“The Obsolete Man”: Season 2, Episode 29
Originally published on June 21, 2026
Of all the episodes in The Twilight Zone canon, “The Obsolete Man” is the most concentrated with radical statements and values.
Similar to it’s counterparts within the series, “The Obsolete Man” questions the status quos, draws from historical events and themes, and contains a level of critical thinking, mystery solving, and imagination that surpasses genius.
This episode discusses book burnings and the danger of being an intellectual [or in a career surrounding the humanities] in a fascist society. Though not described in this article, the show alludes to the mass murder of individuals involved in the humanities.
With that in mind, let’s begin with show writer and creator, Rod Stirling’s opening monologue. Do not just glance over the monologue, take your time and read it word for word. It foreshadows things to come:
The Dialogue
You walk into this room at your own risk, because it leads to the future, not a future that will be but one that might be. This is not a new world, it is simply an extension of what began in the old one. It has patterned itself after every dictator who has ever planted the ripping imprint of a boot on the pages of history since the beginning of time. It has refinements, technological advances, and a more sophisticated approach to the destruction of human freedom. But like every one of the super-states that preceded it, it has one iron rule: logic is an enemy and truth is a menace. - This is Mr. Romney Wordsworth, in his last forty-eight hours on Earth. He's a citizen of the State but will soon have to be eliminated, because he's built out of flesh and because he has a mind. Mr. Romney Wordsworth, who will draw his last breaths - in The Twilight Zone.
Revisit the phrase, “it leads to the future, not a future that will be but one that might be.” Rod Sterling reminds us that these characters are like us and have free will, an ability to make their own decisions, and still have the opportunity to do the right thing. As this episode shows, complacency is often chosen over truth.
The monologue continues with, “this is not a new world, it is simply an extension of what began in the old one.” In general, the world likes to believe that totalitarian government uprisings are rare and only of the moment. Those who choose to think deeper about history would say that society follows a pattern, an almost ebb and flow, in and out of various stages and degrees of fascism. The truth is just as Sterling describes – a continuation of things that never truly died.
Rod Sterling points out a key factor of fascism: “logic is an enemy and truth is a menace.” Where do we find logic and truth? In books, classrooms, the arts, and beyond, and that is how a kind neighborhood librarian like Mr.Romney Wordsworth becomes a public enemy…one that must eliminated…the “obsolete man.” Again, does this sound familiar? We may not be explicitly burning books, but banning books is a beginning stage of eliminating words and ideas that everyone should have access to.
Mr. Wordsworth is given an unfair trial to present the case for his life. Through intense dialogue, a verdict is reached: elimination. Let’s break down the dialogue:
The Dialogue
Chancellor: You are a bug, Mr. Wordsworth, a crawling insect; an ugly, misinformed little creature who has no purpose here, no meaning.
Wordsworth: I am a human being!
Chancellor: You’re a LIBRARIAN, Mr. Wordsworth. You're a dealer in books and two-cent fines and pamphlets and closed stacks and the musty insides of a language factory that spews out meaningless words on an assembly line. Words, Mr. WORDS-worth, that have no substance and no dimension. Like air, like the wind, like a vacuum that you make believe has an existence by scribbling index numbers on little cards.
A common attempt at a power grab that fascists have often gotten away with is dehumanization. See how the Chancellor refers to Wordsworth as a bug, an annoying and little “creature?” The Chancellor also refers to books, reading, and writing as the “spewing of meaningless words” that hold no value for this society. Attempting to belittle these things through dehumanization is a way fascists encourage people to stop thinking for themselves.
Their encounter continues:
Chancellor: Since there are no more books, Mr. Wordsworth, there are no more libraries. And of course it follows that there is very little call for the services of a librarian. Case in point: A minister. A minister would tell us that his function is that of preaching the word of God. And, of course, it follows that since the State has proven that there is no God, that would make the function of a minister somewhat academic, as well.
Wordsworth: There *is* a God!
Chancellor: You are in error, Mr. Wordsworth; there is no God! The state has proven that there is no God!
Wordsworth: You cannot erase God with an edict!
Christianity was the mainstream religion of American Society and Cold War rhetoric. If you do not identify with a belief in God, I invite you to substitute the word “God” for whatever you believe. A fun challenge could be to replace the word “God” with terms like truth, justice, love, and hope, and you will find again a startling impact from this conversation. Let’s continue.
Wordsworth: No man is obsolete! I am a human being, I exist. And if I speak one thought aloud, that thought lives, even after I'm shoveled into my grave. You never learn, do you? History teaches you nothing.
Chancellor: On the contrary, history teaches us a great deal. We had predecessors with the right idea.
Wordsworth: Yes, like Hitler.
Chancellor: Hitler, of course!
Wordsworth: Also, Stalin
Chancellor: Stalin too, but their error was not one of excess. It was simply not going far enough. Too many undesirables were left around, and undesirables eventually form a sort of resistance. Old people clutch at the past and won't accept the New. The sick, the maimed, the deformed… They fasten onto the healthy body and damage it, so we eliminate them. And people like yourself -- they can perform no useful function for the State, so we put an end to them.
It’s a probing question, why we never learn?
Notice all the derogatory terms and tones when describing all the “undesirables.” These categories are meant to be taken both at face value and as a way of describing any person with opposing ideas, who looks a different than the stereotypical idea of perfection, or anyone with “the gull” to express themselves with their bodies in anyways that again breaks fashion trends and standards.
Chancellor: You have no function, Mr. Wordsworth, you're an anachronism, like a ghost from another time.
Wordsworth: I am nothing more than a reminder to you that you cannot destroy truth by burning pages!
This presents a lasting hope, one “positive” historical pattern. Resilience, truth, love, will never go away. Books can be burned, yet historical truth is carried on. How often have fascist governments tried to wipe away murals, statues, museums, music that opposes their side? We can actually find an answer to this because society (especially historians) always find a way to restore the truth.
The Big Picture
We all are given a free will, how are we going to use it? Will we use our lives to stand alongside others in activism? Will we choose to educate ourselves and teach truth to our children? Will we continue to have conversation that exposes the toxic things still taking place in our world today? Active participation is the only tool we have to break negative historical patterns and stop the continuation of hate in all its systems.
This episode like all others were written in the Cold War era 1960s, yet discussed World War II. Though it was common to discuss the negative impacts of Hitler and the war, I believe that Sterling was taking a punch at his own era as well. Look at this bold statement Sterling made at the end of the episode:
Any state or entity becomes obsolete when it stockpiles the wrong weapons: when it captures nations, but not minds; when it enslaves millions, yet convinces nobody; when it dons armor and calls it faith, when in the eyes of God it is naked, having no faith at all. Any state, any entity, any ideology that fails to recognize the worth, the dignity, the rights of humanity... That state is obsolete. A case to be filed under "M" for Mankind -- in The Twilight Zone.
Cold War rhetoric presented a social colonialism that acted very similar to fascism, but just more subtly. There was still a social construct trying to force conformity to something that rejected intelligence, free thought, critical thinking, education outside of the box, and non-patriotic art.
Donald Trump is trying to “make America great again” and take us back to a previous era of our nation…and that is exactly what he is doing. If we are not careful, we will have a larger file in the Twilight Zone.
Watch the Episode
What happens in the remainder of the episode is stunning. To give you a sneak peak, Wordsworth outsmarts the Chancellor in a mindblowing and insanely clever way, and deeper lessons exist in the after effects of it all. I refuse to reveal spoilers, so please…come on, get into ‘The Zone!’
You can watch this episode on Tubi for FREE by clicking this link: https://tubitv.com/tv-shows/200256178/s02-e29-the-obsolete-man