Episodes

Listed here are the episodes from "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century" second season only. In this season, Buck and Wilma take off with the spaceship Searcher to find the lost tribes of Earth (those who fled the Earth after the nuclear holocaust). New characters are Admiral Asimov, Dr Goodfellow and of course, Hawk. See Some history for more information about the second season.

Below are my Hawk oriented summaries and personal opinions of each episode, followed by a Hawk related quote. Also indicated is the Hawk factor of each episode:

Main cast

Buck Rogers: Gil Gerard
Wilma Deering: Erin Gray
Hawk: Thom Christopher
Admiral Asimov: Jay Garner
Dr Goodfellow: Wilfrid Hyde-White

Buck Rogers Season 2

Time of the Hawk

Feature length episode introducing Hawk.

Buck Rogers and the crew of the Searcher go off to investigate a series of violent attacks on human outposts in the Argus system. Responsible for the attacks is Hawk, who has seen the last of his people murdered by humans and has vowed revenge against the entire human race. When Buck tries to capture Hawk, Hawk's mate Koori (Barbara Luna) is severely wounded. Buck and Hawk team up to get her to help, and during their journey the two men learn to trust and respect each other. Unfortunately, Koori dies despite their efforts.

After a great, inconclusive fight against Buck (which took two days to shoot), Hawk is finally taken aboard Searcher and forced to appear before the Galactic Court. In a moving plea, Buck convinces the court not to sentence Hawk to death, but to let him join the Searcher instead.

Without doubt the best episode of the entire season (and, according to Gil Gerard in Starlog Nov. 1996, "probably the best episode of the series' entire run"). Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Cinematography.

Quote: "Humans understand nothing."

Journey to Oasis

In this feature length episode Buck, Wilma, Hawk, and Dr Goodfellow escort the Zykarian ambassador Duvoe (an old flame of Wilma's) to a galactic peace conference in Oasis. They get stranded in a dangerous desert and have to get to Oasis on foot. On their journey they meet various enemies as well as an unexpected friend; tensions arise between Buck and Duvoe; and Hawk has his hands full to keep Dr Goodfellow out of trouble. Meanwhile Admiral Asimov tries to keep the Zykarian admiral Zyte from destroying the Searcher. Finally, when the travelers face failure in sight of Oasis, it is ambassador Duvoe who saves the day.

With Star Trek's Mark Lenard as Duvoe and Felix Silla (Twiki) as Odee-x.

Quote: "Let me down, you overgrown chicken!"

The Guardians

When Buck brings a mysterious jade box aboard the Searcher, time stops running normally and crew members start to have unsettling visions. In Hawk's case, this takes the form of an all-too-short reunion with his dead mate, Koori. Buck is briefly taken back to the 20th Century and Wilma is afflicted with blindness. In the end Buck manages to hand the green box over to its new Guardian, and once again, all's right with the world.

The only episode that contains a reference to Hawk's tragic past.

Quote: "I have missed you so. Longed for you, day and night."

Mark of the Saurian

While Hawk is out on patrol, the Searcher is visited by a group of disguised Saurians, reptilian aliens that are currently at war with Earth. Buck, who is down with a fever, is the only one who can see the Saurians for what they really are. His friends think that he is hallucinating. In his desperation, Buck asks for Hawk, who returns just in time to lend Buck a hand in unmasking the Saurians.

Nice episode -- too bad Hawk is out on patrol all the time.

Quote: "Hawk! Get me Hawk!"

The Golden Man

The Searcher is stuck on an asteroid. To get loose, they need the help of a golden man who has been stranded on a nearby planet, Iris-7. Buck goes looking for him, taking along the golden man's companion. When Dr Goodfellow finds out that Iris-7 is a prison planet, Hawk goes down as well. He nearly manages to bluff their way out, posing as a Federation officer, but in the end they need the golden people's special skills to get away unharmed.

Not the best of episodes -- the golden people are extremely irritating.

Quote: "Somebody had to come down and keep you out of trouble!"

The Crystals

Buck, Wilma and Hawk find a mysterious mummy when they are looking for crystals on a supposedly uninhabited planet. They also meet a girl who suffers from memory loss. Buck names her Laura; she quickly develops a crush on him. Dr Goodfellow's memory probe reveals a disturbing connection between Laura and the mummy. When the mystery of the mummy is solved, Buck is quickly forgotten.

Average.

Quote: "It is ordained."

The Satyr

Buck and Twiki go down to Arkadis, an Earth colony led by Major Jason Samos. The colony turns out to be deserted except for Samos's widow and son. They are being terrorized by a satyr named Pangor, who damages both the shuttle and Twiki. To make matters worse, Buck is bitten by Pangor and slowly starts turning into a satyr himself... Meanwhile, his friends aboard Searcher are worrying about him.

A good episode, but ... we hardly get to see Hawk.

Emmy Award for Outstanding Achievement in Music Composition (Dramatic Underscore).

Quote: "It seems you had a most unusual experience."

Shgoratchx!

Buck and Hawk investigate a derelict space vessel, and not only discover seven alien dwarves but also 1,000 highly unstable solar bombs. The dwarves are invited on board the Searcher while their ship is towed to a bomb disposal star. They cause a lot of trouble, such as damaging Crighton, harassing Wilma and causing several near collisions. Hawk very wisely leaves on patrol immediately after their arrival, only to return when it is time to say good-bye.

Some used to (or possibly even still do?!) regard the "off-thinking" of Wilma's clothes as the high point of this episode... I'd say it's the lowest point in an extremely cringey episode.

Quote: "I leave our charming guests entirely in your hands."

The Hand of the Goral

Buck, Hawk and Wilma are exploring "the Planet of Death" when they meet a survivor of a shipwreck. While Wilma takes him to the Searcher, Buck and Hawk have some strange experiences. Upon their return to the ship, they find their friends and colleagues strangely changed, and it is no longer clear who can be trusted. All this turns out to be part of a test -- which, of course, they pass gloriously.

Very enjoyable, and not just because we get lots of Hawk.

Quote: "You are accusing me? That is absurd!"

Testimony of a Traitor

Buck is accused of having been involved in the plot that started the late 20th Century's nuclear holocaust. Despite the strong evidence against him, Buck's friends continue to believe in his innocence. Hawk and Wilma even help him escape to Earth in order to regain his suppressed memories of what really happened. Of course, in the end it is revealed that Buck was one of the good guys after all.

An episode with strong impact -- one of Thom Christopher's favorites.

Quote: "Permit me to take care of that."

The Dorian Secret

Buck and Hawk protect a Dorian girl from her persecutors by taking her aboard the Searcher. She is accused of murder but claims to be innocent. The Dorians try to force Admiral Asimov to hand the girl over to them by changing the temperature on the Searcher from freezing cold to boiling hot and back again. When the girl's fellow passengers find out that she is the cause of their trouble, they deliver her to the Dorians. Buck manages to prove her innocence, however.

A strong plea for the right to a fair trial (and against the death penalty, but maybe that's just me). Emmy Award Nomination for Outstanding Costume Design.

Quote: "Perhaps you are disappointed you cannot see the execution you so desperately wanted!"