From: MDuPree@world.std.com (Micky DuPree)
Date: Tue, 9 Feb 1993 02:02:41 GMT
Subject: STAR COPS episode guide -- repost
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.tv
Keywords: Star Cops, Chris Boucher
Summary: Damn good series, too damn short.
STAR COPS
Introduction and Background
It is the year 2027 and the commercial exploitation of space is in full
swing. There are six orbital stations around the Earth, an
internationally manned base on the moon, and a colony on Mars.
Unfortunately, criminal enterprise in space is in full swing as well,
and the International Space Police Force was created to deal with it.
But the ISPF is an ad hoc group of part-time volunteers looking for a
little extra money in addition to their regular jobs, and they're so
inefficient that they're dubbed the "Star Cops" by the press. The
decision is made to appoint a commander and turn the force into a full-
time unit. As our story opens, Detective Chief Superintendent Nathan
Spring has been pressured into submitting his name for the post despite
the fact that he's never even left Earth before. Spring is an old-
fashioned cop who thinks modern police methods rely too heavily on
computer projections.
According to series creator Chris Boucher, "Star Cops" was three years
in the research and planning stage. The ideas for Earth, Moonbase, the
orbital stations, and the Martian colonies were elaborately worked out,
and we only saw a fraction of the detail. Boucher is known for previous
work on the science fiction series "Doctor Who" and "Blake's 7," and on
the crime dramas "Shoestring," "Juliet Bravo," and "Bergerac." The
technological sophistication in "Star Cops" was almost unprecedented for
broadcast serial television drama, and yet it never bogged down in
technical detail. The maturity of the human drama was unusual for any
medium, and it was handled with wit and intelligence. The crime stories
were not pitched as whodunits. Generally it was either ridiculously
easy or virtually impossible to figure out who the criminal was.
Instead, the mysteries were always occasions to question the validity of
one's evidence for believing in anything at all: for believing that a
crime had been committed, for believing that one was doing the right
thing, for placing trust in another human being.
"Star Cops" went into production in the fall of 1986 and was shown in
the summer of 1987 on BBC-2. There were nine 51-minute episodes in all.
A tenth script was commissioned, but because of labor disputes at the
time, it never went into production. A second series was planned,
reportedly to have focused on the Martian colonies, but the series was
canceled without much fanfare.
============================================
STAR COPS
episode guide
Starring David Calder as Nathan Spring/Box
Semi-regulars:
David Theroux Erick Ray Evans
Colin Devis Trevor Cooper
Pal Kenzy Linda Newton
Alexander Krivenko Jonathan Adams
Anna Shoun Sayo Inaba
Series devised by Chris Boucher
Producer: Evgeny Gridneff
Script Editor: Joanna Willett
1. AN INSTINCT FOR MURDER
July 6, 1987
W: Chris Boucher; D: Christopher Baker
"Groundsider" career cop Nathan Spring finds
himself being kicked literally upstairs to
the International Space Police Force. He's
assigned a case in space that he doesn't
want, and told to drop a case on the ground
that he does want.
w/ Evans, Newton
Commander Moray Watson
Controller Keith Varnier
Lee Jones Gennie Nevinson
Brian Lincoln Andrew Secombe
Hans Diter Frederik de Groot
Lars Hendvorrsen Luke Hanson
Marie Mueller Katja Kersten
2. CONVERSATIONS WITH THE DEAD
July 13, 1987
W: Chris Boucher; D: Christopher Baker
Spring, newly appointed Commander of the
Star Cops, is suddenly called back to Earth
about a case in his own back yard, leaving
David Theroux to solve the mystery of a
rogue space freighter.
w/ Evans, Cooper
Lee Jones Gennie Nevinson
Corman Sian Webber
Paton Alan Downer
Fox Sean Scanlan
Gina Carmen Gomez
John Smith Benny Young
Traffic Controller Deborah Manship
Mike Richard Ireson
Lara Rosie Kerslake
3. INTELLIGENT LISTENING FOR BEGINNERS
July 20, 1987
W: Chris Boucher; D: Christopher Baker
On his first assignment in the ISPF, Colin
Devis stings corrupt cop Pal Kenzy, and the
Star Cops get a mysterious tip on the moon
about space shuttle hijacking that may tie
into computer sabotage on Earth.
w/ Evans, Cooper, Newton
Michael Chandri David John Pope
Leo Trevor Butler
Ben Thomas Coulthard
Shuttle hostess Tara Ward
Shift foreman Peter Quince
Process operator Peter Glancy
4. TRIVIAL GAMES AND PARANOID PURSUITS
July 27, 1987
W: Chris Boucher; D: Graeme Harper
Having reinstated herself, Kenzy follows
Spring to the American space station on the
trail of a missing scientist who may have
never existed. Meanwhile, Russian Dr.
Alexander Krivenko, the new Coordinator of
Moonbase, starts asking a lot of questions.
w/ Evans, Cooper, Newton, Adams
Commander Griffin Daniel Benzali
Dilly Goodman Marlena Mackey
Pete Lennox Robert Jezek
Marty Russell Wootton
Lauter Angela Crow
Harvey Goodman Morgan Deare
Receptionist Shope Shodeinde
5. THIS CASE TO BE OPENED IN A MILLION YEARS
August 3, 1987
W: Philip Martin; D: Graeme Harper
Spring is attacked and framed for murder in
Rome, while the Star Cops investigate the
aborted launch of a nuclear waste dumper
rocket on the moon.
w/ Evans, Cooper, Newton, Adams
Carlo Santanini Michael Chesden
Marla Condarini Susan Curnow
Inspector Canova Stewart Guidotti
Lina Margello Vikki Chambers
Personnel officer Flip Webster
Angelo Pordenone Andre Winterton
Tour guide Carl Forgione
6. IN WARM BLOOD
August 10, 1987
W: John Collee; D: Graeme Harper
When a survey spaceship arrives home with a
dead crew, the contracted medical firm sends
in its own investigator, Dr. Anna Shoun, but
after one of its top researchers also dies
in the same manner, Spring suspects a
coverup.
w/ Evans, Cooper, Newton, Adams, Inaba
Richard Ho Richard Rees
Christina Janssen Dawn Keeler
Receptionist Susan Tan
7. A DOUBLE LIFE
August 17, 1987
W: John Collee; D: Christopher Baker
An influential woman's frozen embryos are
stolen from the Moonbase clinic and held for
ransom, but when Shoun identifies the thief,
he has absolute proof he was on Earth when
the crime was committed.
w/ Evans, Cooper, Newton, Adams, Inaba
James Bannerman/Albi Brian Gwaspari
Chamsya Assadi Nitza Saul
8. OTHER PEOPLE'S SECRETS
August 24, 1987
W: John Collee; D: Christopher Baker
Suspicious technical glitches abound on
Moonbase just as a safety inspector does his
tour, and aggravation waxes instead of wanes
when an abrasive psychiatrist shows up to
shrink heads in space.
w/ Evans, Cooper, Newton, Adams, Inaba
Ernest Wolffhart Geoffrey Bayldon
Dr. Angela Parr Maggie Ollerenshaw
Hooper Barrie Rutter
Beverly Anderson Leigh Funnell
9. LITTLE GREEN MEN AND OTHER MARTIANS
August 31, 1987
W: Chris Boucher; D: Graeme Harper
The Star Cops have to contend with a
Moonbase abuzz with meddling journalists,
scientific fraud, political corruption, drug
smuggling, and murder when the discovery of
a Martian, now on its way to Moonbase, is
announced.
w/ Newton, Cooper, Adams, Inaba
Daniel Larwood Roy Holder
Andrew Philpot Nigel Hughes
Susan Caxton Lachelle Carl
Operations manager Wendy Macadam
Co-pilot Bridget Lynch-Blosse
Pilot Kenneth Lodge
Customs officer Peter Neathey
Outpost controller Philip Rowlands
Surveyor David Janes
"Star Cops" is copyright (c) 1987 by the
British Broadcasting Corporation. This
episode guide is copyright (c) 1992 by Micky
DuPree. Permission to reproduce it is
hereby granted so long as it is always
reproduced in its entirety and never
reproduced for profit.
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