7.3/10438 votesLoading...#1 - Awakening (1)
Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 9/20/1979
In the year 1987, NASA launched space probe Ranger III, with astronaut William "Buck" Rogers, on a 5-month trip around the solar system. However, the craft runs into a meteor storm, which disrupts its life support system and sends it into a long elliptical orbit of the Earth. In the year 2491, Ranger III again approaches the Earth, and is intercepted by the alien flagship Draconia, which is on a peace mission to Earth. Aboard the Draconia, Buck is revived by Princess Ardala and her second-in- command, Kane, whose true plan is to attack and conquer Earth. Buck is sent to Earth with a hidden homing device, which is soon discovered by Earth's Defense Directorate. After Buck convinces the humans of his true identity -- a man from the past -- he helps them to repel the Draconians' attack, with the aid of the mechanoids Dr. Theopolis and Twiki.
Director: Daniel Haller
Writer: Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens
7.2/10309 votesLoading...#2 - Planet of the Slave Girls (2)
Season 1 Episode 4 - Aired 9/27/1979
Most of Earth's defense squadron becomes incapacitated after ingesting poisoned food discs. Buck travels to the planet of the food's origin, Vistula, with Wilma and flight instructor Duke Danton (Groh), an old boyfriend of Wilma's. On the planet, they trace the plot to a man named Kaleel (Palance) who has been selling slaves to the planet's governor (McDowall) and secretly building an attack fleet. With so few fighter pilots, Earth's defense force is now outnumbered 10-to-1. Buck must rescue Wilma from Kaleel's mountain fortress and destroy the fleet before they can reach Earth. This episode was initially aired as
Director: Michael Caffey
Writer: Steve Greenberg, Aubrey Solomon
7.2/10273 votesLoading...#3 - Vegas in Space
Season 1 Episode 5 - Aired 10/4/1979
Buck is sent to the gambling city Sinaloa with Directorate special agent Marla Landers to rescue a young woman who has been kidnapped by the city's ruler, Velosi. Velosi plans to extract some information from the woman's mind in order to destroy one of his competitors. The information involves plans for the Draconian Hatchet fighters, which have been plaguing Earth's defense forces.
Director: Sigmund Neufeld Jr.
Writer: Anne Collins
7.1/10318 votesLoading...#4 - Escape From Wedded Bliss
Season 1 Episode 12 - Aired 11/29/1979
Princess Ardala returns to try to make Buck, who she considers the most genetically perfect male in the galaxy, her husband. With a powerful weapon poised in Earth orbit, she commands Earth's leaders to turn Buck Rogers over to her or else...
Director: David Moessinger
Writer: Anne Collins
7.0/10404 votesLoading...#5 - Awakening (2)
Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 9/20/1979
In the year 1987, NASA launched space probe Ranger III, with astronaut William ""Buck" Rogers, on a 5-month trip around the solar system. However, the craft runs into a meteor storm, which disrupts its life support system and sends it into a long elliptical orbit of the Earth. In the year 2491, Ranger III again approaches the Earth, and is intercepted by the alien flagship Draconia, which is on a peace mission to Earth. Aboard the Draconia, Buck is revived by Princess Ardala and her second-in- command, Kane, whose true plan is to attack and conquer Earth. Buck is sent to Earth with a hidden homing device, which is soon discovered by Earth's Defense Directorate. After Buck convinces the humans of his true identity -- a man from the past -- he helps them to repel the Draconians' attack, with the aid of the mechanoids Dr. Theopolis and Twiki.
Director: Daniel Haller
Writer: Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens
7.0/10284 votesLoading...#6 - The Plot to Kill a City (1)
Season 1 Episode 6 - Aired 10/11/1979
After a Defense Directorate agent kills a member of a group of interstellar assassins, they plot to take their revenge on the city of New Chicago. Buck masquerades as an assassin and joins the group, but is soon uncovered. He must now, not only escape from the assassins, but also stop them from detonating New Chicago's matter/antimatter energy plant.
Director: Dick Lowry
Writer: Alan Brennert
7.0/10300 votesLoading...#7 - The Plot to Kill a City (2)
Season 1 Episode 7 - Aired 10/18/1979
After a Defense Directorate agent kills a member of a group of interstellar assassins, they plot to take their revenge on the city of New Chicago. Buck masquerades as an assassin and joins the group, but is soon uncovered. He must now, not only escape from the assassins, but also stop them from detonating New Chicago's matter/antimatter energy plant.
Director: Dick Lowry
Writer: Alan Brennert
7.0/10198 votesLoading...#8 - Shgoratchx!
Season 2 Episode 10 - Aired 3/19/1981
Buck is ordered to explore a derelict spaceship that the Searcher encounters, and finds it filled with solar bombs and crewed by seven little men. They are escorted back to the Searcher and Admiral Asimov takes their ship in tow to a place where the bombs can be safely detonated. Assuming the little men can cause no real harm, Buck places them in the care of Wilma; but the little men have never seen a woman before and are intent on finding out what all of the "funny little bumps" are.
Director: Vincent McEveety
Writer: William Keys
7.0/10183 votesLoading...#9 - The Hand of the Goral
Season 2 Episode 11 - Aired 3/26/1981
Buck, Wilma, and Hawk explore a strange planet and come across the wreckage of a spacecraft and its lone survivor. He is taken back to the Searcher by Wilma, while Buck and Hawk continue to explore. After some unexplained happenings on the planet, they return to the Searcher, where they find that everyone has undergone personality changes -- becoming the opposite of their real selves. Buck soon learns that he can not even trust Wilma and Hawk to help him solve the mystery of what has happened.
Director: David G. Phinney
Writer: Francis Moss
7.0/101 votesLoading...#10 - Testimony of a Traitor
Season 2 Episode 12 - Aired 4/9/1981
An ancient videotape is discovered that proves that Buck was involved in the nuclear holocaust that nearly destroyed the Earth hundreds of years before. Commissioner Bergstrom convenes a war crimes trial aboard the Searcher and, if Buck is found guilty, faces a death sentence. In a desperate attempt to clear himself, Buck agrees to another mind probe, but his memories seem to confirm the charges.
Director: Bernard McEveety
Writer: Stephen McPherson
6.9/10249 votesLoading...#11 - Space Rockers
Season 1 Episode 21 - Aired 2/21/1980
The evil Lars Mangros plans to broadcast a subliminal signal during the next performance of the rock group Andromeda that will cause the youth of the galaxy to riot. Buck infiltrates Musicworld, where the broadcast will originate, in an attempt to stop the madman from destroying the galaxy's cities.
Director: Guy Magar
Writer: Chris Bunch, Allan Cole
6.8/10282 votesLoading...#12 - Cosmic Whiz Kid
Season 1 Episode 11 - Aired 11/15/1979
Hieronymous Fox, an 11-year-old child genius from the 20th Century is kidnapped for ransom by the sinister Roderick Zale. The boy is the President of the planet Genesia and his bodyguard fears that he will be killed because they cannot meet the ransom demand. Buck, Wilma, and the bodyguard then make separate attempts to rescue the boy.
Director: Leslie H. Martinson
Writer: Alan Brennert
6.8/10228 votesLoading...#13 - Happy Birthday, Buck
Season 1 Episode 15 - Aired 1/10/1980
It's Buck Roger's 534th birthday, and Wilma and Dr. Huer plan a surprise party to cheer up the homesick astronaut. Wilma arranges to get Buck "out of the way" by having him accompany Dr. Huer's assistant to New Detroit with the doctor's business schedule. Meanwhile, a man who is plotting revenge against Huer attempts to gain access to the schedule from the assistant so that he can ambush and kill Dr. Huer.
Director: Sigmund Neufeld Jr.
Writer: Martin Pasko
6.7/10331 votesLoading...#14 - Planet of the Slave Girls (1)
Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 9/27/1979
Most of Earth's defense squadron becomes incapacitated after ingesting poisoned food discs. Buck travels to the planet of the food's origin, Vistula, with Wilma and flight instructor Duke Danton, an old boyfriend of Wilma's. On the planet, they trace the plot to a man named Kaleel who has been selling slaves to the planet's governor and secretly building an attack fleet. With so few fighter pilots, Earth's defense force is now outnumbered 10-to-1. Buck must rescue Wilma from Kaleel's mountain fortress and destroy the fleet before they can reach Earth. This episode was initially aired as a two hour special.
Director: Michael Caffey
Writer: Steve Greenberg, Aubrey Solomon
6.7/10271 votesLoading...#15 - Return of the Fighting 69th
Season 1 Episode 8 - Aired 10/25/1979
Some time before Buck Roger's arrival, Col. Wilma Deering had set out to capture two interstellar gun runners. A fire in their spacecraft left them disfigured and they now set out to take their revenge on Wilma and Earth. Capturing a freighter with 20th Century chemical weapons, they plan to poison the planet's atmosphere. With the aid of retired members of the Earth Defense Directorate's 69th Squadron, Buck and Wilma attack the gun runners' base to destroy them and the chemical weapons.
Director: Philip Leacock
Writer: David Bennett Carren
6.7/10232 votesLoading...#16 - Twiki is Missing
Season 1 Episode 18 - Aired 1/31/1980
Twiki is kidnapped by the evil ruler of a mining colony who, faced with an uprising of the mine workers, plans to make duplicates of the mechanoid to work the mines. While in the mines attempting to rescue Twiki, Buck discovers something that will help Earth destroy a 10-ton ice asteroid that is on a collision course with Earth.
Director: Sigmund Neufeld Jr.
Writer: Jaron Summers
6.7/10241 votesLoading...#17 - Time of the Hawk (1)
Season 2 Episode 1 - Aired 1/15/1981
Buck, Wilma, and Twiki set off into deep space aboard the Searcher, a starship on a mission to find the lost tribes of Earth -- humans who fled to the stars after a nuclear holocaust that all but destroyed the planet. The Searcher encounters a severely-damaged spacecraft with one survivor, who tells them of a savage attack by a bird-man named Hawk. Searcher sets course for the planet where it is believed Hawk lives, and Buck soon becomes involved in a desperate battle of wits and piloting skills with Hawk. Hawk's mate, who was a passenger in Hawk's ship, is mortally wounded in the battle and Buck and Hawk form a shaky alliance to seek medical aid for her. Eventually, Hawk joins the crew of the Searcher, looking for others of his kind.
Director: Vincent McEveety
Writer: Norman Hudis
6.7/10181 votesLoading...#18 - Journey to Oasis (2)
Season 2 Episode 4 - Aired 1/22/1981
Hawk's first mission among the humans is to join Buck, Wilma, and Dr. Goodfellow in escorting Ambassador Duvoe to a peace conference that could avert a terrible galactic war. Crisis strikes as their shuttle passes through an electric storm and crashes in the desert. With contact with Searcher impossible, the party must travel by foot to Oasis, encountering savage mutants and a mischievous gnome named ODX.
Director: Daniel Haller
Writer: Bob Mitchell, Esther Mitchell
6.5/10216 votesLoading...#19 - A Blast for Buck
Season 1 Episode 16 - Aired 1/17/1980
To discover the secret behind a terrifying riddle presented to him, Buck subjects himself to a mind probe in an attempt to find out who is responsible for the mysterious objects being transported into the Defense Directorate's building.
Director: David G. Phinney
Writer: N/A
6.5/10212 votesLoading...#20 - A Dream of Jennifer
Season 1 Episode 20 - Aired 2/14/1980
Buck is haunted by the appearance of a young woman who bears a striking resemblance to Jennifer, a woman who Buck left behind when he was propelled into the 25th Century. He follows her, finds out her name is Leila Markeson, and soon discovers that she was made to look like Jennifer in order to lure Buck into a trap set by an alien who wants Buck to stop a space freighter from delivering weapons to a planet his people hope to conquer. Buck gets Wilma to detonate a warhead to deceive the aliens into thinking the shipment is destroyed. Buck defeats the enemy, but loses Leila, and his lost love again, as she tearfully dies in his arms.
Director: David G. Phinney
Writer: Alan Brennert
6.5/10198 votesLoading...#21 - Journey to Oasis (1)
Season 2 Episode 3 - Aired 1/22/1981
Hawk's first mission among the humans is to join Buck, Wilma, and Dr. Goodfellow in escorting Ambassador Duvoe to a peace conference that could avert a terrible galactic war. Crisis strikes as their shuttle passes through an electric storm and crashes in the desert. With contact with Searcher impossible, the party must travel by foot to Oasis, encountering savage mutants and a mischievous gnome named ODX.
Director: Daniel Haller
Writer: Bob Mitchell, Esther Mitchell
6.5/10178 votesLoading...#22 - The Satyr
Season 2 Episode 9 - Aired 3/12/1981
Buck and Twiki come across the survivors of a failed colony, a young widow and her son. The woman tells Buck that the other colonists all fled the planet as the result of a plague. Buck is confused by the woman's refusal to leave the planet despite being repeatedly being menaced by a goat-man named Pangor; but he soon discovers the truth about the plague when he contracts it and begins to turn into a goat-man himself.
Director: Victor French
Writer: Paul Schneider, Margaret Schneider
6.4/10278 votesLoading...#23 - Unchained Woman
Season 1 Episode 9 - Aired 11/1/1979
Buck masquerades as a convict to break into a prison in an attempt to rescue Jen Burton, who took the blame for a murder her boyfriend, a shipping pirate, really committed. The Earth Defense Directorate believes that she can supply information to put the pirate in jail. Breaking out of the underground prison, Buck and the woman head for a nearby spaceport for return to Earth, but they are pursued by an indestructible android prison guard.
Director: Dick Lowry
Writer: Bill Taylor
6.4/10236 votesLoading...#24 - Planet of the Amazon Women
Season 1 Episode 10 - Aired 11/8/1979
Kidnapped to the planet Zantia, Buck finds himself auctioned off to Ariela, the daughter of the planet's Prime Minister. Through her, Buck learns that the planet's male population are being held as prisoners of war of a people called the Ruathans. Buck agrees to help the women free their men in return for his own freedom.
Director: Philip Leacock
Writer: D.C. Fontana, Richard Fontana
6.4/10239 votesLoading...#25 - Cruise Ship to the Stars
Season 1 Episode 13 - Aired 12/27/1979
Murder and romance await Buck, Wilma, Theo and Twiki aboard the cruise ship Lyran Queen. Buck befriends a shy young girl (Beck) while investigating the attempted kidnapping of beauty queen Miss Cosmos (Stratten) by a woman (Noble) with superpowers. To his surprise, Buck learns the true identity of the mystery woman as he seeks the location of Miss Cosmos before a deadly dissection laser kills her.
Director: Sigmund Neufeld Jr.
Writer: Alan Brennert
The Best Episodes of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century
Every episode of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century ranked from best to worst. Let's dive into the Best Episodes of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century!
20th-century astronaut Buck Rogers awakens in the 25th century after a freak accident puts him in suspended animation for 500 years. Upon returning to Earth...
Genres:Action & AdventureSci-Fi & Fantasy
Network:NBC
Best Episodes Summary
"Awakening (1)" is the best rated episode of "Buck Rogers in the 25th Century". It scored 7.3/10 based on 438 votes. Directed by Daniel Haller and written by Glen A. Larson, Leslie Stevens, it aired on 9/20/1979. This episode scored 0.1 points higher than the second highest rated, "Planet of the Slave Girls (2)".