Consider, if you will, these two screencaps. Notice the similarities in position and the condition of what is left of the body in each one. What led to these horrible deaths and were they caused by the same agent? Perhaps the answers lie... in The Twilight Zone.
Some of you might notice that the first screencap actually is from a Twilight Zone episode titled "Long Live Walter Jameson." And many of you know the second one is from "The Omega Glory" that appeared during the second season of Star Trek. The similarity between the two scenes catches the eye, even though the white residue in each picture comes from a different source. Screencap #1 depicts the end result of the 2,000 year old Jameson being shot and killed by a former wife. And the body in the second screencap belongs to a member of the USS Exeter who has been reduced to only minerals as a result of a virus which removes the water in its victims’ bodies. But in any case, it’s an interesting juxtaposition, no?
By the way, this is not a case of someone involved with this episode of The Twilight Zone also working on the storyline or script of “The Omega Glory.” However there is an interesting connection between the character of Walter Jameson and one in a different Star Trek episode..
The main character in the TZ episode, Walter Jameson, was given the given the gift of eternal youth over 2,000 years ago and had a part in or was an observer of many historical incidents throughout history. Shades of Mr. Flint from "Requiem for Methuselah." He also had lived for centuries (in his case, 6 of them) and had observed and was a noted participant in many historical eras. Flint claimed he was both Brahms and Leonardo da Vinci, among others. He had lived through the Black Plague of the Middle Ages. Although he did not die during the episode as Jameson did, by leaving Earth he lost his immortality and began to age normally. So at some point, he also will die.
Are the parallels between these two characters a coincidence? Gene Roddenberry wrote the story and the script for that Star Trek episode. It has often been stated that Gene was a fan of The Twilight Zone and it was not unusual for him to “borrow” story elements from other places. Could the main character in “Long Live Walter Jameson” have been the inspiration for Flint? Stranger things have happened... in The Twilight Zone.
♪ ♫ Doo-doo doo-doo, Doo-doo doo-doo… ♪ ♫