Customer Reviews

The Starlost - The Complete Series

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(11)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

At long last this forgotten cult scifi classic comes to dvd! Many who remember this show have panned it for being stiff, with wooden acting and cheap sfx. Most of the sfx was done with the croma key effect. You have to remember that this show was made in the early 70s, on a very tight budget. The show was also abandoned by it's creator. While the show has it's flaws, as most shows do, it also has a charm the can only be found in an early low budget tv production. Fans of Doctor Who will appreciate the low budget effects and storylines.
All in all, this dvd release has been a long time coming and I cannot wait for my set.
Have an open mind, and give the show a chance before bowing to the critics who will pan the show, you may be pleasantly surprised!
My rating is on the content which hopefully will be matched by a superb quality dvd release!

I watched this show when it was originally produced, and was absolutely enthralled by it - for me it sat alongside Star Trek, Space 1999, UFO, &c. As the years went on I forgot about it, until about 15 years ago when I recalled the show (which nobody else seemed to remember), started a search and found the series, quite truncated, on VHS. While it's true that the acting is stiff and the series is not-so-special-effected (though not always, and generally fueled with good ideas) for me it held up and still contained a lot of the wonder from my original watching. With Walter Koenig, John Colicos, and Barry Morse appearing in various episodes it certainly holds its place as classic 70s sci-fi. I just pre-ordered, and I'm thrilled at the prospect of finally seeing the complete series!

Unlike most all the previous reviews, I have received my copy of The Starlost and am very impressed with the quality of the dvd. It's a 4 dvd set and contains all the 16 episodes that were filmed and finished. They have been remastered and have a good quality to them. If you've been used to watching these episodes on a grainy youtube video you will be pleasantly surprised on the quality. No, it's not like today's sci fi quality but for the early 70's it's fantastic. There are scenes I have watched on youtube but on dvd it's much clearer and you see everything. It's funny, this is the first time I have seen a clear picture of the show in color. In 1973 I was a kid and we didn't own a color tv then. If you are a fan it's a must have. Bless you VCI. If you'd like to know more about The Starlost check out this fan site at [...]
Now go out and buy it!

This series should be used as a teaching aid for prospective screenwriters to show them what happens when the "suits" get involved in the creative process.

Originally, this series had the involvement of SF great Harlan Ellison, but after everyone from studio execs to apparently the photocopier repair guy got to have their "input", the series was so gutted and emasculated that Mr. Ellison removed his name from the production completely and substituted his WGA alias (Cordwainer Bird) as allowed when someone is completely disgusted with what has been done to the screenplay.

There are faint glimmers of genius still left in the twitching corpse the stories became and some intruiging plot lines that never got resolved (There appears to be evidence that there may have been a mutiny as well as other problems among the crew running the generation ship..many critical log entries have been erased....)

Some of the plots are hokey to the point of beggaring belief: Giant bees (badly back projected) threaten our heroes in one area, in another, they must make repairs to a circuit board by being shrunk down to the size of transistors...apparently the ship lacks magnifying glasses, tweezers and soldering irons.

If you've never seen the show, rent it first. Some of us will buy it simply because of what it could have been.

Either way, pick up Phoenix Without Ashes to see what Ellison really intended.

On the whole, 1970s television isn't known for its timelessness in most genres. Bushy mustaches and sideburns, funky guitar licks, and clothing that was generally on the unflattering side usually lowered the bar before subjects such as bad scripting, poor acting and limited effects budgets even enter the equation.

Science fiction of course is one genre that usually succeeds or falls on the believability of its effects if not the actors' abilities to make believable that which is under-whelming visually. That said the original Star Trek is a prime example of extremely limited effects being more than offset by a cast dynamic that integrated a level of believability beyond the rubber masks and wigs. The flip side of this, arguably, can be witnessed in later efforts like Buck Rogers and Galactica 1980; in which effects actually outshone the premise and acting.

So what does any of this have to do with the Starlost you ask? Simply this: Broadcast initially in 1973 in Canada and syndicated to local networks in the United States at the same time, SL finds itself cemented firmly in between the titles mentioned above. So even going in it's safe to expect limited effects abilities, wonky outfits and a whole lot of facial hair but it's the negativity surrounding this short-lived series that seems to be its notoriety first and foremost.

In the event that you have no clue as to the drama surrounding this space drama, allow me to briefly recap. The series began back in early 1973 when a 20th Century Fox television producer approached speculative fiction writer Harlan Ellison to develop an idea for a science fiction TV series to essentially fill in the void left by Star Trek's disappearance from airwaves. What would end up becoming The Starlost was actually a result of budget cuts and rough negotiations with networks in effort to get something off the ground. As such, rather than slipping into US syndication as had been hoped, the show was run on a station by station basis; essentially meaning local affiliates of major networks decided whether or not they would pick the show up and slip it into their lineup.

Even without the security of national syndication, The Starlost was picked up by 48 stations in the United States and earned a spot on Canada's CTV network.

Problems began literally on the ground level with everything from technical production difficulties to Harlan Ellison's decision to disown the whole project before the first episode even aired (invoking a clause in his contract to force the producers to use his pen name Cordwainer Bird in the credits).

20th Century Fox, which had been responsible for some executive production funding, went out and grabbed Ben Bova to be brought on as science advisor when Ellison bailed out. Frustrated that his advice too was being ignored, he watched the first show when it aired and quit as well.

Fox, shaken by horrible ratings, decided not to pick up options after only 16 of the original 23-epiosdes were produced and that's where the saga comes to an end.

I mentioned briefly that technical issues played a part in the undoing of the series as well and should explain these. The show was actually a bit too ambitious for its own good in deciding to buck the trend of shooting on film, instead deciding to film the shows on video tape with the goal being to use motion controlled cameras and blue screens for the actors to combine miniature sets with the humans to create a sense of massive scale no physical sets could match.

In hindsight, the idea really wasn't too far off the composite techniques filmmakers use today in creating motion pictures (often with fully digital sets superimposed upon blue or green screens), the trouble is that the technology did not work as reliably as anticipated back in 1973. In the end simple blue screen effects were used to combine the actors with miniaturized sets but studio space that had been rented was too allow for any fancy photography techniques. In the end partial sets were built, but the lack of space forced static camera shots and the finalized work shows definite "halos" around the performers, a constant reminder of their having been superimposed over the backgrounds.

So, in case these past paragraphs don't reveal the gravity of the situation, The Starlost is a science fiction program known for its epic failures every step of the way more than any contributions to the genre. It's a shame too when one stops to consider what the show actually presents.

Set in the year 2790, the Starlost is a tale of three people (two guys and girl) from a sort of technology laced Amish culture who begin to question the rigid belief systems of their elders. Their defiance results in their discovering that what they perceived as their whole world is in fact a single self contained biosphere, one of hundreds in fact, within a massive self-sustaining spacecraft built by humans some 505 years earlier to escape their dying world/ seek a planet suitable for colonization.

Interestingly, some time in the past the overseers of the massive ship (scientists and crew) were wiped out by radiation exposure and the un-operated ship itself is on a collision course with a Class-G star similar to our own sun. The biosphere domes, because of their seclusion, have each developed their own societies and belief systems throughout the ages, all having lost touch with the reality of the situation at hand. Individuals inhabiting the complex tunnel systems between domes have been reduced to savagery, many having developed mutations due to radiation exposure.

The structure is absolutely brilliant with abundant potential for intriguing story arcs as the trio makes discoveries about the ship and contact with cultures previously isolated in biospheres. To that end, the show works. The limitations of the effects and the behind-the-scenes drama can easily be overlooked in the interest of an incredibly well crafted plot.

The show does suffer from periodic pacing bogs, amateurish scripting and less than subtle background music mixing but it's by no means unwatchable. In fact viewers with patience for the technical shortcomings will most certainly be rewarded with moments of brilliance.

VCI has, in their 4-disc release of the complete collection, digitally remastered all sixteen 50-minute episodes and includes the "presentation reel" created for potential broadcasters at the time. Additionally the full color insert is loaded with information on the airdates of each episode and even includes a lengthy introspective on the unfortunate events surrounding the production of the show.

In all, space science fiction buffs would be wise to give this collection a closer look. It's easy to focus on the negative here, just as critics surely did in the show's broadcast run, but the fact is there is definitely potential layered within the muddled delivery. Considering the circumstances surrounding its production, not only is it impressive that the show was ever made at all, but perhaps even more so that VCI has given it the DVD treatment that it deserves.

This show is an example of how a lot of stories can be told on a low budget in Science Fiction television. It was made just after the original Star trek series went off the air, and follows a "visit a new world every week" formula in exploring a giant starship of isolated sections that was terribly damaged in some unknown disaster.

I've heard about this series for years, read the pilot in a collection of short stories, heard all the juicy rumors about behind the scenes turmoil. Low quality episodes have been sold at conventions for years, but this collection finally assembles everything together in about the best quality possible for a reasonable price.

I wouldn't say that this series is very good, but nor is it very bad. The technical quality was only passable in the 70's. It lacks any kind of spectacular action or special effects. The plotting is slow for the modern taste. The acting can be good, especially when the guest stars bring a spark to their roles.


Some random notes:

There is conflict and tension in the episodes, but violence is rare. Everyone seems so civilized.

The women who play Garth's "love interest of the week" tended to be very attractive, and I was never sure if he was supposed to be getting action all over the place or not.

The set designs reuse modular elements like patterned foam and standard walls and doors, exactly what you would expect to see in a space habitat. I really liked that and they did a lot with it.

The understanding and portrayal of computers is very primitive, but consider computers in the 1970s. Mainframes were all they could imagine. The "host" is not a bad guess at how a centralized computer network interface could be designed for a city sized spaceship.

When this was first shown, I was ten, and watching it on a black-and-white TV. I thought it was pretty good. I'm very happy it's been released, and I was glad to see it again.

But make no mistake, this is not by any means a lost classic. I can forgive poor special effects, cheap sets, and an occasional blown take making it into the final cut. That's par for the course for a television show, especially one made over thirty years ago. The fact it was a Canadian production done at a time the Canadian studios simply weren't up to the challenge should also mitigate its obvious shortcomings.

But what I can't forgive are the scripts. It's incredible to me that so many TV scripts are as bad as they are. It's the cheapest part of a production; you wouldn't think it would be so hard to get them right.

But no. Time and again, our three heroes meet people who should be able to save the Ark, and time and again the series ignores this. This reaches a bizarre climax in the second to last episode, where we discover that the Ark can avoid a nearby comet, but not a distant star. Hmm.

Plot holes like that might be ignored if the scripts had any notable merit, but they do not. On rewatching the series, I cannot recall a single script that rose above mediocrity.

Remarkably, Keir Dullea and some of the guest stars have some nice acting moments despite this. Walter Koenig's last moment in the show is a perfectly chilling sardonic smile, easily twice as frightening as anything in the script.

The Starlost might have been a weird little gem, but the entire production seems to have been cursed by incompetence. Not just your normal, every day bad decision making, or production glitches, but a perverse incompetence. One which hired genuinely talented people like Ellison and Bova, and then went to great lengths to ignore everything they said.

Ellison has been criticized for abandoning this production. Frankly, it was one of the best decisions of his career.

Kudos to VCI for the great job they did on bringing this neglected TV series to DVD. The problems that plagued this series are very well known but this IS NOT AS BAD AS LEGEND HAS IT. Go into it knowing it is shot on video (having the look of the 70s Dr. Who episodes) but like that series, the basic story idea for the series keeps your interest. The budget was slashed drastically right before filming of the show and while the execution may show the budget slashing sometimes, the actual production design is pretty good. The gigantic Ark ship is pretty cool and many of the other set pieces like the imposing corridor-bounce tubes, abandoned bridge, shuttle craft, the various graphics for the different ARK departments and personal, could have had the polished look of Space:1999 if it would have been put on film. Harlan Ellison disowned the series but the fascinating core of his story still holds true. The three leads are likable and begin to develop chemistry through the course of the short series. You might even be surprised at who shows up as a guest star. Watch it knowing it had survived many troubles behind the scenes- you will still see something interesting and different. You may even lament the fact that the Starlost was not allowed to find it's way and develop! You can see a terrific website on the genesis and creation of the show with lots of information and photos at http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/star.html

One of the problems with Sci-Fi TV shows with great ideas and unusual stories is that they never seem to last long.

The Starlost is one of them.

I remember the series back in 1974 when I watched it on early morning television on Saturday's, I thought it was great and interesting - now after all these years I got the series on DVD and rediscovered it again for the first time.

The Starlost is one of those shows that has been overshadowed by other more successful Sci-Fi shows like Star Trek, Dr Who, Lost in Space and Stargate SG-1 just to name a few. So like many other Sci-Fi shows less successful and possibly unknown today, The Starlost has become an almost forgotten gem, and one needs to dig deep to find its worth to those who wish to remember.

The Starlost was to have 24 episodes in production but it was cut short to 16, filmed between 1973 and 1974, the series involved around three young people, Devon, Rachel and Garth from Cypress Corners, a domed self-sealed community which is one of many that inhabit a spaceship known as the `Ark'. This Ark was launched into space to find another habitable planet because the Earth was abandoned due to radioactive catastrophe. But 100 years later after launch the Ark had a disaster of its own which killed all the specialise crew onboard, now the Ark is on a collision course with a G-Type Star (Sun). 400 years on in the year 2790AD, the Ark is slowly heading for destruction unless our three adventurers can find a way to alter the Ark's course and save its inhabitants-as well as themselves.

So why did `The Starlost' the series fail?

Well I think it was a number of factors here are just some:

1] Harlan Ellison who created the concept of The Starlost left before the show really got started; he only wrote the pilot episode under the name Cordwainer Bird and in the show's opening credits we see `Created by Cordwainer Bird'. If Harlan had the brains to stay with it regardless, the show would have gone to 24 episodes.

2] Since there was no `Big Sale' to produce The Starlost as an exciting science fiction show the budget was reduced and thus the show suffered badly.

3] Being a co-production between Canada and America, from the American side 20th Century Fox was unable to sell the series to a U.S. television network coast-to-coast coverage, but instead did so to NBC owned-and-operated stations, which had station-to-station coverage, thus the market of televising the show was reduced.

4] The series being filmed in Canada also had to somehow conform to American standards of television production, it seems Americans can only handled their own mentality to understanding `a foreign show' as it were, in their image and nobody else's.

Of course there could be other things as well that made The Starlost as a series failure, which have been lost in time perhaps. But nevertheless it was made in the hope that it could be successful. So now let's have a look at the episodes.

The Starlost Episodes:

1] Voyage of Discovery - notable guest star: Sterling Hayden.

2] Lazarus from the Mist - notable guest star: Frank Converse.

3] The Goddess Calabra - notable guest star: John Colicos. This episode is one of my favourites because John Colicos' presence as an actor and his character was so strong in this episode; it's just a pleasure to watch.

4] The Pisces - notable guest star: Lloyd Bochner. This episode is another one of my favourites due to Lloyd Bochner's performance if not his character.

5] Children of Methuselah - notable guest star: Ricky O'Neill. This is my least favourite episode of all, the reason being when you have children in a story, especially a lot of them the credibility of the story and episode go out the window.

6] And Only Man is Vile - notable guest star: Simon Oakland. This is the most boring of episodes in my mind; it really wasn't going anywhere, just a semi-mad scientist trying to prove his theories.

7] Circuit of Death - notable guest star: Percy Rodrigues. An interesting story and a good performance by Percy Rodrigues to see it through.

8] Gallery of Fear - notable guest star: Angel Tompkins.

9] Mr. Smith of Manchester - notable guest star: Ed Ames. Another strong character performance by Ed Ames, a man you really hate to love.

10] The Alien Oro - notable guest stars: Walter Koenig & Alexandra Bastedo. Another of my favourite episodes due to its two guest stars. The story is slow, but we are introduced to Oro in the first of two encounters, Walter Koenig seems to have trouble finding his way into his role, but it may be that's his character trying to feel his way through. Alexandra Bastedo's character doesn't seem to do much, only acting as a love interest to Garth; wasted talent in my book. (But, good to see her outside `The Champions' TV Series)

11] The Astro Medics - notable guest star: Stephen Young. Good story, script and performances all round.

12] The Implant People - notable guest star: Donnelly Rhodes. Another great story with a strong performance by Donnelly Rhodes, a man you hate to love that rivals John Colicos' performance in `The Goddess Calabra'.

13] The Return to Oro - notable guest star: Walter Koenig, who returns as the alien Oro, with a mission to bring back the Ark to his home planet of Exar (if that's how you spell it). Again a favourite episode and this time Walter's performance has expanded his character's potential, which I will explain later.

14] Farthing's Comet - notable guest star: Edward Andrews.

15] Beehive - notable guest stars: William Hutt & Antoinette Bower. Nice strong performances by the guest actors, the story was great and interesting, which kept the episode in pace throughout.

16] Space Precinct - notable guest star: Ivor Barry. Again great story and great script with more emphasis on Robin Ward's character Garth, who has up till now basically stayed in the background. Who has decided to leave his friends to go back to Cypress Corners, but instead becomes an assistant to the Police Chief Drake Masters on the Ark.

How The Starlost Should End?

With episode 16 `Space Precinct' being the last televised show, this left Robin Ward's character Garth up in the air, does he stay with the police or go back to his friends? And what of Oro, will he be an ongoing menace, trying to complete his mission?

All in all as I see it now `The Starlost' would not survive a second season, it was a one season deal, and having said that, the series should have gone to 24 episodes with the last episode giving an ending, so the series as a whole would be complete.

Okay, you say, how should it end then? Fast track to the last episode:

Episode 24: `The Eleventh Hour' - notable guest stars: Walter Koenig, Stephen Young & Ivor Barry.

Background information so far: From episodes 17 to 23, we would see the continued character development of Devon, Rachel and Garth, and their exploration of the Ark to find a way to save it. Devon has a thirst for knowledge and learns about as much of the Ark as he can, so he can try to help it get back on course to avert its destruction, Rachel also becomes less naïve and more confident about herself and her situation within the Ark and Garth who has decided not to go back to Cypress Corners, becomes a policeman, rejoins his friends and has been commissioned by Chief Drake Masters to hunt down Oro.

The Story: Our three friends have finally found the backup Bridge, but Oro is at the controls making what seems to be some adjustments. Garth is the first to see him and points his gun at Oro ready to shoot; Oro, his back to Garth turns around and cries, "No wait! You don't understand!" but it is too late Garth shoots Oro, not killing him but rendering the alien unconscious. Devon and Rachel follow soon after; after a brief examination of Oro, Rachel realizes that the alien doesn't look well and has a fever, Devon quickly assesses the situation knowing that Oro would be the key to putting the Ark out of danger, and calls for medical help.

Enter Dr. Chris Trask who takes Oro back to the medical ship.

Oro regains consciousness but is very sick, Dr. Trask realises that Oro's immune system has broken down and the alien has caught a virus, and begins trying to find a cure. At the same time Oro informs Devon that the Ark has 11 hours of life left before it is destroyed by the G-Type Star (Sun), and was making course corrections to avoid it when Garth shot him. Oro tells Devon he must complete some final course adjustments if the Ark is to be saved, but Dr. Trask tells Devon that if he can't find a cure for Oro, the alien will die in 11 hours, possibly too late to save the Ark. Devon tells Oro this and asks to instruct him to make the course corrections, but Oro refuses saying "Cure me first and I will save the Ark".

Meanwhile Garth reports back to Chief Masters telling him of the situation; Chief Masters instructs Garth to tell Oro if he cooperates all charges against him concerning the hijacking of the Ark will be dropped and he would be welcomed to stay onboard to live in peace. Garth heads back to Devon and Rachel to tell them the news, Rachel now takes it upon herself to explain to Oro his situation, she tells him that he can be a great help to the Ark and its people, as Oro's people abandoned him as he now cannot go back to Exar, as it is too far away, and once the Ark is back on course out of danger, Oro can navigate the Ark to a suitable planet within this system, and start life anew. Oro listens to Rachel and tries to understand why she's so concerned for him and wants him to be happy.

With only one hour to go before the Ark is destroyed, Dr. Trask feels he's made a break through and develops a possible cure, but he is unsure if it will work. Oro tells him to administer the serum, time is ticking away, and 45 minutes later Oro is still feverish, then with only 5 minutes left, the fever breaks and Oro recovers just enough to decide not only his fate but the Arks'. He decides to help, and is carried back by Devon and Garth to the backup Bridge, and with one minute to spare Oro makes the final course adjustments and pulls the Ark away from its doomed destruction. (Boy that was close)

Finally the Ark is saved, and headed for a suitable planet for colonisation; from the backup Bridge we see Devon, Rachel, Garth and Oro standing together looking out from the viewing platform at a distant blue-green planet-their new home. Oro now fully recovered realises he cannot go back to his home planet, Devon offers friendship to the alien, who accepts, knowing that it will take a long time for all four of them to trust each other-but it's a start.

A Final Word.

The Starlost had great potential as a series; its main strength was its dramatic characters throughout set in a science fiction setting. If you over look the low special FX, it is a crisp, clean and clear production, I highly recommend this series if you are a sci-fi buff, you won't be disappointed if you keep an open mind to appreciate the effort.

The Starlost - Found, Once Again.

Additional information for this review from The Starlost DVD.

And rest assured, while awkwardly executed & downright creepy, "The Starlost" is not as bad as urban legend might suggest. I'll let others describe the series, the box set rules (though for a retail cost of $50 VCI should have given us an actual box & some more extensive supplemental materials) with every one of the 16 episodes produced included. One of the creepiest things about the show is that like "Gilligan's Island" they're still out there, you know. The series never had a resolution episode that brought it all together, so Devon, Garth, Rachel and all the rest are still wandering the universe, trying to figure out how to avert disaster & find a new home. In a conceptual sense, at least.

One unmentioned useful function of this show is for curing hangovers, by the way. There is something about it's plodding, hesitant nature crossed with the funky retro SF production design that works with your brain's receptors to induce a sort of waking coma state that makes the ill effects of excessive alcohol consumption less uncomfortable, especially when watched on a glum rainy Saturday afternoon in one's slippers. Bake up a tray of chicken tenders & open a bottle of Powerade, at 800 minutes total length it's going to be a long day. Ohh, my aching head ...