The Powers of Matthew Star 

The adventures of high-school student Matthew Star, who is actually a superpowered alien Prince from another world.

Creator:

Steven E. de Souza

Stars:

Peter Barton, Louis Gossett Jr., Amy Steel

Cast

Complete series cast summary:
Peter Barton	...	Matthew Star 22 episodes, 1982-1983
Louis Gossett Jr.	...	Walt Shepherd 22 episodes, 1982-1983
Amy Steel	...	Pam Elliott 13 episodes, 1982-1983
James Karen	...	Major Wymore 9 episodes, 1983

Storyline

Matthew Star was a prince on the planet Quadris, who was forced to flee to Earth when his planet's government was overthrown by despots. On Earth, he took the form of an ordinary high-school student (albeit one with superpowers), and was accompanied by his guardian Walt, who became the school's science teacher. The American government knew of Matthew and Walt's origin, and used them to act as agents on occasion.

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Plot Keywords:

teenager | high school | alien | suburb | california | 

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Genres:

Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

17 September 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Der Junge vom anderen Stern

Filming Locations:

Paramount Studios - 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Company Credits

Production Co:

Daniel Wilson Productions, Paramount Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min (22 episodes)

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

In the alternative pilot, Matthew was called "David". He did not know about his true heritage or his powers, and also had a different guardian. The alternative pilot eventually aired as a "lost" episode. Peter Barton did a voice-over at the start, in order to explain the differences between it and the rest of the series.

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Connections

Referenced in Mystery Science Theater 3000: The Brain That Wouldn't Die (1993)

User Reviews

Inspired show!

Hundreds of shows have come and gone, but Matthew Star remains my favorite. The acting by the cast (especially Peter Barton, considering the fact he was around 26 playing a 16 year old) is superb and the original story lines up until the point mid-season when the show was revamped (at the network's request, I'm presuming) are fantastic.

The idea that as if growing up on Earth isn't hard enough, Matthew Star was expected to lead a planet of people to freedom some day, was inspired. There are great emotional scenes when you realize that despite being a prince with special powers, Matthew was humble and very unsure of himself at times.

My big regrets are that the show ended so abruptly and that the show isn't available on DVD to be enjoyed by our new generation of Sci-Fi fans (hint, hint). I sure would have looked forward to Season 2: The Return to Quadris!