Space Rangers

Sure, this series was kind of hokey, and sure, the characters were -- as one of the IMDb comments points out -- rather cartoonish. And there's no denying that the stories were highly derivative; you'll find deliberate echoes of "Star Wars," "Star Trek," "Aliens," and a host of old space operas from the early days of TV.

But that's pretty much the point. I'm old enough to remember those early shows -- "Captain Video," "Captain Midnight, " "Tom Corbett," "Space Patrol" -- and "Space Rangers," when I saw it back in '93, had the same kind of unpretentious charm, along with likable (if thoroughly stereotyped) characters, colorful aliens, and plenty of action. It also had a terrific, pounding opening theme by Hans Zimmer (it is on my iPod even as I write this), as well as the pulchritudinous six-foot-tall Marjorie Monaghan as a pilot (so easy on the eyes) and -- in a brilliant bit of casting -- the diminutive Linda Hunt as the Rangers' commander, possessor of one of the most soothing, intelligent voices in the Solar System.

The fact that the show had an obviously low budget seems somehow appropriate; it gives "Rangers" yet another connection to "Tom Corbett" and its ilk.

I was never a fan of "Star Trek"; it seemed just a bit too slick, smug, and preachy. Sure, it was probably, quote-unquote better than "Space Rangers," but I preferred the latter, and I still remember how surprised and disappointed I was when it was canceled so abruptly.

there are thirteen episodes of space rangers all of which have been shown on TV in the united states , I believe the people who write up the sci-fi channels guide should know this as well as I do . until recently you could get all thirteen episodes on disc , not sure if it's still available . overall it was a very good show that was never given a chance mostly because it wasn't a big major studio production . it was an interesting idea for a show ,with good acting and good story lines , the special effects weren't bad for the time . and really should have been given a real chance .it was never shown on network TV at all as far as I know , but you could catch it on one or two oddball channels . and usually late at night or very early in the morning .and this was when it was a new show , there seemed to be a concerted effort to kill the show before it could develop a real following . much the same as was done with enterprise , or with the linties remake of dark shadows ! which were both killed of despite large followings and the protests of a huge amount of fans . we could use a show such as space rangers right about now , some of us out here have had as much reality TV as our stomachs can handle !

There are some great bones for this but the cinematography and editing are awful. Every few seconds the frame rate slows just slightly in an apparent attempt to be dramatic but it just makes it look like the film was dragging. And the deliberate camera shake is nauseating.

Props are meh and graphics are meg but not unduly so for the year and tech at the time. It's just the lighting and cinematography that makes it nearly unwatchable.

There are some great actors along side some awful ones. And blast it, I know Cary-Hiroyuki Tagawa is not that bad of an actor but man is he bad in this. I can only hope it was poor direction and script for him.

My cousin is a set designer. He made a lot of the stuff on the show including the ship that they used and he even wrote an alien language for the show that was posted on signs and walls around the base that the rangers live and work out of. I have seen every episode of the show including the ones that never aired. I have even read the scripts for episodes that were never filmed. It is a shame that the show got canceled, it was about to get really good. I really don't know what else to say, IMDb says that my post must have at least ten lines of text, but I read posts all the time that have a lot less. I really don't understand why I have to post at least ten lines here. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard.

I adored the episodes I saw of this show, and hungered for more. Only the first three were shown during its first run, although all of them may have been shown at a later time. I believe there are five episodes in all, and you can rent them on VHS, I encourage you to do so. Some reviewers at the time called it "A-Team in space," which is quite valid, and it was lots of fun. Great special effects, the actors were really good, and the story lines were not too heavy, but had enough meaning that it's worth watching. I'd love for Sci-Fi Channel to show the episodes regularly or in a marathon. Go watch the video, and enjoy! :)