Established in the "star year" 3732, the Space Academy, located on an
asteroid, brought together the best of young minds, including several with special skills and abilities, to explore the mysteries of space. • Commander Isaac Gampu (Jonathan Harris) was the head of the academy. His many years of space exploration exposed him to conditions that immensely slowed his aging process; though appearing to be in his sixties or seventies, his true age was well over 300 years old, giving him a unique perspective on history and some ideal qualifications as a teacher. He oversaw the activities of three student exploratory teams, the Red, Blue and Gold Teams (although the main characters were all members of the Blue Team). • Chris Gentry (Ric Carrott) and Laura Gentry (Pamelyn Ferdin) were the captain and co-captain, respectively, of the academy's Blue Team. The siblings (Chris was the elder) had highly developed
telekinetic and other
psychic powers. Laura was attracted to Matt Prentiss (John Berwick, later "Rex Ruthless" on
Hero High), the occasionally-seen leader of the Red Team. • Adrian Pryce-Jones (the late Maggie Cooper) was number three in the Blue Team's
chain of command and Chris's love interest. • Paul Jerome (the late Ty Henderson), a highly intelligent transferee from the Red Team, was raised on an Earth colony. He was number four in the Blue Team's chain of command (although Paul is introduced as an established academy member in the first episode, he is reintroduced in the second episode as if he were a new character; conversely Loki, introduced in the first episode as a new admission, is reintroduced in the second episode as a long-established member. This
continuity error was acknowledged in the information booklet accompanying the series' DVD release). • Tee Gar Soom (Brian Tochi), number five in Blue Team's chain of command, had
superhuman physical strength and continued the
martial arts traditions of his
Asian ancestors. He augmented these abilities with newer disciplines, some of which originated on other planets. His major was medicine, and he was often called on to treat other students who were sick. • Loki (Eric Greene) was a young orphan discovered in the first episode on the dying world of Zalon. A playful prankster, Loki could
teleport and could see well beyond the
visible spectrum normally accessible by Earth humans. His frequent catchphrase was "
Camelopardus!" As with much of
children's television in the 1970s, lessons and morals were taught in each episode. These included wide-ranging concepts, such as that the
superpowers possessed by some academy students were not a cure-all for problems, and that even the old and wise could make mistakes. As the students encountered members of
extraterrestrial races, even mutated descendants of Earth colonists in space, they came to further develop their wisdom and understanding of diversity throughout the universe. The spaceships commonly seen in the series were called "Seekers" and were used much like a spacebound
van or
bus. The Seeker's nose was a re-used prop from the earlier Filmation series
Ark II. One term of jargon unique to the program was "ORACO" ("Orders Received And Carried Out"), used when orders were acknowledged by academy personnel. ==Episodes==