''
Space: 1999'', a British
science-fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel univers ...
television series, ran for 48 episodes broadcast between 1975 and 1977. The first series (or season, often referred to as Year One) of 24 episodes began transmission in 1975, though production of the first episode began in 1973. In addition, a number of
compilation film
A compilation film, or compilation movie is a film composed of scenes and shots taken from two or more prior films and edited together so as to make a new film, whether on the same or a different subject. The most common example would be a docum ...
s have been produced using material from multiple episodes, some containing additional footage. A brief, semi-official series
denouement
Dramatic structure (also known as dramaturgical structure) is the structure of a dramatic work such as a book, play, or film. There are different kinds of dramatic structures worldwide which have been hypothesized by critics, writers and schola ...
was filmed for exhibition at the Breakaway 1999 fan convention,
held in Los Angeles, California in September 1999.
Overview
Individual episodes are intended to be broadcast in a progressive order so that, for Year One, "
Breakaway" should be broadcast first, with "Black Sun" and "
Earthbound
''EarthBound'', released in Japan as is a role-playing video game developed by Creatures (company), Ape Inc. and HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo for the Super Nintendo Entertainment System. The second entry in the Mother (video game s ...
" being broadcast at an early stage to present the Moon entering a new and different part of space and the Alphans encountering their first aliens. However, many stations in the United States aired "
Dragon's Domain
"Dragon's Domain" is the eighth episode of the first series of '' Space: 1999''. The screenplay was written by Christopher Penfold; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script was dated 21 January 1975, with blue-page amendments ...
" (production number 23) as the second instalment after "Breakaway" in September 1975. In the United Kingdom, "Force of Life" (production number 9) was the follow-up to "Breakaway". The other guidelines are that the episodes should progress to show
John Koenig's and
Helena Russell's relationship develop and blossom. "
The Metamorph
"The Metamorph" is the first episode of the second series of '' Space: 1999'' (and the twenty-fifth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Johnny Byrne; the director was Charles Crichton. Previous titles were "The Bio ...
" should be the first episode of Year Two, followed by the remaining episodes (there is a two-part episode in Year Two) in the order that the days on Russell's status report (which begins each episode) dictates. Regional and national stations aired the series in a wide range of orders. In some cases, this included mixing Year One and Year Two episodes at random.
Original episode air dates below reflect the order of ''Space: 1999'' as broadcast first, in Australia and the UK. The transmission dates given below are those for the UK.
Year One (1975–1976)
Episodes
Notes
* Although not broadcast until the summer of 1975, production on the pilot episode, "
Breakaway", commenced in November 1973.
* The closing moments of "Breakaway" strongly suggest that the Alphans are considering maintaining contact with the planet Meta and possibly even settling there. The planet "Terra Nova" in the episode "Matter of Life and Death" is considered as Meta, an idea possibly taken from the novelization, though in fact the opening dialogue makes it clear that this is not the first planet that the Alphans have encountered, which Meta would logically have been.
* The description for "Black Sun" is modified from the original
ITC summary, which states that the Moon is on collision course with an asteroid that turns into a black sun. In the episode, an asteroid changes course and is destroyed by what the Alphans discover to be a "black sun" or
black hole
A black hole is a region of spacetime where gravitation, gravity is so strong that nothing, including light or other Electromagnetic radiation, electromagnetic waves, has enough energy to escape it. The theory of general relativity predicts t ...
.
* "
War Games
A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
", stated to be the highest-budgeted single episode of any TV series up to that time, was an overt commentary on humanity's combative nature. After firing pre-emptively on an apparently hostile alien task force, Alpha is devastated by an unstoppable alien enemy that wrecks the base and kills half the inhabitants. In another of the series' metaphysical twists, the Alphans are apparently given a second chance at the end, when time rewinds to moments prior to the attack so that Commander
John Koenig may rethink his fateful decision. The aliens inform the Alphans that the events of the episode occurred in an instant of time to show them the consequences of their potential actions.
* "
Dragon's Domain
"Dragon's Domain" is the eighth episode of the first series of '' Space: 1999''. The screenplay was written by Christopher Penfold; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script was dated 21 January 1975, with blue-page amendments ...
" and "
Force of Life" are more typical variations on the alien monster theme, although both have more metaphysical leanings. "Dragon's Domain" is essentially a re-telling of the legend of
Saint George and the Dragon
In a legend, Saint Georgea soldier venerated in Christianitydefeats a dragon. The story goes that the dragon originally extorted tribute from villagers. When they ran out of livestock and trinkets for the dragon, they started giving up a human tr ...
, while "Force of Life" raises questions about the nature of life, and what forms it could assume.
* "Voyager's Return" essentially serves as an allegory for whether someone who causes death and destruction in the pursuit of knowledge, whether knowingly or unknowingly, can truly redeem himself and be forgiven. It also touches on whether a whole populace can be held responsible for the actions of one of its members.
* "
The Testament of Arkadia" predated
Glen A. Larson's original ''
Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'' TV series by almost three years, in delving into the concept of "life here began out there". The episode also addresses one of the
story arc
A story arc (also narrative arc) is the chronological construction of plot in a novel or story. It can also mean an extended or continuing storyline in episodic storytelling media such as television, comic books, comic strips, board games, vide ...
s briefly touched upon throughout Year One, in that the journey of the Alphans might not have been as happenstance as it appeared to be. Additionally, "The Testament of Arkadia" depicts a lifeless planet that holds clues as to the origins of mankind but was ravaged thousands of years earlier in a nuclear war. A similar theme was adopted by
Ronald D. Moore for his remake of ''
Battlestar Galactica
''Battlestar Galactica'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Glen A. Larson. The franchise began with the Battlestar Galactica (1978 TV series), original television series in 1978, and was followed by a short-run sequel se ...
'' when dealing with the
"original" planet Earth.
* "Death's Other Dominion" addresses the question of what price is too much for advancements in medical science: in this case, the search for the cause of immortality achieved for reasons unknown.
Year Two (1976–1977)
Episodes
Notes
* The time elapsed since leaving Earth orbit may allow an interpretation of the calendar date. However, even if the Alphans still use the
Gregorian calendar
The Gregorian calendar is the calendar used in most parts of the world. It was introduced in October 1582 by Pope Gregory XIII as a modification of, and replacement for, the Julian calendar. The principal change was to space leap years dif ...
, Earth has moved forward considerably in time, as evidenced in the episode "
Journey to Where
"Journey to Where" is the third episode of the second series of '' Space: 1999'' (and the 27th overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Donald James; the director was Tom Clegg. The final shooting script is dated 18 Febr ...
", in which it is 2120 on Earth. (The Alphans know that because of the Moon's high velocity, Einsteinian
time dilation
In physics and relativity, time dilation is the difference in the elapsed time as measured by two clocks. It is either due to a relative velocity between them ( special relativistic "kinetic" time dilation) or to a difference in gravitational ...
and the unknown phenomena that hurl them through space, time on Earth would progress more rapidly than on the Moon.) The series was not consistent in how it used this number. The two-part "The Bringers of Wonder", for example, is said to take place hundreds of days apart, which is not possible (although the correct passage of days appeared in the script for "
The Bringers of Wonder, Part Two", this was erroneously transcribed in
Barbara Bain
Barbara Bain (born Mildred Fogel; September 13, 1931) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cinnamon Carter on the action television series '' Mission: Impossible'' (1966–1969), which earned her three Primetime Emmy Awar ...
's script for the post-production recording session). Another time, the events of three episodes seem to occur almost simultaneously ("
Devil's Planet
"Devil's Planet" is the twenty-second episode of the second series of the British sci-fi television series '' Space: 1999'' (and the forty-sixth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Michael Winder; the director was T ...
" at 2306 days, "The Lambda Factor" at 2308 days and "The Immunity Syndrome" at 2310 days). If the numbers of days mentioned throughout Year Two are accurate, the episodes take place over a period of more than five years (while all the events of Year One passed in under 342 days). Additionally, it is stated, in "
Dragon's Domain
"Dragon's Domain" is the eighth episode of the first series of '' Space: 1999''. The screenplay was written by Christopher Penfold; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script was dated 21 January 1975, with blue-page amendments ...
", that it has been 877 days since the Moon left orbit.
* The Year Two episodes aired on
Associated Television
Associated Television was the original name of the British broadcaster ATV, part of the Independent Television (ITV) network. It provided a service to London at weekends from 1955 to 1968, to the Midlands on weekdays from 1956 to 1968, and ...
over the course of more than a year. Due to a long mid-series gap, some sources consider episodes 2.17 to 2.24 to mark a third series. In some regions of the United Kingdom, the final episode, "
The Dorcons", did not air until the summer of 1978. In others, it did not appear until the 1998
BBC Two
BBC Two is a British free-to-air public broadcast television network owned and operated by the BBC. It covers a wide range of subject matter, with a remit "to broadcast programmes of depth and substance" in contrast to the more mainstream an ...
repeat run. Year Two was available from an earlier date in countries other than the UK; for example, in Canada,
CBC had aired all of Year Two by May 1977, and 10 episodes had been aired before transmission began in the UK.
*"
The Immunity Syndrome" is also a title in an episode of the original
science fiction
Science fiction (sometimes shortened to Sci-Fi or SF) is a genre of speculative fiction which typically deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts such as advanced science and technology, space exploration, time travel, parallel unive ...
series ''
Star Trek
''Star Trek'' is an American science fiction media franchise created by Gene Roddenberry, which began with the eponymous 1960s television series and quickly became a worldwide pop-culture phenomenon. The franchise has expanded into vari ...
''.
Compilation films
Four films were assembled from various episodes of ''Space: 1999'' in the 1970s and 1980s. One aim was to provide content for new American and European cable and satellite TV stations (and for theatrical release, which occurred in a number of European countries). A fifth film, ''Spazio 1999'', was created specifically for theatrical release in Italy. With the exception of ''Spazio 1999'', the films were released on
home video
Home video is prerecorded media sold or rented for home viewing. The term originates from the VHS and Betamax era, when the predominant medium was videotapes, but has carried over to optical disc formats such as DVD, Blu-ray and streaming me ...
years before individual episodes.
* ''Spazio 1999'' is a 1976 Italian release consisting of heavily edited segments from the episodes "
Breakaway", "
Ring Around the Moon" and "
Another Time, Another Place". It features a score by film composer
Ennio Morricone
Ennio Morricone (; 10 November 19286 July 2020) was an Italian composer, orchestrator, conductor, and trumpeter who wrote music in a wide range of styles. With more than 400 scores for cinema and television, as well as more than 100 classica ...
, replacing the original score by
Barry Gray
Barry Gray (born John Livesey Eccles; 18 July 1908 – 26 April 1984) was a British musician and composer best known for his collaborations with television and film producer Gerry Anderson.
Life and career
Born into a musical family in Blackburn ...
.
* ''Destination: Moonbase Alpha'', released in 1978 by
ITC London, was the first widely available re-edit of ''Space: 1999'', based upon the two-part Year Two episode "
The Bringers of Wonder". The narrator informs viewers that it is 2100 and that
Moonbase Alpha drew its power from
nuclear waste
Radioactive waste is a type of hazardous waste that contains radioactive material. Radioactive waste is a result of many activities, including nuclear medicine, nuclear research, nuclear power generation, rare-earth mining, and nuclear weapons r ...
. In many countries, this episode could be seen only in a re-edited form since it did not appear in syndication (although the two episodes were restored for the
Region 1 DVD
The DVD (common abbreviation for Digital Video Disc or Digital Versatile Disc) is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 1995 and first released on November 1, 1996, in Japan. The medium can store any kind ...
release).
* ''Alien Attack'', released in 1979 by ITC London, retroactively introduces foreign audiences to the premise of the series with a compilation of "Breakaway" and "
War Games
A wargame is a strategy game in which two or more players command opposing armed forces in a realistic simulation of an armed conflict. Wargaming may be played for recreation, to train military officers in the art of strategic thinking, or to s ...
". It moves events from 1999 far into the 21st century. This film also includes footage specially shot for this release, specifically scenes set in the offices of the International Lunar Commission on Earth.
* ''Journey Through the Black Sun'', released in 1982 by ITC New York, combines the Year One episodes "
Collision Course
{{wiktionary
A collision course, also known as a ''kamikaze run'', is the deliberate maneuver by the operator of a moving object (or often in Sci-Fi a spaceship) to collide with another object. It is a desperate maneuver since it often damages ...
" and "Black Sun". Scenes from both episodes, such as the character of
Alan Carter confronting Commander
John Koenig in "Black Sun", were cut.
* ''Cosmic Princess'', also released in 1982 by ITC New York, focuses on the Year Two character
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
and combines the episodes "
The Metamorph
"The Metamorph" is the first episode of the second series of '' Space: 1999'' (and the twenty-fifth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Johnny Byrne; the director was Charles Crichton. Previous titles were "The Bio ...
" and "Space Warp". The alien's dialogue from "Space Warp" is altered, and the alien's difficulties, as well as Maya's condition, are presented as being directly related to "The Metamorph" as if the events of that episode occurred only days before. A small number of scenes, such as Maya's father, Mentor, chiding her for what he views as misuse of her shapechanging abilities, were cut. This film appeared in an early episode of the TV series ''
Mystery Science Theater 3000
''Mystery Science Theater 3000'' (abbreviated as ''MST3K'') is an American science fiction comedy film review television series created by Joel Hodgson. The show premiered on KTMA-TV (now WUCW) in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on November 24, 1988. ...
''.
Some American VHS editions of the English-language releases include specially filmed introductions by
B-movie
A B movie or B film is a low-budget commercial motion picture. In its original usage, during the Golden Age of Hollywood, the term more precisely identified films intended for distribution as the less-publicized bottom half of a double featur ...
actress
Sybil Danning
Sybil Danning (born Sybille Johanna Danninger) is an Austrian actress, model, and film producer. She is best known for her frequent appearances in B movies during the 1970s and 1980s.
Biography Early years and first films
Born in Austria, Dannin ...
(who never appeared in the original series). ''Space: 1999'' actors
Martin Landau
Martin James Landau (; June 20, 1928 – July 15, 2017) was an American actor, acting coach, producer, and editorial cartoonist. His career began in the 1950s, with early film appearances including a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's ''North ...
and
Barbara Bain
Barbara Bain (born Mildred Fogel; September 13, 1931) is an American actress. She is best known for her role as Cinnamon Carter on the action television series '' Mission: Impossible'' (1966–1969), which earned her three Primetime Emmy Awar ...
were reportedly upset at this re-packaging and launched legal proceedings.
[''Destination: Moonbase Alpha'', Telos Publications, 2010.]
''Message from Moonbase Alpha''
At the Breakaway 1999 convention,
held in
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
in 1999, a short
featurette
In the American film industry, a featurette is a kind of film that is shorter than a full-length feature, but longer than a short film. The term may refer to either of two types of content: a shorter film or a companion film.
Medium-length film ...
entitled ''Message from Moonbase Alpha'' premiered on 13 September. Produced by fans and written by ''Space: 1999'' script editor
Johnny Byrne, the short film features a tearful monologue performed by actress
Zienia Merton
Zienia Merton (11 December 1945 – 14 September 2018) was a British actress born in Burma. She was known for playing Sandra Benes in '' Space: 1999''.
Early career
Merton was the daughter of Minny and Cecil Burton. Her mother was Burmese, and ...
in character as
Sandra Benes
''Space: 1999'' is a British science-fiction television programme that ran for two series from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, set in the year 1999, nuclear waste stored on the Moon's far side explodes, knocking the Moon out of orbit an ...
.
The premise of the film, set decades after the events of the TV series (of which "The Dorcons" is the final episode), is that Moonbase Alpha's life-support systems have finally started to fail. Fortunately, a space warp has propelled the Moon to within range of an Earth-like planet, dubbed Terra Alpha. Following a vote (which was contested by some), Commander John Koenig has made the decision for all inhabitants to evacuate Alpha and settle on the planet before the Moon travels out of range. Sandra states that Operation Exodus is a gamble, as the planet is an unknown factor: the Moon is determined to be entering an orbit of sorts, but it will not return to Terra Alpha for another 25 years.
Meanwhile, Maya has devised a way for Alpha to send a message back to Earth using another space warp. Sandra, the last Alphan to leave the Moon, is given the task of sending it, but it is not known when or if the message will arrive. The film ends with the Meta signal (an unidentified radio transmission from nearby planet Meta featured at the end of the pilot episode "Breakaway"), indicating that the first signal the Alphans receive from space is, in fact, one that they have sent to themselves from the future. The featurette was shot on a small set using design elements from both Years One and Two and includes character and special effects footage from various episodes, some of which underwent minor alterations.
With the exception of Sandra, the only series characters mentioned in the present tense (meaning that they are still active at the time of arrival at Terra Alpha) are
Maya
Maya may refer to:
Civilizations
* Maya peoples, of southern Mexico and northern Central America
** Maya civilization, the historical civilization of the Maya peoples
** Maya language, the languages of the Maya peoples
* Maya (Ethiopia), a populat ...
and
John Koenig, but
Helena Russell also appears in the title sequences. Sandra also eulogises several notable Alphans who are now deceased, including
Victor Bergman and
Paul Morrow, and also mentions her fiancé Michael (from "Black Sun") and Luc and Anna (from "The Testament of Arkadia").
Byrne devised ''Message from Moonbase Alpha'' to permit the possibility of a sequel series. According to Byrne's revival concept, this series would be set about 25 years later and feature the children of the Alphans who leave Terra Alpha when the Moon and its Moonbase eventually return. Although there was some press and fan speculation regarding the proposal at the end of 1999, the series remains undeveloped. Byrne himself died in 2008.
The original arrangement between all the parties involved in the production of ''Message from Moonbase Alpha'' and (then) copyright holders of ''Space: 1999'',
Carlton Media International, was that the film would be screened only once, at the September 1999 convention. However, it was subsequently shown at other events and made available as a special feature on various DVD releases in the United States, Canada, France and Italy, in both its original and adapted forms.
References
External links
*
*
* List o
''Space: 1999'' episodes(Year One) at
Fanderson.org.uk
* List o
''Space: 1999'' episodes(Year Two) at Fanderson.org.uk
* List o
(Year One) at Space1999.net
* List o
(Year Two) at Space1999.net
* List o
at CliveBanks.co.uk
* List o
at TheVervoid.com
{{DEFAULTSORT:Space: 1999
Lists of British action television series episodes
Lists of British science fiction television series episodes