This is one I’ve always enjoyed, particularly due to all the details of how far behind the aliens’ civilization is (oil lamps, sheep herding, dirt roads, stagecoaches) and how smug the aliens act about it (I particularly like “…or do you want to face the awesome power of our muskets?”). Downey’s overacting actually works in the context of this sketch, and there are some good laughs from Dennis Miller (making a rare sketch appearance) and Nora Dunn flat out dismissing that the aliens have anything of value to teach, and Quaid being more upset about the aliens’ superior attitudes.

Jim Downey originally wrote this for the previous season, but Dick Ebersol felt it was too conceptual. It would have been interesting to see how this would have played out with that year’s cast and whoever was hosting the week he wrote it. According to Robert Smigel, Tom Davis and George Meyer may have also had a hand in this version.