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Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - Return of the Fighting 69th
episode 1.6
USA 1979
produced by Jock Gaynor, David J. O'Connell, Glen A. Larson (executive) for Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal/NBC
directed by Philip Leacock
starring Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O'Connor, Peter Graves, Elizabeth Allen, Robert Quarry, Woody Strode, Eddie Firestone, K.T. Stevens, Felix Silla, Mel Blanc (voice), Eric Server (voice), Katherine Wiberg, Robert Hardy, Duncan McKenzie, Clifford Turknett, Dan Sturkie, Buzz Barbee
written by David Carren, based on characters by Philip Francis Nowlan, Robert C. Dille, music by Johnny Harris, visual effects supervisor: Peter Anderson
TV-series Buck Rogers, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
review by Mike Haberfelner
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Baddies Roxanne Trent (Elizabeth Allen) and Commander Corliss (Robert
Quarry) somehow got their hands on several containers of a 20th century
nerve gas, and feeding that gas into earth's atmosphere would erradicate
humankind. Naturally, Dr. Huer (Tim O'Connor) who's in charge of earth's
defense needs to stop Trent and Corliss before they get to earth, but
that's problematic as their headquarters are deep in the almost
impenetrable asteroid belt. In fact, there's only one earthling who knows
his way through the belt, Major Noah Cooper (Peter Graves), but he has
been sent into retirement by none other than Wilma Deering (Erin Gray),
who's now of course tasked to bring him back into service. After many
reservations, Cooper agrees to return to service, but only if he may fly
the attack on Trent and Corliss's headquarters with what remains of his
former squad (Woody Strode, Eddie Firestone, K.T. Stevens, Dan Sturkie) -
which Wilma agrees to if reluctantly, as Cooper was her mentor and his
squad was like family to her back in the day, and now that they've come on
in age she doesn't want to see them in any danger. Ultimately, Cooper and
company fly the attack, accompanied by Wilma and of course Buck Rogers
(Gil Gerard), and as fate has it, it's Buck and Wilma's ship that's shot
down and they're taken prisoner by Trent and Corliss - which is not a good
thing in more ways than one, as not only do Trent and Corliss want to
execute them, Cooper and his squad are also to fly an attack on the
baddies' headquarters to blow them to kingdom come. But fortunately Trent
and Corliss have a mute slavegirl, one whom only Buck knows how to
communicate to because apparently he's the only one who knows sign
language, and ultimately she frees him and Wilma, and the three of them
can get to safety just before the attack - and humankind is saved to live
yet another day ... Now of course, it's always fun to see
veteran character actors like Peter Graves, Robert Quarry and Woody Strode
do their thing, and they certainly don't disappoint here, but that said
the episode as such is very mediocre, basically because it seems to be
made up of clichés from beginning to end, from the elderly squad going
back into service and doing good, to the misunderstood mute girl repaying
kindness with kindness. And what's especially annoying about these
clichés is they play out exactly like you'd expect them to, so in
consequence every plottwist announces itself early on, which completely
destroys any narrative tension and basically results in a pretty dull
affair.
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