Sci Fi Bytes: Nuggets, anecdotes, trivia, and more from the worlds of sci fi and fantasy television.
The original Star Trek series aired for three seasons in the late 60’s before NBC’s cancellation, and it would then shift to syndication in the early 70’s where it started to draw huge audiences that would eventually launch it into a global, billion-dollar franchise. Creator Gene Rodenberry tried to replicate the format of that show to an extent around that time, likely hoping to tap into the audience that was tuning into repeats of his space-based series. His 1973 pilot Genesis II set the basic template for what I have dubbed “Land Trek” or “Earth Trek” shows. These shows follow a group of people, usually in a post-apocalyptic world, traveling around and encountering different societies from episode to episode. So instead of traversing the stars and meeting new races, they stick to the ground but still encounter a different culture each week. Here is a look at the ones from the ’70s and ’80s that tried to attract the Star Trek audience.
Genesis II / Planet Earth (CBS – 1973 / ABC – 1974, Failed Pilots):
Genesis II follows a 20th century scientist who awakes from suspended animation in a future world to discover that society has collapsed. He encounters a group called PAX who want to rebuild society and who control a system of underground transportation tunnels they can use to travel across the globe and make contact with the pockets of civilization that still exist. This pilot never went to series, but Roddenberry tweaked the concept for a second attempt on ABC called Planet Earth. That was very similar to Genesis II, though John Saxon took over the lead role and PAX was more technologically advanced (it also dropped some of the darker tones of the first pilot). One more shot at turning the concept into a series came a few years later with Strange New World, though Roddenberry had bowed out at that point. (Read more about these pilots at this link.)
Planet of the Apes (CBS, 1974, 1 Season Totaling 12 Episodes):
This television continuation of the Apes film franchise got the greenlight to series on CBS over Genesis II and shared some similarities to the Roddenberry pilot. It was not part of the continuity of the movies but followed a premise similar to the first film. It focuses on two human astronauts who land on the planet and discover that apes are in charge and that humans are treated as inferior. They travel from community to community each week hoping to eventually change the order on the planet. The show proved too expensive for television, though, and was cancelled after one season. (Read more about these pilots at this link.)
Ark II (CBS, 1976, 1 Season Totaling 15 Episodes):
This Saturday morning entry follows a group of scientists traveling around the planet in an amped-up all-terrain vehicle after pollution has led to the collapse of society. While the plots were kid-friendly because of the timeslot, the show was actually better than you might think because it did work in some sci fi concepts, and it had several veteran television actors show up in guest starring roles like Jonathan Harris, Malachi Throne, Jim Backus, and even Robby the Robot. Sadly, it lasted only one season and 15 episodes. (Read more about these pilots at this link.)
Fantastic Journey (NBC, 1977, 1 Season Totaling 10 Episodes):
This 1977 Prime Time series follows a group lost in the Bermuda Triangle who travel through various timezones in the trying to find their way home. D.C. Fontana, who had worked on Star Trek, helmed the show, and it definitely showed some promise, but the first season was rather rough because it was rushed to production. It disappeared quickly from the schedule after 10 episodes. (Read more about these pilots at this link.)
Logan’s Run (CBS, 1977-78, 1 Season Totaling 14 Episodes):
In the next season, the Logan’s Run TV series took up the Land Trek mantle and follows Logan, Jessica, and android Rem travelling outside the dome cities in a hovercraft and encountering the remnants of civilization. D.C. Fontana also worked on this one, along with some other names that had contributed to Trek including Harlan Ellison, but it had little more success than its predecessors as it faded after 14 episodes. (Read more about these pilots at this link.)
Otherworld (CBS, 1985, 1 Season Totaling 8 Episodes):
A last stab at this sub-genre came with 1985’s Otherworld. This one follows a family that stumble into a parallel Earth while touring the Great Pyramid of Giza. They find themselves outcasts there by inadvertently breaking the laws and they flee to the separate “zones” that cover the planet looking for a way to return to their own Earth. It met with even less success than the others, lasting only 8 episodes. (Read more about these pilots at this link.)
The “Land Trek” format actually had some promise and seemed budget-conscious, but multiple misfires at launching a series from the template seemed to discourage any further effort in that direction and nothing of note from the sub-genre has emerged since Otherworld got the axe. But there is always hope that a Genesis II reboot (the one most likely to get a revival because it has Gene Roddenberry’s name attached) could show up at some point or a completely new show that makes use of the format.
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