"Space Cases" (1996) TV series 1996-1997

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

2 March 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Family | Sci-Fi

Plot:

One day at an academy, 7 people sneak aboard a mysterious spaceship. The people consist of 5 students...

Plot Keywords:

Academy | Android | Commander | Space | Student

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Walter Jones	...	Harlan Band (28 episodes, 1996-1997)
Kristian Ayre	...	Radu (28 episodes, 1996-1997)
Rahi Azizi	...	Bova (28 episodes, 1996-1997)
Paige Christina	...	Rosie Ianni (28 episodes, 1996-1997)
Anik Matern	...	Thelma (28 episodes, 1996-1997)
Cary Lawrence	...	T.J. Davenport (27 episodes, 1996-1997)
Paul Boretski	...	Commander Seth Goddard (27 episodes, 1996-1997)
Rebecca Herbst	...	Suzee / ... (15 episodes, 1996-1997)
Jewel Staite	...	Catalina (15 episodes, 1996)

Runtime:

USA:30 min

Country:

Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Filming Locations:

Montréal, Québec, Canada

Company:

CINAR

Trivia:

The teddy bear that Radu finds in "Space Cases: Who Goes Where (#1.2)" (????) is the very same one that was used in an episode of "Babylon 5" (1994) written by Space Cases creator Peter David. It's a running gag between David and Babylon 5 creator J. Michael Straczynski. David's wife gave the bear to JMS, who hates "cute" things. In "Babylon 5: There All the Honor Lies (#2.14)" (1995), the character of Sheridan tosses it out of an airlock into space (for the same reason). Peter David took revenge in defense of his wife's honor. When Radu brings in the bear, Rosie says, "What kind of dope would toss a perfectly good Earth bear into space?" Later, we find out that the bear was left by an evil race called the "Straczyn." JMS has reportedly sworn vengeance.

Quotes:

Thelma: His temperature is thirty-five degrees Celsius. Low, even for Andromedans. Oh, and his barometric pressure is dropping. I think he's going to snow.
Commander Seth Goddard: That's ridiculous.
[Radu sneezes, and snow flies out of his ears.]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Serenity (2005)

Quite good, all things considered

"Space Cases" was obviously aimed at a younger audience than the Star Trek generation (both 1 and 2), and I think it hit the mark very well. Not only did it let younger actors in on the space race, the writing and character development was much better than some of the so-called adult Sci-Fi TV of the same period. It was written somewhat tongue in cheek, but always involved a morality lesson of some sort that I suppose an older viewer might see as banal. But let's face it; just about all TV (and movie) Sci-Fi has done the same, usually to a greater than necessary degree. I was sorry that the series was canceled, as I thought the second season showed definite improvement over the first. There were also unresolved issues that I wanted to see wrapped up. I became quite fond of the characters, and thought they interacted well and were quite believable. I would like to see both seasons released on DVD to add to my collection.

I think Bill Mumy should be proud of his writing on "Space Cases".