STAR MAIDENS (1976) Paperback Novelization

"On Medusa, the laws of nature had decreed that the female of the species should reign supreme - leaving the lesser able males to take care of domestic chores, nursery duties and other menial tasks.

For eons, the Medusan women ruled their world. But then Medusa entered the orbit of Earth, and rumour got out that here was a planet controlled almost entirely by men... a paradise planet to which two of the most rebellious manservants managed to escape, so beginning the feud between Earth and the incredible Star Maidens..." 

Yes, I still intend to review the Star Maidens (1976) German-British television series here at Space: 1970. I have the DVDs on hand, and just need to carve out some time to sit down and watch the whole series from beginning to end. I've enjoyed the episodes I've seen so far, and want to watch the rest... I just haven't gotten to it yet.

Here's the cover to the Corgi UK paperback tie-in novel by Ian Evans. I do not own a copy. Wouldn't mind having one, though...

STAR MAIDENS 1978 Annual

I finally have my first British sci-fi Annual in my Space: 1970 library! And it's all thanks to Star Kid Robin Groen, who generously sent me a copy of the 1978 Star Maidens Annual, published by Stafford Pemberton Publishing Co., Ltd.  As with most of these uniquely British collectibles, it's a slender hardcover with a number of prose stories, photos, articles, puzzles, colorful illustrations and a short comic story.

As I  have mentioned, I did order the Star Maidens DVDs from the U.K. a while back, and I will make a point of reviewing the short-lived series - which is actually pretty interesting in a decidedly 70s way - early in 2013.

The STAR MAIDENS (1976) Have Landed!

So... I finally broke down and decided to step outside my comfort zone a bit, and ordered the 1976 Anglo-German sci-fi series, Star Maidens, on DVD from the UK (can Blake's 7 be far behind?). It showed up yesterday, and so far, I've only watched two episodes.

It's a weird one, no doubt - resembling a Teutonic sex farce produced by Gerry Anderson. Of course, Anderson had nothing to do with it, but the presence of Space: 1999 designer Keith Wilson certainly contributes to the resemblance.

In fact, so far, it's Wilson's designs, the Old School miniature effects and funky 70s musical score that appeal to me the most. That, and recognizing the exterior Black Park forest locations from all the great Hammer Films gothics (the show was shot at Hammer's Bray Studios home, too).

I keep reading that show re-used Space: 1999 sets and props, but I've seen no evidence of that myself (yet). Would Anderson/Lew Grade actually have let 1999 stuff be rented out, especially when they were still planning a  second season/series? Would they really have schlepped sets from Pinewood over to Bray? (Of course, as a Yank, I have no idea where those two studios are, geographically speaking, in relation to each other.) Not knowing the answers to those questions, I still suspect that people are just recognizing the very distinct hand of Wilson in both shows' design. Of course, as I see more episodes, I may have to revise that opinion.

The show consists of 13 half-hour episodes, so it shouldn't take me long to get through them. Look for a review one of these days (hopefully, right after I finally post my promised Invisible Man  article).

Captain's bLog: Supplemental

A few quick notes....

•  With a little luck, my new DVD of The Black Hole will arrive in the mail today or tomorrow. With the passing of co-star Ernest Borgnine over the weekend, I'm particularly eager to revisit the film. I've always felt that the cast was one of the genuine joys of the movie, and Borgnine's reporter, Harry Booth, was a somewhat unusual character for a space-based film. I always wondered how he was filing his articles...

•  We also saw the passing of actor Andy Griffith last week, which put me in mind of his Space: 1970-era genre television series, 1979's Salvage 1. Griffith played salvage expert Harry Broderick, who, with the aide of a couple of ex-NASA experts (Joel Higgins and Trish Stewart) built a spaceship (the Vulture) out of junkyard scraps and traveled to the moon to salvage all the equipment left there after the Apollo space missions.

I remember being really excited about the original TV movie/pilot that January, and forcing my cousins to watch it since I was staying over at their house that weekend. Once it went to series (a very short-lived series), I found it much less compelling as the subsequent stories were considerably more Earthbound. Still, it has stuck in my memory, and I probably should have mentioned it here earlier.

As for Griffith, he was as charming and amiable in Salvage 1 as he was in most of the other productions he appeared in. He wasn't the sort of actor generally cast in genre shows, but he did have a memorable role in the first season Bionic Woman episode, "Angel of Mercy."

• Well, a couple of days ago, I went ahead and ordered the Region 2 DVDs of the 1975 British-German series Star Maidens with some early birthday cash I received from my generous mother-in-law. I've only seen one episode - on YouTube - but it was enough to let me know that, aesthetically anyway, the show is right up my alley. Pure. Seventies. Style.

Hopefully, the DVDs will be here in a week or so. I'm looking forward to reviewing it here, too.

• Blu-ray.com has posted an advance review of Warners' forthcoming Outland Blu-ray disc. From the sound of it, it is a quantum leap in quality over the old, and sub-par even for its age, DVD. Apparently, there's a very informative audio commentary track by writer/director Peter Hyams, as well, who reportedly acknowledges the film's debt to Ridley Scott's Alien in its look and feel. I've always said that it didn't take much to pretend that Outland and Alien took place in the same universe...

•  I did recently get my hands on an affordable "previously-viewed" set of the Star Wars "Original Trilogy" Blu-rays. While I - like many first-generation SW fans - am more than a little annoyed at the fact that George Lucas didn't choose to make the original cuts of the films available on the discs alongside the Special Edition versions (and also made additional digital alterations to those!), I have to admit, that it's very nice to see those characters (and spaceships, etc.) in nigh-flawless high definition.

•  Oh, and I finally finished watching The Invisible Man DVDs! Look for a review here later this week.

STAR MAIDENS (1975)

I've mentioned here before that I haven't covered some British cult 70s sci-fi shows, like Blake's 7 and Star Maidens, not because I wasn't interested in them, but because I'd never seen them. Well, I recently stumbled upon several half-hour episodes of the English-German co-production Star Maidens on YouTube, and although I hate watching video on my computer, I checked out the first couple installments.

Needless to say, I was delighted. Sure, it's goofy and campy, and not at all "good," but I loved the distinctly 70s production design, costumes, miniature effects and music. (all of which are in evidence in the opening credits above.) And hey, it can't be much worse than, say, The Starlost.... and I like The Starlost!

My wife and I recently acquired a multi-region DVD player, so, once I scrape up the money, I think I'll order the complete series on disc from the UK. It looks to be fairly affordable. Maybe for my birthday.