Star Command Seeker
Space AcademyGenreCreated byDirected byVariousPresented byStarringMaggie CooperTy HendersonEric GreeneComposer(s)' and 'Country of originUnited StatesOriginal language(s)English and dubbed into Spanish for Spanish-speaking television markets. (These dubs are an audio option on the 4-DVD set.)No. Of seasons1No. Of episodes15ProductionExecutive producer(s)Producer(s)CinematographyAldric Edens,Editor(s)Stanley Frazen, F. Timothy McAvoyRunning time30 minutes (with commercials)Production company(s)Distributor(on behalf of )ReleaseOriginal networkPicture format1.33:1 (fullscreen)Audio formatOriginal releaseSeptember 10, 1977 ( 1977-09-10) –(as reruns) September 1, 1979 ( 1979-09-01)ChronologyRelated showsSpace Academy is a live-action program produced by that originally aired Saturday mornings on the television network, from September 10, 1977, to December 17, 1977. (Repeats ran on and off until September 1, 1979.) A total of 15 half-hour episodes were made.
The Seeker – an out-of-the-box review Does anyone remember the string of Saturday morning live action kids programing that was quite prevalent during the late 70’s? Ark II, Space Academy, and Jason of Star Command were produced by Filmation. The Star Seeker is part of a group of weapons associated with the Mysterious Tower, along with the corresponding staff and shield. These weapons are decorated with crescent moons and stars, and are the second set of weapons available to the party.
Contents.Cast The program starred veteran actor, best known as Dr. Zachary Smith of; co-starring were, Maggie Cooper, Ty Henderson, and Eric Greene. The program featured a pint-sized robot called 'Peepo', a machine voiced by talking through a with.Guest stars included; ('Mother Nature' in the TV commercials of the 1960s and 70s);;; and.Concepts and characters Established in the 'star year' 3732, the Space Academy, located on an, brought together the best of young minds, including several with special skills and abilities, to explore the mysteries of space.
Commander Isaac Gampu (Jonathan Harris) was the head of the academy. Tap tap dash level 1000. His many years of space exploration exposed him to conditions that immensely slowed his aging process; though appearing to be in his sixties or seventies, his true age was well over 300 years old, giving him a unique perspective on history and some ideal qualifications as a teacher.
He oversaw the activities of three student exploratory teams, the Red, Blue and Gold Teams (although the main characters were all members of the Blue Team). Chris Gentry (Ric Carrott) and Laura Gentry (Pamelyn Ferdin) were the captain and co-captain, respectively, of the academy's Blue Team. The siblings (Chris was the elder) had highly developed and other powers. Laura was attracted to Matt Prentiss (John Berwick, later 'Rex Ruthless' on ), the occasionally-seen leader of the Red Team. Adrian Pryce-Jones (Maggie Cooper) was number three in the Blue Team's and Chris's love interest. Paul Jerome (Ty Henderson), a highly intelligent transferee from the Red Team, was raised on an Earth colony. He was number four in the Blue Team's chain of command (although Paul is introduced as an established academy member in the first episode, he is reintroduced in the second episode as if he were a new character; conversely Loki, introduced in the first episode as a new admission, is reintroduced in the second episode as a long-established member.
This was acknowledged in the information booklet accompanying the series' DVD release). Tee Gar Soom (Brian Tochi), number five in Blue Team's chain of command, had and continued the traditions of his ancestors. He augmented these abilities with newer disciplines, some of which originated on other planets. Loki (Eric Greene) was a young orphan discovered in the first episode on the dying world of Zalon. A playful prankster, Loki could and could see well beyond the normally accessible by Earth humans.
His frequent catchphrase was '!' As with much of in the 1970s, lessons and morals were taught in each episode. These included wide-ranging concepts, such as that the possessed by some academy students were not a cure-all for problems, and that even the old and wise could make mistakes. As the students encountered members of races, even mutated descendants of Earth colonists in space, they came to further develop their wisdom and understanding of diversity throughout the universe.The spaceships commonly seen in the series were called 'Seekers' and were used much like a spacebound. The Seeker's nose was a re-used prop from the earlier Filmation series.One term of jargon unique to the program was 'ORACO' ('Orders Received And Carried Out'), used when orders were acknowledged by academy personnel.Episodes No.TitleOriginal air date1'The Survivors of Zalon'September 10, 1977 ( 1977-09-10)On a planet which will explode in 48 hours, the cadets find a mysterious young boy with strange powers.2'Castaways in Time and Space'September 17, 1977 ( 1977-09-17)Gampu and Laura are on a mission in a Seeker, when they are pulled into a black hole.
Chris must use his mind-link with his sister to try to rescue them.3'Hide and Seek'September 24, 1977 ( 1977-09-24)When a missile is used to destroy an asteroid that threatens the academy, members of the Blue Team begin to disappear. Loki, Laura and Peepo try to save their friends.4'Countdown'October 1, 1977 ( 1977-10-01)The Academy cadets are sent to clean up debris from the Vegan Wars, and an armed mine attaches itself to their shuttle. Then, a Vegan warrior awakens from his cryogenic suspension and is determined to fight the human enemy to the death.5'There's No Place Like Home'October 8, 1977 ( 1977-10-08)An alien named Kane infiltrates Space Academy and tries to get Loki to help him steal a file, promising he will give Loki information about his home planet. But the alien has something sinister in mind and Loki must make a choice.6'The Rocks of Janus'October 15, 1977 ( 1977-10-15)A pair of comets code-named Janus are on a collision course for the Academy, but when the Blue Team investigates, they discover that the closest comet is actually a sentient being named Irgo. The comet is dying, and came to warn sentient beings about the other comet, a criminal named Targ. Can the Blue Team revive Irgo and defeat Targ?7'Monkey Business'October 22, 1977 ( 1977-10-22)Adrian has been training a chimpanzee named Jake to communicate.
When the space mirror aimed at Alturos stops rotating. Professor Bolt and Tee Gar may freeze to death unless help comes soon. Chris, Loki and Jake go to the rescue, but are soon in a hot predicament themselves.8'The Phantom Planet'October 29, 1977 ( 1977-10-29)Proteus IX-B, an asteroid that once housed a small mining colony, is about to be demolished. But the appearance of a phantom planet around it leads Blue Team to perform a seance, in which Chris and Laura communicate with a ghostly member of a long-dead civilization, and learn they have to perform a dangerous rescue.9'Planet of Fire'November 5, 1977 ( 1977-11-05)Tee Gar invents a new device known as the 'cryotron', which can instantly freeze things. Against orders, he takes it to the planet Delius to test it further, unaware that the frozen things he tested at the Academy have since exploded.
When a giant named Dramon (guest star ) gains control over the cryotron and freezes Peepo, the Blue Team may not be able to save their robotic friend.10'Life Begins at 300'November 12, 1977 ( 1977-11-12)Paul's life is endangered and Peepo shuts down when Gampu makes an error in a Zolium-extraction mission. He is now 300 years old; is it time for him to retire? The frustrated Gina Correy thinks so.but who will save the headstrong cadet when she gets herself into danger?11'The Cheat'November 19, 1977 ( 1977-11-19)Despite the fact that he is under investigation for safety violations, Cadet Matt Prentiss is placed in charge of a mission to Asteroid BX-3 to contain a leaking reactor that threatens a nearby colony on Alopek. Oz broken kingdom pc.
Blue Team goes with Prentiss - including among them Chris Gentry, who cannot stand the headstrong leader - but Prentiss' actions soon put them all in danger.12'My Favorite Marcia'November 26, 1977 ( 1977-11-26)A star is going to explode, taking with it the planets around it. But the Academy receives a Galactic Distress Beacon from the Sunbeam, a trading ship run by Marcia Giddings, the past love of Gampu's life. But a rogue robot war machine soon traps Marcia and the Blue Team on the planet.13'Space Hooky'December 3, 1977 ( 1977-12-03)Loki skips class, but his body is taken over by two alien children who are balls of energy. The children exit Loki and take over Paul and Gampu, putting the Academy at great risk with their bizarre commands.14'Star Legend'December 10, 1977 ( 1977-12-10)Paul and Chris are trapped in the Alderan Triangle, then pushed back out into normal space by an entity that warns them away.
But Gampu leads the others into the Triangle, they find the millennium-old Starship Hope, a near-duplicate of Space Academy. Aboard it is the aged Captain Rampo, and he has a warning.15'Johnny Sunseed'December 17, 1977 ( 1977-12-17)Gampu's cantankerous technology-phobic brother visits the Academy. Unfortunately, Sunseed and many Academy crew members are affected by genetically-altered food that Paul has grown on a space farm. The hallucinations and bizarre behavior the food causes results in a deadly situation for Sunseed, unless he can work with Peepo, a being he truly despises.Home media BCI Eclipse LLC (under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment brand) (under license from ), released Space Academy: The Complete Series as a 4-disc Region 1 DVD box set on January 16, 2007.
The collection presented episodes uncut, remastered and in order of their original airdates, and included special features about the making of the show.Spin-off In 1978, a of Space Academy, debuted. Initially a serialized segment of, it starred and, with as the villain. Star Command was described as a special section of the Space Academy; the show used the same sets, costumes and special effects as the parent program.Merchandise In 1977, a set of four eight-and-a-half inch action figures based on Space Academy characters. The dolls in this set included Issac sic (described as 'Instructor in 'Space Academy'), ('Almost Super Human Strength'), ('Member of Space Academy') and ('Everybody's Mascot').Also available for the figures were special ', sold separately.References.
- Not to be confused with Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.
Jason of Star Command | |
---|---|
Created by | Arthur H. Nadel |
Directed by | Arthur H. Nadel |
Presented by | Filmation |
Starring | Craig Littler Charlie Dell Sid Haig Susan O'Hanlon James Doohan[1] Tamara Dobson[2] John Russell |
Composer(s) | Yvette Blais Jeff Michael |
Country of origin | United States |
No. of seasons | 2 |
No. of episodes | 28 |
Production | |
Executive producer(s) | Norm Prescott Lou Scheimer |
Producer(s) | Arthur H. Nadel |
Running time | 30 min. (with commercials) |
Production company(s) | Filmation |
Distributor | NBCUniversal Television Distribution |
Release | |
Original network | CBS |
Original release | September 9, 1978 – September 5, 1981 |
Chronology | |
Related shows | Space Academy |
Jason of Star Command is a 1978-1981 live action television series by Filmation.[3] The series revolved around the exploits of space adventurer Jason (Craig Littler) and his colleagues, including Professor E.J. Parsafoot (Charlie Dell) and the pocket robot 'Wiki' (formally W1K1). The series also starred Sid Haig as the evil Dragos, and, in the first season, James Doohan.[1]Jason was a spin-off of Space Academy.
Overview[edit]
Season 1[edit]
Its first season, which was a segment of Tarzan and the Super 7,[4] was done in the style of the movie serials of the past, telling a single overall story with 16 'chapters' of approximately 15 minutes' length, each ending in a cliffhanger.[5] The second season was a stand-alone, half-hour series.[6] Filmation would later revisit the serial format with both their rendition of The New Adventures of Flash Gordon and 'The Great Space Chase' segment of The New Adventures of Mighty Mouse and Heckle & Jeckle.
Jason flew a 'Starfire'. This fast spaceship had a 'star pod' that could separate from the ship in an emergency. Dragos commanded the vast 'Dragonship', similar to the Space Academy in that it was built on a large asteroid. Dragos's fighter craft were unmanned drones. This was a choice made by the series' producers and repeatedly pointed out in the plot, so that the destruction of these craft would not involve killing a pilot. The series aired on Saturday mornings, and deadly violence had to be kept to a minimum.[citation needed]
Season 2[edit]
James Doohan left the series at the end of the first season to join the rest of the original Star Trek cast in Star Trek: The Motion Picture. He was replaced by John Russell, who played the blue-skinned 'by the book' Commander Stone. Originally, Jonathan Harris was to have reprised his role as Commander Gampu from Space Academy, but according to the DVD booklet, he 'had a falling out' with Filmation, thus the creation of Doohan's character.
The asteroid prop used for Space Academy was re-used for Jason, where Star Command was stated to be 'in a secret section of Space Academy'. Other than the appearance of the robot Peepo and the appearance of a Seeker shuttle piloted by Lt. Matt Prentiss (John Berwick), no references were made to the characters or situations in Space Academy.
After the first run episodes that were shown on CBS during the fall lineup on CBS Saturday Morning, Jason Of Star Command was replaced by Shazam! in January 1980, which took Jason Of Star Command to being towed from the Saturday morning lineup of 12noon ET to Sunday morning CBS hiding lineup at 8:30am ET for a year and two months, before CBS had brought back the Jason Of Star Command series on Saturday at 1:00pm ET, right before 30 Minutes. Jason Of Star Command would finally be canceled from the CBS lineup after the first episode of season two was shown on CBS that day, before it was finally cancelled from the CBS Saturday morning lineup.
Episodes[edit]
Season One[edit]
These were 15-minute segments from Tarzan and the Super 7:
- 'Attack of the Dragonship'
- 'Prisoner of Dragos'
- 'Escape from Dragos'
- 'A Cry for Help'
- 'Wiki to the Rescue'
- 'Planet of the Lost'
- 'Marooned in Time'
- 'Attack of the Dragons'
- 'Peepo's Last Chance'
- 'The Disappearing Man'
- 'The Haunted Planet'
- 'Escape from Kesh'
- 'Return of the Creature'
- 'Peepo on Trial'
- 'The Trojan Horse'
- 'The Victory of Star Command'
Season Two[edit]
These were 30-minute episodes, aired as Jason of Star Command:
- 'Mission to the Stars'
- 'Frozen in Space'
- 'Web of the Star Witch'
- 'Beyond the Stars!'
- 'Secret of the Ancients'
- 'The Power of the Star Disk'
- 'Through the Stargate'
- 'Face to Face'
- 'Phantom Force'
- 'Little Girl Lost'
- 'Mimi's Secret'
- 'Battle for Freedom'
DVD release[edit]
BCI Eclipse LLC (under its Ink & Paint classic animation entertainment label) (Under license from Entertainment Rights) released the entire series on DVD in Region 1 on May 8, 2007.[7] The three-disc set contains all 28 episodes from seasons one and two, digitally remastered for optimum audio and video quality, and presented uncut and in story continuity order. as well as an array of special features including commentary tracks and photo and art galleries. The galleries also contain characters sheets for the proposed but never produced animated version of the show.[6]
As of 2011, this release has been discontinued and is out of print as BCI Eclipse has ceased operations.[8]
References[edit]
- ^ abErickson, Hal. 'James Doohan'. The New York Times. Retrieved January 20, 2011.
- ^'Tamara Dobson, star of 'Cleopatra Jones' movies, dies at 59'. Sun Journal. Lewiston, ME. Associated Press. October 6, 2006. p. A4.
- ^Woolery, George W. (1985). Children's Television: The First Thirty-Five Years, 1946-1981, Part II: Live, Film, and Tape Series. The Scarecrow Press. pp. 245–246. ISBN0-8108-1651-2.
- ^Hyatt, Wesley (1997). The Encyclopedia of Daytime Television. Watson-Guptill Publications. p. 235. ISBN978-0823083152. Retrieved 22 March 2020.
- ^Margulies, Lee (September 8, 1978). 'Action-Packed Kidvid'. Los Angeles Times. p. F1.
- ^ abGalbraith, Stuart, IV (May 8, 2007). 'Jason of Star Command - The Complete Series'. DVD Talk.
- ^'Jason of Star Command: The Complete Series'. Archived from the original on 2012-10-14. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
- ^'PRESS RELEASE: Navarre shuts down BCI, makers of He-Man, Day Break, Price is Right and other DVDs'. Archived from the original on 2010-05-31. Retrieved 2010-05-31.
External links[edit]
- Jason of Star Command on IMDb
- Jason of Star Command at TV.com