History Series / TheStarlost

* AfterTheEnd

%%* ArtificialGravity

* CityInABottle: The biospheres.

* AbsenteeActor: In the "Space Precinct" episode, Devon and Rachel are almost completely absent due to ElevatorFailure.

* OnlyOnename: In the introduction for the novelization ''Phoenix Without Ashes'', Harlan Ellison explains that in such a small, controlled society, there need not be more than one Devon, Rachel, or Garth. And also, the names are passed from generation to generation. Therefore, for example, "Old Garth" is the father of "Young Garth" who would become "Old Garth" upon the passing of the previous "Old Garth". In the duration where there are three living generations, the grandfather is "Old" and the middle generation is "Elder" till the passing of the grandfather.[[note]]It is worth noting that Devon was regularly called "Young Devon" despite being an orphan, thus the only living male of his line. This may have been because although a young adult, he was still unmarried and not even betrothed to anyone; unthinkable in their culture.[[/note]] Women are identified by their one name plus "daughter of (insert father's name)" or "wife of (insert husband's name)" in keeping with strict gender roles. Real Amish do have actual last names which are usually German.

* OnlyOnename: In the introduction for the novelization ''Phoenix Without Ashes'', Harlan Ellison explains that in such a small, controlled society, there need not be more than one Devon, Rachel, or Garth. And also, the names are passed from generation to generation. Therefore, for example, "Old Garth" is the father of "Young Garth" who would become "Old Garth" upon the passing of the previous "Old Garth". In the rare cases where there are three living generations, the grandfather is "Old" and the middle generation "Elder".[[note]] It is worth noting that Devon was regularly called "Young Devon" despite being an orphan, thus the only living male of his line. This may have been because although a young adult, he was still unmarried and not even betrothed to anyone; unthinkable in their culture.[[/note]] Women are identified by their one name plus "daughter of (insert father's name)" or "wife of (insert husband's name)" in keeping with strict gender roles. Real Amish do have actual last names which are usually German.

* OnlyOnename: In the introduction for the novelization ''Phoenix Without Ashes'', Harlan Ellison explains that in such a small, controlled society, there need not be more than one Devon, Rachel, or Garth. And also, the names are passed from generation to generation. Therefore, for example, "Old Garth" is the father of "Young Garth" who would become "Old Garth" upon the passing of the previous "Old Garth". In the rare cases where there are three living generations, the grandfather is "Old" and the middle generation "Elder". Women are identified by their one name plus "daughter of (insert father's name)" or "wife of (insert husband's name)" in keeping with strict gender roles. Real Amish do have actual last names which are usually German.

* FollowTheLeader: The layout of the ship is familiar from many media presenting generational ships.

* AIIsACrapshoot: "Can I be of... assistance?" The computer interface for the entire ship, Mu Lambda 165, is a mildly condescending, occasionally glitchy computer AI who manages to irritate just about everyone.

* {{Gendercide}}: The Omnicron biosphere consists entirely of men, due to chromosome damage.
** Which is also an example of ArtisticLicenseBiology, since in mammals the ''default'' development pathway is ''female''. You need the special genes on the Y chromosome to develop as a male, and not having a functional X chromosome is universally fatal.

* VitriolicBestBuds: Devon and Garth. But this gets downplayed along with the LoveTriangle after the first two episodes. After that, they clash only occasionally when Garth gets into his [[ScrewThisImOuttaHere "It's no use!"]] mood, but Devon and Rachel always manage to convince him to stay and press on. And Garth settles for BetterAsFriends with Rachel.

Devon (Keir Dullea of ''Film/TwoThousandOneASpaceOdyssey'') is an inquisitive young man native to the Amish-like culture of Cypress Corners. In love with [[LoveInterest Rachel]], he refuses to accept her ArrangedMarriage to his friend Garth. His disruptive ways win him no love from the Elders of Cypress Corners, and eventually expand his world beyond anything he imagined: he discovers in one night both the corruption of the Elders and an access hatch to the rest of the ship. Fleeing the Elders through the hatch, he explores the ship and uses its library computer system to discover a disturbing truth: within five years the ARK will plunge into a star. Devon returns to Cypress Corners to warn his friends and family, but is tried for heresy and sentenced to be executed. Garth helps him to escape the night before his execution, and Devon convinces both Garth and Rachel to follow him into the ship on a quest to find both the backup bridge and someone who can pilot.

* AlanSmithee: Series co-creator Creator/HarlanEllison took his name off the project and used instead "Cordwainer Bird", which was his version of the pseudonymous "Alan Smithee" credit used by film directors. The only aspect of the series that Ellison kept his name on was ''Phoenix Without Ashes'', the {{novelization}} of the show's pilot episode.

** Which is also an example of YouFailBiologyForever, since in mammals the ''default'' development pathway is ''female''. You need the special genes on the Y chromosome to develop as a male, and not having a functional X chromosome is universally fatal.

%%* PacingProblems: And how.

-->-- '''Opening narration''

Despite the many problems during production and the show's initial lukewarm ratings, it has a following, and A DVD boxset was released in 2008.

* TheAgeless: The kids in the "Children of Methuselah" episode appear to have been given an immortality serum before reaching pubescence.

* FollowTheLeader: The layout of the ship is familiar for many mediums presenting generational ships.

''The Starlost'' was a sci-fi telivision show broadcast on CTV in Canada and syndicated in the United States from 1973-1974, mostly remembered today for its production troubles.

%%* BeeAfraid

%%* GenerationShips

%%* PlanetOfHats: The biospheres.

%%* TwoGuysAndAGirl

Originally an award-winning script for a miniseries by Creator/HarlanEllison, it was changed into a series and [[ExecutiveMeddling ruined by the producer]]. For the complete, unvarnished story of what happened to the series, see Ellison's book ''Phoenix Without Ashes''. For a comedic fictionalized version of the production troubles, see Ben Bova's novel ''The Starcrossed''.

Despite the many problems during production and the shows initial lukewarm ratings, it has a following, and A DVD boxset was released in 2008.

''The Starlost'' was a sci-fi telivision show broadcast on CTV in Canada and syndicated in the United States from 1973-1974.

One of the legendarily bad television shows, ''The Starlost'' was broadcast on CTV in Canada and syndicated in the United States from 1973-1974.

Originally an award-winning script for a miniseries by Creator/HarlanEllison, it was changed into a series and [[ExecutiveMeddling ruined by the producer]]. For the complete, unvarnished story of what happened to the series, see Ellison's book ''Phoenix Without Ashes''. For a hilarious fictionalized version, see Ben Bova's novel ''The Starcrossed''.

Despite (or perhaps ''because of'') its legendary badness, a ''Starlost'' DVD box set was released in 2008.

* NoImmortalInertia: The crew of ''The Pisces'' are subject to something like this once they stop traveling relativistically. (No, it doesn't make sense. Remember what show this is.)
* OrnamentalWeapon: Garth never gets to fire his crossbow during the entire series. It gets used exactly once, by someone else, and the effect is horribly fake.

** To be charitable, the gravitational effects make it more likely, if you go near a star then you will be pulled closer to it. If you manage to hit a high fraction of C so time dilation is very high, then the odds go way up since you'll go past a lot more stars. This is, however, being very very very kind.

* UniverseBible: Written at least in part by SF author Ben Bova, who briefly served as science adviser to the series, and who later wrote a comic novel about the entire disaster.

** Can't I scream a just a little bit that they missed the whole point of relativity entirely? Thank you. '''''THEY MISSED THE WHOLE POINT OF RELATIVITY ENTIRELY!!!1!!1 [=AAAAAaAAAuuUUUUggHHH!!11!!1!=]'''''

* SciFiWritersHaveNoSenseOfScale: Every writer but Ellison. The broadcast version of the ARK is allegedly ''13,000 kilometers'' long, although the model ship seen throughout the series didn't look anywhere that big. The Earth itself is only 12,756 kilometers in diameter. Similarly, despite being on a random course, the out-of-control ARK manages to be on a collision course with a star; given the sizes and distances involved, this is practically impossible.

* YouFailPhysicsForever: Just about every writer other than Ellison. Also, in character, the crew of ''The Pisces'', who although they were part of the highly-trained crew of a relativistic spacecraft, were caught flatfooted by time dilation effects that they should not only have anticipated, but allowed for.

* ArtificialGravity

* EverythingsWorseWithBees

* GenerationShips

* PacingProblems: And how.
* PlanetOfHats: The biospheres.

* TwoGuysAndAGirl

* EverybodysDeadDave: The ship's crew.
** Lampshaded out of universe as Devon's face is well known as [[TwoThousandAndOneASpaceOdyssey another fellow named Dave who also discovered this in another movie that predates the trope namer]].