episode #18 - The Sky Pirate

episode #18 / Air Date: 1/26/66
written by Carey Wilber; Directed by Sobey Martin

Here we meet a pirate of outer space; remember the space cowboy Hapgood in Welcome Stranger? Same principle. Midway through this episode, we hear Tucker's (Albert Salmi) backstory. He was hijacked off Earth by aliens way back in the late 19th century; they kept him in deep freeze for most of the time, which is why he's still kicking around. He travels in a small ship, with a metallic parrot perched on his shoulder. The parrot can perform useful tricks related to levitating objects.
Pirates are supposed to be dangerous dudes but, though Tucker causes Smith to faint, he's not really a bad sort. He keeps Will a prisoner at first, but the two soon become friends - Will becomes enamored of Tucker's lifestyle, as kids are wont to do. Then, a blob-like thing shows up, in pursuit of the space pirate - is that all there is to it? Pretty much. An inconsequential episode, just a chance to see Salmi ham it up. BoG's Score: 6 out of 10



Epilogue Tag: John is banging in a sign warning (for whom?) of ionized gas when the gas spills out of the ground and knocks him out - freeze frame!