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| Star Maidens | |
|---|---|
 Christiane Krüger (centre) andLisa Harrow (right) inStar Maidens | |
| Also known as | Les Filles Du Ciel (France and French Canada) |
| Die Mädchen aus dem Weltraum (Germany) | |
| Genre | Science fiction |
| Created by | Eric Paice (Based on an idea byJost Graf von Hardenberg) |
| Written by | Eric Paice John Lucarotti Ian Stuart Black Otto Strang |
| Directed by | Freddie Francis James Gatward Wolfgang Storch Hans Heinrich |
| Starring | Judy Geeson Lisa Harrow Christiane Krüger Pierre Brice Christian Quadflieg Gareth Thomas Derek Farr Dawn Addams |
| Composers | Berry Lipman andPatrick Aulton |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom West Germany |
| Original language | English |
| No. of series | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 13 |
| Production | |
| Producer | James Gatward |
| Production locations | Bray Studios On location:Windsor,Bracknell,Black Park |
| Cinematography | Ken Hodges |
| Editor | Robert C. Dearberg |
| Running time | 25 minutes |
| Production companies | Portman Productions Scottish Television |
| Original release | |
| Network | ITV |
| Release | 1 September (1976-9-1) – 1 December 1976 (1976-12-1) |
Star Maidens is a British-Germanscience-fiction television series, made by Portman Productions for theITV network. Produced in 1975, and first broadcast in 1976, it was filmed atBray Studios and on location inWindsor andBracknell,Berkshire, andBlack Park,Buckinghamshire.
The series was partly financed by a German company,Werbung im Rundfunk (Advertising in Broadcasting), which dealt with distributing funding from the limited commercials shown on West German public TV. In this case, it was acting on behalf of the channelZDF, which showed the series in West Germany.
The series consisted of thirteen 25-minute episodes. Based on an idea by Jost Graf von Hardenberg, the series was created by Eric Paice,[1] who also wrote four of the 13 episodes. Two episodes were written byJohn Lucarotti and five byIan Stuart Black (both of whom had previous experience writing episodes ofDoctor Who), with two by Otto Strang. Producer James Gatward also directed two episodes, whileWolfgang Storch andFreddie Francis directed five each, withHans Heinrich directing one.
The series presents a "battle of the sexes" androle reversal scenario. The planet Medusa, home to a highly evolved and technologically advanced humanoid race, was already ruled by its women when arogue comet (as seen in the opening titles of each episode) knocked it out of its orbit aroundProxima Centauri. Drifting through space, theorphan planet's surface became uninhabitable, with the inhabitants surviving in huge underground cities.
The series begins with Medusa's entry into Earth's solar system. At first heartened to discover another inhabited planet, the Medusans are “disappointed” to discover that, “contrary to all common sense”, Earth is controlled by men—with some Medusans even considering this a possible threat to their society.
In order to reach this apparent male “paradise” two Medusan males, Adam (Pierre Brice) and Shem (Gareth Thomas), escape to Earth using a recently repaired ship.[2] Although initially thought to have burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, the pair survive and are consequently pursued by Medusan security forces. When the Medusans, led by Supreme Councillors Fulvia (Judy Geeson) and Octavia (Christiane Krüger), fail to re-capture their two men, they take two human hostages – Dr Rudi Schmidt (Christian Quadflieg) and his assistant Dr Liz Becker (Lisa Harrow) – back with them to Medusa.
Following the initial four episodes, which deal with the arrival of Adam and Shem on Earth and their various attempts to evade capture and seek asylum from the pursuing Medusan authorities, subsequent episodes present largely self-contained storylines set either on Medusa or Earth, showing the two pairs' various attempts to adapt to life on these alien worlds while officials broker an exchange, led by Rudi and Liz's boss, Professor Evans (Derek Farr).
In the final episode, the two Medusans' ships involved in carrying out the agreed exchange are pursued by a spacecraft belonging to an alien race – known only as the ”Enemy” – that had hunted Medusans in the past. Despite their advanced technology and general antagonism displayed throughout the series, the Medusans prove incapable of actually fighting an enemy they instinctively fear: the “Enemy” is only defeated thanks to the joint actions of Dr Schmidt and Adam. The relieved Medusans return home with, it is implied, an altered opinion of men.
Regarded as something of acamp novelty,Star Maidens features somefemale dominance elements, and touches on gender-based role models in western society. However, according to the notes included in the series’ 2005 DVD release, “the German producers intended for the series to be a sex comedy, where the British producers intended the show to be intelligent science fiction.” This clear disparity in creative vision likely contributed toStar Maidens lasting only one season, despite reasonable international sales.
Also, the series failed to become a significant “hit” in the UK, though this was at least in part due toStar Maidens not being given a consistent place in the schedules across the whole ITV network.Scottish Television, which had part-funded the show, scheduled the series on Wednesday evenings (6.30pm) from 1 September 1976.Tyne Tees Television was not alone in opting for an earlier, child-friendlier time slot (5.15pm) from Wednesday 8 September 1976. Several other commercial broadcasters chose to delay transmission until the new year, withLondon Weekend Television opting for a rare “adult” 9.30pm slot on Saturdays from 1 January 1977. In contrast,Granada Television scheduled the series at 1.10pm on Sundays from 9 January 1977.HTV, meantime, didn’t begin to run the series until Monday 7 February, and again chose a child-friendly 5.15pm time slot.[3]
The series is now recognised for its visual similarities with the British science-fiction seriesSpace: 1999, the second season of which was in pre-production at Pinewood around the same time. AlthoughStar Maidens was shot at Bray Studios by a different production company, and did not benefit from as large a budget, both series featured the work of production designerKeith Wilson, many of whose props and set designs fromSpace: 1999 were adapted forStar Maidens. This, along with the re-use of sound effects fromSpace: 1999, contributed to a very similar look and feel. Lead actressesJudy Geeson andLisa Harrow had already appeared in guest roles in the first season ofSpace: 1999: Geeson in the episode "Another Time, Another Place" and Harrow in "The Testament of Arkadia".
For the series' German dub, German nativesChristiane Krüger andChristian Quadflieg provided their own voices, while the voices of the British cast were dubbed by other German actors.
According toGareth Thomas, around the same time he was being considered forStar Maidens, he was also ‘up’ for a regular role in the forthcoming BBC series,Poldark (1975 TV series). Forced to choose between the two jobs, he opted for the former because – as it was a commercial television production with foreign investment – it offered more money per episode. WhileStar Maidens lasted just 13 episodes compared withPoldark’s 29, had Thomas gone with the other role, it is unlikely he would have been subsequently cast as Roj Blake in the first two seasons ofBlake's 7.
| No. | Title | Original release date |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Escape to Paradise" | 1 September 1976 (1976-9-1) |
| 2 | "Nemesis" | 8 September 1976 (1976-9-8) |
| 3 | "The Nightmare Cannon" | 15 September 1976 (1976-9-15) |
| 4 | "The Proton Storm" | 22 September 1976 (1976-9-22) |
| 5 | "Kidnap" | 29 September 1976 (1976-9-29) |
| 6 | "The Trial" | 6 October 1976 (1976-10-6) |
| 7 | "Test for Love" | 13 October 1976 (1976-10-13) |
| 8 | "The Perfect Couple" | 20 October 1976 (1976-10-20) |
| 9 | "What Have They Done to the Rain?" | 27 October 1976 (1976-10-27) |
| 10 | "The End of Time" | 3 November 1976 (1976-11-3) |
| 11 | "Hideout" | 17 November 1976 (1976-11-17) |
| 12 | "Creatures of the Mind" | 24 November 1976 (1976-11-24) |
| 13 | "The Enemy" | 1 December 1976 (1976-12-1) |
During the show’s initial broadcast byScottish Television from 1 September 1976, the Television critic forThe Scotsman, Stanley Eveling, described the series as: “Trite and pleasing, worth a goggle […] about a lovely advanced planet somewhere up there where Germaine Greer would be happy. Glamorous Amazons preen in short tunics and spangled make-up while the glum males do the chores. It's a good idea losing its nerve now that Judy Geeson’s body servant has bolted for earth where men are men, etc., and I suspect the script has got into the hands of a male chauvinist pig.”[4]
Subsequently, inThe Encyclopedia of Science Fiction, writer and journalistJohn Brosnan described the plotting as “chaotic” and “the role-reversalsatire unsubtle. The series was (by UK standards) expensive – the special effects were superior to the script – and audience figures did not justify the cost of a second season.”[5]
Nevertheless, in an article published byNostalgia Central, the series – although described as “basically a space-bound soap opera” – apparently attracted healthy global sales “to over 40 territories included Austria, Australia, numerous Arab states, Hungary, Switzerland and, contentiously, South Africa. Canada showed French language dubLes Filles du Ciel (“Girls of the Skies”), while a Dutch language dubVrouwenplanet Medusa (“Medusa, the Planet of Women”) aired in the Netherlands. Respectable US syndication sales included Saturday evening broadcasts on New York’s WNEW-TV in 1978.[6]
Understandably referring to the series as looking like “a low budget cousin ofSpace: 1999, writer Martin Willey (on theSpace: 1999-focused The Catacombs website) suggested that the show “veers unevenly between light comedy and action, never finding the right tone. Most of the stories are run-arounds, especially those set on Earth (1970s England wasn't that exciting). In the space episodes, the aspirations of the design and effects are greater than the budget.”[7]
Willey added: “It's clearly a reaction to 1970s ‘women's lib’, a hot topic at the time. It inspires some comedy, which now seems terribly dated. Mostly it's played straight, with only one episode really a comedy (‘The Perfect Couple’, set on a 1970s housing estate with the stay-at-home wives). There's no serious explanation or exploration of the theme either. The later episodes become more serious (‘What Have They Done To The Rain’ is quite good ecological science fiction; ‘Creatures of the Mind’ introduces mild horror with lonely robots).”
The complete series ofStar Maidens was released onRegion 2 DVD fromDelta Entertainment in 2005. The two-disc set includes an interview with actorGareth Thomas as a special feature. In 2017, the series was re-released on DVD by Simply Media with new cover artwork.
A novelisation of the series, written by Ian Evans (a pseudonym of the sci-fi authorAngus Wells), was published in the United Kingdom byCorgi Books in 1977.
A Large format tie-in hardback album with photos, stories, and comic strips was published by Stafford Pemberton in 1978.ISBN 978-0860300571