Space Force (TV pilot)

Space Force is a science fiction television pilot starring Fred Willard for the NBC television network.[1] It aired as a one-off on April 28, 1978,[2][3] but the series was not picked up. The pilot set up a scenario not unlike The Phil Silvers Show in which opportunistic Captain Thomas Woods (Willard) leads his starcraft crew in schemes under the nose of the overbearing Captain Leon Stoner and dotty station Commander Irving Hinkley (William Phipps). Actor Phipps stated the show was originally titled Fort Leo (after the name of the ship), and claimed it was passed over because of the short-lived series Buck Henry produced, Quark, which was cancelled even before Space Force was aired.[4]

Space Force
title card
Genrecomedy / science fiction
Written byJohn Boni
Norman Stiles
Directed byPeter Baldwin
StarringFred Willard
Theme music composerArtie Butler
Country of originUnited States
Original languageEnglish
No. of episodes1
Production
ProducersJohn Boni
Norman Stiles
CinematographyRobert Hoffman
EditorAlbert P. Wilson
Running time24 mins
Production companyColumbia Pictures Television
Release
Original networkNBC
Original releaseApril 28, 1978 (1978-04-28)

Plot synopsis

Aboard space station Fort Leo Captain Thomas Woods (Willard) arranges a carnival to raise money for a children's hospital on planet Triton by selling unauthorized military equipment to civilians and joyrides on their starcraft. Meanwhile, Captain Leon Stoner presses station Commander Irving Hinkley to go to war with the planet Algon over the capture of a spy.[2]

Cast
  • William Phipps as Commander Irving Hinkley
  • Fred Willard as Captain Thomas Woods
  • Larry Block as Private Arnold Fleck
  • Jim Boyd as Captain Leon Stoner
  • Hilly Hicks as Captain Robert Milford
  • Maureen Mooney as Sergeant Eve Bailey
  • Joseph G. Medalis as Lieutenant Kabar
  • Richard Paul as D.O.R.C. (voice)
  • Billy Braver as Berkovitz
  • Deborah Harmon as Ship's Crier
  • Zitto Kazann as War Minister Dalan
  • Patricia Noble as Merivac (voice)

Legacy

Fred Willard reprised his role from the pilot in a comedy sketch for Jimmy Kimmel Live! in 2018 and 2019. First, as interviewed by Kimmel after the announcement of the formation of the United States Space Force,[5] and again in response to a media soundbite from Senator Ted Cruz about a need for the U.S. Space Force to battle "space pirates" in which Willard appears in a trailer for "Space Force 2 - Attack of the Space Pirates," a sequel to the failed 1978 series.[6] Willard portrayed an unrelated character for the 2020 Netflix series Space Force.

References
  1. Space Force, retrieved 2020-06-01
  2. Portage Daily Register Viewer's Guide by publication staff, April 27, 1978
  3. Detroit Free Press TV Listings by Bettelou Peterson, April 28, 1978
  4. Starlog issue 172 "Tales from the Phipps Dimension" by Tom Weaver, November 1991
  5. Jimmy Kimmel Live! Trump's Space Force Gets Celebrity Endorsement Aug 10, 2018
  6. Jimmy Kimmel Live! Space Force 2 - Attack of the Space Pirates May 22, 2019
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