In Soviet Russia, Star's Trek You!

[Tuckerfan]

Commie-pinko rip off of Star Trek.

Although Russia’s science-fiction tradition predates Jules Verne, “Cosmos Patrol” is “Star Trek” in Marxist-Leninist drag. Consider the similarities: “Cosmos Patrol” takes place in the 23rd century aboard a large galaxy-cruising spaceship called the Red Adventurer (Krasny Avantyurist). Like the Starship Enterprise, the Red Adventurer is on a long-term mission of exploration on behalf of the Commonwealth of Independent Star Systems. Both ships are manned by some 400 brave and able crewmen and -women. Both ships encounter strange alien beings and bizarre celestial phenomena week after week. Both ships boast a dashing commander at their helm, with an overly intellectual first officer by his side. And both shows feature cheap special effects and odd velour uniforms.

The episode descriptions are hysterical!

[Marley23]

What kind of a dope do you have to be to make Star Trek MORE Communist??

[Scissorjack]

I’d rather eat a Kvassian bivalve.

[Alessan]

@Case Sensitive

I’d rather eat a Kvassian bivalve.

And you have!

[DoctorJ]

Do they have a guy on the bridge who speaks in a ridiculous American accent? One who talks about the “enemy vessels”?

[Paul_in_Qatar]

I know nothing of this but in early April I always suspect some sort of prank.

[Kent_Clark]

@Paul in Saudi

I know nothing of this but in early April I always suspect some sort of prank.

I was willing to be convinced until I scrolled down to the photo from the alleged show.

[geekhat=on] Doesn’t that hand weapon look a little TOO much like a phaser? [geekhat=off]

[silenus]

It’s a joke.

http://www.suchland.com/craig/archives/000102.asp

[Paul_in_Qatar]

I hate 1 April in the English-speaking world. Really I do.

[LonesomePolecat]

Raises an interesting question, though–what is TV science fiction like in the rest of the world? I’m only aware of three such programs, all British: Dr. Who, Space: 1999, and Quadermas. I suppose *Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy * might also count, though I think of it more as a comedy. There’s a lot of animated stuff from Japan that could reasonably be considered SF, I guess. Other than that, I’m out of ideas.

But what about France or Germany? Spain, Italy, Turkey, Poland? India? Rashak Mani, good buddy, do they do SF on the airwaves down in Brazil?

[Tuckerfan]

@LonesomePolecat

Raises an interesting question, though–what is TV science fiction like in the rest of the world? I’m only aware of three such programs, all British: Dr. Who, Space: 1999, and Quadermas. I suppose *Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy * might also count, though I think of it more as a comedy. There’s a lot of animated stuff from Japan that could reasonably be considered SF, I guess. Other than that, I’m out of ideas.

But what about France or Germany? Spain, Italy, Turkey, Poland? India? Rashak Mani, good buddy, do they do SF on the airwaves down in Brazil?

There’s been a couple of links on the board to Indian film versions of Superman (complete with photos of the dancing girls) and someone in the same thread linked to a Turkish rip-off of Star Trek. That one was so blatent that the producers could have easily been sued for infringement.

[Ponder_Stibbons]

@silenus

It’s a joke.

Too bad. I wanted to hear more about “the Soviets’ effort to create a wacky comedy about seven castaways trying to get rescued from a desert island.”

[kellner]

@LonesomePolecat

But what about France or Germany?

I give you:

Raumpatrouille - Die phantastischen Abenteuer des Raumschiffes Orion
(Space Patrol - The Phantastic Adventures of the Spaceship Orion)

Unfortunately only seven one-hour episodes aired in 1966.

Here are a nice review, a few pictures and a fansite.

[Kent_Clark]

@Ponder Stibbons

Too bad. I wanted to hear more about “the Soviets’ effort to create a wacky comedy about seven castaways trying to get rescued from a desert island.”

That would be Gulag’s Island.

[Cornelius_Tuggerson]

@Paul in Saudi

I hate 1 April in the English-speaking world. Really I do.

Really? Well try spending it in the Russian speaking world for a change. Those bastards once told us they were going to infuse an elephant egg-cell with mammoth DNA, have an elephant carry out the baby and then repopulate Siberia with mammoths in order to improve the local eco-systems. Do you know how great and exciting that sounds when you are just learning genetics? And then it turned out to be a big fat lie. I am usually a good sport about a well thought out April fools joke, but that just pissed me off.

[tdn]

@Tuckerfan

Although Russia’s science-fiction tradition predates Jules Verne, “Cosmos Patrol” is “Star Trek” in Marxist-Leninist drag. Consider the similarities: “Cosmos Patrol” takes place in the 23rd century aboard a large galaxy-cruising spaceship called the Red Adventurer (Krasny Avantyurist). Like the Starship Enterprise, the Red Adventurer is on a long-term mission of exploration on behalf of the Commonwealth of Independent Star Systems. Both ships are manned by some 400 brave and able crewmen and -women. Both ships encounter strange alien beings and bizarre celestial phenomena week after week. Both ships boast a dashing commander at their helm, with an overly intellectual first officer by his side. And both shows feature cheap special effects and odd velour uniforms.

Except in Cosmos Patrol, the guys in the red shirts always live!

[Rodd_Hill]

People’s Science Commissar Spock: “Comrade Captain, I regret to report that Comrade Engineer Scottski attempted Trotskyite entryism with Comrade Uhura.”

[BrainGlutton]

Was there ever any real SF on Soviet TV? Or post-Soviet Russian TV?

[Lightnin]

@BrainGlutton

Was there ever any real SF on Soviet TV? Or post-Soviet Russian TV?

Probably nothing that had anything to do with black holes.

Just a guess.

[Iacob_Matthew]

Perhaps one of the weirdest borrowings from Star Trek has Dobraydushev and a reanimated Peter the Great challenging holographic supervillains Adolf Hitler and John D. Rockefeller in a chess tournament—to the death!

It’s hearing about things like these that make me proud to spend at least an hour a day wasting my life on messageboards like this.