In the 21st Century, Lieutenant Patrick Brogan (Ted Shackleford from Knots Landing) of the NYPD is transferred to Space Police Precinct 88, located in geostationary orbit above Demeter City on the planet Altor in the Epsilon Erandi System.
Among the grotesque – at least to human eyes – beings living and working on Altor are Tarns (from the planet Simter), who have a third eye in their foreheads, Creons (from the planet Danae), and Zyronites.
Apart from Officer Jack Haldane (Rob Youngblood) and Officer Jane Castle (Danish actress Simone Bendix) – most of the other police officers in the 88th are nonhumans. Castle’s partner, Took (Mary Woodvine) is a Tarn female with telekinetic abilities
Slomo is a knee-high police robot that wanders around the precinct assisting officers and staff.
Brogan is accompanied to Altor by his wife Sally (Nancy Paul), their 10-year-old daughter Liz (Megan Olive) and 14-year-old son Matt (Nic Klein), who all live with him in an apartment in a huge orbiting space suburb.
Liz has an alien pet named Zil and has learned to understand its strange language.
This risible live-action drama from Gerry Anderson (creator of classic puppet shows such as Stingray, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet) looked like the aliens – all purple heads and saucer eyes – were refugees from The Muppet Show. With jokes like, “Raise your hands! All of them!”, this was clearly targetted at kids.
Plots and characterisation were slight, and the special effects – which were occasionally stupendous – must have swallowed a huge chunk of the $36 million budget.
In America, station programmers weren’t certain if Space Precinct was an adult drama, a kid’s series, or something else entirely, airing it sporadically in syndication, often at 3:00 in the morning.
The original pilot, Space Police, was shot in 1986.
Lt Patrick Brogan
Ted Shackleford Officer Jack Haldane
Rob Youngblood Officer Jane Castle
Simone Bendix Sally Brogan
Nancy Paul Captain Rexton Podly
Jerome Willis Matthew Brogan
Nic Klein Elizabeth Brogan
Megan Olive Officer Hubble Orrin
Richard James Officer Aurelia Took
Mary Woodvine Sgt Thorald Fredo
David Quilter Slomo (voice)
Gary Martin
