Strange New World

USA 1975
produced by
Robert E. Larson, Ranald Graham (executive), Walon Green (executive) for Warner Brothers/ABC
directed by Robert Butler
starring John Saxon, Kathleen Miller, Keene Curtis, James Olson, Martine Beswick, Reb Brown, Ford Rainey, Bill McKinney, Gerrit Graham, Cynthia Wood, Catherine Bach, Norland Benson, Richard Farnsworth
screenplay by Ranald Graham, Walon Green, Al Ramrus, based on the Genesis II-concept by Gene Roddenberry, music by Richard Clements, Elliot Kaplan

TV-pilot
Genesis II

review by
Mike Haberfelner

Anthony (John Saxon), Allison (Kathleen Miller) and scientist William (Keene Curtis) have spent the last 180 years in suspended animation in space, and since the world as we know it has been destroyed by a meteor shower. Now our three heroes return to earth to look for their loved ones who are said to have survived the disaster in hibernation as well - but on their quest to find them, our heroic trio must face many a challenge and meet many a strange tribe that has grown out of the now lost civilisation.

First, Anthony, Allison and William get into a war between game wardens and poachers, both tribes that have made what once was a simple conflict in a national park into a religious war. Problems especially arise when the poachers get their hands on Anthony's flare gun, but in the end, everything is resolved peacefully, and the two tribes are even made to cooperate to better survive whatever there may come.

Next our heroes encounter a tribe of immortals (who for whatever reason dress in togas) who are kept alive forever by means of cloning for spareparts though, and while their bodies look young, their minds grow senile. Scientist William is immediately taken by the scientific aspects of this tribe, the other two are filled with doubts - as they should be, because the tribe needs them as blood donors, and needs all their blood fast. In the end though our heroes manage to destroy the tribe's clone laboratory, and this way effectively commit genocide ...

This third attempt to bring Gene Roddenberry's Genesis II-concept (in a vastly revamped form) to the small screen as a proposed series is also the weakest: Sure, the two stories presented in this pilot are based on great premises that would have deserved to be explored in greater detail, but instead they just serve as set-up for your typical harm- and thoughtless TV-series-adventures. This doesn't mean of course that Strange New World is so particularly bad it's no wonder it didn't get picked up, actually it's pretty average and no better or worse that other shows that actually were series at the time - and it's exactly this mediocricy that makes Strange New World nothing special ...

review © by Mike Haberfelner

 

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