SPACE:1999

[Tjm86]

I remember good looking, if impractical hardware and Gabrielle Drake (uniform similarly good looking if impractical) and nothing else of UFO. Was there only one series? And was it any good?

There were 26 episodes in total.  As to standards, it is pretty much 70's tv sci fi fare with some cracking moments and plenty of Anderson model work.  About the same standard as Space 1999 but with some better quality acting in places.  The DVD's aren't insanely expensive so you wouldn't be massively out of pocket.  Considering the job Network did on the Space 1999 blu ray I'm tempted to upgrade.

[Tiplodocus]

Oh my, how gorgeous is the model work on this programme?

A few more crackers with guest stars Leo McKern and Joan Collins of all people turning up in silvery space robes.

MISSION OF THE DARIANS
is a bit of a classic generation star ship tale. But what if it all went wrong? One half of the ship still reliant on technology and lording it over the other half who have slipped into the stone ages. There are a couple of "But would you do WHATEVER it takes to survive?" ethical questions thrown about as Barbara Bain is kidnapped by cavemen and screams like a little girl while the Prof and Keonig hang about with leggy lovelies and ponder the question I am sick of "But where do they get their protein?" 
Barely any of it is set on Alpha so we have a fantastic model of the city spaceship which doesn't quite tie in with the internal matte paintings (exposed quite harshly on Blu-ray) and corridor sets.  Must have been an expensive episode.

DRAGON'S DOMAIN
I had always remembered this as scaring my 11 year old self witless and was still impressed with how they build the tension as we move through the alien spaceship graveyard and then the scares for the initial appearance of the monster.

I'd completely forgotten the structure of the tale (well, it was 40 years ago) with the flashbacks to, and Euro guest star of,  the Ultra mission.   Many of the plot points are bobbins ("Well we on the moon have moved so the spaceship graveyard from the original incident must have also moved") but forgiven as they weave a nice monster tale.

And, on a TV budget and schedule where stop-motion is out of the question,  they do pretty well realising the tentacled monster (howling winds, screaming sounds, glowing lights and twinkly mind-control effects all build atmosphere).  But would it scare an 11 year old today? Would it fuck!.

[blackmocco]

Many of the plot points are bobbins ("Well we on the moon have moved so the spaceship graveyard from the original incident must have also moved") but forgiven as they weave a nice monster tale.

And, on a TV budget and schedule where stop-motion is out of the question,  they do pretty well realising the tentacled monster (howling winds, screaming sounds, glowing lights and twinkly mind-control effects all build atmosphere).  But would it scare an 11 year old today? Would it fuck!.

Yeah, nothing's ever explained. Utter pants, yet for some reason with Space:1999 this works in its favor. If the intent was to show how alien and mysterious outer space is, the lack of clarity adds to the show. What the fuck is going on? Doesn't matter. Deep space, chief.

Dragon's Domain still works for me despite it's age simply because it's evident poor Tony is doomed from the pre-credits sequence. It doesn't matter to me the episode makes no sense plot-wise. He's destined to face this creature again and the way the episode builds that sense of dread and foreboding is still impressive by today's standards. The thing that terrified me most about the creature as a kid wasn't so much what it does to someone once it consumes them - although for a TV show in 1975, it's pretty ballsy. It's the unstoppable force of it, both physical and mental. No-one can overcome it.

While we're on the subject of tone, and bearing in mind 1975 was just three years away from Battlestar Galactica (the NEXT show after Space:1999 to take the mantle of most expensive to produce) where the characters react to the annihilation of their entire civilization by partying on a Vegas planet, Space:1999's characters never let us forget how well and truly fucked they all are. Nothing good ever really happens to them. The best is that something shit happens and somehow gets miraculously reset by the end of the episode and simply leaves them as fucked as they were at the start. They're reminded by almost every alien species they meet they don't belong. They're never going to find a home. Even when the moon is given an atmosphere, it's only temporary and anyway, that's all fucked up by Carter crashing all Koenig's besties out in the middle of nowhere. I love the utter misery of the show. The set even looks like an Apple store. Just like Apple, nobody trusts the moonbase's computer. The windows break if someone bashes their helmet against it. No wonder Koenig always loses his cool. If I was stranded there and he was in charge, I'd be pretty nervous. He always looks like he's about to cry. No people skills.

On another note, I have the original soundtrack going here from season one and it's another reminder of how strong the technical aspects of the show were. It's a great score, really lush and strong. Couple that with the fx work and you really start to wish the stories had been stronger to ensure it stayed on the air as it was, rather than the creative changes they went with for season two.

[Dandontdare]

the music and opening credits are fantastic, but as a kid I always hated the montage of clips from the episode - I used to close my eyes for that bit to avoid spoilers, although I wouldn't have called them that back in the day.

I remember seeing the monster from Dragon's Domain on some TV nostalgia programme years ago (pre internet, but long after it scared me shitless as an 8 year old) and was disappointed by how crap it looked - I'd built it up in my mind as the most terrifying thing ever. With hind-hind-sight however, I agree with Tips that it is exteremely effective given what they had to work with.

[GordonR]

Yeah, that balefully glowing and mind-controlling single eye on the creature in Dragon's Domain?  It's a car headlight.  I think you even see the wire patterning on the glass.

[Tiplodocus]

In a couple of episodes we've had shots of the Moonbase crew doing jigsaws as if that's the only entertainment available to them. 

Trying to piece together something, anything, out of what they have left. Brilliant.

[shaolin_monkey]

I always wondered what happened to the Earth.  Surely the Moon being torn from orbit would have had cataclysmic consequences.  Even if they did make it back to Earth through some miracle, humanity would surely have been wiped out.

[blackmocco]

Not that anyone needs any reminding, but man o man - Season 2 could easily be one of the worst TV shows ever made. Appalling. I'm trying to slowly work my way through it but it's really tough going. Mind-numbingly slow pace (this was supposed to be the 'ACTION!' season), ghastly acting, dreadful soundtrack. Quite literally everything about it is fucking shite. Nonetheless, I'll soldier on so none of you have to.

(Of note, although not enough that you should actually watch it yourself, the episode Journey To Where mentions a Texas City and another city that takes up the entire eastern seaboard of the US, with the rest of the continent rendered uninhabitable.)

[blackmocco]

I always wondered what happened to the Earth.  Surely the Moon being torn from orbit would have had cataclysmic consequences.  Even if they did make it back to Earth through some miracle, humanity would surely have been wiped out.

Securing my credentials as a nob-end filled with only useless information, Season 1's Another Time, Another Place sorta kinda addresses this. I don't know if that's enough of a reason to revisit it.

[Tiplodocus]

Testament of Arkadia
Is it a hokey [spoiler]Adam and Eve by way of Chariots of the Gods[/spoiler] futureshock or is it a fantastacilly atmospheric and philosophical piece about the origins of humankind and its detiny among the stars.

I genuinely have no fucking clue but this is a cracking good bit of telly with a euro guest star hamming it up to great effect.  Again, the model work is exemplary ( especially a great shot of the away team disembarking from the Eagle), again Helena and Computer are useless and again nothing is explained. It just happens that way.

It's very much a game of two halves; a great set up and dilemma and investigation of a desolate planet followed by a tense hostage thing.

None of the science makes sense and there's a glaring continuity error when Victor walks into a deserted cave with electric lights. And there's a terrible Captain's Log bookending.

But I think it might be my favourite so far.

[von Boom]

You can now read the first 250(?) issues of Starlog online. Issue 2 contains an episode guide for Space:1999. All of the first season and half of the second:

https://archive.org/stream/starlog_magazine-002/002#page/n31/mode/2up

Also on page 2-3 of this issue they mention the filming of Star Wars finishing.

[blackmocco]

I'm just going to leave this right here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v0vIxkS7LTs

[Michael Knight]

I am about half way through season 1 box set and really enjoying it. Used to watch reruns on BBC 2 when it showed cult scifi at 6pm slots midweek. Have also purchased season 2 which I never got to see much of. Whats happened to the remake aka space 2099 I remember reading about couple of years back? 

[Tjm86]

Space 2099 seems to have died a quiet death unfortunately.  Other than the few promo shots the web site has not been updated in a looooong time.

Season 2 tends to be a bit of a slog at times.  Granted there were parts of season 1 that you were left wondering what they were thinking of.  The change in direction and its affect on the quality of writing really are felt at times.  On the plus side you still have the lovely Anderson model making and set design.

[Michael Knight]

Cant believe they replaced the late great Barry Morse for season 2? Just watched episode with Ian Mcshane which I really enjoyed. My fave so far was the episode with Christoper Lee though.