Storobia

The Six Million Dollar Man

Steve Austin - The Bionic Man

"Steve Austin, astronaut. A man barely alive.
Gentlemen, we can rebuild him. We have the technology.
We have the capability to build the world's first bionic man.
Steve Austin will be that man.
Better than he was before.
Better, stronger, faster."

Steve Austin was probably the first Cyborg to really enter the public consciousness. As a cyborg he was not a robot but rather a fusion of man and machine - the Bionic Man.

The classic show began as a TV movie based loosely on the novel "Cyborg" by Michael Caidin. This then became a series which started in 1974 and ran for 108 episodes until 1978.

The premise of the show is that an ex-astronaut turned test pilot - Steve Austin, played by Lee Majors - is seriously injured in a plane crash. He is rebuilt as a cyborg incorporating mechanical improvements. This gives him a robotic right arm, left eye and legs. As a result he can run a extreme speeds and has great strength as well as enhanced eyesight. Austin then goes on to work as a special agent for the Office of Scientific Intelligence (OSI). In the series Majors report to Oscar Goldman (Richard Anderson).

The show was notable for its sound and effects, which were impressive for the day. It's "signature" effects included a "boinnngggg" sound for the bionics and the use of slow motion to indicate great speed - both of which were surprisingly effective.

The show was a huge hit with high ratings and much Six Million Dollar Man merchandise available to buy. In one episode a toy store is shown with Six Million Dollar Man action figures visible on display in the background! Needless to say this was for a Christmas theme episode.

The series spawned a spin-off in the form of The Bionic Woman (Jaime Sommers, played by Lindsay Wagner). There have been numerous rumours about the concept being revived for a big screen movie, however at the time of writing these attempts appear stalled.


Those of us of a certain age grew up with The Six Million Dollar Man. I definitely remember it with affection however this is probably largely influenced by nostalgia. Although the original movie was excellent, after the first series the show devolved into fairly formulaic seventies TV. Even so, once the series become available on DVD then I plan to buy and enjoy watching it again.