Voyagers!
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Voyagers! | |
|---|---|
 Promotional photo of Phineas and Jeffrey |
|
| Format | Science Fiction |
| Created by | James D. Parriott |
| Starring | Jon-Erik Hexum Meeno Peluce |
| Opening theme | J.A.C. Redford |
| Country of origin |  United States |
| Language(s) | English |
| No. of episodes | 20 |
| Production | |
| Executive producer(s) |
James D. Parriott |
| Running time | 48 min. per episode |
| Broadcast | |
| Original channel | NBC |
| Picture format | NTSC |
| Original run | October 3, 1982 – July 31, 1983 |
| External links | |
| IMDb profile | |
| TV.com summary | |
Voyagers! was a time travel-based television series broadcast in the 1982-1983 season on NBC, starting on October 3, 1982.
Phineas Bogg (played by Jon-Erik Hexum) was one of a society of time travelers called Voyagers who, with the help of a young boy named Jeffrey Jones (played by Meeno Peluce) used a hand-held device called an Omni (which looked much like a large pocket watch) to travel in time and ensured that history unfolded as we know it. For instance, in the first episode Jeffrey ensured that baby Moses' basket traveled down the Nile where it was met by Pharaoh's daughter.
Bogg and Jeffrey first met when Bogg's Omni malfunctioned and took him to 1982 (the circuitry of Bogg's Omni was set to allow him only as late as 1970), landing him in the apartment of Jeffrey's aunt and uncle, who were caring for him after his parents' death. Jeffrey accidentally fell out of a window, causing Bogg to jump out to rescue him by activating the Omni. Bogg's Guidebook - which contained a detailed description of how history should unfold - had been grabbed by Jeffrey's dog Ralph, and so Bogg had to rely on Jeffrey (whose father was a history professor) to help him.
There are several running gags in the show, like Phineas' lacking knowledge of important historical events, which emphasizes his dependence on Jeffrey; his fear of dogs; and his poker playing habits, where he relies on the rules of an old Hungarian card game called Schnibbitz, yet he usually wins doing so. Phineas is also a great womanizer and manages to fall for a beautiful woman in almost every single time period he is in.
Many historical figures appeared in this series, among them Babe Ruth, Cleopatra, Thomas Edison, Benjamin Franklin, and Harriet Tubman. Over the closing credits of each episode, actor Meeno Peluce would say, "If you want to learn more about {whatever historical person or event appeared in the show}, take a voyage down to your public library. It's all in books!"
In 1984, one year after the show ended, Jon-Erik Hexum suffered an accidental fatal gunshot wound to the head on the set of his next show Cover Up with Jennifer O'Neill.
Contents |
[edit] The Time Machine
The Omni is a small device used by Voyagers to travel in time.
The Omni is shaped like a small pocket watch, although for purposes of disguise it can apparently be custom configured by its user. The control panel features a scale model of the Earth, surrounded by associated control dials for use in selecting the target time period. The Omni also features two indicator lights — one red, one green — to indicate whether the flow of history had been tampered with: a flashing red light meant history had been altered, and a steady green light meant that history was as it should be.
The Omni must be closely guarded by its owner, as anyone who finds an Omni can use it to travel in time. Once, Thomas Edison, while struggling to invent the electric light, even attempted to disassemble an Omni to find out how its lights worked, but was unable to discover how the device functioned. However, he was able to reassemble it back into working order.
Phineas Bogg's Omni was made of brass and was hardwired to take him no further ahead than 1970, but it malfunctioned and took Bogg to 1982 where he met young Jeffrey Jones. It is unknown why the hardwiring was originally done. The Omni's cover bore the Voyager logo, an elaborate letter V, as well as the inscription "Time Waits For No Man".
[edit] The Guidebook
Along with their Omnis, Voyager Recruits were given the Voyagers Guidebook upon graduation from Voyager School. The guidebook was to be carefully guarded, as it contained secrets of the past, present and future. The Guidebook was key in helping a Voyager find out what needed to be fixed when the Omni displayed a red light. The Guidebook is referred to throughout the series, and is actually used by female Voyager Olivia Dunn in the episode "Voyagers of the Titanic". (At the conclusion of that episode, in Paris, 1912, Dunn uses her guidebook to show Bogg and Jeffrey the outcome of their now-completed mission.)
The pages of the Guidebook were never shown in the series but it is what all Voyagers were trained to rely upon, in order to complete missions. When Bogg was put on trial in the episode "The Trial Of Phineas Bogg", Voyager Drake, the villain of the series, made losing his book the first criminal charge against Bogg in court.
[edit] Episode list
[edit] DVD release
All 20 episodes were released on July 17, 2007 in a Complete Series 4-DVD set. [1] [2]
[edit] References
- ^ Voyagers! Bat's Breath...The Omni's Red: History-Making DVDs for "Voyagers!", TV Shows on DVD, April 17, 2007
- ^ Voyagers! - "Complete Series" Cover Art Changes the Look of the Omni, TV Shows on DVD, April 19, 2007
[edit] External links
- Voyagers! at the Internet Movie Database
- Voyagers! at TV.com
- The "Unofficial" Voyagers! Home Page
- The Web's Best "Voyagers!" Tribute
- Voyager's Guidebook: The Ultimate Picture Fansite
- World Of Voyagers!
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