Flight of the War Witch (27 Mar. 1980)

A space warp traps Buck Rogers and Twiki in another universe where Buck discovers that the peaceful inhabitants of the planet Pendar are under attack from ruthless war witch Zarina. Buck ... See full summary »

Director:

Larry Stewart

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (developed for television by), Leslie Stevens (developed for television by),

Stars:

Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O'Connor

Cast

Episode cast overview, first billed only:
Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William "Buck" Rogers
Erin Gray	...	Col. Wilma Deering
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer
Pamela Hensley	...	Princess Ardala
Kelley Miles	...	Chandar
Donald Petrie	...	Kodus
Sid Haig	...	Spirot
Michael Ansara	...	Kane
Julie Newmar	...	Zarina
Vera Miles	...	Tora
Sam Jaffe	...	Council Leader
Felix Silla	...	Twiki
Mel Blanc	...	Twiki (voice)
Tony Carroll	...	Pantherman
Brent Davis	...	Goneril

Storyline

A space warp traps Buck Rogers and Twiki in another universe where Buck discovers that the peaceful inhabitants of the planet Pendar are under attack from ruthless war witch Zarina. Buck has to form an uneasy alliance with Draconian Princess Ardala in order to defeat Zarina.

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Plot Keywords:

spandex suit | 25th century | spandex disco jeans

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

27 March 1980 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal TV

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (technicolor) Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Julie Newmar and Sid Haig previously appeared with each other on the short-lived television series Jason of Star Command.

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Quotes

Princess Ardala: [on being introduced to Tigerman's replacement] I think I'll call you... Pantherman. You're black. You're beautiful. Why don't you come over here and show me your claws?

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Soundtracks

"Suspension"
(uncredited)
Music by Stu Phillips
Lyrics by Glen A. Larson
Sung by Kipp Lennon

User Reviews

The Season One finalé.

Season One of Buck Rogers in the 25th century ends as it began, with the Draconians causing trouble for the Terrans, and Princess Ardala (Pamela Hensley) doing her best to attract Buck's attention. However, by the end of this two-part adventure, the Draconians and the Terrans find themselves fighting side by side to beat a common foe: the evil War Witch, Zarina (Julie Newmar).

After a highly advanced civilisation contacts Earth (via a mysterious golden orb that lands in the desert just outside New Chicago), and the Defence Directorate are shown the secret of warp travel, Buck, Twiki and Dr. Theopolis man a specially prepared star-fighter and travel to another universe. Their ship is guided to the planet Pendar, where they are convinced to help in the Pendarian struggle against Zarina, a warmongering tyrant whose hobby is conquering civilisations.

Buck's chances of success against Zarina are greatly improved, however, when Ardala steals the golden orb from Earth, equips her battleship with warp-drive, and follows Buck to Pendar, taking an unwilling Wilma Deering and Dr. Heuer with her. Upon reaching Pendar, Ardala is faced with the prospect of being trapped forever in an alternate universe, and reluctantly agrees to help in the fight against Zarina.

Part one of Flight of the War Witch is pretty entertaining stuff, with some rare outdoor location shots featuring a lumbering tank style vehicle, a memorably emotional scene when Buck leaves for uncharted space (Erin Grey's tearful performance is terrific), and some colourful special effects as the star-fighter enters the warp.

Ardala has never been one of my favourite characters of the series, but here Hensley is actually pretty good, revelling in the campness of the part (the way she eyes up Tigerman's black musclebound replacement, Pantherman, is priceless!).