Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov, also known as Green Patches Episode #352

Isaac Asimov | March 28, 2025

Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov, also known as Green Patches Episode #352
Isaac Asimov

MISBEGOTTEN MISSIONARY

Episode #352 · Written by Isaac Asimov · Narrated by Scott Miller

A strange visitor sneaks aboard a starship—one fragment of a vast, unified life form determined to share its version of peace with humanity. But its benevolent mission could erase everything that makes humans who they are.

A single stowaway hides aboard a starship leaving Saybrook’s Planet—a small fragment of a vast living organism that covers an entire world. On its planet, all life is one, joined in perfect harmony, free of violence, competition, and suffering. To the creature, the lonely, divided beings called “humans” are pitiable fragments, cut off from completeness. Its mission is simple and merciful: unite them. What it cannot grasp is that humanity values the very independence that the unified life form seeks to erase.

Asimov’s “Misbegotten Missionary” (also known as “Green Patches”) builds quiet tension from the moment the alien slips through the ship’s barrier until the final, haunting revelation. It’s a story of idealism turned dangerous—a philosophical puzzle wrapped in classic mid-century science fiction. With the precision of a scientist and the imagination of a storyteller, Asimov explores how compassion can become conquest, and how survival sometimes depends on remaining imperfectly human.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Isaac Asimov, born in 1920 near Smolensk, Russia, immigrated to the United States as a child and became one of the most influential voices in speculative fiction. A professor of biochemistry at Boston University, he produced more than 500 books ranging from hard science to humor, from mysteries to Shakespearean commentary. His Foundation and Robot series redefined how readers thought about technology, society, and ethics. Asimov’s gift lay in his ability to turn abstract ideas into compelling stories that still resonate today—a reminder that even in the far future, our deepest struggles remain human.

LISTEN TO THE STORY

Listen to Misbegotten Missionary by Isaac Asimov — a classic sci-fi tale of alien unity versus human individuality. Vintage science fiction at its most thought-provoking.