- Tom Corbett, Space Cadet began as a comic book proposal called "Space Academy" in 1948. It was created by Joseph Greene who later created the unofficially related Dig Allen, Space Explorer series. In 1950 it became the most popular children's space show when it was somewhat revamped by Rockhill Studios and released to TV as Tom Corbett, Space Cadet. This popular show spun off a comic book and teen adventure novel series. By 1955, sadly, unstable tv sponsors and mounting legal problems forced Tom Corbett off the air. Although several attempts to revive the series have been attempted the series has lain dormant since that time.
One very important thing that distinguished this series from other space series of the time (and most since) is that it employed the services of a technical supervisor - Willy Ley. An associate of Werner von Braun, Ley was an important advisor to the recently-formed NASA. It was his input that kept the series within the realms of scientific possibility and provided an element that allowed Tom Corbett, Space Cadet to transcend poor scripting. In reviving this series we have attempted to keep many of the original background elements of the show while updating it to reflect our greater understanding of space, the planets, and ourselves. This series is about the future but not our future. It is the future of another world of the '50's. In this world Venus and Mars proved to be inhabitable (not scientifically impossible but, alas, not true in our world) but, more importantly, the transistor was never invented. Technology continues to use the vacuum tube. This means that computers are the size of houses and space travel is done much as sea travel was for many years, by hand. This makes for a different but no less fun universe.
The Tom Corbett series was always about man transcending the physical limits of his planet and himself to conquer the stars. We, the contributors of the revived Tom Corbett universe hope that our works will continue in this tradition.
Comments & suggestions may be sent to the Solar Guard Academy
