"Space: 1999" (1975) TV series 1975-1977

User Rating:

7.2/10   

Creators:

Gerry Anderson
Sylvia Anderson

Seasons:

1 | 2

Release Date:

5 September 1975 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Drama | Sci-Fi

Tagline:

The Future Is Fantastic!

Plot:

The crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from orbit into deep space.

Plot Keywords:

Moon | Space | Alpha | Explosion | Atomic Waste

Cast

Martin Landau	...	Commander John Koenig (48 episodes, 1975-1978)
Barbara Bain	...	Dr. Helena Russell (48 episodes, 1975-1978)
Nick Tate	...	Alan Carter (42 episodes, 1975-1978)
Zienia Merton	...	Sandra Benes (35 episodes, 1975-1977)
Catherine Schell	...	Maya / ... (25 episodes, 1975-1978)
Barry Morse	...	Prof. Victor Bergman (24 episodes, 1975-1976)
Quentin Pierre	...	Security Guard / ... (24 episodes, 1975-1978)
Tony Anholt	...	Tony Verdeschi (23 episodes, 1976-1978)
Prentis Hancock	...	Paul Morrow (23 episodes, 1975-1976)
Clifton Jones	...	David Kano (23 episodes, 1975-1976)
Anton Phillips	...	Dr. Mathias / ... (23 episodes, 1975-1976)
Andy Dempsey	...	Main Mission Operative (23 episodes, 1975-1976)
Tony Allyn	...	Security Guard (20 episodes, 1975-1976)

Also Known As:

"Spazio: 1999" (Italy)

Runtime:

52 min (48 episodes)

Country:

UK | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.33 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:G (Quebec) (VHS/DVD rating) | Canada:G (Quebec) (TV rating) | Australia:PG | Portugal:M/6 (DVD rating)

Filming Locations:

Pinewood Studios, Iver Heath, Buckinghamshire, England, UK

Company:

Group 3

Trivia:

Barry Morse decided to leave the series after Season 1 had ended. An explanation of his absence was written into the first episode of Season 2, "The Metamorph", but never made it to the finished episode. Dialog was to indicate he had been in a faulty spacesuit.

Goofs:

Continuity: Eagle numbers on doors in cockpits not always what the pilots call in and the numbers don't always match with each other.

Quotes:

Helena Russell: I remember. A world without fear. It was very strange. Beautiful. We've lost it.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Operation Double 007 (#6.8)" (1993)

You don't feel at home in deep space.

The first science fiction work I ever saw was Space:1999, and i was six. Italian Tv had co-produced the stuff so it was aired around 6pm, not a very appropriate slot to broadcast scenes of people burned alive by their commander's lasergun... I probably had nightmares about it, but missing a single episode was out of the question. I got to see some first season episodes some twenty years later and I appreciated the show even more. I don't recall much of the second season apart Maya and Tony, so let me concentrate on the first one.

The electronic soundtrack and the opening credits (a kind of "Pulp Fiction" style guitar alternated with an orchestral version of the same theme) were very original, as it was the look of the Eagles: they are solid transport spacecrafts but at the same time one can see their pilots from the outside, so that Eagles seem vulnerable... well, they are, most of the time. Base Alpha is a large, well lit and comfortable place (some stylish seventies furniture, too) which is home and prison at the same time.

Anyway the most peculiar aspect is the atmosphere in Moonbase Alpha: The crew is shocked for what happened to them, unprepared to deal with the future, they don't agree with each other, they make mistakes, they often prefer not to show much emotion. No "Space as the last frontier" rhetoric, here. Space is cold and mistakes are lethal. That increases the realism even if 1999 is well past. Action progresses like a slowly unfolding bad dream.

Don't believe people complaining about bad acting. They just expect things that Space:1999 wasn't going to offer. The actors performed well. For example, Commander Koenig (the symbolism in the name is evident) is waiting for the "black sun" to swallow the base, he's talking with Prof. Bergman. He's about to break into tears but manages to restrain himself so that his eyes show only a little trace of what he's feeling underneath: A very good performance from Martin Landau, nearly impossible to find in better rated SF series/movies.