I have a new favorite science fiction film, and it’s not even close at this point. In the 1960’s, Jerome Bixby wrote four episodes of the original Star Trek: “Mirror, Mirror”; “By Any Other Name”: “Day of the Dove”; and “Requiem for Methuselah.” These are all considered iconic episodes of Star Trek, and they represent some of the most thoughtful writing to come out of the series. It is Bixby’s work on this last story, “Requiem for Methuselah,” that is relevant to the film The Man From Earth.

“Requiem” follows Kirk, Spock, and McCoy as they meet a man named Flint who claims to be thousands of years old, from the year 3834 BCE. He claims to have been many historical figures over the years, including Lazarus, da Vinci, and Brahms, among other notable men of Earth. Long ago, the man who calls himself Flint fell in battle and discovered he could not die. Following the “death” of his android assistant, it is revealed Flint’s fate was tied to Earth. He has been aging normally since leaving the planet decades ago and is now soon to die. The whole thing is a meditation on what immortality might actually look like.

That episode aired in 1969, in Star Trek‘s final season. Flash forward to April 1998, and writer Jerome Bixby, nearing the end of his own life, completed the screenplay for the movie he simply titled, The Man From Earth. Bixby expands upon the themes of immortality, intelligence, death, and loss that he started in “Requiem for Methuselah.” This could have been a ham-handed flashback fest in a lesser writer’s hands. With a master like Bixby crafting this story, however, we get an intense night of seven people in a room talking about the possibilities of existence.

When Doctor John Oldman, a California history professor, tries to say good-bye to his friends and colleagues of the last decade or so, he weaves them an unbelievable tale of a Cro-Magnon caveman who survived 14,000 years of history to the modern age. At first, his friends don’t believe him. They think he’s working on a speculative science fiction story of some sort. But the more they listen, the more they are drawn in against their reason and rationale. All of the action takes place in and around the living room of John’s remote cabin, and it’s just a group of people talking, concerned for their friend but fascinated by what he’s saying.

Bixby takes on the idea that immortality might not be so great, which we’ve seen done in other media, and spins it around. John tells about how afraid he was for a time that something was wrong with him. He explains how he has met and befriended great figures in history. Unlike Flint in Star Trek, however, John was never so many notable figures. Except one, which is a point of contention between John and a couple of his friends. I won’t spoil the twists except to say they make you think, which is what good science fiction does.

The Man From Earth also deals with the nature of love and loss when you’re immortal. John has never stayed in one place for more than 10 years since he was about 35, a revered elder in his Paleolithic tribe. He’s seen loved ones grow old and felt the keen, sharp pain of their deaths. After a while, he would just leave.

The cast is superb, mostly character actors you’ve seen in bit parts elsewhere. The most notable are the great Tony Todd of Candyman and Star Trek fame and John Billingsley, best remembered as the affable Dr. Phlox on Star Trek Enterprise. Sadly, Billingsley is hilariously miscast, bouncing around the set like a madman with the worst dialogue in the film, for the most part, when the role calls for subtle humor and a lot of gravitas. Billingsley is usually better than this, and he has even admitted in later years that he was rather embarrassed by this performance. But that’s a minor quibble with an otherwise fantastic and fascinating film.

It all builds to an ending that feels natural but also delivers a gut-punch. It’s a human story with a human ending. It’s bittersweet, but it leaves you with hope.

Thanks to Peter for the recommendation.

The Man From Earth is streaming on Amazon Prime Video.