# The Starlost **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [December 6, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-starlost/97221 "2001-12-06T14:27:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 6\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Johnny\_L.A](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johnny_l.a/32/1084_2.png) [@Johnny\_L.A](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Johnny_L.A)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-starlost/97221/1 "2001-12-06T14:27:08Z")
Does anyone remember _The Starlost_? It only lasted about six episodes. Harlan Ellison was developing the science-fiction series for teevee (along with Ben Bova and others), but by the time the network was done dicking around with it, Ellison got pissed off and left (he insisted that his name be removed from the credits, to be replaced by “Cordwainer Bird”) and the script was turned into a novel called _Phoenix Without Ashes_ by Edward Bryant. The fiasco is described in great detail in Ellison’s introduction _Somehow, I Don’t Think We’re in Kansas, Toto_. The premise is that the Earth was doomed, so a gigantic ship (200 miles long) was made to transport all of Earth’s cultures to a new home. It was a “generation ship” (is there a film being developed with that name?) and after a while people forgot they were on a ship. They lived in 50-mile-diameter “biodomes” and they came to accept over a very very long time that these were their “worlds”. Unfortunately, the ship’s crew had died or had been killed. They might have been killed by a phenomenon called “Nemesis”, but I don’t recall exactly. In any case, for generations the ship has been flying off course and was heading directly for a star. It was up to a trio (?) who discovered the secret to save the ship and its inhabitants from being destroyed. There was one character called “Garth” who was Amish. He was being hunted by his people because he didn’t believe that they were actually on a planet. He discovers a hatch and escapes and joins another guy and a girl. Together, they go from dome to dome, trying to find the ship’s bridge and hoping they can alter the ship’s course so as to avoid being incinerated in the star. Personally, I thought it was great. But then, I was a pre-teen when it came out. I’ve read the book, and I saw the error of my ways. It probably was absolute crap. But I’d like to see it again to be sure. Oh… I don’t think they ever revealed what “Nemesis” is. Maybe it’s just my bad memory, but I’d like to know. ---
**Author:** ![Wendell\_Wagner](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/8491ac/32.png) [@Wendell\_Wagner](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Wendell_Wagner)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 2:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-starlost/97221/2 "2001-12-06T14:50:21Z")
_The Starcrossed_ by Ben Bova is a fictionalized version of the making of _The Starlost_. ---
**Author:** ![RealityChuck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/realitychuck/32/195_2.png) [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-starlost/97221/3 "2001-12-06T15:04:06Z")
I saw an episode or two. They were terminally mediocre. _The Starcrossed_ was infinitely superior. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-starlost/97221/4 "2001-12-06T15:20:03Z")
I used to love _Starlost_. I read somewhere that many of the stories were written by highschool students. I don’t know if this is true or not, but it would be consistant with the quality of the show. I just find it amazing that people could be stuck on a ship for so long that their decendants don’t realize that they are on a ship. Plus, you would think that something that was supposed to be the salvation of humanity would have a few more redundant systems built into it. However, I always wanted to visit Cypress Corner, the dome that Garths’ companions came from. Wasn’t the computer a forerunner to the computer on _Red Dwarf_? ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 3:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-starlost/97221/5 "2001-12-06T15:58:45Z")
I think I may once have seen part of an episode, but I’m not sure. I’ve read Harlan Ellison’s rants on it with great delight, and have read **Phoenix without Ashes** , Bova’s **The Starcrossed** , and the original script, which was published in the anthology **Faster Than Light** (even though the whole point of a generation starship is that it _isn’t_ faster than light). ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2001, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-starlost/97221/6 "2001-12-06T17:50:16Z")
[Here](http://www.snowcrest.net/fox/star.html) is a good site for The Starlost.