STAR COPS: Introduction and Background
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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.
I can provide excellent copies of all nine episodes to interested parties
for the cost of the blanks and postage. Reply by U.S. mail, please.
Micky DuPree
24 Boston St. #2
Somerville, MA 02143-2011
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.
provided as part of a free service in connection with distribution of
Sf-Lovers Digest. This file is currently maintained by the moderator of
the Digest. It may be freely copied or redistributed in whole or in part
as long as this notice and any copyright notices or other identifying
headers or trailers remain intact. If you would like to know more about
Sf-Lovers Digest, send mail to SF-LOVERS-REQUEST@RUTGERS.EDU.]
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.
I can provide excellent copies of all nine episodes to interested parties
for the cost of the blanks and postage. Reply by U.S. mail, please.
Micky DuPree
24 Boston St. #2
Somerville, MA 02143-2011
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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