"Starhunter" (2000) TV series

User Rating:

7.6/10   

Creators:

Daniel D'Or
Philip Jackson

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

1 April 2001 (France)

Genre:

Sci-Fi

Tagline:

Seek Justice In The Stars!

Plot:

The year is 2275. Bounty Hunter Dante Montana and his ragtag crew are commissioned to track and capture dangerous interplanetary criminals...

Cast

Michael Paré	...	Dante Montana (26 episodes, 2000-2003)
Tanya Allen	...	Percy Montana (26 episodes, 2000-2003)
Murray Melvin	...	Caravaggio (26 episodes, 2000-2003)
Claudette Roche	...	Lucretia Scott (24 episodes, 2000-2001)
Stephen Marcus	...	Rudolpho / ... (23 episodes, 2000-2003)

Runtime:

47 min | 60 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Filming Locations:

Minto, New Brunswick, Canada

Company:

SpaceWorks Studios

Movie Connections:

Followed by "Starhunter" (2003)

Deserves much more credit than it's given

Many people seem to think that "Starhunter" was a bad show- and I can see how they could think that. It's simply low-budget. It has dated (but not bad) special effects, some of the acting is not what one would call stellar, and some of the sets away from the Tulip (their ship) were godawful, I won't lie. But people who watch one episode and think the show sucks need to give it a chance. The series was meant to be watched the whole way through, otherwise you'd have no idea what was happening.

The best thing about the show, and something I find lacking in most, is its single driving story arc that links all the episodes together. Dante (Pare), the Tulip's captain, has been searching for his long-lost son for ten years, along with his niece Percy (Allen), who has never gotten to experience a "normal" life, as she's been confined to the ship nearly her whole life. The two are joined by Luc (Roche), the security officer who was hired by their boss, or so they believe. The interactions between the three are truly interesting, you see the sense of bonding between Dante and Percy throughout the show deepen, and their relationship with Luc changes due to certain *circumstances*. The script, in my opinion, was written very well, because you really come to care about the characters. But I digress.

The show, as I said, is meant to be watched sequentially, because the characters and the story are affected by what happened in previous episodes. As the show progresses, you learn more and more about the mysterious "Divinity Cluster", the driving force behind the plot. The first half of the show is more "episodic" in nature, going from one little adventure to the next without too much overall plot advancement, but it sets the stage for the second half, which is where "Starhunter" truly shines.

In the second half of the show, everything starts to come together, and each episode leaves you wanting to know more about what is going to happen and where it will end. The final episodes of the show are spectacular and quite climactic... but I won't say too much. Also, if you can, see the full episodes (as aired in Canada) with the transmissions from Rudolpho at the beginning, as they really are quite entertaining, and sometimes recap what's been happening.

Another thing I admire about the show is its sense of realism. Humanity has not yet escaped the confines of our own solar system, as hyperspace technology has not been invented yet. This isn't a long time ago in a galaxy far far away... this is 2275, the not-so-distant future, and you see the constant struggle of humanity across the solar system as they try to survive. Another thing is the Tulip... she isn't an Enterprise-type top-of-the-line galaxy explorer. The Tulip is actually an old cruise ship refitted for bounty hunting, and 80% of the ship isn't even used by the crew. Their ship is constantly falling into disrepair, as the crew barely makes enough to keep her running, and things happen on long-forgotten decks of the ship that make for some interesting twists. It just feels more overall authentic than most.

If you're going to watch the show, try and get past the aforementioned problems that are present in the early episodes (and which I noticed getting markedly better later on), because there is a gem to be found here. There's something about the plot, the twists, and most of all the characters that "Starhunter 2300" (The second series), while still good, just doesn't have, and no amount of special effects will change that. Newer shows like "Firefly" may have a much bigger budget behind them than this almost unknown series, but "Starhunter" takes full advantage of what it does have and creates a compelling adventure that, in my humble opinion, no fan of science fiction should miss.