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[ 37 ] The Dorian Secret
| Season: | 2 |
| Date Aired U.S.: | Thursday, April 16, 1981 |
| Writer(s): | Stephen McPherson |
| Director: | Jack Arnold |
 Episode Synopsis
 "On a space station is a group of survivors from a planetary disaster who are being transported to a new home. Also on board are Hawk and Buck who rescue a young woman being attacked by Dorian males. After returning to the Searcher, the ship is attacked by a Dorian vessel whose commander demands that an escaping Dorian female be turned over to them immediately. The girl, wanted for the murder of a Dorian leader's son, is the one Buck brought on board the Searcher. Buck believes the Dorians are making a mistake, but the passengers, under the pressure of constant Dorian attacks against the Searcher, finally take matters into their own hands and turn over both Buck and the girl to the Dorian warlord."
Guest Cast
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Astaria (Devon Ericson)
Dorian woman who came aboard the Searcher seeking refuge from Dorian authorities. She was being sought by Koldar for the murder of his son, Chozan. Astaria claimed that she was innocent, but once she was discovered by the other passengers, she was forced off the ship and into Koldar's hands.
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Chronos (Eldon Quick)
A survivor of the volcanic eruptions on Avernis, and passenger aboard the Searcher when the Dorian woman Astaria was being sought for murder by Koldar. Chronos called himself the "prestidigitator", but was a modest magician. He uses a magician's fan mirror to expose Astaria as the Dorian woman that Koldar is seeking.
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Cleis (Michele Marsh)
Survivor of the volcanic eruptions on Avernis, and passenger aboard the Searcher when the Dorian woman Astaria was being sought for murder by Koldar. Cleis gets hysterical as the heat rises on the Searcher from Koldar's therman intervention beam. She supports Rand in his decision to force Astaria off the ship, but later regrets it as it appears she is going to be put to death on the spot..
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Darel (Lachelle Chamberlain)
Passenger aboard the Searcher when the Dorian woman Astaria was being sought for murder by Koldar, and wife to Joham. Darel was pregnant at the time and Joham expresses concern about the temperature shifts due to the thermal intervention beam from Koldar's ship.
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Dimitir (William Kirby Cullen)
Son of Koldar, the supreme leader of the mask wearing Dorians of Cygnius. Dimitir hoped that his father would let the woman Astaria escape as a form of banishment for alleged murder of Chozan, his brother. In fact, Dimitir had accidentally killed his brother in a quarrel over the removal of his mask while in the presence of his love, Astaria.
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Joham (Keith Atkinson)
Survivor of the volcanic eruptions on Avernis, and passenger aboard the Searcher when the Dorian woman Astaria was being sought for murder by Koldar. Joham is the husband of Darel, and expresses concern about the temperature shifts due to the thermal intervention beam from Koldar's ship.
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Kelly (Jackie Russell)
Passenger aboard the Searcher who was accused by Rand of being the Dorian woman, Astaria, who was being sought by the supreme ruler of the Dorians for the murder of his son.
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Koldar (Walker Edmiston)
Supreme leader of the mask wearing Dorians of Cygnius. Koldar sought out the woman Astaria aboard the Searcher to put her to death for the killing of his son, Chozan. He used thermal intervention beams to alter the temperature aboard the Searcher to force the release of the girl, who was granted asylum by Buck.
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Rand (Stuart Nisbet)
A survivor of the volcanic eruptions on Avernis, and passenger aboard the Searcher when the Dorian woman Astaria was being sought for murder by Koldar. Rand was desperate to end the standoff of the Searcher and Koldar's ship by forcing Astaria into an airlock and into Koldar's hands.
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Syla (Brady Rubin)
Friend of Cleis and survivor of the volcanic eruptions on Avernis. Syla tried to calm her friend as she began to get hysterical when Koldar, leader of the Dorians, held the Searcher in a thermal intervention beam.
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Fan Reviews |
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Average Fan Review
 
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Reviewer: Mark Weller
Submitted: August 12, 2002
In the concluding episode of the series, we encounter a refugee fleeing from an oppressive culture who is befriended by Buck and Hawk. The episode is somewhat clever, arguing about the necessity of accepting people who are different while (SPOILER) ultimately revealing that the problems of the alien society rest of the fact that their citizens are too much alike. The twilight zone-esque ending is workable, but there seems to be too much time taken up in the program by arguments among the other refugees aboard the Searcher. An argument against majoritarianism can be detected in these sequences, but it is hard to determine whether there is a fully fleshed liberal stance underpinning the episode. The hot and cold rays are cheezy, and people do not necessarily stay in character for the entire show. All in all, a ho-hum ending for a series that at times was brilliant. Perhaps the writing was on the wall by the time this one was filmed.
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Reviewer: Susan Kite
Submitted: May 16, 2004
While this one was a bit uneven at times, it was still good, and intriguing enough keep my interest. The idea that most people thought the Dorians kept behind masks because of hideous mutations as opposed to the real reason was an interesting one. The debating and panic scenes among the passengers were well used plot lines (panic, panic, which Airport was it?), and, I agree, sometimes too long, but still believable.
Still have a problem with who is actually in charge of the Searcher, (holy cow, Asimov was a badly written character), and so did the Dorian leader, but Buck adroitly explained that one off, (which is better than in previous episodes.) Anyway, I would say my biggest complaint of this one was not that it wasn't a pretty good ep, but that it was the last. I get the same funny feeling every time I watch the last Zorro episode.
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Reviewer: David Naks
Submitted: January 26, 2006
A good episode(though all the Searcher episodes are good). During the hot and cold running beams, the use of the "Awakening" theme from the first episode linked the two seasons. However it was good that it sounded just a little different, for variety's sake. I would have added one thing, a tractor beam so the Searcher couldn't escape.
It was odd all the colonists were able to fit in that little compartment on the Searcher, it was a pretty small colony. And you'd think Buck would let Astaria hang out in his quarters,rather than let her take her chances with that bloodthirsty mob.
It was hokey, though, Buck letting the Dorians execute Astaria, only to have Dimitir rescue her at the last second. Only on TV would a character's faith in another be justified the way it played out in that scene(Kids, don't gamble with others lives like that in real life).
It was a nice, moving end; Koldar, meekly telling Buck to "Imagine, Captain, every face you see a mirror image of your own..." shows this callous leader really has feelings.
Buck is a good little Boy Scout, lecturing the refugees on their behavior.
Their contrite attitudes are something you don't see in real life.
For all the weak spots chronicled above, the episode is fun to watch.
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