John Dehner as Morgan Starr

Just... WOW.

Encore Westerns has gone through 3 of the 4 Starr episodes and both Dehner and the episodes are fantastic. So glad I've gotten to see these. The first time I saw The Virginian was back in the '90's on (I think) the Hallmark channel and these eps weren't shown.

The Starr eps whether by coincedence or design seem more dark/cynical than the "usual" Virginian atmosphere:

"Morgan Starr" His intro to the show, fighting a swarm of locusts, as well as clashing with the Virginian hard enough to provoke the Virginian into giving notice, before they both relent in the final scene. And this is Pollyanna compared to the next two..

"Harvest Of Strangers" A group of scruffy French Canadians come into Medicine Bow for no known reason, and the prim and proper prejudiced citizenry turn into a lynch mob, culminating in an attmept to burn out the Canadians while Starr, mistakenly attacked in the dark by one of them, an old friend, kills him in self defense.

"One Spring Like Long Ago" Hard to describe the plot of this one involving a prophecy, a buffalo herd, a bounty hunter, and the ways of Indian vengeance, but the result is the first buffalo herd seen in years pointlessly slaughtered, and Randy having to kill an old Indian chief after previously killing his son.

On the one hand I'm eager to see the final Starr episode (No Drums, No Trumpets), but I'm also going to be bummed there were only 4 and wishing they'd come up with some way to keep the Starr character and Dehner around.

John Dehner really deserved to get his own series once in his career... he was not only an excellent actor, but an unmistakable presence whenever he showed up on screen.