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#Stardust #TheStarlost
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Bernard's 2025 walkthroughs review.

#TheStarlost: 2/10

A wonderful car crash of how not to make art. I've oft criticised Canadian sci-fi TV but this is that country's founding father.
A production matching its own premise of a giant broken ship drifting Iazily into the sun
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OMG I haven't revisited "Moonbase 3" yet but boy the 3 x VHSes I bought in the mid 1990s were so dull. I think I even binned them (sadly). I must revisit MB3 before I listen to your pods.

Without this ABC/BBC co production mind you we wouldn't have had CTV's #TheStarlost mind 😬😭😭.

#TheStarlost End of walkthrough.

Do I recommend?
This show is only memorable as an epic car crash that nobody came out of in one piece. So I can't recommend in terms of pure quality but like visiting an ancient ruin or a crash site there is plenty of interest to explore. But prepared to be bored.

#TheStarlost Comic #4 "Phoenix Without Ashes" (17-Nov-10).
Final issue.
For me this comic neglected Rachel throughout so even in the finale when she escapes she is still not liberated. Bryant's novel had her enjoying the new world.
Garth is done excellently which was not the case in the TV pilot.

#TheStarlost Comic #3 "Phoenix Without Ashes" (13-Oct-10).
Devon learns the history. This is better on TV as in this comic it takes up an entire issue. The tech and look of it is different from TV obviously and it's great to see a newly imagined version.
No Rachel in this is very disappointing.

#TheStarlost Comic #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" (15-Sep-10).
#2 is a big change up from #1. Here Devon goes inside the ship and ain't in Kansas no more. The magic of the TV pilot, the novel and this comic are purely those first scenes where the scale of infinity hits Devon. Good art here too.

#TheStarlost Comic #1 "Phoenix Without Ashes" (18-Aug-10).
This 4 part comic series adapts Harlan Ellison's original script as opposed to the edited version used for the pilot TV ep. Hence it is very similar to Edward Bryant's Novel #2 above. Saying that it doesn't show Devon's introspective side.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized etc." cont'd.
I was going to keep this book purely to read each. TV episode breakdown in the unlikely event I ever rewatch "The Starlost". But this paragraph in the ep #1.01 breakdown is utter lunacy so I binned the book.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized etc." cont'd.

How is it even possible the author is unaware of the BBC co-production with the American ABC network of the sci-fi TV series "Moonbase 3" which was made and aired THE SAME YEAR as "The Starlost"!?!?

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized etc." cont'd.
Here the author seems to think folk watching in 1973 wouldn't have seen the same resolution we have today. That is rookie error stuff. 1973 TV sets had perfect pictures and receptions would have been as pristine as the eps are to us today.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized etc." cont'd.
Ignore the moronic dross about Canadian identity there is good detail albeit with zero insight.

Has the author even watched #DoctorWho? The Mind of Evil is not any kind example of the primitive meeting the advanced. How is the author so dumb?

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized and the Quest for Canadian Identity" cont'd
Sadly I wanted to learn about Canadian TV but it's all wrapped up in hyperbole and conjecture. So it's impossible to insulate yourself from the writer's mental fuzz and get anything of merit from most of the book.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized and the Quest for Canadian Identity" cont'd.
I had hoped this would be in informative book on The Starlost but boy it's pretty demented. I appreciate such a niche show actually getting its wn book but this was pretty worthless experience.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized and the Quest for Canadian Identity" cont'd.
OK I fec*ed this book into the bin, recycle bin. Best place for it.
This book needed an editor who would have looked the author in the eye and say "Don't publish this puerile gibberish".

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized and the Q.uest for Canadian Identity" cont'd.
OMG this garbage. They are not a 19th Century dome they are Amish man.
The episode summations are marginally better when he talks about the careers of folk involved.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized and the Q.uest for Canadian Identity" cont'd.
OMG this might be the worst piece of rubbish ever committed to print. The guy can't construct an argument, has no concept of research or pro. The writer D.G. Valdron just wrote pure gibberish.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized and the Q.uest for Canadian Identity" cont'd.
I have one foot on the pedal bin after the foreword. The author seems to think that (God awful) Koenig ep was some clever geopolitical statement about Canada. That's an idiotic thing to think but I'll persevere.

#TheStarlost Book "Starlost Unauthorized and the Quest for Canadian Identity" (25-Oct-24).
Ok I don't normally do making-of books but this fan published book published 50 years later was irresistible.

Note: As it's a fan book there is a 50% chance I chuck this in the bin after 20 pages I suspect!

#TheStarlost Novel #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" cont'd.
if Harlan Ellison thought that CTV making his show was a disaster and missing out on BBC a lost opportunity he should probably ring the ABC TV. folk to learn what a cheap unwatchable piece of cardboard "Moonbase 3" was.

#TheStarlost Novel #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" cont'd.
If what Harlan Ellison was told that is true [it's entirely possible they lied to Ellison and that Ellison is factually wrong] that the BBC were interested in a new sci-fi TV series Q2 1973.

So did the BBC commission "Moonbase 3" instead?

#TheStarlost Novel #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" cont'd.
This TV show was a big struggle to watch indeed but it was nearly worth it just to get the pay off in the spoof making of Novel #1 and also here in the 10 pages written by Harlan Ellison.

Ok he's no Andrew PIxley but Harlan Ellison is a genius.

#TheStarlost Novel #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" cont'd.
So to the far more important second part where Harlan Ellison gives his own version of the making of "The Starlost".
Whereas Ben Bova changed folk's identities in Novel #1 here Ellison names and shames many people!

Was Harlan Ellison not sued?

#TheStarlost Novel #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" cont'd.
The only other difference is that Devon does have some psychic ability or visions which I don't think was a thing on TV.

Also we learn Devon's dad was murdered by the Amish leader for also having visions which I don't think was on TV either?

#TheStarlost Novel #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" cont'd.
As regards the first part which is by Edward Bryant it is a decent at best novelisation of Harlan Ellison's decent at best script.
Rachel and Devon have sex which wasn't on TV.
Garth is a noble mellow character so just not that asshole on TV.

#TheStarlost Novel #2 "Phoenix Without Ashes" (1975).
This is a novelisation of Harlan Ellison's pilot TV ep script by sci-fi writer Edward Bryant.

But far more importantly contains a bonus chapter at the end where Harlan Ellison explains what went wrong with the TV show!!!! 🔪🔪🔪🔪

Review tomorrow.

#TheStarlost Novel 1 "The Starcrossed" cont'd.
I beg someone who was involved with the recent Bad Wolf/Disney calamity please write a similar book. I beg of you.

Each chapter considers a different aspect of the production and OMG I was in stitches.

How was Ben Bova not sued for writing this book?

#TheStarlost Novel #1 "The Starcrossed" (1975).
An incredible novel.

Ben Bova so hacked off by his experience as scientific consultant on the calamity that was "The Starlost" writes a dark comedy about the disastrous production of a Canadian sci-fi TV series.

OMG Harlan Ellison's sleeve notes!!

Harlan Ellison on the Starlost. this was I believe a late night Bay area radio program, but I don't know who the host was. #TvSky #thestarlost #harlanellison www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWBl...

Almost all my current walkthroughs have hit prose yet again! So only reading for me the next few days:

#Buffy- novel
#Earthsearch- kindle novel
#TheStarlost- 2 novels
#SimpleMan- Indonesian Twitter thread
#RichardDiamond- script pdfs
#10PM- Indonesian webtoon
#TheVillage- kindle graphic novel