Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Battle for Freedom" (December 1, 1979)

“Battle for Freedom,” the final episode of Jason of Star Command (1978 – 1979) really pulls out all the stops.  The episode features several new miniatures, a grand space battle (with more space craft per shot than we’ve seen before…), some terrific character interaction, and, finally, even a sense of resolution.

In this installment, Commander Stone (John Russell) is intercepted by Dragos while en route to Fleet Command to accept a medal for his outstanding service. Dragos holds Stone hostage and informs Jason, now acting Commander of Star Command, that Stone will not be released unless Jason cedes the peaceful planet Chryton to the tyrant.

Chryton’s prime consul, Jo-neen, visiting Star Command, officially requests protection for her planet. Jason attempts to stall Dragos, leaving Parsafoot in command while he searches the D-2 Star System for Stone.  Unfortunately, the planets in that system have strange effects on humanoids. Jason and Samantha take an antidote created by Parsafoot and head out to rescue their superior officer.

On the planet, Jason and Samantha find Commander Stone, but he has lost his memory. Jason is able to help Stone recover his identity. In part he does so by reminding Stone of Dragos – the man who forced Stone’s people from their planet -- and in part by reminding him that he is “the best commanding officer Star Command has ever had.”

As Jason, Samantha and Commander Stone leave the planet in the D2 system, Parsafoot launches a fleet of Star Command drones to meet Dragos’ attack fleet in space and defend Chryton.  It’s a rout, but the defeated Dragos has one last trick up his sleeve. 

He attempts to use a deadly anti-matter ray or “projector” to blast Jason’s Star-Fire into another dimension.  Jason uses a nearby red dwarf to reflect the beam, and Dragos instead is cast away into another reality “for a long, long time.”

You might expect a Saturday morning’s kid show, at the end of a long season, to do a bottle show or something rather modest, having run out of budgetary resources. Instead, Jason of Star Command goes out in grand style, with a whole host of new special effects and miniatures. For the first time, we see the unmanned Star Command drones, and by the half-dozen, no less. We also see Dragos’ fearsome battle stations in orbit of Chryton. 

And, of course, we get the final tango between the deadly Dragonstar and Jason’s zippy Star-Fire.  There are more miniature shots – and of greater complexity – in this twenty-minute segment than in the last several episodes of the season put together.

Although certainly the intention would have been to have another season of episodes, “Battle for Freedom” provides a nice sense of closure to the Saturday morning series. 

The socially-inept Parsafoot begins a romantic relationship with Jo-neen, and more importantly, Jason and Commander Stone finally seem comfortable with another. They have some nice banter in “Battle for Freedom,” and come to an acceptance, you might say, of their different way of doing things.   

They started out as uncomfortable allies at the beginning of season two, and end the same season with a strong sense of mutual respect. In this regard, the cast change from James Doohan as Commander Canarvin to John Russell as Commander Stone really works in the series’ favor. So much so, in fact, I’m inclined to agree with Jason’s explicit assessment: Stone is the better commander.

And, of course, Dragos is finally defeated in this valedictory episode. As the villain disappears, shouting maniacally “some day…Jason…” it’s clear he could return, had the series come back. But as the final episode of the show, the defeat of Dragos also plays as a final victory for the heroes. The scourge of the universe is gone. 

Watching Jason of Star Command today, it never lets you forget it was made for children.  The stories are simple and straight-forward, so much so that they become rather boring at times for an adult.  

Yet -- from time to time -- the character interaction is really great, particularly as it pertains to Stone and Jason. More to the point, the special effects remain astonishing examples of 1970s post-Star Wars state of the art.  They compare favorably, in fact, with prime time efforts such as Battlestar Galactica (1978-1979) and Buck Rogers in the 25^th Century (1979-1981).

I can’t say I wouldn’t have appreciated more thematic depth in a lot of these second season episodes, but again…these shows were designed for kids, and they're fun.  Adios, Jason!

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Mimi's Secret" (November 24, 1979)

In Jason of Star Command’s “Mimi’s Secret,” Jason (Craig Littler), Samantha (Tamara Dobson), Professor Parsafoot (Charlie Dell) and young Heidi (Heather Connell) escape an attack by Dragos’ (Sid Haig) drones, and then return to Star Command.  

Once there, they meet with Queen Medusa (Francine York), who, under a flag of truce, promises to exchange Heidi’s missing father for her doll, Mimi.

By this point, Parsafoot has realized that “Mimi” is actually a code-name for M1M1, an acronym which pinpoints the location (planet M1) of a secret “guardsman” mineral vein. The valuable material is used throughout the galaxy as a power source, and Dragos would find it incredibly valuable.  Meanwhile, Heidi stows away on Medusa’s ship.

Finally, Jason and the others rescue Heidi and her father on the surface of M1, and fight to keep the mineral out of the hands of Queen Medusa…

“Mimi’s Secret, the second-to-last Jason of Star Command episode, boasts some nice flourishes.  

One of those is the visual of Queen Medusa’s starship. It discharges energetic particles while traveling through space; particles that are pink and purple, the very colors of Medusa’s skin tight, spandex uniform (a hand-me-down from Julie Newmar.)

Another point of interest is the episode’s brief commentary on prejudice based on skin color.  Young Heidi asks Commander Stone (John Russell) why his skin is blue, and he responds with a comment about not judging people by color, because color doesn’t reveal their true selves. It’s a brief moment, but a good one that feels, perhaps more in keeping with Space Academy (1977).

In terms of production values, “Mimi’s Secret” is a noticeably weak episode. M1 is represented by the same studio planet set we’ve seen a dozen times this season.  Worse, the interior of Medusa’s ship is just a re-dressed Seeker/Star Fire interior, with the seats white instead of red. Kind of a disappointment, and it’s one of the few instances in the series where the miniature work doesn’t match a live-action interior.

No monsters or stop-motion aliens this week, but “Mimi’s Secret” opens with a pitched space battle between Dragos’ drones and Jason’s Star-fire.  Jason defeats the enemy fighters by tapping into their control panels and jamming their “control frequencies.”  It sounds a little like what Admiral Kirk did to Khan aboard the Reliant a few years later in Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan.

As far as Mimi (and her secret…) go, it turns out the doll is hiding information about the important power source, but the episode never really explains how she lives.  

In this segment, Mimi even shoots laser beams out of her eyes. But, unlike many of her cult-tv brethren, she’s not an evil doll, just a living one.

One last JOSC episode to go, next week: “Battle for Freedom.”

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Little Girl Lost" (November 17, 1979)

This week, on Jason of Star Command, Jason (Craig Littler), Samantha (Tamara Dobson) and Professor Parsafoot (Charlie Dell) rescue a young girl, Heidi (Heather O’Connell) from a spaceship crash on a desolate planetoid.  

Unfortunately, strange things are afoot there.  Dragos (Sid Haig) has shown an interest in the mission, and worse, Heidi’s toy doll, Mimi seems to be alive.

Even as Dragos dispatches Queen Medusa (Francine York) to the planet, Jason learns that Heidi’s father is a renowned scientist, Eric Van Demon.  

But where is he, and what’s become of him?  What was he working on before he disappeared, and what does Dragos want with him?

“Little Girl Lost” is actually a fairly interesting episode of Jason of Star Command, one that plays its cards close to the vest, presumably for a lot of reveals in the next episode, “Mimi.”  

The special effects are again incredibly good for a 1970s Saturday morning adventure, and this week we get to see Jason and his friends go toe-to-toe with a giant, ape-like monster.  It’s a man-in-a-suit, not a stop-motion creation (Think the 1976 King Kong), and yet it still looks pretty good.  Mimi – the living, and apparently malevolent doll – is created through stop-motion animation, however, and she’s very creepy, even though at this point we don't know her motives.

One of the reasons I continue to find Jason of Star Command so visually impressive is the care in the vetting of the miniature effects.  For instance, this week, Samantha takes off from the planet in the Star-fire capsule, leaving the body of the vessel on the ground.  

Throughout the remainder of the episode, the miniature is seen landed on the surface without that pod, which accurately reflects the story.  This was something that a contemporary, prime time series, Buck Rogers, didn’t always get right.  If you watch Buck episodes closely, there are constant special effects mismatches with the miniatures, particularly with the Directorate starfighters (two seaters vs. single seaters).  The Jason special effects are emblematic of a lot of love, and a tremendous attention to detail. 

If only the stories here were a little deeper, a little less bad guy vs. good guy.  But of course, as I have written before, the show was aimed at children, so thematic complexity just wasn’t in the cards. Which is too bad, because the production looks so good.

Next week, Heidi’s mysterious story continues with “Mimi.”

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Phantom Force" (November 10, 1979)

In “Phantom Force,” Jason (Craig Littler) escapes a trap in another dimension via the alien star gate and warns Commander Stone (John Russell) that Dragos (Sid Haig) is planning to use an alien power source on the planet Stygion to aid his coming invasion of "the universe."  

Star Command travels at “warp speed”(!) to intercept the alien power source on Jason’s information, but both Stone and Samantha (Tamara Dobson) are upset with Jason because his source of information is a former enemy: Adron (Rod Loomis).

After Samantha rescues a young buy, Carius (David Comfort) from a deadly ion storm, the tensions between Jason and Samantha escalate. Jason suspects something is not right with the boy, but Samantha is baffled by her friend’s suspicious behavior.  When Star Command undergoes a series of “accidents,” Jason’s worst fears are proved correct, and Carius is revealed to be…Dragos, or rather an “illusion” of Dragos.

In fact, the “Phantom Force” of the episode’s title refers to Drago’s apparently-new found ability to create hallucinations such as spaceship armadas and even phantom planets. In the episode’s final scene, Jason re-establishes his trust for Samantha by allowing her to choose which of five phantom planets is actually Stygion, Drago’s HQ.  She picks correctly, and Dragos' latest scheme is foiled again.  Star Command destroys the entire planet.

This episode of Jason of Star Command delves more into character fireworks then some installments of the Saturday morning program do, but here the frissons between main characters feel forced and manufactured.  

Suddenly, Jason and Samantha are at odds, and Jason and the Commander are at odds, and there are no good reasons for their behavior. Everyone starts spontaneously acting shitty, and that’s about as much depth as the story provides.  

Again, this is where – speaking as an adult – Jason of Star Command begins to fail. The straightforward episodes are designed for children and thus many of the plots just can’t really hold your attention as a grown-up.   I’m sure I would have loved “Phantom Force” when I was eight, and I don’t mean that sarcastically or as a put down.  The show was designed for kids, after all.

However, I must note that all Saturday morning programs are not created equal in this regard. Land of the Lost (1974 – 1977) and Space Academy (1977) both manage to remain interesting to adults even today because their narratives involve more than mere action.  There’s subtext to many Land of the Lost stories about the environment, and environmental stewardship, for instance.  Perhaps owing to the success of Star Wars, Jason of Star Command is so straightforward that it often plays as…flat.

That established, the special effects of Jason of Star Command remain astounding. A highlight of “Phantom Force” is Samantha’s rescue of Carius’s pod from the ion storm. The visual effects here are really terrific, as usual, a more-than-satisfying blend of live action, spaceship miniatures and glowing opticals (in the form of the charged ions…).  If you’re watching Jason just to enjoy the accomplished special effects, there’s nothing disappointing whatsoever about this segment.

Storywise, however, you can just detect how the ball is kind of being dropped in terms of the larger narratives.  Dragos goes from one hopeless scheme to the next, doomed to failure.  

And now even the star gate (still in Star Command’s landing bay…) looks as though it is going to be dropped as an instigator for new stories and new mysteries.   

Other elements of "Phantom Force" also raise questions. Star Command -- like the Death Star! -- boasts the power to destroy planets?  

Are only Dragos' forces living on Stygion?  Nobody even checks before obliterating the planet.  And if Carius is a phantom -- an illusion -- does that mean that Samantha never touches him, even while tucking him into bed?  

Anyway, three episodes left before the end of season two and the end of the series.

Next Week: “Little Girl Lost.”

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Face to Face" (November 3, 1979)

This week on Jason of Star Command, the Saturday morning Filmation series pulls out a familiar genre convention: “My Enemy, My Ally.”   

In this staple of sci-fi television, two enemies must work together to resolve an existential crisis.  It was Geordi and a Romulan officer on Star Trek: The Next Generation’s “The Enemy.”  It was Peter Burke and Urko on Planet of the Apes’ “The Trap.”  Paul Foster and an alien pulled the same trick on UFO’s “Survival,” as well.  Even Land of the Lost saw Rick Marshall and a Sleestak named "S'latch" team-up in "The Hole."

This "My Enemy/My Ally" story universally concerns team work, and more than that, diversity.  A Romulan doesn't believe he can learn anything from a human...but he does, and so forth. Here, the different skill-sets of the people forced to work together prove valuable in overcoming a hurdle.  That hurdle might be a cave-in ("The Trap"), or an inhospitable terrain (the moon in "Survival," or Galorndon Core in "The Enemy.")  

I realize that "diversity" as a concept or virtue has come under heavy fire over the last several years as being "PC," but its merit is obvious in a sci-fi setting: a different (and alien...) background offers a different viewpoint and opinion about survival, and often a different philosophical approach to facing death. Such qualities are incredibly useful.  It's always better to have more viewpoints and more knowledge, from varying sources, when trying to assure survival. IDIC and all that.

Here, Jason (Craig Littler) and his enemy, Adron (Rod Loomis) are trapped on a planet with a poisonous atmosphere, and must between them share one portable life-support system.  This means that they are literally chained together by the wrists, in a dynamic visual call-back to The Defiant Ones (1958).  

At first, Adron is reluctant to trust Jason, but Jason is optimistic.  “I believe all life is worth saving,” he tells his new friend.  

Finally, Jason gives up his claim on the life support system to help Adron survive, and this softens the alien’s heart. “It is better to live with brotherhood than hatred,” Adron agrees, noting he must “heal” his conscience after working with the evil Dragos.

Adron also reveals to Jason that Dragos is “amassing” alien power sources so as to invade “the universe,” and that’s where this particular episode leaves off. Jason and Adron part, and the implication is that Jason is off to stop Dragos' fiendish strategy.

It’s undeniably fun to see the My Enemy/My Ally dynamic re-stated so bluntly on Jason of Star Command, even if the idea is incredibly familiar. 

At least the re-use of  such an old concept gives this installment some philosophical and cerebral heft, so it isn’t just action all the time. This episode of JOSC doesn't feel as empty as some, as a consequence.

Another nice touch in "Face to Face" is that Adron and Jason are trapped on a “living planet,” one which attempts to kill all invaders, and which starts setting off explosives across the landscape. At one point, a cave wall comes to life and attempts to crush the duo.  It's one thing to work together in a dangerous environment, it's all together something else when that environment is consciously trying to murder you...

About the only misstep in “Face to Face” is the fact that, once more, Dragos seems to be able to see  and hear everything that is happening to Jason...at every moment. How Dragos manages to possess constant universal, inter-dimensional, intergalactic surveillance on his target is a total mystery, and one that the series never explains.

Next week: "Phantom Force."

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Through the Stargate" (October 27, 1979)

The Tantalution story arc is now behind the series, and Jason of Star Command's second season continues with an episode entitled "Through the Stargate."  

Here, a minion of Dragos named Adron (Rod Loomis) pretends to be an ambassador so that his disabled ship, "The Space Flyer" can be repaired at an unsuspecting Star Command.

Jason rescues Adron after he experiences a blow-out in his engine. Specifically, Jason "piggybacks" the alien ship to Star Command in a dangerous, perfectly-timed maneuver.  

Once at command, Adron reveals a precious and "fragile" artifact aboard his ship, one that shares an emblem with Samantha's (Tamara Dobson necklace.  Thus, the artifact may be from her world, which she still can't recall because of amnesia. This similarity proves an irresistible mystery to the alien woman.

Soon, Samantha, Jason and Parsafoot use the artifact to transport to an alien world, one where they encounter a giant, injured creature, and nurse it to health. Soon however, Adron shows up too, and reveals his true form.  Before long, he traps his enemies in a cavernous prison edifice.

"Through the Stargate" features a new alien monster costume (Adron), a new stop-motion creature, and even a new spaceship miniature for the "Space Flyer."  Unfortunately, the moments set on the planet surface all look abundantly familiar. We've been to this sound stage and seen these rocks at least three times before during the second season.

Also, we seem to be in bit of a rerun, story-wise. 

In "The Power of the Star Disk" and "Secret of the Ancients" episodes, Parsafoot learned that an alien device was actually a matter transporter, and Dragos used it to strand the crew on a planet in another dimension.

In this episode, "Through the Stargate," yet another matter transmitter strands the heroes on another planet...and the same sound-stage to boot.  This planet, like its predecessor, seems to be set in another dimension, since Dragos tells Adron "We have intruders in your universe." All the same story elements are repeated, only this time, the narrative promises to reveal more about Samantha than Commander Stone.

The twin-highlights of this episode of Jason of Star Command are the piggy-back action sequence set in space (which forecasts a similar scene, done with CGI, in Star Trek: Insurrection [1998]) and Samantha's telepathic communication with the affectionate, stop-motion monster.  Otherwise, this is a case of been there, seen that.

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "The Power of the Star Disk" (October 20, 1979)

"We don't even know what dimension of space we're in!" Commander Stone (John Russell) reports in "The Power of the Star Disk," the next episode of Jason of Star Command featured in our Saturday morning cult-tv blogging.

As you'll recall, Jason (Craig Littler), the Commander (Russell), Dr. Parsafoot (Charlie Dell) and Matt Daringstar (Clete Keith) have been sent into "limbo" by the evil Dragos (Sid Haig).  In that limbo this week, our heroes encounter a ghostly alien Tantulution, a "guardian" who establishes a telepathic link with the Commander.  

As it turns out, the Commander's race (still unnamed, I think...) bears a biological connection to the legendary Tantulutions, and the Guardian wishes to share his galactic knowledge with Stone -- a descendant -- before the planet's sun goes supernova.

Once the telepathic link is complete, Jason and the others are able to escape the planet (and dimension...) and return to our universe using a second star disk.  They do so just in time too, since Dragos has released a "warp dragon" to destroy Star Command...

The multi-episode Star Disk/Tantalution arc ends with this episode of Jason of Star Command, which primarily provides new details about Commander Stone.  For one thing, his score to settle with Dragos (mentioned in the previous episode) involves the fact that the despot drove his people from their home world sometime in the past.

We also learn that the Commander's people are related to the legendary Tantulutions, as mentioned above. At this point, it's fair to state Stone is becoming the most well-developed of all the characters on the series. For instance, we know more about his past than we do about Jason, which is strange.  It would be great if Samantha were to see the same level of attention as Stone in upcoming episodes as well.

Otherwise, "The Power of the Star Disk" presents quite a challenge for Jason as he must navigate barriers of fire to open a locked door inside the Guardian's panel.  An over-sized vent shaft also rears its ugly head, so I wished I could have seen this episode a few weeks ago to include a gallery image for the Cult-TV Faces of Vent Shafts.

Finally, the special effects are, once more, extraordinary. The planet of "mist" is an impressive and creepy set, and there's a great shot here of Stone's crashed Star-fire, composited with the live-action. The Warp Dragon also returns in this episode, and looks more impressive and menacing than before.

In terms of Jason of Star Command episodes, "The Power of the Star Disk" is a pretty good one, I suppose, though it still boasts some glaring errors.

For instance, in the insert-shots of Wiki, the episode cuts to the Year One model of the handheld robot, not the more recent upgrade seen in second season episodes.  Also, Matt Daringstar goes from being bounty hunter, traitor and "pirate" to a man who cowers and trembles at the presence of unseen ghosts in this episode.  

Not very daring, Daringstar...

At the end of this episode, the Star Disks disappear because man is "not meant to use them," which is convenient but doesn't make a whole lot of sense given the details of Samuel A. Peeples' story line.

I thought Commander Stone was given the knowledge of the disks as a descendant of the Guardian and the Tantulutions?   Why is the Guardian reneging on the deal now?  Does Commander Stone still possess the knowledge from the mental link?  Is Dragos just going to give up and move on to another nefarious plan to conquer the universe?

I have a sneaking suspicion that Jason of Star Command isn't going to answer these questions, but instead move on to something new and different.  

And just when it was starting to get kind of interesting, and building up a mythology about the universe, and its most ancient inhabitants...

We'll find out for sure, in "Through the Stargate..."

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Secret of the Ancients" (October 13, 1979)

The Saturday morning adventures continue in Jason of Star Command's swashbuckling episode "Secret of the Ancients," first aired in late 1979.  

Here, the manipulative Dragos (Sid Haig) promises to save Jason's (Craig Littler's) life if only Professor Parsafoot (Charlie Dell) deciphers the mysterious star disk of the "Tantalutions" now in the despot's possession.

Parsafoot agrees, and Jason is rescued from space. Very quickly, Parsafoot learns that the disk functions as a "matter transmitter."  Specifically, it can send any life-form into another dimension, a kind of cosmic "limbo."

When Commander Stone (John Russell) attacks Dragos' dragon ship, Dragos sends the unfortunate commander into this very limbo. And when Matt Daringstar betrays Dragos, the madman sends the boy, Parsafoot and Jason into  the eerie limbo world as well...

Although it lacks a stop-motion monster, "Secret of the Ancients" is a fun episode in terms of characterization.  Parsafoot must make a choice between helping Jason and sacrificing his principles, or letting Jason die. Jason -- though alive -- is disappointed by his final selection.

Even more interestingly, Jason continues his unofficial tutorship of Matt Daringstar (Clete Keith), turning the conflicted boy from the dark side, as it were, and towards the light. Jason does so, largely, by asking Matt if he'd rather be rich, or have friends who really care about him.

In the age of President Carter's "Crisis of  Confidence" speech, this is not a small concern, and Jason of Star Command does a nice job of depicting Daringstar's choice.  Would he rather be rich, in the service of a monster, or be his own man; one that he can take pride in?

I also enjoyed the deepening of the Commander Stone character here. In "Secret of the Ancients," Stone reveals that he bears some unknown "personal score" to settle with Dragos, and launches Star Fire 3 to take him on. The mission fails, but Jason ribs the by-the-book commander about his decision to endanger himself on a mission.  "Not exactly by the book," he notes, and Stone admits that "there are times when the book is inadequate," but then quickly recants.  "I'll deny I ever said that."

Alas, despite the fast pace and excellent outer space effects for the age, Jason of Star Command showcases the limit of its budget this week.

When Jason escapes from prison, he leads one of Dragos' spaghetti-monster aliens on a merry chase down a high-tech corridor. One hallway is seen again and again, from different angles during the chase, and the re-use of the set is plain. Also, when Jason disables one of Drago's computers, it's not clear what he precisely has done to it. He just stamps his feet behind the console, and it explodes! 

Finally, the episode ends with another cool JOSC cliffhanger: the roar of an unseen monster in the mist-filled limbo.  I hope this promises a cool stop-motion monster in next week's show...

All in all, this episode is a pretty good build-up from last week's arc opener, but it's a disappointment that Samantha (Tamara Dobson) continues to be sidelined when there is so much more to explore regarding her "amnesia" and character background.

Next week: "The Power of the Star Disk."  

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Beyond the Stars" (October 6, 1979)

"Beyond the Stars" is a lot of fun, and a bit stronger than the previous few episodes of Jason of Star Command's second season.  In particular, this episode by Samuel A. Peeples lays the groundwork for a multi-episode arc regarding Dragos (Sid Haig) and his strategy to control the civilized galaxy using a strange discovery.

That discovery is the "star disc," a stone that "contains the wisdom and power of the lost, ancient civilization of the Tantalutions," the greatest culture "ever to exist."

Unfortunately for Dragos, the Star Disc is damaged and unreadable, except to the galaxy's greatest mind, Dr. Parsafoot.

Accordingly, Drago sends a young, hot shot mercenary -- self-named "Matt Daringstar" (Clete Keith) -- to infiltrate Star Command, posing as a cadet. His mission: to abduct the good professor and deliver him to Dragos.

Once the professor is captured aboard a seeker by the "cadet," Jason launches a Star Fire to rescue him. But Dragos releases a "warp dragon" to destroy Jason, an act which leaves Jason stranded in outer space as Parsafoot is delivered to Jason's mortal enemy.

Jason of Star Command is a kid's show, and as such, generally avoids real character development. Here, however, the episode features not only more of the Jason/Commander Stone rivalry, but effectively involves a deceitful person, Matt, tricking Parsafoot into his custody.

The episode's final scene explains, rather nicely, how the heroically-named Matt Daringstar is actually quite different from a real hero, like Jason. Jason nearly sacrifices himself to save Parsafoot and Daringstar from the warp dragon, but when given the same opportunity, Daringstar leaves Jason to die.  In his own way, he's a coward.

The message is that real courage is much more than a neat-sounding or colorful name.

"Beyond the Stars!" also does a fine job establishing better the routine at Star Command. We learn here that Parsafoot is actually a lecturing professor (!), and that he teaches classes on Seeker computer systems from the docking bay. This is something we haven't seen before, and harks back to the days of Space Academy.

We also see fighters scrambled for battle with attacking pirate warships, but oddly Samantha and Jason are the only two pilots to launch, and neither one is an official member of Star Command.

Certainly, there must be some actual Star Command pilots aboard the station, right?  But the special effects sequence involving twin Star Fire maneuvers is beautifully rendered, and certainly rivals the special effects of Battlestar Galactica, though produced on a fraction of the budget.

As has also steadily become the case, the high-point of this Jason of Star Command episode is a stop-motion animation interlude showcasing a monster, here the warp dragon, a creature that "eats energy," and once unloosed isn't easily controlled.

I just love that Jason of Star Command depicts these fantastical, menacing monsters, and again, I'm pleasantly reminded of the cinema of Ray Harryhausen. I should also add that these stop-motion alien creatures gives JOSC a distinct look and feel, one unlike any TV contemporary (Space: 1999, Buck Rogers, BSG).  

With "Beyond the Stars!" I was really engaged and interested in what was going to happen to Jason for the first time since the premiere episode of the second season, and I'm counting that as a good sign of things to come.  I hope so, anyway...

Next Saturday: "Secret of the Ancients."

Saturday Morning Cult-TV Blogging: Jason of Star Command: "Web of the Star Witch" (September 29, 1979)

In "Web of the Star Witch," the third episode of Jason of Star Command’s second season, Jason’s apparently abandoned Star Fire returns to the Star Command docking bay. Commander Stone (John Russell) is concerned over the strange arrival, and with good reason. 

In secret, one of Dragos’ minions has infiltrated the base, and is planning to set a time bomb.

Meanwhile, Jason and Samantha run afoul of the evil Queen Medusa (Francine York), who desperately wants Jason to join her in seizing control of the galaxy. After Jason refuses to team up with the villain, he and Samantha utilize Medusa’s matter transmitter to return to Star Command, and help Stone and Parsafoot with a search for the ticking bomb…

All in all, "Web of the Star Witch" is perhaps a bit more exciting than “Frozen in Space,” (which I call “Frozen in Place.”)  There’s a little bit more intrigue in this narrative, and in terms of visuals, the episode features a terrific stop-motion alien monster.  

Watching Jason and Samantha face off against this unusual star beast, I was reminded immediately of Jason and the Argonauts (1962), and then considered again how the swashbuckling fantasy world of Ray Harryhausen seems to be one of the key inspirations of Jason of Star Command.  

Consider the similarities: a heroic leader and his courageous team  -- with Samantha as a kind of female, amnesiac Hercules -- facing off against evil creatures and aliens.  In the same sense as Jason and the Argonauts, Jason of Star Command is tremendous fun, and filled with surprisingly effective special effects for a Saturday morning TV show.

Of course, some of the character mechanics don’t make a lot of sense. Why would Medusa risk everything she has gained working with Dragos on the slim chance that Jason would join her? In terms of motivation, it doesn’t seem likely, and, of course, Jason rejects her call to join up. “My allegiance is to Star Command and a free galaxy,” he tells her, and his words aren't exactly a surprise.  In fact, they recall his words to Julie Newmar's character in Season One, under similar circumstance.  I think Medusa wears the same outfit, as well.

What seems missing from “Web of the Star Witch” is a larger overall plot-line, or arc.  Each Jason of Star Command features a terrible threat to Jason and to Star Command, and yet it all feels terribly random, as though Dragos is just throwing everything (including the kitchen sink…) at his opponents.  

Dragos would seem a more effective villain if the audience felt he actually had a multi-piece strategy. On the other hand, if space terrorism is his goal, perhaps Drago is effective in "terrorizing" Star Command.

Another nice touch in “Web of the Star Witch” involves the development of Commander Stone, perhaps the season’s most intriguing personality. Here, he demonstrates his people’s ability to implant mental directives directly in the minds of other individuals.  Specifically, he subdues an alien creature with the instruction to “rest.”  He does so by placing two fingers against the alien’s temple. This ability looks like the Vulcan mind meld in practice, but acts like the Vulcan nerve pinch.  Regardless, it passes for a pretty cool ability.

“Web of the Star Witch” also demonstrates how WiKi has become an easy crutch for  series writers.  In this story, the tiny robot destroys the chains binding Samantha and Jason, overloads an alien computer, and saves the day again and again.  He has become, in short order, Jason’s “Get out of Jail Free” card.  He’s virtually indestructible too.

Although the presentation of Queen Medusa is hackneyed (she even possesses a magic wand...), “Web of the Star Witch” remains a pretty fast-paced half-hour, and at least gets Jason back to Star Command, so he can introduce Samantha to the rest of the gang. 

Next week: "Beyond the Stars."