Buck Rogers in the 25th Century

In 1987, a space phenomenon sends NASA astronaut William "Buck" Rogers and his space shuttle off course and freezes his life support systems for 500 years. In 2491, he awakens aboard the flagship Draconia, under the command of Princess Ardala and her henchman Kane, a former native of Earth. The Draconians repair Buck's shuttle, but secretly plant a homing beacon aboard to track a path through Earth's defense shield. Upon arriving on Earth, Buck learns that everyone he knew had perished in a nuclear holocaust and Earth has been rebuilt over the centuries. However, he must adjust to the 25th century, and convince the Earth Defense Directorate that the Draconians are secretly planning to conquer Earth.

After capturing notorious assassin Raphael Argus, Buck Rogers learns that the killer-for-hire is to attend a meeting with a group of elite assassins known as the Legion of Death on Aldebaran II. Buck assumes his identity, meets the group's leader, Seton Kellogg, and learns that each member has a unique power - Sharese is an empath capable of reading the emotions of other people; Jolen Quince is a telekinetic who can move objects with the power of his mind; Marcos has superior strength, and Varek is a mutant who can walk through solid matter. After one of the group gets killed by an Earth Defense Directorate agent, the Legion of Death vow revenge and devise a plan to destroy New Chicago.

Buck Rogers' true identity is briefly questioned by one of Raphael Argus' girlfriends, Joella Cameron, but she goes along with the deception to assist Buck. However, his cover has been eventually blown when an informant named Barney Smith, who knew the real Argus, confirms he is an impostor. The Legion of Death discover Buck's true identity, but he manages to avoid being killed by the nefarious group of deadly assassins. By then, Buck has already learned the group's plan to destroy New Chicago, by sabotaging the city's antimatter power plant, and he and Joella race back to Earth to stop them.