Jason of Star Command

Infobox Television
show_name = Jason Of Star Command
format = Childrens, Action, Adventure, Science Fiction
camera =
picture_format =
audio_format =
runtime =
creator = Arthur H. Nadel
director = Arthur H. Nadel
developer =
presenter = Filmation
executive_producer = Norm Prescott
Lou Scheimer
producer = Arthur H. Nadel
starring = Craig Litter
Charles Dell
Sid Haig
Susan O'Hanlon
James Doohan
Tamara Dobson
John Russell
narrated =
opentheme =
endtheme =
theme_music_composer =
composer = "Yvette Blais", "Jeff Michael"
country = USA
network = CBS
first_run =
first_aired = September 9, 1978
last_aired = 1981
num_episodes = 28
list_episodes =
related = Space Academy
followed_by =
website =
imdb_id =
tv_com_id =

"Jason of Star Command" was a live action television show by Filmation which ran between 1978 and 1981. The show revolved around the exploits of space adventurer Jason (Craig Littler) and his colleagues, including Professor E.J. Parsafoot (Charlie Dell) and the pocket robot "Wiki" (formally W1K1). The show also starred Sid Haig as the evil Dragos, and, in the first season, James Doohan of "Star Trek" fame. "Jason" was a spinoff of another Filmation live action show called "Space Academy", which starred another former sci-fi luminary, Jonathan Harris.

Overview

eason 1

Its first season, a segment of "Tarzan and the Super 7" was done in the style of the movie serials of the past, telling a single overall story with sixteen "chapters" of approximately fifteen minutes' length, each ending in a cliffhanger. The second season was a stand-alone, half-hour series. Filmation would later revisit the serial format with their rendition of Flash Gordon.

Jason flew a Starfire. This fast spaceship had a star pod that could separate from the ship in an emergency. Dragos commanded the vast Dragonship, similar to the Space Academy in that it was built on a large asteroid. Dragos's fightercraft were unmanned drones. (This was a choice made by the show's producers, so that the destruction of these craft would not involve killing a pilot. The show aired on Saturday mornings, and deadly violence had to be kept to a minimum.)

eason 2

James Doohan left the show at the end of the first season to join the rest of the original ' cast in reprising their roles in '. He was replaced by John Russell. who played the blue skinned "by the book" Commander Stone. Ironically, Jonathan Harris was to have reprised his role as Commander Gampu from Space Academy, but according to the DVD booklet, he "had a falling out" with Filmation, thus the creation of Doohan's character.

The asteroid prop used for "Space Academy" was re-used for Jason, where Star Command was stated to be "in a secret part of the Space Academy". Other than the appearance of the robot Peepo and the appearance of a Seeker shuttle piloted by Lt. Matt Prentiss (John Berwick), no references were made to the characters or situations in Space Academy.

Episode list:

Season One (fifteen-minute segments from "Tarzan and the Super 7"):

*Attack of the Dragonship

*Prisoner of Dragos

*Escape from the Dragons

*A Cry for Help

*Wiki to the Rescue

*Planet of the Lost

*Marooned in Time

*Attack of the Dragons

*Peepo's Last Chance

*The Disappearing Man

*The Haunted Planet

*Escape from Kesh

*Return of the Creature

*Peepo on Trial

*The Trojan Horse

*The Victory of Star Command

Season Two (30 minute episodes aired as "Jason of Star Command"):

*Mission to the Stars

*Frozen in Space

*Web of the Star Witch

*Beyond the Stars!

*Secret of the Ancients

*The Power of the Star Disk

*Through the Stargate

*Face to Face

*Phantom Force

*Little Girl Lost

*Mimi's Secret

*Battle for Power

DVD release

The entire series was released on DVD by BCI Home Entertainment on May 8, 2007. The three-disc set contains all 28 episodes from seasons one and two, as well as commentary tracks, a documentary, photo and art galleries, a special effects demo reel, and DVD-ROM scripts for 27 of the 28 episodes. The galleries also contain characters sheets for the proposed but never produced animated version of the show.

External links

*imdb title|id=0078631|title=Jason of Star Command
*Tv.com show|id=6092|title=Jason of Star Command