Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 

A 20th century astronaut emerges out of 500 years of suspended animation into a future time to become Earth's greatest hero.

Creators:

Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens

Stars:

Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Felix Silla

Won 1 Primetime Emmy. Another 5 nominations.

Cast

Series cast summary:
Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers 32 episodes, 1979-1981
Erin Gray	...	Colonel Wilma Deering 32 episodes, 1979-1981
Felix Silla	...	Twiki / ... 31 episodes, 1979-1981
Mel Blanc	...	Twiki 27 episodes, 1979-1981
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer 21 episodes, 1979-1980
Eric Server	...	Dr. Theopolis 19 episodes, 1979-1980

Storyline

In 1987, NASA astronaut William "Buck" Rogers is caught in a freak accident in deep space, causing his space shuttle Ranger 3 to be blown into an orbit that returns him to Earth - over 500 years later. The combination of gases that freezes him comes close to the formula commonly used in the 25th century for preservation, and his rescuers are able to revive him. In 2491, when Buck awakens from the freezing, Earth is recovering from a nuclear war and is coming under hostile attack by the Draconian Empire. In the second season, Buck has been assigned aboard the Searcher, a starship exploring the unknown reaches of space while searching for former Earth colonies that are scattered across the galaxy.

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Plot Keywords:

space opera | buck rogers | waking up in the future | 25th century | human in outer space | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

20 September 1979 (USA)

Also Known As:

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

Filming Locations:

Tower of London, Backlot, Universal Studios - 100 Universal City Plaza, Universal City, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions,Bruce Lansbury Productions,John Mantley Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (37 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

4:3

Did You Know?

Trivia

Written on the side of the spaceship Searcher (from Season Two) is "Per adua ad astra" , which is a misspelling of "Per ardua ad astra" (Through adversity to the stars), the motto for the British Royal Air Force ('ardua' is the plural of 'arduus', meaning 'the steep place', so the phrase could also mean "Past the summit to the stars").

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Goofs

Throughout the series, there are many sequences when Buck and/or Wilma would take off in one configuration of a starfighter and then different cuts would have them sitting side by side and then a moment later one in front of the other. There would also be different ships (sky sled) where they would take off in one type of ship,exterior shots show them as they fly through space in a totally different looking ship, and then either land in the same ship they took off in, or in another different looking ship.

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Quotes

Narrator: [voiceover during narrative] The year is 1987, and NASA launches the last of America's deep space probes. In a freak mishap, Ranger 3 and its pilot, Captain William "Buck" Rogers, are blown out of their trajectory into an orbit which freezes his life support systems, and returns Buck Rogers to Earth... 500 years later.

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Crazy Credits

The opening credits for the first season finale "Flight of the War Witch" differ from the credit sequences for the rest of the season's episodes (except the pilot). After the show title appears there follows a succession of short scenes from this episode as well as from the TV version of the pilot (including the episode). After about 20 seconds, the credits resume as normal.

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Alternate Versions

The episodes "Planet of the Slave Girls" and "Flight of the War Witch" were initially aired as two-hour specials and were later re-edited into two-parters. The 2004 DVD release retains the original two-hour format for these episodes.

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Connections

Spoofed in Robot Chicken: Veggies for Sloth (2006)

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Soundtracks

Cosmic Forces
(uncredited)
Composed by Stu Phillips

User Reviews

Good, brainless fun!!

Like the other creations on Glen A. Larson, this was mindless fun too. Like Knight Rider, Battlestar Galactica and The A-Team, It had the ideas, the story, the characters and was executed very well. It used the same effects system as Battlestar Galactica but was based along the lines of the 1930's series of Buck Rogers starring Buster Crabbe. The story goes that in the year 1987, Buck blasted of into space to probe space. Events take a drastic turn as his ship and his life clock freeze, putting him into, what seems, an eternal orbit until four and a half centuries later when he is revived by Princess Ardalla of the Draconian Empire and sent back to earth but it's not as he knows it!!! Gil Gerard stars as Captain William 'Buck' Rogers in what isn't as good as Battlestar Galactica but is good in its own right. Where as Battlestar Galactica has, in my opinion, a grittier feel, Buck Rogers has a comic strip, family appeal and look to it. Some of the acting is suspect but not in some places. If you liked Battlestar Galactica, give this a go. You never know, you may like it!!!