SeaQuest DSV

*A short series of novels based on the characters and concepts depicted on "seaQuest DSV" were available during the first season of the show. They were:
**"seaQuest DSV: The Novel (Book 1)" (a novelization of the pilot episode) by Diane Duane and Peter Norwood. Published October 1993. ISBN 978-0441000371
**"Fire Below" by Matthew J. Costello. Published January 1994. ISBN 0-441-00039-8
**"The Ancient" by David Bischoff. Published March 1994. ISBN 0-441-00042-8
*Nemesis Comics published one issue of a seaQuest DSV comic book. A second issue was planned, but was ultimately not published.
*A video game was released for the Super Nintendo, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis consoles in 1994.
*A series of action figures designed by Playmates Toys were released in 1993. Captain Bridger, Commander Ford, Lucas Wolenczak, Lt. Commander Hitchcock, Lieutenant O'Neill, Chief Crocker, Darwin, Dr. Rubin Zellar, and The Regulator were released as part of wave one. Additional characters such as Dr. Westphalen, Chief Ortiz, and Lieutenant Krieg and a Darwin with sound effects were planned as part of wave two, but they were never released. Additionally, prototypes of the "seaQuest", "Delta 4 Pirate sub", "The Stinger", a "seaLaunch", and a "Deep Sea Mini Pickup", all with electronic lights and sounds, are known to exist but were also not released either.
*A series of trading cards produced by SkyBox were released, depicting characters, scenes, and episodes from the first season.
*Various models were produced by Monogram, including the "seaQuest", a Deep Sea Mini Pickup, "The Stinger", and Darwin (actually a remolded Flipper) were released.
*Various pieces of clothing, including T-shirts, baseball caps, and embroidered patches of the "seaQuest" and UEO logos (replicas of the ones used on the show) were released.
*A non-fictional large format book was released during the first season and contained comprehensive interviews and production information, - also art work and design histories, as well as a production report of the episode "Hide and Seek."Other merchandise made available included a shot glass in cobalt blue with gold logo, key chains and pins, a book cover, 'magic rocks' sets, journal, and a set of bookmarks.

Behind the scenes

Roy Scheider's character was based on John C. Lilly. Lilly was a pioneer researcher into the nature of consciousness using as his principal tools the isolation tank, dolphin communication and psychedelic drugs, sometimes in combination. He was a prominent member of the Californian counterculture of scientists, mystics and thinkers that arose in the late 1960s and early 70s. Albert Hofmann, Gregory Bateson, Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, Werner Erhard, and Richard Feynman were all frequent visitors to his home. The character's name, Nathan Hale Bridger, was an homage to Nathan Hale.

Jonathan Brandis wore baseball jerseys during the first season, including one for the Florida Marlins that noted they had won the World Series in 2010. The Marlins were an expansion team that played for the first time in 1993, the same year that "seaQuest DSV" began production. They did go on to win the 1997 and 2003 World Series.

When producers began developing new characters for the second season, they named Lieutenant Brody after Police Chief Martin Brody, Roy Scheider's character in the first two "Jaws" films. [Roy Scheider: A Film Biography, page 154] Ralph Willcox and Karen Fraction, who both became recurring guest stars in the third season, had previously appeared as different characters in the second. Despite the numerous cast changes after the first season, John D'Aquino did make a guest appearance in the third season episode "In the Company of Ice and Profit". Despite the numerous cast changes, Jonathan Brandis appeared in every episode of the series, while Don Franklin appeared in every episode except for "And Everything Nice."

Several of the cast's family members were brought in to play characters, as well. Brenda King, Roy Scheider's wife, portrayed Carol Bridger; Todd Allen, Rosalind Allen's husband, portrayed Clay Marshall in "The Siamese Dream." Several cast members also dabbled on the creative side of the show, as both Ted Raimi and Jonathan Brandis penned episodes during the second season. (Brandis wrote the aforementioned "The Siamese Dream" and Raimi, "Lostland.") Conversely, Robert Engels, one of the show's executive producers (and writer of two episodes, "Greed For a Pirate's Dream" and "Hide and Seek") during the first season, portrayed the recurring character Malcolm Lansdowne.

After the series had moved production from Los Angeles to Florida in the second season, the filming crew was able to take advantage of some nearby landmarks. The exterior scenes in the episode "Playtime" were filmed in Lakeland, Florida, (specifically, the campus at Florida Southern College) to take advantage of the buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.

In several instances in the series, outside footage was employed. In the pilot episode, the scene from "The Hunt for Red October" where the "Dallas" and "Red October" are rising to periscope depth alongside each other was used. Images of the "Airwolf" helicopter from the television series of the same name was also used in "Hide and Seek."

While in production, "seaQuest DSV" won and was nominated for a number of awards. John Debney won the 1994 Emmy for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music" for his composition of the "seaQuest DSV" theme song and in 2000, it was named the 48th best theme song of all time by TV Guide. Don Davis also won an Emmy in 1995 for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series" (Dramatic Underscore) for his score for the second season premiere, "Daggers." Russ Mitchell Landau was also nominated for his work on the third season premiere, "Brave New World", in 1996. Kenneth D. Zunder was nominated for the Emmy award for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series" for the episode "Such Great Patience". Jonathan Brandis won the 1994 Young Artist Award for "Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Television Series" for his portrayal of Lucas Wolenczak and the series was nominated for a 1994 ASC Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots" as well as the Saturn Award for "Best Genre Television Series" in 1995.

A "seaQuest DSV" feature film was in pre-production stages, however, it never materialized. [ [http://jonathanbrandis.piranho.de/interviewschatsb2.html Transcript of "INTERVIEW WITH JONATHAN BRANDIS BY AOL." Originally 1996] Retrieved 02/15/08]

Despite being scripted in at least one episode, Captain Bridger never refers to Dagwood by name. The closest he ever got was calling him "Dag" in the episodes "Special Delivery" and "The Siamese Dream." [Script changes in "Special Deliver" [http://www.newcapequest.com/ncq/index.php?name=ForumsPro&file=viewtopic&t=842] ] After the change in title from "seaQuest DSV" to "seaQuest 2032", a new opening credits montage was assembled, which included stock footage of The Regulator and his orangutan Verne from the first season episode “The Regulator.” When the series was ultimately canceled in Spring 1996, no one working on the show knew that the final episode would prove to be "Weapons of War." Several episodes had reached script stages to follow it, but, ultimately never went into production. During the filming of the final scene in the final episode, Michael Ironside gave a small speech thanking the cast and crew for the time they spent working on the show. Following his words, Ironside tossed Jonathan Brandis into the moon pool on the sea deck set.

Two years after the end of the series, Jonathan Brandis, Don Franklin, Marco Sanchez, Ted Raimi, and Michael and Peter DeLuise reunited to film the motion picture "Between the Sheets", which was written and directed by Peter and Michael, respectively.

In the years following the series cancellation, several cast members passed away, including Royce D. Applegate, who died in a house fire on New Year's Day 2003; Jonathan Brandis, who committed suicide in November 2003; and Roy Scheider, who died in February 2008 from complications of a staph infection.

"seaQuest DSV" in popular culture

Over the years, "seaQuest DSV" references have cropped up in several other television series:

* When "seaQuest DSV" first began to air on NBC in 1993, the network also launched a spin-off of "Cheers", entitled "Frasier." The second episode of "Frasier" was entitled "Space Quest."

* In "The Simpsons" episode "The Boy Who Knew Too Much", Jasper Beardley claims he wants to hurry home from the jury deliberations to see "the dog from "Frasier" ride the dolphin on "seaQuest."

* When Jonathan Brandis made a guest appearance in the "" episode "A Thanksgiving Story", Kelly Kapowski introduced him as "Jonathan Brandis from "seaQuest."

* In the episode "Eye of the Beholder" of "Star Trek: The Next Generation", when Counselor Troi looks up the crew manifest of the "Enterprise", one of the crewmembers is listed as serving aboard the "USS seaQuest".

* The background ambiance sound used whenever the Professor Martenson hologram is in use has been used in two episodes of "South Park": "Starvin' Marvin in Space" and "Go God Go XII."

* In an episode of "Animaniacs" entitled "Miami Mama-Mia", Bobby says to the other Goodfeathers, "C'mon, let's make like the "seaQuest" and dive." Steven Spielberg was executive producer for both "Animaniacs" and "seaQuest DSV."

* In a "Married with Children" episode, Kelly Bundy is at an audition for an acting part alongside a hunky male actor. When it was his turn to speak his voice was high pitched. When it was revealed he worked on "seaQuest DSV", the director asked who he played on it and he replies "I did the voice of Darwin, the talking dolphin."

Episodes

External links

*
* [http://www.seaquestdsvdvd.com/ seaQuest DSV DVD Official Universal Studios Site]
* [http://www.spacecast.com/shows_Seaquest.aspx "seaQuest DSV" at spacecast.com] - Canadian science-fiction channel's show page

References