Earth Star Voyager had its share of ’80s cheesiness and Disney/YA tropes, but it still had some potential and could have turned into a decent series.
What Is It?
This spaced-based pilot takes place in the year 2088 (exactly one hundred years in the future from when it aired) when Earth is on the verge of ecological collapse and preparations are being made to evacuate the human race to other planets in the galaxy. The ship Earth*Star Voyager–manned by a young crew due to the long duration of space travel–is sent to survey the planet Demeter to see if it is ripe for colonization. But as things begin to go wrong during the journey, it becomes apparent that they are part of a conspiracy and that somebody has very different plans for the ship and its crew.
Aired: ABC, January 17-24 1988, 2 Part Mini-Series
Starring: Duncan Regehr, Brian McNamara, Julia Montgomery, Jason Michas
Created By: Ed Spielman
Why Didn’t it Fly?
In 1987, Star Trek: The Next Generation proved a huge hit in syndication and seemed to point to a hunger among audiences for space-based sci fi on television. In 1988, Disney apparently sought to jump on that bandwagon with this pilot which aired in two parts on ABC on The Wonderful World of Disney. But this younger-skewing mini-series came long before the entertainment industry had discovered the cash cow of YA franchises and how to make those appeal to the broader audience. I have no ratings data for the two-part episode, but apparently it did not pull strong enough numbers for ABC to have an interest in adding it to the schedule. Though the mini-series would go into the regular repeat rotation on cable for the next few years where it would start to build somewhat of a cult following.
Would the Series have Worked?
As you would expected from a younger-skewing show in the 1980s, Earth Star Voyager was rather cheesy and hampered by exceptionally wooden acting along with plenty of copy-and-paste dialogue. But the special effects were decent for a television series (at that time) and it had some potential if it could have expanded its appeal beyond the younger audience to which it catered. The pilot was written and created by Ed Spielman who had previously created the acclaimed martial arts western Kung Fu in the 1970s (and he would later create the supernatural anthology Dead Man’s Gun in the 1990s). So the show had some pedigree–and at least some respect for its science–and could have turned into a decent sci fi entry if it broke away from the more juvenile approach that was almost certainly dictated by the Mouse House. And this one could still work today, possibly on Disney’s younger-skewing Freeform or on the Disney+ streaming service. Since the show acknowledged long travel times in deep space, a revival could be done as a sequel with some of the original cast reprising their roles. It seems unlikely that Disney would revisit this property since it is not well known today, but it might be interesting if they did.
Where Can You Watch It?
This mini-series is not available for streaming (come on Disney+, add it to your lineup) nor has it ever been issued on DVD or Blu-ray despite the fact that its loyal following have lobbied the Mouse House for a home video release multiple times. But Disney apparently has no interest in making money on that venture as nothing has made it to the shelves yet, nor does anything appear to be in the works. You can track down bootleg copies on the internet and you can also catch it on YouTube from time to time (currently at this link) if you are interested. You may find it worth checking out as a blast from the past when television was still trying to find its way with epic sci fi (we would see much better examples within a few years from Babylon 5 and Star Trek: Deep Space 9). Just set expectations properly because it delivers plenty of ’80s cheese with its sci fi.
Read about more Sci Fi TV pilots that did not fly at this link.
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