Where does the future come from? For the last hundred years or so, the future has come from science fiction. Submarines, cell phones, tasers, and nuclear power all appeared in sci-fi before reality. Even the genre itself is full of tropes that are barely recognizable as creative decisions because they’re so ingrained in our expectations. Think aliens and laser guns are cool? Thank Buck Rogers! He was Han Solo before Han shot first.
Technically, you should thank Buck Rogers creator Philip Francis Nowlan and the artists and writers who managed Buck’s spacefaring adventures over a nearly 60-year comics run. This decades-long legacy culminated in the 1979 TV series Buck Rogers in the 25th Century. Unfortunately, the show didn’t have the same impact as its print counterpart, ending in 1981. The final episode, “The Dorian Secret,” aired 45 years ago this week, but in true Buck Rogers fashion, it went out with a bang.
