In
“Cruise Ship to the Stars,” Buck (Gil Gerard), Wilma (Erin Gray), and Twiki
(Mel Blanc) board the space luxury liner Lyran Queen on a mission to protect
Miss Cosmos (Dorothy R. Stratten), a genetically perfect human woman, and
“beauty” contest winner.
Mystery assailants aboard the space liner
realize that Miss Cosmos possesses a “staggering genetic value” and wish to
sell her body parts on the black market.
Once
aboard, Buck and his friends attempt to protect Miss Cosmos, unaware that their
opponent is a dangerous “transmute.”
Sometimes,
the would-be-thief is the meek, gentle Allison (Kimberly Beck) and sometimes
she is the avaricious, incredibly powerful Sabrina (Trisha Noble).
Allison
and Sabrina both are being manipulated by their boyfriend and thief, Jalor
Davin (Leigh McCloskey), who is plotting to use Sabrina’s abilities to capture
and dissect and Miss Cosmos.
“Cruise
Ship to the Stars” is another intriguing Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
(1979-1981) pastiche. It’s another
episode that seems basic, and even clichéd on the surface, until one looks at a
little more deeply at the influences going into it.
In
this case, the episode takes its setting from one of the most popular TV series
of the latter-half of the disco decade: The Love Boat (1977-1987).
Instead
of a sea-bound Pacific Princess, however, Buck Rogers sets its story on the
gorgeous star-liner Lyran Queen. The
miniature for this spaceship is incredible and it would recur -- though with
less-flamboyant coloring and trim -- as the starship Searcher in the series’
season two. I’ve always loved this
ship’s appearance, with the forward sphere, the long tube, and the
over-powered, rear-mounted engine tubes.
It’s a fantastic design. I’ve always wanted a model kit of it.
In
terms of interiors, the set used for the directorate hangar deck during the
first season has been rebuilt or redecorated here as an elaborate Lyran Queen swimming
pool (another set frequently seen on the Pacific Princess).
The
episode takes a little bit from The Love Boat in terms of structure
too. Here we meet a number of different passengers, all with a story to
tell. Even Twiki gets to fall in love
with the gold ambuquad named Tina (Patty Maloney). I won’t comment on the fact
that she says “booty booty booty” instead of Twiki’s “bidi bidi bidi.
In
terms of characters, however, “Cruise Ship to the Stars” -- at least on its
surface -- is really a kind of Dr. Jekyll/Mr. Hyde story. That story first came into the pop culture firmament
back in 1886, when Robert Louis Stevenson published his tale, The
Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde.
The novella is a case study in the duality of man’s nature, both
moral and immoral, and perhaps even a reflection of the conscious vs.
unconscious mind.
Here,
Buck tangles with an opponent who boasts two distinct personalities. One is
meek and gentle, learning to assert herself and declare her needs. That’s
Allison, our Dr. Jekyll in this case. The other personality is an
out-of-control Id, a thief and a savage: Sabrina, or Mr. Hyde.
The
sci-fi concept that permits this doubling is the idea of a “transmute,” some who can alter their
physical and psychological identity.
The
question becomes, I suppose, who is really in charge? Sabrina or Allison? And
beyond that, who is the “real” personality, and who is the “created” one, if we
look at the concept in that fashion?
When
we look in the mirror, we could ask ourselves the same questions. What controls
us? The unconscious mind? The Id? Or some higher, more “civilized” function of
the new brain, rather than the prehistoric one?
On
an even deeper level, “Cruise Ship to the Stars” is really all about identity
and the way society judges the standard of beauty.
Ms.
Cosmos is beautiful inside and out, so much so that she is judged perfect by
society. Her beauty is both physical and genetic, and therefore coveted by
others who wish to profit from such “perfection.”
Sabrina
and Allison navigate standards of beauty in a fascinating way as well. Sabrina is physically attractive, and yet her
soul is monstrous. Her beauty is external; wrapped up in things like
materialism and avarice. Jalor considers
Allison meek and weak, though she is also physically beautiful. But as Allison asserts herself, as she
undergoes the process of “becoming,” she might be seen as self-actualizing in a
beautiful way as well.
I
rather like the episode’s climax, wherein Buck, Twiki and Wilma close in on
Sabrina and incapacitate her with sonic beams.
They make a good team.
Finally,
I can’t end this review without noting the appearance here of Dorothy Stratten
as Ms. Cosmos. Stratten also starred as Galaxina
(1980), and was named Playboy’s Playmate of the Year for the same year.
And,
of course, Stratten’s beauty was also coveted and manipulated by others. At the age of 20, she was murdered by her
former husband and manager.
While the Jekyl/Hyde aspect is important, I remember this ep primarily for two reasons- Dorothy Stratten and especially the little subplot about Twiki finding a robotic girlfriend Tina. As a kid, my brothers and I found the robotic romance hilarious, particularly Tina's catchphrase of "Booty, Booty!". She even does some disco dancing with him, and perhaps more. Of Twiki's new found romance, Buck warns Dr. Heuer to prepare for the pitter-patter of little robotic feet.
ReplyDeleteTwiki was played by Felix Silla and voiced by Mel Blanc. You should mention that.
ReplyDelete