I
remember with great anticipation the year of Space Precinct’s (1994 –
1995) arrival in syndication. That was the
span when I was completing my Exploring Space: 1999 book, and I
was excited that creator Gerry Anderson finally had a new sci-fi TV series in
the works, especially one with “space” in the title and as a primary setting.
Unfortunately,
here in North Carolina, Space Precinct only aired at 2:00 am
on weekends and only sporadically at that.
I think I ended up seeing two or three episodes in first run and feeling
that -- much like Terrahawks (1983 – 1986) -- it wasn’t the greatest vehicle for
Mr. Anderson’s talents.
The
series was released on DVD in America in 2010, and you can read my
full review of the series here. I
enjoyed it much more the second time around, especially the retro-style
model-based special effects. It’s not a
perfect sci-fi series, but it has a lot of fun moments.
Although
it was canceled after just one season, Space Precinct actually had its fair
share of merchandise on the market. In
my home office today, I still have several action figures from the series
hanging on the wall, manufactured and distributed by Vivid Imaginations in
England.
In
all, twelve small action figures were released, including the human characters
Brogan (played by Ted Shackleford on the program) and bickering officers
Haldane and Castle.
The
alien police officers included in the line were Captain Podly, Officer Took,
Officer Orrin and Sergeant Fredo. The
precinct’s robot Slomo was also among the toys released, and is one of the few
figures I don’t have. Each police action
figure comes with a blue identification card, and accouterments such as
hand-guns or scanners.
The
villains of the Space Precinct toy line were perhaps more colorful, including
Snake and the grisly-looking Cyborg.
Unlike the police action figures, these toys came with red ID cards and
weapons including knives and rifles.
The
two toys from the line that I really wanted but never managed to get my hands
on were the police bike, which I don’t believe was actually featured on the
program itself, and the nifty police cruiser.
For me, the police cruiser vehicle was essentially the Eagle One of Space
Precinct, a cool utilitarian design, and in some ways, the star of the
show. It’s essentially a Blade
Runner-esque flying patrol car with four engines. I still think it’s a pretty cool design, and
I enjoy watching the series if for no other reason than to see it on patrol.
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