Star Trek: Voyager: Captain Proton: Defender of the Earth

A number of other reviewers have stated that the Captain Proton character is based on either Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers. They are incorrect. In reality the character is the Republic Pictures "Rocketman" character who appeared in 4 Republic Serials under the names Jeff King aka "The Rocketman", Larry Martin, and Commando Cody (twice). The Serials were respectively King of the Rocketmen, Zombies of the Stratosphere, Radar Men from the Moon, and Commando Cody - Sky Marshal of the Universe (which was not realy a serial but a 12 Episode TV Show/Story Arc [ie: the episodes did not end in cliffhangers]).OTOH: Chaotica WAS based on Flash Gordon's arch enemy Ming the Merciless.The Robot (who appeared in the Star Trek Episodes [BTW: there were 3 not 2 two where were named - the 3rd was the flashback one about the Water-planet and Paris's Demotion]) is the "Republic Robot" who appeared in a number of Republic Serials including Zombies.

The Fall issue of Amazing Stories includes... "The Space Vortex of Doom", by D. W. "Prof" Smith (a.k.a. Dean Wesley Smith) [which] is about Captain Proton, hero of a space adventure holodeck scenario...patterned after Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers. Aboard Proton's spaceship is his pal Buster, and a woman named Constance Goodheart whose only function is to scream every third paragraph. They face a series of perils sent their way by Dr.Chaotica, "the meanest man in all of known space", including a red star sent hurtling toward Earth that Captain Proton must deflect into the space vortex at his own peril. A parody of creaky space opera, including Star Trek itself (sparks fly and smoke fills the control room as Proton's ship struggles to free itself), the story's effect is really too easy, but you can't help but smile anyway. There's something endearing about the totally naïve incomprehension of basic physics and astronomy that characterizes this subgenre.--Mark Kelly, Locus Magazine

This was hilarious in its bad writing. I've seen some old Buck Rogers serials that Proton must have been based on, and they were just as over-the-top and badly written as the Captain Proton stuff that's appeared from time to time on Voyager. I also liked the subtle Star Trek in-jokes that appeared in it: Proton's ship gets thrown across the galaxy so far it would take 70 years to get home (just like Voyager), and a letter from Benny Russell, the '50s pulp sci-fi writer Sisko hallucinated he was on DS9.

This book is off the scale in terms of coolness. It really captures the feel of the Proton segments on Voyager and of old SF pulp magazines. It's got one "full-length novel," chapter 2 of the Captain Proton serial that starting in the last issue of AMAZING STORIES, and two short stories that focus on the supporting characters, Constance Goodheart and Ace Reporter Buster Kincaid. The novel story ("Children of the Glass") was pure adventure, with Proton facing and defeating one dilemma after another. The short stories diverged from the formula more, and were my favorite of the fiction pieces. Proton still saves the day in them, but the supporting characters really get to shine also. But my favorite part of the book is the letter column at the end. It's brilliant. The letters reveal points of view that cover the entire spectrum of opinions about SF in microcosm. And then there's the last letter, written by a young Benny Russell (Ben Sisko's alter-ego on Deep Space Nine). Truly inspired. What did I not like about it? Well, the price is a little steep for the book's size and a lot of the interior photos are terribly blurry (but I understand that was done intentionally to give the book a 1940's feel). But don't let that stop you from giving this book a shot.

I howled with glee when I saw ST:V parody the '40's movie-serial vision of the future, studied with such reverant irreverance. Now I am bowled over by the concept of publishing the whole thing. This is the moment I (author of the Bantam pb STAR TREK LIVES!) have hoped for all of the last 32 years and more: print used as an adjunct to expand on a visual medium sketch.I'm so impressed, I'm using this book as recommended reading in our online writing school at simegen.com. Thank you Pocket Books!