Rock and Roll episode

I'm sure it was just a fun bit of nonsense rather than any subtle commentary on the real world of the 1970s. It's been a while since I've seen the episode in question, but I think it was some kind of signal that was covertly added to the broadcast of the rock group playing that turned young people violent. My burning question was how they were meant to be the "biggest group in the galaxy" when they only seemed to have one song (which they played all the time).

Less to do with social commentary and more to do with a cliched supervillain threat: mind control broadcast via a mass medium. Battle of the Planets (Gatchaman, in Japan) had a similar plot, several years before, and it was a staple of comic books and pulp novels, and Pinky & the Brain episodes.

Fortunately, Ah keep mah feathers numbered for just such an emergency!

After the Sunset Strip and Altamont riots of the late 1960s, and how the music industry was blase and bland until disco (and note that the Buck episode "Space Rockers" uses music that surprisingly does not feel like the disco used in other episodes!), it was topical for the time. Songs being a catharsis is one thing but using hypnotic control to turn emotion violent is pretty creepy as far as high concept storytelling goes and their handling of it in the episode wasn't half-bad.

And as good as the music was, you're right - cheery upbeat music could not inspire violence on its own, though the episode started off right in regards to the kids joyriding Rogers' stolen ship. Then again, listen to the music of the late 60s. Pretty saccharine stuff for the most part, but they had riots anyway.

Life inspired art, and art took creative liberty with life.

You DARE to rip the space rockers o_o

Well to each his own, but seriously this was a very poignant, layered episode if you give it some thought. First of all, the point isn't some weird church lady anti-rock conspiracy statement; it's quite the opposite. This episode tears down the pedantic assumption that music makes kids go wild (pay close attention to Buck's speech in the beginning. He tells Huer how music has always been a positive force for young kids).

Of course then we have 25th century kids trashing the dance floor and all the wacky Christmas lights, but the explanation is immediately shown that it's a high tech mind control gizmo--not the music--that's hyping the kids.

Furthermore, who's the villain? Not some young hippie rebel who's been listening to too many Jefferson Airplane tunes, but the villain is in fact a creepy old fascist dictator type. Now hold that thought for a second as we get to the punchline of this whole charade.

The point is, in the 25th century as well as 1979 as well as today, the enemy is not rock 'n' roll, nor is it art, literature or cinema. The enemy is when some power, be it political or corporate, starts pulling the strings behind the scenes. Andromeda the band was not the problem nor was their music. But just like, say, Fox News (or to be fair to both sides, The Washington Post) there will always be individuals with an agenda who will try to manipulate audiences.

Not once did this episode ever imply that the band or their music, or even the teenagers, were bad. It made a much deeper point about profiteers & opportunists who attach themselves for insidious purposes.

That said, the post important part of this episode is that song Odyssey. I mean how effin awesome is that tune