Jason Of Star Command – The Complete Series
(1979-1981/Filmation/BCI Eclipse)
Picture:
C+ Sound: C+ Extras: A Episodes: B+
Around
the time Star Wars was settling in
as a mega-hit pop-culture phenomenon, Filmation produced a live-action Saturday
morning TV series called Space Academy,
reviewed elsewhere on this site. Featuring excellent model work and inspired
(if not stellar) performances from a nifty ensemble cast, Space Academy resonated with viewers both young and old. But Space
Academy lacked the action and tension of the more pulp-inspired Star Wars films, and so Filmation went
back to the drawing board and produced Jason
of Star Command. This new show featured more of the great model work from
some of the same folks who had worked for Lucasfilm, but now also offered
viewers a lot more action. Originally
run in serial form along with other Filmation animated offerings, Jason of Star Command is collected here
on four discs.
This
boxed set represents another fine release for BCI Home Video, drawing from the
seemingly bottomless Filmation catalog of offerings whose images seem to
resonate in the psyches of so many 35-50 year-old fans of fantasy and science
fiction. Directed by Arthur H. Nadel,
Jason contains many parallels to Star
Wars and the other sci-fi material it emulates, but still manages to find
its own way. Craig Littler's Jason bears
an unmistakable resemblance to the roguish Han Solo in both costume and
bearing, but brings some new attributes to the table (superhuman strength in
stead of a blaster, for one thing). His
robot companion Wiki (or W1K1, as written on the actual robot) does make one
think of the Droids of the Star Wars franchise, but the creators' use of
micronization to make him "pocket-sized" provides a nice point of
difference.
James
Doohan gives a yeoman performance as the stolid Commander Canarvin (a role
originally intended for Jonathan Harris of Space
Academy and Lost in Space fame).
Sid Haig seems to have a genuinely good
time playing the menacing villain, Dragos. He's no Darth Vader, but he offers a
formidable challenge to the heroes of Star Command, and his massive star ship
offers one of the coolest visuals in the series.
All the
half-hour episodes from the two seasons (with some minor cast changes in between)
are here as follows:
Season
One:
1)
Attack Of The Dragonship
2)
Prisoner Of Dragos
3)
Escape From The Dragons
4)
A Cry For Help
5)
Wiki To The Rescue
6)
Planet Of The Lost
7)
Marooned In Time
8)
Attack Of The Dragons
9)
Peepo's Last Chance
10) The Disappearing Man
11) The Haunted Planet
12) Escape From Kesh
13) Return Of The Creature
14) Peepo On Trial
15) The Trojan Horse
16) The Victory Of Star Command
Season
Two:
1)
Mission To The Stars
2)
Frozen In Space
3)
Web Of The Star Witch
4)
Beyond The Stars!
5)
Secret Of The Ancients
6)
The Power Of The Star Disk
7)
Through The Stargate
8)
Face To Face
9)
Phantom Force
10) Little Girl Lost
11) Mimi's Secret
12) Battle For Power
Tamara
Dobson, best known for her Blaxploitation romps as Cleopatra Jones, joined the
cast in the second season as Samantha, who could change into animals ala
Catherine Schell on Space: 1999. Even Julie Newmar shows up!
Like
some other recent offerings of classic TV shows, the 1.33 X 1 image was shot in
16mm film, but these episodes are digital copies of the masters. Supposedly, the film materials were destroyed
as it was thought (despite the arrival of HD) that they would not be needed
anymore. The final product still
delivers an overall clean and clear image.
The color is sharp but falters a bit during some of the sillier special
effects (Dragos energy beams come to mind). The Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono delivers adequate
quality for a taped production of the time, but the various music used for
certain scenes can wear on the viewer at times (the "Wiki" music
causes the eyes to roll after the third or fourth time it's heard). The overall technical package is strong and
presents a remarkably vibrant product considering its age and current
standards.
This set is strong on special features and
includes: commentary tracks for Season One episodes (including commentary from
Jason himself Craig Littler), all-new half-hour documentary, "The Adventures of Jason of Star Command,"
a special effects commentary track, extensive galleries of promotional and
behind the scenes photos, booklet with episode guide and trivia, DVD-ROM
printable scripts of all episodes and previews for other Filmation/BCI releases
you can find on this site.
-
Scott R. Pyle
