Who or what are Star Maidens? Ahh, that's a great question. Allow me to explain. Given my recent debate here on the blog about the nature of feminism vs. post-feminism (see the Veronica Mars post...) and my discussions with various readers about where, precisely, our American culture is on the subject at this particular moment, I decided that I should begin blogging about a sci-fi series about the war between the sexes.
Star Maidens is a British/German co-production created by Eric Paice. It's a short-lived series (with a run of just thirteen episodes) that made the war between sexes its central dramatic issue. The series was filmed in 1975, and I still remember watching it in first run on Channel 5, WNEW in the mid-1970s. Star Maidens is produced by James Gatward and features production design from Keith Wilson, the genius who crafted the minimalist but spectacular look of Space: 1999. Given this connection, the series looks and sounds (courtesy of some library sound effects...) like the unholy love child of Space:1999 mated with Doctor Who or Blake's 7. So - in case you couldn't tell - it's right up my genre alley.
The first 22 minute episode of Star Maidens commences with a voice over narration explaining the "golden years" of history on the distant planet Medusa. There, in "Proxima Centauri," the planet developed a peaceful, advanced, art-centric culture wherein women were the unquestioned rulers (and thinkers...) and servile, lowly men functioned as "domestics" or servants. Then, however, a pesky comet called Dionysus (noticeably a male figure in myth, by the way...) swung too close to Medusa (hate when that happens, don't you?) and pulled the planet out of her natural orbit. Consequently, the "vast mass" of Medusa (go on a diet, why don't you?) was "dragged" into the "frozen infinity of space." The surface of the planet grew uninhabitable as it turned to ice (read: frigid), and the survivors of the disaster moved into underground cities, where the female-dominated culture continued and solidified power due to the crisis. Medusa drifted through space for generations until it arrived here...in our solar system.
What did the Medusans find on Earth? Well, if you ask the female scientists of that world, only a "great disappointment." Because, "in violation of all common sense," men ruled the planet Earth. Accordingly, this backward planet was judged "out of bounds" for all "civilized" space travelers.
At this point in the episode, while watching a Medusan Mistress (played by Judy Geeson) writhe around on a large, comfortable bed of lush animal fur while attended to by a hunky man in white tights and a Han Solo haircut, my wife, Kathryn quipped, "I was born on the wrong planet."
As we pick up the first episode of Star Maidens, entitled "Escape to Paradise," two slaves, Shem (Gareth Thomas of Blake's 7) and Adam (Pierre Brice) are planning an escape from the female-managed Medusa. They are tired of being taken for granted. ("Who looks after the kids?" one man asks, citing his importance in Medusa's social strata.) However, before Shem and Adam can escape Medusa in Counselor Fulvia's (Judy Geeson) space yacht, Medusa's secretive and hostile-to-men head of security, Octavia (Christiane Kruger) gets a disturbing prediction from the Destiny Computer (think the Oracle at Delphi). The computer suggests that the illegal men's liberation movement is about to begin again, and that one such insurgent will be Fulvia's domestic, Adam. Uh oh.
Adam and Shem barely escape Medusa in a phallic-shaped space yacht. Fulvia and Octavia pursue in their vaginal shaped spaceship. But where are Adam and Shem off to? A "paradise," of course, where men rule over women. In other words, the planet Earth. Boy, are they going to be disappointed...
"Escape to Paradise" concludes with Shem and Adam crashing their ship on Earth. ("It's too difficult for a man!" cries Shem, worrying over his landing vectors...). Meanwhile, a group of Earthlings from the Institute of Radio Astronomy, led by beautiful and resourceful Liz (Liza Harrow) are on their way to the crash site.
"Was life really so bad on Medusa?" asks Counselor Fulvia of her escaped domestic, Adam, during a point of high tension in this episode. That's a loaded question, I guess. On one hand, the security forces of Medusa are all Amazonian women who wear skimpy two-piece uniforms (exposing bare midriff and muscular abs). On the other hand, the sexy women really do lord it over the men. It's all "prepare me something to eat," or "prepare my hypnomat" (meaning bed...). Of course, the women also demanded sexual service. "Kiss me," Fulvia orders Adam at one point. Beyond all reason, this militant male-ist finds that order difficult to comply with.
Despite any tongue-in-cheek tone here, the first episode of Star Maidens flashes by at warp speed, and is relatively entertaining. The production values are great for 1970s British science fiction, the actors are pretty good, and we get enough glimpses of the Medusan culture (technology and setting...) that you want to come back and see how it all turns out. Also, watching Gareth Thomas - the fiery rebel leader of Blake's 7 - playing a milquetoast, self-hating man (who's bought into the culture's myth about his sex..) is a riot.
So tune in tomorrow, as the war of the sexes (and the planets...) heats up in episode # 2, "Nemesis." Now I'm going to hit the hypnomat. I'm tired from preparing meals and looking after the kids.
Star Maidens is a British/German co-production created by Eric Paice. It's a short-lived series (with a run of just thirteen episodes) that made the war between sexes its central dramatic issue. The series was filmed in 1975, and I still remember watching it in first run on Channel 5, WNEW in the mid-1970s. Star Maidens is produced by James Gatward and features production design from Keith Wilson, the genius who crafted the minimalist but spectacular look of Space: 1999. Given this connection, the series looks and sounds (courtesy of some library sound effects...) like the unholy love child of Space:1999 mated with Doctor Who or Blake's 7. So - in case you couldn't tell - it's right up my genre alley.
The first 22 minute episode of Star Maidens commences with a voice over narration explaining the "golden years" of history on the distant planet Medusa. There, in "Proxima Centauri," the planet developed a peaceful, advanced, art-centric culture wherein women were the unquestioned rulers (and thinkers...) and servile, lowly men functioned as "domestics" or servants. Then, however, a pesky comet called Dionysus (noticeably a male figure in myth, by the way...) swung too close to Medusa (hate when that happens, don't you?) and pulled the planet out of her natural orbit. Consequently, the "vast mass" of Medusa (go on a diet, why don't you?) was "dragged" into the "frozen infinity of space." The surface of the planet grew uninhabitable as it turned to ice (read: frigid), and the survivors of the disaster moved into underground cities, where the female-dominated culture continued and solidified power due to the crisis. Medusa drifted through space for generations until it arrived here...in our solar system.
What did the Medusans find on Earth? Well, if you ask the female scientists of that world, only a "great disappointment." Because, "in violation of all common sense," men ruled the planet Earth. Accordingly, this backward planet was judged "out of bounds" for all "civilized" space travelers.
At this point in the episode, while watching a Medusan Mistress (played by Judy Geeson) writhe around on a large, comfortable bed of lush animal fur while attended to by a hunky man in white tights and a Han Solo haircut, my wife, Kathryn quipped, "I was born on the wrong planet."
As we pick up the first episode of Star Maidens, entitled "Escape to Paradise," two slaves, Shem (Gareth Thomas of Blake's 7) and Adam (Pierre Brice) are planning an escape from the female-managed Medusa. They are tired of being taken for granted. ("Who looks after the kids?" one man asks, citing his importance in Medusa's social strata.) However, before Shem and Adam can escape Medusa in Counselor Fulvia's (Judy Geeson) space yacht, Medusa's secretive and hostile-to-men head of security, Octavia (Christiane Kruger) gets a disturbing prediction from the Destiny Computer (think the Oracle at Delphi). The computer suggests that the illegal men's liberation movement is about to begin again, and that one such insurgent will be Fulvia's domestic, Adam. Uh oh.
Adam and Shem barely escape Medusa in a phallic-shaped space yacht. Fulvia and Octavia pursue in their vaginal shaped spaceship. But where are Adam and Shem off to? A "paradise," of course, where men rule over women. In other words, the planet Earth. Boy, are they going to be disappointed...
"Escape to Paradise" concludes with Shem and Adam crashing their ship on Earth. ("It's too difficult for a man!" cries Shem, worrying over his landing vectors...). Meanwhile, a group of Earthlings from the Institute of Radio Astronomy, led by beautiful and resourceful Liz (Liza Harrow) are on their way to the crash site.
"Was life really so bad on Medusa?" asks Counselor Fulvia of her escaped domestic, Adam, during a point of high tension in this episode. That's a loaded question, I guess. On one hand, the security forces of Medusa are all Amazonian women who wear skimpy two-piece uniforms (exposing bare midriff and muscular abs). On the other hand, the sexy women really do lord it over the men. It's all "prepare me something to eat," or "prepare my hypnomat" (meaning bed...). Of course, the women also demanded sexual service. "Kiss me," Fulvia orders Adam at one point. Beyond all reason, this militant male-ist finds that order difficult to comply with.
Despite any tongue-in-cheek tone here, the first episode of Star Maidens flashes by at warp speed, and is relatively entertaining. The production values are great for 1970s British science fiction, the actors are pretty good, and we get enough glimpses of the Medusan culture (technology and setting...) that you want to come back and see how it all turns out. Also, watching Gareth Thomas - the fiery rebel leader of Blake's 7 - playing a milquetoast, self-hating man (who's bought into the culture's myth about his sex..) is a riot.
So tune in tomorrow, as the war of the sexes (and the planets...) heats up in episode # 2, "Nemesis." Now I'm going to hit the hypnomat. I'm tired from preparing meals and looking after the kids.
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