# Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979)

> A 20th-century astronaut awakens in the 25th century and joins starfighter pilot Wilma Deering and robot Twiki to defend a recovering Earth from alien threats.

Canonical page: https://ember.film/tv/2318

## Facts

- Seasons: 2
- Episodes: 37
- Episode runtime: 60 min
- Status: Ended
- Genres: science fiction, action, adventure
- Created by: Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens
- Network: NBC
- Cast: Gil Gerard, Erin Gray, Tim O'Connor, Wilfrid Hyde-White, Thom Christopher, Mel Blanc, Eric Server, Jay Garner
- TMDB rating: 6.9/10
- IMDb: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0078579/

## Ember's analysis

- Pacing: brisk
- Intensity: moderate
- Complexity: simple
- Violence: mild
- Tone: campy, earnest, adventurous, nostalgic, lighthearted

## What critics say

Audiences rate the series as mixed, appreciating its space adventure spectacle and campy charm while finding its storytelling uneven.

## Synopsis

Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981) is an American space opera series created by Glen A. Larson and Leslie Stevens for NBC. Gil Gerard plays Buck Rogers, a 20th-century astronaut who wakes up after five centuries in suspended animation to find Earth recovering from a nuclear war. He teams up with starfighter pilot Colonel Wilma Deering, played by Erin Gray, and the robot Twiki, voiced by Mel Blanc and performed by Felix Silla, to defend the planet and fight evil across the galaxy. Tim O'Connor plays Dr. Elias Huer, who runs the Earth defense command and sends the heroes on missions. The engine of the show is episodic adventure: each hour brings a new alien threat, a dogfight in a starfighter, or a rescue on a distant world, with Buck's combat skills and ingenuity carrying the day. Shape and scale are modest, a two-season run of 37 hour-long episodes with a steady pulpy rhythm. Set in a bright, retro-futuristic 25th century, the series carries the optimistic, campy energy of 1970s and early 1980s network science fiction, with earnest heroics, colorful costumes, and light comedy. Fans of Battlestar Galactica, Lost in Space and Star Trek will find resonance in its adventurous spirit and nostalgic charm.

## Shows like Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

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- [Return to the Planet of the Apes (1975)](https://ember.film/tv/11607)
- [Terrahawks (1983)](https://ember.film/tv/4582)
- [BraveStarr (1987)](https://ember.film/tv/4910)
- [Space Pirate Captain Harlock (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/29205)
- [Battlestar Galactica (1978)](https://ember.film/tv/471)
- [The Orville (2017)](https://ember.film/tv/62609)
- [Battlestar Galactica (2003)](https://ember.film/tv/62322)

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