Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing quite
like "Star Maidens."

For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
(barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.

It must be seen to be believed.

After the off-network success of "Star Trek," TV sci-fi seemed like a
frontier worth exploring again. "Space: 1999" broke out in 1976 and "Star
Maidens" arrived on hot on its heels.

Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi TV show
"Maidens" is set on a female-dominated planet named Medusa. On Medusa, is it
not that men don't exist, it's just that they don't matter. On Medusa, the
men are enslaved and women hold all the economic and political power.

In sci-fi parlance, planets or cultures where the traditional gender power
structure is fully reversed is nothing new-they can be found in the old movie
serials and up through episodes of "Star Trek" and "Buck Rogers" and all over
Saturday morning sci-fi cartoons. But, as John Kenneth Muir has pointed out
in his erudite sci-fi blog, too often these gender-switch plots simply ape
the norm: women now oppress the men the way men have, historically, oppressed
the women with no thought as to what an actual long-running, long-standing
matriarchy might be like.

"Maidens" though, since they have more than one episode to explore the
concept, does do a slightly better job of constructing a female-run society
and what exactly that might look like. For example, we are told that the
Medusans abhor violence. They do not kill their enemies (men) but, instead,
banish them, often to the desolate surface of their planet. And their weapon
of choice is the "paragon," a gun that isn't really a gun as it does not kill
but simply immobilizes.

This is not to say, however, that certain gender trappings don't exist: the
Medusan women seem rather preoccupied with physical adornment, spouting
embellished make-up and the most elaborate of hairdos. Additionally-for some
reason--the phalanx of female guards for the planet sport, as a uniform, hot
pants, bare midriffs and white go-go boots. (Plunging necklines, however, are
usually reserved for the male slaves.)

Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi TV show
"Star Maidens" begins when two male slaves-one named Shem (Gareth Thomas) and
the other with the biblically-weighted name Adam (Pierre Brice)--manage to
escape from Medusa (via a high-jacked "space yacht") and high tail it to a
little planet called.Earth.

After the former slaves crash land in what appears to be the European
countryside, Shem and Adam try to fit in and understand the life of earth
beings. But they do they eat grass like the nearby cows do? And are they to
recoil or bow down at the sight of any woman like they had on their home
planet?

More or less welcoming them to Earth are a group of English scientists who
followed their ship as it hurled toward the planet and who seem remarkably
unimpressed by this sudden, solid proof of extraterrestrial life. They find
the men and seem anxious to make friends.

Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi TV show
But!...But, back up in space, no sooner have the two men become Earth-bound
than Adam's owner/mistress, Fulvia (Judy Geeson), decides to bring them back!
She enlists the help of Medusa's hardcore head of security, Octavia
(Christiane Kruger). (Yes, these are the names.) The two Medusians then board
their own ship and take off after the escapees.

On Earth, the guys go on the run and, after the women land, the Medusians
demand that the local (male) authorities help them reclaim their "property."

Throughout these early episodes (and the rest of the series, in fact) there
are various comic elements as Adam and Shem try to navigate their newfound
freedom and Fulvia and Octavia (especially Octavia) grow tired of not being
obeyed by all the male Earth/British blokes!

Meanwhile, two Earth scientists (Liz, played by Lisa Harrow, and Rudi
Schmidt, played by Christian Quadflieg) infiltrate Fulvia and Octavia's space
ship.with disastrous results. They are soon spirited back to Medusa where Liz
is expected to be indoctrinated into the Medusian way of life and Rudi is
demoted to servant!

Two concurrent storylines then unfold on "Maidens": one with Adam and Shem on
Earth, trying to escape capture and, the other, on Medusa, with Liz and Rudi
attempting to escape Medusa and return to Earth.

Yes, that old story.

Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi
In regard to "Star Maidens," if the fanciful names and wild storyline doesn't
get you, then the out-there aesthetic of the series will. Along with the
elaborate coifs and costumes, the "look" of Medusa is futuristic but only in
1970s sort of way with lots of over-the-top day-glo colors and more plastic
than The Container Store.

Additionally, the intergalactic "technology" of the Medusians (not to mention
those of the Earth scientists) has not aged well compared to even the most
rudimentary real-life pocket tech of the 2020s.

But you can't blame the producers; they were doing the best they could
predicting the future with a highly limited budget and, truth be told, some
of their matte-painted FX and model use does hold up well, or at least well
enough in a nostalgic sort of way. (By the way, the interior of the Medusan
city looks not unlike a shopping mall which, in and of itself, recalls the
cities of the feature film "Logan's Run." Interesting that mass commerce was
what the future seemed to look like to everyone in the 1970s.)

Additionally, for all its camp, "Maidens" succeeds in some places. Though the
two core storylines (the dual escape attempts) arc over all 13 installments,
each episode is able to stand on its own; viewers are not excluded from the
series if they happen to join in "in progress." Furthermore, the series, in
its way, does dare to approach larger issues, not just gender issues but also
the topic of acid rain in one episode and, to the Medusans, the preposterous
idea of using region as any reason for taking a life. As one poster wrote
about the series in an online fansite: "'Star Maidens' is definitely
addressing larger issues, "even if it is only at a coded level (in much the
same way `The Avengers' in the `60s often played.."

Finally, despite a few histrionic moments, the cast seems well suited and
game for all the goings on. Christiane Kruger as the determined Octavia is a
special stand-out. A few episodes into the series, actress Dawn Addams
appears as a supreme leader of Medusans. Her name? Clara.

Overseas, "Star Maidens" was successful enough to inspire a cult following
and even a rash of product tie-ins, like paperback novels. In the US, due to
its limited distribution, the "Maidens" just never seemed to have made an
impact. Today, however, the entire series can be obtained on DVD or on
Youtube.

Despite some vague "adult themes," "Star Maidens" is probably best suited for
a not-so-scrutinizing audience of kids, or a truly dedicated sci-fi fan
willing to suspend more than a little disbelief. Or, it's good for late-night
viewing with your friends, perhaps abated by certain non-fictional, Earthly
libations.

So, in the end, what is "Star Maidens"? Is it good sci-fi? It is satire and
camp? Can it be both? Whatever it is, it is a lot of fun.

https://youtu.be/WNe7wi1ulDs

--
Trump won.

Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
> Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing quite
> like "Star Maidens."
>
> For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
> production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
> (barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
> Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.
>

Yep, I watched it in the middle of the night

> It must be seen to be believed.
>
> After the off-network success of "Star Trek," TV sci-fi seemed like a
> frontier worth exploring again. "Space: 1999" broke out in 1976 and "Star
> Maidens" arrived on hot on its heels.
>
> Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi TV show
> "Maidens" is set on a female-dominated planet named Medusa. On Medusa, is it
> not that men don't exist, it's just that they don't matter. On Medusa, the
> men are enslaved and women hold all the economic and political power.
>

So just like several Gene Roddenberry projects

> In sci-fi parlance, planets or cultures where the traditional gender power
> structure is fully reversed is nothing new-they can be found in the old movie
> serials and up through episodes of "Star Trek" and "Buck Rogers" and all over
> Saturday morning sci-fi cartoons. But, as John Kenneth Muir has pointed out
> in his erudite sci-fi blog, too often these gender-switch plots simply ape
> the norm: women now oppress the men the way men have, historically, oppressed
> the women with no thought as to what an actual long-running, long-standing
> matriarchy might be like.
>
> "Maidens" though, since they have more than one episode to explore the
> concept, does do a slightly better job of constructing a female-run society
> and what exactly that might look like. For example, we are told that the
> Medusans abhor violence. They do not kill their enemies (men) but, instead,
> banish them, often to the desolate surface of their planet.

So, just like “Spock’s Brain”

And their weapon
> of choice is the "paragon," a gun that isn't really a gun as it does not kill
> but simply immobilizes.
>

So, just like “Spock’s Brain”

> This is not to say, however, that certain gender trappings don't exist: the
> Medusan women seem rather preoccupied with physical adornment, spouting
> embellished make-up and the most elaborate of hairdos.

So, just like “Spock’s Brain”

Additionally-for some
> reason--the phalanx of female guards for the planet sport, as a uniform, hot
> pants, bare midriffs and white go-go boots. (Plunging necklines, however, are
> usually reserved for the male slaves.)

So, just like “Spock’s Brain”

>
> Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi TV show
> "Star Maidens" begins when two male slaves-one named Shem (Gareth Thomas) and
> the other with the biblically-weighted name Adam (Pierre Brice)--manage to
> escape from Medusa (via a high-jacked "space yacht") and high tail it to a
> little planet called.Earth.
>
> After the former slaves crash land in what appears to be the European
> countryside, Shem and Adam try to fit in and understand the life of earth
> beings. But they do they eat grass like the nearby cows do? And are they to
> recoil or bow down at the sight of any woman like they had on their home
> planet?
>
> More or less welcoming them to Earth are a group of English scientists who
> followed their ship as it hurled toward the planet and who seem remarkably
> unimpressed by this sudden, solid proof of extraterrestrial life. They find
> the men and seem anxious to make friends.
>
> Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi TV show
> But!...But, back up in space, no sooner have the two men become Earth-bound
> than Adam's owner/mistress, Fulvia (Judy Geeson), decides to bring them back!
> She enlists the help of Medusa's hardcore head of security, Octavia
> (Christiane Kruger). (Yes, these are the names.) The two Medusians then board
> their own ship and take off after the escapees.
>
> On Earth, the guys go on the run and, after the women land, the Medusians
> demand that the local (male) authorities help them reclaim their "property."
>
> Throughout these early episodes (and the rest of the series, in fact) there
> are various comic elements as Adam and Shem try to navigate their newfound
> freedom and Fulvia and Octavia (especially Octavia) grow tired of not being
> obeyed by all the male Earth/British blokes!
>
> Meanwhile, two Earth scientists (Liz, played by Lisa Harrow, and Rudi
> Schmidt, played by Christian Quadflieg) infiltrate Fulvia and Octavia's space
> ship.with disastrous results. They are soon spirited back to Medusa where Liz
> is expected to be indoctrinated into the Medusian way of life and Rudi is
> demoted to servant!
>
> Two concurrent storylines then unfold on "Maidens": one with Adam and Shem on
> Earth, trying to escape capture and, the other, on Medusa, with Liz and Rudi
> attempting to escape Medusa and return to Earth.
>
> Yes, that old story.
>
> Star Maidens 1978 sci-fi
> In regard to "Star Maidens," if the fanciful names and wild storyline doesn't
> get you, then the out-there aesthetic of the series will. Along with the
> elaborate coifs and costumes, the "look" of Medusa is futuristic but only in
> 1970s sort of way with lots of over-the-top day-glo colors and more plastic
> than The Container Store.
>
> Additionally, the intergalactic "technology" of the Medusians (not to mention
> those of the Earth scientists) has not aged well compared to even the most
> rudimentary real-life pocket tech of the 2020s.
>
> But you can't blame the producers; they were doing the best they could
> predicting the future with a highly limited budget and, truth be told, some
> of their matte-painted FX and model use does hold up well, or at least well
> enough in a nostalgic sort of way. (By the way, the interior of the Medusan
> city looks not unlike a shopping mall which, in and of itself, recalls the
> cities of the feature film "Logan's Run." Interesting that mass commerce was
> what the future seemed to look like to everyone in the 1970s.)
>
> Additionally, for all its camp, "Maidens" succeeds in some places. Though the
> two core storylines (the dual escape attempts) arc over all 13 installments,
> each episode is able to stand on its own; viewers are not excluded from the
> series if they happen to join in "in progress." Furthermore, the series, in
> its way, does dare to approach larger issues, not just gender issues but also
> the topic of acid rain in one episode and, to the Medusans, the preposterous
> idea of using region as any reason for taking a life. As one poster wrote
> about the series in an online fansite: "'Star Maidens' is definitely
> addressing larger issues, "even if it is only at a coded level (in much the
> same way `The Avengers' in the `60s often played.."
>
> Finally, despite a few histrionic moments, the cast seems well suited and
> game for all the goings on. Christiane Kruger as the determined Octavia is a
> special stand-out. A few episodes into the series, actress Dawn Addams
> appears as a supreme leader of Medusans. Her name? Clara.
>
> Overseas, "Star Maidens" was successful enough to inspire a cult following
> and even a rash of product tie-ins, like paperback novels. In the US, due to
> its limited distribution, the "Maidens" just never seemed to have made an
> impact. Today, however, the entire series can be obtained on DVD or on
> Youtube.
>
> Despite some vague "adult themes," "Star Maidens" is probably best suited for
> a not-so-scrutinizing audience of kids, or a truly dedicated sci-fi fan
> willing to suspend more than a little disbelief. Or, it's good for late-night
> viewing with your friends, perhaps abated by certain non-fictional, Earthly
> libations.
>
> So, in the end, what is "Star Maidens"? Is it good sci-fi? It is satire and
> camp? Can it be both? Whatever it is, it is a lot of fun.
>
> https://youtu.be/WNe7wi1ulDs
>
> --
> Trump won.
>
>

--
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on my list.”

On 2021-09-20 15:55:06 +0000, anim8rfsk said:

> Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
>> Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing quite
>> like "Star Maidens."
>>
>> For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
>> production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
>> (barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
>> Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.
>
> Yep, I watched it in the middle of the night

I had never even heard of it!! And I was pretty plugged in to such
things, even in the late 70s (though 1977 may just have been too early
for me to be paying attention to such things...).

--
"Who would ever do this to him!?" - HottCiara on DOOL (04-27-2020), asking
who would stab Victor Kirakis... How about ANYONE WHO'S EVER MET HIM??!!

Ian J. Ball <IJBall@mac.invalid> wrote:
> On 2021-09-20 15:55:06 +0000, anim8rfsk said:
>
>> Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
>>> Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing quite
>>> like "Star Maidens."
>>>
>>> For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
>>> production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
>>> (barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
>>> Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.
>>
>> Yep, I watched it in the middle of the night
>
> I had never even heard of it!! And I was pretty plugged in to such
> things, even in the late 70s (though 1977 may just have been too early
> for me to be paying attention to such things...).
>
>

Were you in one of those states at the time?

I was watching for Judi Geesen.

—
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on my list.”

On 2021-09-20 17:56:04 +0000, anim8rfsk said:

> Ian J. Ball <IJBall@mac.invalid> wrote:
>> On 2021-09-20 15:55:06 +0000, anim8rfsk said:
>>> Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
>>
>>>> Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing quite
>>>> like "Star Maidens."
>>>>
>>>> For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
>>>> production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
>>>> (barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
>>>> Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.
>>>
>>> Yep, I watched it in the middle of the night
>>
>> I had never even heard of it!! And I was pretty plugged in to such
>> things, even in the late 70s (though 1977 may just have been too early
>> for me to be paying attention to such things...).
>
> Were you in one of those states at the time?

No, Calif. - where my older brothers were introducing me to stuff like
"The Prisoner", "Doctor Who" and (later) "The Lathe of Heaven", and I
was watching "Ultraman" and "Star Blazers" on my own!! ;)

> I was watching for Judi Geesen.

--
"Who would ever do this to him!?" - HottCiara on DOOL (04-27-2020), asking
who would stab Victor Kirakis... How about ANYONE WHO'S EVER MET HIM??!!

Ian J. Ball <IJBall@mac.invalid> wrote:
> On 2021-09-20 17:56:04 +0000, anim8rfsk said:
>
>> Ian J. Ball <IJBall@mac.invalid> wrote:
>>> On 2021-09-20 15:55:06 +0000, anim8rfsk said:
>>>> Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
>>>
>>>>> Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing quite
>>>>> like "Star Maidens."
>>>>>
>>>>> For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
>>>>> production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
>>>>> (barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
>>>>> Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.
>>>>
>>>> Yep, I watched it in the middle of the night
>>>
>>> I had never even heard of it!! And I was pretty plugged in to such
>>> things, even in the late 70s (though 1977 may just have been too early
>>> for me to be paying attention to such things...).
>>
>> Were you in one of those states at the time?
>
> No, Calif. - where my older brothers were introducing me to stuff like
> "The Prisoner", "Doctor Who" and (later) "The Lathe of Heaven", and I
> was watching "Ultraman" and "Star Blazers" on my own!! ;)
>

Good times.

--
“The last thing I want to do is hurt you, but it’s still on my list.”

On 2021 Sep 20, Ian J. Ball wrote
(in article <siajj5$vgd$1@dont-email.me>):

> On 2021-09-20 17:56:04 +0000, anim8rfsk said:
>
> > Ian J. Ball <IJBall@mac.invalid> wrote:
> > > On 2021-09-20 15:55:06 +0000, anim8rfsk said:
> > > > Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:
> > >
> > > > > Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing
> > > > > quite
> > > > > like "Star Maidens."
> > > > >
> > > > > For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
> > > > > production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
> > > > > (barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
> > > > > Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.
> > > >
> > > > Yep, I watched it in the middle of the night
> > >
> > > I had never even heard of it!! And I was pretty plugged in to such
> > > things, even in the late 70s (though 1977 may just have been too early
> > > for me to be paying attention to such things...).
> >
> > Were you in one of those states at the time?
>
> No, Calif. - where my older brothers were introducing me to stuff like
> "The Prisoner", "Doctor Who" and (later) "The Lathe of Heaven", and I
> was watching "Ultraman" and "Star Blazers" on my own!! ;)

Ah. Star Blazers. Hmm... basic plot... the evil Yankees (err... Gamelons) are
bombing Japan (err... Earth) flat and it’s up to Kaigun Nihon (err... the
UN Space Forces) to send the mighty, unstoppable Yamato (err.. Argo) on
Operation Ten-Go (err... to Iskandar) to stop them.

For those who don’t know... https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Ten-Go

The first episode of Star Blazers showed what really happened to Yamato.
Tenno haiku banzai!
>
>
> > I was watching for Judi Geesen.

Judy Geeson. And she was quite watchable. Still is.

In article <siael5$pjp$1@dont-email.me>, IJBall@mac.invalid wrote:
>On 2021-09-20 15:55:06 +0000, anim8rfsk said:
>> Ubiquitous <weberm@polaris.net> wrote:

>>> Even for the most hardcore TV science fiction watcher, there's nothing
>>> quite like "Star Maidens."
>>>
>>> For the uninitiated, "Star Maidens" was a 13-part, German-British co-
>>> production originally aired over the UK's ITV network in 1976. Later, it
>>> (barely) came to the US airing in TV markets in Pennsylvania, New Jersey,
>>> Missouri, Arizona, Michigan and Ohio in 1977.
>>
>> Yep, I watched it in the middle of the night
>
>I had never even heard of it!! And I was pretty plugged in to such
>things, even in the late 70s (though 1977 may just have been too early
>for me to be paying attention to such things...).

Neither had I. I figured this would be something the early Sci Fi channel
would have featured on their "obscure sci fi shows" show.

--
Trump won.