Tsylana by X Minus One

Summary

Relic Radio Sci-Fi: X Minus One – "Tsylana" (aired March 2, 2026)

Episode Overview

This episode of Relic Radio Sci-Fi features a classic X Minus One radio play, "Tsylana" (sometimes spelled "Solana" due to old-time radio script errors), adapted from James E. Gunn's original story. The central theme is a satirical exploration of a seemingly perfect, psychologically monitored society, where the smallest deviation sets off a chain of destabilizing consequences. The protagonist, Norman Blake, a diligent statistician, uncovers a minor act of theft—a baby’s candy bar gone missing—in a world where crime has been eradicated. His obsessive pursuit of the culprit leads him into self-doubt, neurosis, and a confrontation with the true architect of their engineered world. The episode delves into conformity, free will, and the paradoxes lurking behind utopian systems.

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Key Discussion Points & Story Structure

The “Perfect” Society and Its First Flaw

• [02:36] Norman Blake introduces himself as Statistician First Class in the year 2055. The society is described as perfectly balanced—thanks to the psychologist Kinder, everyone is matched to their ideal role and children are scientifically raised. Emotions are kept neutral; swings in mood and acts of deviation are unheard of.
• [03:43] Blake notices a small anomaly: "One candy bar taken from baby." This simple line signifies the first criminal act in nearly three decades. Blake is disturbed and cannot let it go, seeing it as a threat to social order.

Confrontation with Authority

• [04:18] Blake reports the anomaly to Henry Foreman (his superior and old friend). Foreman is bemused, suggesting Blake is overreacting and needs an analyst. He orders Blake to take some time off, ironically requiring him to "deviate from the schedule"—highlighting the irony of enforced conformity.

Seeking Help — “Don’t Kid With Your Id”

• [05:54] Blake meets Andrew C. Rednick, a freelance analyst. Rednick’s slogan (“If life ain't dandy, come see Andy.”) and manner suggest he’s an outsider in this rigid society.

The Path to Becoming “Neurotic”

• [08:29] Blake confides in Rednick, explaining he needs to "think like a thief" to catch one. Rednick tells him: “In a country of normal people, the neurotic man is king.” [08:41]
• [09:11] The analysis is inverted: Rednick tries to induce neurosis in Blake by telling him about his unhappy childhood and undermining his sense of reality. This reverse therapy is a running gag.

The Crime Escalates

• [11:01] New theft occurs: A million dollars vanishes from a district bank. Foreman and Blake are shocked and desperate: "We got to find this thief, Henry. We’re doomed if we don’t." [11:11]
• [11:24] Foreman suggests Blake drop the investigation for his own good, hinting at the unhealthy nature of obsession in this society.

The Psychoanalytic Reveal

• [12:24] Blake returns to Rednick, now highly strung. He notices another anonymous patient leaving and experiences jealousy: "I hate him." [13:05]
• [13:31] Rednick cryptically suggests: “Have you ever thought of cheating on the examination?”
• [13:51] THE REVEAL: Blake realizes Rednick’s full name backwards is "Kinder"—the legendary psychologist who founded the society and was believed dead. “Because, my friend, I found I had created a Frankenstein … So I decided to create a little sin. And thereby give the creatures change. Growth, misery, ecstasy. And free will.” [14:08]

Climax and Paradox

• [15:21] Blake cheats on his psychological exam, statistically calculating the answers to ensure promotion. He becomes Deputy Mayor, but finds that someone has scored even higher.
• [16:41] The new mayor is revealed: Henry Foreman. Foreman confesses that he was the thief and used the same analyst (Rednick/Kinder). Both have now become ambitious, neurotic, and deceitful to get ahead, echoing Rednick’s earlier remark: “In a world of normal people, the neurotic is king.” [17:21]
• [17:40] The existential unease: Both now fear each other, vying for power. Blake muses: "The only trouble with that is there can only be one king." [17:44]

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• Norman Blake, on the first theft:
  "A baby can’t consent. Therefore, it must have been taken without consent. Henry, that is theft. We haven’t had a case of theft in this society for almost 29 years." [04:03]
• Andrew C. Rednick, the freelance analyst:
  “Don’t kid with your id. If life ain’t dandy, come see Andy.” [06:05]
  “In a country of normal people, the neurotic man is king. You want to be king, boy?” [08:41]
• Rednick (revealed as Kinder), on why he created imbalance:
  “So I decided to create a little sin. And thereby give the creatures change. Growth, misery, ecstasy. And free will. In a sense, I made them creative.” [14:08]
• Henry Foreman, revealing himself as the thief:
  “It takes one to know one, Norm.” [17:12]
• Norman Blake, fatalistically:
  “The only trouble with that is there can only be one king.” [17:40]
  “There were imbalances in our world which had to lead to the destruction of one or all of us. And we knew it.” [17:50]

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Key Segment Timestamps

• [02:36] — Introduction to the perfect society and first detection of theft
• [03:43] — Realization of the first crime in 29 years
• [05:54] — Blake meets Rednick, the maverick analyst
• [08:29] — Request for reverse analysis (“I want to be neurotic”)
• [11:01] — Escalation: million-dollar theft and mounting paranoia
• [13:51] — The Kinder/Rednick twist revealed
• [15:21] — Blake cheats on the psychological exam
• [16:41] — New mayor revealed as Foreman; mutual confession and competition
• [17:40] — “There can only be one king”: the uneasy aftermath

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Tone and Style

The episode strikes a satirical, often ironic tone, using the conventions of utopian sci-fi to lampoon efforts to engineer human nature. The characters speak with formal, clipped precision typical of 1950s speculative fiction, but the dialogue is peppered with sly humor and psychological banter, particularly in the therapy scenes.

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Summary

"Tsylana" (aka "Solana") is a sharp, fast-paced examination of conformity, deviation, and the unforeseen consequences of trying to perfect human society by engineering away free will and flaws. The revelation that the system’s founder had to reintroduce sin to spark creativity and progress punctuates the self-defeating logic of utopias. Through the neurotic rise of Blake and Foreman, the episode concludes on an uneasy note: when society leaves no room for the abnormal, only the cunningly unbalanced will be fit to lead—at everyone else’s expense.

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Recommended for listeners who appreciate classic, cerebral sci-fi with a twist of black humor, and for anyone interested in tales of dystopia, conformity, and the human condition.

Transcript

[Henry Foreman]

Relic radio.

[Norman Blake]

This is Relic Radio Sci Fi Old time radio Science fiction stories from relicradio.com.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

This is Nightline, your open door to people and places. And this is Walter O'.

[Norman Blake]

Keefe.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Nightline invites you to listen in on NBC's award winning science fiction series X Minus One. Now escape to a world of the

[Norman Blake]

future

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Countdown for blast off. X minus 5, 4, 3, 2. X minus 1. Fire. From the far horizons of the unknown come tales of new dimensions in time and space.

[Norman Blake]

These are stories of the future.

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Adventures in which you'll live in a million could be years on a thousand maybe worlds. The National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Solutions Science fiction magazine presents

[Norman Blake]

-1.

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Tonight Silana by James E. Gunn. But first hear this. Now X -1 our story Solana by James E. Gunn.

[Norman Blake]

My name is Norman Blake, Statistician First Class. At 2:30pm on Monday, October 21st in the year 2055, I became a deviant. I left my job an hour early. To deviate from the norm was unheard of in a perfectly adjusted society such as ours. Thanks to the great psychologist kinder, we had a society where everybody's job suited his talents and needs, where children were raised scientifically and where everyone lived happily on an even keel instead of swinging back and forth from gloom to ecstasy. Then I noticed it. The single flaw in the perfect system.

[Henry Foreman]

Come in. Yes, Norm?

[Norman Blake]

Henry, I'd like to talk to you for a moment privately.

[Henry Foreman]

Close the door. It's rather unusual for me to see one of my statisticians privately. But since we're old friends, something rather

[Norman Blake]

serious has come up.

[Henry Foreman]

Oh?

[Norman Blake]

As you know, my duty is to check the computers to make certain there are no deviations.

[Henry Foreman]

Yes.

[Norman Blake]

This morning I ran over the figures for our district. Here is the sheet. The deviation is near the bottom.

[Henry Foreman]

1 million 37 gallons of water purified. 1 million 37 gallons consumed. 9,328 births. 9,328 deaths. I see nothing wrong so far.

[Norman Blake]

Read the next item.

[Henry Foreman]

One candy bar taken from baby.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Well, don't you see?

[Norman Blake]

A baby can't consent. Therefore, it must have been taken without consent. Henry, that is theft. We haven't had a case of theft in this society for almost 29 years.

[Henry Foreman]

I see.

[Norman Blake]

It's got me so upset I can't think of anything else.

[Henry Foreman]

You're a little edgy, aren't you?

[Norman Blake]

Well, wouldn't you be if you knew there was an antisocial being walking the streets of your own city?

[Henry Foreman]

I don't think I'd quite go to pieces like that? Maybe this is just a suggestion. Maybe you ought to see an analyst. Perhaps it would help you deal with this problem.

[Norman Blake]

I've been analyzed.

[Henry Foreman]

How long ago?

[Norman Blake]

Eight years.

[Henry Foreman]

Well, unless you're prepared to handle this problem, I'd advise you to get some help. Meanwhile, take the rest of the afternoon off.

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Off?

[Norman Blake]

Deviate from the schedule.

[Henry Foreman]

As director and as an old friend of yours, I order it. I consider you to be in extreme upset.

[Norman Blake]

That's your order?

[Henry Foreman]

That's my.

[Norman Blake]

I must confess that as I went toward the elevator, a line kept running through my head. Norm has departed from the norm. I was doing something unorthodox. And what frightened me was that, actually, it amused me. Here I was, leaving work one hour early. I was so preoccupied that I stepped into the elevator without noticing that someone was already in it. An invasion of privacy. Almost unforgivable. He was a small, strange looking man with short silver hair and thick, round glasses. Oops. I beg your pardon. I. I didn't really know you were.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Perfectly all right, stranger.

[Norman Blake]

I'll just step out and.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Hold it, brother. You've got troubles, I can see.

[Norman Blake]

Well, I.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

My advice to you is, see an analyst. Don't wait another 24 hours.

[Norman Blake]

I thank you for the advice.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

That's more than advice, brother. It's a commercial. Here's my card. Andrew C. Rednick, public analyst.

[Norman Blake]

Oh, you're an analyst.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Freelance.

[Norman Blake]

I didn't know there were any.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

I'm probably one of the few still practicing. My slogan is don't kid with your id. If life ain't dandy, come see Andy.

[Norman Blake]

I. I may be up to see you.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You will? I.

[Norman Blake]

I put on my public face, the mask we wear on the street, and rode home in the proper manner, my arms and hands folded. When I got home, my wife, Nada, was in her room. I signaled on the intercom in case she was entertaining.

[Henry Foreman]

She wasn't.

[Norman Blake]

She never did. Sometimes I wondered if Nada was quite normal and well adjusted.

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Hello, darling.

[Nada]

Is something wrong? Why are you home so early?

[Norman Blake]

I just uncovered a crime wave. Of what? A crime wave. A theft. Candy from a baby.

[Nada]

Is that serious?

[Norman Blake]

It threatens the entire structure of our society. We have a delicately balanced mechanism here. We're not ready for crime.

[Henry Foreman]

We don't even know how to catch a criminal.

[Nada]

Isn't there an old saying, it takes a thief to catch a thief?

[Norman Blake]

It takes a thief, darling. That's it. That's the answer to our problem.

[Nada]

What is?

[Norman Blake]

In order to protect society, I've got to catch the thief. And the only way to do it, obviously, is to become one myself.

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

You're listening to Solana. Tonight's attraction on X minus 1. Now back to X minus 1 and Solana.

[Norman Blake]

The address on the card was a deserted skyscraper, a pre analytic building. The elevators were out of order, and I had to climb 29 flights of stairs I used in front of a door that read, Andrew C. Rednick, public Analyst. Grin and come in,

[Henry Foreman]

Mr. Rednick.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

It ain't Santa Claus, brother.

[Henry Foreman]

Who?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You wouldn't remember. Part your ego now, boy. What's your problem?

[Norman Blake]

I've got to do something, and it isn't in my psychological profile.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

That's the trouble with this society. Nobody's capable of hand the unexpected.

[Norman Blake]

Are you saying there's an advantage to being unadjusted?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Don't second guess the analyst, boy. If you mean by advantage, will you be happier? No. But if you mean power, then you've got it. In a country of normal people, the neurotic man is king. You want to be king, boy?

[Norman Blake]

Of course not. I'm perfectly happy and well adjusted. Except for one little problem.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Namely?

[Norman Blake]

I've got to catch a thief. So? So I've got to know how a thief thinks and feels. What he does, where he goes.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You mean you want to become neurotic?

[Norman Blake]

Exactly.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

This is a rather unorthodox request.

[Norman Blake]

I suppose it is.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

I could lose my license if anyone found out.

[Norman Blake]

If you don't do it, it could mean the end of society and civilization.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

As bad as that, eh? Very well.

[Norman Blake]

Start at once.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Why not sit at my desk while I lie down on the couch and tell you about my childhood?

[Norman Blake]

You lie down. I'm the one that's supposed to lie down.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You forget, this is reverse analysis. I'm supposed to make you neurotic. Frustrated. Now then. The first thing I remember was an argument between my father and mother.

[Norman Blake]

You are living with your own father and mother. Ooh, how unhygienic. What a nasty situation.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You aren't very good at this sort of thing, are you, boy? You're supposed to listen, not comment. Now then. When I was 27, I perfected analysis and revolutionized society.

[Norman Blake]

What are you talking about? Kinder perfected analysis and revolutionized society. He died.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Don't second guess the analyst.

[Norman Blake]

You know, I'm beginning to dislike you already.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Fine. We're making progress already. You're beginning to experience dislike. Next we'll achieve hatred and then loathing. In three weeks, you'll be well on the road to becoming a crook.

[Norman Blake]

Every day for the next week, Rednick lay comfortably on his Red leather couch, rambling about his childhood and his problems. While I longed to tell him about my own, I grew more and more repressed. And my disposition became worse and worse. On the eighth day, something happened at the office that made me realize I had to hurry.

[Henry Foreman]

Come in, Henry.

[Norman Blake]

It's happened. What? The thief is struck again. But this time it's even more serious.

[Henry Foreman]

What did he take?

[Norman Blake]

A million dollars is missing from the First District Bank.

[Henry Foreman]

Great Scott.

[Norman Blake]

We got to find this thief, Henry. We're doomed if we don't.

[Henry Foreman]

Maybe he's worked out his repressions after all. What can a man steal after he's stolen a million dollars?

[Norman Blake]

I don't know, but I intend to find out.

[Henry Foreman]

Maybe you ought to drop it, Norm.

[Norman Blake]

How can you say a thing like that? It's positively antisocial.

[Henry Foreman]

Calm down now. You're all upset again. Why don't you take the day off and go home? Spend some time with that lovely wife of yours. She misses you.

[Norman Blake]

How do you know, Norm?

[Henry Foreman]

Boy, do I detect a note of jealousy. You'd better watch your step. Jealousy is the forerunner of violence. Are you seeing an analyst as I suggested?

[Norman Blake]

Yes, I am.

[Henry Foreman]

Well, keep at it, boy. You're in bad shape.

[Norman Blake]

I kept at it. By the time the annual status examinations were due, I was a complete wreck. I hated Andrew Rednick with a passion. I was ambitious and jealous. I had even sunk to that basest of all passions. I had fallen in love with my own wife. And still I had not been able to ferret out the thief. He had not struck again.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Ah, you're early, son.

[Norman Blake]

So I'm early.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You'll have to wait. I have another patient.

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

What?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You'll have to wait. I have another patient in the other room. He'll be leaving in a minute. Just sit down.

[Norman Blake]

Another patient. I could have killed him. Never occurred to me that Andrew C. Rednick would have another patient. After a few moments, a man emerged from the inner office. He was wearing a silver mask or public face, and naturally I couldn't see his features as I had my own mask on. He didn't see my features either, but I sensed a certain hostility as he brushed by me.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Come in, son.

[Norman Blake]

Who is he?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Take it easy. We don't reveal the names or identities of patients.

[Norman Blake]

I hate him.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You're jealous.

[Norman Blake]

Jealous? As a matter of fact, I've been thinking of quitting the analysis.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Good. This is your last session anyway.

[Norman Blake]

My last session? But. But it can't be. The annual examinations are coming up tomorrow. I am not ready. I'll be demoted To a menial job?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

I doubt it.

[Norman Blake]

I told you, I'm not ready. What can I do?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Have you ever thought of cheating

[Norman Blake]

on the examination? That's horrible. Only a monster could suggest such a thing. What kind of man are you? Who are you? Redneck?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Let me close the door. Now look through the glass at my sign. You can read it backwards with the door closed.

[Norman Blake]

Andrew Rednick. Rednick, Backwards. Kinder.

[Henry Foreman]

You.

[Norman Blake]

It's impossible. He's the founder of our whole society. Besides, he's dead. He died in an accident.

[Andrew C. Rednick]

All staged. I just decided to duck out.

[Norman Blake]

Why?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

Because, my friend, I found I had created a Frankenstein. A perfect society. It was like paradise. A Garden of Eden. The same silly people. Happy, not wanting anything, not going anyplace and not changing. So I decided to create a little sin. And thereby give the creatures change. Growth, misery, ecstasy. And free will. In a sense, I made them creative. Well, son, au revoir.

[Norman Blake]

But am I really finished?

[Andrew C. Rednick]

You're just beginning. Your frustrations are like rabbits, boy. They just keep breeding. I'm the one who's finished.

[Norman Blake]

He clapped his hat on his head and walked out, leaving me alone in his office. When I walked over to his desk, I found a gun lying on top of it. I put it in my pocket and returned to my office. The next five hours were spent in statistically predicting the questions I would be asked on the annual examination and in finding out the answers in advance. Then I went home.

[Nada]

Darling, how did it go?

[Norman Blake]

Nada. Take a good look at your husband. See anything different?

[Nada]

Well, I've been noticing a change for the past few weeks.

[Norman Blake]

You're going to notice a much bigger change, sweetheart. Tomorrow the new appointments will be made based on the results of the annual examination.

[Nada]

Did you do well?

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Did I do well?

[Norman Blake]

Read this card.

[Nada]

The enclosed card has a magnetic reproduction of your new psychological profile. It indicates you are in the 99th percentile of leadership with the second highest altruism rating ever scored. Therefore, a new position has been created for you. Beginning tomorrow, you will be deputy mayor of the district. Deputy? Darling, it's wonderful.

[Norman Blake]

Yes, I dare say it is. Only one thing troubles me.

[Nada]

What's that?

[Norman Blake]

I can't understand how anybody scored higher than I did. I'd counted on becoming mayor. The following day. I reported to the office of the new mayor of our district. The only person who had scored higher than I on the annual examination. I was ushered in promptly. The new mayor was seated behind a huge desk. He wore his public face mask. Mr. Mayor, I'm Norman Blake, the new deputy.

[Henry Foreman]

Yes, we've met, you know.

[Norman Blake]

Oh, I'm afraid.

[Henry Foreman]

Let me remove my public face. There.

[Norman Blake]

Henry. Henry Foreman.

[Henry Foreman]

I'm amazed you didn't guess sooner. How quite simple. You and I, dear fellow, have unstable patterns with me. The first break came the day I took that bar of candy from the baby as I was passing the nursery. My old act frightened me so that I sought an analyst. The same analyst you sought. Rednick, Rednick, Kinder. It's all the same.

[Norman Blake]

And you were the thief, and I never.

[Henry Foreman]

It takes one to know one, Norm.

[Norman Blake]

You cheated on the exam, too, using

[Henry Foreman]

the computer, just as you did.

[Norman Blake]

Are there any others like us?

[Henry Foreman]

I don't know. We'll find out, though. We're ambitious, you and I. That means we'd be moving up, heading for the governorship, perhaps even the presidency. And then we'll collide with the others, if there are any. As Rednick said, in a world of normal people, the neurotic is king.

[Norman Blake]

The only trouble with that is there can only be one king.

[Henry Foreman]

That's right. And only one mayor.

[Norman Blake]

The look he gave me then sent chills up and down my spine. In spite of my high position, I haven't had a moment's peace or relaxation since. Neither, I suspect, has Henry Foreman. There were imbalances in our world which had to lead to the destruction of one or all of us. And we knew it. There was one saying that redneck kinder had forgotten to tack up on his wall. Uneasy lies the head that wears the CR.

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Fred Collins again. I'll have another word for you about X minus one in a moment. The attention of the nation is focused on Los Angeles and New York, the cities where two long awaited world championship boxing matches will take place. The ears of the nation will be tuned to Cavalcade of Sports on NBC Radio, the only network that will bring you both these championship bouts. Friday night, Archie Moore versus Tony Anthony for the light heavyweight crown. Monday night, Sugar Ray Robinson vs. Carmen Basilio for the world's middleweight title. And you'll hear them both direct from ringside only on Cavalcade of Sports on NBC Radio. Yes. Friday night, light heavyweight champ Archie Moore pits his skill and experience against the youth and stamina of Tony Anthony. Monday night, Sugar Ray Robinson, one of the greatest boxers in history, defends his middleweight crown against Carmen Basilio. Two great championship fights. Friday night, Moore versus Anthony. Monday night, Robinson versus Basilio. Both brought to you direct from ringside on Cavalcade of Sports. Exclusively on these same NBC radio stations. You have just heard X minus one presented by the National Broadcasting Company in cooperation with Galaxy Science Fiction magazine, which this month features Morning after by Robert Sheckley.

[Norman Blake]

What was Pearson doing here?

[Narrator/Fred Collins]

Would he live or die? For the answers to these and other questions, he had to keep tuning in on a hangover. Galaxy Magazine on your newsstand today, X minus 1 has brought you Solana, a story from the pages of Galaxy, written by James E. Gunn and adapted for radio by George Lefferts. Featured in our cast were Walter Black as Norman Blake, David Ross as Andrew C. Rednick, Adele Ronson as Nada, and Guy Repp as Foreman. This is Fred Collins speaking. X Minus one was directed by George Vuxas and is an NBC Radio Network production.

[Norman Blake]

There's excitement in the air at night,

[Andrew C. Rednick]

and Nightline brings it to you here.

[Norman Blake]

Nightline with Walter o'. Keefe. Next on most of these NBC stations.