Time Trax was created by veteran Hollywood producers Harve Bennett, Jeffrey M. Hayes and Grant Rosenberg. Rosenberg came up with the original idea, which Bennett and Hayes helped craft into the final premise. It was one of the first three original programming of the Prime Time Entertainment Network, alongside and Babylon 5, and it ran between January 20, 1993, and December 3, 1994. 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. Despite its Washington, D.C., setting, the series was shot in Queensland, Australia, near the Warner/Roadshow Studios. It was the last series to premiere under the Lorimar Productions name.
Premise
In the year 2193, over a hundred criminals become fugitives of law enforcement by traveling back in time two hundred years, using a time machine called Trax. Darien Lambert is a police detective of that period who is sent back to 1993 in order to apprehend as many of the fugitives as possible. He is assisted by the Specified Encapsulated Limitless Memory Archive, or SELMA, an extremely small but very powerful computer disguised for the mission as a credit card; SELMA communicates through a holographic interface which takes the visual form of a woman. Lambert is also equipped with a Micro-Pellet Projection Tube disguised as a keyless car alarm remote, which can stun targets or engulf them in an energy field, rendering them transportable to the future. This process, executed by SELMA, incorporates a transmission sequence to send the criminal on his way. Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, who was responsible for sending the fugitives to 1993, tries several times to kill Lambert. Captain Lambert, fearing the possible consequences of altering the timeline, does not actively attempt to interfere with the natural flow of history, although he frequently leaves messages for his colleagues in 2193.
Cast
Regular
Dale Midkiff as Captain Darien Lambert, Fugitive Retrieval Section. A police officer from the 22nd century. Born in 2160 and abandoned by his parents, he was raised in Enclave I-6 Middle City, the area formerly known as Chicago Land. As a child of his time, he has abilities superior to those of 20th-century humans: IQ 204, a speed memorization rate of 1.2 pages per second, a top speed of 8.6 seconds for 100 m, a heartbeat of 35 beats per minute and a life expectancy of 120 years, as well as mental focusing capabilities from beta wave training, including the ability to slow down the speed of visual images reaching the brain. He attended the International Police Academy at West Point, from which he graduated first in his class. In 2193, after over a hundred criminals escaped back to 1993, he is sent back to 1993 to retrieve them.
Elizabeth Alexander as SELMA, an advanced computer AI disguised as Darien's credit card. Selma communicates with both a voice and a holographic interface based on a picture of Darien's mother. Selma can place phone calls, perform medical and scientific testing as well as interface with virtually any computer including those belonging to law enforcement agencies, as well as having a vast amount of information in her database.
Recurring
Peter Donat as Dr. Mordecai Sahmbi, a MIT professor and winner of the Nobel Prize for Physics for his theoretical work in the teletransportation of particle mass. Creator of the TRAX time machine. He was paid by criminals to send them to the past. In the first episode, he traveled to the past to escape Darien.
* Annie Knox: A Secret Service Agent who Darien encounters after his arrival and in several other episodes.
Timeline
2129 - The "Just War"
2160 - Darien Lambert is born
2169 - Elyssa Knox is born
2178 - Darien is admitted to the International Police Academy at West Point
2178 - Dr. Mordicai Sahmbi of MIT wins Nobel Prize for Physics for his theoretical work in the teletransportation of particle mass
1993 - Darien Lambert arrives in the past
Episode list
Season 1
Season 2
DVD release
On October 9, 2012, Warner Bros. released the complete first season on DVD in Region 1 via their Warner Archive Collection. This is a Manufacture-on-Demand release. The second and final season was released by Warner Archive on July 9, 2013.
A video game for the Super NES console based on the series was released on the U.S. market by Malibu Games in April 1994. A Sega Genesis version was also developed and completed, and was reviewed in major gaming publications, but it was never released by the publisher. A prototype of the Mega Drive/Genesis version in fully finished state was leaked in 2013.
