Sci Fi TV Genre Gems: Forgotten magic and hidden treasures from the worlds of sci fi TV
What Is It? These are two TV movies created by Gene Roddenberry in the early 70’s aimed at launching a new sci fi series. 1973’s Genesis II sets the stage as scientist Dylan Hunt gets trapped in suspended animation in 1979 when a project he is working on goes awry and he wakes up 150 years in the future to find that society has collapsed. He is revived by an organization called PAX which actually consists of the remnants of the group he worked with in the past. They have a goal to seek out the technology and knowledge from the world before the fall in order to build a new and better society. They already have gained control of a vast system of magnetic levitation transports (“subshuttles”) which they use to quickly travel to any point in the world. They utilize this network to monitor other pockets of civilization that have sprouted up across the globe, though they practice a policy of non-interference with the development of these societies. The second pilot Planet Earth retools the concept a bit with a more organized and technologically advanced PAX and a different actor in the Dylan Hunt role.
Aired: Genesis II – CBS, March 23, 1973, Planet Earth – ABC, April 23, 1974
Starring: Alex Cord, John Saxon, Ted Cassidy, Janet Margolin, Majel Barrett
Created By: Gene Roddenberry
Why It Stands Out: Both TV movies presented a promising concept that could have developed into a strong sci fi television series if the networks had been willing to take a chance on the property.
The Skinny: Genesis II was Rodenberry’s first post-Star Trek television project, and it definitely hearkened back to that space series for which he was so famous. Both concepts had an organization dedicated to peace and (ostensibly) non-interference investigating and interacting with new societies. It’s just that with these two pilots, the action is moved from the stars to a terrestrial setting. The concept easily lends itself to the small screen because of its versatility and its budget-friendly economics (post-apocalyptic worlds require fewer sets and less special effects). And both movies showed a great deal of promise even if they did have their rough edges as well as their share of 70’s cheesiness.
Genesis II (which aired initially on CBS) introduced us to what at first appears to be a Buck Rogers-style hero in Dylan Hunt (played here by Alex Kord) who we find is anything but the gallant hero from that comic strip. Hunt is presented as a flawed human who must unlearn the ways of violence that led to the downfall of society. In this movie, he and PAX encounter a militant race of mutants determined to maintain control of the nuclear power they inherited. Hunt prefers a harder stance when dealing with these antagonists, but PAX informs him that his more violent tendencies can no longer be tolerated if they hope to rebuild the world. Roddenberry revisited the themes of humanity working toward a brighter future as we had previously seen in Trek, but this time from a post-apocalyptic point of view and with a bit more of an edge. Even though the Genesis II could be a bit clunky at times, it was enjoyable and shows a great deal of promise. A series continuation could have delivered some good sci fi stories and could have potentially rivaled Trek.
When the first pilot did not fly, Roddenberry reworked the concept a bit for ABC and tried again with Planet Earth (Star Trek also had a second pilot before it went to series). This time around, B-Movie mainstay John Saxon stepped in as Dylan Hunt and they tinkered with a few other aspects of the concept as well (i.e., PAX was more technologically advanced), but it was still basically the same storyline. This movie has not dated as well as the first with its very 70’s feminism-gone-wrong theme, but it has its good moments. And I actually prefer John Saxon’s Kirk-like performance as Dylan Hunt over Alex Kord’s portrayal (with his horrid porn-star mustache), though I did like the edgier feel of the first movie. In any case, both of these are worth seeking, especially for Roddenberry fans, because they delivered some decent sci fi (that still stands up pretty well today) at a time when that was hard to find on television.
Cancelled Before It Began? Yes. CBS did not feel strong enough about the concept and decided to greenlight the Planet of the Apes TV series instead (which lasted only fourteen episodes). ABC also passed on the series and thus we were denied what could have been Gene Roddenberry’s second great series (though admittedly it could have just as easily descended into a pale Trek imitation). Six story ideas for Genesis II episodes were sketched out, one of which later turned into the second pilot Planet Earth and the other which was morphed into the plot for Star Trek: The Motion Picture.
Revival: ABC took one more stab at the concept with 1975’s Strange New World, but Gene Roddenberry had bowed out by that time. In this movie, three astronauts awake from cryogenic sleep in space and return to an Earth devastated by a massive meteor shower. They travel around the planet in an all-terrain vehicle trying to make contact with the pockets of society that still exist. John Saxon returned, though his character’s name was changed to Captain Anthony Vico. And we still had PAX, though it was very different in this movie. And this pilot once again failed to generate enough interest for it to get a series pickup.
Should It Be Rebooted? Yes. Yes. Yes. This was a great idea, especially the first movie that worked in some interesting moral quandaries and showed more of a willingness to explore the flawed nature of the lead characters than Star Trek did. Gene Roddenberry’s name is still bankable and we are getting a rapid-fire onslaught of reboots and revivals these days, so why not give some attention to a property that was never given the chance to realize its potential? This one is definitely ripe for a revisit and it’s almost criminal that no one has considered bringing it back.
Interesting Fact: Fans of Gene Roddenberry’s Andromeda (which ran in syndication from 2000 to 2005) will recognize the name Dylan Hunt. It was revived for the character played by Kevin Sorbo as an homage of sorts to the 70’s pilots. Andromeda had a similar concept to these two movies with a hero from an earlier era helping to rebuild civilization in the future, but it was based on a different story idea that Roddenberry worked on in the mid-70’s after Genesis II / Planet Earth failed.
Where Can You Watch It? Both movies have been released on DVD and are available from Warner Archives and Amazon.com. They were also available for streaming on the Warner Archive service which is now defunct. But when the new WarnerMedia streaming service kicks off, I’m betting they will be included there.
Read More About the Films:
Genesis II: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
Planet Earth: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
Available from Amazon.com:
