Sci Fi Icons #2--Wilma Deering

Is there any science fiction fan roughly my age or older who does not have a soft spot for Erin Gray’s portrayal of Wilma Deering, no matter how bad Buck Rogers in the 25th Century was? So iconic is she, many fans do not even realize the character has been played by famous actress Constance Moore in the 1939 serial before hitting it big in musicals.

Deering was originally a cold, tough soldier in the telemovie pilot for the series, but was softened up to a more fun, playful character. Perhaps the changes made it less plausible she was in change of Earth’s defense fleet, but did anyone really care? We were all too distracted by the highly sexualized, disco is dying bodysuits she wore. Somehow, it still seemed less degrading than Seven’s catsuits on Star Trek: Voyager.

Deering was no damsel in distress. She was just as likely to save Buck Rogers from the bad guys as the reverse. Gray has claimed over the years she appreciated the impact the character has had on young girls who say she inspired them to join the military or space program. It is difficult to imagine these days, but a character like Deering was an unusual role for a woman, so gray is probably not exaggerating.

Alas, Deering was diminished in the rebooted second season from serving as commander of earth’s fleet to a copilot for Searcher she was also largely replaced as Rogers’ cohort by a talking bird man. The change was devastating, and few embraced it. The show was never a big hit during its first run anyway, but the retooling killed it off.

For better or worse, the series lives on in periodic runs on SyFy. I doubt anyone will argue Deering counts as one of the better aspects of the show.