Genesis II (1973)

Star Trek creator Gene Roddenberry failed to strike similar gold with this contrived tale involving Alex Cord as macho moustachioed NASA scientist Dylan Hunt who is the lone survivor of a post-millennium holocaust – trapped inside his own suspended animation experiment for 160 years and now watching as the Earth is re-created in the year 2133 AD by two opposing factions.

Hunt is accidentally woken up by a group of underground dwellers called the PAX. They are amazed to find what they believed to be a dead body still barely breathing. A half-conscious Hunt attempts to tell the PAX, through barely audible grunts, how to revive him, but the PAX have no knowledge of medicine and can’t comply.

Once he is revived, though, Dylan agrees to flee the PAX and assist the Terranians with their nuclear power reactor – no doubt swayed by their beautiful double-navel ruler Lyra–a (Mariette Hartley). He eventually realises the Terranians are a fascist society up to no good and saves the day, returning to the PAX.

Genesis II was created as the pilot for a series that was never to be. CBS rejected the show for the Planet of the Apes series. It’s a tale not to be taken as seriously as it takes itself and clearly owing more to Flash Gordon than Star Trek.

British director John Llewellyn Moxey does what he can in his own second incarnation, as director of formulaic American fare after a career in low-budget chillers in the UK.

Dylan Hunt
Alex Cord
Lyra-a
Mariette Hartley
Isiah
Ted Cassidy
Primus Isaac Kimbridge
Percy Rodrigues
Singh
Harvey Jason
Yuloff
Titos Vandis
Dr Kellum
Bill Striglos
Harper-Smythe
Lynne Marta
Primus Dominic
Majel Barrett

Director
John Llewellyn Moxey