Space: 1999 - Is there any way it can work?

[kastenessen]

And it actually has one of the greatest themesongs in the history of television. So cool, explosions and stuff in rythm with the editing. Really funky! Looked so great back then. If I'm not mistaken it's written by no other than the great John Barry, you know...James Bond, but I might be mistaken...

Matrixman wrote:

Maybe it has the most convincing"outer space" feeling of any sci-fi series? Even today?

I agree. It has a great outer space feeling. The spacesuits, the ships, the moon, everything looks very spacy. Maye the space have a "cold" feel to it, maybe it's that's why it feels, well believable?...

Brian Johnson and Nick Alder who did the SFX later worked with Alien and that looked great too, didn't it....


kasten

[matrixman]

Yes, kastenessen, you've hit the right word: COLD. Space "looks" cold--and empty--in the show, as space should. It helps emphasize how fragile the people's existence is on the Moon.

Thanks for that movie factoid! I didn't know the SFX guys on the show were also involved in Alien. That film definitely looked great. It spawned so many imitators...

[Nav]

I watched a bit of the old Mission Impossible. Very cool. I thought ML and BB had been married at one time. I'm not sure either.

I'm not sure if they were married or not, but they were certainly an item. They have a daughter, Juliet Landau, who played Drusila on Buffy.

I loved Space 1999, although I only saw it when the BBC repeated it a few years back. I think one of the biggest physics gaffs was the whole concept of the escaping moon. I remember reading in SFX that any explosion large enough to blow the moon out of orbit would probably blow half of it away on the process. Also, the moon would have to be travelling so fast that they'd have no hope of popping out to passing planets and actually making it back to Moonbase. But it was still a nice idea.

I always wanted one of those knuckle-guns that they all used. The Narns in Babylon 5 seemed to use a similar device, I wondered if that's where the moon ended up...

They had some fantastic guest stars too, I remember an episode that featured both Joan Collins and Oliver Reed! There was another one called (inexplicably) Escape From Luton. Citizens of Bedfordshire, run for your lives!

[Edinburghemma]

Is that that funny, squeeky robot kid? I loved it and believe everything in it, oh sorry, what, you mean, not Buck rogers?!

[tomo]

Prompted by this topic, today I picked up series one and two on DVD for 50NZ$ each. 40 hours of classic television to watch. Let's see how far I manage to get.

Tom

[aTOMiC]

Prompted by this topic, today I picked up series one and two on DVD for 50NZ$ each. 40 hours of classic television to watch. Let's see how far I manage to get.

Tom

That is very cool, tomo. I have a few assorted episodes on dvd and vhs. I hope to have the whole series at some point. It will take a bit of time. I am green with envy.

[Metal-Demon]

Space: 1999 was my favourite science-fiction program when I was a little kid ... and it still is to this day.

I'm saving up to buy the entire series on DVD ...

[aTOMiC]

I was reading an article on Space:1999 recently and it described a few points that I was not aware of.
Firstly it seems the Moon passed through a number of space warps (Black Holes, quasars, gravitation anomalies etc.) that gave it access to locations far beyond what it could have reached by its velocity leaving Earth's orbit. I wish I had understood that when I was a kid so that I didn't think the storyline was so ignorant of the spatial dimensions of the galaxy.
In addition there is some sub plot that involves a belief that some higher power was guiding the Alphans in their journey making their encounters with other peoples and planets somewhat predestined or planned in some way. Obviously this too escaped my notice when I was 10 years old.
I also read about the problems getting the show aired and that in some locations there were very long lapses between the broadcast of episodes, sometimes even years, which must have made a mess of viewer continuity.

Then there was Season 2 which changed the format in many different ways in an attempt to make the show more palatable to American audiences. The show became less cerebral and more action oriented. I don't recall if I really noticed back in the day. I certainly do now.

What I really wonder about is the possibility of making a "SPACE" movie of some kind. A big budget remake could help solve some of the technical issues associated with the show's plot and also resurrect the fan interest.

The first thing that MUST be done is come up with a more plausible way for the Moon to leave Earth. Perhaps said moon could begin spiraling out of orbit gradually at first and then pick up speed, allowing for the Alphans to realistically survive their departure. Perhaps a cosmological event that not only sweeps the Moon from orbit but also sends it to another part of the galaxy.

Frankly with so many idiotic movie remakes lately I'm surprised "SPACE" hasn't been targeted already.

[High Lord Tolkien]

I was just going to mention those various warps and whatnot when I began reading this thread.
And I'm sure that Moon Base Alpha was build near a massive underground frozen water source for both air and water.
There was also some kind of alien force shield technology at the end too wasn't there?


I read some fan fiction once about Space 1999 meeting Battlestar Galactica.
It was actually really good!
An Eagle couldn't stand up to a Cylon Raider but the tech levels were pretty evenly matched the way it was written.


I had this toy when I was a kid.
It's one of my all time favorite memories.
Right up there with my 6 Million Dollar Man guy.

[aTOMiC]

Very very cool, HLT.

I have an unbuilt Eagle in my collection (see picture) but that's all that I have of the show. I'd love to get my mitts on some of the old toys from that time.

I've always wanted to take a shot at some Space:1999 based fan fiction but it seems I never have enough time to write these days.

[High Lord Tolkien]

Mine wasn't actually a glue model, it was a giant (for a 10 year old) plastic toy. The cockpit and the thrusters in the back came off to form some other type of "scout ship" or something when put together.
I think it came with two small guys too.
I can still remember the smell of the plastic (plastic toys had a certain smell back then, probably toxins) and not wanting to go to school so I could play with it all day.
I don't remember for sure but I have a lot of vague memories of creating violent crash landings and throwing a lot of small rocks at it like meteor hits.
Which was probably what killed it.

[wayfriend]

Which was probably what killed it.

That's just as well. It wouldn't have survived the forest fires anyway.

[High Lord Tolkien]

Which was probably what killed it.

That's just as well. It wouldn't have survived the forest fires anyway.

You know what?
I used to spend hours building these incredible detailed models; USS Constitution, viking ships, submarines and just about every WWII battleship every made.
Did you know that model glue is highly flammable?
Say you had a fully assembled Battleship model.
Just placing small globs of glue in strategic points on the ship and lighting them on fire it would burn real nice and also give off this nasty black soot as it burned too.
But even better if you put the flame out quick enough it made fantastic battle scars on the ship.
I had mastered 1950's ocean battle special effects by age 12.
It.
Was.
AWESOME!

So.....I'm sure Eagle 1 also took some hits too.
Actually as I write this....I can see the blast marks I made on the hatches and side panels.

[wayfriend]

This. Explains. Everything.

[sgt.null]

best theme ever?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DF9nDJZrdA

i loved the show and will be searching for it now.

[wayfriend]

Need I say more?

[finn]

Ahh, you forget to mention the air supply. Seemingly every episode culminated in the base losing most of its air through a series of punctures, malfunctions, collisions, moonquakes, etc. It's amazing they lasted more than 12 hours. I vote for scientifically dubious, yet strangely compelling, entertaining, and yes, groundbreaking.

Yes of course. They lost air pressure almost as much as the Enterprise lost warp power.

As to the ground breaking, I'm sure the ground broke quite severely on Earth after the moon was sent hurtling into the cosmos like a toad from a sling shot..

Wiped Lychanthropy out at a stroke!

I used to prefer UFO which was set in the UK and also had the delectable Gabrielle Drake decked out in a skinsuit on Moonbase.