The Powers of Matthew Star

i too recall this show with nostalgia. recently i watched "alive" (for about the tenth time) and the actor portraying "tin tin" looked like someone i remembered from a childhood TV show of mine. it took a few moments to recollect, and i didn't have it quite right as i searched IMDb for "matthew powers." eventually i found the right title to the show, and name of the character, and the name of the actor, peter barton. as a young kid during the (brief!) run of that show, i was rapt with attention, and it made an indelible impression on me, obviously. it's gotta be that that whole thing we have as kids - feeling and fantasizing that we have fantastic powers.

{Its hard to remember specifics about this show, but all i know is two things. I loved this show when i was younger, and NO ONE ELSE remembers it! Every sci fi geek I ask looks at me like i have two heads when i mention the name Matthew Star.}

I'm so with you chad. I'm so happy to be reading these comments and know that I am no longer alone. I was beginning to think I dreamt the damn show! LOL. I do hope someone will release it on DVD sooner or later. I'm sure they will. Just earlier in the year I was thinking the same for the Bionic Woman starring Lindsey Wagner and "viola" what did I just buy last month? The entire 3 seasons on DVD. So there is hope my powered friends. Be Patient! It will come! LOL

My husband and I were dating when this show came on. He worked a late shift, so I would go over to his place and hang out with his father. Bud (my FIL) and I would watch Matthew Starr and Miami Vice together. I can still hear Bud say, "OK, let's see how Matthew dumps Pam THIS week!" We recorded the shows so that my husband could see them, too, but original airings (and a mutual love of music) were something special between Bud and me, and helped us develop a lovely friendship.

We were both crushed when first they changed Matthew to an agent ("Work for us or everyone will know your secret!" Duh duh DAAAAAA!) and then cancellation (mercy killing?).

My father-in-law passed away in 1999. I wrote a poem for him, and, on the bottom, simply wrote, "Goodnight, Matthew Starr." My husband, of course, got it.

... it is much bigger and grander in my memory than it actually is. I guess its power, at least in my case, is in its nostagia, so YMMV.

Peter Barton stars as Matthew Star, a normal-looking high-school age teen who is secretly a fugitive prince from a distant planet. Lou Gossett Jr co-stars as Walt, also an alien, who has acted as Matthew's guardian on Earth, where the boy has lived most of his life. Being part of the alien royal family, Matthew has various super powers, such as telekinesis and limited telepathy. Matthew just wants to live the life of a normal Earth teen, spending time with his high school sweetheart Pam (series regular Amy Steel), while Walt goes undercover as a science teacher at the school Matthew attends. Matthew and Walt have to deal with assorted troubles from the mundane (drag-racing teens, trouble on the football team) to the extraordinary (alien bounty hunters, inquisitive scientists).

At the half-season mark, the series underwent a soft reboot, with the high school setting eventually dropped, and Amy Steel being dropped from the cast. Matthew and Walt are now working for the government, in the person of skeptical contact James Karen. They are assigned missions searching for valuable technology, stopping terrorists, or fighting other sundry crimes. Matthew also exhibits a bunch of new powers, such as being able to project an astral body version of himself that can walk through walls; shoot laser blasts from his hands; and even transforming items with a wave of his hand.

The series has a reputation as one of the worst science fiction shows in television history. I was prepared for worse than it is, but it's still not good. The stories range from silly to stupid, and there's a lot of early-80's network cheese on display (plenty of laughing freeze-frames to close out episodes). Barton and Steel (who had both starred in different Friday the 13th movies) are blandly pretty, while accomplished pro Gossett is definitely slumming (he was appearing in this when he won his Best Supporting Actor Oscar for An Officer and a Gentleman). The producers included Harve Bennett who had worked on Star Trek (Leonard Nimoy directs an episode, and Walter Koenig wrote one), and Bruce Lansbury, brother of Angela Lansbury. Bruce's daughter/Angela's niece Felicia Lansbury appears in one of the last episodes.

This is one of those shows that never make it pass their first season but is far better than the rubbish now. With great guest directors/writers like Star Trek veterans Leonard Nimoy and Walter Koenig this underrated gem from the early 1980's is a treat for fans looking to take a break from the Trek universe or just fans of great sci-fi TV. It also has a enjoyable cast, which for me is becoming harder to find in TV or film these days. Even the lovely Julie Newmar makes a small guest appearance in a episode. Granted it may not be the best sci-fi show ever, but The Powers Of Matthew Starr is a fun and entertaining show that you could watch with the family. It truly deserves to be on DVD.