What plot points/cultural significance would making Steve Austin a civilian member of NASA have served?
In the pilot movie "The Six Million Dollar Man" (1973) which preceded the TV series, Steve Austin was a "civilian member" of NASA who had walked on the moon, which justified his role as a test pilot. It was only in the second TV movie, "Wine, Women, and War" that he was changed to have the rank of Colonel. I have not read the Martin Caidin novels, but evidently he held the military rank and background in those.
Is there any evidence in writings about the pilot regarding what scenarios would be possible in future TV movies, shows (if they were already pitching it as a series) if he didn't have the military background? It seems as though they deemed it important in the initial pilot movie that Steve Austin was well-known as an astronaut, but was the cultural backdrop of the end of the Vietnam war part of their initial decision to shed the military connection?
Best Answer
When The Six Million Dollar Man premiered (1973) in the United States had just ended its involvement in the Vietnam War. The US military was not held in high regards in many circles and having Austin be a veteran might have been seen as "problematic." The pilot seems to have done away with this by having Austin be a civilian test pilot who was the only civilian ever sent to the Moon.
After two additional television films (during which Steve Austin was returned to his former military rank) the series was picked up by ABC as a weekly series in 1974. The improbability of Austin having been a civilian astronaut was probably brought the attention of the producers who simply changed the back story during the second pilot film.
In this respect, the television series began to match Martin Caidin's novels. The show later expanded upon Austin's background adding a family and then later love interest, Jamie Sommers, who herself became The Bionic Woman.
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Who created the Six Million Dollar Man?
The character Steve Austin first appeared as the protagonist of American author Martin Caidin's science-fiction novel Cyborg (1972), which was adapted the following year as a made-for-television movie (The Six Million Dollar Man), starring Majors in the title role.How old is Six Million Dollar Man?
The Six Million Dollar Man is an American science fiction and action television series, running from 1973 to 1978, about a former astronaut, USAF Colonel Steve Austin, portrayed by Lee Majors....The Six Million Dollar ManOriginal releaseMarch 7, 1973 \u2013 March 6, 197818 more rowsWhat powers did the bionic Man have?
In the reunion movies, the capabilities of Austin's bionic hardware seemed to have been increased: With his right arm, he could flip an entire car, and he seemed to be able to jump higher; the heights he could reach by that means appeared to be at least double those of the television show.University of Texas at Austin 2014 Commencement Address - Admiral William H. McRaven
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