Pre-Order Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - The Complete Collection (Blu-ray) Available for Preorder (1 Viewer)

[ScottRE]

And the music was outstanding. Happily, both seasons had a release of episodic scores not too long ago.

I'm actually surprised at how much I still enjoy this series. Some don't age as well with me and Buck Rogers was truly a product of its era. Yet, the cheerfulness, the easy to spot, much slimmer stunt guys doing Buck's fights (all he ever did was kick people in the first year), the effects and the really over the top villains made this show a consistent winner.

 

[Bryan^H]

The choice not to include the actors commentary tracks, and instead a tv historian baffles me. Why would they not try to work out a deal with at least Erin Grey for her favorite episode "Space Vampire"? I have zero interest in any of the 11 episode commentary tracks as they are now. Still trying to convince myself to buy this, but a brief couple interviews with two of the actors certainly isn't the kind of special features I would have hoped for, and makes it a very hard sell (I already own the series on Blu-Ray). It could have been so much better.

 

[bmasters9]

Another TV show that won’t grace my shelves.

You feel the same about that one as I feel about Diff'rent Strokes.

 

[Johnny Angell]

@Bryan^H I SEE what you mean. BTW, the Inglorious Treksperts did a podcast with Erin Grey. It has very little to do with Trek, but I really loved it. Erin Grey is a great raconteur. She’s a blast to listen to. I almost had as good a time as she did.

 

[Johnny Angell]

BTW, I’ve found that film/TV historians do the best commentaries, though I have to believe that Erin Grey would have been a very good commentator. Also for two seasons and a TV movie, $66 or so is too much. I think $40 would be a better price point. I’ll consider it then.

 

[Sam Favate]

BTW, I’ve found that film/TV historians do the best commentaries, though I have to believe that Erin Grey would have been a very good commentator. Also for two seasons and a TV movie, $66 or so is too much. I think $40 would be a better price point. I’ll consider it then.

I paid about $45 from DD. It's almost as if Amazon doesn't want us to buy discs from them. (Mission Impossible was also considerably cheaper.)

 

[Randy Korstick]

I paid about $45 from DD. It's almost as if Amazon doesn't want us to buy discs from them. (Mission Impossible was also considerably cheaper.)

I paid about $45 from Deep Discount as well. Its well worth it at that price.

 

[Blimpoy06]

Kino Lorber has it on sale for $49.99 on their website.

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century - The Complete Collection | Kino Lorber - Experience Cinema

When 20th-century astronaut William “Buck” Rogers is awakened—500 years after a deep-space disaster—to an Earth in recovery from nuclear war, he must join Colonel Wilma Deering to lead the crew of the starship Searcher against a galaxy of evil from the past, present and faraway future.

www.kinolorber.com

 

[Brian Himes]

One thing that has not been mentioned is that the Flight Of The War Witch episode on the Blu-ray set is the 2 part syndicated version and not the original 2 hour version that originally aired in 1980.

Missing is the extended opening previews, extended opening credits/theme song, a scene between Buck and Dr. Huer in Buck's apartment just before he leaves on the mission, about two or three small bits in the scene between Buck and Zarina, a portion of the scene in the cell between Buck, Ardala and Kodus and the ending credits song (Suspension) with full lyrics have all been cut. Kind of a bummer that this appears to be the only edited episode. Looks like if you want the episode as it originally aired, you'll have to hang onto the season one DVD set.

 

[Brian Himes]

Ok, so I took another look at the situation with the Flight Of The War Witch episode(s).

The 2 part version that is on the Blu-ray each have a running time of 48+ minutes. This is consistent with the 2 part episode The Plot To Kill A City and the rest of the 1 hour stand alone episodes. So, that was interesting.

I also took another look at the DVD 2 hour version and something struck me as odd. The one scene that was cut (in Buck's apartment) Dr. Huer mentions that he's done something to Twiki's wiring so that he can be traced and Buck will be able to return home from the other universe. Now, this makes no sense (I realize the show didn't follow any sort of plot consistency). It was pointed out in the second half of the show (more than once, I might add) that Buck and the others can't return to their universe without the aid of the Pendarans. The information on the chip was for a one way trip. This is why everyone agreed to fight off Zarina. So, the scene in Buck's apartment just before he leaves is now useless and not essential to the plot (such as it is). It also has a strange transition to the next scene that is not used in any other episode of the series. Now the two or three bits that are not in the 2 part version (extra bits in the conversation between Buck and Zarina and the additional part of the cell scene) on the DVD 2 hour version is a bit off on the color and brightness. These additional pieces are much brighter in terms of set lighting and the picture quality is a bit better on those pieces. It's very noticeable. The additional footage in the opening credits/theme seems to be sloppily added in almost like it was meant to pad out the running time a bit.

All of this got me to thinking that maybe (now this is just my speculation), the episode was in fact, meant to be a 2 part episode and NBC decided to give it a 2 hour time slot instead to give then end of the season a big send off. All of the additional stuff in the 2 hour version could have been added to pad out the running time. If the 2 part version was re-edited into a 2 hour version, then that would explain all of the additional stuff. That scene in Buck's apartment plays like it was filmed before the rest of the episode was filmed or that the story point of everyone not being able to return without help hadn't been entirely established. It plays like a deleted scene because it contradicts a story point later in the episode. The additional bits with Buck and Zarina, and the cell conversation, also look like they were edited out and then re-inserted in those places to add running time. The look of those pieces just doesn't match the rest of the scenes that they are in. The additional footage in the opening credits is rather sloppily done like it was done in a bit of a hurry. Using the movie ending theme song would have been all too easy to add to the episode to make it a bit longer.

This is all speculation but I think it kind of fits considering that the 2 part version has the same running times as all of the other 1 hour episodes. The additional footage in the 2 hour version only amounts to roughly 5 minutes. That includes the longer opening teaser, longer opening and closing credits. The scene in Buck's apartment is the longest of the stuff in the episode proper. The other bits are only a few seconds long. The 2 part version doesn't feel padded (even with a very short recap of part one at the beginning of part 2) like the 2 hour version does.

Anyway, just a few thoughts that I couldn't shake after comparing the two versions.

 

[Jeff*H]

I vaguely remember as a kid excitedly watching the 2-hour movie version of WAR WITCH as a kid in the spring of 1980 and loving every minute of it. Since we didn’t have a VCR in those days, I also recall watching it rerun on NBC as a 2-part version, probably late summer or early fall. The second season didn’t premiere until January 1981.

 

[Sam Favate]

I vaguely remember as a kid excitedly watching the 2-hour movie version of WAR WITCH as a kid in the spring of 1980 and loving every minute of it. Since we didn’t have a VCR in those days, I also recall watching it rerun on NBC as a 2-part version, probably late summer or early fall. The second season didn’t premiere until January 1981.

I used to use an audio cassette recorder to tape these shows. I can't imagine I ever listened to them (maybe once) and unlike the many other tapes I've had, I have no idea where they are now.

I do remember occasionally referring to the tapes if there was some bit of dialogue I wasn't sure about. Like, in one episode, Buck makes a reference to Funk and Wagnalls, a publisher of dictionaries and other reference works. I thought, ahem, that he was saying something else, especially the way he said "Funk and..." so quickly.

 

[moviebuff75]

I think that happened to lots of tv shows. They were originally a one hour show, and then additional footage was added at the last minute to extend the program.

 

[ScottRE]

The additional footage in the opening credits/theme seems to be sloppily added in almost like it was meant to pad out the running time a bit.

I don't have the new set yet, but the US DVD release had extended footage in the opening credits which was actually from "Time of the Hawk." Obviously this was added later (maybe even for the DVD release) because that was the second season premiere, and the season got a late start because of the actors strike that year.

However, the Region 2 blu ray release has the credits as normal. If the extra shots are of Buck's starfighter being fired on by Hawk over the mountains of Throm, then I'm thinking the Kino version is just the DVD prints upscaled or some such.

How do the opening credits to Season 2 look? From what I remember, the Region 2 sets had to use Standard Def versions of that year's opening.

 

[Brian Himes]

The DVD version of Flight Of The War Witch, in the extended version the extra footage in the opening sequence shows a shot of two Draconian Marauders launching from the Draconia, Buck and Wilma walking on the bridge/walk way in New Chicago (from the film and pilot), Buck and Wilma in their Star Fighters on the way to the Draconia (again from the film and pilot), a Star Fighter manuvering around and asteroid (The Fighting 69th episode), a Star Fighter shooting at another ship (I can't tell if this is Hawk's ship or not) in a mountain range, Buck, Twiki, Wilma and Dr. Huer in Buck's apartment (from the ending scene of the pilot episode, I believe), and finally several battle scenes with the Draconians. This extra footage is inserted just after the titles, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and ends just before the shot of Buck on the Draconia (when the door to Ardala's quarters opens). So, this could be the opening from the 2nd season premier, Time Of The Hawk. I don't know.

The season 2 opening credits look kind of grainy. The credit for Erin Gray is a bit muddy looking with an annoying black speck on her cheek. So, they could be standard def versions. I do notice dirt and specks in both season opening credits. Season 1 has a very bad black speck that is on everyone's face during their respective credit (except Tim O'Connor's) and right on Gil Gerard's cheek in the last shot. It's very annoying. There's really no excuse for not clearing that up. With the really crisp, sharp picture quality, this speck is really noticeable.

The Kino prints I don't believe are just upscales. The print for the pilot episode is the best that I've ever seen this look. It's way better than that overly dark, grainy version that Universal put out on the individual season sets. In fact, all of the episodes look to be newly mastered from fresh prints. I've never seen the series look this good. Parts of season 2 look a bit softer than season 1 but I think that is just the way it has always looked. The color pallet for season 2 is more muted and not as bright as season 1 and that could account for the overall softness of the season. That's not to say that the episodes of season 2 are in any way less than striking (picture quality wise) as season 1. Season 1 just seems to pop more than season 2 because of the overall design of the season. Both seasons look the absolute best that I've ever seen them look.

I'm almost done with season 2 and I have to say that I'm quite pleased with the set. My only complaint so far is that the opening credits really need to be further cleaned up to remove those annoying black specks. Maybe they've always been there and can't be removed? I don't know but I find them to be annoying.

 

[Neil S. Bulk]

The opening titles use a lot of optical compositing, and that dirt is built into the shot. There's no easy way to eliminate it.

 

[Blimpoy06]

The Madman blu ray has a text less credit sequence for both seasons as a bonus. So I would assume the separate elements are available and could be cleaned up.

The dirt is not visible in the text less version.

 

[ScottRE]

The DVD version of Flight Of The War Witch, in the extended version the extra footage in the opening sequence shows a shot of two Draconian Marauders launching from the Draconia, Buck and Wilma walking on the bridge/walk way in New Chicago (from the film and pilot), Buck and Wilma in their Star Fighters on the way to the Draconia (again from the film and pilot), a Star Fighter manuvering around and asteroid (The Fighting 69th episode), a Star Fighter shooting at another ship (I can't tell if this is Hawk's ship or not) in a mountain range, Buck, Twiki, Wilma and Dr. Huer in Buck's apartment (from the ending scene of the pilot episode, I believe), and finally several battle scenes with the Draconians. This extra footage is inserted just after the titles, Buck Rogers in the 25th Century and ends just before the shot of Buck on the Draconia (when the door to Ardala's quarters opens). So, this could be the opening from the 2nd season premier, Time Of The Hawk. I don't know.

Yep, seems like the same version. The Madman release is as it should be.

The DVD of the network version of the pilot was, I believe, an old 16mm print. I'm glad that was upgraded finally. I hope to get mine for Christmas,

 

[ScottRE]

Having checked out the Madman discs, they have the two hour version as a syndicated edit and the two parter as the original network version. The padding makes sense to stretch it once you lose the end credits of part one and the recap and credits of part two.

The use of Twiki as a black box recorder isn’t totally pointless. It explains why he and Theo are there and Huer doesn’t know it’s a one way trip. They don’t find that pit until the second half.

I don’t remember the NBC 2 hour broadcast, but the extended credits could not have been there because the clip of Hawk firing on Buck’s ship wasn’t even close to filming

 

[moviebuff75]

I'm confused. Is the U.S. Universal dvd version the original network version? Is the U.S. blu-ray the cut syndicated version?