Time Trax
Time Trax is an American-Australian co-produced science fiction television series that aired from January 20, 1993, to December 3, 1994, following Captain Darien Lambert, a police officer from the year 2193 who travels back to a parallel universe in 1993 to capture fugitives who have escaped from future prisons to a parallel universe in the past to evade justice.[1] The show centers on Lambert's efforts to track down these criminals using advanced technology from his era, including a portable personal transponder (PPT) for identification and a holographic computer named SELMA that assists him while posing as a wristwatch.[2] Created by Harve Bennett, Jeffrey M. Hayes, and Grant Rosenberg—known for their work on Star Trek films—the series blends time-travel adventure with police procedural elements, emphasizing Lambert's challenge of adapting 22nd-century methods to 20th-century constraints without altering history.[1] The program starred Dale Midkiff as the stoic and resourceful Darien Lambert, Elizabeth Alexander providing the voice for the witty and knowledgeable SELMA, and Peter Donat as the recurring antagonist Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, a criminal mastermind who also fled to the past.[3] Produced by Gary Nardino Productions, Lorimar Television (season 1), and Warner Bros. Television, Time Trax ran for two seasons totaling 44 episodes, initially widely syndicated in the U.S. and later broadcast internationally in countries including the UK, Australia, and Canada.[4] Directors such as Colin Budds and Donald Crombie helmed multiple episodes, contributing to the show's consistent visual style that incorporated practical effects for its futuristic gadgets amid contemporary settings.[3] Critically, Time Trax received mixed reviews for its formulaic plots and modest production values, though it garnered a loyal audience among sci-fi enthusiasts for its inventive premise and Midkiff's charismatic performance.[5] The series explored themes of justice across time, ethical dilemmas in law enforcement, and cultural clashes between eras, often featuring guest stars and standalone stories involving escaped convicts in various professions.[6] Despite not achieving long-term syndication success like contemporaries such as Star Trek: The Next Generation, it remains notable as one of the last major projects from Bennett's production team.[1]Premise
Plot summary
In the year 2193, a brilliant but malevolent scientist named Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi invents a time machine called TRAX, enabling approximately 200 convicted criminals to escape justice by fleeing to the past through portals connecting to a parallel universe's 1990s Earth.[7][8] To counter this threat, police captain Darien Lambert, a highly skilled law enforcement officer from the future, volunteers to pursue the fugitives using the same technology, arriving in 1993 Washington, D.C., where he must operate covertly to avoid disrupting historical events.[8] Lambert poses as a special investigator for the Justice Department, relying on his advanced knowledge and discreet futuristic aids, such as the AI assistant SELMA, disguised as a credit card, to track down the escapees who are integrating into modern society and committing crimes.[9] Throughout the series, Lambert forms an alliance with Captain Annie Knox, a sharp-witted FBI agent in the present day, who becomes his primary partner in investigations despite initial suspicions about his unconventional methods.[10] Their collaboration blends routine police work with high-stakes pursuits, as Lambert grapples with cultural shocks from 1990s America—ranging from outdated technology to social norms—while haunted by the personal sacrifice of leaving his fiancée, Elissa Chang-Knox, behind in the 22nd century.[11] This internal conflict intensifies as Lambert uncovers the extent of Sahmbi's criminal syndicate, which continues to orchestrate escapes and schemes from the future, positioning the doctor as a recurring arch-nemesis whose portal technology poses an ongoing risk to the timeline.[9] The narrative maintains a procedural tone, with each episode centering on the hunt for a specific fugitive whose actions in the past tie into broader threads of Sahmbi's conspiracy, emphasizing themes of justice across time and the ethical dilemmas of temporal intervention.[10]Technology and concepts
The central technology in Time Trax is the TRAX device, a time machine invented by the rogue scientist Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi that enables travel from the year 2193 back to 1993 via a portal to a parallel universe.[7] This mechanism functions as a one-way trip for fugitives, who are sent to the past to evade justice but cannot return to their original timeline without external intervention, preserving the integrity of the future's history by diverting changes to an alternate reality described as a "safety valve."[12][7] SELMA, or Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive, serves as the protagonist's primary AI companion, an advanced sentient computer system originating from 22nd-century technology.[12] Disguised as a standard credit card in the first season, SELMA projects a holographic female interface for interaction and provides access to vast databases, real-time analysis, and advisory functions to aid in fugitive tracking.[1] SELMA's design emphasizes compactness and versatility, encapsulating limitless memory in a device small enough to blend into 20th-century environments. Key tools and weapons include the Micro-Pellet Projection Tube (MPPT), a non-lethal sidearm disguised as a keyless car alarm remote or pen that fires microscopic pellets with effects such as stunning targets, tracking locations, or enveloping subjects in temporary energy fields for restraint.[12] Complementary devices like the Cred Stik facilitate seamless financial transactions by interfacing with future currency systems, reflecting the 22nd century's cashless economy where electronic credits replace physical money.[1] The show's world-building portrays a 22nd-century society marked by pervasive advanced surveillance systems that monitor citizens comprehensively, enforcing strict ethical protocols against unauthorized time alterations to prevent paradoxes or historical disruptions.[12] This utopian yet controlled environment, with its emphasis on molecular alignment drugs like TXP to enable safe time travel, underscores themes of technological oversight and the moral boundaries of temporal intervention.[7]Production
Development
Time Trax was developed by veteran television producers Harve Bennett, Jeffrey M. Hayes, and Grant Rosenberg, with Rosenberg originating the core concept of a law enforcement officer from the 22nd century pursuing criminals who have escaped to the 20th century via time travel.[1] The series was developed amid growing network interest in science fiction procedurals, exemplified by the success of shows like Quantum Leap, leading to a greenlight for a full first season.[7] Budget planning emphasized cost-effective approaches to the time-travel elements, including holographic projections and futuristic gadgets, to balance the procedural format with visual effects demands.[7] The production was handled by Gary Nardino Productions in association with Lorimar Television, which marked the studio's final original series before its absorption into Warner Bros. Television.[13][14] Distribution occurred through the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN), a syndicated programming block established by Warner Bros. Television and Chris-Craft Industries to compete with major networks during prime time slots.[13][15] To achieve cost savings, principal filming was relocated to facilities in Queensland, Australia.[16] After airing its second season, Time Trax ended in 1994 due to declining syndication ratings and PTEN's strategic shift toward alternative programming formats, as the block transitioned amid changes in its partnership structure.[7][17]Filming and production
The filming of Time Trax took place primarily in Queensland, Australia, with principal locations in Brisbane and the Gold Coast serving to represent 1990s Washington, D.C., and various other U.S. settings. Local landmarks, such as urban streets and waterfronts, were utilized alongside soundstages at Warner Roadshow Movie World Studios to construct futuristic and contemporary scenes.[16][18][19] The series' 44 episodes were produced over 1993 and 1994 as a co-production between Gary Nardino Productions and Warner Bros. Television, benefiting from Australia's tax incentives that lowered overall costs through local hiring and facilities. The crew blended American oversight with Australian expertise, including directors Colin Budds and Rob Stewart, as well as cinematographers Barry M. Wilson and John Stokes, who handled the visual style across multiple episodes.[16][20][3] Special effects emphasized practical techniques due to the era's technological limitations, avoiding computer-generated imagery in favor of optical processes like Quantel's Paintbox for time portals and other visual elements. Holographic projections, such as those for the AI SELMA, were created using blue-screen compositing and physical projections to integrate seamlessly with live-action footage.[21] Challenges included synchronizing production schedules across U.S. and Australian time zones, which complicated post-production feedback loops, and managing accents on set, with Australian actress Elizabeth Alexander delivering SELMA's lines in her native accent to maintain authenticity.[20][22]Cast
Regular cast
The regular cast of Time Trax consisted primarily of Dale Midkiff and Elizabeth Alexander, who portrayed the series' central protagonists across all 44 episodes.[2] Dale Midkiff starred as Captain Darien Lambert, a stoic law enforcement officer from the 22nd century tasked with pursuing fugitives who have escaped to the 1990s using time travel technology.[1] Midkiff, an American actor previously known for his leading role as Louis Creed in the 1989 horror film Pet Sematary, brought a grounded intensity to Lambert's character, highlighting the lawman's challenges in adapting to mid-20th-century customs and technology while maintaining his futuristic discipline.[23] Elizabeth Alexander portrayed SELMA (Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive), the advanced artificial intelligence that serves as Lambert's invaluable assistant, manifesting as a holographic interface and providing voice guidance throughout the series.[1] As an Australian actress, Alexander delivered SELMA's lines with a distinctive accent, infusing the AI with a blend of technical precision and wry humor that often lightened the procedural tone.[24] Her dual performance as both the holographic visual and vocal elements emphasized SELMA's role as a multifaceted companion, offering comic relief amid high-stakes pursuits.[25] The dynamic between Lambert and SELMA formed the core of the series' buddy-cop structure, reimagined through a science fiction lens, where the human lawman's resourcefulness complemented the AI's vast data access and analytical capabilities, creating a partnership essential to apprehending time-displaced criminals.[9] No other actors held regular status in the series.[26]Recurring cast
Peter Donat portrayed Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, a Nobel Prize-winning MIT professor turned antagonist who developed the time travel technology enabling criminals to flee to 1993. As the recurring mastermind behind the fugitives' escapes, Sahmbi manipulates events from the shadows, appearing in 9 episodes throughout the series to challenge protagonist Darien Lambert's efforts.[1] Mia Sara played dual roles as Annie Knox, a skeptical Washington D.C. Secret Service agent who evolves into Lambert's occasional partner and romantic interest, and as Elyssa Channing-Knox, Lambert's fiancée from the 22nd century featured in flashbacks. These characters highlight themes of legacy and connection across time, with Sara appearing in 2 episodes.[1] Henry Darrow recurred as The Chief, the authoritative leader of the future's Trax Division who provides mission updates and moral guidance to Lambert via holographic communication, appearing in 2 episodes.[3] Additional recurring elements involved minor supporting characters, such as fugitives with multi-episode arcs that deepened the antagonist network, and guest performers like Jeremy Roberts, who appeared as various criminals across episodes to portray the diverse threats Lambert pursued.[25]Episodes
Season 1
The first season of Time Trax comprises 22 episodes, which aired in syndication from January 20, 1993, to December 1, 1993.[26] The two-part premiere, "A Stranger in Time," introduces Captain Darien Lambert's pursuit from 2193 to 1993, where he captures his first fugitive while adapting to the past with the aid of his holographic assistant SELMA.[27] This season establishes the procedural format of standalone fugitive hunts, interspersed with escalating hints at the overarching threat posed by escape architect Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, culminating in a direct confrontation in the finale. Episodes typically run about 45 minutes, focusing on Lambert's use of future technology to navigate 1990s society and apprehend time-displaced criminals.[28] The following table lists all Season 1 episodes, including directors, writers, air dates, and brief synopses:| Episode | Title | Director | Writer(s) | Air Date | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A Stranger in Time (Part 1) | Lewis Teague | Harve Bennett | January 20, 1993 | Honest cop Darien Lambert is discredited when criminals he tracks disappear through time.[29][27] |
| 2 | A Stranger in Time (Part 2) | Lewis Teague | Harve Bennett | January 20, 1993 | Lambert arrives in 1993 and encounters a woman resembling his late girlfriend while securing his first arrest.[29] |
| 3 | To Kill a Billionaire | Colin Budds | Harold Gast | February 3, 1993 | Sahmbi launches an operation to eliminate radioactive waste by transporting it to the past.[29][26] |
| 4 | Fire and Ice | Brian Trenchard-Smith | Garner Simmons | February 10, 1993 | Jewel thieves from the future employ a paralyzing beam weapon to bypass security.[29] |
| 5 | Showdown | Colin Budds | David Loughery | February 17, 1993 | A hitchhiker steals Lambert's advanced vehicle in the desert, forcing a high-stakes chase.[29][26] |
| 6 | The Prodigy | Donald Crombie | Tracy Friedman | February 24, 1993 | A young boy achieves impossible athletic feats, revealing his future origins and criminal ties.[29] |
| 7 | Death Takes a Holiday | Rob Stewart | Ronald M. Cohen | March 3, 1993 | Lambert infiltrates a mafia family in New Orleans exploiting future narcotics knowledge.[29][26] |
| 8 | The Contender | Rob Stewart | Grant Rosenberg | March 10, 1993 | A supposed time traveler contacts Lambert, claiming to assist in capturing a boxing fugitive.[29] |
| 9 | Night of the Savage | Colin Budds | Mark Rodgers | March 17, 1993 | Evidence points to a serial killer from the future mimicking historical murderers.[29][26] |
| 10 | Treasure of the Ages | Donald Crombie | Jeffrey M. Hayes | March 31, 1993 | A treasure hunter uses advanced tech to pursue lost artifacts amid a Florida storm.[29] |
| 11 | The Price of Honor | Colin Budds | Mary Ann Kasica, Michael Scheff | April 7, 1993 | A future blackmailer leverages historical secrets for extortion in Washington, D.C.[29][26] |
| 12 | Face of Death | Rob Stewart | Garner Simmons | April 14, 1993 | Lambert tracks a fugitive who uses shape-shifting technology to evade capture.[29] |
| 13 | Revenge | Rob Stewart | Ruel Fischmann | May 5, 1993 | SELMA identifies a racist group marked by future identifiers during a broadcast.[29][26] |
| 14 | Darien Comes Home | Brian Trenchard-Smith | Grant Rosenberg | May 12, 1993 | Lambert poses as a tech expert to ensnare genius siblings involved in corporate espionage.[29] |
| 15 | Two Beans in a Wheel | Donald Crombie | George Yanok | May 19, 1993 | Lambert allies with a female officer from the future to recover the Holy Grail from Sahmbi.[29][26] |
| 16 | Little Boy Lost | Donald Crombie | Harve Bennett | May 26, 1993 | A father abandons his deaf son in the wilderness, drawing Lambert into a rescue tied to fugitives.[29] |
| 17 | The Mysterious Stranger | Colin Budds | Harve Bennett, George Yanok | October 27, 1993 | In Mexico, Lambert pursues a drug convict whose activities threaten historical events.[29][26] |
| 18 | Framed | Chris Thomson | Bill Froehlich | November 3, 1993 | A rogue agent implicates Lambert as a traitor within the security agency.[29] |
| 19 | Beautiful Songbird | Colin Budds | Tracy Friedman | November 10, 1993 | Lambert safeguards a singer whose fame endures into the future from an obsessive stalker.[29][26] |
| 20 | Photo Finish | Chris Thomson | Garner Simmons | November 17, 1993 | SELMA uncovers timeline alterations in Australian horse racing due to future doping.[29] |
| 21 | Darrow for the Defense | Colin Budds | Ruel Fischmann | November 24, 1993 | A future lawyer assists Lambert in prosecuting a Sahmbi-linked fugitive.[29][26] |
| 22 | One on One | Colin Budds | Harold Gast | December 1, 1993 | Sahmbi kidnaps Lambert to test a mind-control device derived from TXP technology.[29] |
Season 2
The second season of Time Trax consists of 22 episodes, which aired weekly in syndication on the Prime Time Entertainment Network (PTEN) from January 29, 1994, to December 3, 1994.[26] This season advances the series' narrative by deepening the ongoing conflict with arch-villain Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, whose schemes appear in multiple installments, fostering greater serialization than the primarily episodic structure of prior episodes.[30] The storyline evolution emphasizes escalating threats from future fugitives, including personal stakes for protagonist Darien Lambert, such as encounters with his past and moral dilemmas involving time-altered crimes.[31] Key themes include identity deception, as in "Split Image," where conjoined twins entangled with Sahmbi's operations undertake high-stakes thefts, and recurring Japanese crime connections revisited in the premiere "Return of the Yakuza."[30] The season arc builds toward the finale "Forgotten Tomorrows," in which a temporal weapon erases memories, forcing Lambert to confront unresolved elements of his mission while Sahmbi's influence lingers.[30] The episodes are detailed below, with brief overviews highlighting plot elements and production credits where documented.| Episode | Title | Air Date | Director | Writer(s) | Synopsis |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2x01 | Return of the Yakuza | Jan 29, 1994 | Rob Stewart | Ruel Fischmann | A Yakuza leader Lambert captured in the 22nd century escapes to the 20th, using advanced knowledge to consolidate power and target Lambert directly.[30] |
| 2x02 | Missing | Feb 5, 1994 | Rob Stewart | Garner Simmons | Lambert is mugged at an ATM, resulting in the theft of SELMA; he partners with a veteran detective to recover the device amid escalating dangers.[30] |
| 2x03 | To Live and Die in Docker Flats | Feb 12, 1994 | Chris Thomson | Michael Ainemann | Lambert investigates future fugitives hiding in the isolated, hostile town of Docker Flats, uncovering a web of local corruption tied to time-displaced crimes.[30] |
| 2x04 | A Close Encounter | Feb 19, 1994 | Colin Budds | Jonathan Glassner | SELMA detects an alien distress signal; after the extraterrestrial crash-lands near a rural community, Lambert aids it while evading a manhunt.[30] |
| 2x05 | The Gravity of It All | Feb 26, 1994 | Colin Budds | Bill Dial | Reports of unexplained levitation prompt Lambert and SELMA to probe a scientist experimenting with anti-gravity technology smuggled from the future.[30] |
| 2x06 | Happy Valley | Mar 5, 1994 | Chris Thomson | Tracy Friedman | Lambert collaborates with ISA agent Tulsa Giles to examine a suspicious death in an idyllic Florida community, revealing a fugitive's manipulative control.[30] |
| 2x07 | Lethal Weapons | Mar 12, 1994 | Chris Thomson | Grant Rosenberg | A bank robbery involving a futuristic weapon draws Lambert into a chase against a supplier arming 20th-century criminals with 22nd-century arms.[32] |
| 2x08 | The Cure | Mar 19, 1994 | Ian Barry | Harold Gast | Lambert tracks Sahmbi to Australia, where the villain poses as a miracle healer using unethical future methods to cure fatal diseases for profit.[30] |
| 2x09 | Perfect Pair | Apr 23, 1994 | Rob Stewart | Robert McCullough | While pursuing a fugitive, Lambert witnesses an unexpected incineration by an unknown ally, complicating his investigation into paired criminals.[30] |
| 2x10 | Catch Me If You Can | Apr 30, 1994 | Rob Stewart | Babs Greyhosky | A elusive bank robber taunts Lambert with notes after each heist, leading to a cat-and-mouse pursuit testing the limits of future tracking tech.[30] |
| 2x11 | The Dream Team | May 7, 1994 | Harve Bennett | Harve Bennett | Lambert protects a priest in a gang-ridden area while befriending a future NBA star turned fugitive, blending action with themes of redemption.[30] |
| 2x12 | Almost Human | May 14, 1994 | Colin Budds | David Loughery, Laurie Stevens | Sahmbi deploys an android duplicate of Lambert programmed for assassination, forcing the real agent to dismantle the threat from within.[30] |
| 2x13 | Mother | May 21, 1994 | N/A | N/A | Lambert's pursuit of a fugitive leads him to Bradwell Orphanage and a woman he suspects is his long-lost mother, intertwining personal history with duty.[30] |
| 2x14 | The Last M.I.A. | May 28, 1994 | N/A | N/A | Wounded during a chase, Lambert receives aid from a Vietnam vet and agrees to help rescue the man's son from Cambodia in exchange.[30] |
| 2x15 | Split Image | Oct 15, 1994 | Colin Budds | Grant Rosenberg | Once-conjoined twins, indebted to Sahmbi, employ advanced tech for cat burglaries, exploring fractured identities and loyalty in a heist gone wrong.[30] |
| 2x16 | Cool Hand Darien | Oct 22, 1994 | N/A | N/A | A widow enlists Lambert to probe her fugitive husband's presumed death in prison, uncovering a chain gang operation laced with future intrigue.[30] |
| 2x17 | The Lottery | Oct 29, 1994 | Mark DeFriest | Garner Simmons | Lambert encounters his favorite future comedian in the present, who uses time knowledge for lottery wins but attracts deadly loan sharks.[30] |
| 2x18 | Out For Blood | Nov 5, 1994 | Colin Budds | David H. Balkan | A future assassin targets the final descendant of a cop killed in the 22nd century, prompting Lambert to safeguard an innocent bloodline.[30] |
| 2x19 | The Scarlet Koala | Nov 12, 1994 | Rob Stewart | Tracy Friedman | Responding to a future distress call, Lambert hunts a rare scarlet koala in Australia to secure a cure for an impending 22nd-century plague.[30] |
| 2x20 | Optic Nerve | Nov 19, 1994 | Donald Crombie | Laurie Stevens, David Loughery | A vengeful future criminal blinds Lambert as payback, initiating a high-tension game of survival reliant on SELMA's enhanced sensory capabilities.[30] |
| 2x21 | The Crash | Nov 26, 1994 | Donald Crombie | Ruel Fischmann | After apprehending a cooperative fugitive who offers intel on his boss, Lambert faces betrayal in a plane crash scenario heightening the stakes.[30] |
| 2x22 | Forgotten Tomorrows | Dec 3, 1994 | Rob Stewart | James L. Novack | A fugitive deploys a memory-erasing chemical during a trial, afflicting witnesses and Lambert himself, culminating the season's threats to his mission's foundation.[30] |