I've no love for disco music, nor the fashions associated with it, but without its influence, series one of Buck Rogers would probably have been a lot less fun. In fact, it would have been a lot like the second series.
With the disco fad almost over, series two saw a distinct shift in approach: there was a lot less camp humour evident, a whole lot less gold lamé being was being used for costumes, and more serious issues began to be addressed in the stories.
Journey To Oasis, another double length story, is, in my opinion, a rather weak allegory for the mounting troubles between the US and Russia: two planets, Earth and Zykaria, are on the brink of war thanks to an inability to communicate and a lack of tolerance. In a last ditch effort to sort out their differences, Duvoe, a Zykarian Ambassador (and ex-flame of Wilma's) is to travel to a peace conference in the city of Oasis, on the otherwise desolate planet R-4, accompanied by several of the Searcher's crew (Col.Deering, Hawk, and Dr. Goodfellow), in a shuttle piloted by Buck.
Unfortunately, before they make it to their destination, the shuttle is hit by a radiation storm, killing its power and forcing it to crash in the inhospitable wilderness that surrounds Oasis. With their ambassador lost, and suspecting foul-play, the Zykarians threaten retaliation.
Meanwhile, on R-4, Buck attempts to lead his passengers (all of whom have survived the crash) to the safety of Oasis—a job not made any easier by the friction between him and Ambassador Duvoe (who both, quite understandably, 'care' for Wilma).
Whilst nowhere near as fun as it might've been with the inclusion of a few light-rope disco dances, Journey to Oasis does have giant man-eating lichen, and a mischievous 'Papa Smurf' type creature with energy emitting eyes (played by Felix 'Twiki' Silla) to lighten the mood. Oh, and the lovely Erin Gray, of course.