Time Trax (1993–1994) User Reviews

One of the "cuter" SciFi offerings of the '90s

[PSRod · 8/10 · 10 January 1999]

It is rare that I find myself looking forward to watching re-run TV programs, "Time Trax" is one of those interesting shows that I keep tuning in for on the SciFi Channel.

Darien Lambert (Dale Midkiff) is a policeman from the future (25th Century or so) who must travel back in time (usually the present) to find and send back to his time "criminals" who have also time travelled and are usually endangering the current time's inhabitants with advanced devices ("of EVIL").

Darien is assisted by his holographic computer "Selma" (smartly played by Elizabeth Alexander) who appears from his rather futuristic credit card / weapon / transporter.

This show is pure fantasy and, at times, corny, but Dale Midkiff makes his character impressively believable.

This is a great blast from the past

[krylos2 · 7/10 · 11 February 2020]

Many times I remember shows being much more enjoyable than they actually were. But rewatching this series on roku channel is almost as satisfying as the first time when I was in my 20s, unlike Xfiles and UFO reruns that kind of bore me these days. I think one of the more enjoyable elements of the show, as hellraiser's review mentioned is the fun factor. It's not as dark and dramatic as Xfiles or UFO for instance. Hellraiser also nailed it IMO with a comparison to knight rider.. Although, on a much tighter budget. The writers did a good job of selling the futuristic angle and yet keeping a low budget by camouflaging the most often used items to look like current day devices. (I used to have an AT&T Universal card that looked exactly like that!) Also, by making all of Darien's future physical gifts internal, they didn't have to pay for alien makeup or anything. So this is a nice little escapism on a tight budget. Although, I do not want to discount the 2hr pilot which probably used most of the season 1 budget with its futuristic shots. It was believable enough and stands up pretty well even today. I always enjoyed Selma with her Aussie accent and formal diction. Hellraiser did possibly misunderstand some facts, which I had to pause and re-watch sections of the pilot to Understand. Sambi was getting paid by these criminals to send them back and used the money to fund his further research. His long term plans were definitely to jump back to the past once he had his team in place and try to institute a new world order. However, as seen in the pilot episode, he was shocked and unprepared for Darian's arrival in the past, but he maneuvered to try and make the best of the situation.

Time Cop

[hellraiser7 · 8/10 · 30 April 2014]

Time travel is always a fun concept because we always wonder what would it be like if we saw either the future or past and how would we react, however this was probably the same thing even people from the past or even far future are thinking also.

This is an under the radar gem, and yeah it's another childhood relic which I saw when I was about 12 or 13 so there is a sense of nostalgia. Yeah it's true this show isn't really anything new in format, but it's everything done right.

I do like the plot which is simple but effective on a scientist named Zambi turned to the dark side and sends himself and numerous criminals to help in ruling the future. It's kinda uncannily similar and even predates the show "Continum" but "Continum" was more dark serious sci-fi, this show is more light fun pulp sci-fi. Despite a good plot, I do think it's a bit inconsistent since all the criminals aren't really working with Zambi but are all really doing their own thing. So it makes me wonder what the real purpose of sending criminals though time was for; from this I could only draw three conclusions 1. Either he did this as a way to somehow tip the balance of the future. 2. A few of them could be working for him and are just financing his operations from their own. 3. Zambi could of sent multiple criminals just to run interference for him since he knew Darien would be after him, so he can focus and work on his own operation. I don't know your conclusions are as good as mine, but like with most pulp sci-fi I didn't always think too much I just rolled with whatever they delivered and had fun. The action is solid, it choreographed well. And I like the theme song which is a solid fun theme.

What makes this a bit different if not entirely unique is this is a person from the future and not the present or even the past which both have been done numerous times. You would think just because Darrien is from the future he'd be a step ahead of us, but he's not he's sort of in the same spot as us which is understandable; despite being in the past and even reading about it, he's never really lived it which would make everything seem a bit foreign to him.

And I thought the protagonist Darrien Lambart was cool, he has charisma and it was always fun and funny how he reacted toward our present time. It's kinda might be how we might react, just seeing how certain things are around that aren't there anymore which of course gives him a wave of nostalgia since he's a history buff. Or even how there are some things that aren't made or accessible yet, like in one episode his favorite restaurant doesn't have the recipe for his favorite meal Chicken Pot Pie. It's a small detail but it's those details that make it all the more funny and just remind you how out of place Darrien truly is. Even like the fact he doesn't use guns kinda like "MacGyver", though unlike him the reason for that is in his time firearms are banned or no longer in use, so he's not trained to use them which I think is a good reason not to use them. But he doesn't even need them because we want to see him use the few things he has in his travels.

One which is the time staller ability which is kinda like bullet time in "The Matrix" which he has this psychic like ability to make what he sees seem slower than the average amount of time it takes to move. This gives him one step ahead in the game because it allows him enough time to react or counterattack an oncoming situation.

Two of course is the Pellet Projection Tube weapon, in other words the laser gun. Which is a non lethal weapon that can stun enemies or send them straight back though time. It's always in the form of a car alarm, which I'll admit make it seem less impressive but it makes sense since it's a weapon from the future that has to be concealed by camouflaging it as an everyday thing.

Three is the computer Selma, whom is a guide for Darrien. But also in a way the buddy cop element, a person for Darrien to go back and forth with and both do have a solid back and forth which is funny; kinda like Kitt and Michael in "Knight Rider" there's also something funny and strange about a human and machine becoming and working as buddies.

The only bad things are Darrien's past is never really explored nor is Zambi's plot really tackled or developed much despite both having a rich amount of depth. But you have to understand this was a show in the 90's and like most shows back then they were most to all on an episodic format and none or very few did the ongoing developing plot line format much like the shows we have now like "Lost" and others. So I can't really complain much about that and the advantage with episodic format is it allows more creative freedom which of course means more fun and that's what this show is meant to be.

Overall it's a solid sci-fi in which I personally wouldn't mind if it got a revival of some sort, for that matter only time will tell. "Time Trax" is on the right track.

Rating: 3 stars

The Spectacle Vs The Spectacular

[Andrew_Winslow · 25 June 2004]

Time Trax - OK, here's the deal: a cop from the future (Darien Lambert) travels back in time to track down roughly 200 escaped fugitives from his time and to settle the score with the time machine's creator, who just happened to have killed off the only woman the cop loved for a long time. Simple, right?

Well, yes. That was basically the problem - from a theatrical point of view. Sure, the show's writers worked hard at kicking in some complications. For example, the cop happens to be an ethnic minority in the future, a "blanco," but that seats him in the majority here. They give him disguised weaponry: namely, his futuristic Star-Trek-in-a-box computer hologram projector and historical archive widget and a nifty non-lethal gun formed to look like a credit card and car-alarm. However, he loses this things constantly - just multiply the number of times you've forgotten where to put your keys by like 1 million, and that's about par for the show. In addition, either the convicts he's chasing will sniff them out, or some plucky 20th century kid will inevitably treat them like the mundane objects they're made to resemble.

Overall, this was not enough to give the show much "drawing power." As noted above, these are plot devices and not necessarily related to developing the character.

Having said that, I must say that this was still one of my favorite shows to watch between the ages of 13-14; like MacGyver or the A-Team, this show had a very dynamic episode-to-episode style with no complicated soap opera sagas to slow down the enjoyment - things were always wrapped up neatly in about an hour.

To speak plainly: the show's main export is just plain fun. It's fun to watch the time-displaced cop rediscover everything about the 20th century that we take for granted (like junk food, boxing [which is outlawed in his time but not any other martial art - go figure], amusement parks, and the fact that here he's not a minority at all (which is something one commenter already hit on - they could have done a LOT more with - if the goal had been character development). It's also fun to watch him struggle with being two hundred years in his own past where his favorite restaurant has only one location and the chef hasn't figured out the signature recipe yet, where the Chicago Cubs suck even though they're a dynasty 200 years from now [which is a shame - it really only took about 8-9 years for the Cubs to make that leap, not 200], and he struggles with the idea that he may never go home, though that might not be bad considering he's found the cute ancestor of his former love.

All of this didn't make the show great per se, but it did make the show special. In many ways it was akin to the radio shows of old, like the Shadow, where the contrived plots and weak villains are less important than the overall aesthetic that the show inspires. It was the genuine sense of wonder and amusement from rediscovering the present that helped the audiences simmer in Darien's nostalgia and homesickness.

Fans of sci-fi will appreciate the techno-widgets and special effects for what they are - a means of conveying the storyline with dazzling and emotional spectacle; however, if you're looking for spectacular drama, you've come to the wrong place. Here's my advice: don't go to the circus and expect to sit next to Hamlet, but if you do go, grab some cotton candy, ask a clown to teach you to juggle, pet the lions, and flirt with as many cute acrobats as you can see because you'll enjoy going a whole lot more.

Was awesomeness for a young mind!

[dexterprejean · 10/10 · 21 October 2018]

As a kid I remember watching, I'm 32 now and am pretty sure it's atleast a little responsible for the great movie imagination I have today!

Need more SciFi like this

[woodswoman55 · 10/10 · 18 September 2009]

I just saw Dale Midkiff on a movie on TV and I remembered the TV show that I loved that he played in in the 90's, but couldn't remember the name of it, had to look it up. I used to watch this on Sundays after I got home from work, in the early evenings. It was the highlight of my Sundays. I loved this show and wonder why they don't make good SciFi shows anymore like they used to (I'm a Star Trek fan, too). I'm not sure about the new show "Fringe" yet. It is rather way out there, but it does deal with a parallel universe. I believe they go overboard anymore when making SciFi, with weird monsters and such. Seems they could keep it a little saner for those of us who remember the good ole days!

Good old fashioned Sci Fi

[jeffsheilarice · 9/10 · 14 May 2011]

I miss TV shows like this one! Why don't they make good old fashioned Sci Fi television shows like this one anymore? Those were the days! Sweet. Fairly innocent. Fun. Action. Good guy vs. evil guy. Good guy always wins. Plain and simple. This show always reminded me of Quantum Leap. The whole time travel thing and SELMA being a hologram, like Al was on Quantum Leap. I loved watching this show when it aired in the 1990's! I sure wish I could watch this show again. I cannot find it out on TV reruns or DVD or online anywhere. Does anyone know where to find Time Trax online or on DVD? If anyone has any idea where to find this show, please reply to this message. Thanks!

didnt quite do it for me

[danieldwilkinson · 3/10 · 23 February 2023]

I couldnt figure out for a bit if i was truly enjoying it, but around S1E7 i realized this show wasnt for me. The reason was the fact its a sci fi show about a man from the far future, but pretty much the entire show took place in the present, and what little i did see of the future didnt have the look to it several other shows and movies around this time and even before had. So theres no excuse why they couldnt do it. Plus it was more of a villain of the week format which i wasnt really into. I wished they would have done it in the way continuum did where we saw a specific amount of villains escape, and have them span several episodes. Selma to me was the best part, but not enough to keep me around any longer.

Marvelous Show That Died Before Its Time...

[moviefan2k4 · 17 June 2005]

"It began in the future. A scientist turning to evil; a time machine, called Trax. Criminals who vanish, and a lawman who must pursue into the past...

Now, he is among us, a special breed of man. A hunter, traveling through our world, searching for fugitives from his own...knowing he can not go home, until he has found them all. His name is Darien Lambert, and this is his story."

TIME TRAX was an absolutely fabulous show that was killed way too soon. Dale Midkiff ("Love Potion No. 9", "The Crow: Salvation") was simply brilliant in his role, as were Elizabeth Alexander & Peter Donat as SELMA and Dr. Mordicai Sahmbi (respectively). I loved this series, and would love to see it come out on DVD. Heck, even shows that only lasted a year like "Tru Calling" get a DVD release, and TIME TRAX lasted 2 years, with no DVD in sight as of yet. Get moving, WB!

Good show that jumped the shark too soon

[T-Mad · 21 November 2002]

I've been reading everyone's comments on the show. I thought it was a fun show with good potential (I didn't realize it was filmed in Australia as one person pointed out). To me, admittedly, it had elements of Quantum Leap (the time travel to the past to set things right aspect).

However, I thought they did a decent job with an interesting premise - have it take place 200 years in the future, have the evil genius (Dr. Sahmbi) create a time travel apparatus to send criminals and himself into the past where law enforcement isn't as advanced, have the good guy (Capt. Lambert) be forced to pursue him into the past when his love is killed, have him take an advanced computer/hologram with him to help out (even the hologram aspect is reminiscent of Quantum Leap), and have him not able to return home until he's caught the 100 criminals and Sahmbi and sent them all back.

Where I think the show jumped the shark was two things. First - having the big confrontation between Lambert and Sahmbi happen too soon. The episode where they became trapped in an underground cavern and Sahmbi used a modified version of the TRAX substance (normally used to send people back to the future) on Darien in order to brainwash him, turn him against Selma, and turn him onto Sahmbi's side. That episode was VERY well done but should have been saved as the series finale episode, where they have the final big confrontation. A slight rewriting of the episode's ending and it would have been perfect as a series finale. By doing that episode that soon, they played their trump card too soon so of course the rest of the series would be an anti-climax.

The second jump the shark moment to me was when they started toying with the idea of Selma loving Darien and vice versa. While it was cute and the episodes that dealt with this "subtext" were funny, they did constitute a jump the shark moment in the series. I mean, Selma didn't even have a physical female form - she was a female hologram housed inside a computer fashioned as a credit card, for crying out loud. The episode where Elizabeth Alexander did a dual role as Selma and as Darien's mother and it was revealed that Selma loved Darien was, again, a cute and funny moment to watch but really!

And after that, the series started playing with the idea that there were feelings between the two. The episode where Darien was undercover with his female agent friend as a married couple and the agent ended up brainwashed, Selma told Darien to take her to the bedroom (so she could emit some rays to determine the brainwashing patterns). However, the way the scene was done was obviously meant to be a cute subtext moment.

Those were the moments that I thought the show lost its focus. Otherwise, Time Trax was a decent show.

Why Time Trax still works

[johnmichaelm · 17 August 2009]

In spite of the fact that the "parallel universe" premise became so prevalent towards the end, Time Trax was a terrific show. First, Dale Midkiff's character had an incredible interest in history. 44 episodes to chase down ghosts of the past made for some interesting dialog.

Second, it was obvious that because of his lack of emotional bonding in his orphanage spent youth, relationships in his time travels were especially important. It was apparent in all of his dealings with those he wound up helping during each episode.

Third, the concept of exceptional intelligence and physical prowess added greatly to his larger than life persona. Darien was more than a good cop, he was in essence a superhero, one who could perform amazing acts in the 20th century.

Time Trax

[Nikita7144 · 28 November 2005]

I loved Time Trax and saw every episode when it originally aired. I disagree with a previous post I read about the show though. Granted everyone is entitled to their own opinion, but I thought the show was great. Of course, I originally started watching because of that hot hot man Dale Midkiff. Today I saw him on the SciFi channel in a movie called Maximum Velocity. While the movie was good his acting was the bomb!(That means his acting is "really good" in case you were wondering.) I really like him and will get this series someday soon. Time Trax should be updated into a TV Movie. Of course, it would "have to" star Dale Midkiff or else it just wouldn't work. I highly recommend this series and suggest you check it out in reruns. Also, check out anything else starring Dale.

Great idea that was poorly produced...

[Miss_MiChiMi · 5 February 2005]

I watched this show during the original run, which was when I was in my early teens. I remember thoroughly enjoying it and thinking it was one of the better shows on television. Years later, as an adult, I would see this late one night. I was suffering from nostalgia and decided to kick back and enjoy it one more time. I couldn't bear to watch it! I realized the acting, scripts, and direction.

Granted, the premise was definitely fresh for its time. It could have worked, and if tuned properly and all the problems fixed, could possibly be brought back today. The networks need to remember that the public as a whole really does not mind having to think while watching a program. Mindless fodder is not going to placate those of us who need mental and intellectual stimulation.

Pulp, yes, but watchable pulp.

[Victor Field · 4 August 2003]

"These are the journals of Darien Lambert, Captain, Fugitive Retrieval Section, AD 2193..."

One of the first shows made for what would eventually become the WB, "Time Trax" does bear similarities to "Quantum Leap," but this formulaic SF/action show also owed more than a little to the minor classic "Trancers" (criminals time travelling with drugs, etc). Too bad it was never really as witty or as interesting, though - though it's not like that movie's writers Paul De Meo and Danny Bilson are strangers to TV shows that, though entertaining, never really flourish (witness "The Flash" and "The Sentinel").

While our hero was hardly a superman, he did have more endurance than most 20th century people (an indication of how stronger people get as time goes by), and the feature-length pilot also proposed that Lambert was something of a prejudiced-against minority in his own time, a notion that, since the series never went back to the 22nd century, was never seriously brought up again... but if it had been set back there the show might have ended before it did.

Creators (and writers) Harve Bennett, Jeffrey Hayes and Grant Rosenberg were straitjacketed somewhat by their premise - note that the villain who Darien caught and sent back in the pilot was brought back (deformed of course; the series set up the rule that it's not safe for anyone to travel through time more than twice) to give him a recurring nemesis that he could actually fight, since the head villain Mordecai Sahmbi was hardly a physical threat; and the three-person rule about Darien's holographic partner Selma (activating Selma when another person is around, making it three people in that area, isn't allowed) also got broken, though they did acknowledge it.

With Australia standing in for the entire world (even Australia in one episode), it certainly looked nice - except for the episode where Darien went to a foggy London - but the show never had what it took to be a real contender, in spite of OK acting; blame the scripts. I've always enjoyed time travel movies and TV shows (though strangely enough I never got into "Doctor Who"), but it's impossible to think this'll really develop a cult following the way "The Time Tunnel" did. But then, that show didn't have a gratuitous plug for Continental Airlines in its opening credits.

What's really funny about Time Trax

[hccrle · 21 May 2005]

When I saw the summary from the only user comment on the page for this series that it was very funny, I had to read the whole comment to see if the poster found the same thing humorous as I did. Then I found that the only thing this user found so hilarious was that it was filmed in Australia, but not set there. Like no other flick or TV show ever was shot in a different location than where the story was set. Whatever.

What I thought the comment was about was the logical inconsistencies in the story. The one that really stands out is the fact that the series is based on the multiple-universe model of time travel. So when Lambert meets one of the time-traveling criminals he is in our time to target, he tells him that his scheme to change the future won't work because he is in a different universe; his actions in the past can only alter the future of that universe. Yet one of the things Lambert himself does in almost every episode is to communicate with his buddies in the future by placing classified ads in newspapers. That obviously wouldn't work for the same reason. Duh!

I always wondered....

[mattsterofpuppets · 26 March 2006]

Why did Daren always give a speech to the bad guy before sending them back to the future??? He would be pointing the device at the guy and he'd go on and on about how justice must be done and about the original crime. He would point the thing at the guy for like 3 minutes. blah blah blah just shoot him! Lets just give him more and more of a chance to get away with every passing second. The speeches got more and more dramatic towards the end of the show too. Sometimes the bad guy would even grab a knife or something from across the room and even still darien wont shoot him because that moment had to be reserved for the very last scene. pretty dumb if you ask me but I still enjoyed the show.