Space Cases Explained
Space Cases is a Canadian science fiction television series[1] that aired on Nickelodeon for two seasons. Created by Peter David and Bill Mumy, it premiered on March 2, 1996, and ended on January 27, 1997, with reruns until 1998.[2] Space Cases aired for a time on Nickelodeon's Saturday night block of shows known as SNICK, and on Nickelodeon UK, with reruns on Family and TVOntario in Canada.[3]
A Space Cases episode aired on TeenNick in the US as part of its The '90s Are All That block on the night of October 14, 2011, for the block's U Pick with Stick line-up, and again on December 27, 2011, for Party Like It's the '90s. Space Cases returned once again on the night of January 1, 2016, on TeenNick during the new The Splat programming block but has not aired since; the first four episodes of Season One were aired.
The show's premise revolves around a group of misfit students and two adults who are stranded far from home aboard an alien ship. Their attempts at journeying back see many dangerous adventures and controversies, with some occasionally more mature themes.
History
The series was shot in Montreal, Quebec. Because of budget constraints, props from Are You Afraid of the Dark? and other Nickelodeon programs were used in the series. In other episodes, more mundane props were used, as in the episode "Homeward Bound", the character Suzee is sitting in a chair with compact discs pasted to either side. During the first season, electronic games such as Lights Out were used as control panels on walls.
Season One's original theme song was orchestra-based, with an announcer voiceover giving a preamble. A vocal song telling the story of the Space Cases was used as the closing. For Season Two, this song was moved to the front and re-recorded to accommodate the removal of Catalina, the addition of Suzee, and some re-arranging to how the characters were presented. At some point after the series ended, Nickelodeon had the song re-recorded once more, using the same character arrangement as Season Two, but removing Suzee and adding Catalina back in, and created a new opening for the Season One episodes with this song.
The series features a multitude of celebrity guest stars throughout its run, including George Takei, Mark Hamill, Bill Mumy, Katey Sagal, Michelle Trachtenberg, Danny Tamberelli and Robin Leach.
Characters
Main cast
- Harlan Band (Walter Emanuel Jones) is a human from Earth who is attending the academy to become a Stardog like his father, who was killed by an Andromedan during the Spung War (in which the Spung used enslaved Andromedans as soldiers). Because of this, he is prejudiced against Andromedans, inititally including Radu. Harlan is headstrong and overconfident and functions as the self-appointed leader of the students and the pilot on the bridge.
- Catalina (Jewel Staite) (season 1) is a girl from Titan, a moon of Saturn who has rainbow-colored hair. Saturnians possess evolved vocal patterns, giving Catalina the ability to release destructive sonic screams. Catalina is frequently seen speaking to her "invisible" friend Suzee, but her crewmates believe Suzee to be imaginary. In the first-season finale, Suzee is revealed to be real; it is explained that Suzee existed in another dimension, with Catalina being able to interact with her because their brainwaves are attuned. After this and for all of the second season, Catalina takes Suzee's place in her home and Suzee stays aboard the Christa.
- Radu (Kristian Ayre) is a boy from Andromeda (it is unclear if this refers to somewhere within the Andromeda Galaxy or something else). Due to being hatched from an egg, he has no real family. Radu has super-sensitive hearing and superhuman strength. Radu has a good sense of direction and so is made the ship's navigator, forcing him to work in conjunction with the pilot, rival Harlan Band.
- Bova (Rahi Azizi) is a boy from Uranus. Members of his race have a small, pronged antenna growing from their forehead which can generate powerful blasts of electricity. Bova has an incredible metabolism that supplements his energy production. Being from Uranus, and thereby "the butt of every joke," he is consistently pessimistic, a Uranian cultural trait. Bova is responsible for operating and monitoring the Christas shields.
- Rosie Ianni (Paige Christina) is a girl from Mercury who has the ability to produce vast amounts of heat at will; Rosie wears protective clothing the hides all but her face, to avoid accidental burns. Because Mercury is so close to the Sun, Mercurians have a tendency to "look on the bright side" of things. As a result, Rosie is a mothering influence within the crew. She serves as a doctor/scientist as well as acting as the communications officer on the bridge.
- THELMA (Techno Human EmuLating MAchine) (Anik Matern), the mysterious ship's only native inhabitant, is an android who often malfunctions because her memory chip, a small gem in her forehead, is cracked. She believes anything is possible.
- Theresa James "T.J." Davenport (Cary Lawrence) is a human woman who is the cadets' vice principal and serves as their teacher aboard the Christa.
- Commander Seth Goddard (Paul Boretski) is a human man who is a former Stardog who fought in the Spung War. Forced to teach the cadets, Goddard's military background and rigidity sometimes entice them to provoke him and Davenport with practical jokes.
- Suzee (Rebecca Herbst) (season 2) is a girl from the planet Yensid who is Catalina's best friend. The others believe her to be imaginary, but at the end of the first season, Catalina and Suzee switch places, with Suzee taking Catalina's place in the crew. Suzee is not able to communicate with Catalina the same way Catalina communicated with her. She is very intelligent and has two sets of gills that allow her to breathe in any atmosphere. She is also a telepath who can read others' minds and project her consciousness in order to possess their bodies.
Recurring cast
- Warlord Shank (George Takei) is a Spung commander who is a deadly space pirate and adversary for the crew of the Christa, having elite Spung officers under his command. He first appears in his Killcruiser when he intercepts and threatens to destroy the Christa after discovering that his daughter Elmira, a Spung princess and love interest of Radu, could be on board. Shank develops into a major villain throughout the run of the series.
- Elmira (Katie Emme McIninch) is a frequent ally of the Christa crew. She is a Spung oracle and as such, the crew does not trust her at first (especially Radu). It is revealed in the first-season finale that she is Warlord Shank's daughter.
Additional cast
Synopsis
In the first episode of the series, a small group of misfits are kept behind from a Space Academy field trip. Nearby, an odd bird-like alien ship appears, and Harlan Band decides to sneak onto it; the other students, all of whom are younger and much less troublesome, follow Harlan onto the ship. During their exploration of the ship's interior, the organic ship bonds to each student when each touches a bulkhead.
TJ Davenport, their teacher and principal, and Commander Seth Goddard go after them and, in a series of unfortunate events, become separated throughout the vessel. One of the students accidentally charges the engines, hurtling the ship off into a spatial rift. By the time everyone figures out that only the children who bonded to the ship can actually control it, the ship has stopped several light years away from the academy. They set off on a return trip which would take them at least seven years, four months, and twenty-two days at maximum speeds.
Episodes
Season 2 (1996–97)
See also
- - an animated series set in the Star Trek universe which uses a similar premise.
References
- News: Before Prodigy, Nickelodeon Already Created Its Own Star Trek . Screen Rant . 8 February 2022 . 8 May 2023.
- News: 6 Classic Sci-Fi TV Shows Netflix Should Remake After Lost In Space. CinemaBlend . 27 February 2020 . 8 May 2023.
- News: Space Cases: Remember This Show? . Entertainment Weekly . 14 September 2011 . 8 May 2023.
