The Dorian Secret (16 Apr. 1981)

Buck and Hawk transport refugees of a planetary disaster to a new home. Buck allows a fugitive woman named Asteria Eleefa to board the Searcher. Eleefa is a member of a harsh mutant race ... See full summary »

Director:

Jack Arnold

Writers:

Robert C. Dille (characters), Glen A. Larson (developed for television by),

Stars:

Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Thom Christopher

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William "Buck" Rogers
Erin Gray	...	Col. Wilma Deering
Thom Christopher	...	Hawk
Jay Garner	...	Admiral Asimov
Wilfrid Hyde-White	...	Dr. Goodfellow
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Keith Atkinson	...	Joham
Lachelle Chamberlain	...	Darel
William Kirby Cullen	...	Demeter
Walker Edmiston	...	Koldar
Devon Ericson	...	Asteria Eleefa
Dennis Haysbert	...	Ensign
Michele Marsh	...	Cleis
Denny Miller	...	Saurus
Stuart Nisbet	...	Rand
Eldon Quick	...	Chronos

Storyline

Buck and Hawk transport refugees of a planetary disaster to a new home. Buck allows a fugitive woman named Asteria Eleefa to board the Searcher. Eleefa is a member of a harsh mutant race called the Dorians, who hide their faces behind decorated masks. Ruthless Dorian leader Koldar claims that Eleefa is a murderess and hence demands that Eleefa be handed over to him. When Buck refuses to oblige Koldar's demand, Koldar decides to turn up the temperature on the Searcher.

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Plot Keywords:

spandex suit | spandex disco jeans | 25th century

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 1981 (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

Last show of the series.

User Reviews

Not a great way to wrap things up.

Whilst transporting a group of refugees to a new planet, The Searcher is immobilised by a huge craft manned by Dorians, a mutant race who, ashamed of their appearance, hide their faces behind decorated masks. When asked to give an explanation for the attack, Koldar, the Dorian supreme leader, reveals that one of the refugees is actually a Dorian woman who is wanted for murder, and that, once she has been handed over to them for execution, The Searcher will be free to resume its journey.

Buck, who knows the identity of the now-unmasked-and-actually rather-attractive woman, is unable to believe that she is guilty, and refuses to comply. Angered by the response he receives, Koldar uses his ship's thermal intervention beams to drastically alter the temperature on board The Searcher. As things get rather uncomfortable for the refugees, they begin to turn on each other, and attempt to discover which one of them is the Dorian.

Whereas much of season two had a distinctly Star Trek vibe about it, the 13th and final episode of Buck Rogers (the series was abruptly cancelled due to plummeting ratings) resembles a tale from the Twilight Zone. Like that show's classic 'The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street', 'The Dorian Secret' deals with human fear, paranoia, and suspicion, and closes with a typically Rod Serling-style conclusion.

Just what in the Hell were the writers thinking of?

Buck Rogers began as a light-hearted, cheesy sci-fi show that revelled in its own campness; fans expected silly aliens, dodgy effects, pretty ladies, innuendo, bad matte paintings, and poorly choreographed fights (with unconvincing stuntmen). Unfortunately, somewhere along the way, the show lost its fun factor, with 'The Dorian Secret' being the least enjoyable episode of all: there's no humour, no action and no sense of fun.

And, forgive me for sounding like a letch (I can't help it, because I am), but surely Wilma Deering would've stripped down to her undies in such an unbearable heat. An oversight of that magnitude is unforgivable!