Television. One DVD at a Time.

"Danger hides in the stars. This is the world of Jason of Star Command, a space-age soldier of fortune that tries to stop the most sinister force in the universe - Dragos, master of the cosmos." - "Jason of Star Command" opening credits

Jason of Star Command: The Complete Series DVD Review

By Jude Clement

The universe is in trouble! Super baddie Dragos (Sid Haig, House of 1000 Corpses) is cruising around in his Dragonship, a space vehicle that looks as if it was carved from a chunk of canned ham, and he is intent on ruling the entire galaxy. Never fear, though - Jason (Craig Littler), a dashing, Han Solo-esque hotshot who works for Star Command, a secret division of Space Academy - is on the case. With the help of his fellow security team members - Commander Canarvin (James Doohan, Star Trek), tech expert Captain Nicole Davidoff (Susan O'Hanlon, Guiding Light), oddball scientist E.J. Parsafoot (Charlie Dell, Evening Shade), and mini robot W1K1 in season one; Parsafoot, W1K1, empathic strongwoman Samantha (Tamara Dobson, Cleopatra Jones), and hardnosed Commander Stone (John Russell, Lawman) in season two - Jason sets out to save the universe from the maniacal Dragos.

Jason of Star Command is sold as a sequel to Space Academy. Sure, both series employ the same sets and some of the same props, but their connection is nominal at best. Apart from the annoying robot Peepo, none of the main cast members from the original series appear here. It's as if the Space Academy crew disappeared and has been replaced by other space explorers with a completely different mission.

One of the series' biggest problems is that its characters are complete ciphers with very little characterization. Who is Jason? What is he supposed to be doing in space? Does he have superpowers? (Throughout season one he performs several feats of strength, including bending metal, biting into a stockade to chew off a giant splinter, throwing around heavy equipment, and hurtling through a metal door that looks suspiciously like balsawood.) None of these issues are ever addressed. Instead, the series simply jumps straight into the action.

This may have something to do with the fact that Jason of Star Command originally began as a ten minute segment of Tarzan and the Super Seven. Two segments ran each week, and each ended with a cliffhanger to ensure that kids would tune in for the next installment. There was no time for character development or any sort of introspection - like an old-fashioned movie serial, each segment was more concerned with building up to a thrilling (or not-so-thrilling) climax. The characters are slightly more fleshed-out in season two when Jason became a full-fledged, stand-alone series, but by then it was really too late to "introduce" Jason.

Jason of Star Command and other Filmation-produced series (like Ark II and Space Academy) possess a certain charming naiveté in that it is up to teens and young adults to save the world. Looking back at my teen years, I can't imagine this happening, even if I had "The Dynamite Handbook for Saving the Universe from Dragos." Save the universe? No way. Give me an Orange Crush and pass the remote - there must be something good on TV.

The 28 episodes that make up Jason of Star Command: The Complete Series are divided onto three discs. The discs are housed in two slim, clear keepcases, one of which holds two discs. The front covers feature publicity shots of the cast. The back covers include episode titles, episode numbers, and more publicity shots. The interiors of the cases include large photos of the series' spacecraft. The two keepcases slide into a cardboard sleeve which showcases the cast.

The menus are simple to navigate. Viewers can play all of the disc's episodes, pick an individual one, or use the scene selection menus to jump to a specific scene.

Video and Audio

The video quality of Jason of Star Command is more consistent than that of Space Academy. Unfortunately, this is because it's consistently fuzzy. Still, this is probably as good as the series will ever look.

English and Spanish audio tracks are included.

Extras

A detailed episode guide includes episode titles, production numbers, writing and directing credits, guest cast lists, plot synopses, and trivia for each episode. A production still is also included for each episode. The only flaw is that the print is extremely small, so be sure you have your magnifying glass ready.

Three episodes feature commentary tracks. "Attack of the Dragonship" includes a commentary track with executive producer Lou Scheimer and star Craig Littler. Guest star John Berwick joins the duo on "The Disappearing Man." Finally, "Beyond the Stars!" has a commentary track with visual effects supervisor Chuck Cominsky, stop motion animator Jim Aupperle, and live action creature effects artist John Carl Beuchler. Of the three, the track on "Attack of the Dragonship" is the most entertaining. The least effective is "Beyond the Stars!" The commentary is mostly technical, and at times what the participants are talking about does not match what is happening onscreen. It is almost as if they are watching a different episode. All three tracks are moderated by author Andy Mangels.

The remaining extras are on disc four. "The Adventures of Jason of Star Command" (31:05) featurette includes on-camera interviews with all of the commentary track participants except John Berwick. Because of this overlap, many of the stories told here are the same as those in the commentary tracks. Sid Haig is also included in the featurette, adding a different voice to the mix. A few fun tidbits are included, like the fact that Craig Littler is now the Gorton's fisherman and that Haig was only able to see the show twice during its Saturday morning run because of his kids' soccer schedule...and it was the same episode both times.

The "Special Effects Demo Reel" (6:35) is pretty self-explanatory. It collects clips of the series' miniature work and special effects. This might have been more fun with a commentary track with the effects team.

Five fully navigable image galleries are included: "Promotional Photo Gallery," "Behind the Scenes Gallery," "Cast & Crew Photo Gallery," "Spaceship Photos," and "Style Guide." The most interesting material is housed in the behind the scenes gallery and the style guide.

Devoted fans with access to a DVD-Rom drive can pop disc four into their computer to view scripts for twenty-seven episodes. These are in the .pdf format which requires Adobe Reader (available as a free download from adobe.com). Even if you never read all of the scripts, they are a great addition to the set.

Summary

Jason of Star Command: The Complete Series is the most expensive Saturday morning TV series ever produced - and the final live-action show from Filmation studios - but it doesn't add up to much. While its budgets may have been rich, its characterizations are paltry.

5/4/07