1974’s The Questor Tapes delivered peak Gene Roddenberry and could have turned into a notable sci fi TV series if given the chance and support of its network.
What Is It?
In this television movie, a large government research facility is working on creating an android that closely resembles a human being. The project was initiated by Dr. Emil Vaslovik, who programmed a set of tapes (storage media was still in its infancy in the ’70s) that would be loaded into the android Questor when he was completed. Vaslovik, however, disappeared before the project came to fruition, and much of the data on the tapes was erased. The scientists on hand created their own data bank in its place and tried to load that into Questor’s brain. This failed, and scientist Jerry Robinson, who had worked very closely with Vaslovik throughout the project, insisted that they load the original tapes, even though there was missing data. That does not appear to work either. However, after everybody has left the laboratory thinking their work was a failure, Questor activates himself and proceeds to complete his design to take on a human likeness. He knows that he must find Vaslovik to complete his programming, so he seeks out Robinson to assist him in this task. This leads the two to London, where they find a monitoring station that Vaslovik set up to observe events throughout the world and see how diverse situations might cause synergies that can turn negative outcomes into a positive one. Questor also finds that from here, he would have access to a private jet that could quickly transport him to areas experiencing turmoil. It is also here that Questor and Robinson find additional clues on the whereabouts of Vaslovik, which ultimately leads to Questor discovering that there is more to his origins than originally suspected.
Cast: Robert Foxworth, Mike Farrell, John Vernan, Lew Ayres, Dana Wynter
Crew: Gene Roddenberry (Creator/Writer), Gene L. Coon (Writer), Jeffrey M. Hayes (Executive Producer)
Originally Aired: January 23, 1974
Legacy:
The film delivered an interesting, intelligent, well-written science fiction story with a strong concept that could have developed into a potentially great television franchise if the network had given it a chance.
A Closer Look:
In the years after Star Trek was canceled, Gene Roddenberry stayed busy in television, first working on the Genesis II pilot and then turning his attention to The Questor Tapes (you can read about all of his 1970s pilots at CancelledSciFi.com). Like Genesis II, this one delivered a good science fiction story that harkened back to some of the better episodes from Star Trek: TOS (Trek veteran Gene L. Coon was onboard with him for the script). It also had a good central cast in Robert Foxworth and a pre-MAS*H Mike Farrell and shined above the typical movie-of-the-week fare that the broadcast networks offered in the ’70s. The story in the pilot did have what I thought were a few lapses (I won’t go into detail, though, because they involve spoilers), but that may have been intentional as a setup for stories that would have been explored in the planned series.
And of course, any Star Trek: TNG fans going back and watching this will quickly see that Questor provided the template for the character that would eventually become Data. He had many of Data’s super-human powers, such as the ability to calculate and analyze at great speeds as well as heightened strength and agility, and he also possessed the desire to understand and be more like the humans he resembles. Foxworth’s portrayal of the android was very similar to how Brent Spiner would later bring Data to life, and it seems possible that Spiner drew some influence from this early Roddenberry pilot. In addition, you can also see where Questor harkens back to Spock a bit and possibly offers the logical bridge between the Vulcan of the original Trek and the android of TNG.
I do have to admit that I have a hard time accepting Mike Farrell as the Jerry Robinson character, but that’s probably mostly because I so closely associate him with B.J. Hunnicutt from MASH (where he landed after this pilot failed to fly). Still, I think he would have been able to grow into the role if the series had gone forward (but think of how different M*A*S*H would have been). And this concept definitely could have worked if given the proper support. According to Eugene “Rob” Roddenberry, his father “believed that [The Questor Tapes] had the potential to be bigger than Star Trek” and he considered it “the one that got away.” Whether it could have survived in the 1970s when the networks were shying away from sci-fi TV is uncertain, but this TV movie is still worth searching out as a strong example of Gene Roddenberry’s work.
Cancelled Before It Began:
NBC originally greenlighted The Questor Tapes for a series, and if it had happened, I believe it had a ton of potential as long as Gene Roddenberry stayed at the helm. He could have assured quality control on the scripts and used the concept to incorporate the same sort of social commentary he worked into Trek episodes. And a Questor series could have easily rivaled that franchise. However, Roddenberry found himself at odds with the network when he discovered that they planned on airing the proposed series in the 10 PM EST Friday “death slot” (the same timeslot that he felt killed off Star Trek). NBC also wanted to drop the Jerry Robinson character, which Roddenberry felt was a mistake (and remember, that network also tried to kick Spock off the bridge of ST: TOS). These differences in direction led the peacock network to change its mind and pass on the series, so we can only speculate on how it would have unfolded if it had gone forward the way they planned (and remember that networks in the ’70s tended to prefer straightforward procedurals and sitcoms or “fluff” television like The Love Boat and Charlie’s Angels to shows that tried to engage the mind).
Should It Be Rebooted?
Yes. The concept of The Questor Tapes is solid and it still has plenty of potential to carry on as a series. There was an attempt by long-time Roddenberry associate Herbert J. Wright to revive the concept in the early ’00s. But that stalled when Wright passed away in 2005. Then in 2010, Roddenberry’s son Rod announced that he was working with Imagine Entertainment (owned by Brian Grazer and Ron Howard) on another attempt to get the show off the ground, and word was that long-time Whedon collaborator Tim Minear (Firefly, Angel, Dollhouse) would participate as well. There has been no further news since that time, though, so the project either died or it is in development Hell. But it brings the name recognition of Gene Roddenberry, and I am guessing that there are any number of creatives that could be tempted to jump onboard a reboot, so perhaps it will still go forward at some point.
Interesting Facts:
There is another link between the Questor character and Data that probably few Trek fans know about. The infamous “fully functional” line that Data used in response to Tasha Yar’s inquiries in the episode “The Naked Now” (referring to his sexual capacity), originated with Questor. He used it in a similar circumstance, and it was equally hilarious when he did it nearly fifteen years earlier (and it must have slipped past the censors as well).
Leonard Nimoy was originally considered for the role of Questor in the 1974 pilot, and Rod Roddenberry has mentioned Brent Spiner as his first choice for the character should the revival series happen.
As with many of Gene Roddenberry’s productions, Majel Barrett had a role in this pilot. And Walter Koenig stopped by for a brief appearance as an “Administrative Assistant.”
Where Can You Watch It?
The TV movie has been released on DVD and Blu-ray. It is not currently streaming on any of the major services, but you can find it on YouTube from time to time.
