Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (TV series)

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is the title of an American motion picture produced by Universal Studios and released in 1979, and is also the title of a television series based upon the film that was aired by NBC for two seasons between 1979 and 1981.

The second season

Production of the second season was delayed by several months due to an actors' strike. When production resumed in the fall of 1980, the format of the series was changed. Buck, Wilma and Twiki joined the crew of an earth spaceship called the Searcher which was seeking the lost "tribes" of humanity who had scattered in the decades after Earth's 20th century nuclear war (borrowing a theme from Battlestar Galactica). The characters of Dr. Huer, Dr. Theopolis, and recurring villain/love interest Princess Ardala were eliminated and replaced by:

Related Topics:
Strike - Battlestar Galactica

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• Admiral Efram Asimov, the commander of Searcher, a descendent of the famous science fiction author Isaac Asimov.
• Hawk, a half-man, half-bird character who somewhat resembles Star Treks Mr. Spock.
• Dr. Goodfellow, an eternally curious scientist.
• Crichton, an officious know-it-all robot whom Twiki considers his son (and who refuses to believe that lowly humans could ever have created him).

Much to the dismay of viewers, Mel Blanc left the series at the start of the season and another actor began to perform Twiki's voice; Blanc later returned for the final half of the season.

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Gerard was successful in scaling back the humor in the second season in favor of more serious episodes, with a few exceptions. Buck and Wilma became more serious characters taking part in plotlines that might have been holdovers from Battlestar: Galactica. One change that was considered an improvement was Buck and Wilma's relationship became more romantic during the second year, though most romantic activity took place off screen.

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Viewers did not respond well to this change of pace, and ratings dropped, and the series was cancelled at the end of the strike-abbreviated season, though the ratings were still considered strong by comparison to other series.

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The two seasons are so different in tone that some Buck Rogers fans tend to consider the two seasons to be two entirely different series. The second season is often spoken about with scorn in science fiction Internet newsgroups and forums, but the recent DVD release has led to a reappraisal.

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The show ran for 32 episodes (including some two-hour specials) that aired from 1979 to 1981 and was later shown in reruns on the Sci-Fi Channel. A North American DVD set of the complete series was released on November 16, 2004.

Related Topics:
Sci-Fi Channel - November 16 - 2004

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According to Erin Gray, who played Colonel Wilma Deering in the series, Wilma became a major role model for young girls despite her sexy costumes and somewhat flighty demeanor in some episodes. She still receives letters from women who entered the military or other fields in part because of the inspiration of Wilma Deering.

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During a presentation at a 1997 science fiction convention in Calgary, Alberta, Gray said that she never met Eric Server, the actor who provided the voice of Dr. Theopolis, until many years after the series ended when she found herself sitting next to him on an airplane.

Related Topics:
Calgary, Alberta - Eric Server

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