aimless-46
The 28 episodes of the Saturday morning sci-fi series "Jason of Star Command" were originally broadcast on CBS from 1978-1980. The first season's 16 episodes (15 minutes each) were the live action portion of "Tarzan and the Super 7". The 12 episodes from Season Two had their own thirty-minute time-slot. The series was a "Space Academy" spin-off with a number of "Star Wars" features. It may remind contemporary viewers of the "Buck Rogers" series, or at least a low budget version targeted at pre-teen boys. Craig Littler plays the title character, a space pilot assigned to defend Star Command (a Division of Space Academy) from a "Ming the Merciless" type, the evil "Master of the Cosmos" Dragos (nicely overplayed by Sid Haig). Dragos commands a legion of mumbling creatures with moth heads, mostly they just sit around a table and listen to him rant about Jason. Littler is pretty much devoid of any real acting talent but at least knows enough to not look directly into the camera when speaking his lines. Littler and Haig are about all that links the two seasons as the show was recast when it was renewed. You are unlikely to find a more extreme example of producers shooting themselves in the foot between seasons than what happened with this series. The show's original draws were James "Scotty" Doohan (who attracted to "Star Trek" fans) and Susan O'Hanlon (who filled out her costume so well that male viewers kept tuning in). For Season Two Doohan was replaced by John "The Lawman" Russell, a decent actor who must have needed work very badly because he let them paint his face blue; although this make-up arrangement had no vital link to the storyline. O'Hanlon was replaced by Tamora "Cleopatra Jones" Dobson, who might actually have been a worse actor than Littler; which might account for the perception that his acting improved during the course of the series. Also of note during Season Two was the three-episode appearance of an aging Francine York as Queen Medusa (a character probably based on her guest role as Queen Niolani ten years earlier on "Lost in Space"). Queen Medusa looked like my cub-scout den mother, but dressed in purple spandex and wearing way too much make-up. Then again, what do I know? I'm only a child.
KeyOrion
I do barely remember this Saturday morning show as a fond dream. I remember one of the members as some sort of telepathic/empath, which I think it was one of girls. I remember wanting to be the main action hero. And I definitely wanted to fly the ship they had which sort of was reminiscent of an advanced version of the space shuttle.One of the few episodes I remember is of them landing on a planet, and hammering off a piece of rock, then the area they took the rock from started to 'bleed'. Next thing you know the telepath is getting all sorts of crazy vibes from the entire planetoid. Of course couple days later I went outside and had pulled a piece of newly paved roadway off the street and tar oozed off it. I kind of freaked and went back into the house yelling, THE PLANET IS ALIVE! I was that young.Even though i'm far older now, I would love to get copies of this show, no matter how corny it may have been in the past. It was just one of those things you grew up on.
bcolquho
I love cartoons. There, I admit it. Except for one thing. JOSC wasn't a cartoon. It was a spinoff of SA. According to the opening voiceover, Jason, last name unknown, worked out of a secret section of Space Academy. His superiors were Professor E.J. Parsafoot, and Space Academy's last two commanders. His enemy wasDragos, a brutal dictator, who was the emperor of some unnamed empire. Jason of Star Command aired two years after Star Wars and was in the same vein. It was set some time in the far, distant future, when, exactly, we don't know. Watch both this, and Space Academy, they both do justice to each other.
orangegreenknight1927
In the tradition of the old 1930's serials CBS hot on the heels of SPACE ACADEMY and ARK 2 and SHAZAM released this program which was similar to BUCK ROGERS and FLASH GORDON. The series featured special effects, daring do all on a tv budget. This show was different from BATTLESTAR GALACTICA and STAR WARS yet capitalized off the craze. The program was the last of a wave of live action shows for CBS that started with KOOKLA FRAN AND OLIE etc. The show ran in a half hour format and was constantly running re runs when fresh episodes were not available. A saturday moring staple for many years..escapist fun for kids. Don't call the JASON the "grey poupon guy" as a kid I liked him like many kids in the 1930's or 1970's reveared ADAM WEST or BUSTER CRABBE.
