Logan's Run (TV Series) The Collectors (1977) User Reviews

Penny For Your Thoughts

[ShadeGrenade · 7/10 · 21 October 2006]

The Solarcraft has broken down, so while Rem fixes it Logan and Jessica go off in search of water. They find it, along with lush tropical vegetation, untalkative parrots...and Penny Robinson from 'Lost In Space'. "Welcome to Sanctuary.", she trills, in the manner of a Californian air hostess, "I'm Karen.".

Logan and Jessica are thrilled. But, of course, we viewers know differently. This can't be Sanctuary...its only the first episode! Taken to what appears to be a holiday camp for ex-Miss World and Mr.Universe contestants, Logan and Jessica are introduced to 'The Protector' - a grey-haired man called John and his partner, Joanna ( played by the lovely Leslie Parrish, of 'The Manchurian Candidate' fame ). Jessica is reunited with ( ahem! ) an old friend named Martin, and Logan doesn't appear jealous. It all looks too good to be true, and is. 'Sanctuary' is an illusion created by aliens out to study Mankind as part of some sort of cosmic experiment. Locked away in a steam bath are two other aliens, resembling extras from 'The Name Of The Rose'. Logan and Jessica are trapped - and their only hope of salvation lies with Rem...

Pleasant, undemanding episode which recalls 'Star Trek's' first pilot 'The Cage' and 'Space:1999''s 'Missing Link' without managing to be as good as either. A bit more action and fewer flying pillows would not have gone amiss. Some of the creatures could have stepped out of the 'Star Wars' cantina. Most interesting moment - Logan's nightmare in which he is taunted by Sandmen, though Francis is not amongst them. Jessica looks beautiful even when climbing a hill. Nice to see Rem brooking no impertinence from the aliens.

The Collectors

[Scarecrow-88 · 7/10 · 28 May 2012]

"The Collectors", following the wonderful pilot movie for the short-lived series, Logan's Run, is really what you would expect to see at some point, the script has a plot you can always dust off and reuse time and again, dating back to 50s sci-fi. It concerns aliens collecting two of every specimen from other worlds to inhabit and study for a short time from the comforts of their space ship after using a memory device that allows those under its spell to envision splendid moments from the past or entire pleasant memories, given creation from their minds. When the aliens, in this case Kalorians, are satisfied with their selections, the two are placed in cages, the ship soon returning to their planet in preparation to determine weaknesses during experimentation so they can exploit them when attempting colonization on test subjects' worlds. Probably, this episode will be notable (as it was for me when I first watched "The Collectors") for Lost in Space's Angela Cartwright (Penny) guest starring as a member of Kalorians, John and Joanna's (Linden Chiles and Leslie Parrish) crew, mimicking a runner (she is positively beautiful). This features a spat between Logan and Jessica (they have so few moments where the two are angry with each other) because of a runner named Martin (Lawrence P Casey), and there is a robed species who have to live in a certain gaseous cage due to their inability to function for large periods in Earth's atmosphere who befriend our heroes. This episode has plenty of unique aliens for Star Wars' lovers and Rem chastises John and Joanna for referring to him as "just a machine" (his attempt to dissuade them from choosing Logan and Jessica, describing them as inferior playthings, pets, is amusing) which should earn some applause because of how the Kalorians value other species with such little regard. Right away, the series was establishing the possibility of a Sanctuary discovered, only for Logan and Jessica to find out that the search for their Eden, their Promise Land, would have to continue. As was often the case, Rem would have to come to the rescue of Logan and Jessica who unknowingly walk into a trap. A constant also with the series was Logan pressing the buttons of their solar craft after another difficult situation was averted, the three leaving the location of a place that nearly led to potential disaster. Already, the show was examining the dynamic between Logan and Jessica, their feelings for each other. Memorable scenes include Jessica thinking about a flower glass hurled towards a wall next to Logan out of anger and it coming true & Logan "coming in contact" with imagined Sandmen (...with devious faces, shouting/whispering with guile, "Runner!") who draw closer to him where there is no escape telling him he's back in the City of Domes.

Similar theme found in Star Trek's The Cage/The Menagerie

[mgmstar128 · 9/10 · 19 January 2019]

Since D.C. Fontana was involved with the original Star Trek series, several themes popped up in many of the episodes of this fun but short lived series. I noticed when watching this episode that our three heroes were under the illusions set forth by their captors and that they and the other kidnapped victims were all placed in cages/holding cells in a hallway similar to that of the Star Trek pilot The Cage and then the episode based on the pilot which was The Menagerie.

Another unorginal idea...

[mhorg2018 · 2/10 · 16 February 2022]

Wow. Aliens are here to bring back specimens of humanity! Where have I seen this done before, and better? Oh, Lost in Space (the original and terrible show, still better than Netflix waste of time) in the only two parter and a great first season pair of episode, The Keeper, with Michael Rennie. Not an original thought in this series, beginning with the second episode.