The Starlost

The Starlost was a Canadian-produced science fiction television series devised by writer Harlan Ellison and broadcast in 1973 on CTV in Canada and on NBC in the United States.

Afterward

On 31 March, 1974, Ellison received a Writers Guild of America award for Best Original Screenplay for the original script. A novelisation of this script by Edward Bryant, Phoenix Without Ashes, was published in 1975; this contained a lengthy afterword by Ellison describing what had gone on in production.

Related Topics:
31 March - 1974 - Writers Guild of America - Edward Bryant - Phoenix Without Ashes - 1975

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Ben Bova, in an editorial in Analog Science Fiction (June 1974) and in interviews in fanzines made it clear how disgruntled he had been as science advisor, and in 1975 published a novel entitled The Starcrossed, depicting a scientist taken on as a science advisor for a (terrible) science fiction series.

Related Topics:
Analog Science Fiction - The Starcrossed

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In this context, the announcement some years later, by the producer of Babylon 5, that Ellison was going to be the advisor for that series was an indication to science fiction fans that, for once, there would be a serious attempt to do science fiction properly on television. (Ellison was listed on the credits for Babylon 5 as himself, rather than Cordwainer Bird).

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Episodes of the original series were rebroadcast in 1980. Several episodes were also edited together form movie-length installments that were sold to cable television broadcasters in the 1980s.

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