Production: GB, 1994-95

Cast: Ted Shackelford, Rob Youngblood, Simone Bendix, Nancy Paul, Nick Klein, Megan Olive, Jerome Willis, Mary Woodvine, Tom Watt, Richard James, Lou Hirsch, David Quilter, Gary Martin.

 Another Gerry Anderson production in the after-Space: 1999 era.
After the “Terrahawks” puppet revamp (but the “Thunderbirds” appeal was lost forever), the british
producer had gone back to live-action.
A “space precinct” idea with a futuristic location had already born in 1986: Anderson produced a pilot episode titled “Space Police”, starring actor Shane Rimmer (already seen in other productions). But nobody was interested in backing the serie, and the idea was temporarily left behind.
After almost ten years (and other aborted pilots, which shows how Anderson was struggling to regain success), the serie could at last be produced with a different title (Space Precinct) and a different actor starring.
Lieutenant Patrick Brogan (Ted Shackelford) is being transferred from New York to planet Altor, to Demeter City’s police precinct 88.
His partners are officers Jack Haldane (Rob Youngblood) e Jane Castle (Simone Bendix), who have also a romance. On the other hand, Brogan is married And has two children, and his whole family has folllowed him in Demeter City.
Stories are of a science-fiction-detective story genre, the main characters have to handle a multi-racial city with criminals (but also other officers) of all the species and shapes... giving a chance for lines like “Hands on! All of them!” as somebody has noticed.
To make the best part of the characters a large number of masks and make-ups have been made, if not entire puppets.
Stories are often similar to normal police stories, in a futuristic location

(where you can see also flying cars, like those seen in “Blade Runner”).
Special effects were made again by Stephen Begg, with better results if confronted with “Terrahawks”. The serie was anyway very expensive, as a product for television.
The soundtrack was good enough and composed by Crispin Merrel.
The show had the usual problems which had affected many Gerry Anderson’s productions before.
In fact it was very difficult to decide which was the most suitable audience for the show: it looked as if thwe show was made for children, but some episodes could be watched only by adults... The result was the same as usual, the show was aired at strange and unpredictable hours, resulting to poor ratings.  

24 episodes, color, 60’

1) Protect and Survive
2) Enforcer
3) Body & Soul
4) Double Duty
5) The Snake
6) Time to Kill
7) Deadline
8) Seek and Destroy

9) The Power
10) Illegal
11) Divided We Stand
12) Two Against the Rock
13) Takeover
14) Predator and Prey
15) The Witness
16) Hate Street
17) Friends
18) Smelter Skelter
19) Flash
20) The Fire Within – part I
21) The Fire Within – part II
22) The Forever Beetle
23) Deathwatch – part I
24) Deathwatch – part II





 

 


 



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