Retro Sci Fi TV: A look at shows from the past that may not have stood the test of time and/or that are relegated to their era, but many of us still have fond memories of them.
What Is It? This 1973 series follows a generational colony ship built by the last surviving members of humanity that goes off course from its mission to find them a new home. Following is the opening narration:
The giant Earth ship ARK… drifting through deep space over 800 years into the far future. Its passengers, descendants of the last survivors of the dead planet Earth, locked in separate worlds heading for destruction… unless three young people can save… The Starlost.
The ship consists of multiple domes that have been cut-off from each other after an accident that occurred 400 years prior, and the societies in each dome have mostly forgotten that they are travelling through space. Three people stumble upon the truth and the fact that this ship is on a collision course with a star and must find a way avert the impending disaster.
Aired: 1973-74, Syndicated, 1 Season Totaling 16 Episodes
Starring: Keir Dullea, Gay Rowan, Robin Ward
Created By: Harlan Ellison
Is It Must Watch Sci Fi? No. The show had promise, but studio tinkering resulted in a cheap production that disappeared from the airwaves and was forgotten fairly quickly.
The Skinny: This oddity from the 70’s is not well known, but it has developed somewhat of a cult reputation over the years. It was a Canadian production that was syndicated in the U.S. and that ran for only one season of sixteen episodes. It was created by Harlan Ellison and his script for the pilot even received the Best Original Screenplay award from the Writer’s Guild of America. But Ellison distanced himself from the show after growing disillusioned with the production direction. Special effects wizard Douglas Trumball (Silent Running) was involved with the show as well and he even developed a new technology called Magicam that would integrate actors with model backgrounds. But it did not work quite as planned, and they reverted to a more standard green-screen technique.
Ultimately, the studio (20th Century Fox) made many changes to the pilot script and recorded the show on video tape like classic Doctor Who. And while that was common for shows produced in Canada at that time, the cheap production values hampered the show’s performance in its syndication run in the U.S. The show itself had an interesting concept and plenty of promise, especially while Ellison was still onboard. And the actors did a decent enough job in their roles, led by 2001: A Space Odyssey‘s Keir Dullea. But the series quickly derailed and started delivering ersatz society-of-the-week stories that felt like cheap Star Trek knock-offs. It is still worth a look, though, for sci fi TV aficionados who want to see a show that could have been the next Trek but that failed to chart a bold new journey.
>Buy Starlost The Complete Series on DVD from Amazon.com
Cancelled Too Soon? Yes. The show never really developed much of a following and I don’t believe it was widely syndicated in the United States. Despite its cheap production values, it was still a rather costly series for a Canadian entry (in part because of the salary they were paying Keir Dullea). Fox decided not to continue the series for a second season leaving it as yet another one-and-done sci fi relic from the 70’s.
Should It Be Rebooted? Yes. Ellison’s original concept for the show had plenty of promise, but this one was derailed by tinkering from network execs that failed to grasp the true vision of the show. The pilot script was adapted as a novel titled Phoenix Without Ashes and then later as a comic by IDW. There were talks of a reboot of the show, but it does not have much name recognition, so I am not certain this one will generate much interest. (More thoughts on rebooting the show at this link.)
>Buy the Phoenix Without Ashes novelization and TPB from Amazon.com
Interesting Facts: Harlan Ellison was infamous for being unhappy with the adaptations of his scripts and he had his name removed from the credits of The Starlost, replaced with his usual protest moniker Cordwainer Bird. Producers wanted to liven up the show with an alien character, and they brought Star Trek‘s Walker Koenig onboard to play the alien character Oro for a few episodes.
Where Can You Watch It? The entire series has been released on DVD. There is also a streaming channel on Roku that has all episodes available to watch for free. More on that at this link.
Read More About the Show: Wikipedia | IMDb.com
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