Children of the Dog Star facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Children of the Dog Star |
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| Genre | Science fiction |
| Written by | Ken Catran |
| Directed by | Chris Bailey |
| Country of origin | New Zealand |
| No. of episodes | 6 |
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| First shown in | 1984 |
Children of the Dog Star is an exciting science fiction TV show made for kids in New Zealand in 1984. It has six episodes, each about 24 minutes long. The show was written by Ken Catran and directed by Chris Bailey. A book version of the story was also written by Marie Stuttard.
Contents
About the Story
The show is about a girl named Gretchen, who is 12 years old. She is on holiday at her uncle's farm in New Zealand. There, she meets two new friends: Ronny, a Māori boy, and Bevis, who loves watching birds.
The Mysterious Swamp
There's a lot of tension because a developer wants to buy a local swamp. He plans to drain it to build houses. However, Ronny's uncle is the guardian of a special Māori tradition called tapu. This means the swamp is sacred and must not be touched. Something ancient and unnatural is believed to be sleeping there.
The Daisy Rod and Space Probe
Gretchen loves science and fixing things. She becomes very interested in a strange old brass "weathervane" on her uncle's farm. It's called the "daisy rod." Gretchen and Ronny soon discover that this daisy rod is very important. It is connected to the far-off star Sirius, also known as the Dog Star.
As the story unfolds, the children find pieces of an ancient alien space probe. Its name is Kolob. They work to put the missing parts together. When they do, strange things start to happen around them.
Alien Contact
The probe was one of three sent to Earth a long time ago. Their mission was to teach humans about science. In the end, Gretchen and Ronny manage to set up a communication link. They connect with the star Sirius B, where the probe came from. The aliens tell them that they should not have interfered with Earth's development.
Episodes List
The series has six exciting episodes:
- The Brass Daisy
- Power Stop
- Swamp Light
- Alien Summons
- Kolob
- Alien Contact
Where to Watch It
For a long time, it was hard to find Children of the Dog Star. This was because of complicated copyright rules. But in 2009, TVNZ released the series on DVD. They also shared the show with some TV stations in North America.
The show was also shown in other countries. These included Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria, the Netherlands, Poland, Greece, and the United Kingdom. This happened in the mid and late 1980s. Since 2011, you can watch the series on YouTube.
Interesting Facts
Awards Won
Children of the Dog Star won some important awards:
- It received the Golden Gate Award at the San Francisco International Film Festival in 1984.
- It also won the New Zealand Feltex 1984 best drama award.
Book Version
A book based on the TV show was released in 1985. It was written by Marie Stuttard. The book helps you follow the story even more closely.
Fun Trivia
- The closing credits of each episode show the year 1974 by mistake. It should be 1984.
- Ronny and Gretchen play a video game in the grocery store. That game is called The Pit.
