Can of Worms

During a high school football game, Mike Pillsbury is injured and briefly sees an alien figure as a hallucination. The sighting unsettles him and fuels his belief that he doesn’t belong on Earth. His father urges him to stick with football despite the doubt.

Katelyn Sandman asks Mike to help decorate the upcoming Halloween dance, pulling him into school social life. Scott Schriebner sabotages the light and music equipment, ruining the party mood. Mike leaves the event frustrated, questioning his place on Earth.

Upset about the party, Mike uses a satellite dish to send a message to space asking to be rescued. A lightning strike soon afterward destroys the dish, leaving him without a way to contact the stars. The incident deepens Mike’s isolation and desperation.

An alien dog named Barnabus appears and speaks through a translating device. He explains that Mike’s message opened a stargate and that a galactic organization handles disaster relief and rights violations. Time is limited as other aliens begin moving through the gate to find Mike.

The Bom, an alien lawyer, insists Mike sue Earth for millions of galactic credits for pain and suffering. Mike is wary and refuses to cooperate, angering The Bom. The encounter highlights how alien interest in Mike’s situation is multiplying.

Mike's friend Nick worries that he is going crazy after hearing about aliens. A telephone call with Katelyn makes her realize that Mike is distracted by real extraterrestrial activity. The normal life at school and home feels increasingly fragile.

Barnabus informs Mike that opening the message has signaled Earth’s advancement and, as a result, Earth is no longer eligible for intergalactic protection for primitive life. Mike faces a hard choice about leaving or staying. He weighs the safety of the Earth against his own need for escape.

The Loafer Alien arrives and proposes becoming Mike’s agent, potentially letting him star in a weekly TV show about his life as an immigrant. Mike declines, preferring to stay grounded on Earth. Barnabus and the others watch, signaling a shifting dynamic in the alien offers.

Several aliens materialize, each offering different terms for Mike’s future. Katelyn visits Mike’s house and becomes aware of the extraterrestrials, complicating his desire to disappear from Earth. The scene builds tension as Mike contemplates an escape.

A dangerous Thoad appears and hunting for specimens. The kids urge Scott to act as bait to lure the Thoad through the stargate, convincing him he’s the perfect target. Scott agrees, sealing another stage of the plan to reach the alien world.

The stargate opens and pulls in Barnabus, the three children, and Scott as they pass through to the Thoad planet. They arrive in a cave where the Thoad keeps a zoo of captured species, including an alien resembling Mike’s imagined creature. The tension rises as the group confronts the Thoad.

The Thoad fights back, but Mike uses the Thoad’s key to release the captured specimens, including Scott and Jay. The freed aliens and humans join the effort to escape. Barnabus monitors Earth’s response as the group edges toward home.

Barnabus contacts intergalactic police, who arrest the Thoad before he can capture more specimens. The stargate threat to Earth is neutralized, and the barrier of protection seems to be restored or reset. The team begins their journey back to Earth.

Back at a football game, Barnabus informs Mike that his transmission was accidental and Earth is again classified as protected. Barnabus offers to take Mike away, but Mike chooses Earth as his home and says farewell. The story closes with Mike embracing his life on Earth.