# The Six Million Dollar Man **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 6, 2009, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631 "2009-11-06T20:15:21Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Hypno-Toad](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b2d939/32.png) [@Hypno-Toad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hypno-Toad)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/41 "2018-07-13T14:26:14Z")
Well, the Greatest Hero you can get for Six Million Dollars. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 3:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/42 "2018-07-13T15:11:02Z")
You know what’s funny about shows like 6MDM? At that time, the tech was “twenty minutes into the future”. It didn’t exist, but you could imagine it existing in the theoretical stage. But here we are 40 years later, and we’re no closer to having “the world’s first bionic man” than we were then. And if you did an update show, where Steve-o was alive in 2018, you know the tech would have become commercially available since. And we’d have whole squadrons of bionic “super soldiers”. And probably powered armor like Starship Troopers. And returning wounded vets and accident survivors would have cheap normally powered artificial limbs. Bionic tech wouldn’t have remained static and secret all these years. It has far too many applications. ---
**Author:** ![Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ba9def/32.png) [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Just_Asking_Questions)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 3:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/43 "2018-07-13T15:23:24Z")
Wasn’t the [2007 show Chuck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_(TV_series)) sort of a modern take on ol Six Mil? A normal person who becomes augmented and gets recruited for spy missions? ---
**Author:** ![Bryan\_Ekers](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bryan_ekers/32/183_2.png) [@Bryan\_Ekers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bryan_Ekers)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/44 "2018-07-13T16:07:05Z")
> [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](#): > > Whoa, one of my zombie topics was resurrected. Cool. We could rebuild it. We had the technology. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/45 "2018-07-13T16:20:21Z")
> [@xizor](#): > > Any remake will be crap and fail without the “I’m using my bionics” sound effect. “Dat-dat-dat-dat-da”… Heh. All the kids in my neighborhood growing up watched the show, and we all played Bionic Man. Although we all had different sets of bionic limbs in our imaginations, we all did the sound effect when we used them! I might watch a Mark Wahlberg remake, depending on the reviews. Hope they give Lee Majors a cameo (yikes - he’s 79!). ---
**Author:** ![Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/les_espaces_du_sommeil/32/308_2.png) [@Les\_Espaces\_Du\_Sommeil](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Les_Espaces_Du_Sommeil)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/46 "2018-07-13T16:39:58Z")
> [@Don\_Draper](#): > > … My personal favorite Steve Austin adventure was the one with the Venus probe - basically an over-steroided Dalek - crash landing on Earth and running amok… That one scared me witless at the time (I was 4 or 5). ---
**Author:** ![Dewey\_Finn](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dewey_finn/32/4222_2.png) [@Dewey\_Finn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dewey_Finn)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/47 "2018-07-13T17:36:42Z")
That’s the first episode I remember (the second being the one with Bigfoot). ---
**Author:** ![epbrown01](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7ba0ec/32.png) [@epbrown01](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/epbrown01)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/48 "2018-07-13T17:48:48Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > Wasn’t the [2007 show Chuck](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chuck_(TV_series)) sort of a modern take on ol Six Mil? A normal person who becomes augmented and gets recruited for spy missions? There have been several versions over the years, but due to the rights issue no one could ever have bionic limbs, so you got brain upgrades or nanotech like _Bionic Woman_, _Jake 2.0_ and _Chuck_. ---
**Author:** ![Lips\_Obsession](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/bbce88/32.png) [@Lips\_Obsession](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lips_Obsession)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/49 "2018-07-13T18:58:34Z")
I remember reading a story around the time that the Andre the Giant special came out on ESPN and I learned that Andre portrayed Bigfoot in 6MDM. I had no idea. I watched all the bionic shows when I was growing up, too… ---
**Author:** ![Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/intergalactic_gladiator/32/112_2.png) [@Intergalactic\_Gladiator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Intergalactic_Gladiator)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 10:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/50 "2018-07-13T22:31:20Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > I might watch a Mark Wahlberg remake, depending on the reviews. Hope they give Lee Majors a cameo (yikes - he’s 79!). Majors just played Ash’s dad in several episodes of Evil Dead, so he’s still out there. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Tooth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c67d28/32.png) [@The\_Tooth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Tooth)\ **Post date:** [July 13, 2018, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/51 "2018-07-13T23:51:17Z")
And a better choice couldn’t have been made. ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/52 "2018-07-14T04:21:31Z")
Anybody know their Air Force decorations and can tell us what medals Col. Austin won?: [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/33/ff/8e33ff7dad0e3ad7533ffb6343d3ba86.jpg](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/33/ff/8e33ff7dad0e3ad7533ffb6343d3ba86.jpg) ---
**Author:** ![cochrane](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cochrane/32/10441_2.png) [@cochrane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cochrane)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 5:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/53 "2018-07-14T05:21:28Z")
I like the Venture Brothers’ take on the $6 Million Man. [![](https://img.youtube.com/vi/XU0tio7WZtE/hqdefault.jpg "Say Goodbye to Sasquatch | The Venture Bros. | Adult Swim") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XU0tio7WZtE) ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 12:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/54 "2018-07-14T12:01:48Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Anybody know their Air Force decorations and can tell us what medals Col. Austin won?: [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/33/ff/8e33ff7dad0e3ad7533ffb6343d3ba86.jpg](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/33/ff/8e33ff7dad0e3ad7533ffb6343d3ba86.jpg) [Partial answer.](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Austin_(character)) > [@](#): > > In the pilot episode of The Six Million Dollar Man, Austin’s background is adjusted: he is a civilian test pilot who was the only civilian to walk on the Moon. In the regular series, however, Austin once again became a military man, holding the rank of colonel in the Air Force. In the episode “Pilot Error” Austin is shown to be wearing both the Vietnam Service Medal and the Vietnam Campaign Medal on his dress uniform, implying that he is a Vietnam veteran. ---
**Author:** ![mbh](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a6a055/32.png) [@mbh](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mbh)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 4:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/55 "2018-07-14T16:39:04Z")
> [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](#): > > Anybody know their Air Force decorations and can tell us what medals Col. Austin won?: [https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/33/ff/8e33ff7dad0e3ad7533ffb6343d3ba86.jpg](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/8e/33/ff/8e33ff7dad0e3ad7533ffb6343d3ba86.jpg) Distinguished Flying Cross Air Medal Not sure about the next one. Possibly an Air Force Outstanding Unit Award. National Defense Service Medal Vietnam Service Medal (with a Service Star) Vietnam Campaign Medal ---
**Author:** ![Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/7cd45c/32.png) [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/56 "2018-07-14T17:25:39Z")
Thanks! Good to know. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 14, 2018, 6:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/57 "2018-07-14T18:58:19Z")
Wasn’t Neil Armstrong a civilian at the time of Apollo 11? He started out as a naval aviator, but became a test pilot for NACA after serving in the Korean War. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_Sams](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/779978/32.png) [@Dale\_Sams](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_Sams)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 5:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/58 "2018-07-15T05:52:24Z")
> [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](#): > > The people back at the beginning of this thread who were clamoring for a darker, more angsty Steve Austin should watch the pilot movie, because it absolutely had that feel. Doesn’t help that Barbara Anderson has just one gear in her acting repartee. Starts very cool though. Very 70ish. ---
**Author:** ![dropzone](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dropzone/32/7515_2.png) [@dropzone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dropzone)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 11:42am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/59 "2018-07-15T11:42:18Z")
I especially liked how they used the real crash of a Northrop M2-F2 lifting body in the title sequence. Which the pilot survived, though he eventually lost an eye. > **[Bruce Peterson](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Peterson)** > > Bruce A. Peterson (May 23, 1933 – May 1, 2006) was an American aeronautical engineer, and test pilot for NASA. > Peterson was born on May 23, 1933. A native of Washburn, North Dakota, he attended the University of California at Los Angeles from 1950 to 1953, and California Polytechnic State University from 1958 to 1960. While at UCLA he held a job as an aircraft assembler for Douglas Aircraft Company. Peterson graduated with a Bachelor of Science degree in Aeronautical Engineering from Cal Poly in... ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [July 15, 2018, 3:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631/60 "2018-07-15T15:25:57Z")
> [@dropzone](#): > > I especially liked how they used the real crash of a Northrop M2-F2 lifting body in the title sequence. Which the pilot survived, though he eventually lost an eye. > > [Bruce Peterson - Wikipedia](https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bruce_Peterson) Funny story: I was watching the title sequence once, sitting next to an open window on the second floor of the house where I was living. At precisely the moment the lifting body crashed, I caught a glimpse out of the corner of my eye of a commercial airliner making a rapid descent into MSP International Airport, which was not all that far away. Scared the \*\*hell \*\*out of me; for a split second, I actually thought there \*was \*a large aircraft about to crash right on top of me! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-six-million-dollar-man/516631.md?page=4)