Tag: Series Premiere

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Lost Saucer

894X2RY713 I Love You

Sense8A flying saucer from the planet ZR-3, piloted by the androids Fum and Fi, lands in an American city in the 1970s (despite the fact that the spaceship itself hails from the year 2369). Inquisitive Jerry and his teenage babysitter, Alice, wander aboard the saucer and find themselves whisked away as Fum and Fi make a hasty escape from Earth authorities.

But their first stop away from Earth isn’t much more hospitable, as Alice and Jerry find themselves arrested on an alien planet where everyone except them covers their faces and is required by law to wear a number. To appear in public unmasked and unnumbered is a combination of two of this world’s worst crimes, and it’s up to Fum and Fi (and their half-horse, half-dog pet, the Dorse) to help the kids escape.

The Lost Saucerwritten by Si Rose
directed by Jack Regas
music by Michael Lloyd

Cast: Jim Nabors (Fum), Ruth Buzzi (Fi), Alice Playten (Alice), Jarrod Johnson (Jerry), Edson Stroll (456Y3Z1843), Duncan McLeod (136B76Q128), Jerry Holland (321Y3Z1848), Annmarie (361X2RYT13), Larry Larsen (The Dorse)

Notes: Production illustrator Mike Minor (1940-1987) had done design work on three episodes of the original Star Trek’s final season, and would later go on to work on the aborted attempt to launch a new Star Trek series as the cornerstone of a new Paramount network in 1978 (frequently referred to as Star Trek Phase II), and was The Lost Saucerresponsible for many of the early illustrations of that planned series’ new bridge set and other locales, as well as contributing designs to Star Trek: The Motion Picture and Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan. He also worked on The Powers Of Matthew Star, The Winds Of War, The Man Who Saw Tomorrow, Spacehunter: Adventures In The Forbidden Zone, The Beastmaster, Meteor, Remo Williams: The Adventure Begins, and, in contrast to his work on The Lost Saucerthis Saturday morning series, also worked on the decidedly less family-friendly 1974 adult film sci-fi spoof Flesh Gordon. Jim Nabors (1930-2017) was best known for starring as Gomer Pyle USMC, a military comedy built around a character Pyle originated on The Andy Griffith Show in the early 1960s. (His trademark Gomer Pyle catchphrase, “Well, gaw-lee!”, is heard here as well.) On the subject of how many actors with SAG cards could possibly be named Duncan McLeod, there can presumably be only one.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Legend Of Robin Hood, The

Episode One

The Legend Of Robin HoodEngland, before the Crusades: the Earl of Huntingdon entrusts his infant son to his close friends and allies, Sir Cedric and Father Ambrose. As his only heir, the child will be in danger. When the boy is of age, he is to be told of his true identity, and instructed to claim his inheritance. Until then, he is to live the life of a commoner.

The boy, Robin, is brought up and well-educated, especially for the son of the King’s forester, John Hood. But it’s not until after he’s already developed a taste for standing up to the landed gentry that Robin learns that he, too, is of noble blood. With his late father’s ring, and proof of his identity, Robin Hood heads to London to claim his birthright. Along the way, he assists an entourage led by Sir Kenneth Neston, who is taking his niece, Marion, to marry Sir Guy of Gisbourne – one of Robin’s least favorite people, due to the cruelty with which he treats those under his rule. Robin arrives in London and proves his identity to King Richard, who welcomes him as the rightful Earl of Huntingdon. Robin’s true identity is a problem for some of Sir Guy’s allies, including the Sheriff of Nottingham. Together, Sir Guy and the Sheriff are planning to manipulate Prince John in the event that he ascends to Prince Regent in his brother’s upcoming absence to lead the Crusades from the front in the Holy Land. And as Robin rides alone toward the Huntingdon estate, other men lie in wait for him…

written by Alistair Bell
directed by Eric Davidson
music by Stanley Myers

The Legend of Robin HoodCast: Martin Potter (Robin Hood), Diane Keen (Lady Marion), John Abineri (Sir Kenneth Neston), William Marlowe (Sir Guy of Gisbourne), Paul Darrow (Sheriff of Nottingham), Michael-John Jackson (Richard I), David Dixon (Prince John), David Ryall (Abbot of Grantham), Geoffrey Russell (Longchamp), Miles Anderson (Will Scarlet), Stephen Whittaker (Ralph Gammon), Anthony Garner (Earl of Huntingdon), Michael Fleming (Sir Cedric Usher), David King (Father Ambrose), Trevor Griffiths (John Hood), Geoffrey Greenhill (Norman Soldier), John Caesar (Norman Soldier), Geoffrey Jackman (Landlord), Tony Doyle (Norman Sergeant), Sheelah Wilcocks (Old Woman), Robert Russell (Robber Chief), Martin Duncan (Blondin)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Star Maidens

Escape To Paradise

Star MaidensBlown out of orbit from its home star of Proxima Centauri, the planet Medusa hurtles through space, its female-dominated society surviving by moving underground. Eventually, Medusa is captured by the gravity of a small yellow star elsewhere in the galaxy, and this new star even has its own life-bearing planet. But upon learning that this other world, Earth, is male-dominated, the Chancellor of Medusa forbids travel to that planet.

This restriction means nothing to Adam, Chancellor Fulvia’s personal servant. Tired of having to serve every whim of Medusa’s ruler, he plans to make his escape to Earth. He enlists the services of his friend Shem, a sharp engineer but still far too accustomed to living under the boot of Medusa’s women. Shem has been working on a ship that Adam intends to steal for their flight to Earth. But the prediction computers on Medusa have spotted the trend toward a dangerous but futile revival of the “men’s liberation” movement – and Adam’s part in it. The two men race for the safety of Earth in their stolen ship, failing to work out a course that involves a safe landing. Chancellor Fulvia and her security chief, Octavia, can only watch helplessly as the runaway ship slams into Earth at what can only be described as a very unsafe speed.

Star Maidenswritten by Eric Paice
directed by James Gatward
music by Berry Lipmann

Cast: Judy Geeson (Fulvia), Lisa Harrow (Liz), Gareth Thomas (Shem), Pierre Brice (Adam), Christian Quadflieg (Rudi), Christiane Kruger (Octavia), Derek Farr (Evans), Ronald Hines (Stanley), Penelope Horner (Medusan Announcer)

Notes: If Adam and Shem’s ship was on a collision course with Earth at 5,000,000 miles per hour, that falls a bit short of the astronomers’ observation the ship is incoming at “half the speed of light” (also known as approximately 336,000,000 MPH). Gareth Thomas, as Shem, mentions pursuit ships – something he’d get to talk about plenty two years later as the leader of Blake’s 7.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Electra Woman & Dyna Girl

The Sorcerer’s Golden Trick – Part 1

Electra Woman & Dyna GirlReporters Lori and Judy are called away from their latest assignment, not for a bigger story, but to fight crime in their secret identities as Electra Woman and Dyna Girl. Helping them is Frank Heflin, a genius with gadgets and gizmos who keeps a watchful eye out for evildoers.

A criminal known as the Sorcerer has escaped from prison, using magic and sleight of hand as usual. He announces that his next goal is to steal all the gold in Fort Knox…and he has enlisted some beastly help to keep the two superheroines away from him.

written by Dick Robbins and Duane Poole
directed by Walter Miller
music not credited

Electra Woman & Dyna GirlCast: Deidre Hall (Lori / Electra Woman), Judy Strangis (Judy / Dyna Girl), Norman Alden (Frank Heflin), Michael Constantine (The Sorcerer), Susan Lanier (Miss Dazzle), Marvin Miller (Narrator)

Notes: Electra Woman & Dyna Girl was part of the original fall 1976 lineup of the Krofft Supershow, a weekly Saturday morning buffet of the kind of shows that only Sid and Marty Krofft could dream up. Each show aired one segment, usually around 12 minutes long including titles, within the hour-long show, and two-part stories such as every Electra Woman & Dyna Girl adventure would stretch out over two weeks. Syndication packages and DVD releases have made a habit of editing the two-part stories together as single 20+ minute long episodes.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Original Trilogy Star Wars

Star Wars

  • By Dave
  • May 25, 1977

Star WarsAs construction nears completion on the Empire’s awesome new battle station, the moon-sized Death Star, members of the Rebel Alliance procure its construction plans, entrusting them to Princess Leia Organa. But Darth Vader is quick to capture her ship, kill much of the crew, and take her prisoner. But she has already passed the plans on to the adventurous R2-D2, who abandons ship along with C-3PO, landing on nearby Tatooine. Scavenging Jawas salvage the two droids and auction them off to Owen Lars, who hands them over to his nephew, young Luke Skywalker, to get the droids into shape to serve around their farm. Luke accidentally activates a recorded message from Leia, a desperate plea for the assistance of Obi-Wan Kenobi. When Owen forbids Luke to track down Kenobi to ask him about the message, R2-D2 sets out on his own to find him. Luke and C-3PO catch up to the determined droid, but are attacked by desert-roving Tusken Raiders, and saved at the last minute by the cloaked hermit, Ben Kenobi. Upon seeing Leia’s message, Ben admits that he is actually Obi-Wan Kenobi, one of the very last Jedi Knights, and tells of how he witnessed the murder of Luke’s father, Anakin.

Imperial forces trace the two droids to Tatooine, following their trail to Owen’s farm. When Luke discovers that his uncle and aunt have been killed by the Empire, he pledges to follow the elderly Jedi Knight to the planet Alderaan. They go to the seedy Mos Eisley spaceport, where they happen upon the renegade space freighter captain Han Solo and his Wookiee sidekick Chewbacca. Solo, desperately in need of money to pay off crime lord Jabba the Hutt, takes Luke, Obi-Wan and the droids on as passengers, but quickly realizes that his passengers have attracted the interest (and firepower) of the Empire. Solo’s ship, the Milennium Falcon, arrives at Alderaan to find the planet has been smashed into lifeless bits – the handiwork of Darth Vader and the Death Star. Solo accidentally runs into the Death Star not far away, which seizes the Falcon in a tractor beam. Han, Luke, Chewbacca and the droids try to evade the Imperial forces and rescue Leia, while Obi-Wan sets out to disable the Death Star’s tractor beam and face Darth Vader one final time. Obi-Wan is cut down in a lightsaber duel with Vader, but the others succeed in escaping, unaware that a homing device has been planted on the Falcon, allowing the Death Star to track the ship down to the Rebel base on the third moon of Yavin.

With only a short time to spare, the Rebels must prepare for a fight to save themselves from extinction – and Luke Skywalker, in becoming the hero of the ferocious battle against the Empire, brings himself to the attention of Darth Vader.

Order the DVDswritten by George Lucas
directed by George Lucas
music by John Williams

Cast: Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker), Harrison Ford (Han Solo), Carrie Fisher (Princess Leia Organa), Peter Cushing (Grand Moff Tarkin), Alec Guinness (Obi-Wan Kenobi), Anthony Daniels (C-3PO), Kenny Baker (R2-D2), Peter Mayhew (Chewbacca), David Prowse (Lord Darth Vader), Jack Purvis (Chief Jawa), Eddie Byrne (General Millard), Phil Brown (Uncle Owen), Sheelagh Fraser (Aunt Beru), Alex McCrindle (General Dodonna), Drewe Hemley (Red Leader), Denis Lawson (Red Two – Wedge), Garrick Hagon (Red Three – Biggs), Jack Klagg (Red Four – John “D”), William Hootkins (Red Six – Porkins), Angus McInnis (Gold Leader), Jeremy Sinden (Gold Two), Graham Ashley (Gold Five), Don Henderson (General Tagge), Richard Le Parmentier (General Motti), Leslie Schofield (Commander #1), James Earl Jones (voice of Lord Darth Vader)

Notes: The subtitle “Episode IV: A New Hope” was added to the opening crawl for the movie’s 1981 re-release, presumably to be consistent with the labeling of The Empire Strikes Back as Episode V.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Space Academy

The Survivors Of Zalon

Space AcademyThe young trainees on the man-made planetoid Space Academy go about their observations of the doomed planet Zalon, which may soon explode. Science cadet Adrian spots signs of life on Zalon, which previous surveys of that planet say is impossible. Commander Gampu deems this worthy of further investigation, and orders the Academy cadets to visit Zalon, with Adrian leading the expedition. Unusual crystals are found on the surface, watched over by a young alien child. In keeping with Space Academy procedure, Commander Gampu lifts off and stays in orbit while his students solve their own mysteries on the surface, but an alien entity is following the Seeker at close range, questioning Gampu’s motives and insisting it will protect the child and its own offspring on the planet below with any force it deems necessary.

Space Academywritten by Lynn Barker
directed by Jeffrey Hayden
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael and Horta-Mahana

Cast: Jonathan Harris (Commander Gampu), Pamelyn Ferdin (Laura), Ric Carrott (Chris), Ty Henderson (Paul), Maggie Cooper (Adrian), Brian Tochi (Tee Gar), Eric Greene (Loki), Peepo (himself)

Notes: If the nose cone of the Seeker, Space Academy’s shuttle, looks vaguely familiar, you might be a Filmation fan: the expensive-to-build set piece (and other parts of the Seeker) was salvaged from the set of Ark II, the short-lived post-apocalyptic live-action series produced by the makers of Space Academy in 1976. The first episode of that series also featured a guest starring turn from Lost In Space alumnus Jonathan Harris.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Amazing Spider-Man Season 1

Spider-Man

Amazing Spider-Man (1970s series)College student Peter Parker, working his way through college as a photographer for New York City’s Daily Bugle newspaper, is bitten by a spider that has come into contact with radioactive material in his school’s nuclear lab. Gradually, this event imbues Peter with amazing abilities, such as shooting remarkably strong webs from his wrists, climbing completely vertical surfaces, and a sixth sense that alerts him to danger. As Peter begins exploring these new talents, the city is gripped with fear as banks are robbed by people who were previously lawyers, judges, doctors…in other words, the people who would least need to rob banks. Mind control is suspected, and then a ransom note is sent to the mayor of New York City: if a ransom isn’t paid by a deadline mere days away, the next round of mind control victims will be ordered to kill themselves. Peter discovers that his abilities – and his newly-fashioned “Spider-Man” costume – are best put to use to help others, and combined with his natural journalistic curiosity, he begins investigating the series of strange robberies, discovering a self-help guru named Byron is conditioning his new recruits to obey his every command. In the guise of Spider-Man, Peter finds it difficult to find out more, especially when he discovers that Byron has ninjas on his payroll, something rather unusual for a self-help expert. Peter realizes that his investigation depends on signing up for Byron’s next seminar as himself, not as a superhero – but doing so puts the powers of Spider-Man at the disposal of a madman.

written by Alvin Boretz
directed by E.W. Swackhamer
music by Johnnie Spence

Amazing Spider-ManCast: Nicholas Hammond (Peter Parker / Spider-Man), David White (J. Jonah Jameson), Michael Pataki (Captain Barbera), Hilly Hicks (Robbie Robertson), Lisa Eilbacher (Judy Tyler), Dick Balduzzi (Delivery Man), Jeff Donnell (Aunt May), Robert Hastings (Monahan), Barry Cutler (Purse Snatcher), Thayer David (Mr. Byron), Ivor Francis (Professor Tyler), Norman Rice (Henchman), Len Lesser (Henchman), Carmelita Pope (Group Member), George Cooper (Group Member), Larry Anderson (Dave), Ivan Bonar (News Anchor), Kathryn Reynolds (Group Member), Harry Caesar (Cab Driver), Robert Snively (Judge), James E. Brodhead (Policeman), Roy West (Group Member), Mary Ann Kasica (Group Member), Jim Storm (Group Member), Ron Gilbert (Policeman)

Amazing Spider-ManNotes: Stan Lee is credited as a script consultant, with no onscreen credit acknowledging his participation the creation of the character of Spider-Man. Rather than the comics’ (and later movies’) depiction of Peter Parker as an awkward teenager living a secret life, Peter is here seen as a reasonably un-awkward college student, played by Nicholas Hammond (who appeared as a child actor as Friedrich von Trapp in The Sound Of Music). Actress Jean Marie Donnell, who worked under the stage name “Jeff” due to her childhood fixation on Mutt & Jeff comics, appears to be perhaps 10-15 years’ Peter’s senior as Aunt May; Uncle Ben is nowhere in evidence. Also nowhere to be found is a certain almost obligatory quote about great power and great responsibility. This would turn out to be David White’s sole appearance as “J.J. Jameson”. Some recasting and a nervous network green-light later (with CBS balking at the potential expense of a full season of Spider-Man), a surprisingly short season (for the late 1970s on a major network) was given a go-ahead, to debut the following spring.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Logan's Run

Logan’s Run (Pilot)

Logan's RunIn the year 2319, two centuries after nuclear war rendered the Earth’s surface uninhabitable for a time, humanity lives in the City of Domes, with every need – and every desire – supplied by the City’s computers. But at the age of 30, every resident of the City is required to take part in Carousel, a ritual sacrifice that keeps the City’s population growth at zero. Everyone is taught that Carousel brings renewal, life in a new body, but not all believe it; an underground railroad of “runners” steadily helps those who want to live past 30 escape. And the City dispatches Sandmen to deal with those runners – fatally. But not even all Sandmen believe the lie of Carousel; during a pursuit, Sandman Logan corners a runner and a woman named Jessica, both of whom confirm what he has already suspected: there is life past 30, and freedom beyond the City of Domes. Logan’s fellow Sandman, Francis, arrives and shoots the runner, but Logan knocks Francis unconscious before he can kill Jessica. Now as much of a fugitive as any runner, Logan follows Jessica outside the City to look for Sanctuary.

Before Francis can pursue Logan and Jessica outside the City, he is summoned to White Quadrant 1, a high security area of the City that few ever see. There, he meets a group of men who are clearly past the age of 30; they introduce themselves as the Elders who keep the City running, and make the rules about how society works, including Carousel. They make a bargain with him: if Francis brings the refugees back for “reprogramming,” he will be guaranteed a seat on the Elders’ council – and life beyond 30. He agrees and sets out on his mission.

Logan and Jessica take shelter in an abandoned military planning post, where they also find a solar-powered hovercraft. The vehicle helps them find a fallout shelter Logan spots on a map, but before they can explore the shelter, they’re pursued by raiders on horseback. They manage to enter the shelter and lock the door, finding a society of pacifists that has lived there for years. When one of the shelter-dwellers’ children hears Jessica’s tales of the outside, she investigates for herself and is captured by the raiders. Jessica, feeling guilty for inspiring the little girl’s misadventure, goes outside to find her and is herself captured. Despite the pacifists’ insistence that blood must not be spilled, Logan mounts a rescue operation anyway, destroying many of the raiders’ weapons himself before the shelter-dwellers emerge from underground to help him. After freeing all of the raiders’ captives, Logan and Jessica move on; shortly after they leave, Francis finds the raiders’ camp and gets the pacifists to tell him where his prey was headed.

Logan and Jessica arrive at a the foot of a mountain with a magnificent city built into its side, but strange energy emitters bring their hovercraft to a halt. Immaculately clad people welcome them to the city and offer to serve them, fulfilling any desire – but the first time Jessica mentions leaving the city to continue the search for Sanctuary, she and Logan discover that they are not guests, but prisoners. Their captors turn out to be robots whose “masters” are the skeletal remains of people who died in the nuclear war. Logan and Jessica befriend Rem, the only other “guest” in the city, who toils away at keeping the robots working. He offers to help them leave the city if Logan and Jessica will take him with them, but during their escape, Francis and two other Sandmen catch up with them. Rem is shot in the leg and goes down, but before Francis can capture Logan, the city’s robots emerge and claim the Sandmen as their new guests.

Rem manages to repair his own injuries – it turns out he is an android, a much more advanced machine than the city’s robots – and professes a genuine curiosity about the human concepts of love, self-sacrifice and freedom that his new friends have taught him. The three fugitives board the hovercraft and continue the search for Sanctuary.

Season 1 Regular Cast: Gregory Harrison (Logan), Heather Menzies (Jessica), Donald Moffat (Rem), Randy Powell (Francis)

Download this episodewritten by William F. Nolan & Saul David and Leonard Katzman
directed by Robert Day
scenes from the movie Logan’s Run directed by Michael Anderson
music by Laurence Rosenthal
music from the movie Logan’s Run by Jerry Goldsmith

Guest Cast: Lina Raymond (Siri), Keene Curtis (Draco), Wright King (Jonathon), E.J. Andre (Martin), Morgan Woodward (Morgan), Ron Hajek (Riles), J. Gary Dontzig (Akers), Anthony De Longis (Ketcham), Cal Haynes (Rider #3), Mary Hamill (Marianne), Ted Markland (Karlin), Sandy McPeak (Rider #4), Kimberly la Page (Leanna), Patrick Gorman (David), Gilbert Girion (Man), Marvin Dean Stewart (Paine), Michael Biehn (Sandman), Mary Ball (Woman), Gary Charles Davis (Barry)

Logan's RunNotes: Considered by Starlog magazine to be the most promising SF TV series of 1977, Logan’s Run borrows some visual elements from the movie – namely costumes and props, to say nothing several minutes of the movie’s “Carousel” scenes (complete with excerpts of Jerry Goldsmith‘s music, a rarity for the series). The segment of the story dealing with the fallout shelter and the raiders was a late addition to the script; the pilot was originally scheduled to be an hour long, but new scenes were written to fill it out for a 90-minute time slot. The plotline of the City Elders was a relatively late addition as well; planning documents for the series seemed to indicate that this storyline wouldn’t occur until later in the series. (Then again, those same documents hinted at Logan and Jessica returning to the City to free other runners, a story which the series didn’t stay on the air long enough to tell.) The series concepts were actually gestated during very early pre-production for a sequel to the Logan’s Run movie, but MGM turned the movie project into a TV series a few months before the release of Star Wars; several big names in SF were recruited, including story editor D.C. Fontana, and writers such as Harlan Ellison, John Meredyth Lucas and David Gerrold.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Raven

Episode One

RavenA juvenile delinquent named Raven is sent to an archaeological dig site as part of his reform. He will stay with Professor Young and his wife, who are running out of time to recover ancient artifacts from the underground dig before the government takes it over to dump nuclear waste there. Raven tags along with the government official overseeing the handoff, and is quite taken with Naomi, a newspaper reporter sent to cover the closure of the dig and its conversion to a waste dump. Spending time with the Youngs, Raven learns of the professor’s theory that Arthur may not have been the name of a specific king, but rather the title of a series of rulers of medieval England. And it’s roughly around this time that Raven’s strange visions begin…

Order the DVDswritten by Jeremy Burnham and Trevor Ray
directed by Michael Hart
music not credited

RavenCast: Michael Aldridge (Professor Young), Patsy Rowlands (Mrs. Young), Phil Daniels (Raven), Shirley Cheriton (Naomi Grant), James Kerry (Bill Telford), Roger Milner (Ticket Collector)

Notes: Raven is on release from a borstal, a kind of institutional school for juvenile offenders Ravenwhich was eliminated – at least by name – by the British government in 1982, after existing for most of the 20th century. Ireland similarly abolished borstals (by name, if not necessarily by practice) in the 1960s; the only remaining borstals in operation in the 21st century are in India.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Blake's 7 Season 1

The Way Back

Blake's 7Roj Blake is summoned by an old friend to an illegal meeting outside of a city dome on Earth. The meeting is held by a ragtag band of citizens plotting the downfall of the Administration, the arm of the Terran Federation that governs Earth. At that meeting, Blake is told that he has been brainwashed and has been unwittingly drugged ever since five years ago, when he had been the leader of the anti-Administration group and was captured, put up to trial, and forced to confess. Federation guards arrive at the meeting and massacre everyone there except for Blake and a man called Dev Tarrant. Blake slips out and returns to the city under cover of darkness, and, upon entry, is arrested by more guards. Corrupt members of the Administration’s “justice” department decide to use mental-implantation techniques to brainwash three children and put false memories in their mind. The next day, Blake meets his attorney for the first time and discovers that his charges deal not with leaving the city or attending the meeting, but with child molestation. At his trial, Blake is hopelessly defeated with no chance for appeal and is sentenced to spend the rest of his life on the Federation penal colony, Cygnus Alpha. In a holding cell, Blake meets Jenna Stannis and Vila Restal and awaits further word from his attorney. When Blake tells his attorney of the meeting and the Federation slaughter, Varon and his wife leave the city themselves to check on it. They are about to return to the city with enough evidence to topple the Administration, but as Blake’s ship to Cygnus Alpha departs with him on board, defense attorney Varon, along with his wife and his evidence of the massacre Blake witnesses, are destroyed by Federation troops under special agent Dev Tarrant.

written by Terry Nation
directed by Michael E. Briant
music by Dudley Simpson

Cast: Gareth Thomas (Blake), Sally Knyvette (Jenna), Michael Keating (Vila), Robert Beatty (Bran Foster), Jeremy Wilkin (Tarrant), Michael Halsey (Varon), Pippa Steel (Maja), Gillian Bailey (Ravella), Alan Butler (Richie), Margaret John (Arbiter), Peter Williams (Dr. Havant), Susan Field (Alta Morag), Rodney Figaro (Court), Nigel Lambert (Computer Operator), Garry McDermott (Guard)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy Radio Series

Episode 1 (Fit The First)

Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy: Primary PhaseArthur Dent’s having a more troublesome Thursday than usual. For one thing, the local council has decided to demolish his house and several others with as little warning as possible, all to make way for a new bypass. To protest this, Arthur lays down in front of a bulldozer which would, without his presence, destroy his home completely. And while that’s stressful enough, Arthur’s somewhat odd friend Ford Prefect chooses this very moment to come along and insist that Arhur must come to the pub with him and imbibe heavily, and somehow – according to Ford – the end of the world figures into the proceedings. Arthur reluctantly agrees, but regrets it soon afterward when he hears, from the cozy confines of the pub, the destruction of his house. But before Arthur can exact his revenge on the bureaucrats who made this all possible, he becomes one of the only surviving witnesses, from the not-so-cozy confines of a Vogon Constructor ship, to the destruction of the entire Earth – and the slightly bewildered recipient of a babel fish, courtesy of Ford. As it happens, Ford isn’t from Earth at all, and is a roving researcher for an encyclopedic electronic book known as the Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy. The spaceship which Ford has managed to use to escape from Earth, with Arthur in tow, has a crew which isn’t from Earth either…and they’re none too pleased to discover that they have hitchhikers aboard.

Order this CDwritten by Douglas Adams
directed by Alick Hale-Munro
music by Paddy Kingsland

Cast: Peter Jones (The Voice of the Book), Simon Jones (Arthur Dent), Geoffrey McGivern (Ford Prefect), Bill Wallis (Prosser/Prostetnic Vogon Jeltz), Jo Kendall (Lady Cynthia Fitzmelon), David Gooderson (Barman)

Notes: If you can imagine David Gooderson quite a bit more angry and strident, and you happen to be a Doctor Who fan, you might remember him as Davros from the 1979 Doctor Who story Destiny Of The Daleks.

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Jason Of Star Command Season 1

Attack Of The Dragonship

Jason Of Star CommandScientist and inventor Professor Parasfoot presents a small robot, W1K1, to Jason, one of Star Command’s most seasoned space adventurers. When Space Academy is attacked by an unknown ship, W1K1 immediately proves to be useful in sealing up a dangerous gas leak. Jason contacts Commander Canarvin, Star Command’s leader, only to see Canarvin disappear from the screen, only to appear on Space Academy’s detectors somewhere in deep space. Jason boards his spacecraft, the Starfire, to rescue Canarvin and investigate the Academy’s unidentified attacker, but he has a passenger he hadn’t counted on – Professor Parsafoot has stowed away, hoping to see some excitement. After Canarvin is recovered, alive and well thanks to his life support belt, a gigantic ship pursues the Starfire. Jason orders Canarvin and Parsafoot into the Starfire’s shuttle and launches them back to the safety of Space Academy. As they escape, the huge ship looms over the Starfire…

written by Samuel A. Peeples
directed by Arthur H. Nadel
music by Yvette Blais & Jeff Michael and Horta-Mahana

Jason Of Star CommandCast: Craig Littler (Jason), Sid Haig (Dragos), Susan O’Hanlon (Capt. Nicole Davidoff), Charlie Dell (Prof. E.J. Parsafoot), James Doohan (Commander Canarvin)

Notes: Episodes of the first season of Jason Of Star Command were approximately 11 minutes in length, as the show shared a half-hour time slot with Filmation’s Saturday morning cartoon Tarzan And The Super 7. The opening titles describe Star Command as a “secret section” of Space Academy, so presumably Commander Gampu and his cadets are elsewhere on the Academy at the same time; as there’s virtually no crossover between the two shows other than the use of the same sets, costumes and models, the whereabouts of the Space Academy characters is unknown. After working on Jason Of Star Command, in-demand miniature model maker Ease Owyeung joined Industrial Light & Magic, where he built other instantly recognizable science fiction miniatures, including the refinery-like alien ships of Close Encounters Of The Third Kind, miniatures for The Empire Strikes Back, Jason Of Star CommandReturn Of The Jedi, Starman, E.T. and Innerspace, and later he supervised the construction of the original six-foot-long filming model of the Enterprise for Star Trek: The Next Generation. Although he is seen in the opening credits, Sid Haig only does a voice-over as Drago in this episode. The music from the animated Star Trek series continues to be used, as does that show’s concept of a “life support belt” which creates an invisible force field around its wearer (and prevents the costume department from having to make expensive spacesuits).

LogBook entry by Earl Green

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Battlestar Galactica (Classic Series) Season 1

Saga of a Starworld

Battlestar Galactica (original)The end of a millennium-long war between a distant race of humans and their cybernetic enemy, the Cylons, looms as a peace summit draws closer. But the humans’ aspirations for an end to the war are crushed when the peace meeting turns out to be a well-orchestrated trap, drawing the fleet of heavily armed Battlestars away from the humans’ homeworlds. Only Galactica, a Battlestar under the leadership of Commander Adama, survives the attack, but to no avail – the Twelve Colonies of Man have been besieged and all but destroyed by the Cylons. A massaive evacuation of the survivors, filling every habitable space aboard a fleet of 200 ships, takes place, with Galactica leading them. Adama announces an unprecedented contingency plan – he plans to lead the fleet to a legendary planet called Earth, believed to be the thirteenth Colony.

The Colonial fleet makes a stop at the mining world Carillon to pick up supplies for their voyage, but the cracks are already showing in the humans’ hastily-formed alliance; statesman Sire Uri begins trying to rally support against Adama’s incredible plan in the belief that humanity could surrender to the Cylons and survive. On Carillon, Apollo (Adama’s son) and Starbuck, ace Viper pilots from Galactica, discover that the insectoid Ovions who operate a resort on the planet are harvesting visiting humans for food – and even worse, they have formed an alliance with the Cylons and have leaked news of Galactica’s arrival to them.

Quick strategic thinking on Adama’s part saves the day, and Starbuck and Apollo’s lightning-fast flying is instrumental in destroying the huge Cylon base ship, but as the Colonial fleet prepares to set off on its perilous trip to Earth, Adama does not realize that a traitor within the humans’ own ranks is working with the Cylons to cut that journey short.

Order the DVDsDownload this episodewritten by Glen A. Larson
directed by Richard A. Colla
music by Stu Phillips
series theme by Glen A. Larson & Stu Phillips

Cast: Lorne Greene (Commander Adama), Richard Hatch (Captain Apollo), Dirk Benedict (Lt. Starbuck), Herbert Jefferson Jr. (Lt. Boomer), Terry Carter (Colonel Tigh), Maren Jensen (Athena), Noah Hathaway (Boxey), Laurette Spang (Cassiopeia), Tony Swartz (Wing Sgt. Jolly), Anne Lockhart (Lt. Sheba), David Greenan (Omega), Sarah Rush (Rigel), George Murdock (Dr. Salik), John Dullaghan (Dr. Wilker), Ed Begley Jr. (Lt. Greenbean), John Colicos (Count Baltar), Patrick Macnee (Imperious Leader), Jonathan Harris (Lucifer), Jane Seymour (Serina), Ray Milland (Sire Uri), Lew Ayres (President Adar), Wilfrid Hyde-White (Sire Anton), John Fink (Dr. Paye), Rick Springfield (Lt. Zac), Randi Oakes (Blonde Taurus), Norman Stuart (Statesman), David Matthau (Operative), Chip Johnson (Warrior), Geoffrey Binney (Warrior), Paul Coufos (Pilot), Bruce Wright (Deck hand), Carol Baxter (Woman in elevator), Myrna Matthews (Tucana singer), Stephanie Spruill (Tucana singer), Patty Brooks (Tucana singer), Sandy Gimpel (Seetol), Dianne L. Burgdorf (Lotay), Ted White (Centurion), John Zenda (Dealer), Renè Assa (Gemon)

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Battle Of The Planets

Attack Of The Space Terrapin

Battle Of The PlanetsEarly warning robot 7-Zark-7 observes as a huge, turtle-shaped alien spacecraft from the planet Spectra attacks a heavily guarded facility to steal the formula for a substance that Earth shares freely with many other worlds to ease famine. G-Force, a team of five young people whose cerebonic implants give them amazing strength and endurance, is called into action. But when the vehicle vanishes without a trace, G-Force leader Mark decides that the team needs to forgo destroying their target so they can find its base of operations on Earth. His second-in-command, Jason, disagrees… but with Spectra’s forces constantly stepping up their attacks on Earth, he’ll have plenty of opportunities for the action he craves. Aboard their spacecraft, the Phoenix, G-Force works to destroy the Spectra vehicle from the inside… but escaping won’t be so easy.

written by Jameson Brewer
directed by Alan Dinehart
music by Hoyt Curtin and Bob Sakuma

Voice Cast: Casey Kasem (Mark), Janet Waldo (Princess / Susan), Alan Young (7-Zark-7 / Keyop), Ronnie Schell (Tiny), Alan Dinehart Jr. (Chief Anderson), Keye Luke (Zoltar / The Luminous One)

Battle Of The PlanetsNote: For this episode only – the first one produced – Ronnie Schell plays Tiny, but the actor says he did not provide the voice of Jason for this first episode. The voice actor for Jason remains unknown for this episode alone. 7-Zark-7 says that Center Neptune is “900 fathoms beneath the surface of the sea” off of America’s west coast – or just a little over a mile undersea. All of Dr. Nambu’s appearances in this episode are replaced by narration or orders delivered by radio from 7-Zark-7. Dr. Nambu would appear in later episodes, but he was given the name of Chief Anderson – a name that, in the original Gatchaman episodes, belonged to a completely different character.

For the corresponding episode of Kagaku Ninjatai Gatchaman, click here.

LogBook entry by Earl Green

Categories
Alien Worlds Season 1

The Sunstealers – Part 1

Alien WorldsAboard the Starlab space station orbiting Earth, research director Maura Cassidy finds herself in the midst of extraordinary events when all of the station’s instruments indicate that the sun is collapsing. The entire inner solar system fleet of the International Space Authority depends on solar energy, as does Earth itself, and preparations are made to send an expedition to take closer measuresments and perhaps find out the cause. Captain Graydon leads the mission, though Cassidy is less than thrilled to learn that his co-pilot will be Captain Griff, a man who she holds responsible for her father’s death on a past expedition. Though they are warned of the possibility by an excitable scientist named Tim, Graydon and Griff are still stunned to find a new planetoid inside the orbit of Venus, occupied by the insectoid Marcabs, who care nothing that their rapid “mining” of the sun will spell doom for humanity.

written by Mike Hodel and Lee Hansen
directed by Lee Hansen
music by Jim Kirk

Cast: Roger Dressler (Narrator), Linda Gary (Maura Cassidy), Bruce Phillip Miller (Captain Jon Graydon), Corey Burton (Jerry Lyden), Chuck Olsen (Captain Buddy Griff), Jeff Allen (Tim), Stu Jacobs (Zarr Khonar), Tom Rounds (Gargon)

Notes: Starlab’s formal name is the Arthur C. Clarke Astronomical Observatory. Alien Worlds was syndicated to radio stations across America (and elsewhere in the English-speaking world) by Watermark, a radio syndication company that had already made its fame as the originators of America’s Top 40 with Casey Kasem. (Kasem himself would guest star in a later episode of Alien Worlds.) Though not as universally popular as Kasem’s pop music countdown show, Alien Worlds was popular enough to merit two full seasons; production was brought to a halt and the series was cancelled after four installments of a third season had been produced. Corey Burton’s voice acting career continues to this day, and he can be heard in Star Wars: The Clone Wars and dozens of video games.

LogBook entry by Earl Green