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"Buck Rogers in the 25th Century"
Theatrical Film (1979) and TV Series
(1979-81)
Writer's Bible (Season 1)
Submitted by season one writer Bill Taylor ("Unchained Woman")
This is the original TV series
bible that was developed after the movie, by story editor Anne Collins with producer Bruce Lansbury.
- The great holocaust on
Earth acted as a breaking point for relations between Earth and her many colonies
throughout the universe. Cut off from their motherland the colonies developed uniquely and
differently, depending on the resources, physical characteristics and planetary
governments. This divergence ultimately resulted in nationalism, distrust of one another,
and ultimately conflict, sometimes warfare. A major source of their confrontation: the
desire to dominate and control the motherland, Earth.
- After the holocaust,
Earth took considerable time to regroup. During this period it was totally cutoff from its
colonies. Still dealing with internal problems like Anarchia, Earth now finds itself
alone, its former colonies turned indifferent, unpredictable, even hostile. It survives
though the intelligence of its computerized advisors and their diplomatic cunning in
playing one colony against the other to maintain a tenuous peace.
- As a character Buck
Rogers outwardly presents a flip, sardonic, devil-may-care guy, and an adventurous spirit.
Beneath this facade is a serious and caring man who is alone. For all of the marvels of
the 25th century, Buck Rogers is cut off from everyone he loved or cared about.
- There is an underlying
element of sadness about Buck. He is a man out of touch, lost in time, knowing he can
never return to the world in which he was born. He searches for roots to his past, trying
to connect his 25th century existence with his past.
- Very often one of Buck's
major attributes is his knowledge of another life, prior to the 25th century. In a totally
computerized automated society his simple knowledge of how to make a fire without matches,
how to control a spacecraft under manual control, how to perform arithmetic calculations
by hand often give him an advantage over others.
- Buck reports to Colonel
Wilma Deering who commands one of the squadrons protecting Earth. While he teases Wilma
about reporting to her, he actually enjoys it. Wilma, however, takes her responsibilities
very seriously, and accordingly acts conservatively and only within established
guidelines. Buck, the stranger, can act impulsively and freely, thereby creating conflict
between he and Wilma. However, it is often his free-wheeling and unconventional approaches
that are crucial to the success and survival of Earth's forces.
- Buck is very attractive
to women, a situation he takes advantage or with relish. No matter what enemy he is facing
there always seems to be a beautiful women involved who takes a fancy to Buck. This
frequently irritates Wilma, although she would vehemently deny any tinge of jealousy.
Other notes from Bill
Taylor:
The concept of the
"stargates" was contributed soon after the bible by Alan Brennert, another early
story editor. It was his way of justifying the leaps across space that the Starfighters
were being asked to accomplish in the series. The idea for a recurring bar/lounge set in
New Chicago, PLATO's was considered but ultimately rejected. It would have been a place
for casual conservation. I remember writing a scene for it, handing in the draft, then
being told they had dumped the idea.
Buck's recurring use of the
mystifying phrase "piece of cake" and other anachronisms began with my episode,
which also established the name of Buck's 20th girlfriend as Jennifer (also not
coincidentally the name of my little sister, who rather liked the idea of growing up to
become Buck's main squeeze).
Both Anne Collins and Alan
Brennert walked off the show in the middle of the first season, tired of the constant
battles with Gil Gerard (accounts of which have been published elsewhere, Starlog among
them). Anne went on to work for the Fred Silverman company and Alan became the
Emmy-winning producer of L.A. LAW as well as working the NEW TWILIGHT ZONE. It would have
been wonderful to see where the bible would have taken these two talents, probing the
depths of a sad man with the happy facade, a man alone in time. How Buck was beginning to
improve Huer and Wilma by his presence, how he was loosening them up, was sadly cut
short. The latter half of the first season missed their caring writing, and the
2nd season forgot entirely Buck's roots in the 20th century.
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