In
“Escape from Dragos,” the energy clone of Commander Canarvin (James Doohan),
returns to Space Command and surreptitiously lowers the base’s defense shields, thereby creating an opportunity for Dragos to attack the facility.
Back
on the Dragon Ship, however, Jason uses Wiki to help Canarvin escape from
custody and make his way to a captured Star Fire.
Canarvin escape custody, but Jason
remains a captive of the evil Dragos…
In
this fifteen minute segment, the overall plot moves incrementally forward, with the
fake Canarvin endangering the Academy, and the real Canarvin on his way to stop
him. Thus we have that old TV trope: the evil commander. Should he be questioned? Trusted? Obeyed? Removed from authority?
Those are the questions that trusting, loyal subordinates must now ask.
Beyond the Canarvin situation, not
much happens in terms of character in this story, except that Nicole (Susan
Pratt) reveals here proficiency in kung-fu.
Parsafoot (Charlie Dell), by contrast, has an embarrassing display of
his physical skills. Though meant to be
comic relief, Parsafoot’s behavior is actually cringe-inducing.
It’s
always a shame when a show that seeks not to talk down to kids ends up
pandering to “childish” characterization, and that’s what happens in “Escape
from Dragos.” We don't need comic relief from Parsafoot in this story. We need good, exciting storytelling instead.
Otherwise,
here are some more broad observations about the series, this week. We see that the corridors of Drago’s vessel
are all made of rock, rather than the advanced-looking materials of Space Command. This fact suggests that the corridors were carved
out of asteroid rock but the task of making the corridors attractive and
livable was left untended. Those things likely don't matter to Dragos. His crew consists of mindless minions, so why bother with the decor, right?
Also, as is the case
with Space
Academy (1977), the special effects on this series hold up nicely. This mini-episode
features a scene in which Canarvin’s Star Fire is freed from the Dragon Ship’s
bay. We see the doors open, and the ship drop out and accelerate away. Very, very impressive work.
Next week: "A Cry for Help."
Pictured above Canarvin’s Star Fire's Minicat Escape Pod is interesting because the Minicat Escape Pod is usually docked to the bow of a Starfire and is used as a lifeboat.
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