The Questor Tapes is a 1974 TV-movie about an android (portrayed by Robert Foxworth) with incomplete memory tapes who is searching for his creator and his purpose. Conceived by and executive produced by Gene Roddenberry, the script is credited to Roddenberry and fellow Star Trek alumnus Gene L. Coon. Sci-fi is an abbreviation for science fiction. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American scriptwriter and producer. ... Gene L. Coon (7 January 1924-8 July 1973) was an American screenwriter and television producer. ... Main title caption from Falcon Crest. ... Mike Farrell (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series M*A*S*H (1975-83). ... John Vernon was the stage name of Adolph Raymond Vernon Agopsowicz (February 24, 1932–February 1, 2005). ... publicity photo for Ayres Lew Ayres (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor. ... James Shigeta (born June 17, 1933) is an American film and television actor. ... Image: eur. ... Gil Melle (December 31, 1931 – October 28, 2004) was an artist, jazz musician and film composer. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... The National Broadcasting Company or NBC is an American television broadcasting company based in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... January 23 is the 23rd day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1974 (MCMLXXIV) was a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The android Data, portrayed by Brent Spiner, from the TV series Star Trek: The Next Generation An android is a robot made to resemble a human, usually both in appearance and behavior. ... Main title caption from Falcon Crest. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Gene Roddenberry Eugene Wesley Roddenberry (August 19, 1921 – October 24, 1991) was an American scriptwriter and producer. ... The current Star Trek franchise logo Star Trek is an epic American science fiction franchise. ... Gene L. Coon (7 January 1924-8 July 1973) was an American screenwriter and television producer. ...

A novelization, written by D. C. Fontana (another Trek alumnus), was dedicated to Coon, who died before the program was broadcast. Dorothy Catherine D. C. Fontana, is a screenplay writer, best known for her work in the Star Trek television franchise, produced by Paramount Studios. ...

Plot summary

Project Questor is the brainchild of the genius Dr. Emil Vaslovik: he developed plans to build a superhuman android. A team of the world's foremost experts is able to build the android, even though they don't understand the components that they're working with -- they are only able to follow the instructions and install parts left by Vaslovik, who has disappeared. Attempts to decode the programming tape were not only unsuccessful, approximately half of the tape was erased. They decide to substitute their own programming, over the objections of Jerry Robinson (Mike Farrell), the only team member who actually had worked with the mysterious inventor. He is overruled by the head of the project, Geoffrey Darro (John Vernon). Mike Farrell (born February 6, 1939) is an American actor, best known for his role as Captain B.J. Hunnicutt on the television series M*A*S*H (1975-83). ... John Vernon was the stage name of Adolph Raymond Vernon Agopsowicz (February 24, 1932–February 1, 2005). ...

When the android has been finished, the new tape is loaded, with no results. In desperation, Robinson persuades Darro to allow Vaslovik's tape -- what remains of it -- to be loaded. Again, the team is disappointed, as there is no response.

However, once left alone, the android comes to life. It adds the various cosmetic touches to a previously featureless outer skin, then leaves the lab to visit Vaslovik's office. There, confronted by the scientist's secretary, he identifies himself: "I am part Project Questor."

The android forces Robinson to accompany him in a search for Vaslovik, pursued by Darro, following a tiny scrap of the original programming. Questor (who becomes more "human" as the story progresses) only knows that it has something to do with an "aquatic vehicle" -- a boat -- and that if he doesn't find Vaslovik before the end of a countdown, his nuclear-furnace stomach will overload and explode. Vaslovik programmed this to prevent his creation from being misused, and time is running out.

Then, just as Questor realizes what the clues have been pointing toward, he is shot by British soldiers, and returned to the laboratory. Robinson repairs Questor, and Darro gives him two options: if Robinson put a homing transmitter inside the android, they will be given a plane to go find Vaslovik, but if Robinson refuses, the android will simply be flown to a safe location where the explosion will not endanger anyone. Robinson implants the beacon, and they jet off to Mount Ararat . . .the "boat" imperative referred to the Ark. Mount Ararat,Kurdish Ciyaye Agiri/Ararat Armenian: , Kurdish: , Greek: , Persian: ‎, Russian: , Georgian: არარატის, Azeri: Ağrıdağ, Hebrew: ‎, Tiberian Hebrew: ) is the tallest peak in modern Turkey. ... Look up ark in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

They arrive with seconds to spare. Questor's timer is made safe, and he has found Vaslovik (Lew Ayres), who tells Questor and Robinson that he, too, is an android. Questor is the last of a series, going back to "the dawn of this world," left there by "Masters" to serve and protect Mankind. Each had a lifespan of several hundred years, assembling his replacement, but Vaslovik had been damaged by the unexpected, rapid advent of nuclear physics and its fruits. Questor's design corrected these failures, and finally Vaslovik is able to die in peace, after asking Robinson to help Questor learn about humanity. publicity photo for Ayres Lew Ayres (December 28, 1908 – December 30, 1996) was an American actor. ...

Darro, having followed the pair, has heard enough to know how important it is that Questor be allowed to fulfill his mission. Unfortunately, he has brought the military with him, to destroy the android. The cynical Darro believes that this is proof that humanity doesn't deserve Questor's help. However, he takes the transmitter and leaves, telling the military commander that the android had escaped, and to send in jet fighters when the beacon signal was picked up. He then takes off in the jet that Questor and Robinson had used, turning on the transmitter as he goes so that they will think that the android is aboard. The plane is destroyed, and Questor and Robinson begin their mission together.

Production

The Questor Tapes was originally intended as a pilot episode for a television series. In fact, a 13-episode go-ahead was given for the series before the TV movie was aired, with Foxworth and Farrell reprising their roles. Joining the actors behind the scenes were producers Michael Rhodes and Earl Booth and story editor Larry Alexander. The green-lighted series was slated for Friday nights at 10 pm on NBC...the "death slot" where the final season of the original Star Trek withered. A television pilot is the first episode of an intended television series. ... NBC (an abbreviation for National Broadcasting Company, its former corporate name) is an American television network headquartered in the GE Building in New York Citys Rockefeller Center. ... Star Trek: The Original Series is a science fiction television series created by Gene Roddenberry and aired from September 8, 1966 through June 3, 1969, with a total of 79 episodes aired and 80 episodes produced. ...

However, conflict between Roddenberry and both Universal and NBC over the content of the proposed series doomed the series, most notably ignoring the revelation at the end of the TV movie and eliminating the key character of Jerry Robinson. These changes were too much for Roddenberry, who abandoned the project. No episodes were produced.

The Questor Tapes was one of a series of TV movies created by Gene Roddenberry, including Genesis II and Planet Earth, all of which were intended to be pilots for prospective TV series.

Nominations

In 1975 The Questor Tapes was nominated for a Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation. The 2005 Hugo Award with base designed by Deb Kosiba. ... The Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation is one of the annual Hugo Award categories, presented by members of the World Science Fiction Convention. ...

Legacy

The Questor android is widely believed to be the inspiration for Roddenberry's later character, Data. Data,[1] portrayed by Brent Spiner, is a character in the Star Trek fictional universe. ...

Herbert Wright, who had a long friendship with Roddenberry, has strong ties to the series that was never made. The two met when Wright became aware of the movie and fell in love with the story and wanted to be a part of the series. After some sample submissions, Wright was allowed to join, but he never had the chance, as the series was scrapped after Roddenberry's creative differences with the studio. Wright kept the idea alive, with hope of the series coming to fruition throughout the years. When the rights finally came back to the Roddenberry family in the early 2000s, Wright secured the rights with the blessing of Roddenberry's family to produce the series. Wright made several promotions for the series in 2003 at conventions. Wright even reserved production locations while working on a first script. The show suffered what was at first a simple setback when Wright fell ill within a year, which delayed the show's development. Wright died in 2005 before he could finally bring the show to life. There are, however, talks of the project continuing with his business and creative partners based on what he had completed before his death. Herbert Wright (born November 9, 1947 in Columbus, Indiana) was a science fiction writer and producer. ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Notable scenes

• The casino scene (involving Questor's detection of weighted dice, and their subsequent realignment in his precise, powerful hand. This subtle fix was later duplicated by the Data character in the Star Trek: The Next Generation episode "The Royale.") Robinson accepts this because the casino had attempted to cheat, and Questor was merely correcting for this.
• The discovery of the missing android-creator's secret and amazing (this was filmed pre-internet) control centre (Robinson suspects nefarious global activity)
• A surprise ending with significant religious (set in a cave in the Middle East) and beneficial alien invasion overtones.

This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Data,[1] portrayed by Brent Spiner, is a character in the Star Trek fictional universe. ... The title as it appeared in most episodes opening credits. ... The Royale is the name of an episode from the second season of Star Trek: The Next Generation. ... A map showing countries commonly considered to be part of the Middle East The Middle East is a region comprising the lands around the southern and eastern parts of the Mediterranean Sea, a territory that extends from the eastern Mediterranean Sea to the Persian Gulf. ... The alien invasion is a common theme in science fiction stories and film, in which a technologically-superior extraterrestrial society invades Earth with the intent to replace human life, or to enslave it under a colonial system, or in some cases, to use humans as food. ...

Music

The music for The Questor Tapes was scored by Gil Melle, who had made a mark in the world of jazz as an outstanding saxophonist, composer, and also noted as a painter. Gil also was know for scoring, My Sweet Charlie, That Certain Summer, and Frankenstein: The True Story. His most well-known film score was, The Andromeda Strain (directed by Robert Wise, who later directed Star Trek: The Motion Picture). As an innovator in the use of electronic music in films of the 1960s, Melle contributed to a great many science fiction, fantasy, and horror television and feature film scores, including Night Gallery (theme and episodes), The Six Million Dollar Man (original TV-movie), A Cold Night's Death, Kolchak: The Night Stalker, Starship Invasions, World War III, and many others. Gil Melle (December 31, 1931 – October 28, 2004) was an artist, jazz musician and film composer. ... Jazz is a musical art form that originated in New Orleans at around the start of the 20th century. ... The saxophone (colloquially referred to as sax) is a conical-bored instrument of the woodwind family, usually made of brass and played with a single-reed mouthpiece like the clarinet. ... This article is about the 1971 film. ... // Headline text Director Robert Wise Robert Wise (September 10, 1914 – September 14, 2005) was an Academy Award-winning American film producer and director. ... Star Trek: The Motion Picture (Paramount Pictures, 1979; see also 1979 in film) is the first feature film based on the popular Star Trek science fiction television series and is released on Friday, December 7. ... Night Gallery was Rod Serlings follow-up to The Twilight Zone, airing on NBC from 1970 to 1973. ... Part of The Bionic series The Six Million Dollar Man was an American television series about a cyborg working for a U.S. secret service called OSI. The show was based on the novel Cyborg by Martin Caidin, and aired on the ABC network from 1973 to 1978. ... Darren McGavin as Kolchak in The Night Stalker (1972) Kolchak: The Night Stalker is a television series that aired on ABC in 1974, about a newpaper reporter -- Carl Kolchak, played by Darren McGavin -- who investigates crimes with mysterious and unlikely causes that the proper authorities wont accept. ... World War III was a miniseries, aired on US network television in 1982. ...

External links

• The Questor Tapes at the Internet Movie Database
• Retrovisionmag; includes detailed plot discussion and commentary
• MovieTome has additional information and detailed plot summary under its recap page