Reviewed by Robert Runté
Starlost Unauthorized and the Quest for Canadian Identity was a Canadian science fiction television series that first aired on September 23, 1973 and ended with episode 16, on January 5, 1974. Which immediately raises the question: Why would anyone want to read, let alone write, a book about a TV show from over fifty years ago?
D.G. Valdron is a respected critic of lesser-known SF&F media, having written the definitive three-book series on LEXX (another Canadian production) and three books on the more obscure corners of the Dr. Who universe. It was almost inevitable that his attention would turn to the strange and slightly tragic story of the making of Starlost.
As to why you should read a book about The Starlost—well, Valdron argues (convincingly) that it was an important moment in Canadian cultural history. Even if one is not old enough to have seen or remember the series, even if one is not that interested in science fiction, there are important lessons to be learned here. Understanding what happened on and to The Starlost explains much about television as a medium, about the SF genre, and about Canadian national identity.
First, Starlost is widely regarded as the worst science fiction TV series of all time—Plan 9 From Outer Space bad. Valdron makes the case, again convincingly, that that reputation is undeserved. Well, maybe not completely undeserved. I watched it in 1973, and Starlost was not great. But even at the time, I recognized that there were some elements, some moments of genius, that belied the general condemnation. The reason The Starlost has such a terrible reputation is largely because science fiction author, Harlan Ellison, wrote wincingly funny essays about it, gave hilariously critical interviews about it, and regularly denounced everyone involved with the project—except, of course, Harlan Ellison. For it was Harlan Ellison that had come up with the initial idea for the series, worked on the series bible, and provided a draft of the pilot episode. Ellison’s description of what went wrong after that diverges, somewhat, from the historical record, and it could be argued, as Valdron does, that Ellison’s version may be a bit . . . self-serving. Valdron suggests that much of what went wrong can and should be laid at Ellison’s door. Ellison’s preemptive mocking of the StarLost might therefore have exaggerated its failures and dismissed its strengths, unfairly prejudicing fans.
Second, Valdron argues that Canadian TV in the 1970s relied upon producers, actors, and writers with backgrounds in live theatre, in contrast to American TV which drew personnel from the movie industry. Like the early years of Dr. Who, much of The Starlost felt like one was watching a stage play, where audiences were asked to imagine events off camera or to accept sets more implied than present. That may not have played well to American TV audiences, where ratings were noticeably lower than in Canada.
Third, ending up as a Canadian production meant The Starlost reflected Canadian themes and values that may not always have been completely aligned with those anticipated by American audiences. Valdron argues the series may not have been bad so much as different from Star Trek and American space opera. I have long argued that Canadian speculative fiction is a distinct subgenre from American mass market SF, and not always accepted by American editors and reviewers when it diverges from American tropes and sensibilities. Valdron takes a deep dive into Starlost themes and makes a compelling case that episodes were often deeply influenced by Canadian issues, ideas, and solutions. His is one of the better analyses of the struggle for Canadian identity in the 1970s and how that shaped, limited, and manifested in Canadian television.
Fourth, the things that went wrong with The Starlost were not its fault. That the episodes exist at all is a sort of miracle given tight budgets, tighter timelines, promises made and broken, and circumstances beyond anyone’s control. Reading Valdron’s account of everything that went wrong (which is pretty much everything that could go wrong), gives the reader a lot of insight into how television gets made, or doesn’t. Behind the scenes are heroic tales of Herculean efforts to overcome insurmountable odds. It is exciting stuff and raises one’s appreciation of the series, of any series, to new levels.
Valdron’s analysis, then, is not just about setting the record straight—that The Starlost deserves better than its maligned reputation—but also an important record of the emergence of a Canadian cultural industry, of a Canadian identity, of a pioneering effort that still holds lessons for us today.
The book is a great, fast read. There is, admittedly, a fair bit of repetition, but that is a feature not a bug. Valdron has deliberately divided the book up into self-contained sections: the history of how the show came to be; an in-depth discussion of each episode; the implications of Canadian identity for the show, and therefore the show’s implications for Canadian identity; and a nerdy discussion of the science fiction premise, filling in the gaps in the story’s timeline. Consequently, the reader can jump in directly on whatever subtopic interests them, and ignore the rest.
In theory, that is. In practice, once you start anywhere, it is hard to stop because it is all written in Valdron’s inimitable breathless style. For example, he often repeats himself even within a section, but that comes across as spontaneous conversation. It feels very much like you sat next to some guy in the bar who randomly starts talking about some show he saw, and before you know it, are drawn deeply down into that rabbit hole. It is the conversation about television, about science fiction, about Canadian culture and identity, you never knew you needed.
Recommended.
[As an aside, I also highly recommend Valdron’s novel, The Mermaid’s Tale. Also themed around the consequences of cultural identity, it is one of the best meta fantasy novels ever written. A trigger warning, though: the plot revolves around a serial killer and there are some brutal scenes.]
Starlost Unauthorized and the Quest for Canadian Identity is independently published by Fossil Cove Press.