Cult TV Episode Guides

[HawkMan]

 

            SPACE 1999

S1 E1. Breakaway.
The pilot episode that introduces the main cast and sets the stage for the series. Located on the moon is Moonbase Alpha, a multinational scientific research facility. One of its duties is to also monitor and coordinate the activities surrounding two large lunar dumping sites where nuclear waste from Earth is disposed of. The Alphans are trying to launch a fast-tracked manned probe to an 'approaching' planet named Meta. The Meta Probe is in jeopardy since two of the mission crew have come down with a mysterious illness. The Alphans tie the illness to the nuclear waste about the time the smaller site unexpectedly explodes. While the Alphans try to avert a similar explosion in the larger waste site, it explodes also, and pushes the Moon out of the Earth's orbit, leaving the Alphans stranded on a moon destined to wander the universe.

 

S1 E2. Matter Of Life And Death.
While returning from a reconnaissance mission to a nearby planet which appears to be capable of sustaining life, an Eagle team pass out and the ship is brought back under remote control. Upon arrival a passenger is found aboard the Eagle, who appears to be Dr. Helena Russell's husband, long presumed dead after a failed mission to Jupiter five years prior. The Moon Base Alpha crew must determine how this seemingly impossible situation occurred, all the while slowly drifting out of range of the planet which has offered the promise of a new home. Koenig must decide whether to go ahead with the evacuation to the planet before time runs out, but questions remain about the true nature of Dr. Russell's "late" husband, and whether the planet is truly safe

 

 

  

 

Edited March 22 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E3.Black Sun.
The moon is approaching a black hole. Professor Bergman is a able to rig up an energy shield around the moonbase, but Commander Koenig feels this is only a desperate measure and has an eagle with six personnel dispatched to safety so some of the Alphans can survive, as the rest of the moonbase await certain death.

Edited March 22 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E4. Ring Around The Moon.
Maintenance technician Ted Clifford is possessed by an eerie yellow glow, which ultimately kills him. It transpires that it is coming from a planet called Triton, which captures the Alphans and insists that Helena should become the Eyes of Triton. Before long she is acting just as Fred Clifford did before his death.

5. Earthbound.
A vessel of alien pacifists, bound for Earth, lands on the moon. They are greeted as friends by all- except Commissioner Simmons who sees their vessel as way to return home. The aliens offer to take one Aphan with them to Earth, Keonig asks the computer to decide who should go, but Simmons isn't prepared to see if he is the one chosen out of 300 or so, and he uses force to get on the ship.

  

  

  

 

 

Edited March 22 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E6. Another Time Another Place.
An unknown space phenomenon seems to duplicate the moon (and everyone on it), then sends the doppelgänger into hyperspace. Everyone recovers except Regina Kesslann, who believes she's been living back "home" and is married to Alan Carter. In an astonishing coincidence, the Alphans discover the moon returning to Earth's solar system and Regina mysteriously dies when the moon re-enters the Earth's orbit. The Alphans are unable to contact anyone on Earth, which seems to have experienced an extinction event. Suddenly another moon appears in Earth's orbit which is discovered to be on a collision course with their own. A recon mission is assembled to find answers.

 

7. Missing Link.
After attempting to investigate a nearby planet, the reconnaissance Eagle goes haywire and crashes on the moon. Two of the crew were injured; Commander Koenig lay in a coma. Meanwhile, Koenig has been brought to the planet Zenno (which was not the planet they were investigating) to be studied by Raan, an alien anthropologist who considers mankind to be their "missing link". Koenig is informed that his body on Alpha will soon perish and he will spend the remainder of his life on Zenno as a "guest" to be subjected to one psychological experiment after another.

 

Edited March 22 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E8. Guardian Of Piri.
Contact is made with the planet Piri, where the main computer created an idyllic life that led to extinction of its population through apathy. Now John Koenig must fight to save Alpha as his people fall under the same fate.

 

  

S1 E9. Force Of Life.
A wandering energy force inhabits the body of Alpha technician Anton Zoref, turning him into an energy absorbing being. Zoref under alien control ultimately heads for the nuclear power plant that if drained of energy will destroy Alpha.

 

 

 

Edited March 22 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E10. Alpha Child.
The Alphans' joy turns to horror when the first child born on the Alpha matures into a five year old in a matter of hours. This is only a prelude to the arrival of formless alien fugitives- who plan to inhabit Alpha's population.

 

 

Edited March 22 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E11. The Last Sunset.
As the Alphans are planning to explore the planet Ariel, a 'missile' attaches itself to the en route Eagle. Upon returning to Alpha, the 'missile' gives the Alphans a lunar atmosphere. But the joy at the possibility of making a new world out of the Moon is short lived, as the moon does not enter orbit around the planet or its sun, and Alpha faces destruction from the newly acquired lunar air.

  

S1 E12. Voyager's Return.
The Alphans encounter the Voyager space probe that has been wandering the cosmos propelled by the Queller drive- a faulty engine system. Following the probe is a fleet of alien ships from a world devastated by the drive. The aliens are determined to destroy Alpha in retaliation for their devastated world, but on Alpha is Ernst Queller the creator of Voyager's faulty drive, will he step up to face the consequences of his drive.

 

  

  

 

 

Edited March 23 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E13. Collision Course.
After destroying an asteroid on a collision course with the moon, an even larger obstacle appears - an entire planet! On a recon mission, John Koenig encounters an inhabitant who convinces him- on the basis of faith- that the moon and the planet must collide. But no one else supports Koenig's stand except Alan Carter, who like Keonig has been contacted by the mysterious Arra the inhabitant of the planet . Koenig has to hold off a mutiny by others including Dr Russell, to allow the collision that according to Arra will fulfil the Moon's destiny.

 

S1 E14. Death's Other Dominion.
On the ice world of Ultima Thule the Alphans encounter members of lost earth expedition who have achieved immortality- but at a price. Dr Russell and Bergman seem to accept that immortality is indeed possible but Koenig discovers a cave that contains members of the expedition who are outcasts having refused to accept the tyranny of expedition leader Dr Rowland played with usual gusto by Brian Blessed.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 23 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E15. The Full Circle.
While exploring an Earth-type world several Alphans, including Commander Koenig and Dr. Russel, disappear after sighting a strange fog. Shortly afterwards a race of primitive humans are encountered. This story I'm afraid is pretty stupid and illogical. A strange mist turns Alphans into cavemen living like cavemen in animal skins, but when at the conclusion the situation rights itself and they pass through the mist again, they're normalised including back to wearing their moonbase uniforms, what a strange mist indeed!

 

 

S1 E16. End Of Eternity.
While exploring a cavern in an asteroid, the Alphans release Balor, a sadistic alien who has achieved immortality. Here the Alphans learn not to interfere with things they don't really know about. They believe Balor, that he is an innocent prisoner , trapped in this asteroid unjustly, until he starts taking over Moonbase and killing people.

 

  

 

 

Edited March 23 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E17. War Games.
Moonbase Alpha is attacked and devastated by warships from a nearby planet. With half of its population dead Alpha can no longer survive. Commander Koenig and Dr. Russel go to the alien world to plead for the survivors, but the inhabitants wish no one to disturb their serene existence. Alpha virtually destroyed it seems the end for the Alphans, but the aliens reveal an unexpected twist in what's happening. A neat story.

S1 E18. The Last Enemy.
The Alphans find themselves caught up in a long-running war between two rival planets, Betha and Delta. When a Bethan gunship, which has landed on the moon as a tactical advantage, appears to have been hit its commander Dione seeks sanctuary with the Alphans. Koenig attempts to negotiate a truce but Dione has other ideas. A very simplistic story of two alien powers in ships blasting at each other and moonbase Alpha in the middle. The aliens have very English sort of race names, Delta Betha ( beta)! Alpha, Beta,Delta, where are the Gammas?!

  

 

Maya is coming soon

 

 

 

Edited March 23 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E19. The Troubled Spirit.
Dan Mateo, one of Alpha's botanists, believes that he can increase their food supply by communicating telepathically with his plants. After passing out during one of his electronic experiments, Alpha seems to become haunted by a murderous and disfigured spirit. This is SPECIAL, a fantastic tale of Moonbase Alpha being haunted by a ghost, a very unusual ghost, a ghost from the future because the original person to whom this is the ghost ISN'T DEAD!

 

S1 E20. Space Brain.
Alien gyphs appear on all of Alpha's screens. Koenig sends an Eagle to investigate. The Eagle is lost and the pilot is taken over by a huge, alien 'Space Brain', using him as a channel to make the Alphans do its bidding. Koenig has to destroy.

  

 

 

 

Edited March 23 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S1 E21. The Infernal Machine.
A visiting bizarrely-constructed alien ship sends out a friendly-sounding voice invites the team of Koenig, Helena, and Victor Bergman to enter the vessel. They have been communicating with the ship itself, which insists that the Alphans send out an eagle full of materials it needs for survival. The sole "human" entity aboard the ship informs the Alphans that he constructed the ship, which calls itself Gwent, and had infused it with his own personality. After the man (called "Companion") dies, the Alphans realize the supplies aren't the only thing that the lonely Gwent has arrived here for.

S1 E22. Mission Of The Darians.
The Alphans encounter a miles-long ark from the planet Daria, where the inhabitants have a very distinctive class separation. The ship has been stranded for centuries and the elite officers and the rest of the crew have gone their separate ways, and the descendants are totally different people now with different cultures. The elite Darians survive portraying themselves as gods to the primitives who are sacrificed to feed the elite. Another very good episode, stars Joan Collins.

  

 

 

Edited March 23 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E23. Dragon's Domain.
Discredited eagle pilot Tony Cellini is beset by recurring nightmares in which he was the only survivor of disastrous space mission. Now the moon is approaching the same set of circumstances that Cellini encountered. A genuinely SCARY episode with an amazing monster. Kids watching this at the time must have had nightmares.
A sea of derelict ships in space is the home of an energy sucking horrific AARRGGHH!

 

  

  

  

 

S1 E24. Testament Of Arcadia.
The Alphans land on the planet Arkadia, where glyphs suggest it is the cradle of civilisation from which life on Earth began. Now it is desolate and Koenig feels it is unsuitable for colonisation. Two renegade crew members have other ideas, however, and take Helena hostage in their demands to settle on Arkadia.— End of interesting series 1, ups and downs but enjoyable. Next is series 2, when we had " ahem" changes, changes and more changes, most IMO not for the better, but that's another story.

 

Edited March 23 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

                 SERIES TWO

Series 2 saw many changes to the look and feel of the show, as well as cast changes.
The U.S. backers brought in Fred Freiberger as producer to jazz it up, improve ratings etc. Freiberger hadn't seen Series 1 but after viewing some episodes basically didn't like it. He knew he had to keep on Martin Landau and Barbara Bain but initially wanted everyone else to go. He was persuaded against this , but still he made cast changes and got rid of three main characters. Victor Bergman, Paul Morrow and David Kano, all gone with no explanation as to why. He was told this would cause confusion with fans wanting answers as to their whereabouts, because on the moon you can't disappear or leave but just get killed off. Freiberger waved these protests away, so the disappearance of the three characters wasn't explained. Perhaps they were on the moon still but demoted to minor roles on Alpha. Freiberger also introduced a more emotional Koenig and Russell and gave them a romantic attachment, and got rid of the huge Main Misson center and introduced a smaller set to be the main control room called Command Centre. The feel of the show was more claustrophobic, the stories more action packed with monsters and a comic book feel to proceedings. The thoughtful philosophical stories were gone. Gerry Anderson recalled getting a phone call from The States asking for ," more monsters Gerry, that's what the audience love." Then on a visit to the studio one U.S. backer said, " monsters? oh no, they're out of fashion Gerry " By then it was too late. They're are some very good episodes IMO in series 2, but also some dross, also IMO. New characters were introduced including Maya, an alien science officer, from planet Psychon who has the capability to change shape into any other life form, alien, human or animal by a sort of controlled cell metamorphis, hence she's a metamorph. So for example if our heroes are in trouble and need to fight their way out of somewhere, she could turn into say a leopard , and when she turns back to humanoid, her clothes are back nice and pristine too !!

TO BE CONTINUED 

Edited March 24 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E1. The Metamorph.
An Eagle is sent onto the surface of the planet Psychon, which has titanium, needed for repairs to the Alpha Base. It fails to return and is used by Psychon scientist Mentor as a bait with which to entice other members of the Alphan crew onto the planet. Mentor is building a biological computer which will hopefully transform his deteriorating planet back into the Eden it once was. However, the machine can only be fuelled by the living brains of humans, and he Mentor has his eye on those of the Alphan crew. Fortunately Mentor is not alone on the planet; his innocent daughter, the shape-shifting Maya, is unaware of her father's plans, so Koenig tries to convince her to side with the Alphans.

 

S2 E2. The Exiles.
With Maya now a crew member the Alphans discover a young couple called Cantor and Zova who have been in suspended animation for some while. They claim that they are exiles from the planet Golos, following an invasion, and ask for the help of Alphan crew members to recover the rest of their comrades who are trapped in missile-like canisters in orbit around the moon. Helena and Tony convince Koenig that the alien couple are innocent beings and to allow them the chance to recover their people. However, Cantor and Zova abduct Helena and Tony, transporting them to the planet Golos, where it is apparent that they are not the young innocents they appeared to be.

 

Edited March 24 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E3. One Moment Of Humanity
.A sinister woman called Zamara materializes on the base, forcing Helena and Tony to accompany her to the planet of Vega, whose natives are anything but friendly. A servant of the Vegans, known only as Number Eight, informs the two Alphans that he and his race are the natural inhabitants of the planet and that Zamara and her race are androids, who, it turns out, want the Alphans to teach them warfare. A nice twist as the masked numbered servants turn out to be human and the human looking beings are androids.

 

S2 E4. All That Glisters.

A lot of fans don't like this , but I quite like it. The Alpha Moonbase needs a rare ore known as Milgonite, which is detected on an extremely dry planet. Koenig leads a small landing force and discovers a glowing rock formation which comes alive and cuts off the party's links with the base. It is a trap - the planet needs water to survive and has lured the travellers there for the water in their bodies.

 

 

 

Edited March 24 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E5 Journey To Where.
A transmission from Dr. Logan in Texas City leads the Alphans to believe that they can finally land back on Earth through a revolutionary teleportation process. The downside is that it is now 2120 on Earth and the surface has become an unbreathable wasteland through centuries of pollution. The Alphans, though, are intent on abandoning the wandering moon. However, due to a hitch, the Alphan test subjects find themselves in a primitive and hostile environment. It is Scotland in the fourteenth century where the Scots are at war with the English invaders, who kidnap the Alphan trio.

 

S2 E6 The Taybor.
The expansive Taybor, an inter-galactic merchant arrives from hyper-space on his ship the 'Emporium'. He is offering to sell things to the Alphans. Koenig realizes that if the Taybor sold them his space-ship, it would enable the Alphans to fly back to Earth, but the price the Taybor is asking for this transaction is Maya.

 

 

Edited March 24 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E7 The Rules Of Luton

Maya and Keonig on the planet Luton, not be confused with the nearby planet Dunstable, pick flowers and eat berries and are accused of murdering citizens of Luton by three talking trees  and have to face three aliens, also accused of the same crime,  in combat........WHATEVER.

 

S2 E8. The Mark Of Archanon.
The latest extra-terrestials to be rescued by the Moon Alpha Base crew are Pasc and his young son Etrec, found in a chamber under the moon surface in suspended animation. They are from the usually peaceful planet of Archanon and they claim that they are victims of a rebellion, engineered by Pasc's wife Lyra. However, Helena discovers that they have both been infected with a virus which makes them considerably less friendly and more deadly than their initial claim.

 

Edited March 25 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E9. Brian The Brain.
The Alphans encounter an eccentric and intelligent robot who is known as Brian the Brain. Brian's creator Captain Michael and his crew have all died in mysterious circumstances and Brian asks for the help of Koenig and his crew. However, it soon becomes very apparent that Brian is anything but harmless and was in fact responsible for the deaths of Captain Michael and his colleagues. And he is ready to do the same to the Alphans unless they supply him with enough nuclear fuel to sustain him "forever"

  

 

S2 E10. New Adam New Eve.
The tall and imposing Magus arrives on board the ship. He claims godlike powers, namely that he effected the Creation. But he is now disillusioned with the way that Life has progressed and wishes to start again. He plans to mate Helena and Tony and Maya with Koenig. But of course he is not God but a renegade cosmic sorcerer, and quite illogical at that, who needs to be controlled. I really like Guy Rolfe as God in this, exactly as you would expect a personification of God to be like.

 

 

Edited March 25 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E11. Catacombs Of The Moon.
Ship's engineer Patrick Osgood believes he can obtain tiranuim to make a new heart for his sick wife Michelle, from the catacombs of the moon, using explosives. The explosion which follows gives him a vision of the future in which the moon is destroyed by a fireball and a sudden heat storm strikes. Though Helena is making a new heart for Michelle, its repeated failures cause Osgood to become impatient. Convinced he is his wife's only salvation, he drags Michelle down into the catacombs, giving Koenig a double task - to avoid the fireball and save the Osgood.

 

 

Edited March 25 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E12. The AB Chrysalis.
Alpha is on the verge of being destroyed by intense shockwaves emanating from a planet they're approaching. The Alphans land on the planet seemingly devoid of any human existence but being run by a group of machines. The machines explain to the visitors that their human overlords are in a state of regeneration but the chief machine, the Guardian,sees the Alphans as posing a threat and it is down to two newly regenerated females known as A and B to decide their fates.

Edited March 25 by HawkMan

[HawkMan]

S2 E13. Seed Of Destruction.
Whilst he is exploring an asteroid Koenig is taken over by an alien race known as the Kalthon, who replace him with an exact double. In consequence every action ordered by the fake Koenig is solely for the benefit of the Kalthon and to the detriment of the welfare of the Alphans. Helena realizes that something is wrong when 'Koenig' is cold to the touch and needs to convince Tony and Maya on Alpha.

 

S2 E14 The Beta Cloud

A MASTERPIECE from Fred Freiberger,  producer of series 2.

Okay I'm joking - a mysterious cloud appears and the life within it sends a two legged Lizard to steal Alpha's life support unit. Most Alphans are struck down by an illness, so it's up to Maya and Tony to defeat this giant lizard smashing its way through Alpha to get to the life support unit. Maya metamorphises into various creatures to fight the lizard. SIGH 

Edited March 25 by HawkMan

[unapologetic pedant]

I've watched the first 2 episodes of Star Cops. Curious business. Found some aspects a wee bit hard to follow. The murder of the girlfriend was a shock. Expect it wasn't a pleasant surprise for the actress either - land the part of the protagonist's partner, then killed off early in episode 2.

Had assumed the crimes investigated wouldn't involve loss of life. Turns out the body count is as casually high as Agatha Christie.

Got the theme tune stuck in my head. Sung by Justin Haircut. Wonder if he were given the job on the back of the War of the Worlds song?

[gingerjon]

Many of the settings for Star Cops were based on real plans for orbiting stations that were in development at the time.

[HawkMan]

19 minutes ago, unapologetic pedant said:

I've watched the first 2 episodes of Star Cops. Curious business. Found some aspects a wee bit hard to follow. The murder of the girlfriend was a shock. Expect it wasn't a pleasant surprise for the actress either - land the part of the protagonist's partner, then killed off early in episode 2.

Had assumed the crimes investigated wouldn't involve loss of life. Turns out the body count is as casually high as Agatha Christie.

Got the theme tune stuck in my head. Sung by Justin Haircut. Wonder if he were given the job on the back of the War of the Worlds song?

Great! Hope you enjoy the series. My favourites ep 3, 6 and 9. All the incidental music also composed by Hayward too.

Edited March 25 by HawkMan