What is this weird movie with regenerating body parts!

February 13, 2012 5:54 PM

I remember a science fiction movie (or maybe a TV show?) that took place... in a space ship or very futuristic setting. There were aliens (I think, or man-created approximations of human beings?) that, when parts of their bodies were cut off, they would not only regenerate the limb but the spare limbs would regenerate BODIES. The atmosphere of the movie was very... orange? Dark? The details are all very fuzzy. I believe I saw it on cable TV, and I was definitely older than five but younger than twelve. So, 1989 to 1996. It scared the crap out of me when I was a kid and gave me nightmares for years. Help!

If I can provide any more details, I will as I recall them. This is all I remember for now. Thanks in advance!

posted by two lights above the sea to media & arts (7 answers total)

This reminds me of a novel by Orson Scott Card, A Planet Called Treason, and also Cordwainer Smith's story A Planet Named Shayol. Perhaps it was based on one of these?
posted by Joe in Australia at 6:34 PM on February 13, 2012

Could this have been the Star Trek: The Animated Series episode Bem?
posted by steinsaltz at 6:46 PM on February 13, 2012 [1 favorite]

Hahah! No, definitely not animated. That's funny, though!
posted by two lights above the sea at 6:51 PM on February 13, 2012

I don't remember anyone regenerating limbs or bodies, but there was a lot of weird stuff in the original 1983 V, and its spinoffs. The aliens had red-orange uniforms, too, so it came across pretty orange. I'm not sure how likely you would have been to encounter it on cable in the pre-SciFi/SyFy days, since the format was all miniseries or series.

John Carpenter's The Thing is at times very blue and orange, and the eponymous Thing (spoiler) can replicate from its whole self or from bits.
posted by gingerest at 7:38 PM on February 13, 2012

I think it was older than 1983. I remember the quality being a little worse than that of V. The Thing has the correct atmosphere and quality. I'll watch that one again soon.

I remember in the movie there were (non-organic) pits in the ship (if it was a ship) where at least one of the arms regenerated into a body. The lighting was VERY orange.

I wish I could remember more. Ugh!
posted by two lights above the sea at 8:43 PM on February 13, 2012

Is it possibly Total Recall? Did they show the cut-off and regeneration, or were there just dudes with other dudes sticking out of them and that was the explanation?
posted by rhizome at 9:41 PM on February 13, 2012

Do you remember whether it American... or perhaps British?

There were several 1980s episodes of Doctor Who and Blakes 7 that could be a match. One Doctor Who episode had orange Yeti-like creatures spreading over the space station like tribbles, and I think their body parts replicated too.
posted by holloway at 10:26 PM on February 13, 2012