Pod Stallions Episode 7: Battle Beyond the Star Wars

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Originally we were going to do our Empire Strikes Back show but then realized that discussion of all the other Sci Fi properties of the late 1970s would have left us with a four hour show.


So, Episode 7 lovingly talks about all those "other" SF movies of the disco era from the feety pajamas of Star Fleet to Gil Gerard's unforgiving spandex to Vic Morrow's robot love, no cubit is left unturned.

As usual, there are some detours along the road in the form of discussion of British comics, Wilfred Hyde White and.


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Show Links:

• [*=left]A gallery of covers from the British "Look-In" comics.
  [*=left]A page from the Look-In Logan's Run TV series comic
  [*=left]The never produced Logan's Run Mego Figures.
  [*=left]The interesting opening to the Buck Rogers movie.
  [*=left]Jason loves this Battlestar Galactica mail away set.
  [*=left]Brian thinks Mattel's Battlestar Galactica Space Alert game might be the best hand held game ever.
  [*=left]The Black Hole Laser gun that never got made.
  [*=left]Brian still has nightmares about this cereal promotion.
  [*=left]Klingons hawking Happy Meals, this happened.
  [*=left]The weekly Star Trek newspaper strip was recently put into a collection1.
  [*=left]The trailer for Starship Invasions, Canada's greatest film.
  [*=left]Caroline Munroe makes Starcrash more palatable but it's still a mess with 40% too much Marjoe Gortner.
  [*=left]Message from Space is now available on BluRay
  [*=left]Now you can buy Shape of Things to come on DVD and experience the same buyer's remorse Jason did in the theatre.

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[Earth 2 Chris]

Man, what a fun way to spend a Friday morning (while working). I haven't watched Buck Rogers or BSG in years, but I recall seeing them at a very young age. Had a few random toys, but that's it. My biggest memory of ST:TMP were the endless ads on the inside cover of DC comics which seemed to run for months on end. I didn't actually see the film until years and years later, AFTER I had seen ST II and III, AND began watching the original series, so it was quite a let-down.

I really need to watch the Black Hole again. I think I saw it once, years and years ago. Disney seemed to be flirting with edgier material at the time, with this and Something Wicked This Way comes and other horror-themed films.

Battle Beyond the Stars I recall seeing on a Saturday afternoon in the mid-80s. I was flummoxed by John-Boy in space, but I recall thinking it was pretty neat at the time.

Thanks for another fun episode!

Chris

[GordoCrisp]

"I really need to watch the Black Hole again. I think I saw it once, years and years ago. Disney seemed to be flirting with edgier material at the time, with this and Something Wicked This Way comes and other horror-themed films. "

^ I am with you, those are 2 I recall fondly but have not seen in many many moons.

Kind of off-topic, but seeing those links above reminded me about the unfilled promise of "Logan's Run" Megos.

I wonder if any of the newer companies have considered producing some "Logan" figures? I would think the license might be had for a song these days.

[MIB41]

For me, these were tough times to watch. Because Star Wars really killed the Mego universe. Companies universally ran to the 3 3/4 scale as a result of Kenner's product line. That's why I've always had a very limited number of figures in that scale. People who were too young (or not born yet) are mostly unaware of what a massive makeover the toy industry took during this period. You have to remember Mego had just established itself back in '73. By '74 it was becoming a company everyone wanted to be like. That brought out your AHI's, Lincolns, and all sorts of knock offs that blew up the boy toy isle into this wonderful world that SHARED shelf space with bigger figures like Big Jim and GI Joe. Those were prime years for me, so there was nothing quite like it. But by the time Star Wars got here, GI Joes had run out of steam and Hasbro was experimenting with Super Joes. But Mego was still very much a staple in the isles. So Star Wars was really all about timing. Had Mego purchased the Star Wars license, we most likely would have seen a huge uptick in 8 inch scale figures and the universe as we knew it, would have excelled to new heights. But since Star Wars was a phenomenon, whatever Kenner put out was going to become the Industry norm. The saying, "Imitation is the purest form of flattery" was never better illustrated. And so started a new way for an entire industry to think about toys and profits. And probably why we are such diehards for the 8 inch scale. Megos essentially went from being the leader in action figures to extinction overnight. They were instantly dated because of the vibe that was Star Wars. And no matter how they tried to imitate with other sci-fi licenses, ulitmately it wasn't Star Wars. Kenner hit the lottery and everyone got in line to try and match that same formula.

This is why eight inch figures from BSG, Buck Rogers, and the movie Flash Gordon hold such a sacred place for me. I so enjoyed those shows and movies, it killed me that I had no product I could relate with. If I wanted something, it had to be in what I called the "Star Wars scale". The industry just went cold turkey on my generation. And in those days, you didn't have social media, online collector forums, or an industry that could support a one or two man company. I figured my hopes of EVER getting Mego figures from those licenses were sentenced to oblivion. So today when I say "Thank You" to people like Jason and Craig, I truly mean it. I get to look at something that, by most industry measures, never should have made it into production. The fact these exist NOW is a miracle unto itself. And why I say to everyone here...Never stop appreciating these people who sacrifice so much to bring these to your door. If they didn't care; If they didn't share the same passion to have these like you and I do, it would still remain a distant dream.

[Falstaff13]

Another fun episode--I remember NBC showing Battle Beyond the Stars one summer as a very hyped event, and I loved it and the whole "Seven Samurai in Space" idea.

[VintageMike]

Had lot so fun listening to this. Really helped to move along a workday that didn't seem like it was going to end. Can't wait to hear the future episode covering Saturday mornings.

[cjefferys]

Another great show guys! It really took me back, that period during summer of 1977 and the next couple years was really special for me. Star Wars and its ilk was everywhere, you couldn't escape it. Most of the copycats really paled in comparison, but I was a fan of the Battlestar Galactica TV series. And I always had a total fascination with Alien. Maybe part of it was the forbidden aspect to it, rated R in Canada was like an X in the US, people under 18 weren't admitted at all, so I had no chance in hell of seeing it. Instead I bought all the magazines that featured it, as well as that photo novel that Brian mentions, and the novelization by Alan Dean Foster. I knew the story inside and out long before I finally got the chance to see the actual film. I ogled the few toys that Kenner made during every visit to K-mart, and I finally experienced a bit of the film the following year when my uncle borrowed a condensed Super 8mm film of it from the library and screened it for me. Looking forward to the episodes on ESB and Flash Gordon!

[huedell]

I got lucky and you guys went on about the SW Black Series for a while Listening to toy-geeks talk themselves out of buying into the line is amusing (and very timely).

Also, I can always use the education on many properties of the 70's that I only have inklings of (Heck, I just interviewed Richard Hatch and hardly knew who he was or what BSG was about). And, Stallions always has good discussion overall. Rock on.

(P.S. Jason's voice... today... reminds me of Curtis Armstrong's vocal tone. I was thinking while listening that sometimes the similarity to Booger is uncanny.)

[palitoy]

Listening to toy-geeks talk themselves out of buying into the line is amusing (and very timely).

Jason may be talking himself out of it but I'm nowhere near being on the fence on this line. Outside of Mego style figures (with EMCE bodies) I won't be taking part in new SW product. My son picks up that slack however...

(P.S. Jason's voice... today... reminds me of Curtis Armstrong's vocal tone. I was thinking while listening that sometimes the similarity to Booger is uncanny.)

They both do VO work, I'm imagining they've bumped into each other.

[palitoy]

For me, these were tough times to watch.

Yeah I get that, being six at the time and being familiar with the Adventure people I adapted.

It wasn't until I was 10 or so and saw the Dukes 8" figures did I really have a good think about the Mego glory days and it made me sad.

[jacoblb]

Aw, found it!!! Between messages here and (I think) Facebook stating episode 7 was either out or forthcoming, I now know where to come to get the direct link. Could have sworn when I looked at the PS website episode 7 was not listed.

[huedell]

Jason may be talking himself out of it but I'm nowhere near being on the fence on this line. Outside of Mego style figures (with EMCE bodies) I won't be taking part in new SW product.

I am confident that anyone vaguely interested in Star Wars figures in their collection will break... eventually. I don't know what your "exact" position is of "slivers of vagueness". But, in light of you mentioning your kid probably getting into them, you'll be embroiled by proxy, so it doesn't constitute a "petri dish" scenario enough to confirm my theory w/you down the line Guys like Jason are surely doomed though!

They both do VO work, I'm imagining they've bumped into each other.

Hmmm.... you've piqued my interest. I'm sure he's done some interesting stuff, if they're running in the same circles.