Star Maidens

Star Maidens is a British-German science-fiction television series, made by Portman Productions for the ITV network. Produced in 1975, and first broadcast in 1976, it was filmed at Bray Studios and on location in Windsor and Bracknell, Berkshire, and Black Park, Buckinghamshire. The series was partly financed by a German company, Werbung im Rundfunk (Advertising in Broadcasting), which dealt with distributing funding from the limited commercials shown on West German public TV. In this case, it was acting on behalf of the channel ZDF, which showed the series in West Germany. The series consisted of thirteen 25-minute episodes. Based on an idea by Jost Graf von Hardenberg, the series was created by Eric Paice,[1] who also wrote four of the 13 episodes. Two episodes were written by John Lucarotti and five by Ian Stuart Black (both of whom had previous experience writing episodes of Doctor Who), with two by Otto Strang. Producer James Gatward also directed two episodes, while Wolfgang Storch and Freddie Francis directed five each, with Hans Heinrich directing one. The series presents a "battle of the sexes" and role reversal scenario. The planet Medusa, home to a highly evolved and technologically advanced humanoid race, was already ruled by its women when a rogue comet (as seen in the opening titles of each episode) knocked it out of its orbit around Proxima Centauri. Drifting through space, the orphan planet's surface became uninhabitable, with the inhabitants surviving in huge underground cities. The series begins with Medusa's entry into Earth's solar system. At first heartened to discover another inhabited planet, the Medusans are “disappointed” to discover that, “contrary to all common sense”, Earth is controlled by men—with some Medusans even considering this a possible threat to their society. In order to reach this apparent male “paradise” two Medusan males, Adam (Pierre Brice) and Shem (Gareth Thomas), escape to Earth using a recently repaired ship.[2] Although initially thought to have burned up in Earth’s atmosphere, the pair survive and are consequently pursued by Medusan security forces. When the Medusans, led by Supreme Councillors Fulvia (Judy Geeson) and Octavia (Christiane Krüger), fail to re-capture their two men, they take two human hostages – Dr Rudi Schmidt (Christian Quadflieg) and his assistant Dr Liz Becker (Lisa Harrow) – back with them to Medusa. Following the initial four episodes, which deal with the arrival of Adam and Shem on Earth and their various attempts to evade capture and seek asylum from the pursuing Medusan authorities, subsequent episodes present largely self-contained storylines set either on Medusa or Earth, showing the two pairs' various attempts to adapt to life on these alien worlds while officials broker an exchange, led by Rudi and Liz's boss, Professor Evans (Derek Farr). In the final episode, the two Medusans' ships involved in carrying out the agreed exchange are pursued by a spacecraft belonging to an alien race – known only as the ”Enemy” – that had hunted Medusans in the past. Despite their advanced technology and general antagonism displayed throughout the series, the Medusans prove incapable of actually fighting an enemy they instinctively fear: the “Enemy” is only defeated thanks to the joint actions of Dr Schmidt and Adam. The relieved Medusans return home with, it is implied, an altered opinion of men.

Director

Eric Paice, Jost Graf von Hardenberg