Space 1999
(On Topic: | 1990 | Avengers | Basil Brush | Bergerac | Callan | Captain Percival Serials | Challengers | Challengers Intro | Equalizer | Facing Chair | For The People | Front Page Story | Girl In A Black Bikini | Grady | Hanged Man | Hine | Invaders | Justice | Lost Islands | Magic Ball | Main Chance | Man From Atlantis | Man In A Suitcase | Marksman | Mask Of Janus | Mika | Mogul AKA The Troubleshooters | Mr Palfrey Of Westminster | Ned And Stacey | Ned And Stacey Episode Guide | Plane Makers | Power Game | Pretorius | Professionals | Sandbaggers | Sapphire And Steel | Six Million Dollar Man | Space 1999 | Steptoe And Son | Turtles Progress | UFO | Warship | When The Boat Comes In | Wilde Alliance | World War III | Z Cars | Index )
The dark side of the moon explodes, sending it shooting off into space, where the crew of Moonbase Alpha get to meet a new alien civilisation every week. The special effects standup even today as quite magnificent, but the rest of the show needed work. Daza gave a friend Paul his copies of Series II on DVD; here's his review:
I was quite pleased to have received the DVDs, as when the programme was first shown in the mid 70s I thought that it was very cool and sophisticated. Sadly I've watched some of the episodes off the DVDs, I cannot believe just how cringe-inducing this programme actually is. Poorly written, poorly edited, and badly acted. The wooden marionettes in Gerry Anderson's other shows had more character and feeling than most of the people acting in Space 1999. The women characters didn't wear Gold Lama Jumpsuits (as least not what I would call a jumpsuit) but instead a type of two-piece knitted beige uniform. So they had bad actors, acting in beige uniforms, in a beige coloured set. Not a combination that recommends itself.
Novels
Published by Orbit Books/Futura Publishing, 1975-1977
- BREAKAWAY: E C Tubb novelisation of "Breakaway", "Matter of Life and Death", "Ring Around The Moon", "Black Sun" (144pp)
- MOON ODYSSEY: John Rankine novelisation of "Alpha Child", "The Last Sunset", "Voyager's Return", "Another Time, Another Place" (144pp)
- THE SPACE GUARDIANS: Brian Ball novelisation of "Missing Link", "Force of Life" and "Guardian of Piri" (142pp)
- COLLISION COURSE: E C Tubb novelisation of "Collision Course", "The Full Circle", "End of Eternity", "Death's Other Dominion" (143pp)
- LUNAR ATTACK: John Rankine novelisation of "War Games", "The Troubled Spirit", "The Last Enemy", "Space Brain" (141pp)
- ASTRAL QUEST: John Rankine novelisation of "The Infernal Machine", "Mission of the Darians", "Dragon's Domain", "The Testament of Arkadia" (157pp)
- ALIEN SEED: E C Tubb original novel (138pp)
- ANDROID PLANET: John Rankine original novel (120pp)
- ROGUE PLANET: E C Tubb original novel (143pp)
- EARTHFALL: E C Tubb original novel (284pp)
