The Dying Fields

// K2812 · Originally aired August 31, 1998

The Sliders land in the middle of a training ground for Kromagg-human hybrids who are using people stolen from parallel earths as target practice.

Written By // William Bigelow
Director // David Peckinpah
Music // Danny Lux

Reviews

// Earth Prime

It looks like it’s that part of the season where the Sliders stumble around implausible worlds looking for decent stories, because “The Dying Fields” is a mess of plot holes, poor decision-making, and, yes, a lot of stupidity.

// Think of a Roulette Wheel

The show, seemingly accidentally, stumbled upon its thesis, four years too late.

// External Reviews

Worlds Visited

Kromagg Outpost 88

A virtual paradise with one small problem — Kromaggs.

Details

Elite warriors have been the pride of the Kromagg Dynasty for ten generations.
The energy weapons used by the hybrids pulse phased bursts generated by a magnetically shielded Nobelium core.

Character Information

Kyra leads the board by two kills.
Jenny Anderson was asleep in bed when a light shone in through her window. She was taken aboard a Manta ship and brought to Outpost 88. She’s been here 18 days.
Colin’s mother always told him that hope springs eternal.
Quinn can assess sprained ankles on the fly.

Notable Quotes

“Oh, this is truly inspired!”—Colin, after getting a glimpse of the fabulous Swiss Army knife.
“Man, this place has gone to hell.”—Rembrandt, trying to pass off the Chandler’s existence on this dimension as something less than cheapness on the part of the set designer.
“Eyes are so much better when eaten fresh. Corneas nice and tender… pupils still dilating…”—General Kronus.
“What do you think that guy did on his world? IRS auditor?”—Quinn, talking about one of the humans trapped in the hunt.
“I thought you said you didn’t want to kill me.”—Kyra, after sampling some of the food left over in the Chandler.
“Can you do something about this?”—Rembrandt, jokingly asking Kyra to fix the hole in his shirt after healing him of his injury.
“You’re right, Kyra. I can’t deny who I am.”—Kryoptus, moments before shoving a knife into his beloved’s belly.

Nitpicks and Errors

The audio synch at the beginning of the episode doesn’t match the dialogue to the lips of Rembrandt and Colin.
Kyra’s makeup on the top of her head in the second act is clearly visible, and very poor.
Jake the insurance man’s arm after his hand has been severed looks completely fake. Too skinny and no blood.
What are the odds that the Chandler Hotel would be constructed by the Kromaggs?
In one scene, Kronus’ right hand man says Kyra only needs one more kill to qualify for elite warrior status. In the next scene, Kryoptus says she needs two more kills.
Couldn’t the prop department find some fake eyes that look a little more realistic? Especially the veiny stuff that’s in the bag with them!
Why doesn’t this Kromagg outpost know about the identity of the Sliders? In Common Ground, the Kromagg High Command alerted Kromanus as to who the Sliders were. Later, in Mother and Child, an outpost with little more than a skeleton crew is alerted to their identity by the Dynasty!
After Colin traps Kryoptus in the jail cell, he picks up the timer and it reads 8:20:00. In the very next scene, Quinn says they have three hours remaining.
So a complete failure can join the Elites, a force so prized and selective that Kromaggs are loathe to admit their hybrids, by killing someone from his own team?

Guest Starring

Kristen Dalton as Kyra
Scott Decker as Kryoptus
Marshall Teague as General Kronus
Laird Mackintosh as Kromagg Corporal
Meredith Bishop as Jenny Anderson
Christian Leffler as Spence

Marshall Teague plays two versions of Redfield in Way Out West and Heavy Metal.

Script Archive

Click on the links below to download rare scripts, outlines, and memos associated with this episode.