In a test flight accident caused by a malfunctioning center stick, his right arm is severed, his left eye is blinded, and both legs must be surgically amputated.
There he is unwittingly thrust back into the same operation that intends to stop an arms dealer, Findletter, from selling stolen American and Russian nuclear missiles.
As noted in Cyborg (the novel on which the TV series was based), Austin's significantly reduced biological body mass requires far less oxygen and produces correspondingly less carbon dioxide; an unchanged lung capacity is thus vastly more efficient.
When Steve and Oscar investigate the knocking out of the entire population of a small town, they are contacted by a scientist, once employed by the government, who is set on revenge for past grievances.
Guest Star: Greg Morris as Josh Perkins When an earthquake threatens the stability of an underground Russian nuclear installation, Steve must rescue the fiancée of his friend Col. Vasily Zhukov, who is buried beneath debris.
Steve is assigned to protect Liza Leitman, an equestrian trying to make the Olympic team; also the creator of the cryptography code that links computers and secret communications worldwide.
Guest Stars: George Foreman as Marcus Grayson, a boxer now working for OSI; Jack Colvin as Ed Jasper When Oscar discovers that the construction of a top secret laser is being duplicated, he suspects that Harry Green, the expert overseeing the project, is a traitor.
Guest Stars: Gary Lockwood as John Hopper and Bernie Hamilton as Lt. Dobbs Steve's bionic legs are crushed in an attempt to sow mayhem between two families of organized crime.
Due to political differences, a great deal of tension exists between two of the pilots, Prince Aram Sakari of the Arab state of Kutan, and David Levy of Israel.
Steve secretly takes the place of the Prince on his next flight and has to overcome an errant plane and the debilitating effects of the jamming device on his bionic eye.
Guest Star: Erik Estrada as Prince Aram Sakari of Kutan Football player Larry Bronco is kidnapped as part of a plan to make his team lose and generate a fortune for his abductors, who have wagered heavily on the game.
Bigfoot) and its mysterious masters Just as he is assigned the task of escorting the Golden Pharaoh back to the country of Levant, Steve detects that the seemingly priceless statue entrusted to him is a fake.
However, her love of money reigns supreme as she shifts her fickle loyalties among her rich fiancé, her astronaut friend, and her favorite gambling operator, Wheel Jackson.
Guest Star: Farrah Fawcett-Majors as Trish Hollander Oscar Goldman assigns Steve Austin to escort duty for Russian gymnast Tanya Breski.
A splinter group of the alien race that Steve previously encountered (season 3, episode 17) need supplies of metal and jewels, and send their Bigfoot android to steal them from U.S. government depots.
Steve is present at the test flight of his friend Kelly Wood when she is shot down by a World War II-era Japanese Mitsubishi Zero fighter.
Seeking to prevent this defection to the West, the Russians retain a Dr. Barto who manages to find a look-alike of the prime minister, comedian Billy Parker.
Parker is persuaded to undergo surgery to remove a growth on his neck, but is instead implanted with an electronic device that allows his behavior to be completely controlled by computer commands.
Steve Austin attempts to infiltrate the Omega spy ring by posing as a disillusioned OSI scientist who has discovered how to break down water molecules into their hydrogen and oxygen components.
Stripped of his brawn, Steve Austin puts his wholly human brain to the task and correctly theorizes that the heightened internal pressure of the Death Probe gained in its propulsion around Venus repelled the missile.
He enters Ritsky’s international boxing tournament after he and Dr. Rudy Wells put on a display of bionic strength to convince the current American champion to withdraw due to illness.
Guest Stars: Yvonne Craig as Lena Bannister, Harold Sylvester as a boxer named Tulomme, Joe Kapp as Cooper, and Jerry Quarry as Wally Steve Austin investigates an East German scientist who fakes a heart attack while in the U.S. under the guise of attending a science conference.
Steve Austin uncovers an elaborate missile launching device that is disguised within several carnival rides and is located in close proximity to the test flight of a new B-1 bomber.
Two OSI scientists investigating a find of radioactive ore on Apache lands become entrapped inside a cave due to a blast intentionally set off by an unidentified individual.
When it is learned that the pirates are loading a nuclear missile on the submarine, the naval commander assisting in the search decides to destroy the sub at the risk of killing both the bionic man and his maker.
A visit to a hidden cave reveals that the sasquatch was left behind by his alien creators at his own request and was in an extended period of hibernation while being transformed into an earth creature.
To provide a means to transport Wells to a local doctor, Steve Austin assists one of the bank robbers in extricating his van from its sandy morass only to have his kindness repaid in the form of a wrench blow to the head.
Through a seemingly successful ruse, Steve is hired to replace a skater he injures on the Thunderbirds team whose owner is seeking to acquire and sell top secret government information.
Steve is assigned to gain the confidence of a scientist who has developed a weapon to capture soldiers non-violently, but refuses to hand over the plans to anyone for fear it could cause drastic results if used on a pilot in flight.
As Steve begins to become his friend and acquire the weapon, the Russians inform the scientist they are holding his wife hostage and demand the device in trade for her safe return.