A Time Capsule Sci-Fi with Familiar Faces and Awkward Charm
I stumbled across Space Command Redemption on YouTube and decided to give it a watch. Going in, I honestly thought it was something unearthed from the late 1990s or early 2000s. The tone, the pacing, even the structure feel like that era of television sci-fi. But no. It released in 2024.
The cast is packed with genre familiars, including alumni from Babylon 5 and Star Trek, and it was genuinely nice to see Mira Furlan and Bruce Boxleitner sharing the screen again. For longtime sci-fi fans, that alone gives the movie a warm glow.
Overall, it’s actually a pretty good watch. Not groundbreaking. Not sleek and modern. But solid enough, especially for an indie production. The special effects are decent considering the budget. Nothing jaw-dropping, but they get the job done without pulling you out of the story.
That said, parts of Dor’s storyline were really familiar. I kept thinking of The Murderbot Diaries by Martha Wells. At first, I assumed maybe Wells had drawn inspiration from this. Then I checked the release date. Nope. If there’s borrowing going on, it would have to be the other way around.
The acting ranges from pretty good to awkward. Some of the dialogue is unintentionally hilarious. At one point a character simply says, “You’re attractive.” Just like that. Who blurts that out when first meeting someone? It gave me a good laugh. And I’m fairly certain this film contains the most awkward kiss ever in space drama. Points for boldness, maybe.
A few of the story arcs drag, and the ending felt a little strange. There were also moments where I thought two characters were in one place and suddenly they’re traveling toward each other. Wait a minute… did I miss something? To be fair, I wasn’t giving it my undivided attention the entire time, so that confusion might be on me.
Still, I’d call this a decent watch. It has heart. It has nostalgia. It has some very earnest sci-fi energy. And if you’ve got an affection for that earlier era of space television, this will probably land well.
Beer rating: one and a half beers is enough to have fun with this one.
You can watch the entire movie for free on YouTube. HERE
