Series synopsis
Buck Rogers in the 25th Century is an American action & adventure sci-fi & fantasy television series that premiered on NBC on September 20, 1979. It ended on April 16, 1981. It was created by Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens. It stars Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O'Connor and Wilfrid Hyde-White.
20th-century astronaut Buck Rogers awakens in the 25th century after a freak accident puts him in suspended animation for 500 years. Upon returning to Earth and discovering the planet is recovering from a nuclear war, Buck uses his combat skills and ingenuity to protect Earth and fight evil throughout the galaxy alongside starfighter pilot Colonel Wilma Deering and robot companion Twiki.
Premise
20th-century astronaut Buck Rogers awakens in the 25th century after a freak accident puts him in suspended animation for 500 years. Upon returning to Earth and discovering the planet is recovering from a nuclear war, Buck uses his combat skills and ingenuity to protect Earth and fight evil throughout the galaxy alongside starfighter pilot Colonel Wilma Deering and robot companion Twiki.
Premise: The original space man! The ultimate trip! Buck Rogers swings back to earth and lays it on the 25th Century!
Cast and characters
Leading cast
- Gil Gerard as Buck Rogers
- Erin Gray as Wilma Deering
- Tim O'Connor as Dr. Elias Huer
- Wilfrid Hyde-White as Dr. Goodfellow
- Thom Christopher as Hawk
- Mel Blanc as Twiki (voice)
- Eric Server as Dr. Theopolis (voice)
- Jay Garner as Admiral Efram Asimov
Supporting cast
- Felix Silla as Twiki
Guest cast
- Macdonald Carey as Dr. Mallory
- Sam Jaffe as The Keeper
- Michael Stroka as Rolla
- Lance LeGault as Flagg
- David S. Cass Sr. as Major Jason Samos / Pangor
- William Sylvester as Lt. General Preston Myers
- Peter Kastner as Reardon
- Denny Miller as Saurus
- Anne Jeffreys as Prime Minister
- John P. Ryan as Kurt Belzack
- Robert Quarry as Commander Corliss
- Kimberly Beck as Alison Michaels
Episodes
This series spans 3 seasons with 40 episodes.
| Season | Episodes | First aired | Last aired |
|---|---|---|---|
| Season 0 | 3 | September 20, 1979 | November 24, 2020 |
| Season 1 | 24 | September 20, 1979 | March 27, 1980 |
| Season 2 | 13 | January 15, 1981 | April 16, 1981 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Bonus Episode: Awakening Original TV Pilot In the year 1987, NASA launched space probe Ranger III, with astronaut William "Buck" Rogers, on a 5-month trip around the solar system. However, the craft runs into a meteor storm, which disrupts its life support system and sends it into a long elliptical orbit of the Earth. In the year 2491, Ranger III again approaches the Earth, and is intercepted by the alien flagship Draconia, which is on a peace mission to Earth. Aboard the Draconia, Buck is revived by Princess Ardala and her second-in- command, Kane, whose true plan is to attack and conquer Earth. Buck is sent to Earth with a hidden homing device, which is soon discovered by Earth's Defense Directorate. After Buck convinces the humans of his true identity -- a man from the past -- he helps them to repel the Draconians' attack, with the aid of the mechanoids Dr. Theopolis and Twiki. |
September 20, 1979 |
| 2 | Star Gaze: Interview With Erin Gray | November 24, 2020 |
| 3 | Flight Of The Birdman: Interview With Thom Christopher | November 24, 2020 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Awakening (1) In the year 1987, NASA launched space probe Ranger III, with astronaut William "Buck" Rogers, on a 5-month trip around the solar system. However, the craft runs into a meteor storm, which disrupts its life support system and sends it into a long elliptical orbit of the Earth. In the year 2491, Ranger III again approaches the Earth, and is intercepted by the alien flagship Draconia, which is on a peace mission to Earth. Aboard the Draconia, Buck is revived by Princess Ardala and her second-in- command, Kane, whose true plan is to attack and conquer Earth. Buck is sent to Earth with a hidden homing device, which is soon discovered by Earth's Defense Directorate. After Buck convinces the humans of his true identity -- a man from the past -- he helps them to repel the Draconians' attack, with the aid of the mechanoids Dr. Theopolis and Twiki. |
September 20, 1979 |
| 2 |
Awakening (2) In the year 1987, NASA launched space probe Ranger III, with astronaut William ""Buck" Rogers, on a 5-month trip around the solar system. However, the craft runs into a meteor storm, which disrupts its life support system and sends it into a long elliptical orbit of the Earth. In the year 2491, Ranger III again approaches the Earth, and is intercepted by the alien flagship Draconia, which is on a peace mission to Earth. Aboard the Draconia, Buck is revived by Princess Ardala and her second-in- command, Kane, whose true plan is to attack and conquer Earth. Buck is sent to Earth with a hidden homing device, which is soon discovered by Earth's Defense Directorate. After Buck convinces the humans of his true identity -- a man from the past -- he helps them to repel the Draconians' attack, with the aid of the mechanoids Dr. Theopolis and Twiki. |
September 20, 1979 |
| 3 |
Planet of the Slave Girls (1) Most of Earth's defense squadron becomes incapacitated after ingesting poisoned food discs. Buck travels to the planet of the food's origin, Vistula, with Wilma and flight instructor Duke Danton, an old boyfriend of Wilma's. On the planet, they trace the plot to a man named Kaleel who has been selling slaves to the planet's governor and secretly building an attack fleet. With so few fighter pilots, Earth's defense force is now outnumbered 10-to-1. Buck must rescue Wilma from Kaleel's mountain fortress and destroy the fleet before they can reach Earth. This episode was initially aired as a two hour special. |
September 27, 1979 |
| Episode | Title | Air date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 |
Time of the Hawk (1) Buck, Wilma, and Twiki set off into deep space aboard the Searcher, a starship on a mission to find the lost tribes of Earth -- humans who fled to the stars after a nuclear holocaust that all but destroyed the planet. The Searcher encounters a severely-damaged spacecraft with one survivor, who tells them of a savage attack by a bird-man named Hawk. Searcher sets course for the planet where it is believed Hawk lives, and Buck soon becomes involved in a desperate battle of wits and piloting skills with Hawk. Hawk's mate, who was a passenger in Hawk's ship, is mortally wounded in the battle and Buck and Hawk form a shaky alliance to seek medical aid for her. Eventually, Hawk joins the crew of the Searcher, looking for others of his kind. |
January 15, 1981 |
| 2 |
Time of the Hawk (2) Buck, Wilma, and Twiki set off into deep space aboard the Searcher, a starship on a mission to find the lost tribes of Earth -- humans who fled to the stars after a nuclear holocaust that all but destroyed the planet. The Searcher encounters a severely-damaged spacecraft with one survivor, who tells them of a savage attack by a bird-man named Hawk. Searcher sets course for the planet where it is believed Hawk lives, and Buck soon becomes involved in a desperate battle of wits and piloting skills with Hawk. Hawk's mate, who was a passenger in Hawk's ship, is mortally wounded in the battle and Buck and Hawk form a shaky alliance to seek medical aid for her. Eventually, Hawk joins the crew of the Searcher, looking for others of his kind. |
January 15, 1981 |
| 3 |
Journey to Oasis (1) Hawk's first mission among the humans is to join Buck, Wilma, and Dr. Goodfellow in escorting Ambassador Duvoe to a peace conference that could avert a terrible galactic war. Crisis strikes as their shuttle passes through an electric storm and crashes in the desert. With contact with Searcher impossible, the party must travel by foot to Oasis, encountering savage mutants and a mischievous gnome named ODX. |
January 22, 1981 |
Production
Release
| Original network/platform | NBC |
|---|---|
| First aired | September 20, 1979 |
| Last aired | April 16, 1981 |
| Runtime | 60 minutes |
| Status | ended |
| Schedule | Thursday at 20:00:00 |