Wonder Woman (TV Series) The Starships Are Coming (1979) User Reviews

War of the Worlds

[Joxerlives · 7/10 · 18 February 2012]

The Starships are coming Ridiculous at first glance this ep makes a lot more sense when you think that the events of 'Mind robbers from outer space' took place in the public eye, the existence of alien life is common knowledge in the DC universe. That said the 'villain who explains the dastardly scheme before attempting to kill the hero in an unnecessarily elaborate fashion' is just terrible as Austin Powers points out to great comic effect. Ultra-right wing baddies who were common in the 70s, self-doubting America looking inwards to itself for evil after the debacle of Vietnam, Watergate and the Church Committee hearings into the CIA/FBI and their various dodgy actions during the Cold War (would love to have seen Steve Trevor hauled before that inquisition, "So Mr Trevor, is Wonder Woman's lariat of truth admissible as evidence under the constitution or is it an infringement of civil rights comparable to waterboarding?") . The fear of Red China (before it was replaced by capitalist-but-still-totalitarian-China) very much to the fore and the controversy surrounding Nixon's detente towards it certainly a big issue. Once again we end with Lynda Carter giving her trademarked huge smile of happiness, does anyone else do that with such radiant conviction?. Not a bad ep per se but it seems the series is still trying to ride the wave of sci-fi enthusiasm that followed Star Wars (WW alumni Roddy McDowell voicing Disney's The Black Hole etc).

7/10

Disco UFOs over Pittsburg! (sic)

[GroovyDoom · 8/10 · 8 May 2014]

Notes while watching "The Starships Are Coming":

• That is one seriously disco UFO. It's totally Michael Zager Band.

• WZAB in Pittsburg? I think they mentioned the Allegheny Mountains, so I'm pretty sure this isn't Pittsburg, California. They spelled the name of the city wrong!

• Diana's scotch vest is DA BOMB.

• We see the IADC Zoom at least THREE times, and in very close succession I might add. Someone wasn't paying attention, or else they were doing lots of coke in the editing room and this made total sense.

• Lynda Carter's delivery when she hears the villain's master plan and says "You really are insane"--BRILLIANT.

• The IADC is at the top of technology. Steve's desk has everything except an espresso machine and the best they can come up with is a 13" TV to watch doomsday on.

• Good god... when the final countdown is halted, it's totally a VHS tape on pause!!

• Is Bobbie the new Eve? What happened to Eve, anyway? Did the aliens get her, too? Or is Eve's disappearance from the show (as well as Joe's) supposed to have taken place during one of those off camera important events that we don't know about? Kind of like when Diana talks about people we don't know as if she has a long history with them, one we've never seen on the show? The "Wonder Woman" universe seems to imply there are numerous adventures we DON'T see happening, and that's just teasing.

• Oh wow that actor playing the General is the same actor who played Andros in a REAL alien episode in Season One! MIND WARP.

• I wonder where this flying saucer battle stock footage came from?

• Diana delivers the freeze-frame smile while implying she's become so intimate with this week's characters that she will be invited to their wedding. Now see HERE is a relationship we see forming! Hopefully they were planning in Season Four for Diana to revisit them and help them work through their marriage problems while facing off against a local supervillain. And staying in constant contact with Steve Trevor by phone.

INSPIRED BY ORSON WELLS

[asalerno10 · 8/10 · 19 May 2022]

Interesting episode obviously inspired by the famous broadcast that Orson Wells made on the radio about the novel The War of the Worlds in 1938 and that unleashed panic in part of the population, only here the dramatization is televised. It is a bit absurd that a prestigious Colonel falls for this deception, but hey, this detail can be overlooked since the episode is entertaining and maintains until almost the end the resolution of the true plan of the villains.

The aliens are coming! One of the better final "Wonder Woman" episodes!

[blanbrn · 9/10 · 25 December 2021]

"The Starships Are Coming" episode number 15 from season 3 which first aired on Feb. 2, 1979 was one of the better late one's as it was entertaining with action, drama, and fun suspense that involved the plot of an "UFO" invasion. A small Pennsylvania town has had a rash of recent flying object sightings and things get stranger when a young man is abducted by aliens and a new news transmitting station is going wild. Send Diana to investigate and she finds out some crazy weird stuff as to the real reason behind these encounters. It involves a missile site and hidden transmitter site. Also very memorable was Diana being kidnapped and abducted by the group behind all of the drama(as Lynda again for the third time in season 3 is tied up and gagged this time again with a black gag and her damsel in distress scene is memorable with her trying to talk thru the gag before being rescued!) The plot is uncovered and revealed overall well done and a very memorable better episode of "The Wonder Woman" series.

A waste of two talented actors

[cpotato1010 · 3/10 · 31 March 2019]

It is getting late in the third (and final) season, and they seem to be running out of ideas.

Or at least they cannot write a decent episode, since this was a poor attempt at something that could have been good.

It was painful to see two such actors as Andrew Duggan and Tim O'Connor be stuck with such dreadful dialogue.

btw, I think there was a slit in the eye patch Tim O'Connor was wearing, when he was in the missile site.

Notable perhaps for for an early Sheryl Lee Ralph. At least she went on to better parts.