Okay, I'll grant there's beautiful music, atmospheric shadows, and a melancholy sadness to this episode that I find truly haunting. In a way it's the perfect book end episode. Twilight Zone Season 1 offered "The Lonely" about a man dying of loneliness in space who finds a woman. Season 5 offers "Probe 7" about an astronaut marooned and dying of loneliness in space who finds . . . a woman.
So why only four stars?
Well, it's the little things. Adam Cooke does not strike me as the astronaut type. I mean, talk about the wrong stuff! "Control, this ship is broken. My arm is broken! No, I can't make repairs. I can't seem to do anything but complain and make excuses and claw feebly at loose wires with my good hand!" And this guy was hand picked for initiative and coolness under pressure? He beat out 1000 other candidates for this mission into space? What were they like?
And there's little scientific stuff that makes no sense. First we're told he's "nine million miles away." Then we're told he's "4.3 Light Years away." Gee, kind of a big difference there, Rod! Assuming it's 4.3 light years, those heart to heart radio chats in real time don't make much sense. Radio waves move at the speed of light, kids. Cooke would have to wait FOUR YEARS to hear from the gloomy guy at the other end. "We're about to get nuked! We're about to get nuked! Oh, you're four light years away. Call back in four light years and we'll talk about a rescue mission then!"
So no, I don't consider this episode a classic. But the lonely music and the shadows really get to me, especially late at night. Emotionally, this episode is awfully moving. But scientifically it's pure crap!