Moon Base Alpha calling ---- Space 1999

Been watching the series for campy fun.
Remember almost 11 years ago when our moon was blasted out of orbit? That silly idea we had of using the moon as a toxic nuclear waste dump? Wow, that turned out so badly, didn't it...

Sure, it makes perfect sense to haul dense, heavy nuclear waste and lead shielding into lunar orbit...

Ah well.
What I find interesting is how low the body count is on this show. Far lower than any star trek series, which averaged a red-shirt per episode. Of course, the moonbase can't just request additional personnel transfers to replace their purple-sleeved security forces.
The end of the first episode announces that there are 311 survivors on moonbase alpha.
So far, I've made it through disk 6, and the population is down to 299. One episode actually killed 4 people. Most don't even get one. When an immortal psychopath was running around the base, he only killed 2 people.

The DVD series is oddly put together: the episodes are in neither production order nor air-date order. I have yet to figure out what the order could be.

 

Wow, now there's a series that I haven't thought about for a long time.
Maybe they didn't die a lot, but I seem to recall that when they did, it was usually rather gruesome:
Once I saw a bunch of them get slowly sucked out through a breach in the base. Very disturbing.
Another time, one of the Eagles got crushed. With the crew inside. Fun times.
There was something even more disturbing that claimed a few lives, but I can't remember it. Getting old sucks.

By the way, wasn't it Eagle-1 or Eagle-5 that had a recurring problem that wasn't good for anyone?

 

Well, there was one episode where you got to see 3 people sucked out into vacuum, with a 4th implied. Unfortunately, Deus-ex-machina reset #7 "It was all a dream" kicked in. Pity, because otherwise the episode mentioned 139 deaths.

Eagle 1 was the always-good ship. Guess #5 was for the purple-sleeve crew.
I think it's funny to see all these people from '70's brit TV's B-lists turn up. Christopher Lee, Peter Bowles, Julian Glover, Ian McShane... Good goofy fun.

 

I remember this show form when Sci - Fi used to repeat the show in the late 90's - early 2000's. Interesting show that got muddled at the end.

One of my faves was when they got turned into Cavemen.

 

I recall watching and loving this bu the details escape me.

 

I'm a long-time 'Alpha 99er'. I am in the firm belief that the Eagle spacecraft is a doable design for real space travel. I also think a new version of Space:1999 is a real possibility. Especially if the producers of such a revival pay attention to the new version of Battlestar Galactica.

Word has it that AMC is reviving old TV shows - such as Patrick McGoohan's The Prisoner. Might they reboot Space:1999? Perhaps in a reboot the suggestion can be made that in an alternative 1999 A.D. time-line terrorism caused Moonbase Alpha to be swallowed by a 'wormhole' and thus sent on a 'directed' journey. Perhaps the mysterious engineers of the 'wormhole' have a plan for the rebooted Moonbase Alpha and its staff. The employment of the alternative timeline motif allows for there to be a Moonbase Alpha in 1999 A.D. Which as we know in our reality has never come to pass.

Or perhaps instead of the alternative 1999 A.D. timeline they can completely reinvent the concept. Call it Space:2999. Set it a thousand years beyond our reality's 1999 A.D. Thus covering for the fact we have no Moonbase Alpha, Eagles and etc. in our current reality. The Space:2999 series might have the moon being turned into a generational starship. An act of terrorism sends the engineering marvel off on a unplanned trip across the galaxy (shades of the TARDIS from Dr. Who). The Eagle starcraft should be updated, but vaguely recognizable as Eagles. Perhaps the term 'eagle' might fit into the overall design. Make them more angular and bird-like. Sorta like the spacecraft seen in the classic Planet Of The Apes film - BUT clearly an Eagle spacecraft - after all the Eagle spacecraft is the most iconic image that says 'Space:1999'.

No I do not think we have to wait much longer for a some sort of Space:1999 revival. With some serious rebooting the old series might be very viable. Hmmm...perhaps I should write the teleplay and send it to whatever studio or network might be interested. I call dibs! Wait I'd have to get permission from Gerry Anderson first. Anybody here have connections to Mr. Anderson?

 

Eagle's design was probablly the best aspect of the show. The Vipers from old BSG were neat, but clearly atmospheric design. The only other ship that was clearly designed for maximum use of space flight I can think of are the StarFuries of Babylon 5.

As for a reboot... Maybe 2199. Don't think they should go with alternate history and definately not worm-holes (too FarScape/DS9). And a reboot would have way too much hot, angsty sex chemistry between the main-mission characters. What was hinted at was far more interesting and fun because it was subtle.
Besides, they won't have Brian Blessed available to be 3 different characters with nothing in common. If they do restart, I'd like them to cast all unknowns/obscure actors. And it should be made somewhere in the "British" isles again. Maybe a token american actor or two.

 

I should point out that my proposal for SPACE:2999 would be a complete reboot. Not a continuation of the classic SPACE:1999. By placing the time of the new show in the year 2999 A.D. you avoid the fact that in reality the year of 1999 A.D. had no Moonbase Alpha/etc. Yes there should be a Commander named John Koenig and etc. But these revamped characters now exist in the distant future. At the rate our space programs are going it'll take about that long to achieve in reality some of the basics of sci-fi fare.

Anyways in the year 2999 A.D. a new 'Dark Age' is upon Earth. Religous zealots are on the offensive against scientific advancement. Meanwhile the moon itself is being turned into a marvel of generational spaceflight. A sense of urgency has come over humanity. Our sun is expanding too early. This more than anything has the zealots in an uproar. The moon-turned-starship is to be a massive exodus transport. Moonbase Alpha is now akin to Coruscant. It radiates across the lunar surface. The interior lunar core is now akin to the second Death Star's 'guts'.

It could be at some point over the last one thousand years that Moonbase Alpha became known as the Moonbase Ark. It evolved from a lonely lunar city of 311 people to a moon-sized starship of 31,100. Zealots manage to hijack revamped Eagle spacecraft and ram them into important facilities. This triggers the warping of space-time and sends the generational moon-ship out across the galaxy. The zealots got what they wanted for Earth - destruction. But despite this terrible deed the Moonbase Ark carries on setting in motion a colonization program.

As with the classic show the moon-ship meets strange and dangerous lifeforms. The cast of characters should be modeled on the original cast, but remember this new show is set 1000 years beyond the original premise. As much as I love the classic show a revival needs to be more ambitious - more far-ranging in scope and content. Again the new Battlestar Galactica is what the producers need to pay attention to. It showeth the way. SPACE:2999 might be the ticket to capturing lightning in a bottle twice (in regards to the critical success of the new BG). It certainlt would appeal I think to the same audience as the new BG. Not to mention the fresh fans that might develop in wake of the JJ Abrams Trek movie. Food for thought - eh?

 

I have been a fan of the show since they first ran it on channel 11 (WPIX-TV, New York) back in 1975. The show, like all of the Anderson productions, had really snazzy ships, particularly the Eagles and Hawks. And Alan Carter is second only to Han Solo in the "coolest space pilot" competition (and, admittedly, Han has an edge in technology).

However, like many fans, I think the show really lost something in the second season. By abandoning a more serious tone (as well as the running theme of "What really happened to send us out of orbit?") and going for a more action/adventure style, the show lost its edge. And, as good as Catherine Schell was as Maya, the loss of Barry Morse as Victor was a definite minus.

I wouldn't mind seeing a remake of this show, but you wouldn't really have to do a complete reboot. Just make it a more vaguely defined future year (so as not to lock yourself in), update the technology, and limit it to only one "reset button" ending. I'd prefer, though, a season one approach rather than two.

Actually, they could also do an updated version of "UFO" while they were at it. Just promote Gay Ellis to Colonel and lose the purple wigs.

 

I just finished disk 7-- Very high body count!
Minimum of 9 dead, possiblly 12 (depends on whether the 3 Eagles had one or two crew)
Introduction of the moon tanks, two of which are destroyed. Assume minimum crew of 1. Higher crew requirements natrually would increase the body count.
So the crew of Moonbase Alpha is down to at most 290, possiblly 287 or even less.
Considering how many episodes go by with no one dying, this is quite a step up.
Couple more like that and the base won't have a population.

A little odd that when a psycho killer was running loose, fewer people died than when a giant space brain was trying to help the moon steer around it.
I may start an episode by episode commentary, just for laughs.

As for a reboot of the show, instead of giving it a year, why not just call it "MoonBase Alpha"? By the way, what ever happened to Moon Base Beta? There's no point in calling it "Alpha" if there isn't a "Beta" as well. That's like a bulleted list with only one bullet. Maybe it wasn't built, but in the planning stages?

 

I always got the impression that "Alpha' was an indicator that it was the first moonbase, and more would (hopefully) follow in the future.

I would much rather see a 're-imagining' of the show in the same time frame, but set some years later...more like "Space: 2009". Acknowledge the prior continuity, ala BSG, but get serious about being a resource poor-population of a few hundred people on a wandering satellite with no possible means of reaching home.(...or is there?) And while they're at it, why can't we see what's happened on an Earth with no moon? I always wondered.

 

I can barely remember the show. Little vague pieces of it come to mind and I remember I liked it, but that's about all. I guess I can't expect more when I was only 3 or 4 when it aired. What I do remember was that a friend of mine had the playset (Eagle 1?). That was and still is one of the coolest toys ever made. I'd definitely pick one up today if I could find it.

 

Well, season 2 starts with some interesting changes.
In spite of the fact that the maximum population of survivors with the confirmed death rate is 286, the Medical Journal of Dr Russle states that they have 296. Were there some births that weren't announced? At least 11, as their chief scientist has dissappeared (maybe his artificial heart broke down?). Several changes in Main Mission staff without explanation.
Someone on the base is obviously a closet fashion designer, as everyone has new uniforms. The bulky door-opener/av communicators/trackers have been seriously diminished in usefulness in favor of laminated badges as part of the uniform. Add to that they now have jackets to help keep people warm and conserve power by reducing heating. Just as oddly, even though the jackets are color-coded to the wearer's division, they have one odd-colored swatch on the left sleeve.

Theme music and opening title changed of course. Instead of orchestra with electric guitar backup, the new theme is all synthisizer. Credits are generic instead of "In this episode" flashes.

Every episode now starts with a Medical Journal Entry which was only used in one episode of Series 1.

New Faces: Shapechanger replaces old guy as head scientist.
Most of Alan's brovado is now heald by Tall, Dark, Hansom Guy who seems to be 2nd in command administrator replacing the African guy who used to be in charge of the computer. Alan is still hot-shot top pilot, but his rough&tumble Alpha-male-wannabe has been usurped.
Computer seems to have had an extensive overhaul, and now looks like a bunch of old TV station meters and electronics with a nice black paint job to unify it.

The show's costume designer has discovered Lycra & Spandex.
Rudi Grenrich is no longer credited with designing the costumes for Lunar City in the opening credits.

 

Yikes!

Obviously, I was never able to watch the whole series. Plus 70's style A.D.D. probably didn't help at all.

I don't remember Victor being gone, or how they explained his absense. But I do remember the shape-shifting lady with the funky eyebrows.
And I'd forgotten all about Alan. I don't know how that could have happenned.

The Eagles, since they were supposed to be nothing more than low altitude/low gravity cargo haulers, seriously looked the part, and were made to seem cooller because they exceeded their design limitations by leaps and bounds.
Awesome utilitarian design.

For the record: The Eagle toy/playset that they put out in the 70's was just the right size for the Star Wars figures of the time.

 

Wow, they haven't killed anyone off in 10 episodes... Guess they were trying to postpone losses to the base's viability.

Mind you, I believe the minimum population for a viable gene-pool is either 500 or 5000, and then only if great care it taken, so the base is pretty much hosed if they don't either get home or make "friends" with at least one very closely related species. Fortunately, there seem to be a lot of closely related humanoid races in the universe, and the Moon travels faster than light.

The episode order on the DVD set is very odd. Date reports from the Medical Journal of Dr Helena Russel bounce from day 600 and some odd to day 800 and change. So, anywhere from just under 2 years to nearly 2 and a half years have gone by. Guess that's where they had the time to do all the refits, redesign, and fashion changes.

Oh, and the tanks were mentioned in the episode I saw last night, even though they didn't make an appearance.

 

Just finished disk 14 of 16.
Maximum population of Moonbase Alpha has dropped to 281, not factoring in the probable death of the old professor. While season 1 seems to have been the space of one year, Season 2 ranges from 2-7 years since the moon was blown out from Earth Orbit. The first year of wandering had a much higher mortality rate than the 6 years that followed: 25 deaths vs 5. Social darwinism in action? Well, 2 people did leave Alpha--as a new Adam and Eve, but they didn't die. So I guess the maximum population is actually 277.
Oh, and there is an official explanation for the change of scenery for the command center: after a year of wandering hand having Main Mission threatened as an easy target in the middle of the base on a tower, someone thought it would be a good idea to protect this vital aspect of the base by moving it below the surface where the rest of Alpha and the Moon's crust could protect it.

Now, in Star Trek, the Bridge is always in the top of a saucer, where a stray lucky phaser blast could destroy the ship's chain of command. Why not put the bridge in the middle of the saucer where it is protected? Or even in the secondary hull?
Oooops.

 

disk 15 done, and only 2 more deaths on the station.
Let's see how many more we can kill off in the last 3 episodes!

 

Some final thoughts.
Wow, was this show a disorganized mess. No effort made to build continuity, no real idea what they were doing from one episode to the next, and no sense of what in the world they were trying to accomplish with the characters.
But give the show credit where it is due: excellent models and props. Let's face it, the entire show was just a vehicle for making impressive models and model shots. You won't seen that much anymore. For all the faults of StarTrek:Voyager, it was pretty much the model shops' last hurrah before CGI models took over the FX industry. Space:1999 was probablly the hay-day of the models. For a BBC TV budget, they accomplished a lot of incredible effects.
The actors worked with what they had--which wasn't really that much.
Now that I've seen the whole show from start to finish, I'll probablly never watch it again. Some of the stories were just painfully bad. Others were just painful. Others were just bad.

Signing off.