"Welcome to man's most magnificent achievement in the conquest of space - the man-made planetoid Space Academy, founded in the star year 3732. Here we have gathered young people from the farthest reaches of all the known worlds. They have been chosen for their unique abilities and are being trained to cope with the mysterious, the unknown, the unpredictable danger lurking in the vast darkness of space." - Jonathan Harris in the "Space Academy" opening credits
Space Academy: The Complete Series DVD Review
By Jude Clement
If you thought algebra was tough, wait until you get a load of what students at Space Academy have to do in order to graduate - venture into black holes, save their world from destruction by meteorite, battle killer robots, and deal with malevolent alien races. With a workload like that, you can bet there's no time for keggers or toga parties!
Founded in 3732, Space Academy is a university in space that brings together youthful representatives of various cultures to study science and the humanities. The students are divided into teams. The Blue Team is led by 300-year-old Commander Gampu (Jonathan Harris, Lost in Space), a stern but loving father figure to his young charges. The team's captain is Chris Gentry (Ric Carrott) whose sister, Laura (ubiquitous 70s teen star Pamelyn Ferdin), is also a team member. The Gentrys are telepathic, communicating with each other through extrasensory perception. Tee Gar Soom (Brian Tochi, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles), training to become a doctor, possesses near super-human strength. Adrian Pryce-Jones (Maggie Cooper) is a scientist who, in one episode, experiments with chimp communication. Paul Jerome (Ty Henderson) is an ace pilot. Loki (Eric Greene) is a young orphan who becomes an honorary member of the team when they save him from a dying planet. Loki often bickers with Peepo, the small robot built by Commander Gampu.
Space Academy joined the CBS Saturday morning schedule on September 10, 1977. At heart, the series is basically Star Trek for kids. The Blue Team flies around in their fleet of Seeker shuttlecrafts helping to protect both the Academy and neighboring planets. Along the way, they learn lessons about cooperation, discipline, and respect for other cultures. Viewers at home are, of course, exposed to the same lessons along with a subtler one - that teens are (reasonably) bright enough to take positions of power and help control their own destinies.
For all its good intentions, the series does tread a few all-too-familiar stereotypes. What good is diversity when the Asian is depicted as a Kung Fu master who can break through walls with a karate chop? Or when the sole African American comes from "the wrong side of the planet," so to speak?
The series redeems itself with terrific special effects on par or even better than those in primetime shows like Battlestar Galactica. The details on the miniatures are stunning, and, as the extra features reveal, everything was done "in camera," meaning that when one shot had to be layered over another, the film was rewound and the new element was shot right on top of the other. The effects team did an amazing job that is sure to impress sci-fi aficionados.
TV fans should be on the lookout for a few familiar names among the series' guest stars. George DiCenzo ("Countdown") went on to voice characters on She-Ra, Princess of Power. Larry Dobkin ("There's No Place Like Home") was a veteran of I Love Lucy, playing several secondary characters on that classic sitcom. He also lends his voice to audio excerpts of Jess Oppenheimer's memoir on the I Love Lucy DVD sets and created The Life and Times of Grizzly Adams. Paula Wagner ("Life Begins at 300") later became Tom Cruise's producing partner. It's not nice to fool Mother Nature - Dena Dietrich ("My Favorite Marcia"), who starred in a memorable series of commercials for Chiffon margarine. Howard Morris ("Star Legend") voiced many Saturday morning characters on shows like Archies, Groovie Goolies, and Waldo Kitty. Dallas McKennon ("Johnny Sunseed") provided Archie's voice in many animated incarnations of the comic book.
The fifteen episodes that make up Space Academy: The Complete Series are divided onto four discs. Each disc spotlights a member of the Space Academy team: Gampu on disc one, Chris on disc two, Laura on disc three, and Loki on disc four. The discs are housed in two slim, clear keepcases which hold two discs apiece. 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 publicity photos and production stills. 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.
