Planet Earth
| Fandom | |
|---|---|
| Name: | Planet Earth |
| Abbreviation(s): | |
| Creator: | |
| Date(s): | 1974 |
| Medium: | film |
| Country of Origin: | USA |
| External Links: | at Wikipedia |
| Click here for related articles on Fanlore. | |
Planet Earth is a 1974 made-for-television science fiction film by Gene Roddenberry, a pilot of proposed series.
It had its beginnings in Genesis II, which did not get picked up and turned into the television series. Roddenberry reworked the material into a second pilot, Planet Earth.
It was much anticipated and promoted by Star Trek: TOS fans who were eager for more science fiction, and who wanted to support Roddenberry.
Gender Relations
The film had a focus of gender relations from an early 1970s perspective and addressed the topic of "women's lib." The main character, Dylan Hunt, comments on then then-current post-apocalyptic matriarchal society, and asked: "Women's lib? Or women's lib gone mad."
One of the actresses, Diana Muldaur, said about the script:
When they offered this part, I thought it would be the ultimate of women's lib. Men are called Dinks, kept as slaves, house servants, and field hands, used, when necessary for breeding. But do you know how we keep them this way -- submissive and docile? We drug them. The only way we can control men is by sedating them. It's the ultimate put-down of women. [1]
At a speech at the University of New Hampshire on April 25, 1974, Roddenberry said:
RODDENBERRY: "Planet Earth" was a pilot, which is really what you try to do is not lay out exactly what the series is going to be about, but to show a typical episode. By what we meant by "typical" was we do not go every week to a place where females are dominant, or we deal in something like that, but we go to a different community. "Next Week," when It goes on as a series—hopefully mid-season, we might go to a place where computers might have taken over a society. The ideas are very much like we did on ST. The superior female society was one of six scripts we had. Network dominance again resulted in them saying, "This is the one we want you to make a pilot of because, wow! With women's lib what great promotion you'll get out of that." And I said, "I don't think so. I think when you start talking about sexual superiority, particularly to people over thirty, you're going to make them very nervous. You're shaking up something very important to them." Our ratings were quite high that night, and I've got the feeling that ABC is going to order three or four hour episodes between now and the first of the year, and it will go on mid-season as an hour series...and it will be "Earth Trek." (APPLAUSE) [2]
Reused Concept
Years later, the name "Dylan Hunt" and many ideas from Genesis II/Planet Earth were used in the television series, Andromeda.
Fan Article
page one of an article by Alan Andres in A Piece of the Action #13 (April 1974)
page two of an article by Alan Andres in A Piece of the Action #13 (April 1974)
Helmets Were Auctioned Off in 1975
According to a con report in 2-5YM #6, David Gerrold auctioned off at least two helmets from the show at Star Trek Lives! #5.
Also See
Fan Comments
There is remarkably little comment by fans in fan publications about this show.
What makes TV shows successful? What causes the public to want to watch a particular show? As revealed in the discussion of four prominent producers reviewed in TV Guide, it is the same set of values underlying the stories of the cavemen, expressed in the work of antigua Europe, handed down in legend form by the American Indian, flowering in early American writers and enjoyed , expected, sought for by today's public. The story that makes success has: a skeleton: plot, beginning, middle,end, and a hero. It has also a body attached to that skeleton at every point solid values, rules and order. Gene Roddenberry calls it "squarish values." Even today when so many "shallow motive heroes" have been presented the public does not accept them, they want more for they have yet the desire of "old-fashioned virtues." I believe in "Planet Earth." G.R. practices what he preached. Though I think the name they have given the show is weak; I'd call it STOCK, I feel the strength of the show itself more than makes up for the title. Salutations to G.R. for a splendid job. [3]
References
- ^ as reported in A Piece of the Action #13 (April 1974)
- ^ from a partial transcript of a speech at the University of New Hampshire on April 25, 1974, printed in A Piece of the Action #15
- ^ comments by Diana Hall in A Piece of the Action #15