"A Small Talent for War" is the second segment of the fifteenth episode from the first season (1985–86) of the

television series A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite, or cable, excluding breaking news, advertisements, or trailers that are typically placed be ...

The Twilight Zone ''The Twilight Zone'' is an American media franchise based on the anthology television series created by Rod Serling. The episodes are in various genres, including fantasy, science fiction, absurdism, dystopian fiction, suspense, horror, sup ...

''. In this segment, an advanced alien race claims to have created human beings and proposes to wipe them out unless they change their ways.

Plot

The scene is set with the

United Nations Security Council The United Nations Security Council (UNSC) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN) and is charged with ensuring international peace and security, recommending the admission of new UN members to the General Assembly, an ...

bickering between nations over how to respond to the appearance of an extraterrestrial vessel near the council building. An ambassador from an alien race then appears to them and claims that his race seeded life on Earth millions of years earlier. He tells them that his race is displeased with humanity's "small talent for war," as they have failed to produce the potential that the aliens had nurtured, and his fleet will destroy all life on Earth. The Security Council pleads for and is granted a 24-hour reprieve to prove humanity's worth. The Security Council and the

General Assembly A general assembly or general meeting is a meeting of all the members of an organization or shareholders of a company. Specific examples of general assembly include: Churches * General Assembly (presbyterian church), the highest court of presb ...

negotiate an accord for lasting global peace and present it to the alien ambassador. He is amused at the peace accord and explains that his race was, in fact, seeking a ''greater'' talent for war, as they had genetically seeded thousands of planets to breed warriors to fight for them across the galaxy. They perceived humanity's conflicts as erratic and clumsy, our weapons as crude and primitive, and our longing for peace as a fatal flaw. As the ambassador calls down his fleet to destroy Earth, he thanks the Security Council for an amusing day.

External links

*
Episode "A Small Talent for War" on Vimeo

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Small Talent For War, A The Twilight Zone (1985 TV series season 1) episodes 1986 American television episodes Television episodes about ancient astronauts Works by Carter Scholz fr:Risque de paix mondiale