80’s Sci-Fi/Fantasy TV Shows Revisited

Lately, certain images/scenes from TV shows I watched growing up had sprung to mind and I desperately Googled descriptions of the shows as I no longer remember some of their titles. Thankfully I had found them again on Youtube and felt a smattering of nostalgia for some childhood afternoon and evenings spent on feeding my imagination with Sci-Fi/Fantasy themes in front of the tube .

Star Fleet [X-Bomber]

The one name (and character) I could never forget in this show is Lamia (or F-zero-one). It was a fascination for me to watch marionettes move and act and basically be the cast of the show, so I followed the story as diligently as I could. However, since English is not my native language I could not for the life of me understand why Lamia is F-01 and what it all means. I still don’t today. I would really love to re-watch the whole show.

Captain Power and the Soldiers of the Future

This show has some images I could never forget — it was the Western sentai show, which was unique in its own way since the power suits were not identical nor rainbow colored like the Japanese sentais’, and I love how mean and metallic the costumes were as the cast powered up on that ‘power-upping-machine.’ I think part of the show’s attractions is that it was not necessarily children’s TV. There were some adult themes in it which I was able to vaguely pick up at that age.

My Secret Identity

Now here is the weirdest show I ever watched, although I did not follow it as regularly as I did the previous two. The one strong memory I have for this show — apart from its catchy opening theme — is how the main character sprays what I thought then was deodorant onto his underarms and the stuff magically let’s him fly! Apparently there’s a scientific explanation for it, yet how weird and  mind-boggling was that? I thought the show was pretty silly and therefore did not really take much of a liking to it. However, I could remember vaguely how many, many years later I was thrilled to see Jerry O’Connell star in an MTV film about his cockroach-infested flat (I know, I could Google the title but I don’t feel it’s that important to) because I knew he was that very same boy who could fly with a spray of deodorant.

Quantum Leap

So much English words I could not understand. So much Science-y stuff I could not really fathom. But hey, anything that deals with time travel was my thing and I loved the show for its wonderful adventures leaping through time.

Alien Nation

How could I ever forget the images this show had iron-branded in my memory? Those large, hairless, patterned alien heads co-existing with hairy humans. But then that is the main fascination I had for the show — co-existence. Here are two species of intelligent beings trying to live in harmony and battling issues of racism, which is what I basically took away from the show.

Wonder Woman

Yes, this is not exactly an 80’s TV show, but it was aired on Philippine TV during this time and I was very, very, VERY young when I watched Wonder Woman starring Lynda Carter. I just loved her! She was just so… so beautiful (that is, I thought she was stunning at that very young age)!! I loved her so much that I scribbled her image in books or any paper I can get my hands on, much to the consternation of my parents. I believe those drawings still exist today. I was quite a vandal!

The Incredible Hulk

I watched this show about the same period I watched ‘Wonder Woman,‘ and it stars Lou Ferrigno. My parents recollected how very scared I was of Hulk. Actually, I do remember being irrationally scared of him. Who on earth is colored green and has serious anger issues, right? I remember hiding behind where a family member was seated, cowering in fear and peeking from time to time from behind the chair to see what on earth Hulk was up to now and when will he go away? It was a combination of fear and fascination.

Of course, last but not the least, the most famous car I knew at that age:

Knight Rider

What else can I say? Cool, talking car and a handsome driver — David Hasselhoff! He had always been Knight Rider to me long before he became Baywatch lifeguard.

Well, there you have it. My childhood relationship with the telly in a nutshell!

There are probably more TV shows in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy genre which may have probably slipped my mind, but these are the ones which stood out for now. However, there is but one show in particular which had such an impact on my imagination — that jaw-dropping, electrifying, anxiety-causing, spellbinding, mind-blowing sort of imagery that made go “What in the name of humanity did I just watch there?” for many, many years hence.

Thanks enormously to the many developments in the internet, with the advent of Youtube and online piracy, I was now able to find that stirring show that had so devastatingly haunted my noggin’ through adolescence and adulthood, and it was none other than a single episode from Hammer House of Horror and Suspense called, “Child’s Play.” (No, this is not the same Child’s Play with the serial-killing, demon-possessed Chuckie doll.)