Further, TSMDM was competent in its own right. After its long run at the top, Hollywood began churning out its subtle rip-offs, which spawned such diverse characters as 'Bishop' in Alien, The Terminator, 'Data' and the dreaded Borg from Star Trek TNG, and a host of mediocre Austin clones in Van Damme-style B-movies. In fact, rarely did even the silver screen feature a cyborg in a major role before TSMDM debuted. His character was indisputably TV's first cybernetically enhanced human being of any significance.

Steve Austin virtually redefined the genre with his story of bionic implantation. By contrast, the 70's were lean years for sci-fi - the classic motifs of the 60's were dead, and successful 80's tech-shows like Knight Rider were still on the shelf. It was the horror genre, if anything, that enjoyed a resurgence in the 1970's, with such notable offerings as The Exorcist and Jaws, and television programs like Dark Shadows.

Most of the great science fiction themes had been exhausted during the early Cold War era, when fears of alien invasions and nuclear holocaust were rampant. There is no question that The Six Million Dollar Man was as revolutionary a program in its prime as it is woefully overlooked today.

Daily motion six million dollar man