.C. stations, on the double.

Wanna bounce through this one?

All right, we're down to .3896 of light speed.

It's a little warm in here, skipper.

Jerry...

There's Altair right on the nose, skipper.

Meanwhile, this ship arranges its own eclipses.

Okay, Jerry, punch out an orbit on the fourth planet.

Aye, aye, skipper.

Ship in approach, skipper. Helical vector oriented.

Attention. Captain to crew. Attention.

Our destination, Altair-4, is now visible on the main view-plate.

As you'll recollect from your briefing lectures, this is an Earth-type planet.

Twenty years ago, the spacecraft 'Belerephon' landed here

with a prospecting party of scientists.

Our mission is to search for survivors. That is all.

The Lord sure makes some beautiful worlds.

How do these continents check with the old charts?

Be able to tell you better in a while, skipper. It's time for brakes.

Okay, take it away.

Astrogator to crew. Stand by to change flux.

Another one of them new worlds.

No beer, no women, no pool parlors, nothing.

Nothing to do but throw rocks at tin cans, and we gotta bring our own cans.

Attention. Captain to crew.

We are now entering the atmosphere of Altair-4.

No survival suits will be required upon landing.

Oxygen content: 4,7 richer than Earth standard.

Gravity, only .897.

Adjust your equipment accordingly. That is all.

All hands, check equipment.

Not even any short-range radio signals yet?

Not so far, sir.

Jerry, can you make out anything down there?

I may be missing some individual structures

but there are no cities, ports, roads, bridges, dams.

There's just no sign of civilization at all.

Sir, we're being radar-scanned.

- Can you zero on it? - No, sir.

It seems to emanate from an area of about 20 miles square.

Twenty miles square?

Bosun, pass the alert.

Combat stations. Blaster men, activate your scopes.

Radio contact, sir. There's a voice.

- Human? - Yes, sir. It sounds like it.

Boost it.

Spaceship, identify yourself. You're being tracked.

Cut me in, Quinn.

United Planets Cruiser C-57-D, J.J. Adams commanding.

- Who are you? - Morbius of the 'Belerephon'.

- Who? - Edward Morbius.

Here it is. "Morbius, E. Ph.D., Lit.D. Expedition philologist."

- Philologist? - What do you wish here, cruiser?

You don't understand, sir. We're your relief. We're very glad to find you alive.

I, of course, appreciate your concern

but absolutely no assistance of any sort is required.

The red carpet treatment?

Dr. Morbius, my orders are to survey the situation on Altair-4.

Let me repeat: I'm in no sort of difficulty here.

Your best procedure will be to turn back at once without landing.

Sorry, sir.

Commandor, if you set down on this planet, I warn you

that I cannot be answerable for the safety of your ship or your crew.

If you'll just supply me with landing coordinates.

Dr. Morbius, I require landing coordinates.

Very well, but I wash my hands of all responsibility.

- You have standard charts? - Yes, sir.

You may come in at 83-17-4 north

148-21 west.

Thank you.

It's right back there in the desert.

Commander, I urge you to reconsider. Please permit me to recommend...

Something funny down there, skipper.

Okay, Jerry, I'll take her in.

Right.

Attention. Captain to crew. Stand by to reverse polarity.

Standard class "A" security will be maintained upon landing

and until further notice, all hands will wear side arms.

That is all.

- Artificial gravity off. - Grav.off.

- Half flux. - Half flux.

- Cut primary coils. - Primaries cut, sir.

All clear, sir.

Look at the color of that sky.

Yeah, but I'll still take blue.

I don't know. I think a man could get used to this

and grow to love it.

Bosun, you can assemble the tractor.

Better check the command mike, skipper.

- The command mike, sir. - Good idea.

- Chief? - Sir?

You're in command now, Quinn. You keep right at those instruments.

- Aye, aye, sir. - Hey, what's this dust coming?

Looks like we're being met.

- Bosun. - Aye, aye, sir?

- Hold the tractor. - Aye, aye, sir.

- Quite a vehicle? - That driver must be a madman.

What driver?

Welcome to Altair-4, gentlemen.

I am to transport you to the residence.

If you do not speak english

I am at your disposal with 187 other languages

along with their various dialects and sub-tongues.

Colloquial english will do fine, thank you.

This is no offense, but you are a robot, aren't you?

That is correct, sir.

For your convenience, I am monitored to respond to the name "Robby".

Nice climate you have here.

High oxygen content.

I rarely use it myself, sir. It promotes rust.

Hey, doc, is it a male or a female?

In my case, sir, the question is totally without meaning.

Will you get in, gentlemen?

Quinn, tractors if I blink red.

- I'll bring a tractor in a hurry, sir. - Right.

Passengers will please fasten their seat belts.

Looks after us like a mother.

If you gentlemen will go in, you're expected.

- I am Morbius. - I am commander Adams.

This is lieutenant Farman, my executive

and lieutenant Ostrow, our ship's doctor.

How ironic that a simple scholar with no ambition

beyond a modest measure of seclusion, should, out of a clear sky

find himself besieged by an army of fellow creatures

all grimly determined to be of service to him.

I'm sorry, sir, if we're not welcome, but we do have our orders.

But you must stay for lunch, gentlemen

and do forgive the ill manners of an old recluse.

Won't you come in?

Whatever that lunch was, it was certainly delicious.

Simply some of Robby's synthetics.

- He's your cook too? - Even manufactures the raw materials.

Come around here, Robby.

I'll show you how this works.

One introduces a sample of human food through this aperture.

Here there's a small built-in chemical laboratory where he analyzes it.

Later he can reproduce identical molecules in any shape or quantity.

Why, it's a housewife's dream.

Plus absolute selfless obedience.

Activate the dispose-all unit.

A household disintegrator beam.

Put your arm in there.

Order cancelled.

Don't attribute feeling to him, gentlemen.

Robby is simply a tool. Tremendously strong, of course.

He could quite easily topple this house off its foundation.

In the wrong hands, mightn't such a tool become a deadly weapon?

No, doctor, not even though I were the mad scientist of the tape thrillers

because, you see, there happens to be a built-in safety factor.

Commander, may I borrow that formidable-looking side arm of yours?

Thank you.

Robby, point this thing at that althaea frutex out there on the terrace.

Fire!

You understand the mechanism?

Yes, Morbius. A simple blaster.

All right. Now turn around here.

Point it at the commander.

Aim right between the eyes.

Fire!

You see, he's helpless

locked in a sub-electronic dilemma between my direct orders

and his basic inhibitions against harming rational beings.

Cancelled.

If I were to allow that to continue

he would blow every circuit in his body.

Doctor, how did you come by such a mechanism?

I didn't "come by" him, doctor

I tinkered him together during my first months up here.

- Coffee is ready, sir. - Gentlemen.

Doctor, do you mean that you made this gentleman?

A useful enough toy, lieutenant

but nowadays I have no time for such things.

Dr. Morbius, you're a philologist, an expert in words and languages

their origins and meanings.

Yet this robot of yours is beyond the combined resources

of all Earth's physical science.

My dear commander, maybe you overestimate

both Robby and myself.