Mark of the Saurian

Episode aired Feb 5, 1981
1h

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

146

YOUR RATING

Linden Chiles in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)

Action

Adventure

Sci-Fi

While sick in bed with Cignus Fever Buck starts seeing Ambassador Cabot and his party have a strange aura around them. Ambassador Cabot is responsible for bringing peace with the lizard peop... Read allWhile sick in bed with Cignus Fever Buck starts seeing Ambassador Cabot and his party have a strange aura around them. Ambassador Cabot is responsible for bringing peace with the lizard people known as the Saurians with the Delta Defense Grid which destroys all ships without a pr... Read allWhile sick in bed with Cignus Fever Buck starts seeing Ambassador Cabot and his party have a strange aura around them. Ambassador Cabot is responsible for bringing peace with the lizard people known as the Saurians with the Delta Defense Grid which destroys all ships without a proper code. The Aura that Buck is seeing is connected to the fact that Ambassador Cabot and... Read all

IMDb RATING

6.7/10

146

YOUR RATING

Director
- Barry Crane
Writers
- Glen A. Larson(developed for television by)
- Leslie Stevens(developed for television by)
- Francis Moss
Stars

Top credits

See production, box office & company info

See more at IMDbPro

Trivia
The small, blue-domed console prop next to Buck's sickbay bed is actually a 1970's electronic game called, "Computer Perfection".

Goofs
The medical technician in the lab spills a bowl of soup on Buck's shirt. Right after that, his shirt is completely clean.

Soundtracks
Cosmic Forces
(uncredited)
Composed by Stu Phillips

User reviews4

Review

Top review

Earth ambassadors speak with forked tongues.

As all fans of cheesy TV sci-fi should know, ugly aliens are always evil, and so when Buck wakes from a fever (caused by a flu-like space virus) and spies on his monitor several hideous lizards aboard the Searcher, he knows he must act. Unfortunately for Buck, no-one else can see the scaly blighters for what they really are, since they are wearing gadgets that make them appear to be human. Posing as Earth ambassadors, the cold-blooded creatures intend to dupe the crew of the Searcher into taking them to a well armed, highly secure space station which they intend to forcibly take command of.

Will Buck be able to convince his friends of the impending danger, or will they just assume that he is suffering from hallucinations, brought on by his illness?

An unremarkable episode from the second season, Mark of the Saurian demands a little too much from its audience, asking them to accept the decidedly silly notion that it is Buck's unique 20th century genetic make-up that enables him to see past the invaders' deception (when Buck looks at the aliens, they have a silly green 'Ready Brek' aura). Gil Gerard does manage to stretch his acting legs a little, convincingly portraying a man weakened by disease and unsure whether to trust his eyes, but even his solid performance cannot save this episode from mediocrity.

Erin Gray looks as great as always, however, and makes this otherwise unimpressive tale easier to tolerate.

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