A Bunch of Roddenberries: Genesis II, Planet Earth, Questor Tapes, Strange New World

#vaultofalmost #startrek #70s #70stv
Stam Fine Reviews looks at four 70's pilots based on Gene Roddenberry's ideas. Genesis II (1973), Planet Earth (1974), and Strange New World (1975) are all variations on the same idea, 20th century man frozen in time awakens hundred or so years in the future. Questor Tapes (1974) was a TV movie about a super advanced robot trying to find its creator. Starring: Alex Cord, John Saxon, Mike Farrell, Robert Foxworth, Janet Margolin, Diana Muldaur, Keene Curtis, Reb Brown, Martine Beswick, Ted Cassidy, and Mariette Hartley.
0:00 Introduction
0:45 Pilots
3:29 Genesis II
9:59 The Questor Tapes
15:72 Planet Earth
19:05 Strange New World

[@colinmoore7460]

Erm, Excuse me? DR Spock? The child Psychologist? MR Spock, the half human, half Vulcan from Star Trek?

[@StamFine]

Yes. Joke works as intended.

[@HarryPalmerOrchestra]

Surely he was a doctor in something!

[@kennethmartin1300]

@@StamFine It did! I grew up then and I had wondered how my Mom could be so hip talking with her friends about 'Dr. Spock' (Benjamin). I never even saw her watching MY 'Trak' show.

[@firsteerr]

NEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEERDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDDD !!!

[@colinmoore7460]

@@firsteerr Or lost a quiz night on that.

[@Musettube]

Questor tape was the most appealing of the four.

[@WyldIndigo]

I still remember meeting Majel Barrett at a personal appearance at a Star Trek Themed bar in the 90's she was a lovely lady

[@Forcemaster2000]

I saw Planet Earth and the Questor Tapes back in the day, and would have followed either of them religiously! I wish both of them could have made it to series. I remember thinking that Planet Earth seemed like it would have worked almost like a prequel to Star Trek.

[@martykarr7058]

There were quite a few "pilots" that I loved but never went anywhere, such as "City Beneath the Sea" which was kind of an extension of "Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea", and "Earth II" staring Gary "Mitchell" Lockwood, about a space station in Earth orbit (sorry, no wormhole) that has declared itself a sovereign democratic nation.

[@carlrood4457]

Dylan Hunt, the character who wouldn't go away. The concept was reworked again into Gene Roddenberry's Andromeda and actually was a series. Mainly, they added Star Trek elements and set the whole thing in space

[@johnruschmeyer5769]

Andromeda starts out, at least, as what you'd get if took ideas from Roddenberry's biggest success (Star Trek) and his most visible failure (Genesis II/Planet Earth). The later seasons got a bit too wierdly mystical for me, personally. TBH, though, a lot of post-Trek Roddenberry feels like he had aspirations to become Heinlein.

[@DarthTach]

@@johnruschmeyer5769 Well Season 1+2 had an actual set storyline to follow, but Kevin Sorbo basically took over and made the show about him being a Christ-like figure for the next 3 seasons. That's why it went way off track.

[@timothybird5817]

A story I read, said that Roddenberry wanted to name a child Dylan Hunt. It was a favorite of his.

[@thefurrybastard1964]

Star Trek and Planet Earth elements.

[@BrokenCurtain]

Kevin Sorbo was the perfect cast for that role then, because he also won't go away. 🤢

[@toddhodgson2130]

This explains why my old memory meshed these shows as one. Watched Genesis 2 again a bit ago and wondered why so much story was missing.

[@kenyabrunson4985]

Dude, my memory didn't even realize that the guy in "Strange New World" WASN'T called Dylan Hunt, LOL! I just thought they were three movies about the same people and PAX!

[@godmaentertainment4375]

me 2

[@brianmccarthy8541]

The Jason King reference is spot on, all we're short is a back projection car chase🤣

[@666lupine666]

Stam Fine's video round-ups are part essay, part contemplation, part entertaining tour of an entire series.

[@cedricmaclobster2324]

And often enough he even pops a Spock on it.

[@shallendor]

I would have loved to see any of them become a series!

[@buffalodebill7986]

Me too, especially, when I see John Saxon in there.. He would have been a killer lead.

[@docsavage-8616]

They all probably would've lasted one season.

[@scockery]

@@docsavage-8616 Well, yeah, network sci-fi shows were almost doomed from the start. It's hard to think of many from the 70's and 80's that made it past 2 seasons. The Six Million Dollar Man, Bionic Woman, Hulk and Wonder Woman, I think that's it until Quantum Leap, which debuts in 1989, so most of it was a 90's show. Twilight Zone revival last two network seasons and a 3rd for syndication.

[@MrAnswerification]

Leonard Nimoy actually went into the studio to get fitted for his Questor costume, there was confusion then someone on the crew had to him he'd been replaced.

[@toughandgritty]

I interviewed both Alex Cord and John Saxon for various projects, but the Roddenberry stuff barely came up. Cord did tell me of PLANET EARTH, "I guess they just wanted to try it with another guy" and mainly remembered his horse stunt from GENESIS II (he was a big equestrian person).

[@StamFine]

Nice! Some actors do lots of pilots and so the ones that got away probably don't linger in the memory.

[@fazole]

I remember in the 90s, Saxon had a web page called "An actor on acting".

[@splifftachyon4420]

I saw all these when they were originally broadcast. I loved The Questor Tapes. The others didn't overly intrigue me though. And, oddly enough, I was just watching the pilot for Spectre two nights ago!

[@chessoc7799]

I have Spectre on vhs somewhere. I did not realize it was one of Gene's things. :)

[@timothybird5817]

I've got genesis II and planet Earth on DVD from CBS Archive, took me almost two years to locate a guy that could get them.

[@entreprenerd1963]

@@chessoc7799 - novelization by D.C. Fontana!

[@TheSybermedic]

I remember seeing these "movies" in the late 70's and early 80's they made great fodder for the Gamma World and Morrow Project role playing games I was into then.

[@lynnkain]

I remember watching Genesis II and Planet Earth as TV movies. I enjoyed Planet Earth.

[@JoseyWales44s]

"Spectre" was by far the best of the pilots. Robert Culp was great in whatever he was starring in.

[@briscoethecollie1510]

Aaah wow, remember watching that where there are some really hot girls at a ritual...

[@igorschmidlapp6987]

He played a great FBI guy in "Greatest American Hero"...;-) And, don't forget the classic Outer Limits episode, "Demon With a Glass Hand", written by Harlan Ellison...

[@cwbybear4665]

Thank you for this! I remember all of these when they originally aired. Of all of them, I liked Questor Tapes the best,because he's a predecessor to Data,shame we didn't get Nimoy as Questor,that would have been awesome. And equal shame,Gene didn't get greenlit for a series from Genesis 2 or Questor.

[@feenix219]

they greenlit Questor, but he passed, because they wanted to change the concept too much.

[@rivermansky63]

Nimoy would have had the motivation to write another book entitled I Am Not Questor Either

[@macmcleod1188]

Love your commitment to the toga blur joke.

[@rodmandealerman3297]

I remember seeing 3 of these (I wasn't quite a teen in '73). I don't remember watching Planet Earth, but it's possible. I was absolutely fascinated by The Questor Tapes though. Great presentation, many thanks!

[@CannonRanger2023]

Talk about a blast from the past! I remember all of these shows and their various incarnations. Thanks for posting this! 👍

[@erictuxen]

Another witty and thoughtful retrospective of entertainment from the past. I love Stam Fine’s videos!

[@retropian]

I remember these as a kid in the ‘70’s. I especially loved Questor. I named my pet turtle Questor.

[@paulbrecken2136]

I've never heard of any of these, but it's a Stam Fine video so I'm going to enjoy it.

[@jamesabernethy7896]

Another great video. Full of humour but clearly a lot of love too. So many familiar faces among the cast of every show.

[@simonelang7958]

I watch only Planet Earth because Diana Muldaur is my favourite actress. I remember very good on the words Eyes down!!

[@GeekFilterNet]

As the co-author & designer of the official guide to the animated series, I seriously almost shot milk out my nose when I saw that title! It’s almost as long as the one that’s on the DVD set 😂

[@jacquelinecallejas1390]

The animated series was very well done. With a few exceptions like Spock becoming a giant the ideas were really good. My fave was the one where it turns out the devil was actually a helpful alien who the fearful humans reacted to by starting the Salem witch trials . Is your book literally called he Official guide tot he animated series or does it have a different title?

[@GeekFilterNet]

@@jacquelinecallejas1390 It's Star Trek: The Official Guide to the Animated Series When it came out there was only one animated Trek show!

[@jacquelinecallejas1390]

@@GeekFilterNet I'll check it out.

[@daverage4729]

Great video! Hilarious as usual! I do remember 'The Questor Tapes'. It was a very interesting looking show. I would have been intrigued to see where it went as a series.

[@timothymarkin4481]

Don’t forget Assignment: Earth which Roddenberry created circa 1968. Since it didn’t sell, the pilot was reworked as the final episode of season 2 of Trek. I only became aware of this when comic publisher IDW released a five issue A:E series. The character Gary Seven wore the same black turtleneck and jacket that Jerry Robinson wore.

[@BrokenCurtain]

I just realized that Lurch from "The Addams Family" was also the android Ruk from that Star Trek episode where Kirk almost gets replaced by an evil robot. Mind: blown.

[@docsavage-8616]

He was also on episodes of Lost In Space, The Man From U.N.C.L.E., The Man From Atlantis, and The Six Million Dollar Man.

[@wendyarbes9514]

In Butch Cassidy too

[@brt5273]

I loved when Ruk was trying to lure Kirk out of hiding by using Majel Barrett's voice🤪 Ted Cassidy's also usually portrayed Thing in the Addam's Family. He lived in Dallas, TX and I met him when I was a kid about 1974 at a garage sale of all places.

[@DavidPaulMorgan]

Also Lurch played by Carel Struycken was also Mr Hom, Lwaxana's butler in ST:tNG 🙂

[@LMD2915]

Ted Cassidy was a big name! He worked a lot in the 60s and 70s. Did a lot of westerns.

[@reneejones6330]

Thank you for this awesome review. I remember all these pilots fondly. I think Questor is my favorite.

[@TheToonMonkey]

For no reason whatsoever, I want to watch Buck Rogers now.

[@mikavirtanen7029]

There are lots of reasons to watch Buck Rogers now. Stunning women, aging old Hollywood guest stars making a "buck" with relentless hamming and Twiki, the horniest little robot in history. Personally, the greatest moment in the series for me was Buster Crabbe, the original serial BR, passing the "buck" to Gil Gerard with funny and surprisingly tasteful way.

[@docsavage-8616]

"Young Man, I've been doing this since before you were ever born."

[@shawnvines2514]

Thanks for fixing my childhood memories of these series. You da' man!

[@ZulcanPrime]

I watched all of these shows but on a black-and-white tv set in the 1970s. I enjoyed The Questor Tapes and I didn't know Gene Roddenberry wrote the scripts. I watched The Star Trek Animated series and I had only seen a dozen Star Trek episodes because a local tv station in Sydney only telecasted a few episodes in the mid-1970s in Australia. I actually watched one episode in glorious colour at a friend's place who had a new colour TV set. I became a Trekkie and loved it.

[@JohnPowell6]

Planet Earth should have put the origin story in the opening credits like Gilligan's Island and Farscape.

[@jefframey9561]

Love your sense of humor! Keep up your wonderful work!

[@Plathismo]

Just discovered this channel and I'm loving it. Reminiscent of Oliver Harper's content, but much, much funnier. This guy deserves more subscribers.

[@Monkofmagnesia]

Strange New World, not only is it the only one I have not seen, it is also the one I never heard of.

[@AquamentusLives]

Thank you for the well placed pixilation!

[@jayward8237]

Bravo 👏 good sir! Another incredible video!

[@itsphilfromtubesday8677]

You freaking absolute beauty! Cheers for doing these

[@joshbaker1581]

John Saxon and his killer toupee

[@ScottIngram]

You keep on dredging up these shows from the deepest recesses of memory. I have distinct memories of Questor Tapes and the chemistry between the protagonists - I love me some Hunnicutt. A great video, as always.

[@ScottIngram]

Great seeing John Saxon again. If there was ever a face for television, his was it.

[@ScottIngram]

It's a shame Genesis II was never fully developed. A plot could have been developed where Dillon was followed into cryo sleep by his brother Mike and Dillon would roam the tunnels of future earth asking those strange denizens over and over if they've seen 'Mike Hunt'...

[@StamFine]

I see what you did there.

[@ScottIngram]

@@StamFine oh thank goodness, I was afraid you wouldn't get it.

[@wacmack]

I love a good berry. 🍓 Nice work @StamFine

[@raybearoz]

Great work... I'd not heard of these series

[@holseyd]

you've got a great sense of humor with your recaps and analysis. i have some recollection of New Genesis and The Questor Tapes but the other stuff was unknown to me.

[@shredsquidabominog4928]

PAX ! I was just thinking of this and looking to find these shows, thanks.

[@kenyabrunson4985]

Thank you for the video! I watched all of these pilots and I'm glad others remember them as well! Hopefully you'll do a video on Spectre as well!

[@AI_Image_Master]

Loved them all, as well as some other's from this period.

[@MICHAELJOHNSON-ch8fo]

It looks like they have all been remastered!!! That is better quality than I saw on the TV as a kid!!!! ;-)

[@vampolascott36]

I watched all the series you mentioned when they were aired. I was excited about all of them, and I remember all of them being cancelled. I was really interested in Planet Earth and Genesis II.

[@raymathews1474]

I never missed a showing of any of them.

[@mrhaag]

Roddenberry had one decent idea and quite frankly most of the iconic bits were added by other people who he probably stole credit from.

[@ronbarr3590]

How about one of Roddenberry's first ideas but one of the last made, EARTH FINAL CONFLICT. It ran from 1997-2002 produced in Toronto Ontario Canada with Majel Roddenbery as a recurring character.

[@docsavage-8616]

Terrible Show. Some of the Actors actually left by the End of the Series.

[@TheresaReichley]

It was good until alien Mauaddib showed up.

[@matthewholzinger1042]

My favorite has always been The Questor Tapes. Dated but the story still works.

[@vincentbrown4926]

Specter was a great premise. It was very much Constantine a decade before Allen Moore and Stephen Bissette introduced their occultist investigator. Robert Cummings and Gig Young made a good Sherlock Holms and Watson team and the limitation placed on the main character (due to the fact that most of his magic was needed to stave off his impending voodoo demise) also worked as a quest arch when they weren't helping the innocent. Had a lot of potential.. And Majel got more work.

[@MrCliverlong]

Always enjoy your content - but visiting these gems is fascinating and they benefit from the "Stam Fine treatment".

[@AndyMaloneMVP]

Love the channel and the effort that you put into your reviews 👍Here’s a couple of classics that you may not of heard of. I’d love to see your reviews of The Tomorrow People & Timeslip. Keep up the good work 😊👍🎉

[@DavidTSmith-jn5bs]

I bought a "Planet Earth" DVD at a media/SF convention. I remember seeing a list of potential episodes for the show. It included a script for an episode called "Voyager's Return." They rewrote it as "Star Trek The Motion Picture." I guess "If it doesn't work the first time, recycle it" could have been called Rodenberry's Law...

[@WillWilsonthesafetyguy]

Holy shit, I did not know Commodore Stone was the "In a world..." trailer voice guy. He's Canadian too making it extra awesome.

[@thechrisandmikeshow]

I was but a wee lad when these pilot movies aired...saw all of them and would've watched if they went to series. Remember being creeped out by the beginning of Questor where he "comes alive" and makes himself appear more human... totally believed Robert Foxworth was an android! Shame none of them went to series... excellent overview, btw...nice refresher for those who were there and good introduction for those who weren't.

[@mcm95403]

Questor was FANTASTIC! If only it had been picked up as a series!

[@Lord.Kiltridge]

I think Nimoy would have improved the odds of Questor Tapes being successful significantly. However I would have expected Nimoy to balk at playing another Spock like deadpan roll. I remember seeing Planet Earth as a TV movie and was disappointed that it didn't become a series.

[@StuartRaweakaStuOz]

I like it when you review these old daggy 70s things that other KZbinrs DON'T. The modern mainstream stuff and Doctor Who is okay is but give me daggy 70s pilots any day. Thanks.

[@MattMcIrvin]

These 70s action-adventure shows were always designed so that you could have them on as background and watch them while not really paying attention. It's... well, it's a choice. It was the style at the time.

[@ricardocantoral7672]

@@MattMcIrvin I love the fact that take place in the late 1990s, LOL!

[@StuartRaweakaStuOz]

@@MattMcIrvin never thought of it like that. But am currently watching my 70s Jack Lord Hawaii 5-0 DVD box set and - I think you have a point.

[@nickludlam]

I hadn’t known anything about these, thanks for the dip into history

[@scifiguy2084]

very nice thank you

[@scottglanton3547]

I remember the reruns of the shows. A local station had Fritz the Night Owl. He dredged up all manner of things.

[@mikeklein5184]

Oh my! I’ve watched all of these. I’m not old you are. And yes, kolchak deserves a definite look.

[@melomane2010]

I adored The Questor Tapes when it first aired, I would have loved a full series, the others not so much.

[@mikegrossberg8624]

Planet Earth was, originally, a script for an episode of Genesis II, if it had made it to a series

[@rustyshackleford1114]

Speaking of old-school sci-fi, I still have hopes that Space 2099 will eventually be done.

[@paulware4701]

I remember watching The Questor Tapes and being quite impressed by the script - it treated the robot with a degree of intelligence and not like the kind of thing you would have gotten in a Glenn Larson series. You could update this for a modern audience without having to ditch everything but the title.

[@chuckintexas]

Good idea , but the execution S___ - uhhh STANK . Even as a KiD _I_ found it unwatchable , after the serious approach that Star Trek got . Yeah , some the silliness and hoakiness crept into star Trek , too , but THAT was only _after_ the same IDIOTS that had their grips around the production throats of these _potentials_ had gotten through with trying to KILL Star Trek by eliminating its budget , and relegating it to an UNWATCHABLE Time slot . THESE started OUT_ bad , and only got WORSE with _every_ re-try .

[@directeducation2890]

There was one other, non-SF pilot, Spectre, and I always liked that one.

[@CaptainCanuck63]

"Dresses like a dentist while he drives....." 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 That just killed me! LOL!

[@docsavage-8616]

Was that the same Hovercraft/Vehicle from Logan's Run. It certainly looked like it. 🤔

[@RetroRobotRadio]

As a kid I remember watching the first three of these the last one was new to me. I may have to find it to watch.

[@GrandAdmThrawn]

Your videos are why I love Fridays.

[@mlaprarie]

Funny thing, I actually remember watching at least part of "The Questor Tapes" with my dad as a TV movie. Specifically I remember the android placing the telephone-like thingy on his face and molding an ear. Then using the machine to give himself hair. I was just a kid then and that scene gave me the creeps. Thanks for bringing back a traumatic memory, LOL.

[@sunnyclimes4884]

I remember watching Questor when it first came out and I've always liked it. Foxworth was good, very realistic. Nice to see it on here and hope they show it on tv sometime here in the UK.

[@AKSURFS]

This is really good 🤗

[@karenlbellmont6560]

John Saxon was a wonderful actor.

[@collosusrex-2985]

I liked him as the Villain in Battle Beyond the Stars.

[@MichaelRBrown-lh6kn]

I remember watching all of these when they hit the tv. I think I saw Genesis II and Planet Earth more then once, but only saw Questor Tapes once. Strange New World I have only vague memories of, so may have missed most of it.

[@deeconstruction8163]

The costumers for Planet Earth and Strange New World sure knew how to use John Saxon to best effect. Woof!

[@bizarrebraincomics7819]

I liked all those TV movies. Would love to see Questor tapes again. There was even a novelization of it.

[@generalpurpose6517]

I remember those TV shows

[@Frankjc3rd]

I specifically remember seeing the Questor Tapes as the 4:00 p.m. afternoon movie, before local stations discovered hey we can have news at 4:00 too!

[@carlrood4457]

Planet Earth, and to a lesser degree Genesis II were in regular rotation on the late night and weekend movie circuit during the 80's.

[@harryalpert8002]

loved these when i was a teen!

[@Daehawk]

I could almost swear theres a pun in there somewhere but I guess I missed it. Some or all of this shit is buried in the recesses of my childhood brain. Ive probably blocked them out for good reasons with only flashes to remind me. And yet here you are trying to make me relive those days. Thanks :)

[@oldmanonyoutube]

Questor Tapes looks very interesting. I would have loved to see Leonard Nimoy fill that role. It may have been type-casting though. Even if not successful long term it may have a boost to his career. Who knows, we can only speculate on the possibilities.

[@YoSpiff]

Now I understand why Genesis II and Planet Earth seemed like the same show, but also didn't.

[@docsavage-8616]

Second Pilot was much better than the first.

[@GrumpyOldGuyPlaysGames]

I think a reworked Questor Tapes would make a pretty good series now.

[@scpatl4now]

I remember the John Saxon thing with the women in charge. It seemed ok to me back then. I would have watched it. John Saxon would have made a great Star Trek Captain though.

[@inachu]

Rebooting Questor Tapes would be the coolest thing today because our AI is so spot on and very real.

[@snoo333]

good review.

[@ryankelly5391]

Love The Questor Tapes. Watch it ...maybe once a year.

[@afrancis1582]

“Two navels. A daily driver, and one for trackdays.” That made me chuckle. Genesis II must have been shown here in the UK. Was only a kid at the time, but I remember the lead actors, references to Pax, the pain sticks, and some of the sets.

[@ciaranharper322]

They were - around the mid-90s, BBC2 went through a spate of showing slightly ropey TV sci-fi movies, including these. I remember watching both, some time apart, and being quite confused - I think I saw Planet Earth first, then Genesis II a few months later. I was confused about why I didn't remember the double belly buttons.

[@23polgara]

@@ciaranharper322 me too, also remember they also showed some ropey creature features from the 50s and 60s at the same time as well.

[@jmorv8866]

I am a big fan of The Questor Tapes. It definitely came out before it's time, but fortunately, Gene rehashed the story for Data on STNG, which then became a huge success.

[@markgraham2312]

Your prose was hilarious!

[@l.a.gothro3999]

@00:59, the guy you get when you can't get Gene Wilder.

[@thebaccathatchews]

Mmm...roddenberries. Tasty but not very filling. Any plans for Roddenberry's "Earth: Final Conflict" or "Andromeda"?

[@ariochiv]

I remember watching Questor Tapes when it aired, and I really liked it... though I was 7 at the time, so it may not have aged well.

[@markpostgate2551]

I'm pretty sure I saw it now, but I never knew it's name.

[@starshiptrooper2354]

The idea for Data came from Questor Tapes. All were great pilots

[@THEOUTCASTSCREATIVE]

Love this.