Gene Roddenberry’s Genesis II and Planet Earth on DVD today!
October 6, 2009 by Jane Boursaw
I’ll preface this post by saying I’m a big fan of anything “Star Trek” (thanks to my Trekkie mom), so I was thrilled to learn that Warner Archive would be releasing Gene Roddenberry’s 1970’s TV pilots, “Genesis II” and the follow-up “Planet Earth” on DVD today.
GENESIS II, 74 minutes, 1973. “My name is Dylan Hunt. My story begins the day on which I died.” Set between now and the era of the starship Enterprise, this story follows Hunt (Alex Cord), who awakens after 154 years of suspended animation into a post-apocalyptic world that’s torn between the peace-loving citizens of Pax and the militaristic, mutant Tyranians. Both want Hunt to join their cause. But the Tyranians have two cruel weapons to persuade Hunt: a device of torture called a stim. And an alluring mutant (Mariette Hartley) with two navels … and one ice-cold heart.
Planet Earth, 74 minutes, 1974. The time is the 22nd century. The place is the Confederacy, a matriarchy where men are enslaved and impotent. The hero is Dylan Hunt (John Saxon), a handsome 20th century scientist awakened from suspended animation – just the “breeder” a Confederacy dominatrix (Diana Muldaur, who went on to play Dr. Pulaski in “Star Trek: The Next Generation”) has been waiting for! In this sequel to “Genesis II,” Gene Roddenberry puts a reverse spin on women’s lib in an action-filled tale set in a gleaming world of futuristic cities, underground sub shuttles, palm-sized computers and skintight uniforms. Can Hunt defy the Confederacy and free his downtrodden fellow males, or is he doomed to slavery on “Planet Earth”?
Plenty of 1970s-era goodness in these two DVDs! If you’re a fan of the “Star Trek” universe or Gene Roddenberry, they’re definitely worth a look.
Images: Warner Archive
