The Starlost: Canadian Sci-Fi Lost TV Series

In the early 1970s, science fiction television remained a risky and largely unexplored genre. Outside of Star Trek, which was enjoying a resurgence through syndicated reruns, few space-based TV series had captured mainstream audiences. Television networks were eager for original science fiction programming but hesitant to invest heavily in an unproven format. Doctor Who was gaining momentum, yet for many North American viewers, it felt too distinctly British to fully resonate. Audiences were craving bold, futuristic storytelling that mirrored the ambition of 2001: A Space Odyssey but without its slow, meditative pacing, which often failed to engage younger, after-school viewers. With Space: 1999 and Star Wars still a few years away, most broadcasters were reluctant to take a financial gamble on high-budget science fiction television.

This is where The Starlost comes in, a landmark Canadian science fiction television series created by the legendary writer Harlan Ellison and originally broadcast on CTV, with syndication to U.S. stations. The series is set aboard the massive Earthship Ark, a generational spaceship that drifted off course after an unspecified accident. Centuries later, most inhabitants are unaware they are even living on a spaceship. Ellison envisioned a high-prestige, character-driven epic exploring isolation, survival, and humanity’s reliance on technology, but production shifted to a low-budget Canadian version, causing serious creative and financial challenges that led him to disown the series before it aired.

Despite these hurdles, The Starlost broke new ground in television visual effects. Douglas Trumbull, the effects mastermind behind 2001: A Space Odyssey, Silent Running, and The Andromeda Strain, developed his MagiCam system to seamlessly combine live-action performances with detailed miniature sets. Harlan Ellison described the technology as allowing “whatever you envision” to spring to life, positioning the show as a pioneering experiment in Canadian sci-fi television. The series remains notable for its ambitious concept of isolated societies on a drifting ship, a premise that feels like an early, cerebral predecessor to modern sci-fi films such as Passengers.

The ensemble cast, including Keir Dullea as the thoughtful protagonist Devon, Robin Ward, Gay Rowan, and William Osler, delivered compelling performances despite uneven scripts and production constraints. Guest stars such as Walter Koenig (Chekov in Star Trek), Alexandra Bastedo, and Canadian talents John Colicos (Baltar from Battlestar Galactica), Stephen Young, and Donnelly Rhodes (Dutch Leitner TV spoof Soap) added credibility to the production, but the show’s inconsistent execution and short run limited its audience. The series’s depiction of insular, agrarian communities earned it the nickname “Space Amish,” highlighting the missed potential in fully exploring its complex world.

For fans wanting Ellison’s original vision, the story was later adapted into the novel Phoenix Without Ashes by Edward Bryant, providing a glimpse of the unaltered, high-concept narrative behind the series. Set in the year 2790, The Starlost follows nearly half a million people from diverse cultures aboard the Ark, exploring themes of discovery, social control, and the tension between technology and humanity.

While The Starlost faced setbacks and remains a quirky oddity, it holds a special place in sci-fi history as a bold, imaginative, and visually ambitious Canadian series. Its influence can be traced through the rise of Canadian sci-fi television in the 1990s with The X-Files and Stargate SG-1, and continues today with hits like Orphan Black, Continuum, and Killjoys, cementing Canada’s role as a hub for innovative genre television.