SF Roots

[talktooloose]

Lately, I am into exploring formative influences. I'm going back to books, movies, comic books and music that blew my mind as a kid and teen to see if I can find out what their magic was and if I can bring that magic to my own work.

I have long-held fond memories of a low-budget Canadian SF show called The Starlost. I know it was cheesy, but images from it and the sense of fighting against certain doom that lay at the heart of the show's mythos has a lingering hold on me.



Well, I just bought it from eBay! A British DVD complilation that covers 10 of the 16 episodes shot. painglass, if I have it shipped to you, can you bring it to Toronto? It should make for poignant and probably comical viewing.

It stars Keir Dullea, Dave Bowman from 2001! His name is pronounced, 'Keer D'lay', apparently and Noël Coward once quipped about him, "Keir Dullea, gone tomorrow."

Comments

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

AAAAGGGGGHHHHHH! What? What?

OMG, I remember seeing that show as a kid and I'm sure it's horrible but it was SOOO cool to me as an N-Year-Old. Jealous jealous jealous jealous.

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Exactly!! Do you remember the information stations? "Can I be of... assistance? Can I... help you?"

Maybe I'll give you the set after I finish watching it. Coming to Toronto soon?

[bitterlawngnome.livejournal.com]

I think I imprinted on that talking head.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

I do remember. I'm pretty sure I saw the whole first episode. The memories I have are of Keir's character discovering that the world is a dome, being excommunicated for heresy, the girl following him, the other guy who wanted the girl following them both. Something about "bounce tubes" or some other transport mode through the big connectors joining the various life arks/terraria. I think the first information station they found was partially damaged. Wasn't the computer some kind of televised daddy bear character, sort of your avuncular teacher? Something about how the ark might crash into the sun it was travelling toward if they didn't do something, setting up the quest to find the backup control room.

I may have caught parts of one or two other episodes. Ursula LeGuin penned one that I think I may have seen, the synopsis I once read of it struck a chord.

When you're 10 or so, cheesiness is less of a factor that makes you worry. It's all about whether they capture the mood at all, and throw enough WOW at you. And what people don't remember is that things that look cheesy now might have been somewhat cutting edge back then. Even if they were cutting corners left and right. I'm going to bet that the show contains HORRIBLE use of video effects .... but back then, bad video effects were sort of "WOW! I've never SEEN that!"

Plus, look at the awesome 1970s pr0n-star moustache on Keir! ;-)

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

It all comes down to the basic mythos for me when I look at shows like this. The idea of a spaceship as a world they cannot comprehend but must if they are to save humanity which doesn't know it needs saving. Hot.

Yes, the avuncular daddy-bear computer. See Bitterlawngnome's comment above.

LeGuin penned an ep? Wow! Couldn't be worse than the Earthsea miniseries they did last year. Probably better.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

Same.

[quirkstreet.livejournal.com]

IMDB has some info on her writing credits for it. There's also this fan site: http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/star.html

[detailbear.livejournal.com]

I only remember the episode where they found the children who were trained to be the backup crew, kept artificially young, and when their trainers died off, didn't know that they were only in a simulator until Keir took that drastic measure!

[talktooloose.livejournal.com]

Well, hello Kevin. I didn't know you were haunting my LJ! Nice to have you here.

I notice that you're an X-Men fan. You might enjoy reading my terrifyingly huge X-Men fanfic novel (http://toothdemon.net/ttl/fanfic/dob).

We will see what The Starlost inspires.

[detailbear.livejournal.com]

I thought I said 'Hello' earlier. You may have been distracted by renovations.

I've bookmarked it for later. I'll let you know.

[oceanabliss.livejournal.com]

I loved the show at the time, though I'm embarrassed to admit it (hey, I have all the Lost In Space episodes, too!)

I so want to borrow this from you!

All I've been able to get was 3 episodes on DVD.

Hugs