io9: disco

Buck Rogers In The Disco Century

Kevin Kelly — Tue, 08 Jan 2008 17:00:07 PST

Buck certainly knows how to strut his stuff and get down with it. We've already seen the phenomenon that is the disco-dancing Buckettes on skates, but what about Buck himself showing folks the intergalactic funky chicken? It's great how the DJ just sort of gets the gist of what Buck is explaining to him through hand signals and finger snaps. Plus that Princess Ardala might be a vampy bitch, but she dives right into the dancing fray, bikini top and crazy headdress in tow.

We're not sure why Wilma wouldn't give things a spin, maybe with Tiger Man who is watching impassively in the background. Guess he wasn't a slave to the rhythm. Twiki isn't above getting out there and trying something new, so why does she have to be such a stick in the mud? This would be her chance to show Ardala up in an cosmic battle of boogie.

Nothing Says 'Party!' Like Dystopian Disco

Kevin Kelly — Mon, 10 Dec 2007 14:30:14 PST

Blade Runner: The Final Cut had a screening last night at the Jules Verne Adventure Film Festival, and Warner Bros. decided to host the after-party at the famous Bradbury Building in downtown Los Angeles. io9 was there, snapping photos and gawking. If you've seen the film, then you know it's the rat-infested condemned shithole where J.F. Sebastian lived. Let's party! Check out our huge gallery of pictures after the jump.

Disco Skating In The Twenty-Fifth Century With Buck Rogers

Annalee Newitz — Tue, 09 Oct 2007 15:38:48 PDT

If you don't know why the early-1980s Buck Rogers in the 25th Century TV series is damn near perfect, then this clip from the episode "Escape from Wedded Bliss" will explain it all to you. Earth is in danger because evil Princess Ardala (wearing the purple spangly lingerie and tiara) has declared that she'll use her superweapon to destroy New Chicago unless Buck agrees to marry her. When she zooms down to meet up with Buck, the Earthies throw a reception for her with "traditional folk dancing" which turns out to be disco skating. As if that weren't enough to make you weep with joy, we see Ardala giving Buck the old predatory eye, while two soldiers behind her sport the Gay Uniforms of the future: all white polyester knit with rainbow armbands. Don't thank me for this clip, thank Buck Rogers exec producer Glen Larson, who also worked on the 1980s Battlestar Galactica.

Must See: Buck Rogers In The 25th Century

charliejane — Sun, 30 Sep 2007 22:40:43 PDT

Must-see TV shows are futuristic classics that shouldn't be missed. Of course, not every must-see is perfect. That's why we've rated them 1-5 on the patented "crunchy goodness" scale.

Title: Buck Rogers In The 25th Century
Date: 1979-1981

Vitals: A twentieth-century astronaut gets caught in a swirly thingy and goes into suspended animation, only to wake up 500 years later, surrounded by people in white jumpsuits with rainbow armbands. Somehow, after just a few weeks in the future, he masters their advanced technology and becomes one of the top space-fighter pilots

Famous names: Gil Gerard!!!, Erin Gray, Mel Blanc, Glen Larson

Crunchy goodness: 3

Stunt casting: Gary Coleman as Hieronymous Fox, a child genius and ruler of the planet Genesia, who gets kidnapped and becomes Buck's best pal after his rescue. (Runner up: Jamie Lee Curtis, who stars as a bad-ass convict in the show's "women in prison" episode.)

Most painfully dated moment: The whole show is one long scarydisco flashbasic, basically, but the roller-disco cultural ambassadors probably take the cake.

The shit: Princess Ardala (Pamela Hensley) really seems like she gets off on destroying planets in a spangly bra — making her the kind of girl we need to see more often on television. In season two, Hawk (Thom Christopher) tries to bring the same joy to his feathery headdress, but it's just not the same.

Buck Rogers - EARTH Defense Directorate: Cast, Episodes, Profiles, Audio, Video & More