''Time Trax'' is a
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
television series
A television show – or simply TV show – is any content produced for viewing on a television set which can be broadcast via over-the-air, satellite television, satellite, or cable television, cable, excluding breaking news, television adverti ...
that first aired in 1993.
A
police
The police are a constituted body of persons empowered by a state, with the aim to enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citizens, and to prevent crime and civil disorder. Their lawful powers include arrest and t ...
officer, sent two centuries
into the past to a parallel Universe, must apprehend and return convicted
criminal
In ordinary language, a crime is an unlawful act punishable by a state or other authority. The term ''crime'' does not, in modern criminal law, have any simple and universally accepted definition,Farmer, Lindsay: "Crime, definitions of", in Can ...
s who have escaped
prison
A prison, also known as a jail, gaol (dated, standard English, Australian, and historically in Canada), penitentiary (American English and Canadian English), detention center (or detention centre outside the US), correction center, correc ...
in the
future
The future is the time after the past and present. Its arrival is considered inevitable due to the existence of time and the laws of physics. Due to the apparent nature of reality and the unavoidability of the future, everything that currently ...
. This was the last new production from
Lorimar Television.
Production
''Time Trax'' was created by veteran Hollywood producers
Harve Bennett, Jeffrey M. Hayes and
Grant Rosenberg
Grant Rosenberg is an American novelist, screenwriter and producer. He has worked on such television series as '' Bitten'', ''Lost Girl'', '' XIII-The Series'', '' Fear Itself'', ''Eureka'', ''Masters of Science Fiction'', ''Masters Of Horror'', '' ...
. Rosenberg came up with the original idea, which Bennett and Hayes helped craft into the final premise.
It was one of the first three original programming of the
Prime Time Entertainment Network
The Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN) was an American television network that was operated by the Prime Time Consortium, a joint venture between the Warner Bros. Domestic Television subsidiary of Time Warner and Chris-Craft Industries. Fir ...
, alongside ''
Kung Fu: The Legend Continues'' and ''
Babylon 5
''Babylon 5'' is an American space opera television series created by writer and producer J. Michael Straczynski, under the Babylonian Productions label, in association with Straczynski's Synthetic Worlds Ltd. and Warner Bros. Domestic Tel ...
'', and it ran between January 20, 1993, and December 3, 1994. Despite being well received by viewers, the network cancelled the series because they wanted to go in a different direction to increase their viewer base.
Despite its
Washington, D.C.
)
, image_skyline =
, image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...
, setting, the series was shot in
Queensland
)
, nickname = Sunshine State
, image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg
, map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia
, subdivision_type = Country
, subdivision_name = Australia
, established_title = Before federation
, established_ ...
,
Australia
Australia, officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a Sovereign state, sovereign country comprising the mainland of the Australia (continent), Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous List of islands of Australia, sma ...
, near the Warner/Roadshow Studios.
It was the last series to premiere under the
Lorimar Productions
Lorimar Productions, Inc., later known as Lorimar Television and Lorimar Distribution, was an American production company that was later a subsidiary of Warner Bros., active from 1969 until 1993, when it was folded into Warner Bros. Televisi ...
name.
Premise
In the year 2193, over a hundred criminals become fugitives of law enforcement by traveling back in time two hundred years to a parallel Universe, using a
time machine
Time travel is the concept of movement between certain points in time, analogous to movement between different points in space by an object or a person, typically with the use of a hypothetical device known as a time machine. Time travel is a w ...
called Trax. Darien Lambert is a police detective of that period who is sent back to 1993 in order to apprehend as many of the fugitives as possible. He is assisted by the Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive, or SELMA, an extremely small but very powerful computer (described as equivalent to a
mainframe) disguised for the mission as a
credit card
A credit card is a payment card issued to users (cardholders) to enable the cardholder to pay a merchant for goods and services based on the cardholder's accrued debt (i.e., promise to the card issuer to pay them for the amounts plus the o ...
; SELMA communicates through a
holographic
Holography is a technique that enables a wavefront to be recorded and later re-constructed. Holography is best known as a method of generating real three-dimensional images, but it also has a wide range of other applications. In principle, i ...
interface which takes the visual form of a woman. Lambert is also equipped with a Micro-Pellet Projection Tube disguised as a keyless car alarm remote, which can stun targets or engulf them in an energy field, rendering them transportable to the future. This process, executed by SELMA, incorporates a transmission sequence to send the criminal on his way. Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, who was responsible for sending the fugitives to 1993, tries several times to kill Lambert.
Captain Lambert, fearing the possible consequences of altering the timeline, does not actively attempt to interfere with the natural flow of history, although he frequently leaves messages for his colleagues in 2193 (via the personals sections of assorted newspapers).
Cast
Regular
*
Dale Midkiff
Dale Alan Midkiff (born July 1, 1959) is an American actor, best known for playing Louis Creed in the horror film ''Pet Sematary'' (1989) and Captain Darien Lambert in the TV series ''Time Trax''.
Career
Midkiff acted in off-Broadway plays lik ...
as Captain Darien Lambert, Fugitive Retrieval Section.
A police officer from the 22nd century. Born in 2160 and abandoned by his parents, he was raised in Enclave I-6 Middle City, the area formerly known as
Chicago Land. As a child of his time, he has abilities superior to those of 20th-century humans:
IQ 204, a speed memorization rate of 1.2 pages per second, a top speed of 8.6 seconds for 100 m, a heartbeat of 35 beats per minute and a
life expectancy
Life expectancy is a statistical measure of the average time an organism is expected to live, based on the year of its birth, current age, and other demographic factors like sex. The most commonly used measure is life expectancy at birth ...
of 120 years, as well as
mental focusing capabilities from beta wave training, including the ability to slow down the speed of visual images reaching the brain. He attended the International Police Academy at
West Point
The United States Military Academy (USMA), also known Metonymy, metonymically as West Point or simply as Army, is a United States service academies, United States service academy in West Point, New York. It was originally established as a f ...
, from which he graduated first in his class.
[Episode 1x01 "A Stranger In Time"] In 2193, after over a hundred criminals escaped back to 1993, he is sent back to 1993 to retrieve them.
*
Elizabeth Alexander as SELMA (Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive), an advanced computer AI disguised as Darien's credit card. Selma communicates with both a voice and a holographic interface based on a picture of Darien's mother. Selma can place phone calls, perform medical and scientific testing as well as interface with virtually any computer including those belonging to law enforcement agencies, as well as having a vast amount of information in her database.
Recurring
*
Peter Donat
Peter Donat (born Pierre Collingwood Donat; January 20, 1928 – September 10, 2018) was a Canadian-American actor.
Early life
Pierre Collingwood Donat was born in Kentville, Nova Scotia, Canada, the son of Marie (née Bardet) and Philip Ernst ...
as Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, a
MIT
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the m ...
professor and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics for his theoretical work in the teletransportation of particle mass. Creator of the TRAX time machine. He was paid by criminals to send them to the past. In the first episode, he traveled to the past to escape Darien.
*
Mia Sara
Mia Sarapochiello (born June 19, 1967), known professionally as Mia Sara, is a retired American actress. She made her film debut as Princess Lili in the fantasy film ''Legend'' (1985), and had her breakthrough starring as Sloane Peterson in the ...
as Annie Knox (Past - 20th century) and Elyssa Knox (Future - 22nd century)
** Elyssa Knox was a young prodigy, accepted to MIT at age 9.
By age 17, she was Dr. Sahmbi's most gifted student.
In episode 1, she became Darien's love interest.
** Annie Knox: A Secret Service Agent whom Darien encounters after his arrival and in several other episodes.
Timeline
* 2129 - The "Just War"
* 2160 - Darien Lambert is born (August 17)
* 2169 - Elyssa Knox is born (approximate)
* 2178 - Darien is admitted to the International Police Academy at West Point (approximate)
* 2178 - Dr. Mordicai Sahmbi of MIT wins Nobel Prize for Physics for his theoretical work in the teletransportation of particle mass (approximate)
* 1993 - Darien Lambert arrives in the past (June 15)
Episode list
Season 1
Season 2
Home media
''Time Trax was released on DVD'' on October 9, 2012,
Warner Bros.
Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc. (commonly known as Warner Bros. or abbreviated as WB) is an American film and entertainment studio headquartered at the Warner Bros. Studios complex in Burbank, California, and a subsidiary of Warner Bros. D ...
released the complete first season on DVD in
Region 1 via the
Warner Archive Collection
The Warner Archive Collection is a home video division for releasing classic and cult films from Warner Bros.' library. It started as a manufactured-on-demand (MOD) DVD series by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment on March 23, 2009, with the inte ...
burn on demand service. The second and final season was released the following year on July 9, 2013.
International broadcasters
* -
Bangladesh Television
Bangladesh Television ( bn, বাংলাদেশ টেলিভিশন), commonly known by its acronym BTV ( bn, বিটিভি), is the state-owned television network of Bangladesh. The network was originally established as the East ...
* -
Doordarshan
Doordarshan (abbreviated as DD; Hindi: , ) is an Indian public service broadcaster founded by the Government of India, owned by the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and one of Prasar Bharati's two divisions. One of India's largest bro ...
* -
ITV
ITV or iTV may refer to:
ITV
*Independent Television (ITV), a British television network, consisting of:
** ITV (TV network), a free-to-air national commercial television network covering the United Kingdom, the Isle of Man, and the Channel Islan ...
,
Sci Fi Channel
Syfy (formerly Sci-Fi Channel, later shortened to Sci Fi; stylized as SYFY) is an American basic cable channel owned by the NBCUniversal Television and Streaming division of Comcast's NBCUniversal through NBCUniversal Cable Entertainment. Lau ...
* -
PTV
* -
MTV
MTV (Originally an initialism of Music Television) is an American cable channel that launched on August 1, 1981. Based in New York City, it serves as the flagship property of the MTV Entertainment Group, part of Paramount Media Networks, a di ...
(Now known as
Sirasa TV
Sirasa TV is a digital, terrestrial television network in Sri Lanka. It is the sister channel of ' TV One' (Previously MTV Channel and MTV Sports) which was established in 1992. Sirasa TV was started in 1998 as a sister to its radio network Sir ...
)
* -
Sat.1
* -
RTL Klub
RTL (formerly: RTL Klub) is a Hungarian free-to-air television channel owned by RTL Group. The channel began broadcasting three days after its main rival TV2, one of Hungary's first commercial TV channels.
History
Since its start, RTL Klub ...
* -
Channel 2 (
Telad
Telad is an Israeli production company. The company is mostly known for being one of the three concessionaires whom ran the Israeli commercial television channel Channel 2 between the years 1993–2005.
History
The company was founded in the 1 ...
)
* -
CTC
* -
RCTI
RCTI (''Rajawali Citra Televisi Indonesia'') is a West Jakarta-based Indonesian free-to-air television network. It is best known for its soap operas, celebrity bulletins, news, and sports programmes. It was first launched in 1989, origina ...
* -
SBS
* -
ICTV
* -
Canal 13
* -
SVT
* -
TVNZ 2
TVNZ 2 ( mi, Te Reo Tātaki Rua) is the second New Zealand television channel owned and operated by the state-owned broadcaster Television New Zealand (TVNZ). It targets a younger audience than its sister channel, TVNZ 1. TVNZ 2's line up consi ...
(Originally known as Channel 2 and TV2)
* -
Seven Network
The Seven Network (commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is a major Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, and is one of ...
* -
Canal 2 (TCS)
* -
Telefe
Telefe (acronym for Televisión Federal) is a television station located in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The station is owned and operated by Paramount Global through Televisión Federal S.A. Telefe is also one of Argentina's six national televisio ...
*Perú - Canal 13 - Global Televisión
Video game
A video game for the
Super NES
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), commonly shortened to Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in E ...
console based on the series was released on the U.S. market by
Malibu Games in April 1994 (although some sources list December 1993).
File:TimeTraxSNESGameCartridge.jpg, Time Trax SNES Game Cartridge
File:TimeTraxSNESGameTitleScreen.jpg, Time Trax SNES Game Title Screen
File:TimeTraxSNESGameScreenShot.jpg, Time Trax SNES Game Screen Shot
Genesis version
A
Sega Genesis
The Sega Genesis, known as the outside North America, is a 16-bit Fourth generation of video game consoles, fourth generation home video game console developed and sold by Sega. It was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master Syst ...
version was also developed and completed, and was reviewed in major gaming publications, but it was never released by the publisher. A prototype of the Mega Drive/Genesis version in fully finished state was leaked in 2013.
The Genesis version's most notable difference is its soundtrack being composed by
Tim Follin.
Notes
References
External links
*
*
{{Donald Crombie
1993 American television series debuts
1994 American television series endings
1990s American science fiction television series
1990s American time travel television series
First-run syndicated television programs in the United States
Australian time travel television series
American time travel television series
Television series by Warner Bros. Television Studios
Prime Time Entertainment Network
English-language television shows
Television series set in 1993
Television series set in the 22nd century
Television series by Lorimar Television