Flash, Dale and Dr. Zarkov investigate a terrified scientist who claims his colleagues were killed by a vengeful god on a long-dead planet. This first episode of the tele-series pretty much sets the tone for the rest: low budget 'futuristic' adventures set in outer-space with rushed and simplistic plots and limited (and frequently repeated) special effects. For what it is, I find the vintage space-opera entertaining and moderately interesting. The international production was filmed in Berlin and Marseilles less than a decade after the end of WW2 and occasionally footage from the war or from the Soviet occupation of East Germany is used when scenes of destruction or panicky crowds are called for. Steve Holland is fine as the titular hero as he engages in numerous energetic brawls with evil minions as part of saving the galaxy and Irene Champlin manages to make Dale Arden a competent and essential part of the heroic team. In keeping with the ethos of a post-UN world, Flash, Dale and Zarkov are no longer free-agent heroes but rather operatives working for the "Galaxy Bureau of Investigation" (sort of 30th century G-men). Other than the fact that most episodes are standalone adventures, the show resembles one of the inexpensive serials of the late 40s (but not the imaginative (and relatively expensive ) Flash Gordon serials of the late 1930s). One of a number of space age adventures or anthologies that hit the small screen in the 1950s that likely contributed to the burgeoning public fascination in space and technology as well as the plethora of science-fiction films that were released in the anxious decade.
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