To Serve Man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
"To Serve Man" is a science fiction short story originally written by Damon Knight, later adapted for use as a Twilight Zone episode. See also To Serve Man (The Twilight Zone). In 2001, the story was awarded a Retro Hugo Award for the Best Short Story of 1951.
[edit] Synopsis
The story involves helpful alien emissaries, the telepathic Kanamits, giving mankind all the necessary tools to survive and to end wars and famine. As a further token of friendship they even freely transport humans to their paradise-like planet.
The aliens accidentally leave behind a book. A United Nations official (Mr. Chambers, played by Lloyd Bochner) and his staff take their time in deciphering the book by means of a rudimentary Kanamit-English dictionary. Eventually they are able to translate the title as "To Serve Man". Mr. Chambers signs up for a flight to the alien home world, as he climbs on board the ship for the trip, his assistant yells to him not to get on: "It's a cookbook!" The irony of the story is instead of 'serving man' by providing for his needs, the aliens were literally 'serving man' as a meal on their home planet.
[edit] Appearance in other media
- The story was parodied in an episode of The Simpsons during the first "Treehouse of Horror" Halloween episode, Hungry are the Damned.
- In Futurama, the phrase is printed on an apron worn by Bender in the episode My Three Suns.
- It is also mentioned in Spooky Castle as a cookbook in the cooking section of the level "The Library".
- 'To Serve Lemur' is mentioned in DreamWorks' Madagascar.
- In the movie The Naked Gun 2½: The Smell of Fear, Lloyd Bochner can be seen holding a book titled "To Serve Man" shouting hysterically "It's a cookbook. A COOKBOOK!"
- The television show Buffy The Vampire Slayer also referenced the story, with Buffy's sister Dawn quoting "I know! You never know what's coming, the stake is not the power, To Serve Man is a cookbook, I love you! Go away!".
- In World of Warcraft, ogre and troll enemies sometimes drop an item called "An Exotic Cookbook". If you read the cookbook, the title is "To Serve Man".
- The story itself was later collected in "Bruce Coville's Book of Aliens".
- A history book for predators turns out to be a cookbook (with thanks to Rod Serling) in the February 22, 2007 strip of Kevin and Kell.
