In Future, Government Exiles Ugly People To Outer Space

Hi, Mystery Recapped here. Today I'm going to explain an episode from the sci-fi show Masters of Science Fiction called The Discarded. Spoilers ahead, watch out and take care. The story opens up in Earth's orbit where a colossal ship named Gulag is floating aimlessly. It is home to several humans who are from different races, gender, sexual orientation, but they are united by one thing. All of them have at least one glaring physical deformity. This group of ragtag individuals have been living in the spaceship for the past several decades. They have even constructed a massive forest inside the ship to meet their oxygen demands. However, things are not as rosy as they first appear to be. The loneliness and feeling of being trapped inside the ship regularly drives a lot of inhabitants to madness. One night, several residents sit down in the living area, indulging in various activities like playing the piano or reading. But then, a woman rushes headfirst into the spaceship's windows. She hits the glass rather violently and drops to the floor, almost breaking her head. She then stands up and repeats the process two more times until she finally drops dead. Despite this happening in front of everyone, nobody seems to be too bothered by the incident. It is obvious that these kinds of things happen frequently inside the Gulag. In the wake of this tragedy, the community's leader, a man named Bedzik, steps forward. He is known for his grotesquely enlarged left hand, a physical attribute that sets him apart from everyone else. He also has a grotesquely enlarged left testicle, but no one knows about that. He takes charge of the situation and loudly asks if anyone will volunteer to clean up and dispose of the dead body. Obviously, no one answers. So, he is forced to assign this duty to the Dollard Sisters, a trio consisting of a transgender man, a girl, and a biological man. The three dutifully lift the lifeless body and cast it out into the vast cosmos. Later, Bedzik engages in a conversation with one of his oldest friends in the ship, Sam Swope. This man is distinguished from the others by a rather peculiar deformity. He has a miniature second head spreading from his right shoulder. This smaller secondary head insists on also being referred to as Sam Swope. Nonetheless, the two friends sit down and discuss the recent deaths in the Gulag and the dwindling population of their community. The woman's death marks the sixth such incident in the current month. This has reduced their numbers to a mere 93, which is significantly less than when they first came to the ship. From their conversation, it is revealed that their spaceship is not welcome on Earth or any other planet where humans currently live. No human civilization wishes to accommodate these inhabitants due to their physical deformities and differences. As the conversation goes on, Sam Swope acknowledges Bedzik as the de facto leader of their ship. He commends Bedzik for his leadership, emphasizing that he is the only one who truly steps up and takes action when the situation demands it. He also wants to know what plans Bedzik has for the future of the Gulag. However, the latter has no interest in being the leader of anything, pointing out that he too is just a passenger in this big hunk of floating metal. Following this, Sam Swope changes the topic of discussion towards the disease that made them all have physical deformities. It is revealed that this disease is referred to as blood poop by the people on Earth. Sam Swope begins to dig out the history of the disease, but keeps on getting distracted by endless side topics. Bedzik, who knows his friend's habit of ranting without an end, stands up and excuses himself. Moments after he walks away from one boring conversation, he falls into the middle of another one. The Dollard sisters quickly surround him and begin a boring conversation. They reminisce about the pleasures of earthly food, particularly indulging in crunchy food like chips. Bedzik once again excuses himself from the conversation, while the members of the Dollard sisters start kissing each other. However, as Bedzik walks around the ship, several other residents greet him warmly. It is evident that all of them respect him and see him as the ship's leader. Soon afterwards, Bedzik receives a call from the ship's chief of communications, Harmony. She tells him that there is an unscheduled ship from Earth heading towards their direction. This ship is set to dock on the Gulag in about 8 hours. Therefore, Harmony asks for instructions, as she is unsure of what to do. However, Bedzik dismisses the whole thing, and once again points out that he too is a mere passenger on this ship. The scene shifts, and we see Bedzik spending intimate time with his wife, Annie. He wants to turn on the But Annie is extremely opposed to this idea. When Bedzik switches the lights on anyway, she immediately gets clothed. This is due to her deformity and insecurity surrounding her body. She does not want to reveal her true self to Bedzik, as she thinks he will find her repulsive. He replies that he'll love her no matter what, but Annie doesn't back down from her stance. Following this, the husband and wife sit down on the bed and start talking. He reveals to her that the real reason the blood poop sufferers were put out into space was not due to overpopulation on Earth. Rather, it was due to disgust from the rest of humanity for their ugliness. After some more conversation, Bedzik finally convinces her that he wants to make love to her with the lights on. This time, Annie agrees, and despite being uncomfortable, she pulls down her robe. To Bedzik's surprise, her skin is partially transparent and displays many of her internal organs. However, before he can comment further, they are interrupted by Harmony's call. The chief of telecommunications alerts Bedzik that the ship from Earth has arrived and is preparing to dock on the Gulag. Initially, Bedzik has no intentions of going out and taking charge of the situation. However, Sam Swope, who is also in the system room with Harmony, urges him to step up once more. The old man then unenthusiastically heads towards the system room. Upon reaching there, Bedzik is informed that the ship from Earth has docked. He orders Harmony to attempt to establish a chamber between the two ships so that whoever has come from Earth can safely enter the Gulag. Shortly afterwards, a single passenger enters the ship and introduces himself as Barney Curran. He greets the residents of the ship and claims that he is an ambassador sent by the Earth's world government. He adds that he was sent to propose a really terrific offer to the people of Gulag. Soon, the entire population of the Gulag breaks into an argument against Curran. Bedzik tells him that the people in this ship have had enough with humans from Earth as they left them to die in the middle of nowhere. Curran, however, insists on having a conversation and tells them to give him a chance before they can make a decision. So, Bedzik, Sam Swope, and the head of communications Harmony take the newcomer into the ship's green room for a private chat. The trio are under the impression that Curran's purpose is to evict them from Earth's orbit. They even ridicule him for traveling all the way up there for just such a small task. However, Curran surprises them by revealing that he, too, is a victim of the blood poop. He even goes as far as to unzip his coat and expose his deformity. Curran discloses that the disease has proliferated exponentially, all across the globe, infecting an innumerable number of people. The disease was initially believed to have been eradicated by a worldwide cure, but the virus causing the disease simply mutated and came back even stronger. This resurgence led to mass evacuations of cities, with people seeking refuge in isolated shelters. Eventually, another cure was discovered in the form of a serum. This was synthesized from enzymes found in the blood of the people, who contracted the blood poop in the first wave. After giving them this brief news on the present situation of Earth, Curran finally comes to the point. He wants Bedzik and other residents of the ship to donate blood so that this cure can be mass manufactured. In return, he promises that the world government will give the Gulag residents land in South America, where they can live their life in peace. Upon hearing all of this, Bedzik is shocked, but he has major doubts about the intentions of the world government and refuses to assist Curran. While there is a heated argument going on inside the green room, a resident named Smiley eavesdrops on their conversation. Smiley, who has been in the ship for several years, is on the verge of a mental breakdown. The lack of natural air and earthly food for such a long time have slowly pushed him to insanity. Now, he hears Bedzik refuse the opportunity, which might lead them back to Earth. This pushes him over the edge, and he completely loses it. He begins to shout out angrily, saying he wants to go home. He then grabs a massive rod from nearby and attempts to attack Bedzik. Harmony steps in to stop him, but Smiley stabs her. She is so badly impaled that her lifeless body gets pinned to the wall. Following this tragic incident, Bedzik states that he will contemplate the offer, and their discussion concludes for the time being. They then return to the living space, where the rest of the crew passengers are eagerly awaiting to hear what happened. Following this, Curran addresses all of the inhabitants. Instead of talking with Bedzik, he says out loud that the disease has spiraled out of control, and that the Earth government needs their blood to create a cure. In return, the ship will be allowed to land, and the residents will be allowed to stay permanently on Earth. Despite this assurance, Bedzik remains skeptical, believing that Curran is lying. He even states that if the Gulag residents refuse the offer, soldiers from Earth will forcibly extract their blood. However, perhaps for the first time in his life, Bedzik doesn't receive support from the people of Gulag. Even Sam Swope, who has never disagreed with his friend, is more inclined to believe Curran. Bedzik doesn't step back from his point, leading to a dispute with Sam Swope. They turn towards Annie and ask what she thinks about the whole affair. To Bedzik's surprise, she too is in favor of volunteering for the serum program. This leaves Bedzik alone in his convictions, and in a fit of rage, physically attacks Curran. Sam Swope intervenes to stop him, but accidentally ends up killing his closest friend in the process. This leaves Annie distraught, and she kneels down to kiss her dead husband. The scene shifts, and we see the aftermath of this tragic incident. Sam Swope, who has assumed the mantle of leadership, gives Curran the approval to bring his medical teams aboard their spaceship. Three weeks later, several medical professionals from Earth arrive on the Gulag. They methodically collect blood from every single inhabitant, and store it all in specialized tubes. During this process, a female doctor approaches Sam Swope to take his blood sample. She expresses her gratitude towards him, acknowledging that their mission would not have been possible without his cooperation. She then goes one step further, and commends him for his bravery in aiding humanity in its fight against the disease. Sam Swope, who has always been a prideful man, is pleased to hear such lofty words. Eventually, the doctors manage to collect sufficient blood samples from all the inhabitants of the ship to meet their quota. Sam Swope is seen brimming with enthusiasm, but there is a noticeable tension between him and Annie. That night, Sam has a heartfelt conversation with one of the female residents. He expresses his deep sorrow over Bedzik's death, and says that it was never his intention to harm Bedzik. But she consoles him, pointing out that he did what was necessary under the circumstances. She also reminds him of the upcoming wedding between the sisters, a glimmer of joy amidst their grim reality. Shortly afterwards, we see the trio, who are about to be married. They adorn themselves with some flowers from the ship, and appear excited about their marriage and the prospect of returning to Earth. Sam Swope officiates over the wedding, which happens to be the first one to take place on the Gulag. The atmosphere is filled with joy and hope as he pronounces the trio husband and wife. During the ceremony, Annie, who has taken up the spot of Chief of Communication, informs the crew that the rescue craft from Earth has arrived. Sam Swope then announces to them that it is now time to return home. However, the mood quickly darkens as Curran enters Gulag, accompanied by a flood of new blood poop sufferers. They swarm the place and look around their new home with curiosity and fear. This shocks Sam Swope and the former crew members, as they realize they've been betrayed. In the aftermath of this shocking revelation, Sam Swope commits the unthinkable by ramming his head into the ship's window, which won. As for Annie, she is seen sitting on the sofa where her husband Bedzik used to sit. The story comes to a close as Annie shouts at other members to remove Sam Swope's corpse and throw it out of the ship. Her words indicate that she is now in charge of the ship.