# Doomsday Mission question **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** movies\ **Created:** [September 3, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697 "2024-09-03T17:37:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 16\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 3, 2024, 5:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/1 "2024-09-03T17:37:12Z")
Back in 1967 most of _Doomsday Mission_ was filmed, then shelved. In 1972 money was gathered and the film was finished, but since the original cast and sets weren’t available, they killed off most of the crew, leaving the characters played by Bobby Van and Mala Powers. The problem with this (and this movie had so many problems it is a serious contender for worst film of all time) is that the actors in the finished film had no idea who Bobby Van or Mala Powers were except for the characters names, so male acter #2 was a tall man with a bland accent, and female actor #2 went from a Russian scientist named Georgianna Bronski to a demure Southern Belle named Georgianna Bronski (nicknamed “Georgie” of course). Leaving out the parts where the ship had cathedral-high ceilings and comfy reclining chairs spaced widely apart, the supposed Chinese doomsday device was buried _23 miles_ below the Earth’s surface (and not one person even blinked when told this), or even when every outside shot of the ship showed an entirely different vehicle (at one time changing from a silver bullet to a round space station made from giant bubbles), what I want to know is who played the second Bobby Van and Mala Powers? You would think facial recognition would help…except that, at the end of the film when the two left the American ship to go to the Russian vehicle they were in silver suits with clear visors, but when they floated over to the Russian vehicle they were in entirely different dark suits with dark visors that you couldn’t see through and they never took them off. Who played those characters when the film was finally finished, folks? Oh, I forgot to mention that the fim had Casey Kasem and Mike Farrell in it. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/2 "2024-09-04T00:11:43Z")
Am I the only one who has seen this turd? ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 12:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/3 "2024-09-04T00:15:25Z")
I have seen many, many pieces of video feces. But, sorry, I have never even heard of this one. ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 3:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/4 "2024-09-04T03:20:25Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Am I the only one who has seen this turd? 71 views and no responses. Survey says: yes! ---
**Author:** ![beowulff](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/beowulff/32/542_2.png) [@beowulff](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/beowulff)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 3:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/5 "2024-09-04T03:24:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > _Doomsday Mission_ Your title is wrong: > **[Doomsday Machine (1976) ⭐ 2.6 | Sci-Fi](https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0061592/?ref_=sr_t_3)** > > 1h 23m | Not Rated ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 3:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/6 "2024-09-04T03:39:02Z")
It had more than one title, then, because it was also known as _Escape From Planet Earth_ And they titled it _Doomsday Mission_ on that 50 movie DVD that Roku channel bought, being in public domain and all that. ---
**Author:** ![Dropo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ce7236/32.png) [@Dropo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dropo)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/7 "2024-09-04T03:43:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Am I the only one who has seen this turd? Sadly, no. I saw it decades ago. I have virtually no recollection of it (though I do remember the spaceship changing from scene to scene). The impression it left was of being atrocious and not worth watching ever again, let alone for the first time. I have no idea who the replacement actors were and doubt such information exists in this material plane. For a true cinematic masochist like yourself, you may find this IMDB post of interest - [https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3299852/?ref\_=tt\_urv](https://www.imdb.com/review/rw3299852/?ref_=tt_urv) ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 4:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/8 "2024-09-04T04:01:53Z")
I question that post. _Star Pilot_ was made before _Doomsday Machine_, and the plot line the IMDB fanpost does not match up at all with what the official IMDB page says for _Star Pilot_. The only connection it may have was when the film was re-released in the U.S. in the 70’s the edited in some scenes from _Doomsday Machine_. I will watch _Star Pilot_ to check that part out. Original \*Star Pilot" 1966 Most of _Doomsday Machine_ 1967 Rest of _Doomsday Machine_ 1972 or so Overseas version of _Star Pilot_ with pieces of _Doomsday Machine_ decoratively attached 1977 or so. Edited to add: Wiki says about _Star Pilot_, " Once in space, the film uses stock special-effects footage from [Toho](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Toho) Studio’s films _[Invasion of Astro-Monster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Invasion_of_Astro-Monster)_ and _[Gorath](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gorath)_ to depict a pursuit of Chaena’s ship and an ecological catastrophe on Earth." My current speculation is that they both borrowed the same scenes from _Gorath_. ---
**Author:** ![2nd\_Law](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/2/f475e1/32.png) [@2nd\_Law](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/2nd_Law)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 4:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/9 "2024-09-04T04:13:25Z")
Yeah, I watched this piece of dreck – I think it was free on youtube. I can’t remember any of the details because I couldn’t get past the “the Chinese have a bomb that will kill all life on earth and they are going to set it off … because… ???” ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 7:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/10 "2024-09-04T19:14:20Z")
Oh, now I recognize the title. I’ve seen it _several_ times, although only via Cinematic Titanic (part of the team that originally did MST3k). And dear god, yes it’s terrible. And no, it makes no sense. And no, I have never cared enough to try to dig up who were the “actors” who were used for the finishing sequence. ---
**Author:** ![phs3](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/8491ac/32.png) [@phs3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/phs3)\ **Post date:** [September 4, 2024, 9:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/11 "2024-09-04T21:16:33Z")
For the record, nobody gets to confuse this with the ST:TOS episode _The Doomsday Machine_, which was one of the best episodes ever! ---
**Author:** ![Peter\_Morris](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/peter_morris/32/359_2.png) [@Peter\_Morris](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peter_Morris)\ **Post date:** [September 5, 2024, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/12 "2024-09-05T00:00:08Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > … _Doomsday Mission_ … Checks Wiki Checks IMDB Nope, can’t find anything about it. > [@Czarcasm](#): > > … _Doomsday Machine_ … Ah. That would explain it. ---
**Author:** ![Cumberdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/8c91f0/32.png) [@Cumberdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cumberdale)\ **Post date:** [September 6, 2024, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/13 "2024-09-06T18:58:05Z")
I do enjoy that movie. It goes from goofy to dark to WTF. It is such a product of its time. It’s been a while sinc I’ve seen it so I may have to watch it again after work. Edited to add I have no idea who voices the characters at the end. Edited again to add that the death by ponytail is one of cinemas greatest scenes ever. I’m surprised John Wick hasn’t worked in a variant of that way of taking someone out. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/14 "2024-09-09T00:40:23Z")
I caught the _Cinematic Titanic_ version this afternoon, and it was magnificently awful. ---
**Author:** ![ParallelLines](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/parallellines/32/3575_2.png) [@ParallelLines](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParallelLines)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 1:10am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/15 "2024-09-09T01:10:47Z")
Ah, truly it was a movie that deserved the treatment of being mocked by an entire group of professional comedians for our amusement! Truly, for all following along in the thread, do try the _Cinematic Titanic_ version, which will take away the burn of epic WTF moments, and let you have the fellowship of like minded sorts mocking right along with you. ---
**Author:** ![solost](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/solost/32/11776_2.png) [@solost](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/solost)\ **Post date:** [September 9, 2024, 1:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/doomsday-mission-question/1006697/16 "2024-09-09T13:54:02Z")
> [@ParallelLines](#): > > Oh, now I recognize the title. I’ve seen it _several_ times, although only via Cinematic Titanic (part of the team that originally did MST3k). > [@Czarcasm](#): > > I caught the _Cinematic Titanic_ version this afternoon, and it was magnificently awful. I also watched the Cinematic Titanic version of the movie. Thanks, ParallelLines, for the tip that it existed! It was indeed magnificently awful, and perfect fodder for a MST3K-derivative comedy treatment. This is probably a relatively minor thing to bother me about the movie, with so much other awfulness to marvel at, but I thought it strange that they chose Venus as a planet to visit, not the usual go-to planet, Mars. I would have thought that by 1967 or '68, when filming began, it was pretty common knowledge that Venus was a 900 degrees Fahrenheit hellscape.