Phoenix Five facts for kids

Phoenix Five is an exciting Australian science fiction TV series that first aired in 1970. It was shown on the ABC and later on the Seven Network.

This show was actually the third part of a bigger story! It followed two earlier short series called The Interpretaris (from 1966) and Vega 4 (from 1968). Even though each show had different actors and crews, they all took place in the same future world. They even used the same space organization and miniature models. This makes Phoenix Five part of the first-ever TV sci-fi "franchise" – a series of shows connected by the same universe!

Adventures of the Phoenix Five Crew

The story of Phoenix Five takes place in the year 2500. It follows the thrilling adventures of a special team aboard the Phoenix Five, which is the most advanced spaceship in Earth's Space Control Fleet.

This handpicked team includes:

• Captain Roke: He's the brave leader, always ready with a plan to solve any problem.
• Ensign Adam Hargraves: He's the loyal second-in-command, always prepared for action.
• Cadet Tina Kulbrick: She's the kind and smart navigator of the ship.
• Karl: This is their unique robot, called a Computeroid, with a clear glass dome head.

Together, they patrol the far reaches of space. Their mission is to protect innocent people and stop the evil plans of two main villains.

Villains of the Galaxy

The first villain is the evil, blue-skinned Zodian from a planet called Zebula 9. He has two head-shaped computers, Alpha and Zeta, that help him. Zodian was in the first 13 episodes of Phoenix Five.

Later, a new villain appeared: the clever but strange scientist Platonus. He has pointy ears and a computer named Tommy, who speaks with a Cockney accent. Platonus took over as the main villain in the second half of the series. This change happened because the show's producer, Peter Summerton, sadly passed away during production.

Making the Show: Production Details

Phoenix Five was made in 1969 in Sydney, Australia. It was a joint effort by Artransa Park Television, the Australian Broadcasting Commission, and Amalgamated Television Services.

The show first aired in Australia in April 1970. It was also sold to other countries, including the UK, and was shown there in the 1970s and 1980s.

Special Effects and Costumes

Some people used to joke that Phoenix Five was like "Star Trek with gumtrees" because of its Australian setting. However, the first show in this series, The Interpretaris, was made before Star Trek even came to Australia. Phoenix Five was more like older children's space adventure shows from the 1950s and 60s, such as Rocky Jones, Space Ranger and Fireball XL5.

Even though some thought it had a "low budget," Phoenix Five was actually quite expensive for its time in Australia. This was because it was filmed in color, and special effects had to be created from scratch. Australia didn't have many movie and TV special effects experts back then. Peter Hicks, the special effects supervisor, had to be very creative.

The costumes were also costly and unique:

• Zodian wore long, flowing robes.
• A character called the 'microbe' girl wore pink tights.
• The Phoenix Five crew had shiny gold suits.
• Karl the robot wore an aluminum suit with a clear head covering fiberglass bulbs.

Hicks even described how he made the "Galaxy Garden" on the Phoenix Five ship. He used regular plastic plants and changed them to look strange. He even made a special gun to spray liquid on them to make them shrivel up!

Meet the Cast

Here are the main actors who brought the characters of Phoenix Five to life:

• Mike Dorsey played Captain Roke, the brave leader.
• Patsy Trench played Cadet Tina Kulbrick, the kind navigator.
• Damien Parker played Ensign Agam Hargraves, the loyal second-in-command.
• Stuart Leslie played Karl the Computeroid, the team's robot.
• Peter Collingwood played the Earth Space Controller.
• Redmond Phillips played Zodian, the blue-skinned villain.
• Owen Weingott played Platonus, the eccentric scientist.