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Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - Testimony of a Traitor
episode 2.12
USA 1981
produced by John G. Stephens, John Mantley (executive) for Glen A. Larson Productions, Universal/NBC
directed by Bernard McEveety
starring Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Thom Christopher, Jay Garner, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Ramon Bieri, William Sylvester, David Hooks, Walter Brooke, John Milford, Felix Silla, Mel Blanc (voice), John O'Connell, Thomas Bellin, Buck Young, Carl Reindel, Eric Lawrence, James Emery, Dean Brooks, Bill Andes, Jeff David (voice)
written by Stephen McPherson, based on characters by Philip Francis Nowlan, Robert C. Dille, music by Bruce Broughton, visual effects supervisor: Peter Anderson, David Jones
TV-series Buck Rogers, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
review by Mike Haberfelner
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The Searcher has just left earth when she's ordered to halt and take on
war crime investigator Commissioner Bergstrom (Ramon Bieri), who orders
Buck Rogers (Gil Gerard) to be taken in custody, and an impromptu trial is
launched where Buck is accused of having betrayed his own country and
started the nuclear war some 500 years ago, back in 1987, when he
conspired with a bunch of Air Force generals to steal the nuclear launch
codes to launch a preemptive strike against Russia. And a video tape that
shows Buck with a bunch of generals discussing the case seems to prove
just that. The tape rather clearly shows Buck, only he can't at all recall
any of it. Thing is, not remembering something isn't a very good defense
(or any at all), so the ship's scientist Dr. Goodfellow (Wilfrid
Hyde-White) suggests a sort-of mindprobe that visualizes memories. Thing
is, the first few visualizations only incriminate Buck further, including
a memory of how he actually stole the launch codes. Still, Buck insists he
just can't remember any of this, which is even less of a defense now that
the evidence comes directly from his own mind. However, Buck's best friend
Wilma (Erin Gray) and Hawk (Thom Christopher) still believe in him, and
since he has flashbacks to Mount Rushmore he can't explain as he's never
even been there, they smuggle him off the plane to go to the monument,
where he learns the president (Walter Brooke) had a secret bunker, and
when he's shown around the place, he has some diffuse memories of actually
having been there after all. Back on the Searcher, he's mindprobed some
more and it's found out that the presiden himself has asked him to go
undercover and uncover a plot of some generals to steal the launch codes
and start a nuclear war. But to not give away that he's working for the
other side he was put under deep hypnosis, which is why he couldn't
remember anything afterwards. And of course, with that all revealed, Buck
is cleared of all charges.
Ok, the resolution of this story announces itself pretty early
on and is then especially disappointing for its lack of originality even
within the story ramifications, but that said, this is still one of the
more entertaining episodes of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century's
2nd (and frankly better) season, basically because it moves at least to
some extent away from the series' formula, and telling the story in two
separate timelines and somewhat out of chronological order at least grants
for some change. Sure, there's still much not quite so good about the
episode, from the war crime investigator being a one-dimensional bully to
a total oversimplification of things (including Buck's launch code heist),
but in all, this is pretty decent early 80s sci-fi TV entertainment - not
great mind you, but fun at least from a nostalgic point of view.
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