Buck Rogers #31: Testimony of a Traitor

"If the Earth could speak, it would cry out against the sheer insanity of this wanton destruction and it would demand that those responsible be identified and punished. But the instigators of this Armageddon perished with their innocent victims. The blame was never fixed. The scales of justice were never balanced."

WHAT'S UP, BUCK?: Buck is put on trial for his role in the nuclear holocaust that destroyed the Earth.

REVIEW: Back to Earth for provisions! Then to the Vega Quadrant, which isn't off the beaten path for this show. Then back to Earth... so still not on track with the Searcher's mission. But getting back to Earth gets us closer to Season 1, right? That's something. And while there's no chance to see Dr. Huer or Theo again, this episode explores Buck's past and he and Wilma do step foot on the planet. The premise is certainly interesting. Archaeologists have found video materials that show Buck Rogers was one of the people who conspired to make the nuclear holocaust happen, and he's put on trial for the atrocities of the past. Now, right away, the evidence should have been suspect, because there's no way a VIDEO TAPE would have survived a nuclear blast, even in a singed strongbox. The magnetic pulse alone... No, strike that, I have video tapes disintegrating on my shelf even as we speak. 500 years? NEVER! But of you think Buck is being framed, think again (even if it would have made more sense).

So Buck is shown video (well-edited secret surveillance footage, but let that go) of himself conspiring with generals who want him to steal the nuclear codes so they can launch a preemptive strike against the USSR, even though part of the evidence is Buck's old friend stating that the Russians launched first. But could the Conspiracy's actions have precipitated Soviet action? Buck's only recourse is a mind probe to unlock his missing memories, and they seem pretty damning too. Buck doing Mission: Impossible, throwing grenades at army jeeps, and taking pictures of the codes. But we know it can't be true, and a clandestine visit to Mount Rushmore, which he keeps flashing to, reveals a secret presidential bunker there, and ultimately, a secret mission FOR the president to rumble the conspirators, under hypnosis because Buck's not that good an actor. It was just a matter of focusing on the right set of dates with the probe to get at the truth. This isn't exactly the "Buck Rogers deep background" story you want, but I guess it shows he was an American hero even in his past life, while teasing the possibility that he got aboard that shuttle as a reward for his actions (possibly by the conspirators, who possibly didn't know he was a double-agent!). That it's told using a device that forces Buck to sit in a chair and concentrate is undramatic, but not a deal breaker. After all, he still makes an escape to Earth to prove his innocence, and Hawk uses his ship's grappling talons again to get a fighter off his tail. But we're maybe not as gripped as that fighter is.

Since the truth will out and we know it will, the episode's biggest problem is thus the way the Court behaves itself. Hiding behind "it's the future, you don't know how things might be", the episode presents what is essentially a kangaroo court run by well-meaning individuals. Buck doesn't get representation. His memories are "newly-allowed" as evidence, but the prosecutor keeps asking for the testimony to stop, and the verdict be summarily rendered. "We have enough to convict" is not a position the defense should accept, but there's no one on Buck's legal team to object. No legal team at all! The way they use this to ramp up tension is thin and artificial, sadly, but this is a future where humanity is pretty hapless. I took some pleasure at the prosecutor admonishing Admiral Asimov about the Searcher's lax security (which allowed Buck to escape); I've been saying the same thing for weeks. The prosecutor isn't a bad guy, he's just righteous and zealous and does apologize. But while the ending is a foregone conclusion and by the time we get to the reveal, we've sort of guessed it, the episode does end on the most overt kiss between Buck and Wilma. It's shared in relief, but it's not a friendly peck between colleagues. It's the strongest indication that there is an actual relationship there, one the show has been unable or unwilling to show.

STAR GAZING: A lot of television veterans in this one, but in terms of recognizable stars... William Sylvester (Lt. General Preston Myers) was the original Dr. Floyd in 2001: A Space Odyssey.

REWATCHABILITY: Medium - A little placid, but the strong premise shines through.