I enjoyed Star Cops when it was show in the late 1980's on PBS. What I liked about it was that it was science fiction and set in the future, but not real distant future. Even my parents and siblings who aren't sci fi fans enjoyed it because it focused more on humans branching into space with the technology we had. However with a lot of sci fi Star Cops had no strange space aliens. S.C. was enjoyable because you had mix of different characters from different nations. You saw all their strengths and weaknesses. Also some of the cops and non cops where either good, bad or indifferent. The latter 2 got chances to redeem themselves. The political intrigue that also came in the series was relevant to the stories and the time the television series was produced. To paraphrase I believe Harlan Ellison, "Producers think that sci fi is coming up with all this great technology and creatures. What is really all about is showing that humans invented this stuff and how we grow, learn and go forward." Now that time has passed and the world has changed a bit I'd love to see this series brought back to see how it would play out now. I think this time it would get a better reception.
17 Reviews
A Flawed Masterpiece
Muldwych3 September 2009
Star Cops was a brilliant fusion of speculative and crime fiction unfortunately cut down in its prime. The nine episodes it does have to show for itself are well worth your time, engagingly portraying as they do a pretty credible look at what life might be like a couple of decades from now when mankind takes its first steps into space and establishes a permanent presence there. In the new frontier, where the laws have yet to be codified and the interests of corporations and rival governments can be pursued without consequence, Earth-bound authorities soon realise the need for a dedicated police force to be stationed where the action is. Seasoned terrestrial detective Nathan Spring is sent skyward to take charge of this very first attempt at extraterrestrial law enforcement - disparagingly nicknamed the Star Cops. With a team comprising members from across the globe, the Star Cops discover that while the base motivations for things like murder, espionage, kidnappings and fraud are little different in zero gravity, the rapidly different environment in which they take place and the technology affording extraterrestrial habitation allow them to be conducted in a variety of new ways, from sabotaging space suits or atmospheric decompression to alien hoaxes. It's far easier to make people disappear, far simpler to traffic drugs and far harder to receive any help when it's millions of kilometres away.
The show is a genuine attempt at speculative fiction based on real-world foundations, making it more Doomwatch than Doctor Who, the former based around extrapolations of the real science of the day. Meanwhile, the production team constructed models and sets that didn't stray too far from what we are rapidly seeing in the space stations of today and perhaps the moonbases of tomorrow. Help was even supplied by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (now part of Boeing) to incorporate real flight simulators, giving the series that extra touch of authenticity. Actors were suspended on wires to simulate weightlessness, though in time, dramatic license prevailed - it's hard to look dignified when you're floating. An excellent cast headed by David Calder breathed life into the disparate characters who initially take time to trust each other, but bonds are developed even over the short span of the series.
The show was not without its faults, some of which are only more evident in our more politically-correct age. Sexism, particularly on the part of Colin Devis, the rough, slightly misogynistic, but nonetheless caring and likable detective inspector hired by Spring in episode 2. While such behavior is even less likely to be tolerated in 2027, when the action takes place, it does at least underscore the fact that Star Cops was not meant to be Star Trek - this was not the enlightened 23rd Century. Equally more jarring today are the racial stereotypes - the Americans are cowboys, the Italians are all in the mafia, the Japanese are excessively polite, and so on. It's a welcome indicator of at least one way in which television has progressed in the decades since - even if the actual content hasn't. None of this however greatly detracts from all the things Star Cops gets right - solid storytelling, and great characterisation. Humanity is at the core of the series, good and bad.
Unusually for a series of this nature, the incidental music is neither synthesised nor orchestral, but rock-based, through the talents of Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward, who himself sings the theme tune. You'll find it hard to meet someone who thought any of this was a good idea (not even the show's creator), but I'll go at least halfway by saying that I do like the theme, though 80s rock instrumentals do not work to underscore the drama any more than 'Yakkety Sax' would work in a documentary about the First World War. However, I applaud experimentation - Evan Chen's unusual score for 'Crusade' was a far better attempt at something completely different.
Star Cops is generally considered to have failed due to conflict behind the scenes, constant rescheduling by the BBC and its inability to find an audience: it wasn't 'ET' enough for sci-fi fans and too much so for lovers of crime fiction. It was an attempt at something new, which didn't sit well with a Britain that had in the late 80s grown tired of what they considered sci-fi to be (now that opinions have turned 180 degrees, maybe it's time for someone to carry on where the series left off). The title itself doesn't help either, bringing to mind images of ray guns and spandex. Trust me - you won't come across any of that here. All of which is a great shame, and as time has passed, it's become more favourably re-appraised. I certainly give it the thumbs up and recommend it to the curious.
The show is a genuine attempt at speculative fiction based on real-world foundations, making it more Doomwatch than Doctor Who, the former based around extrapolations of the real science of the day. Meanwhile, the production team constructed models and sets that didn't stray too far from what we are rapidly seeing in the space stations of today and perhaps the moonbases of tomorrow. Help was even supplied by the McDonnell Douglas Corporation (now part of Boeing) to incorporate real flight simulators, giving the series that extra touch of authenticity. Actors were suspended on wires to simulate weightlessness, though in time, dramatic license prevailed - it's hard to look dignified when you're floating. An excellent cast headed by David Calder breathed life into the disparate characters who initially take time to trust each other, but bonds are developed even over the short span of the series.
The show was not without its faults, some of which are only more evident in our more politically-correct age. Sexism, particularly on the part of Colin Devis, the rough, slightly misogynistic, but nonetheless caring and likable detective inspector hired by Spring in episode 2. While such behavior is even less likely to be tolerated in 2027, when the action takes place, it does at least underscore the fact that Star Cops was not meant to be Star Trek - this was not the enlightened 23rd Century. Equally more jarring today are the racial stereotypes - the Americans are cowboys, the Italians are all in the mafia, the Japanese are excessively polite, and so on. It's a welcome indicator of at least one way in which television has progressed in the decades since - even if the actual content hasn't. None of this however greatly detracts from all the things Star Cops gets right - solid storytelling, and great characterisation. Humanity is at the core of the series, good and bad.
Unusually for a series of this nature, the incidental music is neither synthesised nor orchestral, but rock-based, through the talents of Moody Blues frontman Justin Hayward, who himself sings the theme tune. You'll find it hard to meet someone who thought any of this was a good idea (not even the show's creator), but I'll go at least halfway by saying that I do like the theme, though 80s rock instrumentals do not work to underscore the drama any more than 'Yakkety Sax' would work in a documentary about the First World War. However, I applaud experimentation - Evan Chen's unusual score for 'Crusade' was a far better attempt at something completely different.
Star Cops is generally considered to have failed due to conflict behind the scenes, constant rescheduling by the BBC and its inability to find an audience: it wasn't 'ET' enough for sci-fi fans and too much so for lovers of crime fiction. It was an attempt at something new, which didn't sit well with a Britain that had in the late 80s grown tired of what they considered sci-fi to be (now that opinions have turned 180 degrees, maybe it's time for someone to carry on where the series left off). The title itself doesn't help either, bringing to mind images of ray guns and spandex. Trust me - you won't come across any of that here. All of which is a great shame, and as time has passed, it's become more favourably re-appraised. I certainly give it the thumbs up and recommend it to the curious.
Law & Orbit
timdalton00722 July 2020
The 1980s isn't a time looked upon fondly in terms of televised British science fiction. It was the decade that saw the end of Doctor Who's original run and saw Jonathan Powell and Michael Grade all but killing the genre on the BBC. Yet, in the midst of all that, Powell commissioned a new high-concept genre series, albeit one with the twist of also being in the detective genre. Star Cops was the result and, even 33 years on from its short-run, remains an intriguing piece of work.
The series was the brainchild of former Doctor Who and Blake's 7 writer Chris Boucher, who envisaged a series set in the near future when space opened into being a proper frontier. As a kid who grew up dreaming of space in the early 1990s, it was everything I could have dreamed of from space stations, space shuttles, and moon bases. Everything dreamt of in the 1980s when the Shuttle program was at its height that, for various reasons, never came to be. All of it realized here with reasonable accuracy and with some superb model work. While the occasional weightless scene looks dodgy, the realization of the world around the series holds up well as a vision of a future that never was.
One suspects, however, it was the detective aspect of the series that led to the series getting the commission from Powell. The near-future setting allowed for some neat twists on old crimes from industrial sabotage and espionage to the stealing of embryos and terrorists hijacking space shuttles. Threats and crimes tackled by the International Space Police Force, led by British police inspector turned Star Cops chief David Calder and surrounded by a cast of international, a move that feels quite forward-leaning today. It also allowed Boucher (and writers Philip Martin and John Collee) to tap into still simmering Cold War tensions, which allowed for the occasional espionage-related plotline to seep into proceedings. The result was an intriguing mix of genres across its run.
Sadly, the show didn't last beyond an initial run of nine episodes. Why? The biggest culprit seems to have been the same problems that plagued the BBC's Moonbase 3 the previous decade and NBC's SeaQuest DSV the following decade: trying to reasonably present the near future, but without the more extreme SF trappings of aliens. It wasn't genre enough for the SF audience and too out there for fans of detective fiction. The series was also not helped by how cheesy it could be in places (there's a hilariously awful bit of fake zero-g acting early in the second episode, for example, with David Cadler's Spring getting into a seat). Or, for that matter, the fact Boucher and his fellow writers took to liberal use stereotypes when it suited the plot. That's without mentioning an opening credits sequence that could rival Star Trek: Enterprise for the most inappropriate choice of music to image with Justin Hayward's It Won't Be Easy played over the iconography of spaceflight.
More than thirty years on, though, it's the ideas and the plots that still stand strong. Boucher (and writers Philip Martin and John Collee) crafted an intriguing world with a solid bunch of lead characters. In some respects, Star Cops was finding its feet just as it ended.
Then again, isn't that the story of SF at the BBC in the 1980s?
The series was the brainchild of former Doctor Who and Blake's 7 writer Chris Boucher, who envisaged a series set in the near future when space opened into being a proper frontier. As a kid who grew up dreaming of space in the early 1990s, it was everything I could have dreamed of from space stations, space shuttles, and moon bases. Everything dreamt of in the 1980s when the Shuttle program was at its height that, for various reasons, never came to be. All of it realized here with reasonable accuracy and with some superb model work. While the occasional weightless scene looks dodgy, the realization of the world around the series holds up well as a vision of a future that never was.
One suspects, however, it was the detective aspect of the series that led to the series getting the commission from Powell. The near-future setting allowed for some neat twists on old crimes from industrial sabotage and espionage to the stealing of embryos and terrorists hijacking space shuttles. Threats and crimes tackled by the International Space Police Force, led by British police inspector turned Star Cops chief David Calder and surrounded by a cast of international, a move that feels quite forward-leaning today. It also allowed Boucher (and writers Philip Martin and John Collee) to tap into still simmering Cold War tensions, which allowed for the occasional espionage-related plotline to seep into proceedings. The result was an intriguing mix of genres across its run.
Sadly, the show didn't last beyond an initial run of nine episodes. Why? The biggest culprit seems to have been the same problems that plagued the BBC's Moonbase 3 the previous decade and NBC's SeaQuest DSV the following decade: trying to reasonably present the near future, but without the more extreme SF trappings of aliens. It wasn't genre enough for the SF audience and too out there for fans of detective fiction. The series was also not helped by how cheesy it could be in places (there's a hilariously awful bit of fake zero-g acting early in the second episode, for example, with David Cadler's Spring getting into a seat). Or, for that matter, the fact Boucher and his fellow writers took to liberal use stereotypes when it suited the plot. That's without mentioning an opening credits sequence that could rival Star Trek: Enterprise for the most inappropriate choice of music to image with Justin Hayward's It Won't Be Easy played over the iconography of spaceflight.
More than thirty years on, though, it's the ideas and the plots that still stand strong. Boucher (and writers Philip Martin and John Collee) crafted an intriguing world with a solid bunch of lead characters. In some respects, Star Cops was finding its feet just as it ended.
Then again, isn't that the story of SF at the BBC in the 1980s?
Too good for TV?
possum-35 November 1998
No matter how many times I think about it, 'Star Cops' is still quite possibly the greatest science-fiction show ever on television.
The premise is simple--cops in space, something that sounds like a recipe for schmaltz, but it's the execution that makes it rise head and shoulders above the capsule description. The characters, through the space of nine episodes, show more depth and range than a decade of latter-day 'Star Treks'. They have moments of irritability, seething rage, intense fear, mild annoyance and sheer terror, played out over plots that challenge the viewer to keep up. This is a show that improves exponentially with repeated viewings, with complexities opening up and incidental moments gaining significance as you become able to correlate them. The characters are often unlikeable, quarrelsome, and rude--much like real people.
Dialogue is sometimes cryptic, requiring another viewing for you to understand the joke or the significance of the remark. Often, characters speak over each other's lines, much like real people.
The plots, while often standard mystery fare, offer spins new to the science-fiction format, requiring a little knowledge of human nature rather than of physics or chemistry. It's never the science, or a simple whodunit--it's always the motive. The human element is always what is at issue.
And NO SF SHOW has ever been so firmly within the possibilities of REAL SCIENCE, requiring no long explanations or technobabble justifications. It is, without a doubt, the most scientifically probable program that has ever been on the air.
There are only nine episodes, and that's a pity. Blame the BBC for their infinite lack of wisdom. But at least there are NINE, and that's wonderful.
The premise is simple--cops in space, something that sounds like a recipe for schmaltz, but it's the execution that makes it rise head and shoulders above the capsule description. The characters, through the space of nine episodes, show more depth and range than a decade of latter-day 'Star Treks'. They have moments of irritability, seething rage, intense fear, mild annoyance and sheer terror, played out over plots that challenge the viewer to keep up. This is a show that improves exponentially with repeated viewings, with complexities opening up and incidental moments gaining significance as you become able to correlate them. The characters are often unlikeable, quarrelsome, and rude--much like real people.
Dialogue is sometimes cryptic, requiring another viewing for you to understand the joke or the significance of the remark. Often, characters speak over each other's lines, much like real people.
The plots, while often standard mystery fare, offer spins new to the science-fiction format, requiring a little knowledge of human nature rather than of physics or chemistry. It's never the science, or a simple whodunit--it's always the motive. The human element is always what is at issue.
And NO SF SHOW has ever been so firmly within the possibilities of REAL SCIENCE, requiring no long explanations or technobabble justifications. It is, without a doubt, the most scientifically probable program that has ever been on the air.
There are only nine episodes, and that's a pity. Blame the BBC for their infinite lack of wisdom. But at least there are NINE, and that's wonderful.
In credited SPFX film cameraman
williamdudman27 October 2020
80s at its finest
gerrydax-45-7199115 November 2021
Really Rather Good
kevinslegg22 April 2021
This is another British TV Series that I've had the opportunity to catch up with via BritBox. However, unlike the other ones I've recently watched (Blake's 7, Sapphire & Steel and the Tomorrow People) I never watched this one when it was first transmitted - indeed I can't even recall it. So I had no idea what to expect.
The bad/off-putting points?
Firstly, I find the name slightly cheesy.
Secondly the theme tune/song. Instead of the rather dynamic and exciting tunes of the other programmes I've mentioned - this gives you a very middle of the road ballad - which to me just does not go with 80's SciFi.
However, as for the programme - I was unsure about it in the beginning. You get the contradiction of the main protagonist who seems a bit anti-technology at first (not trusting computers) but then who relies on 'Box' (think a 1980's version of a cube iPhone/male version of Siri).
However, after about 4 or 5 episode I really begun to get into the characterisations and they way they were developing; the stories kept you engaged and wanting more.
It is such a shame that it ends after only 9 Episodes - and you can't help but wonder what might have been. Certainly a case of 'gone before its time'.
The bad/off-putting points?
Firstly, I find the name slightly cheesy.
Secondly the theme tune/song. Instead of the rather dynamic and exciting tunes of the other programmes I've mentioned - this gives you a very middle of the road ballad - which to me just does not go with 80's SciFi.
However, as for the programme - I was unsure about it in the beginning. You get the contradiction of the main protagonist who seems a bit anti-technology at first (not trusting computers) but then who relies on 'Box' (think a 1980's version of a cube iPhone/male version of Siri).
However, after about 4 or 5 episode I really begun to get into the characterisations and they way they were developing; the stories kept you engaged and wanting more.
It is such a shame that it ends after only 9 Episodes - and you can't help but wonder what might have been. Certainly a case of 'gone before its time'.
Very slow, very dull, and easily skippable
sirleo-876106 March 2023
The premise is great. But the scripts were slow and the budget was insufficient to execute the concept.
Short Review: Very slow paced. This show is ALL TALK.
Imagine if the entire episode of Star trek took place in Picard's ready room. What's worse is the poor post editing. Scenes are too long. Nothing is cut. So much drawl.
Lack of chemistry. The entire series and i mean EVERY episode has all the "cops" spending more time arguing at each other than actually working. So much bickering. Its like kids in a school playground except set in space - although they quickly move to a base on the moon to enjoy gravity and reduce the strain on the actor's having to pretend to be in zeroG.
This could be a drama set in a library or the back of a kitchen diner. If it wasn't for the 2 second establishing shot we'd never even know they were space cops. Or even cops.
This show isn't bad because of its age. Its bad because it never got good. Its almost like the writers spent so much time writing the crew to be so grouchy and acerbic with one another in place of an actual enemy. Such a disappointment. I had high hopes after reading the "cult fan" reviews. Nope.
You wanna fall in love with something outside of the big Star Wars / Star Trek franchises, you have better options: Firefly Serenity,
1 silver lining - this show is 99% talk so u can listen like an audiobook. Cuz Visually ur not missing anything.
Short Review: Very slow paced. This show is ALL TALK.
Imagine if the entire episode of Star trek took place in Picard's ready room. What's worse is the poor post editing. Scenes are too long. Nothing is cut. So much drawl.
Lack of chemistry. The entire series and i mean EVERY episode has all the "cops" spending more time arguing at each other than actually working. So much bickering. Its like kids in a school playground except set in space - although they quickly move to a base on the moon to enjoy gravity and reduce the strain on the actor's having to pretend to be in zeroG.
This could be a drama set in a library or the back of a kitchen diner. If it wasn't for the 2 second establishing shot we'd never even know they were space cops. Or even cops.
This show isn't bad because of its age. Its bad because it never got good. Its almost like the writers spent so much time writing the crew to be so grouchy and acerbic with one another in place of an actual enemy. Such a disappointment. I had high hopes after reading the "cult fan" reviews. Nope.
You wanna fall in love with something outside of the big Star Wars / Star Trek franchises, you have better options: Firefly Serenity,
1 silver lining - this show is 99% talk so u can listen like an audiobook. Cuz Visually ur not missing anything.
Strike killed a classic
marc-one10 November 2003
This was sci-fi at its best. No hard-nosed, crew-cut heroes, this was full of people with flaws (I.E. real people). This had everything, politics, corruption...oh and BOX!!!!!!!
I want box! I do not care about any other invention, I want the world's scientists to make one for me now :)
Aside from that, this is a series that made me like sci-fi again, after the rubbish mainstream offerings from Hollywood with their weak plots and special effects-driven scenarios. I am glad I got the videos when they escaped from the BBC archives a few years ago and still enjoy the shows as much as I did when they were first shown.
It's truly sad that Star Cops never got its second season. It was signed up for one, but with A TV technicians strike cutting the first season down to nine epidodes (the last one was also hugely amended after Erik Ray Evans took ill and David Calder replaced him (hence the strange romance bits between him and Pal) and with Calder moving on to another show, there was no realistic possibility of the crew getting back together to make another 13 episodes.
Truly a classic.
I want box! I do not care about any other invention, I want the world's scientists to make one for me now :)
Aside from that, this is a series that made me like sci-fi again, after the rubbish mainstream offerings from Hollywood with their weak plots and special effects-driven scenarios. I am glad I got the videos when they escaped from the BBC archives a few years ago and still enjoy the shows as much as I did when they were first shown.
It's truly sad that Star Cops never got its second season. It was signed up for one, but with A TV technicians strike cutting the first season down to nine epidodes (the last one was also hugely amended after Erik Ray Evans took ill and David Calder replaced him (hence the strange romance bits between him and Pal) and with Calder moving on to another show, there was no realistic possibility of the crew getting back together to make another 13 episodes.
Truly a classic.
A breath of fresh space.
Bob_Arctor12 December 2003
I remembered this series after seeing The Moody Blues on breakfast TV the other morning. It reminded me of Justin Hayward's haunting theme song for the show ("Like a ripple on the water...")
Great series. Hard Sci Fi, uncompromising and willing to take a risk. Like a previous reviewer said. The stories weren't huge "save the world" epics but they were so well written they didn't need to be. Even the effects were just a little above the Dr Who budget level, but it didn't matter
I hope it'll turn up on TV again some day.
Great series. Hard Sci Fi, uncompromising and willing to take a risk. Like a previous reviewer said. The stories weren't huge "save the world" epics but they were so well written they didn't need to be. Even the effects were just a little above the Dr Who budget level, but it didn't matter
I hope it'll turn up on TV again some day.
We really enjoyed this series.
juliajoy20 February 2005
'Star Cops' is one of the best sci-fi series we've watched in years. In the U.S. we are inundated with 'junk' situation comedies and copycat dramas, so the British shows we are offered are heartily welcomed.
We found this show innovative and very interesting. We really liked Nathan, and 'Box' was a clever touch. Even if it was just a 'crime in space' show as some people termed it, the characters became friends, and the tension and suspense were real to us. Nathan's reluctance at being posted in space was understated and believable, and made a recurring theme below each week's story. I definitely was able to immerse myself in the shows and 'become' one of the people stationed there and at risk in each episode's situation; unlike most American shows--and many movies--I wasn't looking at my watch every few minutes to see how much longer I was going to have to sit there. Thanks, U.K., for another series in the tradition of 'Doctor Who' (which is BRILLIANT). We're just sorry that it was on for only one season.
We found this show innovative and very interesting. We really liked Nathan, and 'Box' was a clever touch. Even if it was just a 'crime in space' show as some people termed it, the characters became friends, and the tension and suspense were real to us. Nathan's reluctance at being posted in space was understated and believable, and made a recurring theme below each week's story. I definitely was able to immerse myself in the shows and 'become' one of the people stationed there and at risk in each episode's situation; unlike most American shows--and many movies--I wasn't looking at my watch every few minutes to see how much longer I was going to have to sit there. Thanks, U.K., for another series in the tradition of 'Doctor Who' (which is BRILLIANT). We're just sorry that it was on for only one season.
Cynical, realistic, and brilliant
Qixotl11 July 2002
A neglected classic. Wonderful low-key SF tales - the titular police department has only a moonbase and a couple of space stations to deal with, but the stories are thought-provoking and frighteningly believable. Best of all, the good guys don't always win. Top-notch acting all round makes this well worth tracking down. Happy hunting...
Star Cops was a great show.
john-9943 December 2002
Star Cops rose above the average in a way that rarely happens: by being more average. How was this? Well, from the start, it's so average, it's. different! It had average theme music - well average for something other than SF. Kind of laid back. Style wise, in the SF arena, it has only recently been matched by the rather less pleasantly warbling intro for the appalling 'Enterprise'. Very laid back.
Acting wise, everyone does a competent job. David Calder is a high point but none of the rest are Patrick Stewart. But they don't need to be. They seem to be either actors playing hard at being `regular Joe's' or - failing that - they're just fairly average actors. Either way, it doesn't seem to matter. The actors play 'space' like it's no big deal. Like they don't want to be there but do want to do their jobs. Even when they are only just on the ball, it's still terribly convincing because it all looks so 'run of the mill'.
The plots aren't overly clever or dramatic. They don't involve saving the earth every week. No vast alien flotillas hove into view to crush all resistance before them. No labyrinthine plots of shape shifters or invisible aliens. Just regular greedy, lazy people and average nut cases doing what they do in the real world: being avaricious, slack and mad - just, it's in orbit! (well, or on the moon as well).
The effects show nice attention to detail but are pretty run of the mill BBC fare. So they're 'effects' but not 'special effects', if you see what I mean, but it's enough. The modelling's quite nice and pretty believable. The script never gets caught up in easy to film stuff like artificial gravity (except the spin on the space station Ronald Regan!), or plot accelerators like faster than light drives.
I know this may sound stupid but, the mix of accents, the run of the mill mundanity. I love it! Why doesn't someone bring it out on DVD or - at least - show the thing on the TV again!
Acting wise, everyone does a competent job. David Calder is a high point but none of the rest are Patrick Stewart. But they don't need to be. They seem to be either actors playing hard at being `regular Joe's' or - failing that - they're just fairly average actors. Either way, it doesn't seem to matter. The actors play 'space' like it's no big deal. Like they don't want to be there but do want to do their jobs. Even when they are only just on the ball, it's still terribly convincing because it all looks so 'run of the mill'.
The plots aren't overly clever or dramatic. They don't involve saving the earth every week. No vast alien flotillas hove into view to crush all resistance before them. No labyrinthine plots of shape shifters or invisible aliens. Just regular greedy, lazy people and average nut cases doing what they do in the real world: being avaricious, slack and mad - just, it's in orbit! (well, or on the moon as well).
The effects show nice attention to detail but are pretty run of the mill BBC fare. So they're 'effects' but not 'special effects', if you see what I mean, but it's enough. The modelling's quite nice and pretty believable. The script never gets caught up in easy to film stuff like artificial gravity (except the spin on the space station Ronald Regan!), or plot accelerators like faster than light drives.
I know this may sound stupid but, the mix of accents, the run of the mill mundanity. I love it! Why doesn't someone bring it out on DVD or - at least - show the thing on the TV again!
Film Noir in Space
ChungMo10 March 2005
This came on New York television via a local public television station. Not the main one but a smaller station on the UHF band. It was in the early nineties.
If my memory is correct the only sci-fi television at the time was Star Trek: The Next Generation. This was not a watchable show for me and I avoided it. By chance I saw a TV listing and there was this mystery show, "Star Cops". No description given. In fact I don't know if the station ever publicized the program. I tuned in and was very happily surprised. Here was a sci-fi show with a brain although with a slant towards hard-boiled 40's noir. Nine weeks, a few more of repeat enjoyment then it was gone.
Three elements hold the show together:
The unique art direction and design that is probably the only time anyone picked up on the "2001" style and elaborated. The way space is portrayed and the design of the hardware is unlike anything out of the U.S. entertainment machine. Believable and beautiful at once. The special effects, while clumsy at times, are bolstered by the art direction. Who cares if the space station and the background move out of sync for a second or so. The overall intent overwhelms the defects.
The smooth music by Moody Blues member Justin Heyward and David Bowie producer Tony Visconti gives the show a unique feel. A good comparison would how the country music instrumentals worked on "Firefly". It shows that Kubrick had figured something out.
The dense and complex story lines lift the program out of the pedestrian and grade school level space opera typified by "Star Trek:TNG" or the boring "Stargate" franchise. The writers really tried to imagine what the real world politics would be when private business and different countries move into space.
The drawbacks to the show mainly are due to the below average acting from some of the regular cast and the low budget. There are too many screwy American accents coming out of British actors' mouths then I like to hear. A number of the bad guys are just awful. Bad acting is unusual to see in a serious British drama but compared to the amatuerville from many of the Star Trek spinoffs, I shouldn't complain. David Calder is an exception on this show, he was always on. The regular cast seemed to be falling comfortably into their roles by the last episode. The exception was Erick Ray Evans who comes across more as a very likable tennis coach than a hard-boiled cop. He never seemed to be able to expand his range. But he's seems to be a nice guy.
It's too bad that fate cut this show off after nine episode, I really think that a second set of episodes would have solidified the program.
A very interesting experiment that should be repeated.
If my memory is correct the only sci-fi television at the time was Star Trek: The Next Generation. This was not a watchable show for me and I avoided it. By chance I saw a TV listing and there was this mystery show, "Star Cops". No description given. In fact I don't know if the station ever publicized the program. I tuned in and was very happily surprised. Here was a sci-fi show with a brain although with a slant towards hard-boiled 40's noir. Nine weeks, a few more of repeat enjoyment then it was gone.
Three elements hold the show together:
The unique art direction and design that is probably the only time anyone picked up on the "2001" style and elaborated. The way space is portrayed and the design of the hardware is unlike anything out of the U.S. entertainment machine. Believable and beautiful at once. The special effects, while clumsy at times, are bolstered by the art direction. Who cares if the space station and the background move out of sync for a second or so. The overall intent overwhelms the defects.
The smooth music by Moody Blues member Justin Heyward and David Bowie producer Tony Visconti gives the show a unique feel. A good comparison would how the country music instrumentals worked on "Firefly". It shows that Kubrick had figured something out.
The dense and complex story lines lift the program out of the pedestrian and grade school level space opera typified by "Star Trek:TNG" or the boring "Stargate" franchise. The writers really tried to imagine what the real world politics would be when private business and different countries move into space.
The drawbacks to the show mainly are due to the below average acting from some of the regular cast and the low budget. There are too many screwy American accents coming out of British actors' mouths then I like to hear. A number of the bad guys are just awful. Bad acting is unusual to see in a serious British drama but compared to the amatuerville from many of the Star Trek spinoffs, I shouldn't complain. David Calder is an exception on this show, he was always on. The regular cast seemed to be falling comfortably into their roles by the last episode. The exception was Erick Ray Evans who comes across more as a very likable tennis coach than a hard-boiled cop. He never seemed to be able to expand his range. But he's seems to be a nice guy.
It's too bad that fate cut this show off after nine episode, I really think that a second set of episodes would have solidified the program.
A very interesting experiment that should be repeated.
The little show that should have...
The_Anti22 August 2000
Star Cops is something of a rarity, and it should be noted as such. It sacrifices glitz and glamour for plot and character development, something a lot of 'critically acclaimed' sci-fi shows lack.
While like Doctor Who or Blake's 7, it did have it's budgetary constraints, and that is probably why the 'story before effects' way of writing developed. Something that can be applied to modern TV, overall. Unfortunately, flashes and bangs win out every day on American TV.
Want a good explosion? Turn on Star Trek. Want a good story? Make it worth your while to track down this overlooked gem.
While like Doctor Who or Blake's 7, it did have it's budgetary constraints, and that is probably why the 'story before effects' way of writing developed. Something that can be applied to modern TV, overall. Unfortunately, flashes and bangs win out every day on American TV.
Want a good explosion? Turn on Star Trek. Want a good story? Make it worth your while to track down this overlooked gem.
rebuttal - it is not that bad
teqjack30 March 2005
OK, it is a bit dated (the USSR still around). And the effects are not terrific - but for what I am sure was a minimal budget, not bad, in fact if what I've seen was basically the pilot, pretty decent. Especially for 1986-7 TV. Come to that, the movie *Outland* with Sean Connery in 1981 is the only one I've seen to outdo *2001*, made in 1968 (they at least knew that you cannot see into a shadow without a light - that is still being done wrong in 2005)! And it is a cop show, not a science fiction show.
So if you're expecting a space opera, forget it.
But if you like cop shows, this is pretty darn good - at least episode one, which is all I've seen so far. And as a computer programmer since 1965, I know whence the lead character's skepticism comes - Hello son!
So if you're expecting a space opera, forget it.
But if you like cop shows, this is pretty darn good - at least episode one, which is all I've seen so far. And as a computer programmer since 1965, I know whence the lead character's skepticism comes - Hello son!
It`s Sci-Fi But Not As We Know It
Theo Robertson7 April 2004
I remember when STAR COPS was schedulded to be broadcast in 1987 we saw the sort of hype that also greeted the BBC`s recent crime drama HUSTLE , possibly the most hyped show in the BBC`s history . Strange then that STAR COPS was shown on BBC2 at 8.30 on weekday evenings at the height of Summer . I did think someone high up at the BBC didn`t want this show to succeed .
But I think the reason for its failure lies in the hands of the production team . Anyone heard of Chris Boucher ? He`s the former script editor of BLAKE`S 7 and creator of this show which led me to believe we`d be seeing some gritty dramatic SF show , but we didn`t . Look at the show`s title STAR isn`t the operative word , COPS is and Boucher has created a show that is just another crime drama using the gimmick of having it set in space . People get killed outside the Earth`s orbit and it`s up to this London cop and his multinational colleagues to solve the crimes which are usually commited by the mafia or greedy corporate companies
Sorry to be cynical since a lot of people on this page seemed to have enjoyed it but even the gimmick of having this show set in space doesn`t stop it from being nothing less than a pretty dire crime series . It`s supposed to be set in the late 21st century but do we find out what 21st century Earth looks like ? No because everything is filmed inside an office or a restaraunt and if there`s any outside location work done the script is specifically written so that it will take place in a park so that the BBC won`t have to break the bank with convincing set designs
We won`t be seeing a second series of STAR COPS but we will be seeing a new series of DOCTOR WHO next year which should restore the BBC`s reputation as being the prime server of quality sci-fi
But I think the reason for its failure lies in the hands of the production team . Anyone heard of Chris Boucher ? He`s the former script editor of BLAKE`S 7 and creator of this show which led me to believe we`d be seeing some gritty dramatic SF show , but we didn`t . Look at the show`s title STAR isn`t the operative word , COPS is and Boucher has created a show that is just another crime drama using the gimmick of having it set in space . People get killed outside the Earth`s orbit and it`s up to this London cop and his multinational colleagues to solve the crimes which are usually commited by the mafia or greedy corporate companies
Sorry to be cynical since a lot of people on this page seemed to have enjoyed it but even the gimmick of having this show set in space doesn`t stop it from being nothing less than a pretty dire crime series . It`s supposed to be set in the late 21st century but do we find out what 21st century Earth looks like ? No because everything is filmed inside an office or a restaraunt and if there`s any outside location work done the script is specifically written so that it will take place in a park so that the BBC won`t have to break the bank with convincing set designs
We won`t be seeing a second series of STAR COPS but we will be seeing a new series of DOCTOR WHO next year which should restore the BBC`s reputation as being the prime server of quality sci-fi
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
