Space Academy
Encyclopedia
Space Academy was a live-action sci-fi children's television program produced by Filmation
that originally aired Saturday mornings on the CBS
television network, from September 10, 1977, to December 17, 1977. (Repeats ran on and off until 1979.) A total of fifteen half-hour episodes were made.
(Dr. Smith of Lost in Space
); co-starring were Pamelyn Ferdin
, Ric Carrott
, Maggie Cooper, Brian Tochi
, Ty Henderson, and Eric Greene. The program also featured a pint-sized robot called Peepo (a radio-controlled
machine, voiced by Erika Scheimer
through a vocoder
).
Guest stars included: Larry Dobkin, Dena Dietrich
("Mother Nature" in Chiffon Margarine TV commercials of the 1970s), Dallas McKennon
and Howard Morris
.
, often shown on camera) brought together the best of young minds, along with those having special skills and abilities, to learn about and experience the unknowns of space as Earth people continued to explore it in the distant future. (It's generally assumed the show takes place in 3732 A.D.
However, the opening narration says the academy was founded in "the star year 3732" [emphasis added], and the "star year" calendar may not correspond to the Gregorian calendar
. Further, the stories could be taking place decades or centuries after the academy's founding; based on this limited information, the actual time frame of the series is impossible to determine.)
Commander Isaac Gampu (Harris) was the head of the academy. His many space explorations, over the course of several years, had exposed him to conditions that immensely slowed his aging process; though appearing to be in his sixties or seventies, his true age was well over 300 years old, giving him a unique perspective on history and some ideal qualifications as a teacher.
Each of the academy students had their own unique aspects:
Chris Gentry (Carrott) and Laura Gentry (Ferdin) were the captain and co-captain (respectively) of Blue Team. The siblings (Chris was the elder) had highly developed telekinetic and psychic
powers. (A frequent element in stories was the use and display of telekenesis.) Laura was attracted to Matt Prentiss (a pre-Hero High
John Berwick), the occasionally seen leader of Red Team. (There was also a Gold Team, but no apparent hierarchy among the three teams.)
Adrian Pryce-Jones (Cooper) was number three in the Blue Team's chain of command (and Chris's love interest).
Paul Jerome (Henderson), a highly intelligent transferee from Red Team, hailed from an Earth colony. He was number four in Blue Team's chain of command. (Although Paul appears as a regular academy crewmember in the first episode, with Loki having yet to join them, he is reintroduced in the second episode as if he were a new character, and Loki's already an established member. This was an apparent continuity error, acknowledged in the liner notes booklet of the show's DVD release. However, the mistake can be reconciled because none of the characters introduced to Paul in the second episode had actually met him in the first. In fact, he only appeared in the control room, while the others were away on a mission.)
Tee Gar Soom (Tochi), number five in Blue Team's chain of command, had super-strength and continued the martial arts
traditions of his Asian
ancestors. He augmented these abilities with newer disciplines, some of which originated in space.
Loki (Greene) was an orphan discovered (in the first episode) on the dying world of Zalon. A playful young prankster - hence his adopted name - Loki could teleport
and see infrared
or anything on the electromagnetic spectrum
. He often used the catchphrase "Camelopardus!"
As with much 1970s children's television fare, lessons and morals were taught in each episode. These included wide-ranging concepts such as: the super powers
(as possessed by some academy students) weren't a cure-all for problems, and even the old and wise could make mistakes. As the students encountered members of extraterrestrial
races, even mutated descendants of Earth colonists in space, they came to further develop their wisdom and understanding of diversities throughout the universe.
The spaceships commonly seen in the series were called Seekers and used much like a spacebound van
or passenger truck. (The Seeker's nose was a re-used prop from the earlier Filmation series Ark II
.)
One term of jargon unique to the program was "ORACO" ("Orders Received And Carried Out"), used when orders were acknowledged by academy personnel.
Also available for the figures were special "adventure outfits", sold separately.
), released Space Academy: The Complete Series as a 4-DVD (Region 1) box set on January 16, 2007. The collection presented episodes uncut and in order of their original airdates, as well as including special features about the making of the show.
As of 2011, the set is out of print as BCI Eclipse was closed down by its parent company, Navarre Corporation
, in December 2008.
of Space Academy came in 1978: Jason of Star Command
(initially, a serialized segment of Tarzan and the Super 7
), starring Craig Littler
, James Doohan
(Star Trek: The Original Series
) and Sid Haig
. Star Command was deemed a special section of the Space Academy, which helped to explain the usage of the same sets, costumes and some special effects on both programs.
Filmation
Filmation Associates was an American production company that produced animation and live action programming for television during the latter half of the 20th century. Located in Reseda, California, the animation studio was founded in 1963...
that originally aired Saturday mornings on the CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
television network, from September 10, 1977, to December 17, 1977. (Repeats ran on and off until 1979.) A total of fifteen half-hour episodes were made.
Cast
The program starred veteran actor Jonathan HarrisJonathan Harris
Jonathan Harris was an American stage and film character actor. Two of his best-known roles were as the timid accountant Bradford Webster in the TV version of The Third Man, and the comic villain Dr. Zachary Smith, in the 1960s sci-fi television series, Lost in Space...
(Dr. Smith of Lost in Space
Lost in Space
Lost in Space is a science fiction TV series created and produced by Irwin Allen, filmed by 20th Century Fox Television, and broadcast on CBS. The show ran for three seasons, with 83 episodes airing between September 15, 1965, and March 6, 1968...
); co-starring were Pamelyn Ferdin
Pamelyn Ferdin
Pamelyn Ferdin is a former American television and film child actor, active both in live action and as a voice actress in the 1960s, 1970s, and 1980s and has since appeared in several voice acting roles as late as 2009...
, Ric Carrott
Ric Carrott
Ric Carrott was an American actor, active during the 1970s.Youthful-looking and handsome, Carrott's only regular television series role was as Captain Chris Gentry, on the Saturday morning children's series Space Academy, but he made guest appearances on numerous popular shows of the decade...
, Maggie Cooper, Brian Tochi
Brian Tochi
Brian Keith Tochihara , better known as Brian Tochi, is a U.S. actor, screen-writer, movie director and producer. He was widely recognized as the most popular East Asian child actor working in U.S. television during the late 1960s through much of the 1970s having appeared in various T.V. series and...
, Ty Henderson, and Eric Greene. The program also featured a pint-sized robot called Peepo (a radio-controlled
Radio control
Radio control is the use of radio signals to remotely control a device. The term is used frequently to refer to the control of model vehicles from a hand-held radio transmitter...
machine, voiced by Erika Scheimer
Erika Scheimer
Erika Scheimer is an occasional voice-actress in the cartoons of the defunct Filmation animation-studio. She is the daughter of Lou Scheimer, who was an integral member of Filmation and a voice actor in his own right....
through a vocoder
Vocoder
A vocoder is an analysis/synthesis system, mostly used for speech. In the encoder, the input is passed through a multiband filter, each band is passed through an envelope follower, and the control signals from the envelope followers are communicated to the decoder...
).
Guest stars included: Larry Dobkin, Dena Dietrich
Dena Dietrich
Dena Dietrich is an American actress.Born in Pittsburgh, her television credits include recurring roles on The Practice , The Ropers, and Philly. She made guest appearances on Life Goes On, NYPD Blue, Murphy Brown, and The Golden Girls...
("Mother Nature" in Chiffon Margarine TV commercials of the 1970s), Dallas McKennon
Dallas McKennon
Dallas Raymond McKennon , sometimes credited as Dal McKennon, was an American actor, with extensive work as a voice actor, in a career lasting over 50 years.-Career:...
and Howard Morris
Howard Morris
Howard Morris was an American comic actor and director who was best known for his role as Ernest T. Bass on The Andy Griffith Show.- Life and career :...
.
Plot
Established in 3732, the Space Academy (located on an asteroidAsteroid
Asteroids are a class of small Solar System bodies in orbit around the Sun. They have also been called planetoids, especially the larger ones...
, often shown on camera) brought together the best of young minds, along with those having special skills and abilities, to learn about and experience the unknowns of space as Earth people continued to explore it in the distant future. (It's generally assumed the show takes place in 3732 A.D.
Anno Domini
and Before Christ are designations used to label or number years used with the Julian and Gregorian calendars....
However, the opening narration says the academy was founded in "the star year 3732" [emphasis added], and the "star year" calendar may not correspond to the Gregorian calendar
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar, also known as the Western calendar, or Christian calendar, is the internationally accepted civil calendar. It was introduced by Pope Gregory XIII, after whom the calendar was named, by a decree signed on 24 February 1582, a papal bull known by its opening words Inter...
. Further, the stories could be taking place decades or centuries after the academy's founding; based on this limited information, the actual time frame of the series is impossible to determine.)
Commander Isaac Gampu (Harris) was the head of the academy. His many space explorations, over the course of several years, had exposed him to conditions that immensely slowed his aging process; though appearing to be in his sixties or seventies, his true age was well over 300 years old, giving him a unique perspective on history and some ideal qualifications as a teacher.
Each of the academy students had their own unique aspects:
Chris Gentry (Carrott) and Laura Gentry (Ferdin) were the captain and co-captain (respectively) of Blue Team. The siblings (Chris was the elder) had highly developed telekinetic and psychic
Psychic
A psychic is a person who professes an ability to perceive information hidden from the normal senses through extrasensory perception , or is said by others to have such abilities. It is also used to describe theatrical performers who use techniques such as prestidigitation, cold reading, and hot...
powers. (A frequent element in stories was the use and display of telekenesis.) Laura was attracted to Matt Prentiss (a pre-Hero High
Hero High
Hero High was a cartoon series created by Filmation that aired as part of NBC's The Kid Super Power Hour with Shazam! It was about a high school where young superheroes were taught how to use their powers and fight crime...
John Berwick), the occasionally seen leader of Red Team. (There was also a Gold Team, but no apparent hierarchy among the three teams.)
Adrian Pryce-Jones (Cooper) was number three in the Blue Team's chain of command (and Chris's love interest).
Paul Jerome (Henderson), a highly intelligent transferee from Red Team, hailed from an Earth colony. He was number four in Blue Team's chain of command. (Although Paul appears as a regular academy crewmember in the first episode, with Loki having yet to join them, he is reintroduced in the second episode as if he were a new character, and Loki's already an established member. This was an apparent continuity error, acknowledged in the liner notes booklet of the show's DVD release. However, the mistake can be reconciled because none of the characters introduced to Paul in the second episode had actually met him in the first. In fact, he only appeared in the control room, while the others were away on a mission.)
Tee Gar Soom (Tochi), number five in Blue Team's chain of command, had super-strength and continued the martial arts
Martial arts
Martial arts are extensive systems of codified practices and traditions of combat, practiced for a variety of reasons, including self-defense, competition, physical health and fitness, as well as mental and spiritual development....
traditions of his Asian
Asian people
Asian people or Asiatic people is a term with multiple meanings that refers to people who descend from a portion of Asia's population.- Central Asia :...
ancestors. He augmented these abilities with newer disciplines, some of which originated in space.
Loki (Greene) was an orphan discovered (in the first episode) on the dying world of Zalon. A playful young prankster - hence his adopted name - Loki could teleport
Teleportation
Teleportation is the fictional or imagined process by which matter is instantaneously transferred from one place to another.Teleportation may also refer to:*Quantum teleportation, a method of transmitting quantum data...
and see infrared
Infrared
Infrared light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength longer than that of visible light, measured from the nominal edge of visible red light at 0.74 micrometres , and extending conventionally to 300 µm...
or anything on the electromagnetic spectrum
Electromagnetic spectrum
The electromagnetic spectrum is the range of all possible frequencies of electromagnetic radiation. The "electromagnetic spectrum" of an object is the characteristic distribution of electromagnetic radiation emitted or absorbed by that particular object....
. He often used the catchphrase "Camelopardus!"
As with much 1970s children's television fare, lessons and morals were taught in each episode. These included wide-ranging concepts such as: the super powers
Superpower (ability)
Superpower is a popular culture term for a fictional superhuman ability. When a character possesses multiple such abilities, the terms super powers or simply powers are used...
(as possessed by some academy students) weren't a cure-all for problems, and even the old and wise could make mistakes. As the students encountered members of extraterrestrial
Extraterrestrial life in popular culture
In popular cultures, "extraterrestrials" are life forms — especially intelligent life forms— that are of extraterrestrial origin .-Historical ideas:-Pre-modern:...
races, even mutated descendants of Earth colonists in space, they came to further develop their wisdom and understanding of diversities throughout the universe.
The spaceships commonly seen in the series were called Seekers and used much like a spacebound van
Van
A van is a kind of vehicle used for transporting goods or groups of people.In British English usage, it can be either specially designed or based on a saloon or sedan car, the latter type often including derivatives with open backs...
or passenger truck. (The Seeker's nose was a re-used prop from the earlier Filmation series Ark II
Ark II
Ark II is an American live-action science fiction series aimed at children that aired on CBS beginning in 1976 as part of its Saturday morning line-up...
.)
One term of jargon unique to the program was "ORACO" ("Orders Received And Carried Out"), used when orders were acknowledged by academy personnel.
Episode list
| Episode | Plot |
|---|---|
| 1. "The Survivors of Zalon" | A field trip discovers Loki, an alien refugee whose parents are dead. |
| 2. "Castaways in Time and Space" | |
| 3. "Hide and Seek" | |
| 4. "Countdown" | The crew encounter a cryogenically frozen Vegan (man from Vega Vega Vega is the brightest star in the constellation Lyra, the fifth brightest star in the night sky and the second brightest star in the northern celestial hemisphere, after Arcturus... played by George DiCenzo) in an old space battleground and revive him. |
| 5. "There's No Place Like Home" | |
| 6. "The Rocks of Janus" | |
| 7. "Monkey Business" | Adrian has limited success with her latest project: telepathic communication with a chimpanzee Chimpanzee Chimpanzee, sometimes colloquially chimp, is the common name for the two extant species of ape in the genus Pan. The Congo River forms the boundary between the native habitat of the two species:... . |
| 8. "The Phantom Planet" | |
| 9. "Planet of Fire" | |
| 10. "Life Begins at 300" | |
| 11. "The Cheat" | |
| 12. "My Favorite Marcia" | An old flame of Gampu's (played by Dena Dietrich Dena Dietrich Dena Dietrich is an American actress.Born in Pittsburgh, her television credits include recurring roles on The Practice , The Ropers, and Philly. She made guest appearances on Life Goes On, NYPD Blue, Murphy Brown, and The Golden Girls... ) visits the Academy. |
| 13. "Space Hooky" | |
| 14. "Star Legend" | (guest starring Howard Morris) |
| 15. "Jonny Sunseed" | Gampu's anti-technological half-brother (played by Dallas McKennon)comes, to inspect (and possibly condemn) the Academy's space-farming program. |
Merchandise
In 1977, Aviva Toy Company manufactured and F.W. Woolworth distributed a set of four eight-and-a-half inch action figures based on Space Academy characters. The dolls in this set included Issac [sic] Gampu (described as "Instructor in 'Space Academy'"), Tee Gar Soom ("Almost Super Human Strength"), Chris Gentry ("Member of Space Academy") and Loki ("Everybody's Mascot").
Also available for the figures were special "adventure outfits", sold separately.
DVD release
BCI Eclipse, LLC (under license from Entertainment RightsEntertainment Rights
Entertainment Rights Plc was a global media company. Its main role was in children and family television programming.The group was established in 1989 as Sleepykids. In 1999 it become entertainment rights and was focused on the creation and exploitation of major children's characters and brands...
), released Space Academy: The Complete Series as a 4-DVD (Region 1) box set on January 16, 2007. The collection presented episodes uncut and in order of their original airdates, as well as including special features about the making of the show.
As of 2011, the set is out of print as BCI Eclipse was closed down by its parent company, Navarre Corporation
Navarre Corporation
Navarre Corp. is a public distribution and publishing company founded in 1983 by Eric H. Paulson. The company is headquartered in New Hope, Minnesota...
, in December 2008.
Spin-off
A spin-offSpin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
of Space Academy came in 1978: Jason of Star Command
Jason of Star Command
Jason of Star Command was a live action television series by Filmation which ran between 1978 and 1979. The show revolved around the exploits of space adventurer Jason and his colleagues, including Professor E.J. Parsafoot and the pocket robot "Wiki"...
(initially, a serialized segment of Tarzan and the Super 7
Tarzan and the Super 7
Tarzan and the Super 7, was a Saturday morning cartoon series, produced by Filmation and originally airing from 1978–1980 on CBS.The show consisted of separate installments featuring seven groups of adventurers;* Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle...
), starring Craig Littler
Craig Littler
Craig Littler was a professional rugby league player who played professionally for St. Helens in the Super League before leaving professionalism for his current club Oldham Roughyeds in Championship 1. He signed professionally for St Helens from local amateur team Blackbrook Royals ARLFC. He is by...
, James Doohan
James Doohan
James Montgomery "Jimmy" Doohan was a Canadian character and voice actor best known for his role as Montgomery "Scotty" Scott in the television and film series Star Trek...
(Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek: The Original Series
Star Trek is an American science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry, produced by Desilu Productions . Star Trek was telecast on NBC from September 8, 1966, through June 3, 1969...
) and Sid Haig
Sid Haig
Sid Haig is a American actor. His roles have included acting in Jack Hill's blaxploitation films of the 1970s as well as his role as Captain Spaulding in Rob Zombie's horror films House of 1000 Corpses and The Devil's Rejects...
. Star Command was deemed a special section of the Space Academy, which helped to explain the usage of the same sets, costumes and some special effects on both programs.