Space Precinct
Encyclopedia
Space Precinct is a British
television series that aired from 1994 to 1995 on Sky One
and later on BBC Two
in Britain, and in syndication
in North America
on the SyFy
Channel.
The series was created by Gerry Anderson
and was a mix of science fiction
and police procedural
that combined elements of many of Anderson's previous series such as Space: 1999
, UFO
and Thunderbirds
, but with an added dash of Law & Order
and Dragnet. Gerry Anderson was Executive Producer along with Tom Gutteridge. One of the series' directors was John Glen who had previously helmed various James Bond
movies.
The series is set in the year 2040 and starred American
actor Ted Shackelford
as former NYPD detective Patrick Brogan, now a lieutenant with the Demeter City police force on the planet Altor in the Epsilon Eridani system. Brogan and his partner Jack Haldane (played by Rob Youngblood) must adjust to living in another solar system, and investigating crimes being committed by aliens as well as humans. Also co-starring was Danish
actress Simone Bendix
as Officer Jane Castle, Haldane's love interest (Brogan being happily married with a wife, daughter and son who made the move to Demeter City with him). All other major characters were played by actors wearing complex make-up that also included elements of puppetry in order to depict the different alien races.
The series was one of the highest-budgeted shows Anderson ever produced, and was relatively popular in Europe. However, in a repeat of the situation that UFO
encountered 25 years earlier, American broadcasters were uncertain what to make of this series that looked on the surface to be aimed at children, yet actually featured adult-oriented storylines and was usually played straight despite the bizarre storylines and make-up. As a result, Space Precinct was often scheduled in late-night/early morning time slots. It failed to generate sufficient American ratings for a second season to be authorized.
The idea for Space Precinct predated the series by nearly a decade. In 1986 Anderson produced Space Police, a pilot
film that featured Anderson regular Shane Rimmer
as Brogan. The series failed to sell at that time and the pilot was never aired.
in Britain but, as of mid-2008, is out of print. It was released to DVD in North America on November 23, 2010.http://www.TVShowsOnDVD.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=14255 It was added to Netflix Instant Watch July 16 2011.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
television series that aired from 1994 to 1995 on Sky One
Sky One
Sky1 is the flagship BSkyB entertainment channel available in the United Kingdom and Ireland.The channel first launched on 26 April 1982 as Satellite Television, and is the fourth-oldest TV channel in the United Kingdom, behind BBC One , ITV and BBC Two...
and later on BBC Two
BBC Two
BBC Two is the second television channel operated by the British Broadcasting Corporation in the United Kingdom. It covers a wide range of subject matter, but tending towards more 'highbrow' programmes than the more mainstream and popular BBC One. Like the BBC's other domestic TV and radio...
in Britain, and in syndication
Television syndication
In broadcasting, syndication is the sale of the right to broadcast radio shows and television shows by multiple radio stations and television stations, without going through a broadcast network, though the process of syndication may conjure up structures like those of a network itself, by its very...
in North America
North America
North America is a continent wholly within the Northern Hemisphere and almost wholly within the Western Hemisphere. It is also considered a northern subcontinent of the Americas...
on the SyFy
Syfy
Syfy , formerly known as the Sci-Fi Channel and SCI FI, is an American cable television channel featuring science fiction, supernatural, fantasy, reality, paranormal, wrestling, and horror programming. Launched on September 24, 1992, it is part of the entertainment conglomerate NBCUniversal, a...
Channel.
The series was created by Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
and was a mix of science fiction
Science fiction
Science fiction is a genre of fiction dealing with imaginary but more or less plausible content such as future settings, futuristic science and technology, space travel, aliens, and paranormal abilities...
and police procedural
Police procedural
The police procedural is a subgenre of detective fiction which attempts to convincingly depict the activities of a police force as they investigate crimes. While traditional detective novels usually concentrate on a single crime, police procedurals frequently depict investigations into several...
that combined elements of many of Anderson's previous series such as Space: 1999
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
, UFO
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
and Thunderbirds
Thunderbirds (TV series)
Thunderbirds is a British mid-1960s science fiction television show devised by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and made by AP Films using a form of marionette puppetry dubbed "Supermarionation"...
, but with an added dash of Law & Order
Law & Order
Law & Order is an American police procedural and legal drama television series, created by Dick Wolf and part of the Law & Order franchise. It aired on NBC, and in syndication on various cable networks. Law & Order premiered on September 13, 1990, and completed its 20th and final season on May 24,...
and Dragnet. Gerry Anderson was Executive Producer along with Tom Gutteridge. One of the series' directors was John Glen who had previously helmed various James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
movies.
Premise
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
actor Ted Shackelford
Ted Shackelford
Ted Shackelford is an American actor best known for his role as Gary Ewing on the CBS television series Knots Landing, in which he starred from 1979–93...
as former NYPD detective Patrick Brogan, now a lieutenant with the Demeter City police force on the planet Altor in the Epsilon Eridani system. Brogan and his partner Jack Haldane (played by Rob Youngblood) must adjust to living in another solar system, and investigating crimes being committed by aliens as well as humans. Also co-starring was Danish
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
actress Simone Bendix
Simone Bendix
Simone Bendix is a Danish actress.Bendix trained at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School.1995 Kelle Junkersen in Den kroniske uskyld, 1993 [TV Series] Maria The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles, 1993 [TV Series] Club Barmaid Between the Lines, 1994 [TV Series] Au Pair in The Tomorrow People, Elena...
as Officer Jane Castle, Haldane's love interest (Brogan being happily married with a wife, daughter and son who made the move to Demeter City with him). All other major characters were played by actors wearing complex make-up that also included elements of puppetry in order to depict the different alien races.
Production
UFO (TV series)
UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
encountered 25 years earlier, American broadcasters were uncertain what to make of this series that looked on the surface to be aimed at children, yet actually featured adult-oriented storylines and was usually played straight despite the bizarre storylines and make-up. As a result, Space Precinct was often scheduled in late-night/early morning time slots. It failed to generate sufficient American ratings for a second season to be authorized.
Television pilot
A "television pilot" is a standalone episode of a television series that is used to sell the show to a television network. At the time of its inception, the pilot is meant to be the "testing ground" to see if a series will be possibly desired and successful and therefore a test episode of an...
film that featured Anderson regular Shane Rimmer
Shane Rimmer
Shane Rimmer is a Canadian actor and voice actor, probably best known as the voice of Scott Tracy in Thunderbirds.He has mostly performed in supporting roles, frequently in films and television series filmed in the United Kingdom, having relocated to England in the late 1950s, initially performing...
as Brogan. The series failed to sell at that time and the pilot was never aired.
Home media
Space Precinct was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
in Britain but, as of mid-2008, is out of print. It was released to DVD in North America on November 23, 2010.http://www.TVShowsOnDVD.com/newsitem.cfm?NewsID=14255 It was added to Netflix Instant Watch July 16 2011.