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I suppose the more general opinion is that season 1 was better, perhaps because it was truer to the original Buck Rogers concept, or because it was better written, or because Wilma was better as a blonde, or whatever, while season 2 became more of a Star Trek ripoff with more annoying robots.

While I think much of this is valid, I have fonder memories of season 2 from that time in my life than season 1. Personally, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was an emergent Trekkie living in a Star-Trek-rerun-deprived location during those years. And it did okay as a poor man's Star Trek, with Buck and Hawk taking the Kirk and Spock roles and old faces like Paul Carr and Mark Lenard popping up here and there. Plus it was a welcome change to visit alien planets instead of hanging out on the same old future-Earth that looked like a combination desert and discotheque.

That said, the new Twiki voice was awful (so awful they came crawling back to Mel Blanc), Crichton was a pointless and annoying character, and some of the dialogue was of facepalm-worthy badness even in the best episodes. And I was a bit disappointed at the beginning of the season when Hawk joined the Searcher crew, as I had assumed right up to the last moment that he was going to make an escape and become a bad-@$$ recurring villain, which would have been a cooler setup.

BUT, and I will never stop believing this, .... Wilma was better as a brunette.

Hope It's The Grog wrote:I suppose the more general opinion is that season 1 was better, perhaps because it was truer to the original Buck Rogers concept, or because it was better written, or because Wilma was better as a blonde, or whatever, while season 2 became more of a Star Trek ripoff with more annoying robots.

While I think much of this is valid, I have fonder memories of season 2 from that time in my life than season 1. Personally, it probably has a lot to do with the fact that I was an emergent Trekkie living in a Star-Trek-rerun-deprived location during those years. And it did okay as a poor man's Star Trek, with Buck and Hawk taking the Kirk and Spock roles and old faces like Paul Carr and Mark Lenard popping up here and there. Plus it was a welcome change to visit alien planets instead of hanging out on the same old future-Earth that looked like a combination desert and discotheque.

That said, the new Twiki voice was awful (so awful they came crawling back to Mel Blanc), Crichton was a pointless and annoying character, and some of the dialogue was of facepalm-worthy badness even in the best episodes. And I was a bit disappointed at the beginning of the season when Hawk joined the Searcher crew, as I had assumed right up to the last moment that he was going to make an escape and become a bad-@$$ recurring villain, which would have been a cooler setup.

BUT, and I will never stop believing this, .... Wilma was better as a brunette.

Well...I'm not a big fan of the 2nd season. Hawk was the best addition, and mostly wasted. The character could have been sooo much more, as a good guy or a bad @$$ villian. The other additional characters were so poorly written and conceived it made me scream weekly for Dr. Huer. I thought of that 2nd year as more of a backwards Battlestar Galactica, Buck searching for people who left Earth instead of vice versa. I cringed everytime we were treated with a shot of the Searcher or Buck's stubby winged shuttle. I just wasn't a fan of either design. Not to mention the horrid bargin basement bridge of the Searcher. What about no Ardala! I didn't want to see her used all the time, but I would have like to have seen her remain as a reaccuring villianess. I thought we had a nice balance of Earth and other planet stories the first year. The episode I liked the most during the 2nd season was Testimony of a Traitor, although I thought it was a missed chance to bring Tim O'Conner back for a guest shot. I agree about Crichton being pointless and annoying and Twiki's voice AAAARGGGG, and what about those crew uniforms!?!

Oh...and I agree, Wilma was better as a brunette.

I thought "Time of the Hawk" had potential (chiefly the potential that came from Hawk as a villain), but at the same time it was riddled with some of the worst dialogue ever. Maybe it was something about those Searcher interiors that brought out the worst lines from the characters. I think it was a tie for worst line between:

Buck: (to Twiki) "One word out of you and I'll turn you into a can opener."

and

Asimov: "In a few hours, the great search really begins."
Wilma: "Yes..................... I suppose it does."

But I did enjoy Lance LeGault's character in that episode (if I'm getting my episodes right). "Every time you holler, I'm gonna take me another drink. And I hope you last long enough for me to get roarin' drunk."

Oh yeah, and I totally agree about the reverse-Galactica thing. Ignoring Galactica 1980, I used to wonder if the Searcher and the Galactica would ever find each other.

Looking back at the whole thing now, I do see that season 1 was better in most ways.

I will add this, though... Season 2 never reached a nadir as low as when Twiki met the disco-dancing girl robot who said "Booty, booty."

Hope It's The Grog wrote:I will add this, though... Season 2 never reached a nadir as low as when Twiki met the disco-dancing girl robot who said "Booty, booty."

yep and agree on the anoying non Mel Blanc Twiki voice.. it was the begining of the end. Much like G80

The very short time the temporary Twiki voice was I think the death nail to the show. The ratings were so so and the outcry from the viewers to get Mel back was a bit to late I did love his booty booty call with the other female version of him.

I rewatched this again and the final episode was actually good.

I have some great memories of "The Guardians." That was sort of a Star-Trek-quality episode.

Agreed. I believe series 2 had potential but there was basically zero explanation between Season 1 and Season 2 jump into the searcher. It dug itself a deep hole that it was trying to climb out of and then it simply ended.

To me, sadly, the series QUICKLY lost focus in Season 1, Episode 2... much less all of Season 2 (which was bonkers).
Buck is a man-out-of-time - episodes, scenes or even lines enforcing that just never amounted to much.

He was just another average Captain Kirk type guy out saving the day from any ol' alien or such.
No shock and awe or comments about people or places he saw.