Space Vampire 

Buck Rogers and Wilma Deering arrive at Theta Station to have Twiki serviced, but soon a freighter crashes with the space station. The freighter crew are found in a state between life and ... See full summary »

Director:

Larry Stewart

Writers:

Glen A. Larson (developed for television by), Leslie Stevens (developed for television by)

Stars:

Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O'Connor

Cast

Episode complete credited cast:
Gil Gerard	...	Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers
Erin Gray	...	Colonel Wilma Deering
Tim O'Connor	...	Dr. Elias Huer
Christopher Stone	...	Space Station Commander Royko
Nicholas Hormann	...	Vorvon
Lincoln Kilpatrick	...	Dr. Ecbar
Patty Maloney	...	Twiki
Mel Blanc	...	Twiki (voice)
David Moses	...	Technician
Phil Hoover	...	Helson
Jeannie Fitzsimmons	...	Freighter Captain

Storyline

Buck Rogers and Wilma Deering arrive at Theta Station to have Twiki serviced, but soon a freighter crashes with the space station. The freighter crew are found in a state between life and death, and believing a virus may be responsible, Commander Royko orders the base under quarantine. Soon however, Wilma feels a cold, evil presence stalking her and several station crew begun turning up half-dead. Buck learns that the source of said deaths is the Vorvon, a space vampire that can drain the life energy from his victims and turn them into zombies. However, only Buck is convinced that the Vorvon exists and plans on making Wilma his next victim.

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Plot Keywords:

vampire | space vampire | vampire slayer | vampire hunter | 25th century | 

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Sci-Fi

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Details

Language:

English

Release Date:

3 January 1980 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal Television

Technical Specs

Runtime:

60 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color Color (technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"Space Vampire" was extremely different from the normal plot scenario for the art department. The main set floor plan square layout was a corridor with 12' 0" high walls, closed on top with a ceiling; a tunnel connected at both ends, like being inside a giant inner tube. Hidden doors provided cast and crew access. This set floor plan created an endless space ship corridor. Partial wall panels appeared with structural damage to the craft's collision with the deathly vampire crew members space ship. Discovering the sarcophagus casket with the vampire, was a specially built set dressing prop. The usual 25th Century props required the production designer to design each specific detailed piece of property set dressing. To animate the electronic space age Plexiglas coffin, the interior was dressed with Christmas decorative spun glass clouds, with clustered twinkling Italian Christmas seed light strings, normally used for Christmas tree lighting. The episode was filmed in early December, so Hub Braden shopped for Christmas materials to incorporate with the set dressing. Although these specific properties were built in the special effects shop, the construction charges were always billed to the set decorator's budget, always kept separate from the set construction budget.

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Goofs

When the Vorvon pursues Wilma to her cabin, she tries to shoot him with a laser pistol, which he then disarms her of by firing a laser bolt from his left hand. when he lowers his arm, you can see a wristwatch on his left wrist.

User Reviews

Ol' red eyes is back.

With its silly titular monster, this episode of Buck Rogers is almost impossible not to enjoy.

Buck (Gil Gerard) and Wilma (Erin Gray, in a sexy two-piece outfit) are on their way to the planet Genesia for a vacation, but stop at Theta Station on the way, to drop off Twiki, who needs repairs. While they are there, a craft appears from a nearby star gate and crashes into the space station.

After searching the vessel and discovering that the entire crew were already dead before the crash, Space Station Commander Royko places Theta under quarantine, believing a virus, EL-7 (which causes fever and hallucinations before death), to be responsible for their demise.

But the real cause of death is a Vorvon: a space vampire that drains the soul from the living. And he's got the hots for Wilma ('I want you', he tells her. 'Oh yeah...well get to the back of the queue, Vorvon... I saw her first!', says I).

Sporting a massive forehead, giant pointy ears, long nails, glowing red eyes, purple lips and huge fangs (even though he doesn't need them), the Vorvon is one of the series' most memorable creations. His victims become soul-less zombies that do his bidding, and even Wilma eventually falls under his power (becoming a slutty space vampire babe).

Fortunately, Buck saves the day when he realises that a huge blast of energy will destroy the creature, and programs the station's escape craft (which the Vorvon will inevitably take, of course) to fly into a sun!

Apart from the freaky monster (and Wilma, of course), my favourite part of this episode is when Buck and Twiki watch a video recording in which a victim is killed by the (invisible to the camera) Vorvon; the guy throws himself energetically around the room, putting in a bravura performance, before finally falling to the floor dead. Hilarious!