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» » Buck Rogers in the 25th Century Planet of the Amazon Women (1979–1981)

Short summary

Earth is negotiating with the planet Ruatha to maintain its right to mine Barberite on the Ruathan held planet Madrea. While Buck Rogers is flying to keep the space between the planets clear, he is lured to the planet Zantia by a phony distress call from two beautiful women. After bringing them home, a man named Cassius Thorne takes Buck into custody and has him sold and mated with the Prime Minister's daughter Ariela Dyne. Meanwhile, Wilma Deering arrives looking for Buck and learns that Buck is planning to meet with the Ruathan leader and expose the truth that Zantia has no warriors. Buck and must escape Zantia while he finds a way to smooth the negotiations with the troublesome Ruathan diplomat.

The interior of the Space Ship's docking station landing hanger featured entry/exit circular "ball" shaped headed "key hole" frames leading into the main Space Ship. The art director Hub Braden purposely designed the phallic shaped entry door frames based upon a very popular men's cologne shaped container. Fred Silverman, nor the show's producer Bruce Lansbury, picked up on the intentional "Amazon Woman's" obsession for male symbolism. During the sequence of the shows' sets, Braden designed sets with this factor in mind.

User reviews


  • comment
    • Author: Ckelond
    Testosterone fuelled space-stud Buck Rogers gets into a spot of bother when he answers a distress call from a couple of hot babes, who are seemingly stranded in orbit around the planet Zantia. After kindly towing them back to the planet's surface, poor Buck is drugged and auctioned off as a sex slave. It seems that, as a result of a recent war against the planet Ruatha, there is now a shortage of men on Zantia, and the desperate women have resorted to kidnapping in order to fulfil their needs. Meanwhile, Earth is holding difficult negotiations with Ruatha for the right to mine the valuable mineral Barberite.

    However, thanks to a series of unbelievable co-incidences, Buck is not only able to escape slavery (why would he want to do such a thing?), but also manages to solve Earth's mining problems, whilst simultaneously finding an answer to Zantia's man shortage.

    Despite its wonderfully tacky premise, I found this episode of Buck Rogers to be rather tedious, with some boring scenes of negotiation between Dr. Theopolis and his Ruathan counterpart, an unexciting chase scene on horseback (cheaper to film than a scene requiring special effects), and a couple of lacklustre fights.

    However, it's worth watching purely for the hilarious auction scene in which a room-full of attractive women go ga-ga for a stripped-to-the waist Buck and get involved in a bidding war. And of course, there is always the gorgeous Erin Gray on hand to spice things up when things get extremely dull (and, for the record, her shiny body-hugging Spandex outfit is blue in this episode).
  • comment
    • Author: Ndlaitha
    Buck (Gil Gerard, likable as usual) finds himself captive on the planet Zantia, which is almost completely devoid of men. Buck has to figure out a way to escape from Zantia and devise a smooth plan to help with negotiations with the rival planet Ruatha. Director Phillip Leacock, working from a blithely silly script by Clayton Richards, handles the dippy story with admirable seriousness and maintains a steady pace throughout. The guest cast have a ball with the kitschy material: Jay Robinson portrays slimy slave trader Cassius Thorne with lip-licking evil brio, Anne Jeffreys does well as Zantia's wicked prime minister, and the ravishing Ann Dusenberry delivers a charming performance as the sassy and sharp-tongued Ariela. Moreover, there's a plethora of tasty babes wearing skimpy midriff-baring outfits. (Erin Gray as Wilma Deering also looks quite dishy in one of her trademark skintight spandex numbers.) Better still, the way these yummy honeys lust after Buck's hunky hirsute body provides a key source of substantial amusement, with a slave auction depicting the gals going gaga over Buck's beefy physique and engaging in a fierce bidding war over who gets exclusive dibs on him rating as the definite unintentionally hilarious highlight. The trademark crummy matte paintings, the standard shoddy (not so) special effects, and several ineptly choreographed fight set pieces further add to the considerable campy appeal of this fun show.
  • comment
    • Author: Corgustari
    Planet of the Amazon Women isn't one of BRI25C's better 1st season entries, sorry to say, despite the script being partly the work of D.C. Fontana(OStar Trek, Land of the Lost), who maybe just couldn't bring herself to put much effort into it. That said, Ann Dussenberry is as usual lovely, and we also have Jay Robinson on-hand as the creepy slave-auctioneer. The attraction of this episode has to be all the stunning Zantian women on display - given the quality of the women there, I hardly think it would have been necessary to resort to kidnapping males. No doubt they would have had no shortage of volunteers! One reviewer who hates this installment complained about Hawk not being around, but he didn't show up until the start of Season Two, of course, and actually, I rather liked Hawk.

    Best to leave the brain in neutral for this one, but if viewed in the right frame of mind, still fun(pun intended).
  • comment
    • Author: Conjuril
    PLOT: Buck is lured to the planet Zantia by two beautiful women feigning succor. He is then auctioned off as a slave to the highest bidder of the female citizenry. Anne Jeffreys plays the Prime Minister of the planet while Ann Dusenberry appears as her daughter, Ariela, who opposes the kidnapping and human trafficking.

    COMMENTARY: This episode is best known for the blond & brunette beauties who initially hoodwink Buck, Nyree (Liberty Godshall) and Linea (Teddi Siddall). The former is easily one of the most beautiful women to appear on the series with a face & figure sculptured by God Himself, not to mention her striking yellow non-costume. Unfortunately, these two are inexplicably removed from the proceedings by the 16-minute mark. No matter, there are several other exquisite women featured in the rest of the segment, including Antoinette Stella as Jayel.

    One of the more memorable and amusing parts is Buck being auctioned off to a bevy of interested females. There are also a few quality equestrian sequences with gorgeous locations.
  • comment
    • Author: Nuadabandis
    Plot; Buck answers a distress call near a hostile world only to discover it's as trap used to lure men to be sold to the highest bidder.

    The title here is a bit misleading, as there really is no planet of Amazon women in the traditional sense. The actual "facts" aren't really worth delving into, but suffice it to say the planet does feature a bevy of beautiful women all trying to get their claws into Captain Buck Rogers. What follows is star Gil Gerard being squeezed into a series of increasingly tighter outfits, often looking like 20oz. of hairy SPAM in a 10oz. can. To his eternal credit, Gerard remains at his most charming here, earning every single "Ooooh!" and "Aaaah!" the drooling ladies throw his way.

    Though the actual plot is a bit shaky, the script itself is filled with moments of wit, and they finally take some of the action outdoors. Getting out of those claustrophobic sets and adding a little bit of "reality" does make a big difference.
  • comment
    • Author: Jugami
    None of the other users mention the butch female guards without whom no matriarchy in sci-fi is complete, who cut impressive figures in their boots and mustard-coloured fatigues brandishing blasters standing about looking tough until they predictably fight like girls when Wilma infiltrates their ranks (fetchingly attiring herself in one of their uniforms) and at the conclusion kicks their asses.
  • comment
    • Author: Rolorel
    No one can watch the auction of "Buck Rodgers" as a sex slave without being amused and disturbed.

    The auctioneer does not spare flattery and grandiose claims when describing Buck for the Amazon Ladies.

    All credulity is strained to the snapping point by this scene. An auctioneer. A room full of big haired Amazonians in tight petro-chemical based costumes. And the services of Buck Rodgers himself for sale to highest bidder. He was paraded around like a prized hog at the county fair. The Amazonians are sighing and in awe of this guy. A middle-aged, pear-shaped loser who is covered with a thick coat of greezey hair. And the queen herself outbidding her subjects for the prize. A King is born!

    He takes off his shirt and his sloped shoulders rise---for he is sucking in his sizable gut for the camera.

    All the men had long since been killed on this planet and the Amazons would not have known that Buck Rodgers virility had been permanently sapped by being frozen in space.

    Perhaps I am too judgmental. The cultural ideals of sexual attraction vary greatly from culture to culture, planet to planet and generation to generation. This was the 1970s--side parts were at the height of their popularity.

    But it is all unbelievable. Buck may have been an Adonis compared to his dandruffy minion Hawk--but this useless, earth bound raptor-cretin was nowhere in sight.

    Buck should have run with this opportunity to bed the queen. She was not as hot as Erin Gray- but that zephyr-silver robot in the German bucket helmet was not around to cock- block!

    Is there a pear-shaped loser in the whole world who would not let a room full of ogling Amazonians go to his head?

    Not Buck Rogers. For when an astronaut is transported into the future- the leaders of that time logically entrust in him their future. Originating from the 1980s he is clearly beyond reproach.

    Can anyone imagine German Chancellor Angela Merkel ignoring the advice and council of THE RED BARON recalled to life! Of course not. All German policies and initiatives would require the direct approval of the pilot from the past. He would be responsible for the national security of the country, and the implementation of all policies. He would work as the head ambassador to all foreign powers-Among OTHER THINGS. But I doubt he would be half as corpulent as a dissipated Gil Gerrard!
  • Episode complete credited cast:
    Gil Gerard Gil Gerard - Capt. William 'Buck' Rogers
    Erin Gray Erin Gray - Colonel Wilma Deering
    Tim O'Connor Tim O'Connor - Dr. Elias Huer
    Ann Dusenberry Ann Dusenberry - Ariela Dyne
    Jay Robinson Jay Robinson - Cassius Thorne
    Anne Jeffreys Anne Jeffreys - Prime Minister
    Felix Silla Felix Silla - Twiki
    Mel Blanc Mel Blanc - Twiki (voice)
    Antoinette Stella Antoinette Stella - Jayel
    Wendy Oates Wendy Oates - Renna
    Liberty Godshall Liberty Godshall - Nyree
    Darrell Zwerling Darrell Zwerling - Macon
    Teddi Siddall Teddi Siddall - Linea
    Wally K. Berns Wally K. Berns - Major Norris
    James Faracci James Faracci - Karsh (as James Fraracci)
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