Space 1999

[Gotham Central]

Why exactly does this show have a fan base?

Really, has there ever been a more ridiculous concept for a (serious) scifi TV show than this?

At its core its the typical Lost in Space premise, with a hint of Star Trek thrown in for good measure. The problem of course is that those ideas are tethered to the concept of the fraking MOON uncontrolably hurtling though intersellar space. I know that most sci-fi TV requires the audience to suspend some element of disbelief. Space 1999 demands that you abandon even basic logic/ scientific knowledge. The pilot alone is so absurd that I have a really hard time taking the rest of the series at face value. We're supposed to accept that some kind of a way a massive explosion was powerful enough to hurl the moon not just out of Earth orbit, but clear out of the solar system at speeds so fast that the crew of Moonbase Alpha could not have just got in their eagles and gone back to Earth. Yet each week, after traveling through interstellar space at impossible speeds they slow down enough to explore (get in trouble) a near by planet only to head off into deep space at the end of the episode.

In season 2 they did an episode dealing with the moon getting caught in a space warp. The crew of Alpha are simply shocked that this mysterous warp throws them an astonishing 5 light years away. This of course ignores the fact that they travel hundreds of light years each episode.

Some of this could be forgiven if the stories were well written, the acting good and the show looked good. Unfortunately none of that was true. The model work was top notch (it was Gerry Anderson after all) and the standing sets were pretty good but just about everything else was poorly done. The less said about the bland, unflatering costumes the better.


What did people find entertaining about this show?

 

[Daddy Todd]

I was a 15-year-old Trekkie in 1975 when Space: 1999 premiered. Desperate for Sense of Wonder content, I was predisposed to love the series. Alas...

I thought it looked good, but made absolutely NO sense. I wasn't particularly disappointed when my local station declined to renew for the second series in 1976.

 

[McCoy]

I don't think this was a show for kids. I'm only a couple years younger than you, and I didn't get it either. But rewatching the show now, I understand it much better. Same with UFO.

 

[WendellM]

Why exactly does this show have a fan base? ... What did people find entertaining about this show?

In my case, I first watched the reruns as a kid in the late 70s/early 80s and thought that it was pretty cool: I liked the weirdness/spookiness; I liked Alpha, the stun guns, the commlocks, and the Eagles; and I had a crush on Maya. I thought that there were some dull episodes, but I enjoyed most of both seasons. So, when the DVD MegaSet dropped in price a few years back, I picked it up.

During the intervening years I'd forgotten most of the episodes' details, so it was a shock to see them again. Some were decent, but a lot were more flawed than I'd remembered, and most of season two was pretty awful. The costumes, creatures, and even some models that I'd loved as a kid were much less impressive as an adult. And bad science was everywhere!

So, my initial reaction is that the show appeals more to a less jaded, less detail-oriented set of perceptions (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). That said, there are still some episodes that I enjoy today, mostly for their emotional content.

A little while back, I read an analysis which I found myself agreeing with: Space:1999 isn't really science fiction but is actually more Gothic/Lovecraftian horror:

Despite its high-tech surroundings, Moonbase Alpha is a haunted place, a cosmic Flying Dutchman carrying its doomed crew into the Unknown. In each episode the Alphans encounter a supernatural menace, often completely inexplicable, and must struggle to survive it. Not overcome it, mind; only in a few episodes do they actually manage to "win" in the traditional dramatic sense. Usually they just manage to survive.
​

That made sense to me since I enjoy Lovecraft as well as hard and soft SF. Each of those only really work when you have the matching attitude. SF games like Star Fleet Battles are very number-crunchy where the only "plot" is a bit of fluff text in the scenario description, but they can be quite enjoyable with a very technical/tactical attitude (something similar applies to a lesser extent to hard SF). Star Trek series and movies and others in SF like them are generally a mix of adventure and allegory: approaching them with an "hard SF/wargame" attitude would produce little enjoyment since they aren't set up that way, whereas approaching them on their own terms is the way to go for enjoyment.

I think that something similar applies to 1999. If a typical Trek/SF approach is used, then the show will indeed fall short. But if an uncritical, "childlike wonder" approach (probably the only way to really enjoy season two ) or existential horror approach is used, then the show's strengths can be appreciated.

P.S. As for the Moon flying out of Earth orbit and then going around the galaxy... that was actually something that bugged me as a kid, since I was into astronomy and knew something about A.) the forces required and relative (Roche-limit type) fragility of Moon-like bodies and B.) the lack of consistent FTL explanation in the show. So I can't address it on those terms: it's a failure. In Lovecraftian horror terms, I can only suggest that one doesn't break out a protractor when reading about "maddening, non-Euclidean geometries" or try to calculate the tonnage displacement of Cthulhu... one just feels what the text is projecting and goes with it.

 

[Andrew_Kearley]

I don't give a fuck about the scientific implausibility of Space: 1999. I know it's implausible. But then I also know that telephone boxes can't travel through time, and I love Doctor Who. Go figure. It is in no way a hard science fiction show. The analysis of the show in terms of existential horror is an interesting insight actually.

It's also a fable about a spiritual odyssey. The journey is what's important, not the practicalities of how it would work. I'm a confirmed atheist, but that doesn't mean I don't have a spiritual side, and Space: 1999 speaks to that part of me. God may not exist, but there's a sense that there is some sort of greater cosmic intelligence at work in the universe. The Alphans are being guided on their voyage. Indeed, it's revealed later on that there is a purpose to the whole thing. So that has to make us question whether in fact it was really an accident that propelled the Moon from its orbit, or some sort of divine intervention right from the off. I'm also quite reminded of the work of Olaf Stapledon in a lot of the more far-reaching ideas the series presents.

Space: 1999 is an astonishingly different series from any other sci-fi show before or since, and for that reason alone, I think it's worthy of my attention. It's breath-taking, spell-binding, and awe-inspiring. And that's why I'm a fan.

The second series is mostly shit though.

 

[WillsBabe]

I don't give a fuck about the scientific implausibility of Space: 1999. I know it's implausible. But then I also know that telephone boxes can't travel through time, and I love Doctor Who. Go figure. It is in no way a hard science fiction show. The analysis of the show in terms of existential horror is an interesting insight actually.

It's also a fable about a spiritual odyssey. The journey is what's important, not the practicalities of how it would work. I'm a confirmed atheist, but that doesn't mean I don't have a spiritual side, and Space: 1999 speaks to that part of me. God may not exist, but there's a sense that there is some sort of greater cosmic intelligence at work in the universe. The Alphans are being guided on their voyage. Indeed, it's revealed later on that there is a purpose to the whole thing. So that has to make us question whether in fact it was really an accident that propelled the Moon from its orbit, or some sort of divine intervention right from the off. I'm also quite reminded of the work of Olaf Stapledon in a lot of the more far-reaching ideas the series presents.

Space: 1999 is an astonishingly different series from any other sci-fi show before or since, and for that reason alone, I think it's worthy of my attention. It's breath-taking, spell-binding, and awe-inspiring. And that's why I a fan.

The second series is mostly shit though.

QFT.

There's also sensational silk pyjamas; Alan Carter and the Eagles.

I read somewhere that in Space 1999 you have a group of humans who are exploring space and did not chose to do so. That's quite unusual for tv sf, too.

 

[WendellM]

It's also a fable about a spiritual odyssey. The journey is what's important, not the practicalities of how it would work. I'm a confirmed atheist, but that doesn't mean I don't have a spiritual side, and Space: 1999 speaks to that part of me. God may not exist, but there's a sense that there is some sort of greater cosmic intelligence at work in the universe. ... I'm also quite reminded of the work of Olaf Stapledon in a lot of the more far-reaching ideas the series presents.

Good points, and well-said. Bonus for the Stapledon reference.

Space: 1999 is an astonishingly different series from any other sci-fi show before or since, and for that reason alone, I think it's worthy of my attention. It's breath-taking, spell-binding, and awe-inspiring.

Also a good point - the overall feel of the first season is pretty much unique. I can't think of anything really like it in film except possibly a few of the more metaphysical moments of 2001/2010.

 

[Haggis and tatties]

What did people find entertaining about this show?

One mans Mince is another mans Steak....thats the way of the world.

 

[Klaus]

I'm a big UFO fan [I have a review thread for it going in this forum, new one due soon], not so much S:99 though I did watch it as a kid... having not seen it as an adult I can't really pass much critical judgement on it other than agreeing that the 2nd season had a lot of silly crap -- I do remember that lol. But I've been so impressed with re-watching UFO as an adult that I'd be willing to give S:99 a try.

The implausibility of the concept did make me roll my eyes as a kid, but I still watched it anyway. It was one of those show, like oBSG, that my friends and I made fun of but still watched, because unlike today there was very little sf on so we took what we could get. I have fond memories of watching and laughing at it with my late dad, he just called it "Spacey" ...

Plus, which I also didn't know then, the re-teaming of Landau and Bain was a nice touch.

 

[flandry84]

The posts above have made me reassess my view on "Space 1999".It's mostly the first season episodes that I remember,all that stuff with Maya hasn't registered in my memory at all.
What I think now that struck me was less the stories and dramas,but the sombre tone,the emptiness and lonliness of Moonbase Alpha.Also the sheer immensity of space(those superb end title shots of faraway nebulas etc).
The contrast with the technicolour world of Trek could not have been more stark.

The choice of Martin Landau as leading man also deserves comment,his gravitas and obvious erudition make him,IMO,a unique TV lead character.

 

[Leroy]

I'm a fan of the first season, I hated the second season for all the pointless changes they made.

 

[wamdue]

the first season is alot better than the second no question, and I was quite young when I first saw S1, it wasn't till much later than I saw the 2nd series.

been trying to think of a sequel/reset series to it recently, but I have nothing that isnt really really dumb

 

[Lt. Trull]

O give me a freekin break.... there were THREE tv channels.... if you loved science fiction you liked space 1999... it was the only science fiction on at the time... I too was 16 1975 and quite enjoyed the show.... even if the premise was unscientifically founded... u didn't care... it was the only thing on any channel that was sci-fi....

PpPpPpPp

 

[ManOnTheWave]

There really wasn't a lot of content for lovers of sci-fi at the time and we gladly took what we were given. It may seem absurd now, but at the time it was loads of good fun. The eagles, the space suits, the sets, and giants waves of soap bubbles coming to get you were all pretty cool.

 

[WillsBabe]

Why exactly does this show have a fan base?

Why does any show have a fanbase? Because people enjoy it, because they see something in it that resonates within them, because they can relate on some level to the characters or the situations or the themes. I was very young when Space 1999 was on the air. At that time it was all space advetnure and derring-do for me. We ran around with staple guns in the school playground and pretended they were comlocks or phase guns. I'm still a fan of the show these days, too. The thing that I appreciate about it now is how humans cope, or don't, with the lonlieness and isolation of where they find themselves. I love the sets and the design, too. I love the panoramas of endless space and the distance from nowhere. I don't care about the improbable science. I'm more interested in what's happening with the people.

 

[Ryan Thomas Riddle]

For those interested, someone's been trying to pitch a remastered Space: 1999 (as Space: 2099) to the current owners of the property.

His website: http://space2099.tv/

 

[Haggis and tatties]

There is even a remastered DVD edition on the cards with tons of unseen and behind the scenes stuff never seen before........Space 1999 edition

We even get to see the unused ending of the original pilot that was filmed just in case space 1999 was not commissioned.

 

[WillsBabe]

Indeed.

 

[Steve Roby]

What did people find entertaining about this show?

It was 1975. I was 12. I knew the premise was ludicrous, but there wasn't a lot of other SF to watch. And when I did watch, I was hooked. The special effects were outstanding. The sets were well designed. The spacecraft designs were really cool. There was an interesting mix of characters. And the music! Barry Gray's work on the first season is some of my all time favourite SF TV music.

I'm not blind to the show's flaws, certainly, but I've enjoyed watching the show as an adult, which is more than I can say for the original Battlestar Galactica. The business with the Mysterious Unknown Force guiding the moon on its journey and the whole cosmic horror rather than science fiction feel of the show make Space: 1999 really unlike anything else on TV. I can see how they can make the show a frustrating experience for some viewers, though.

The second season is a lot tougher to defend. Maya and Verdeschi were interesting enough characters, but the show's budget appeared to have taken a major hit, so the special effects weren't nearly as good. The stories were a lot weaker, thanks to the decision to bring in Freddie Freiberger to Americanize the show, though there were a few memorable moments. And Derek Wadsworth's music just didn't have the same atmospheric feel that Gray's had. It's almost a different TV series altogether.

 

[Gotham Central]

I don't give a fuck about the scientific implausibility of Space: 1999. I know it's implausible. But then I also know that telephone boxes can't travel through time, and I love Doctor Who. Go figure. It is in no way a hard science fiction show. The analysis of the show in terms of existential horror is an interesting insight actually.

The problem is that the show has all of the trappings of a hard sci-fi show. The look of the show seems inspired by 2001. Yet it olacks the credibility to live up to that image. It frequently comes off a silly.

Case in point...there is an episode in season one called "Black Sun." I found it absolutely infruriating that they spent the first 10-15 mins of the episode staring at an obvious black hole yet everyone kept asking "what is it." They even fired a laser into the center to see what would happen. I mean really, there was no reason to have the entire cast look like ignorant vegetables. Alpha was supposed to be a science station. Don't tell me there were no astronomers on board.

On top of that, part of the plot involved their fear of what would happen when the moon was sucked into the black hole. Resident "scientist" Prof Bergman develops this shield that covered the base. NO ONE questions the logic of erecting an energy shield over the base while ignoring the fact that the moon itself would be crushed.

Indeed, part of my issue with the series is that it often felt as if the writers forgot that they were traveling on a MASSIVE rock. They often treated it like a small space ship rather than a planetarey body.