Vegas in Space

Vegas in Space
Season 1, Episode 5
Air date	October 4, 1979
Written by	Anne Collins
Directed by	Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.
Episode guide
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"Vegas in Space" is the fifth episode of the 1st season of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century.

Synopsis

William "Buck" Rogers and Defense Directorate agent Marla Landers travel to Sinaloa, a gambling city that Rogers finds resembles old Earth's Las Vegas. Their mission from the Earth Defense Directorate is to locate and return to Earth a kidnapped girl named Felina Redding, who is being held prisoner by the city's ruler, Morgan Velosi. The young woman has critical knowledge that Velosi must extract in order to destroy his competitor Amos Armat. Armat offers the Directorate plans to the Draconian Hatchet fighters that have been plaguing Earth's defense forces in exchange for the girl's life.

Plot

• During a training exercise, Capt. William "Buck" Rogers and Col. Wilma Deering run scenarios against Hatchet fighters and the Thunderfighter combat computer's inability to properly lock onto the Hatchets for firing. Rogers seems to have the problem licked, but Deering is not certain that Directorate pilots are able to manually fire without full aid of the combat computer. After the exercise fails, the team heads to Earth.
• A young woman, Felina Redding, enters her quarters in New Chicago. She finds two messages waiting, the first being from her former guardian, an elderly woman named Rita, who proffers her thanks for Redding's birthday gift of flowering plants. As Redding undresses, she receives a second message from her boss, Amos Armat, who warns her that she is in danger and to head to the shuttle station where she will find a prepaid itinerary to an unknown destination. He sincerely apologizes for putting her into the unsaid danger, and notes that she has always been one of his best employees, and then signs off. Unfortunately, the warning is too late, as Redding is besieged by an unknown assailant who snuck into her quarters prior to her arrival.
• Maj. Marla Landers arrives in Dr. Elias Huer's office, and immediately notes the presence of another individual. Landers believes she arrived early, but Huer assures her she's on time and would like to introduce the gentleman in the room: Armat. Landers summarizes what she knows of Armat: that he is a black marketeer who deals with weapons, slave trading and other lurid occupations, none of which could ever be proven. Armat notes that this is correct, but is willing to surrender all the evidence the Directorate needs to make their case against him, in exchange for assistance in saving Redding's from his arch rival, one Morgan Velosi, as she accidentally came across some readouts that made her a valuable target for Velosi and Armat's other competitors.
• Huer turns down the deal, relishing in the thought of Armat being effectively removed from contention as a black marketeer. It is Landers who notes that Armat likely has information on the Hatchet fighter's newest ability to avoid the computer control systems of Defense Directorate's starfighters, and Huer reconsiders on the condition that Armat not only surrender himself, but also all information on the Hatchet fighter. Armat agrees.
• Rogers is putting in his apartment when Deering arrives, after educating her on putting and the astronaut tradition of carrying a golf club on board their spacecraft. Deering successfully distracts Rogers' putting attempt by claiming that the whole thing "looks ridiculous."
• After a discussion on going on yet another mission for the Defense Directorate, Deering coyly hooks Rogers due to his particular skill at playing 10 & 11 (blackjack), and that he'll be going with Marla Landers to Sinaloa, as Landers is more familiar with Sinaloa than Deering.

Notes

 

• Juanin Clay plays William "Buck" Rogers's sidekick, Major Marla Landers, in this episode. Clay had been originally cast as Wilma Deering for the series before Erin Gray decided to reprise her role from the film.
• Joseph Wiseman makes his second appearance in Buck Rogers in the 25th Century as Carl Morphus, a different character from his mostly excised appearance in the film as Draco.
• Cesar Romero is known to Batman fans as Joker from the 1960s TV series of the same title.

Cast

 

• Gil Gerard as Capt. William "Buck" Rogers
• Erin Gray as Col. Wilma Deering
• Tim O'Connor as Dr. Elias Huer
• Richard Lynch as Morgan Velosi
• Ana Alicia as Felina Redding
• Juanin Clay as Major Marla Landers
• Pamela Susan Shoop as Tangie
• James Luisi as Hood
• Cesar Romero as Amos Armat
• Joseph Wiseman as Carl Morphus
• Felix Silla as Twiki
• Mel Blanc as Voice of Twiki
• Alice Frost as Rita
• Ted Chapman as Man
• William Conrad as Voice of Narrator (uncredited)
• Eric Server as Voice of Dr. Theopolis (uncredited)
• Olan Soule as Voice of Sinaloa Gaming Computer (uncredited)
• Spray Rosso as Klosef III Man (uncredited)

 

Directed by Sigmund Neufeld, Jr.

Written by Anne Collins

Produced by Jock Gaynor, Medora Heilbron, Bruce Lansbury, Glen A. Larson, David J. O'Connell and David G. Phinney

Music by Les Baxter

Cinematography by Ben Colman

Film Editor - Michael Berman

Casting - Phil Benjamin

Art Directors - Bill Camden and Paul Peters

Set Decorator - Victor Hugo

Costume Designer - Sal Anthony

 

Harker Wade - Unit Production Manager

 

Gerald T. Olson - Second Assistant Director

Jerram A. Swartz - First Assistant Director

 

Jerry Allen - Model Builder

Ted Wilson - Carpenter (uncredited)

 

Earl Crain, Jr. - Sound

Dick Wahrman - Sound Effects Editor

 

Chuck Arrigo - Special Effects Coordinator (uncredited)

 

Peter Anderson - Visual Effects Supervisor: Universal Hartland

David M. Garber - Miniature Effects

Wayne Smith - Miniature Effects

 

Gary Armstrong - Assistant Camera

Kenneth Hale - First Assistant Camera

 

Glen A. Larson - Composer: Theme Music

Herbert D. Woods - Music Editor

Johnny Harris - Composer: Theme Music (uncredited)

Stu Phillips - Composer: Theme Music (uncredited)

 

Anne Collins - Story Editor

External links

 

• Vegas in Space at IMDb
• Vegas in Space at NBC.com