Similarities to Star Trek

[Originally posted to IMDB in 2008]

I've just started watching the television series Space Patrol (known as Planet Patrol in the US), a wonderful kids program created by a protege of Gerry Anderson from the early sixties that also used marionettes. What really strikes me about this all but forgotten program is how influential it seems to have been on later sci-fi. From the very first episode you can see how Gene Roddenberry must have been influenced by Space Patrol. The aggressive and masculine Martians with their high foreheads and voracious appetites are certainly forerunners of the Klingons while the elfin, unemotional, vegetarian and logical Venusians must have been inspirational in the creation of the Vulcans. Even some aesthetics like room dividers are very similar to those on the Enterprise. The main plot revolves around a close knit trio of friends and their adventures visiting various planets. While obviously Roddenberry had more inspiration than this kid's show, in some ways Star Trek feels like a grown up version of Space Patrol.