Star Cops is a British science fiction TV series created by Chris Boucher, set in 2027 where the International Space Police Force (ISPF) maintains law and order in a newly colonized solar system, overseen by Commander Nathan Spring. Known for its hard science fiction approach and realistic portrayal of space travel, the series was canceled after one season due to poor ratings and production issues. Retrospectively, it has been critically reappraised.
Star Cops (Season 1)
An Instinct for Murder (Episode 1)
Writer: Chris Boucher
Air date: 1987-07-06
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: With a body in the river and a series of spacesuit failures, Spring is unconvinced by the machine's verdict of accidental death. And instinct is telling him to pursue it even if it means laying his own life on the line.
Conversations With the Dead (Episode 2)
Writer: Chris Boucher
Air date: 1987-07-13
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: ""Lee Jones has been dealt with. You are next."" Somewhere out there is a killer. Can Nathan Spring, recently appointed head of the International Space Police Force, pre-empt his deadly messenger?
Intelligent Listening for Beginners (Episode 3)
Writer: Chris Boucher
Air date: 1987-07-20
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: There has been an explosion at the chemical plant, disaster in the Channel Tunnel and now there's a terrorist threat. The only clue is a couple of lines of obscure poetry. Can Spring and Theroux unravel the secret in time?
Trivial Games and Paranoid Pursuits (Episode 4)
Writer: Chris Boucher
Air date: 1987-07-27
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: Microbiologist Harvey Goodman has disappeared. It seems that the American space station RONALD REAGAN holds the answer, but pool-playing Commander Griffin is proving less than helpful. Diving deeper into a web of international double-dealing, Nathan smells a rat.
This Case to Be Opened In a Million Years (Episode 5)
Writer: Philip Martin
Air date: 1987-08-03
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: Exactly what happened to make a nuclear waste dumper launch abort? Is the Mafia alive and kicking in 2027? Will Nathan manage to survive being charged with murder?
In Warm Blood (Episode 6)
Writer: John Collee
Air date: 1987-08-10
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: 'Knowledge is light.' 'Ignorance is darkness.' Science must succeed. Nathan knows that. But when it means the loss of innocent lives, the Star Cops swing into action.
A Double Life (Episode 7)
Writer: John Collee
Air date: 1987-08-17
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: When a mystery kidnapper steals three frozen embryos from Moonbase, the crime seems motiveless. Then their mother turns out to be the wife of an infamous arms dealer with a list of henchmen and enemies a mile long. With the ransom deadline approaching, Nathan is finding out what it's really like to race against time to save lives.
Other People's Secrets (Episode 8)
Writer: John Collee
Air date: 1987-08-24
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: The stress of deep space seems to be taking its toll at last with the onset of more and more maintenance errors. The trouble is, they've co-incided with the arrival of the safety controller and a visiting psychiatrist! As the chaos escalates, the safety of the entire moonbase is at stake.
Little Green Men and Other Martians (Episode 9)
Writer: Chris Boucher
Air date: 1987-08-31
Runtime: 50 min
Overview: Can a martian really have been unearthed at last? With a freighter carrying the new discovery bound for Moonbase, it certainly seems that way. Suddenly the Star Cops find themselves caught up in a race for the scoop of the millennium. But the cost is high, and the body count is rising...
Seasons
Episodes 9
Episodes 1