Space 1999!!!

[DarrenTR1970]

I just found out from watching another Gerry Anderson YouTube video on the changes between the first and second season of Space: 1999 that Fred Freiberger was a writer/producer on the later seasons of 'Ironside' and it was after this show was canceled that he was approached by Gerry Anderson to help revamp/helm Space: 1999. So, I guess we have 'Ironside's' cancelation to blame for freeing up Freiberger to work his magic on Space: 1999.

 

[Pauln6]

I've been only able to find one person on YouTube who reacted to both seasons of 'Space: 1999'.
Unfortunately, her reactions are as exciting as watching paint dry. She makes first season Barbara Bain look positively animated.

I used to joke that Helena had only two expressions in season one: with lip gloss and without lip gloss.

 

[Jedi Marso]

Yep, but usually when one watches TOS or the original Mission Impossible doesn't think "This is so slow!"

It's hidden in there if you watch for it, though. Example: the Enterprise chasing the Gorn ship in Arena, with the whole ramp-up of warp speeds until finally the Enterprise is on the overtake. That whole sequence takes a while- watch it again and you'll see. They had to fill 54 minutes of run-time back in the day. We've gotten used to 42 minute "1-hour" shows, and the associated accelerated plots and opening titles.

 

[Jedi Marso]

I loved Space 1999 as a kid. I thought the comlocks were a neat concept (garage door opener AND video-phone in one!), loved the Eagle transport, loved Moonbase Alpha. I'm also a huge fan of UFO and Gerry Andersen's marionation kids shows.

Now, however, I find Space 1999 completely unwatchable.

 

[Mr. Adventure]

I loved Space 1999 as a kid. I thought the comlocks were a neat concept (garage door opener AND video-phone in one!), loved the Eagle transport, loved Moonbase Alpha. I'm also a huge fan of UFO and Gerry Andersen's marionation kids shows.

Now, however, I find Space 1999 completely unwatchable.

Well don't leave us hanging...

 

[PCz911]

I loved Space 1999 as a kid. I thought the comlocks were a neat concept (garage door opener AND video-phone in one!), loved the Eagle transport, loved Moonbase Alpha. I'm also a huge fan of UFO and Gerry Andersen's marionation kids shows.

Now, however, I find Space 1999 completely unwatchable.

I agree. I watch UFO more than I do Space…. Though I do love the eagle transports!

 

[DarrenTR1970]

I can't point to any specific examples, but there have been times when I've been re-watching both seasons of Space: 1999 and I think the scripts needed another pass at them in order to lift the material from mediocre to acceptable.

And, I don't know why, but for some reason, I grown to dislike the hairstyles the cast has. I know it was the 70's and the 'shaggy' look was in, but it's distracting sometimes to look at Prentis Hancock and, even though he only appears in two episodes, Roy Dotrice. What were they thinking?! Even Barry Morse isn't immune from having a 'bad hair day' with the sideburns and long hair in the back.

Also, the phrase, 'the virus infection'; there's something about it that IMO, doesn't ring true. It's as though the writer got stuck trying to think of a description and used 'virus infection' as a placeholder then kept it because he couldn't think of anything better.

 

[publiusr]

Found this video on the Gerry Anderson YouTube channel about a potential series finale for Space: 1999

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It has elements of TOS 'The Squire of Gothos' and DS9's 'Children of Time'.

Really, the Moon should have had the Cardiff rift so then the 10th Doctor could tow it back

 

[Forbin]

1999 should have ebded with them finding a way to transport the Moon right back into Earth orbit - but they get a decimal place wrong and the Moon smashes into the Earth, everything blows up, the end.

 

[Jedi Marso]

1999 should have ebded with them finding a way to transport the Moon right back into Earth orbit - but they get a decimal place wrong and the Moon smashes into the Earth, everything blows up, the end.

That's some cold shit, right there!

Actually, they could have stopped the whole thing in the pilot- just send Barbara Bain on a date with the radioactive waste- she would have frozen it solid!

 

[Mr. Adventure]

There are a lot of contemporary articles here that are interesting to comb through
https://catacombs.space1999.net/main/wref.html

And this is a lot of fun, Mad Magazine, Cracked and others. Given some of the comments here about Bain and others some of these are amusing.
https://catacombs.space1999.net/comics/parody/w2parody.html

 

[Skipper]

There are a lot of contemporary articles here that are interesting to comb through
https://catacombs.space1999.net/main/wref.html

And this is a lot of fun, Mad Magazine, Cracked and others. Given some of the comments here about Bain and others some of these are amusing.
https://catacombs.space1999.net/comics/parody/w2parody.html

I wonder how much their acting style was a directorial choice or how much the actors, after reading the scripts, thought "You know what? Totally emotionless is exactly how I want to play my character!"

 

[Jedi Marso]

Put pointed ears and a dark bowl cut on her, and Bain would have been an excellent Vulcan!

 

[Qonundrum]

I wonder how much their acting style was a directorial choice or how much the actors, after reading the scripts, thought "You know what? Totally emotionless is exactly how I want to play my character!"

If not "series bible"? Sci-fi often does have future-humans acting less emotional/robotic, often letting the aliens o' t' week being given that opportunity. Not to mention "Logan's Run" where its android ("Rem", but not anything educational like "Rom" or "Ram", go figure) was acting completely human (since it was primitive in its own ways, I guess) yet the actual humans of that hedonistic STD-free sexy society were, ironically, robotic in presence. Script'by'numbers... but I've not seen that curate's egg of a show in a number of years...

 

[Skipper]

If not "series bible"? Sci-fi often does have future-humans acting less emotional/robotic, often letting the aliens o' t' week being given that opportunity.

Well, I don't know. In the show there are people who, well, emote like actual human being (p.e. Commissioner Simmonds). But if even this was the case Bain exaggerated, she was absolutely still in some scenes of the pilot. This doesn't mean being cold or professional. It's absolutely unnatural.

 

[diankra]

If not "series bible"? Sci-fi often does have future-humans acting less emotional/robotic, often letting the aliens o' t' week being given that opportunity. Not to mention "Logan's Run" where its android ("Rem", but not anything educational like "Rom" or "Ram", go figure) was acting completely human (since it was primitive in its own ways, I guess) yet the actual humans of that hedonistic STD-free sexy society were, ironically, robotic in presence. Script'by'numbers... but I've not seen that curate's egg of a show in a number of years...

One day the actors were irritated and did a scene as puppets.

 

[diankra]

If not "series bible"? Sci-fi often does have future-humans acting less emotional/robotic, often letting the aliens o' t' week being given that opportunity. Not to mention "Logan's Run" where its android ("Rem", but not anything educational like "Rom" or "Ram", go figure) was acting completely human (since it was primitive in its own ways, I guess) yet the actual humans of that hedonistic STD-free sexy society were, ironically, robotic in presence. Script'by'numbers... but I've not seen that curate's egg of a show in a number of years...

Arguably it was accurate. The NASA astronauts were trained to act as trained. Though the Alpha crew were in situations they hadn't trained for. But maybe still responded the same way.

 

[MANT!]

Sept 13 1999

Never Forget,,

 

[Skipper]

Sept 13 1999

Never Forget,,

Since the explosion occurred on the far side of the moon, does that mean it is falling towards the earth...?

 

[Jedi Marso]

Since the explosion occurred on the far side of the moon, does that mean it is falling towards the earth...?

Since the moon is in a circular orbit, a kick from the far side of the moon would push it toward Earth, but it's current orbit would turn that into a parabolic or hyperbolic path resulting in a 'close pass' and a gravitational slingshot, helping throw the moon clear of Earth's influence. The actual trajectory would depend on the force of the explosion. It would probably have to be far larger than the one depicted in the show. FAR larger. In fact, it would be interesting to see if a bang large enough to do that (as in an explosion, not an accelerating force applied over time) wouldn't just fracture the moon and break it completely apart, rather than throwing it clear, but leaving it intact.