"I remember when the deal was struck at Filmation for Ark II. The place was absolutely buoyant and happy. Lou Scheimer was on the phone, calling everyone he knew and saying that they were going to be doing (their) own Star Trek, only on the ground!"

­Russell Bates, writer

This web site is dedicated to the 1976 Filmation live-action TV show Ark II. Since going online with my Isis website in 2001, I have become inspired to begin this site as well. Hopefully, this website will bring back some good memories for you!

Feel free to browse around. More content will be added as I get time, so check back for periodic updates! I have added RealVideo clips of various sequences to the site and several frame grabs from my VHS recordings of the show. Go to multimedia go see the stuff!

While you're here, why not visit the message board where you can leave comments about this site or make contact with other Ark II fans? You may also find out some upcoming info about this web site that is posted exclusively to the message board.

Please check back often for updates. I make changes fairly infrequently (as this is a hobby, I have to fit it in as I get spare time), but the date at the bottom of this page lets you know the last time something was changed. Important changes (added content, for example) are usually documented on this page.

Terry Lester: 1950-2003

Regrettably, I must report that Terry Lester, who played the lead role of Jonah, died Friday, November 28th. Cause of death was reportedly a pair of heart attacks. For a nice tribute to Mr. Lester, written by someone who knew him personally, go here.

Terry Lester was born in Indiana in 1950 and proved to be a very gifted child. He was able to read by age 3 and played the piano by age 5. When he was at University (during the late 1960s), he became active in politics and helped out in Indiana's gubernatorial election. When he was called up for duty in the Vietnam conflict, his knowledge of languages led to a Stateside posting in Washington, D.C., where he taught Russian to the soldiers.

It was while at the nation's capital that he broke into acting with a small role in "Airport '75". His military service ending about this time, Lester saw his role as a good excuse to relocate to Hollywood and had stayed there ever since.

Although he didn't become famous for being a musician, Lester still played piano, sang and performed on stage as a soloist with the Glendale Symphony Orchestra, as well as in some of his stage and TV roles.

He has guest-starred on several movies and TV shows (and we here remember him best for Ark II), but it is his soap opera career that brought him the most fame. He originated the role of Jack Abbott on The Young and The Restless and also made a name for himself on Santa Barbara and As the World Turns.

After leaving soaps, Lester spent quite a bit of time on the stage.

If anyone finds a complete obituary before I do, please e-mail me.

Ark II DVD features list, box art released.

Some of the internet DVD retailers have let slip DVD details for the upcoming Ark II release, so I took a trip to Andy Mangels' website to confirm: release details and box art for the series have been released.

As we already knew, the release date is November 7th. Suggested retail is $29.95, but it's been spotted for less than $17 at certain vendors.

It will be a three-disc set. As always, bonus content is subject to change, but the extras currently listed include the following:

Audio Commentary on "The Flies" and "The Slaves" with Lou Scheimer, Dick Rosenbloom, Jean Marie Hon, Henry Lange and David Dworski. Moderated by Andy Mangels
Featurette: The Launch of Ark II
Behind-the-Scenes Photos
Art Gallery for unproduced Ark II animated series
PR Photo and Text Galleries
Easter Eggs
Scripts (DVD-ROM)
Series Bible (DVD-ROM)
Booklet with episode guide and trivia

It seems they've "pushed the boat" out for this one. We can only hope that these kinds of extras will appear on the other forthcoming Filmatoin live-action releases.

Please watch this space for any official announcements as they become known.

Plans for Ark II vehicle now online!

An enterprising fan, Kyle Clark, has taken it upon himself to make a set of blueprints of the vehicle, using the original Brubaker patent plans as a guide. You can view them here.

Help needed!

Do you have contact information for any of the cast? If you know Jean Marie Hon or Jose Flores, please e-mail me at mythmaker18@yahoo.com as I would like to interview them for the website.

I'm also looking for volunteers to help complete the episode summaries. If you have episodes on video and think you've got the right stuff to write an episode synopsis, or if you have anything else you'd like to share with the online community (publicity photos, licenced merchandise, etc.), contact the webmaster at mythmaker18@yahoo.com.