Time Trax
A 22nd-century cop hunts fugitives in 1993.
Time Trax, a science fiction television series, debuted in 1993. The story follows a police detective from the year 2193 who travels two hundred years back in time to a parallel universe. His mission is to capture and return convicted criminals who escaped from a future prison. This show was the final production from Lorimar Television.
In the year 2193, more than one hundred criminals flee into the past using a time machine called the Trax. Darien Lambert, a police detective from that era, is sent back to 1993 to retrieve as many fugitives as possible. He is aided by SELMA (Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive), a tiny but powerful computer disguised as a credit card. SELMA communicates via a holographic interface that appears as a woman. Lambert also carries a Micro-Pellet Projection Tube, disguised as a keyless car alarm remote, which can stun targets or envelop them in an energy field for transport to the future. This transport process, handled by SELMA, includes a transmission sequence to send the criminal away. Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, the scientist who helped the fugitives escape to 1993, makes several attempts to kill Lambert. Captain Lambert, worried about altering history, generally avoids interfering with the timeline, though he often leaves messages for his 2193 colleagues through newspaper personal ads.
The regular cast includes Dale Midkiff as Captain Darien Lambert, a 22nd-century police officer born in 2160. Abandoned by his parents, he was raised in Enclave I-6 Middle City, once known as Chicago Land. He possesses superior abilities: an IQ of 204, a memorization speed of 1.2 pages per second, a 100-meter sprint in 8.6 seconds, a resting heartbeat of 35 beats per minute, a life expectancy of 120 years, and mental focusing from beta wave training that lets him slow visual images. He graduated first in his class from the International Police Academy at West Point. After the 2193 prison break, he was sent to 1993. Elizabeth Alexander plays SELMA, the AI computer disguised as a credit card, who communicates via voice and a holographic interface based on a picture of Lambert’s mother. SELMA can make phone calls, run medical and scientific tests, interface with any computer, and access a vast database.
Recurring characters include Peter Donat as Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, an MIT professor and Nobel Prize winner for his work on teletransportatio
- First aired
- 1993
- Last aired
- December 3, 1994
- Network
- Prime Time Entertainment Network
- Creator(s)
- Harve Bennett, Jeffrey M. Hayes, Grant Rosenberg
- Main cast
- Dale Midkiff, Elizabeth Alexander
- Setting
- Washington, D.C. (filmed in Queensland, Australia)
- Number of seasons
- 2
Lore & Background
In the year 2193, over a hundred criminals escape prison by traveling back in time two hundred years to a parallel universe using a time machine called Trax. Darien Lambert, a police detective of that period, is sent back to 1993 to apprehend as many fugitives as possible. He is assisted by SELMA (Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive), a powerful computer disguised as a credit card that communicates via a holographic interface in the form of a woman. Lambert also carries a Micro-Pellet Projection Tube disguised as a keyless car alarm remote, which can stun targets or engulf them in an energy field for transport to the future.
Reader's Guide
Time Trax was one of the first three original programming offerings of the Prime Time Entertainment Network, alongside Kung Fu: The Legend Continues and Babylon 5. Despite being well received by viewers, the network cancelled the series because they wanted to go in a different direction to increase their viewer base. The series was shot in Queensland, Australia, near the Warner/Roadshow Studios, despite its Washington, D.C., setting. It was the last series to premiere under the Lorimar Productions name. A video game for the Super NES console based on the series was released in the U.S. market by Malibu Games in April 1994 (though some sources list December 1993); a Sega Genesis version was developed and completed but never released by the publisher, though a prototype was leaked in 2013.
Did You Know?
- The series was the last new production from Lorimar Television.
- Darien Lambert has a life expectancy of 120 years and a heartbeat of 35 beats per minute.
- SELMA is disguised as a credit card and uses a holographic interface based on a picture of Darien's mother.
- A Sega Genesis version of the Time Trax video game was completed but never released; a prototype was leaked in 2013.
More in Television series set in the 22nd century 1-24
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