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In [[2005]], Universal announced that the first season of "seaQuest DSV" would be released on DVD on [[December 26]] [[2005]] along with a week long marathon of the show on the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]]. Universal credited the fans with changing their minds about a DVD release. However, some also credit the successful sales of bootleg copies of the series. The DVD release included numerous deleted scenes as well as alternate versions of broadcast scenes. The first season was released on four double-sided discs. The only extras included were deleted scenes for a handful of episodes.
In [[2005]], Universal announced that the first season of "seaQuest DSV" would be released on DVD on [[December 26]] [[2005]] along with a week long marathon of the show on the [[Sci Fi Channel (United States)|Sci Fi Channel]]. Universal credited the fans with changing their minds about a DVD release. However, some also credit the successful sales of bootleg copies of the series. The DVD release included numerous deleted scenes as well as alternate versions of broadcast scenes. The first season was released on four double-sided discs. The only extras included were deleted scenes for a handful of episodes.


The second season was released on [[January 1]] [[2008]]. As opposed to the first season, the second season was released on eight single-sided discs. The second season does not contain any extra features such as deleted scenes.
The second season was released on [[January 1]] [[2008]]. As opposed to the first season, the second season was released on eight single-sided discs. The second season does not contain any extra features such as deleted scenes. The first season DVD release presents the episodes in their original airdate order, which leads to some continuity errors from episode to episode. (see [[List of seaQuest DSV episodes]] for more information) The second season DVD release is presented in a similar fashion and mixes the titles for the episodes "[[Splashdown (seaQuest DSV episode)|Splashdown]]" and "[[Blindsided (seaQuest DSV episode)|Blindsided]]."


==Merchandise==
==Merchandise==

Revision as of 09:50, 25 January 2008

This article is about the television series. For the fictional submarine, see seaQuest DSV 4600.
Warning: Display title "<i>SeaQuest DSV</i>" overrides earlier display title "seaQuest DSV" (help).
SeaQuest DSV
The seaQuest DSV logo.
Created byRockne S. O'Bannon
StarringRoy Scheider
Jonathan Brandis
Stephanie Beacham
Michael Ironside
Country of originUnited States
No. of episodes59 (including two, two-hour movie episodes)
(list of episodes)
Production
Running time45 minutes per episode
Original release
NetworkNBC
ReleaseSeptember 12 1993 –
June 9 1996

seaQuest DSV is an American science fiction television series created by Rockne S. O'Bannon. It originally aired on NBC between 1993 and 1996. In its final season, it was renamed seaQuest 2032.

Set in "The Near Future", seaQuest originally mixed high drama with realistic scientific fact. It starred Roy Scheider as Nathan Bridger, captain of the eponymous high-tech submarine seaQuest DSV 4600, Jonathan Brandis as Lucas Wolenczak, a teenaged computer genius, and Stephanie Beacham as Kristin Westphalen, the chief medical officer and head of the seaQuest science department. Steven Spielberg expressed interest in the project and served as one of the show's executive producers during the first two seasons.

Filming of the first season was marked by producer disputes, changes at the helm (off-screen), and even an earthquake. The show was sufficiently popular to last two and a half seasons, being abruptly cancelled in the middle of the third.

Roy Scheider narrated the voiceover during each first season's episodes' opening credits:

The 21st century: mankind has colonized the last unexplored region on Earth; the ocean. As captain of the seaQuest and its crew, we are its guardians. For beneath the surface lies the future.

Plot overview

First season cast.

The series follows the adventures of the high-tech submarine seaQuest operated by the United Earth Oceans Organization (UEO), a global federation of nations, similar to the United Nations, which was created following a major showdown of nations that occurred circa 2017. The seaQuest was built by NORPAC (a military organization mentioned in the pilot) and given to the UEO after its creation. The storyline begins in the year 2018, after mankind has exhausted almost all natural resources, except for the ones on the ocean floor. Many new colonies have been established there and it's the job of the seaQuest and its crew to protect them from hostile nonaligned nations and to aid in mediating disputes. Part of the original focus of seaQuest DSV also centered around the interpersonal relationships of the crew, such as Captain Bridger's, Lucas Wolenczak's, and Dr. Westphalen's loss of immediate family and their shared interest in science, as well as each other, and the "love-hate relationship" between Lieutenant Benjamin Krieg and Lieutenant Commander Katherine Hitchcock, recently divorced, now forced to serve together on the same ship.

Changes after season 1

Second season cast.

In the first season finale, Bridger sacrifices the seaQuest to prevent an ecological disaster, and for a short time it was not known if the show would be renewed for another season. When it was decided the show would return, NBC and Universal used this opportunity to tinker with the show's format. Both Royce D. Applegate and John D'Aquino were released by NBC as the network wanted a younger cast for the second year (D'Aquino subsequently returned for a guest appearance in the third season). Stacy Haiduk, who was not happy with her character's development, informed producers she did not wish to return if the show went on to a second season. Stephanie Beacham, who as Dr. Kristin Westphalen was one of the first season's strongest characters, had been asked back for the second year, contrary to popular rumour; however, she quit when it was decided the show would move production from Los Angeles to Florida.[1] (The move also changed the show's location from Pearl Harbor to New Cape Quest). Beacham also blamed continued fighting between the network and the show's producers as a major reason why she did not return. The series had suffered in the ratings, pitted as it was against Lois and Clark.

Joining the series were Edward Kerr, who replaced Applegate's character; Kathy Evison, who replaced Haiduk's character; Rosalind Allen, who replaced Beacham's character; and Michael and Peter DeLuise who both replaced D'Aquino's character in varying degrees. A new seaQuest was constructed; the sets redesigned, and a shortened version of the Emmy winning main title theme was instituted as the series returned to the airwaves on September 18 1994 with the two-hour television movie entitled "Daggers."

NBC also decided they wanted more sci-fi oriented episodes this season, a direction that was explored toward the end of season one when seaQuest discovered a million-year-old alien ship buried in the ocean floor. While the first season had been more geared towards believable fiction in a futuristic setting using technology that was in early development in 1993 and 1994, the second season was charged with more heavy science-fiction plots and concepts such as genetic engineering, aliens, time travel, artificial intelligence, mutations, parapsychology, and interstellar space travel. The marine trivia presentations during the credits previously hosted by oceanographer Bob Ballard were now presented by the cast of the show (sans Roy Scheider). These changes did attract a new audience, but many of the original fans of the first season were unhappy at the show's change from "sci-fact" to "sci-fi" and abandoned the show.

By the end of season two, seaQuest DSV was again suffering, partly attributed to a perceived decrease in the quality of the writing as well as constant preemptions by NBC due to sports coverage.[2] The threat of cancellation loomed large but NBC gave it one more chance after plans for a new series entitled Rolling Thunder to replace seaQuest DSV were canceled. Producer Lee Goldberg claimed the new series was canceled because the premise was "awful."[3]

Changes after season 2

File:SeaQuest2032.jpg
Third season title.

Another revamp resulted in the production of a third season, now called seaQuest 2032. Roy Scheider had been vocal in his anger of the show's new direction and wished to exit the series. However, Scheider had a contract with the network so it was decided that Bridger would make several appearances throughout the season. Edward Kerr, who joined the cast at the beginning of the second season, had been very frustrated with the episode entitled "Alone" (reportedly, Kerr hated the script so much that he walked off the set, which is why Brody does not appear in that episode) and also wished to exit the series in the third season, which is why his character was critically injured in the second season finale, "Splashdown." However, NBC would only agree to release him from his contract if he continued to play Brody for a few episodes in the third season so his character could be killed off for more dramatic impact. Rosalind Allen was released as her character, Dr. Wendy Smith, proved to be unpopular among fans (Dr. Smith, introduced in season two, was seen as a weak mixture of two female characters from Star Trek: The Next Generation: the attractive doctor, Beverly Crusher, who is the captain's unrequited love interest, and the ship's counselor, Deanna Troi, an empath). Her relationship with Bridger also appeared to audiences as a retread of the same kind of relationship the captain had with Dr. Westphalen in the first season. Marco Sanchez was also released after NBC decided it wanted the principal cast number dropped from ten to nine, leaving Jonathan Brandis, Don Franklin, and Ted Raimi as the only three cast members who had remained with the show since the first episode. The marine trivia presentations at the end of the show were dropped entirely.

Third season cast.

In the season premiere, the seaQuest reappears, its crew mostly intact, ten years after their abduction at the end of season two. Captain Bridger retires to raise his grandson and Michael Ironside joins the cast as the more militaristic Captain Oliver Hudson and brings along his "best student", Lieutenant J.J. Fredericks, who serves as seaQuest's ace sub-fighter pilot as the UEO faces the threat of the Macronesian Alliance. Other recurring characters were also added. While the series is perceived as becoming much darker than it was in the previous seasons, some fans felt that seaQuest had finally found its feet. However, Universal and NBC disagreed, and canceled the series after 13 episodes.

Cast

Recurring Guest Cast

Additionally, seaQuest DSV employed a significant amount of guest stars familiar with the sci-fi genre, many of whom would go on to star in other shows. In addition a large contingent of Star Trek players, notable guest stars included Charlton Heston (star of The Ten Commandments, Planet of the Apes and other classic 1960s-70s SF films), David McCallum of the sixties The Man from U.N.C.L.E. and the British series Sapphire and Steel. Seth Green (later Scott Evil in the Austin Powers films, Oz on Buffy the Vampire Slayer and Chris Griffin on Family Guy), Kent McCord (Officer Jim Reed of Adam-12, Captain Troy of Galactica 1980, Jack Crichton of Farscape and Unger in Airplane II: The Sequel), and Mark Hamill (Luke Skywalker) among others.

Airings

The show's time slot was shuffled around during its original run. During the first and second seasons, NBC aired the show on Sundays at 8:00 PM. NBC had originally planned to cancel seaQuest DSV part-way through the second season in favor of another show about a "high-tech truck". However, NBC executives were unimpressed with the new show's development and kept seaQuest DSV in production. During the third season, NBC moved the show to Wednesdays at the same time; however, NBC would frequently preempt the show in favour of sports coverage and other television specials. Several of the show's producers, including Carleton Eastlake believe these preemptions led to the show's cancellation.

Currently, seaQuest DSV does not air in syndication or re-runs. Space: The Imagination Station in Canada had most recently aired the series on weekends in 2004, followed by an extended run on weekdays until being pulled from the schedule in early 2007. The Sci-Fi Channel in the United States had also previously aired the episodes for a number of years.

DVD Release Summary

Season One Season Two Season Three
First season DVD release (region 1).
First season DVD release (region 1).
Second season DVD release (region 1).
Second season DVD release (region 1).
Year Range: 1993-94 Year Range: 1994-95 Year Range: 1995-96
Episode Count: 23 Episode Count: 21 Episode Count: 13
Release Date: December 26 2005 Release Date: January 1 2008 Release Date: TBA

Fans of "seaQuest DSV" have campaigned for the release of the series on DVD. Universal Home Video, which owns the distribution rights to the series, had at one time stated that it had no plans to release the show on DVD. Over the past few years, illegal bootleg recordings of the series have been sold on eBay and other online auction sites in VCD and DVD format.

In 2005, Universal announced that the first season of "seaQuest DSV" would be released on DVD on December 26 2005 along with a week long marathon of the show on the Sci Fi Channel. Universal credited the fans with changing their minds about a DVD release. However, some also credit the successful sales of bootleg copies of the series. The DVD release included numerous deleted scenes as well as alternate versions of broadcast scenes. The first season was released on four double-sided discs. The only extras included were deleted scenes for a handful of episodes.

The second season was released on January 1 2008. As opposed to the first season, the second season was released on eight single-sided discs. The second season does not contain any extra features such as deleted scenes. The first season DVD release presents the episodes in their original airdate order, which leads to some continuity errors from episode to episode. (see List of seaQuest DSV episodes for more information) The second season DVD release is presented in a similar fashion and mixes the titles for the episodes "Splashdown" and "Blindsided."

Merchandise

SNES game.
  • A short series of novels based on the characters and concepts depicted on seaQuest DSV were available during the first season of the show. They were:
    • "SeaQuest DSV: The Novel (Book 1)" (a novelization of the pilot episode) by Diane Duane and Peter Norwood. Published October 1993. ISBN 978-0441000371
    • "Fire Below" by Matthew J. Costello. Published January 1994. ISBN 0-441-00039-8
    • "The Ancient" by David Bischoff. Published March 1994. ISBN 0-441-00042-8
  • One issue of a seaQuest DSV comic book was published by Nemesis Comics. A second issue was planned, but was ultimately not published.
  • A video game was released for the Super Nintendo, Game Boy, and Sega Genesis consoles in 1994.
  • A series of action figures designed by Playmates Toys were released in 1993. Captain Bridger, Commander Ford, Lucas Wolenczak, Lt. Commander Hitchcock, Lieutenant O'Neill, Chief Crocker, Darwin, Dr. Rubin Zellar, and The Regulator were released as part of wave one. Additional characters such as Dr. Westphalen, Chief Ortiz, and Lieutenant Krieg and a Darwin with sound effects were planned as part of wave two, but they were never released. Additionally, prototypes of the seaQuest, Delta 4 Pirate sub, The Stinger, a seaLaunch, and a Deep Sea Mini Pickup, all with electronic lights and sounds, are known to exist but were also not released either.
  • A series of trading cards produced by SkyBox were released, depicting characters, scenes, and episodes from the first season.
  • Various models were produced by Monogram, including the seaQuest, a Deep Sea Mini Pickup, The Stinger, and Darwin (actually a remolded Flipper) were released.
  • Various pieces of clothing, including T-shirts, baseball caps, and embroidered patches of the seaQuest and UEO logos (replicas of the ones used on the show) were released.
  • A non-fictional large format book was released during the first season and contained comprehensive interviews and production information, - also art work and design histories, as well as a production report of the episode "Hide and Seek."

Other merchandise made available included a shot glass in cobalt blue with gold logo, key chains and pins, a book cover, 'magic rocks' sets, journal and a set of bookmarks.

Miscellanea

Cast Trivia

  • Edward Kerr's character, Lieutenant James Brody, was named after Police Chief Martin Brody, played by castmate Roy Scheider, in Jaws.
  • John D'Aquino (Benjamin Krieg) was the only first season castmember that ever returned for a guest appearance ("In the Company of Ice and Profit").
  • The image of Captain Bridger's wife, Carol, was played by Roy Scheider's real-life wife, Brenda King.
  • Rosalind Allen's real-life husband at the time, Todd Allen, played Clay Marshall in "The Siamese Dream."
  • Jonathan Brandis (Lucas Wolenczak) and Ted Raimi (Lieutenant Tim O'Neill) both wrote episodes for the series. (Brandis wrote "The Siamese Dream" and Raimi, "Lostland.")
  • Jonathan Brandis is the only castmember to appear in every episode. Don Franklin appears in every episode except "And Everything Nice."
  • Ralph Willcox and Karen Fraction, who both become recurring guest stars in the third season, had previously appeared as different characters in the second year.
  • Robert Engels, who played Malcolm Lansdowne in the first season, was also an executive producer on the series and wrote two episodes: "Greed For a Pirate's Dream" and "Hide and Seek".
  • 2003 saw the cast lose two former members: Royce D. Applegate died on New Years in a house fire and Jonathan Brandis committed suicide in November.

Episode Trivia

  • The scene from The Hunt for Red October where the Dallas and Red October are rising to periscope depth alongside each other was used in the pilot episode.
  • Stock footage of the Airwolf helicopter from the television series of the same name is used in the episode "Hide and Seek."
  • Many scenes in the episode "Playtime" were filmed in Lakeland, Florida, (specifically, the campus at Florida Southern College) to take advantage of the buildings designed by Frank Lloyd Wright.
  • Despite the numerous changes to the show in the second season, the episode "The Sincerest Form of Flattery" contains many "throwbacks" to the first season, such as the reappearance of Admiral Noyce and Professor Martenson, as well as the "Internex" from the episode "Photon Bullet."
  • The episode "By Any Other Name" uses stock footage from season one episodes. As a result, John D'Aquino as Lieutenant Krieg can be seen (briefly) running onto the bridge as the clam-doors close.
  • The episode "Brothers and Sisters" from season one plays the acapella song "Baby I'm Yours" by the music group Shai in a scene where Jonathan Brandis attempts to kiss Kellie Martin.

Show Trivia

  • The show's first season theme music won the 1994 Emmy for "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Main Title Theme Music" John Debney, and in 2000 was named the 48th best theme tune of all time by TV Guide.
  • Won the 1994 Young Artist Award for "Best Youth Actor Leading Role in a Television Series" (Jonathan Brandis)
  • Won the Emmys "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series" (Dramatic Underscore)Don Davis won for the episode "Daggers".
  • Nominated for a 1994 ASC Award for "Outstanding Achievement in Cinematography in Movies of the Week/Pilots" Kenneth D. Zunder, and the Saturn Award for "Best Genre Television Series" in 1995.
  • Nominated for 2 other Emmys "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Music Composition for a Series" Russ Landau for the episode "Brave New World" and "Outstanding Individual Achievement in Cinematography for a Series" Kenneth D. Zunder (director of photography) for the episode "Such Great Patience".
  • Special effects were done with NewTek Video Toasters on Commodore Amiga computers.[1]
  • Captain Bridger never refers to Dagwood by name. The closest he ever got was calling him "Dag" in the episodes "Special Delivery" and "The Siamese Dream."
  • The Regulator and his orangutan Verne from the first season episode “The Regulator” can be seen in the opening credits of every third season episode.
  • During the filming of the final scene in the final episode, Michael Ironside gave a small speech thanking the cast and crew for the time they spent working on the show. Following his words, Ironside tossed Jonathan Brandis into the moon pool.
  • Roy Scheider's character, Captain Nathan Hale Bridger, was based on John C. Lilly. Lilly was a pioneer researcher into the nature of consciousness using as his principal tools the isolation tank, dolphin communication and psychedelic drugs, sometimes in combination. He was a prominent member of the Californian counterculture of scientists, mystics and thinkers that arose in the late 1960s and early 70s. Albert Hofmann, Gregory Bateson, Ram Dass, Timothy Leary, Werner Erhard, and Richard Feynman were all frequent visitors to his home.
  • Jonathan Brandis' character, Lucas Wolenczak, wore baseball jerseys during the series, including one for the Florida Marlins that noted they had won the World Series in 2010. The Marlins were an expansion team that played for the first time in 1993, the same year that seaQuest DSV began production. They did go on to win the 1997 and 2003 World Series.

seaQuest DSV on Other Series

  • Reference is made to seaQuest DSV in The Simpsons episode "The Boy Who Knew Too Much" when Jasper Beardley wants to hurry home from the jury deliberations to see "the dog from Frasier ride the dolphin on seaQuest."
  • The second episode of Frasier was titled "Space Quest." Both Frasier and seaQuest DSV premiered on NBC at roughly the same time.
  • Jonathan Brandis made a guest appearance on "Saved by the Bell: The College Years" where Kelly Kapowski (Tiffani Thiessen) introduced him as "Jonathan Brandis from seaQuest."
  • In the episode "Eye of the Beholder" of Star Trek: The Next Generation, when Counselor Troi looks up the crew manifest of the Enterprise, one of the crewmembers is listed as serving aboard the USS seaQuest.
  • The background ambience sound used whenever the Professor Martenson hologram is in use has been used in two episodes of South Park: "Starvin' Marvin in Space" and "Go God Go XII."
  • In the Goodfeathers episode of Animaniacs, "Miami Mama-Mia", Bobby says to the other Goodfeathers, "C'mon, let's make like the seaQuest and dive." Steven Spielberg was executive producer for both Animaniacs and seaQuest DSV.
  • In a Married with Children episode, Kelly Bundy is at an audition for an acting part alongside a hunky male actor. When it was his turn to speak his voice was high pitched. When it was revealed he worked on seaQuest DSV, the director asked who he played on it and he replies "I did the voice of Darwin, the talking dolphin".

Ties to Star Trek

Given that the premise of seaQuest DSV and Star Trek are so similar, several aspects and episodes of the show incorporate elements from the various Star Trek series.

Cast Ties

Set Homages

  • In "Hide and Seek", when Milos Tezlov appears on a seaQuest vidlink, the I.D. code at the bottom of the screen reads "JTK NCC1701", referring to "James T. Kirk" and the registry number of the USS Enterprise on the classic Star Trek. Later, when Tezlov's enemies demand the seaQuest turn him over, the I.D. code on the vid-link reads "NCC1701A", referring to the newer Enterprise from Star Trek V: The Final Frontier and Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country.
  • The bridge on the seaQuest II was designed to resemble the bridge of the USS Enterprise-D from The Next Generation. (Specifically, the command column where Captain Bridger, Commander Ford, and Lieutenant O'Neill usually sat resembles the command center where Captain Picard, Commander Riker, and Counselor Troi usually sat.)
  • The chair in the holographic-projection room aboard the seaQuest II (as seen in such episodes as "Vapors" and "The Sincerest Form of Flattery") is the same kind of chair as the captain's chair from the Enterprise from Star Trek: The Motion Picture. The chair was also used in the "execution tape" in "Splashdown".
  • In "Dream Weaver", when the Stormer plunges to his death, he lands beside a monument to the "Nomad Probe", which was launched in 2002, designed to seek out new lifeforms, a reference to the Nomad probe featured in the classic Star Trek episode "The Changeling".
  • The sign of "The Dagger's Sheath", a club featured in the episode "Smoke on the Water", is written in the title typeface of The Next Generation.

Dialogue References

Episodes

Main article: List of seaQuest DSV episodes

External links

Notes

  1. ^ "Welcome Home, Stephanie". simplystephanie.com (originally OK! Magazine). August 1995. Retrieved 2007-12-11.
  2. ^ "Never Forget! The Questor Tapes to Sliders". First TV Drama.com. Retrieved 2007-12-11. {{cite web}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter: |1= (help)
  3. ^ Herbie J Pilato (2005-10-13). "Herbie J's Retro Watercooler TV: Why Seaquest Sunk". Retrieved 2007-12-11.
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