Captain Star
| Captain Star | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Created by |
Steven Appleby Frank Cottrell-Boyce Pete Bishop |
| Starring |
Richard E. Grant Adrian Edmondson Denica Fairman Kerry Shale Gary Martin |
| Country of origin | United Kingdom, Canada |
| Original language(s) | English |
| No. of seasons | 2 |
| No. of episodes | 13 (total) |
| Production | |
| Running time | 30 minutes |
| Distributor | DHX Media |
| Release | |
| Original network | ITV |
| Original release | 8 July 1997 – 27 August 1998 |
Captain Star was a British/Canadian animated series starring Richard E. Grant as Captain Jim Star, based on a comic by Steven Appleby: Rockets Passing Overhead. Only thirteen episodes of thirty-minutes each were produced and aired. The series ran on the British ITV and Canadian Teletoon networks from 1997 to 1998. The show was also later repeated on Locomotion in Latin America, Nickelodeon UK in the United Kingdom, and Space in Canada.
The story of Captain Star involves the crew of the rocket ship Boiling Hell, who have been ordered to a deserted planet known only as "The Nameless Planet" at the Ragged Edge of the Universe. The ship's crew consists of the egocentric and often paranoid Captain Star, Dana Scully-esque science officer Scarlette, nine-headed engineer Jones, and fish-keeping Navigator Black. They are later joined by a robot, Jim-Bob-Bob, who performs laundry duty and various other servitudes.
Captain Star is introduced in the opening theme as "the greatest hero any world has ever known". A legendary explorer who has hundreds of planets named after him, Captain Star's birthday is a holiday throughout the universe. Throughout the series, the characters await further orders from Mission Control which never come. It is unclear whether Mission Control has simply forgotten about Star and his crew, but the implication is that they have put the aging Star out to pasture, but spared him the indignity of forcing him to retire, and kept him on active duty so that he can continue to be a hero to the public. Events occurring on and off the planet, however, frequently require Star's intervention.
Captain Jim Star (Richard E. Grant) — Groomed from birth to be a starship captain, Captain Star is regarded as the greatest captain in the fleet. He left the Captain's Academy at age 12 to spend a year as a trainee under Captain Ned Nova of the Merry Cheeser, who had named 115 planets after himself, which was the record until Star surpassed him. Captain Star is roughly 127 "space years" old, which appears to make him a man in his fifties in his society. Not humble, though not excessively arrogant, Captain Star believes himself to be a hero and feels deserving of his universal acclaim. He is often oblivious to danger and to the advice and concerns of his crew. Unquestioningly loyal, Star firmly believes that his orders will eventually come.
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