Space Academy

Did You Know?

• In 1978, a spin-off of Space Academy, Jason of Star Command, debuted. Initially a serialized segment of Tarzan and the Super 7, it starred Craig Littler and James Doohan, with Sid Haig as the villain.
• 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.
• Eric Greene, who played Loki, went on to write the scholarly book Planet of the Apes as American Myth: Race, Politics, and Popular Culture, published in 1996.

Cast

The show's cast was led by Jonathan Harris, famous for playing Dr. Zachary Smith on Lost in Space, with Pamelyn Ferdin, Ric Carrott, Maggie Cooper, Brian Tochi, Ty Henderson, and Eric Greene. A small, radio-controlled robot named Peepo, voiced by Erika Scheimer using a pitch-shifter with regenerative delay, also appeared. Guest stars included Larry Dobkin, Dena Dietrich, George DiCenzo, Dallas McKennon, and Howard Morris.

Concepts and characters

Established in the "star year" 3732, the Space Academy, located on an asteroid, brought together the best of young minds, including several with special skills and abilities, to explore the mysteries of space. Commander Isaac Gampu (Jonathan Harris) was the head of the academy. His many years of space exploration 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. He oversaw the activities of three student exploratory teams, the Red, Blue and Gold Teams (although the main characters were all members of the Blue Team). Chris Gentry (Ric Carrott) and Laura Gentry (Pamelyn Ferdin) were the captain and co-captain, respectively, of the academy's Blue Team. The siblings (Chris was the elder) had highly developed telekinetic and other psychic powers. Laura was attracted to Matt Prentiss (John Berwick, later "Rex Ruthless" on Hero High), the occasionally-seen leader of the Red Team. Adrian Pryce-Jones (Maggie Cooper) was number three in the Blue Team's chain of command and Chris's love interest. Paul Jerome (Ty Henderson), a highly intelligent transferee from the Red Team, was raised on an Earth colony. He was number four in the Blue Team's chain of command (although Paul is introduced as an established academy member in the first episode, he is reintroduced in the second episode as if he were a new character; conversely Loki, introduced in the first episode as a new admission, is reintroduced in the second episode as a long-established member. This continuity error was acknowledged in the information booklet accompanying the series' DVD release). Tee Gar Soom (Brian Tochi), number five in Blue Team's chain of command, had superhuman physical strength and continued the martial arts traditions of his Asian ancestors. He augmented these abilities with newer disciplines, some of which originated on other planets. His major was medicine, and he was often called on to treat other students who were sick. Loki (Eric Greene) was a young orphan discovered in the first episode on the dying world of Zalon. A playful prankster, Loki could teleport and could see well beyond the visible spectrum normally accessible by Earth humans. His frequent catchphrase was "Camelopardus!"

Home media

Fans of the classic series got their first complete DVD collection on January 16, 2007, when BCI Eclipse LLC, through its Ink & Paint brand and under license from Entertainment Rights, issued Space Academy: The Complete Series as a four-disc Region 1 box set. This release featured episodes that were uncut, remastered, and arranged in original airdate order, plus bonus material covering the show's production. A separate release came from Savor Ediciones, S.A. on October 28, 2009: Space Academy: La Serie Completa, a three-disc Region 2 set for Spain. Unlike the BCI version, this one contains only the episodes with no extras. The audio is the Spanish dub, and unfortunately the original English track is absent, even as an alternative. Because the discs use the PAL video format—matching the existing masters—viewers get a slightly wider picture area compared to the NTSC conversions in the BCI Eclipse set.