"Star Maidens" (1976) TV series

Creator:

Eric Paice

Seasons:

1

Release Date:

1 September 1976 (UK)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Plot:

TV series of British/German origin, and set in the "present" Earth of the 1970s. A planet from another...

Plot Keywords:

Female Dominated Society | Matriarchy | Matriarchal Society

Cast

Lisa Harrow	...	Liz Becker (10 episodes, 1976)
Christian Quadflieg	...	Rudi Schmidt (10 episodes, 1976)
Christiane Krüger	...	Octavia (10 episodes, 1976)
Judy Geeson	...	Fulvia (8 episodes, 1976)
Gareth Thomas	...	Shem (8 episodes, 1976)
Pierre Brice	...	Adam (8 episodes, 1976)
Derek Farr	...	Prof. Evans (8 episodes, 1976)
Dawn Addams	...	President Clara (5 episodes, 1976)

Also Known As:

Die Mädchen aus dem Weltraum (West Germany)

Runtime:

30 min (13 episodes)

Country:

UK | West Germany

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

UK:PG

Filming Locations:

Bray, Berkshire, England, UK

Company:

Jost Graf von Hardenberg & Co.

Trivia:

Gareth Thomas (Shem) went on to play rebel leader Roj Blake in the BBC science fiction drama series "Blakes 7" (1978). Derek Farr (Professor Evans) also appeared in the series, playing computer scientist Ensor, creator of the mobile supercomputer Orac.

I want to live on Medusa!!!

If you're a fan of THUNDERBIRDS or SPACE:1999 then you might be curious about this obscure TV show made shortly after the Andersons' divorced. Although she is uncredited, the hand of Sylvia Anderson is all over this ambitious but mostly haphazard production: Gogo- booted guards in day-glow crash helmets, delicious sets and props that have more in common with a Pucci gown than technology, romantic innuendos and social situations too advanced for a space-rocket adventure.... Star Maidens isn't just a campy role-reversal. It explores what happens when worlds collide, and the ripple effect each has on the other's culture, albeit played out in a silly melodrama with a handful of characters shot on as low- budget as possible.... Adam escapes Medusa thinking Earth will be a male-dominant paradise. Instead he finds earthlings attempting to balance the roles of men and women, and Adam realizes what he wants: Equality. Meanwhile, hostage Liz Becker basks in her predicament as a closet-subservient to fellow prisoner Rudi Schmidt, but she must pretend to be his master as the planet Medusa offers her every opportunity except admitting her need for a man. Perhaps most complex is Fulvia who uses her political status to shield a taboo relationship with her domestic servant, which she condescendingly dismisses as the love of a pet until they become curious about the ways of Earth. Can Fulvia and Adam find common ground before their relationship creates an interplanetary conflict? Clearly there is more here than ray guns and space battles, but in 30-minute episodes nothing gets very deep and the directing is so clumsy from episode to episode that the show is barely pinned together like the Medusans' elaborate hairstyles! Scenes are awkward, characters inconsistent, and plot-holes abound, but a groovy future lounge soundtrack keeps things rolling along and each episode is only a half hour. Feminists attempt to seize power on Earth with stolen Medusa weapons, Fulvia and Adam roleplay a trial suburban marriage, while Liz and Rudi unravel the ecological collapse of planet Medusa. Where is all this going? Is it satire or space opera? Who cares! Sit back and indulge in this strange artifact from a time when the sexual revolution threatened to go too far.

All 13 episodes are available from AmazonUK on 2 region-free dvds.