| “ | I think you have misunderstood me. Your savagery is an issue. That's true. But, you see, on the thousands of planets under our control, we breed warriors, gentlemen. Warriors to fight for us across the galaxy! In your case, your savagery has not bred true. You are woefully backwards in the act of war. You fight erratically and clumsily. Your weapons are shockingly crude. And worst of all, in your hearts, you long for peace. | „ |
| ~ The Ambassador telling the United Nations the real meaning what he meant by "A Small Talent for War." |
The Ambassador is the main antagonist of "A Small Talent for War", the second segment in the fifteenth episode in the first season of 1985-1989 series of The Twilight Zone, which aired in 1986.
He is an infamous alien messenger of an ancient, long-lived imperialist humanoid species that accelerated human evolution, who destroyed Earth for the failure of humans to live up to the violent expectations of the aliens.
Externally, The Ambassador resembles a tall, pale human, and wears a sparkling silver suit.
The Ambassador was portrayed by John Glover, who also played Mr. Sivana in Shazam!, Lionel Luthor and his Earth-2 counterpart in Smallville, The Riddler in Batman: The Animated Series, Dr. Jason Woodrue in the 1997 film Batman & Robin, Verad Kalon in Star Trek: Deep Space Nine, Alan Raimy in 52 Pick-Up, and Theodore Maddox in Fear the Walking Dead.
Biography[]
Two million years ago, members of The Ambassador's species accelerated human evolution as part of a thousand-planet life-seeding program. They watched humans throughout their development, but humans failed to live up to their expectations. In the 1980s, after centuries of observation and debate, the aliens decided that the operation had failed, and opted to destroy the planet and all human life.
The Ambassador was dispatched to Earth to inform the humans of the situation, sending a message in advance to the United Nations Security Council, and bringing his ship by the meeting building. When the delegates assembled, The Ambassador suddenly teleported into the meeting, where he addressed the people of Earth, calmly telling the humans of his species' role in the development of life on Earth.
He then told the UN of his species' verdict, that humans had failed miserably to live up to the aliens' expectations, citing humanity's "small talent for war," and listed petty border conflicts, primitive weaponry, and a perpetual balance of nuclear threats that created an unwinnable war of intimidation as other grievances. The Ambassador then got somewhat upset as he declared that humanity had wasted all the potential the aliens saw in them, and that his species would exterminate the human race when their fleet arrived in 24 hours.
When the USSR delegate challenged him to prove his species' strength, The Ambassador, calm again, told him to keep watching the skies for proof. The US delegate then pleaded with The Ambassador for a chance to defend themselves, calling it unfair to simply damn an entire planet, but The Ambassador responded that the universe was not fair, and how his species had debated the verdict over the centuries.
The US delegate asked to use the 24 hours until the fleet arrived to prove humanity's worth, arguing that they were more motivated now than ever before. The Ambassador, while first skeptical, agreed to let the humans prove themselves, before teleporting away. The Ambassador then had his ship destroy Halley's Comet, the event seen by Earth's observatories, providing the proof he promised.
After 24 hours, The Ambassador's ship returned to the UN Security Council. Right on schedule, The Ambassador teleported in to see what humanity had achieved. Much to his confusion, the humans presented him with the World Peace Accord, the first and only document for lasting world peace, likely the result of assuming the aliens expected Earth to be a peaceful planet due to The Ambassador's mostly calm demeanor and otherwise benign appearance.
After looking over the text of the World Peace Accord, The Ambassador began laughing, the humans first laughed with him, before The Ambassador managed to say that the humans had misunderstood him: his statement was literal, his species bred warriors to serve in their galactic army, and humans were not talented enough at war, fighting erratically and clumsily with incredibly crude weaponry, and worst of all, desired peace, something The Ambassador despised.
The Ambassador then threw down the World Peace Accord, saying that humanity was no longer good to him, but it did not matter, for his species could try again elsewhere. The Ambassador then snapped his fingers to signal his fleet to invade, and thanked the humans for being so amusing. The Ambassador then teleported away again, but his voice echoed through the chamber, mocking the UN delegates by quoting "Dying is easy, but comedy is hard," as his armada descended on the planet's surface to destroy it.
