Buck Rogers in the 25th Century 1979-1981

[MysteryWho]

I watched this show last year on dvd.
I enjoyed it as a kid, had the Mego figures, and enjoyed it again in syndication on Saturday afternoons. Both seasons have their problems, but they're still fun much of the time.
The first season is like a small screen version of the Flash Gordon film from around the same time. Although I didn't like the big screen Flash at the time (I get it now), I still got a kick out of Buck. It was not made to be a serious space opera, it was intended to be a romp with a lot of hot space babes. That obviously has a place in the genre. In fact, that's one of the things that makes Star Trek exceptional. They had both somewhat cerebral space drama AND hot babes.
The second season doesn't work, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. It was the wrong direction, IMO comparable to Space: 1999's second season, but that doesn't make it less entertaining if you are in the right frame of mind. Gil had the wrong idea about the character, he wanted to play Captain Kirk.
Another example is the first Star Trek movie. It's my personal favorite, but it's not really a very good "Star Trek" movie, if you see what I mean.

[Mikey]

I can understand why season-2 tried to go a different direction.

season-2 was made in what ? like 1981-or 2-ish ?

The whole flashie disco theme of season-1 was already oldhat and outdated by then.

Sci Fi movies and TV shows were already starting to head into the futuristic warrior era.

Buck having fun, wooing the babes and disco dancing was already dated.

The direction the show went in wasn't great, but I do understand why they gave it a try.

I also believe if season-2 was made like season-1, it still would have been cancelled after year-2.

Season-1 was a bolt of lightning at the right place and at the right time.

[johnnystorm]

I liked BUCK better than "CattleCar Galactica" as my friend used to call it. Buck was fun, BSG was always too, I dunno, full of itself- trying to be Star Wars but claiming it wasn't anything like it.

Sent Gil Gerard a couple Buck cards and he signed them through the mail for me last summer. So did Dirk Benedict from BSG. Nice guys.

Did you know they are reviving Buck Rogers as a comic book series from Dynamite in a couple months?

Newsarama.com : Dynamite Debuts Buck Rogers for a Quarter

[Mikey]

Dirk Benedict is probably the coolest and nicest celeb I ever met.

You would not believe it, but he's such a regular guy it's scary

[MysteryWho]

That makes perfect sense somehow.
A lot of celebrities are just the opposite of what they portray.
Both Boris Karloff and Peter Cushing were said to be pleasant guys.
Since we're speaking of Buck, I remember seeing Gil on a documentary.
He had that procedure to have his stomach stapled.
He seemed to be doing well afterwards.
I don't know how he's doing now.

[johnnystorm]

Dirk Benedict is probably the coolest and nicest celeb I ever met.

You would not believe it, but he's such a regular guy it's scary

On the card I sent him he signed his name and under it wrote "Who the heck is he?"

[starsky]

Dirk Benedict is probably the coolest and nicest celeb I ever met.

You would not believe it, but he's such a regular guy it's scary

that's one guy i've always wanted to meet!!

[starsky]

i forgot to bring my camera to the wonder con but i found this picture of erin gray on the web taken at the wondercon this past weekend



she was charging $20 for an autograph picture which is pretty reasonable. i know there were others, like adam west, who was charging $50

[vulcan2074]

OMG! I Love you Erin Gray
Sammy

[starsky]

i cant believe she's 60years young!

[vulcan2074]

i cant believe she's 60years young!

Amazing! I wasn't sure of her age, But WOW. She's still got it
Sammy

[starsky]

I liked BUCK better than "CattleCar Galactica" as my friend used to call it. Buck was fun, BSG was always too, I dunno, full of itself- trying to be Star Wars but claiming it wasn't anything like it.

Sent Gil Gerard a couple Buck cards and he signed them through the mail for me last summer. So did Dirk Benedict from BSG. Nice guys.

Did you know they are reviving Buck Rogers as a comic book series from Dynamite in a couple months?

Newsarama.com : Dynamite Debuts Buck Rogers for a Quarter

do you have the mailing address of dirk benedict? i'd like to send him something to sign as well.

[MIB41]

Honestly I look at Buck Rogers and Battlestar Galactica in almost the same vein. Galactica had a more serious theme to it, but the overall treatment and production values were similar. It was all just an out-branching of Star Wars hysteria and everyone was gelling with the concept. Lucas had revolutionized the idea and television embellished it with the idea of being "cool with chicks" in outerspace. I think it tapped into the kid in all of us. It was just a fun time to be young. Everything "felt" futuristic. Kids could play Atari in their own homes and the computer was being developed for home use as well. As a kid you felt like a Star Destroyer might actually be built in 20 years. Everything just seemed new and possible. Good times...

[david_b]

I'm still hunting around for Dirk appearances.. I flew all the way to the 20th Anniversary Galactica meet in LA back in '98, and he with a bunch of others didn't show..! Then when my wife made me stay to host a party for my sister who was graduating from college, I missed a trip to Michigan to get his autograph (he was charging $40 back then, I heard..).

Love that Erin Gray picture ~ She's still RULES..!

david_b

[Mikey]

One of the times I met Dirk was at a very cheap and local NJ wrestling show about 9-ish years ago.

I was surprised to even see him there.

I felt sorry for the guy because nobody at the show seemed to know who he was.
Most of the fans that attended were all very young wrestling fans and they were only worried about seeing wrestlers.
Dirk was alone and just sitting there.
I walked over and started BSing with him.
Funny thing about it, we hardly hardly ever talked about Battlestar, A-Team or anything TV related...
We just talked small talk for like a 45 mins.
At the end he wouldn't accept any money for his autograph.
He probably considered me knowing who he was enough payment