TekWar

I heard some mediocre and even negative reviews about this show. Well, I don't agree at all. It was made during 1994-1996 (1 season only). There were 4 Made-for-TV movies before this series. Unfortunately, I didn't see those movies (maybe yet) but I really love the series - brilliant achievement for that-time television. They made a very decent cyberpunk series with great visual effects and really good acting. Too bad, the show was closed. It deserved better promotion and much wider publicity. Greg Evigan, Maria del Mar, William Shatner, Natalie Radford, Eugene Clark and others did a great job. I hope, this show (or its remake) will come back in the nearest future!

A pity we lost this after only one season. Great cop show with a twist. The matrix sequences were the closest I've seen to a realisation of William Gibson except for the film Johnny Mnemonic. Good cast especially Maria del Mar and Natalie Radford. I hope William Shatner gets round to writing some more novels some time.

I have no intention of reading Shatner's books, so I will never know how well these concepts are executed in that medium. This show is oddly prescient, though. Something about the video phone interfaces feels very current and the theme of technological addiction was so far ahead of its time that it probably helped get the show axed. The cyberprep (this is not cyberpunk in the strictest sense of the term, the genre having developed beyond its punk roots by the time TekWar aired) world is an interesting place with interesting people. I wish this had been Cyberpunk 2077's DLC instead of Phantom Liberty.

This is another under the radar gem, this series was based on the "Tek War" book series by William Shatner. And surprising the series really was a hit, it had a series of TV films, which of course soon lead to this series, so yeah, this series was popular for its time. But as I said for its time, as time went on this TV series including the book series has become forgotten.

This show along with the book series was ahead of its time, it defiantly predates "Ghost in the Shell" which was years later after this series. There really have been that many cyberpunk/tomorrows world detective shows only ones that come to mind are anime series like "Ghost in the Shell", "Psycho Pass", and the live action shows "Almost Human" and "Total Recall 2070" also under the radar gems.

Music is good, I do like the theme which really does sing out technological world. The effects and production value are actually very good up to par. Really like the look of the technological future world which by todays standards is actually very close to our present time. Action is also pretty good I wouldn't say wall to wall since this is more of a detective show, you got some good decent shoots outs and fist a cuff.

Characters are good, Jake Carrigan His character is solid has some charisma and one I honest can emphasize with as he's a person that feels like he doesn't totally belong in the world he lives in, he could be more at home in our present time, which of course makes this guy old fashioned. Despite all the technology around he doesn't let it get to his head or feel it's the singular solution to everything, yes, he does use gizmos but he most of the time uses and rely on his observations, deductive reasonings, and instincts. I really like that it sorts of goes with the old saying "sometimes the old-fashioned ways are still the best ways.

Even like his partner Sid Gomez whom is sort of the technological officer of the bunch as he utilizes technology more which really does help in their operations. But I like that he does sometimes put the toys away and acknowledge and listen to his partner. Both the characters have a good back and forth and sort of represent the relationship between both man and technology working together despite at times in conflict.

William Shatner is solid as Bascom, Will in this is pretty much Will but nothing wrong with that. He's almost like a comic relief as there are some funny moments with him as he interacts with the characters. However, he not all laughs as he's sort of their mentor figure helping them out, much as Zordon is to the "Power Rangers".

I like the look of the cyberpunk world. Personally, I always prefer the nit and gritty look in cyberpunk worlds, but I don't mind the clean look in this show because it helps make it unique. It feels like a place that is livable and I honestly wouldn't mind moving in to, it's a techno savvy world but it feels like in this world most have actually put it to good use, actually bettering society and not always for selfish purposes which unfortunately most have done with new technology on the line.

What really makes this show even more interesting is how prolific it is to what we have going on right now. Some of the technologies in the series we have right now like VR head sets which are now being sold conveniently as well as places where you can use VR machines and play games. Online shopping, I pods, you name it it's there. See this shows that the world of Tek War isn't in the far future, we're starting to life it right now.

I even like the plotlines; each episode is always a different case and thought provoking but most importantly also reveals more details about the world of the future which to me keeps things fresh and causes you to retain your attention. Really like how technology is incorporated into it slowly and suttlely without making things confusing.

And of course the technology is really cool from the handgun Jake welds which is some sort of sonic wave gun to stun enemies and disable technology, to even the stealth scanner mask which I thought was cool where you literally can disguise yourself as any face you want, the VR technology and going into the virtual world even like the look of the VR sequences which looked great the CGI animation is up to par almost like the VR sequences in the film "The Lawnmower Man". The list goes on I really don't want to reveal too much you just have to see the rest of the wonderous toys yourself.

Only bad thing is that the show at times can get a tad confusing, there is a time or two when sometimes something happens in an episode making it hard to follow, which at times make me say "huh". Though same could be said about shows like "Ghost in the Shell" with an episode or two. But like I said this only occurs on an episode or two and it's not that noticeable or long, once your get past that piece of confusion the show is back on track.

It also gets into some heady/philosophical topics like blurring the line between reality and fantasy, organic and inorganic and our perception of both things. But also, social issues that are relevant now like our consumer subculture, the dangers of technological addition and divulging yourself too much into it. But also has a good message on staying human and to continually utilize the old-fashioned ways, if they still work use them. And to not let technology run your whole life. Make it an ally and tool not the answer to life itself.

Overall this is a solid series, though I must warn you this show much like the book series isn't everyone's cup of tea. If you're a sci-fi fan and your really into the cyberpunk subgenre or even into thinking person's Sci-Fi's, then this is for you and like any new tech worth a try. If not, then this show probably isn't your thing.

I personally would love a revival to this series, with today's technology it truly can be done may 'be even better than before. And may 'be make a VR game based on this series which would be cool, let alone ironically make sense. Those are thoughts to consider anyway.

"Tek War" has enough juice to keep you wired.

Rating: 3 stars

I would have given it more stars but for the simple fact that some scrimping had to be done in order to create the world of 2045. The continuity wasn't always consistent. However the series taken from the four Universal Action Pack movies that aired in syndication months before the series debut was one of the most futuristic and visionary cyberpunk stories to air on television in the early/mid-nineties when VR and Cyberspace was beginning to become common buzzwords in the lexicon of the 90's. Granted the future was very stylish, not the beat-up grungy used and recycled vision of cyberpunk that visionaries like William Gibson and Bruce Sterling gave us in their novels. Here the tech was high tech looking with colorful polished surfaces, metallic sheen and a slightly computer generated look to it's design. I like to call it Ikea-Tech as it has a subtle euro-Nordic influence to it's design sensibilities. This doesn't detract from the viewing experience, just makes this cyberpunk future a bit more heavy on the futuristic comfort rather than the "beat it to fit and paint it to match" aesthetic of wrote cyberpunk. But again, that is a minor aside, what counts is the stories and the acting and Evigan and cast deliver good solid dialog with only a few winces (Rez-off) and cool cyber-noir story lines that would make effective reading if not filmed. In this stylish future the world is plagued by the drug TEK. The drug is a futuristic VR hallucinogen that when active allows the user to experience whatever illusion he or she desires along with enhancing the users neurochemical processes. That is why it is deadly, as these TEK experiences can not just be addictive but eventually cause neurological deficits, nerve damage, brain damage and eventually death. Jake Cardigan a former police officer starts the series being revived from a 15 year cryoprison sentence early to find his world turned upside down. His wife has divorced him and taken another lover, his son is ensconced away in a private school in Europe and he has no job and a bad reputation as a TEK junkie and a cop killer the last of which is what got him thrown in CryoPrison. Walter Bascom, head of Cosmos security got Jake out for the express purpose of giving a wrongly accused man a second chance to redeem himself as a crusader against TEK. The series follows his adventures with his trusty sidekick Sid Gomez as they take down TEKLords that have murderous VR duplicates, TEK family syndicates, Hackers in search of TEK secrets, Android part thieves and even saving the life of a scientist who has figured how to stop TEK from affecting the brain, thus making it non addictive and harmless and making him a target for some very powerful TEK distributors. Along the way, Jake and his equip(Nika, Sid, Sam) make serious in-roads into stopping TEK and freeing the world from the nightmare of addiction and murder that follow in it's wake. Sadly the series never completed a first season, and was not renewed for following seasons like many a scifi series. The series was rerun on SciFi Channel which is probably where it belonged in the first place. Universal who I think had just bought USA Networks (owner of SciFi Channel)decided to showcase the series on a cable channel in prime-time instead of prime-time syndication like most of their Action Pack series. Had it been run that way, there could have been a wider viewing base with better ratings as a result and the series might have had the numbers that showed it was a worthwhile investment to keep filming. Granted USA was gaining in popularity as a Prime-Time network to rival the syndies and non-cable nets but this was still early and uncharted territory. Still, we got something and with remakes becoming popular these days, a chance that this could be remade with even more lavish FX is possible. I am sure the writers of this series could find a bit more to write about Jake Cardigan and his fight against TEK.