(1937- ) US singer/songwriter and Television producer, perhaps best known as producer of Battlestar Galactica (from 1978), the eponymous dreadnought having some characteristics of an extremely small World Ship in Mormon dress. However, Larson had been long involved with television previously, being responsible for Quincy, McCloud, BJ and the Bear and other non-sf programmes before he turned to sf. All the sf television series that Larson has produced have been simplistic, grossly formulaic, and generally contemptuous of science; in interviews he has adopted a cavalier attitude about the various Scientific Errors pointed out to him. However, he remained loyal to sf/fantasy programming on television for a number of years.
Subsequent series of this kind for which he received the "Created by" credit include: the Battlestar Galactica sequel-series Galactica: 1980 (1980); Buck Rogers in the 25th Century (1979-1981); his most successful series, Knight Rider, four seasons, 83 episodes 1982-1986, starring David Hasselhoff as Michael Knight, the former police officer almost killed in an accident who is given a new identity and groovy futuristic car controlled by a Computer called KITT (Knight Industries Two Thousand), to help him catch bad people as a kind of licensed vigilante; Manimal, eight episodes 1983, about a shapeshifting crimefighter, Jonathan Case (Simon MacCorkindale), who catches bad people by adopting the guise of panther, eagle, etc.; Automan, 11 episodes 1983-1984, starring Desi Arnaz Jr as the computer expert who creates Automan (Chuck Wagner), the world's first living holographic image, to catch bad people; and The Highwayman, ten episodes 1987-1988, another road-movie series in which future law enforcers, Highwaymen, use futuristic vehicles to catch bad people, starring Sam Jones.
Larson was given cover credit for writing, always in collaboration, the Battlestar Galactica series of Ties, beginning with Battlestar Galactica (1978) with Robert Thurston and ending with Battlestar Galactica #14: Surrender the Galactica! (1987), also with Thurston. He was also given cover credit for a series of Knight Rider Ties, beginning with Knight Rider (1983) with Roger Hill and ending with Knight Rider #5: Mirror Image (1985), also with Hill. [PN/JC]
Glen Albert Larson
born Los Angeles, California: 3 January 1937
died
works
Battlestar Galactica
- Battlestar Galactica (New York: Berkley Books, 1978) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/]
- Battlestar Galactica #2: The Cylon Death Machine (New York: Berkley Books, 1979) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/]
- Battlestar Galactica #3: The Tombs of Kobol (New York: Berkley Books, 1979) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/]
- Battlestar Galactica #4: The Young Warriors (New York: Berkley Books, 1980) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #5: Galactica Discovers Earth (New York: Berkley Books, 1980) with Michael Resnick [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/]
- Battlestar Galactica #6: The Living Legend (New York: Berkley Books, 1982) with Nicholas Yermakov (> Simon Hawke) [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #7: War of the Gods (New York: Berkley Books, 1982) with Nicholas Yermakov (> Simon Hawke) [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/Mark Bright]
- Battlestar Galactica #8: Greetings from Earth (New York: Berkley Books, 1983) with Ron Goulart [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/Jessie Neeley]
- Battlestar Galactica #9: Experiment in Terra (New York: Berkley Books, 1984) with Ron Goulart [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #10: The Long Patrol (New York: Berkley Books, 1984) with Ron Goulart [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/David Schleinkofer]
- Battlestar Galactica #11: The Nightmare Machine (New York: Berkley Books, 1985) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/James Warhola]
- Battlestar Galactica #12: "Die, Chameleon!" (New York: Berkley Books, 1986) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/James Warhola]
- Battlestar Galactica #13: Apollo's War (New York: Berkley Books, 1987) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/James Warhola]
- Battlestar Galactica #14: Surrender the Galactica! (New York: Berkley Books, 1987) with Robert Thurston [tie: to the Television series: Battlestar Galactica: pb/James Warhola]
Knight Rider
miscellaneous ties
links
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