Dylan MacAuley

Dylan MacAuley is a supporting protagonist of The Stranger, a 1973 TV movie also known as Stranded in Space, which was intended to be the pilot of a television series, but was not picked up by any network. He is an alien professor and dissident on Terra, an Earth-like planet in Earth's orbital period, but on the opposite side of the sun. Externally, MacAuley is indiscernible from a human, like all other Terrans, but is presumably left-handed, like the rest of his species.
He was portrayed by the late Lew Ayres.
== Biography ==
=== Early life ===
On Terra, MacAuley became an academic professor, studying principles of life, evolution, and outer space, especially Earth, theorizing about the two planets being linked on an almost supernatural level. Terra was a very violent planet, with many wars ripping across its surface and causing untold destruction, with MacAuley presumably living through the last war of Terra, sometime around the early 20th century, by Earth's time. In the wake of the war, the Perfect Order formed, a world government supposedly meant to create a sense of belonging and comradeship among the Terrans, rebuilding the world and bringing it into a new age of prosperity, but soon heralded a new totalitarian dictatorship, restricting many aspects of Terran culture and systematically imprisoning, lobotomizing, or executing dissidents.
MacAuley remained a citizen under the Perfect Order for some time, serving in the government's rapidly developing space program, but disliked its brutal methods and increasingly oppressive nature, becoming a dissident, also becoming friends with a Terran doctor named Bettina Cooke, who seemed to know of his dissenting ideas. However, before MacAuley could start or join any revolutionary actions, a close female colleague of his, who he was possibly romantically involved with, betrayed him to the Perfect Order, who had him imprisoned in Ward E, a special division of every hospital meant to lobotomize dissidents. However, the government deemed MacAuley's mind too valuable to lose, and instead infected him with an incurable terminal disease to keep him in line and prevent him from committing any rebellious actions. He was allowed to remain in the space program as a director, and given medicine that would slow his illness, which he had to take every few hours, lest the symptoms take hold and kill him on the spot. He then moved out to a farm, but appeared to keep some loose contact with Bettina, who somewhat distanced herself from him, as she decided to remain loyal to the government.
=== The Stranger ===
In the 1970s, by Earth's time, the Perfect Order had been in power for about 35-40 years. MacAuley, still living alone on his farm, was suddenly contacted by Bettina Cooke, who had been joined by human astronaut Neil Stryker, who had crashed on Terra and was being hunted by the Perfect Order. They sought to have MacAuley help Stryker return to Earth, and MacAuley was ready to help upon hearing Stryker's story. The men then took a walk around the farm together, MacAuley explaining some of his theories to Stryker, such as how life on both Earth and Terra may have spawned simultaneously, and possibly not by mere coincidence, due to the incredible similarities between the worlds. MacAuley then told Stryker about how the Perfect Order banned religion, although some elderly Terrans still pray in secret, how the Perfect Order was formed seemingly out of nowhere and practically overnight in the war's wake, and how all who speak out against the Perfect Order vanish, before taking him inside and explaining that there is an upcoming space launch, and how the ship's capabilities could allow Stryker to return to Earth. MacAuley clarified that helping Stryker would be a blow against the Perfect Order, and planned to have Stryker swap places with the astronaut of the upcoming mission, before experiencing chest pains from his illness and quickly injecting himself with the medicine, explaining his past to Stryker. He then told Stryker to avoid telling Bettina of the plan, as while he recognized that she was currently working against the Perfect Order by helping Stryker, he feared that her past loyalty will make her betray them.
Regardless of MacAuley's warnings, Stryker told Bettina of the plan just before the men left for the space complex, which was by an ocean, MacAuley giving fake credentials for Stryker to enter under the guise of a Terran scientist. After passing security, they entered the main facility to await the launch window in order to swap Stryker for the astronaut, but MacAuley then needed to take his medications again, only to drop the vial, which shattered. He was forced to leave Stryker behind to go home for a new vial, only to find Bettina there, who he discovered had been intercepted by government agents while on her way home and brutally interrogated. Realizing that she could have told the Perfect Order about the plan, or worse, he forbid her from seeing Stryker again, but Bettina drove off; MacAuley returns to the space complex, not knowing Bettina is following him, and arrives at the complex right after him and asking to see Stryker. However, unknown to MacAuley, Bettina's mind had been altered by the Perfect Order to get her back on their side, and she had led a division of Terran soldiers led by government agent Benedict, the one who interrogated her, right to the space complex. When MacAuley tried to warn Stryker, who had already subdued the astronaut to begin the plan, he was confronted by Benedict and Terran soldiers, and promptly shot to death. However, Stryker managed to escape the Terrans, jumping into the ocean and coming to shore some distance away, where he remembered MacAuley telling him it wasn't impossible to get home.
Category:Aliens
Category:Humanoid
Category:Male
Category:Elderly
Category:Non-Action
Category:Doctors and Scientists
Category:Deceased
Category:Victims
Category:TV Show Heroes
Category:Movie Heroes
Category:Science Fiction Heroes
Category:Karma Houdini
Category:Live Action Heroes
Category:One-Shot
Category:Betrayed
Category:Supporters