The Chromoite in all its glory.
Julia and Chino can't believe their eyes either.
The Control Voice: In dreams, some of us walk the stars. In dreams, some of us ride the whelming brine of space, where every port is a shining one, and none are beyond our reach. Some of us, in dreams, cannot reach beyond the walls of our own little sleep.
A convicted murderer (Henry Silva) volunteers for an exchange program between Earth and Chromo.
The Control Voice: Hunger frightens and hurts, and it has many faces, and every man must sometimes face the terror of one of them. Wouldn't it seem that a misery known and understood by all men would lead Man not to deception and murder, but to faith, and hope, and love?
"In dreams, some of us trope the stars":
- Blob Monster: The Chromoite combines a gelatinous upper half with a humanoid body structure.
- Colorblind Casting: Diana Sands as Dr. Julia Harrison. A rare example of a black woman as a skilled professional (a doctor) in early-1960s US television. Her race is never even brought up in any way throughout the episode.
- The Grotesque: The faceless Chromoite, which vaguely resembles a humanoid jellyfish with crab-like claws, is one of the weirdest and scariest aliens created for the series.
- Poor Communication Kills: If the Chromoites had just reached out for help with their famine instead of resorting to an elaborate conspiracy, they could have spared everyone a lot of trouble. Lampshaded in the episode's last line: when the aliens finally explain their true intentions, Kellander simply replies, "You should have asked".
- Sympathetic Murderer:
- Why is Chino in prison? Because when his sister became a junkie, he vengefully, impulsively killed The Aggressive Drug Dealer who got her hooked.
- The Chromoite may qualify as well. See Well-Intentioned Extremist.
- Teleportation: The Chromoites have invented a "Teleportation Agency" that they use to send one of their people to Earth — and vice versa.
- Well-Intentioned Extremist: The Chromoite becomes a spy, a thief and a murderer in a misguided attempt to save his starving people.
- What Happened to the Mouse?: During the climactic struggle, an unconscious (or dead) human security guard is accidentally teleported to Chromo. We never learn what happens to him after that, and the characters don't even seem to notice he's missing.
