Synopsis:

Buck’s thirst for adventure overcomes his longing for the past. Buck, Wilma, Duke, and Brigadier Gordon (a wonderful guest-role by Buster Crabbe, who played Buck Rogers in the 1930s) must find and stop the villains who poison the Directorate’s pilots: a sorcerer (Jack Palance chews the scenery gloriously) and his slave army, hiding in a mountain stronghold. The buddy-flick energy between Buck and Not-Tom-Jones is an enjoyable addition to Buck's many female co-stars and the only one until Hawk in season 2 (Dr Huer is wonderful, but not Buck's buddy).

Intentions:

The story is extended with a flashback to emphasize Buck’s discomfort as the Man Out Of Time (trimmed from a later episode). The final battle is expanded to improve flow. Continuity errors are fixed (spaceships don’t change shape or numbers in mid-flight!). Jennifer’s photo is inserted for continuity. Repetitive shots are replaced. Duke’s unexplained Translight and Buck’s lamest lines are cut.

Change List:

- More attention for the Man Out Of Time feeling: Add pre-credits scene of Buck going to sleep in his apartment and dreaming of his life in the 1980s. We meet his friend Toby and girlfriend Jennifer. - Less campy: Cut a few lame joke lines from Theo and Twiki. - Less campy: Mute / trim some of Buck's lamest and sleaziest lines. E.g. Buck no longer has to "uphold his reputation" as a lady's man. He no longer "created a monster" when Wilma kicks ass. She was capable of doing that long before he arrived, thank you very much. Buck no longer tells Kaleel he "knows a good lawyer". Really? Are there even lawyers in the 25th century? Buck didn't get one during his trial in the first movie. - Add continuity: Insert the shot of Jennifer's photo, when Wilma picks up the photo in Buck's apartment. - Fix continuity (throughout the movie, especially during the final battle): Replace shots of wrong (Hatchet fighter) spaceships with correct (Scorpion) spaceships (using shots from other episodes). Add Starfighter and Scorpion spaceships where needed to make the numbers correct. - Logic: Mute Duke's "well" in "well beyond the Stargate". It's enough to be beyond the Stargate. - Logic: Trim Duke's "translight" speed. The concept was inconsistent with spaceship abilities on the show and was never mentioned again. It was a cop-out. - Improved flow: Increased the suspense by delaying the reveal of Desert Nomads discovering the crashed Starfighter. Now you have time to catch your breath between the excitement of the crash and this new danger to Buck and Duke, giving a false sense of safety while they're walking through the desert. Only the Nomads reveal is delayed, their battle remains in its original place. - Improved flow: Reworked the final space battle in space. Replaced wrong spaceships, replaced many repetitive shots (with alternate and more dynamic shots from later episodes). Added ships and action shots to increase the scale of the battle. Rescored sound effects and music in most of the changed shots to keep the excellent music correct.

Additional Notes:

-

Other Sources:

Special Thanks:

Everyone for their enthusiasm for the previous installment in this series! Thanks to Zarius for feedback. Special shout-out to composer Johnny Harris for writing the perfect score for this adventure: upbeat, exciting, hypnotic.