But if UFO took place in 1980 (the year that flashes onscreen in UFO's opening credits, multiple times), and the two series are in the same fictional universe; Mooonbase Alpha was probably already being expanded prior to the war.
Space 1999!!!
- Thread starter LaxScrutiny
- Start date
By the end of UFO it's at least 1984.
But the continuities don't match, in UFO Straker claims race hatred burnt out in the 70s, but in 1999 it was one of the causes of a war in 1987 (maybe Straker was being optimistic, and was wrong?)
It was?
The final episode of UFO was "The Long Sleep," in which they flashback to events ten years earlier in 1970.
In one of the later episodes there's a 1984 bottle of wine.
Seriously? That would mean that the grapes were harvested in 1984!
Do you have any idea which episode it was?
Best guess? It's the last episode - The Long Sleep. The woman has been in a coma for ten years and the explosion that put her in the coma was in 1974. 1974+10=1984.
But the the timelines don't work out if you go by the series bible and what's on screen.
The series bible says about Alpha and its personnel - 'The personnel of Moon Base Alpha consists of approximately 300 men and women, specialists in their field, who have signed on for an 18 month tour of duty', furthermore, the bible also says that there have been eight commaders since Moon Base Alpha became operational. John Koeing is the ninth, replacing Gorski on 9th September 1999.
If each commander serves for 18 months; than 8 commanders x 18 months = 144 months.
144 months divided by 12 months in a year = 12 years.
1999 minus 12 years = 1987 +/-
It should also be pointed out that Gorski doesn't get to complete his full rotation as base commander. He's recalled to Earth because he's unable to deal with the Meta Probe crisis. How far into his rotation is up for debate, is it at the beginning, middle or end of his time on the moon.
Having said all of that - it is possible that there was a base on the moon prior to 1987.
Voyager's Return says that an entire base with 200 people was lost when Voyager Two's Queller Drive kicked in prematurely and exploded.
The draft script says that this was another Moon Base (although that line was deleted/not mentioned in the final episode).
So, what if it the UFO Moon Base that was destroyed by Voyager Two and Moon Base Alpha is the replacement, being built after the war of '87.
On checking, Computer Affair. And it's on a champagne bottle, which tends not to carry dates...
There are other episodes that definitely put mainstream UFO in 1981 and onwards.
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@diankra, you are correct about the date.
I just rewatched "The Long Sleep." At 30 minutes or so into the episode, they establish the farmhouse incident as occurring both ten years earlier, and three days after an earthquake in Turkey in 1974.
That differs from the script, in which the flashbacks were stated to have occurred in 1970.
It was my mistake to base my conclusions off the script and not on the episode itself.
UFO Episode 26 The Long Sleep
https://www.shadoresearchlabs.com/ufo_the-long-sleep_script
UFO Script for "The Long Sleep"
I often remember stuff in the novelisation or a draft script too.
IiRC, there was an Earthquake in 1970, but not in 74. But as 74 was future when the episode was made...
Recall Rogue Planet being pretty creepy. 40 years since I read it but the Omphalus had that feeling of the indescrible unknown.
Thanks for that episode! It brought back fond memories. And not just of my acid trips.
fairly new youtube video on how UFO series 2 became Space:1999.
Seems there was directive from ITV in the US that no episodes or scenes were take place on Earth so the initial idea was to blow up the Earth but that didn't sit well so they decide for the Moon to leave.
Seems there was directive from ITV in the US that no episodes or scenes were take place on Earth so the initial idea was to blow up the Earth but that didn't sit well so they decide for the Moon to leave.
For the heck of it I pulled together my Space: 1999 and UFO books for a photo (ignore the books in the back). At least a couple of the nonfiction books in here talk about connections between UFO and Space: 1999, but it's been too long since I've read them for me to remember any details. I may have a look later.
It's a lot more books than I had back in the 1970s, but compared to the Star Trek and Doctor Who books, it's a pretty small collection. Bigger than the Blake's 7 collection, though.
It's a lot more books than I had back in the 1970s, but compared to the Star Trek and Doctor Who books, it's a pretty small collection. Bigger than the Blake's 7 collection, though.
For the heck of it I pulled together my Space: 1999 and UFO books for a photo (ignore the books in the back). At least a couple of the nonfiction books in here talk about connections between UFO and Space: 1999, but it's been too long since I've read them for me to remember any details. I may have a look later.
It's a lot more books than I had back in the 1970s, but compared to the Star Trek and Doctor Who books, it's a pretty small collection. Bigger than the Blake's 7 collection, though.
I take it the Destination: Moonbase Alpha is non-fiction title rather than related to the combining of Bringers of Wonders Pts 1&2 as a telemovie?
Do any of them talk about the shooting of Breakaway? The video I linked touched on briefly as "a story for another day" so they made a do a follow up video.
I've read they filmed enough to make it a two hour ep but it was more reaction shots than anything that added to the story.
Destination Moonbase Alpha is the most in-depth nonfiction book on the show, though it's unauthorized. A lot of it is quotes from people involved with the show, but I'm not sure how much of that is from newly conducted interviews and how much from older sources. It has a little discussion of the fact that there were previous versions of Breakaway written, including a half-hour version by the Andersons and a 90-minute version for George Bellak, but it looks like the sources cited in the wikipedia articles on Space: 1999 and "Breakaway" have more detail on the two-hour edit. It does seem, though, that the length was due to how the director filmed the script. It was never supposed to be that long.
Did they ever, and by that I mean EVER, explain why (on UFO) all the women wore purple wigs? Did those have any practical function whatsoever?
For that matter, was any OUT-of-universe reason ever given?
On a vaguely related matter: If they ever reboot UFO...Neal McDonough. I totally called it.
For that matter, was any OUT-of-universe reason ever given?
On a vaguely related matter: If they ever reboot UFO...Neal McDonough. I totally called it.
I've been re-watching UFO now as well. I always wondered that back during first airings, and I'm just about through the first season and there's nothing said about it in the shows. In-universe, I suppose they had to keep the men entertained during their months long tours of duty.Did they ever, and by that I mean EVER, explain why (on UFO) all the women wore purple wigs? Did those have any practical function whatsoever?
For that matter, was any OUT-of-universe reason ever given?
On a vaguely related matter: If they ever reboot UFO...Neal McDonough. I totally called it.
As an adult I'm rolling my eyes at the level of overt sexism, especially the moon base women's apparel and makeup. Striker referred to Gay as a "very attractive girl" in one episode and suggested they meet for a drink on her next furlough to Earth. This, while she is dressed like a stripper at a fetish club about to go on stage.
I will note that Paul seems able to get laid regularly without coming across like Harvey Weinstein.I have read once they saved money on hairdressing by using the wigs. I guess they needed that to pay for the hairdos of the women at Control.
All that said, there are a lot of things I still like about the show.
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