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james_davis_nicoll) wrote2009-03-06 02:13 pm
james_davis_nicoll) wrote2009-03-06 02:13 pm
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Starlost Reviews 7: "Circuit of Death"
Remember my comment about asshole scientists?
When we first see Sakharov Richards, Scientist!, he and his daughter Valerie (Played by Nerene Virgin, who looks familiar although I can't place her) are busy doing something that Valerie thinks may be improper, although she is too weak-willed to resist her determined father's orders. We soon learn that Richards has decided that the Ark is doomed and the only merciful thing to do is to bypass the safeties on the Ark's self-destruct systems to blow it all into dust. He and his daughter will flee before the explosion in a handy space-capsule able to reach the nearest habitable planet.
The scientist bypasses the safeties but in the process sets off an alarm. Devon, Rachel and Garth hear the alarm and race to investigate. They are surprised to see Richards and Valerie. Richards explains that the alarm was false and asks - well, more demands - that the trio help him load what he claims are cultural records into the capsule for safe preservation. Once gain Garth looks affronted but the next time we see him he has a very large box in his arms.
The trio soon notice that the "records" include supplies and Devon confronts Richards, asking him why there is any need for food on the space craft. Richards lies badly but sadly Devon et all do not immediately immobilize him until they can figure out what he is up to. Richards tricks the trio into stepping into an adjoining room, at which point he locks the connecting door, stangles his daughter into unconsciousness and actives the doomsday device before climbing into the escape capsule. It is at this point he discovers that the rocket on the capsule no longer works.
Garth, Devon and Rachel are joined by Cort (Calvin Butler [1]), who is both Valerie's estranged boyfriend and a law officer charged with arresting Richards for various crimes. The group forces their way into the control room and free Valerie and her father from the capsule, whose door has become stuck. Cort is a little concerned that to open the door involves shutting off life support but since the door opens immediately, there is no real cause for concern.
Cort arrests Richards. Richards points out that they are on a ship where a hundred atomic bombs are counting down to zero and that he doubts Cort will manage to drag him out of the control room before things go all kerblooie. Unwilling to die, Richards is prodded into helping to disarm the self-destruct system although he is quite pessimistic about the odds of success.
We learn why Richards is so pessimistic: he, Cort and Valerie come from a once advanced dome that has fallen on hard time. The environment is degrading (which Richards assumes but never checks is something that must be going on in all domes) and the two party system has been overthrown by the Brutal Dictatorship Party, who feel the Ineffectual Democracy Party are not suited to creat the unity of purpose society needs. Cort, we learn, is a BDP supporter. Richards came to believe reform was impossible and that all were doomed to a slow death and as any humanitarian might do, he decided the best thing was to offer his opponents a merciful death while he himself ran off to an extraterrestrial eden.
Richards knows about the Great Disaster and so do his people. They have been too busy to do anything about it.
The only way to fix the damaged circuits is to put on a special jacket that will project the wearer's mind into a tiny replica that will manifest on the circuit board in question. Richards and Devon micronize themselves but not before the doctor warns everyone to keep an eye on Valerie, who has the epilepsy and who will no doubt languish at some crucial moment.
Devon and Richards carefully pick their way across one of the more unconvincing sets in this series, slowly fixing the damage Richards did earlier. Richards manages to accidentally electocute himself and is rendered temporarily prone on a crucial circuit. He seemingly cannot rise. Valerie chooses this moment to have an attack of the epilepsy and languishes, unable to assist her father. Garth sees no choice but to but on a jacket and telekinetically project his mind into the circuit board.
Richards is increasingly pessimistic that they will succeed.
The two hicks assist Richards, who discovers that he can stand up by, um, standing up and in fact he appears to have no mobility issues at all once he remembers about standing. They get to the last step in the repair process, at which point Richards insists the other two leave. He claims that final step will require them to retreat from the circuit board very quickly and that the odds of success are greater if Devon and Garth have already gone. In fact, Richards is lying. The issue is that the last step will kill whoever carries it out and he sees no reason to have company.
Richards dies (or possibly his mind is destroyed) but the self-destruct system is disabled for all time. Valeries prepares to return with Cord to the Dome of Dictatorial Evironmental Degredation while our heroes continue with their quest.
Comments:
Richards, Valerie and Cort are all black. We never find out if there is some significance to this and the heroic trio never comment on it.
The s/fx for the shrinking process are beyond lame.
Why does the Ark have a self-destruct system? And if it's so easy to reach a habitable planet that a rocket the size of a phone booth can do it, why did they need an Ark in the first place?
1: I thought he looked familiar: he was in Utilities, which had scenes filmed at UW when I was a student there. Utilities was not as good as The Starlost.
When we first see Sakharov Richards, Scientist!, he and his daughter Valerie (Played by Nerene Virgin, who looks familiar although I can't place her) are busy doing something that Valerie thinks may be improper, although she is too weak-willed to resist her determined father's orders. We soon learn that Richards has decided that the Ark is doomed and the only merciful thing to do is to bypass the safeties on the Ark's self-destruct systems to blow it all into dust. He and his daughter will flee before the explosion in a handy space-capsule able to reach the nearest habitable planet.
The scientist bypasses the safeties but in the process sets off an alarm. Devon, Rachel and Garth hear the alarm and race to investigate. They are surprised to see Richards and Valerie. Richards explains that the alarm was false and asks - well, more demands - that the trio help him load what he claims are cultural records into the capsule for safe preservation. Once gain Garth looks affronted but the next time we see him he has a very large box in his arms.
The trio soon notice that the "records" include supplies and Devon confronts Richards, asking him why there is any need for food on the space craft. Richards lies badly but sadly Devon et all do not immediately immobilize him until they can figure out what he is up to. Richards tricks the trio into stepping into an adjoining room, at which point he locks the connecting door, stangles his daughter into unconsciousness and actives the doomsday device before climbing into the escape capsule. It is at this point he discovers that the rocket on the capsule no longer works.
Garth, Devon and Rachel are joined by Cort (Calvin Butler [1]), who is both Valerie's estranged boyfriend and a law officer charged with arresting Richards for various crimes. The group forces their way into the control room and free Valerie and her father from the capsule, whose door has become stuck. Cort is a little concerned that to open the door involves shutting off life support but since the door opens immediately, there is no real cause for concern.
Cort arrests Richards. Richards points out that they are on a ship where a hundred atomic bombs are counting down to zero and that he doubts Cort will manage to drag him out of the control room before things go all kerblooie. Unwilling to die, Richards is prodded into helping to disarm the self-destruct system although he is quite pessimistic about the odds of success.
We learn why Richards is so pessimistic: he, Cort and Valerie come from a once advanced dome that has fallen on hard time. The environment is degrading (which Richards assumes but never checks is something that must be going on in all domes) and the two party system has been overthrown by the Brutal Dictatorship Party, who feel the Ineffectual Democracy Party are not suited to creat the unity of purpose society needs. Cort, we learn, is a BDP supporter. Richards came to believe reform was impossible and that all were doomed to a slow death and as any humanitarian might do, he decided the best thing was to offer his opponents a merciful death while he himself ran off to an extraterrestrial eden.
Richards knows about the Great Disaster and so do his people. They have been too busy to do anything about it.
The only way to fix the damaged circuits is to put on a special jacket that will project the wearer's mind into a tiny replica that will manifest on the circuit board in question. Richards and Devon micronize themselves but not before the doctor warns everyone to keep an eye on Valerie, who has the epilepsy and who will no doubt languish at some crucial moment.
Devon and Richards carefully pick their way across one of the more unconvincing sets in this series, slowly fixing the damage Richards did earlier. Richards manages to accidentally electocute himself and is rendered temporarily prone on a crucial circuit. He seemingly cannot rise. Valerie chooses this moment to have an attack of the epilepsy and languishes, unable to assist her father. Garth sees no choice but to but on a jacket and telekinetically project his mind into the circuit board.
Richards is increasingly pessimistic that they will succeed.
The two hicks assist Richards, who discovers that he can stand up by, um, standing up and in fact he appears to have no mobility issues at all once he remembers about standing. They get to the last step in the repair process, at which point Richards insists the other two leave. He claims that final step will require them to retreat from the circuit board very quickly and that the odds of success are greater if Devon and Garth have already gone. In fact, Richards is lying. The issue is that the last step will kill whoever carries it out and he sees no reason to have company.
Richards dies (or possibly his mind is destroyed) but the self-destruct system is disabled for all time. Valeries prepares to return with Cord to the Dome of Dictatorial Evironmental Degredation while our heroes continue with their quest.
Comments:
Richards, Valerie and Cort are all black. We never find out if there is some significance to this and the heroic trio never comment on it.
The s/fx for the shrinking process are beyond lame.
Why does the Ark have a self-destruct system? And if it's so easy to reach a habitable planet that a rocket the size of a phone booth can do it, why did they need an Ark in the first place?
1: I thought he looked familiar: he was in Utilities, which had scenes filmed at UW when I was a student there. Utilities was not as good as The Starlost.
no subject
This rings a bell. This must be the one episode I saw, way back when.
no subject