"Cordwainer Bird" (not to be confused with "Cordwainer Smith," another gifted fantasist) wrote about his efforts to get THE STARLOST up and running in his superb collection STALKING THE NIGHTMARE; author Ben Bova even turned the sordid tale into a novel, THE STARCROSSED; and the end result, a cheesy shot-on-video series that makes even the early DR. WHO and the original DARK SHADOWS (bloopers and all) look like High Art, rates a pass. Only die-hard fans of Mr. Bird will find this alleged entertainment even remotely interesting: this is a clear-cut case of "the bland leading the bland" (as Bird himself might say). The Starlost itself looks like a leftover from Trumbell's SILENT RUNNING (another underwhelming experience in its own right). If ever a TV series deserved a second chance, it's THE STARLOST. Better still, A BOY AND HIS DOG or BRILLO (or any one of a score of other stories by "Cordwainer") would make for great ongoing shows.
Review of The Starlost
