Space 1999

[logan_run]

does anyone like space 199season 1 or 2?or both.how doe sit rate against star trek.

 

[BAYLOR]

The show had great special effects and production values , wooden acting and some really implausible writing . Season 1 was better of the two seasons . That said , I do find the series very entertaining.

 

[pambaddeley]

Agree with Baylor. Prefer series 1 by a mile.

 

[BAYLOR]

Agree with Baylor. Prefer series 1 by a mile.

The show had some really interesting episodes . The Black Sun for example.

 

[Dave]

I'd have rather seen UFO renewed (which was the reason the Moonbase sets were built) and the whole idea of the Moon leaving the Earth without any consequences, and flying through space at the speed of a different solar system every week, well, even as a child, I found that way too much af a suspension of disbelief. On the other hand, British SF TV was limited and today it is hard to understand that anything at all was preferable to nothing.

 

[BAYLOR]

I'd have rather seen UFO renewed (which was the reason the Moonbase sets were built) and the whole idea of the Moon leaving the Earth without any consequences, and flying through space at the speed of a different solar system every week, well, even as a child, I found that way too much af a suspension of disbelief. On the other hand, British SF TV was limited and today it is hard to understand that anything at all was preferable to nothing.

Wasn't The proposed sequel series called UFO 1999 ?

 

[Vladd67]

Wasn't The proposed sequel series called UFO 1999 ?

 

[BAYLOR]

There was also supposed rot be a reboot Space 2099.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Reboot hasn't happened and like it will never happen at all.

 

[Dave]

Wasn't The proposed sequel series called UFO 1999 ?

Sorry for the 3-years-later reply but you have misunderstood my earlier post. Long before the idea of any sequels, or even of Space 1999 itself, there was just UFO. It got cancelled (I think there was a nationwide shortage of purple wigs and silver lipstick) but the sets that would have been the Moonbase in the next season had already been built. Therefore, a new series was devised using those sets - Space 1999 was born.

I've no idea about any new sequel/re-imaging. I'd very much doubt it would be successful. If I could choose to bring back any British series then it would have to be Blake's 7.

 

[BAYLOR]

Sorry for the 3-years-later reply but you have misunderstood my earlier post. Long before the idea of any sequels, or even of Space 1999 itself, there was just UFO. It got cancelled (I think there was a nationwide shortage of purple wigs and silver lipstick) but the sets that would have been the Moonbase in the next season had already been built. Therefore, a new series was devised using those sets - Space 1999 was born.

I've no idea about any new sequel/re-imaging. I'd very much doubt it would be successful. If I could choose to bring back any British series then it would have to be Blake's 7.

UFO production values were really good But the show had many problem problem Wooden acting , unlikable characters and stilted scripts and stories, the series needs more action . Since this was for International distribution they should brought actors from other parts the world including the US. Gerry and Sylvia Anderson should have hired , better director and writers who could actual write good science fiction.

As for Space 1999 It was supposed be UFO 1999 and that would been a better idea then what they ended up doing instead.

There was supposed to be a reboot called Space 2099 but it never got going.

 

[Rodders]

I've started re-watching this. As a kid, it was always a huge treat to see this as i'd usually be working with my dad on hos market stall.

It has actually been quite enjoyable, so far. Obviously they've been remastered somewhat, but the special effects hold up really well. You can still see the strings on some of the Eagles, though. The acting can be somewhat... ropey.

The main theme music is excellent.

The stories themselves aren't actually that bad. (I was expecting some terribleness). As someone said, the science isn't great, but let us remember that this is a kids show.

Breakaway: Commander John Koanig arrives on Moonbase Alpha and a mysterious force causes the detonation of a nuclear waste facility.

Force of Life: An outer space force "infects" a member of Moonbase Alpha and is looking for energy sources, some of which are the humans.

Collision Course: A rogue planet is on a collision course with the moon. Koanig must persuade his crew not to take action.

Wargames: Moonbase Alpha finds itself at war with a mysterious planet.

Very much a typical 70's "ship of the week" show, it still has a nice sense of exploration.

 

[KGeo777]

I have not seen UFO(I don't remember it if I had) but 1999 always played on tv.
I remember the shapeshifter alien the best but I don't remember anything about the stories.
I read that the Andersons wanted Robert Culp and Katherine Ross initially.

Great score.
It has a kind of "british" sound to it that you can detect in 60s-70s tv and movies. Sort of a grand hall performance full orchestra feeling with an electric guitar thrown in between the big drums.

 

[Swank]

It would not be hard to re-do 1999 with a more plausible story - like the earth is surrounded by a mysterious barrier, leaving the only humans outside the barrier those on the moon. Then a variety of aliens show up to study/attack/use the barrier and end up interacting with the moonbase. All the implausible physics would be alien technology or the mysterious barrier. The humans would have lots to do on top of surviving on limited resources.

 

[BAYLOR]

I have not seen UFO(I don't remember it if I had) but 1999 always played on tv.
I remember the shapeshifter alien the best but I don't remember anything about the stories.
I read that the Andersons wanted Robert Culp and Katherine Ross initially.

Great score.
It has a kind of "british" sound to it that you can detect in 60s-70s tv and movies. Sort of a grand hall performance full orchestra feeling with an electric guitar thrown in between the big drums.

UFO produced in 1970 was set in 1980 raan for one season of 28 episode , It Gerry and Syvia Andersons first live action show . In this series, Ed Bishop an American ( Commander Straker )heads up a secret organization called S.h.a.d.o.w whose job is protect Earth from Alien Invasion . The organization that Straker heads up is super secret , Its main headquarter is under a movie company which is front for the operation. They do have moonrise called Moonrise Alpha which inconsiderably smaller and different then the one in 1999. It their outer line defense with which they can launch interceptor fighter crafts . Each of which is armed with a nuclear tipped missile. They also have a long range detection called SID(Space Intruder Detection ) which watch aline craft coming from deep space If a UFO gets by the space fighters , there are skydiver subs each of which has a detachable armed to the teeth fighter craft.Any UFO that gets beyond have to face ground interceptor teams ans they mobile trade Vehicles . The Aliens come from dying planet where conditions have deteriorated to the point where they have to use human beings for body parts and sometimes the whole body has an alien mind downloaded into it. The problem for the Aliens' is if they stay in our atmosphere. for too many hours , they age and die. They can convert human hosts into weapons and willing spies and operative. Their spaceships have interesting problem in that if If they stay in earth atmosphere for more then few hours. they disintegrate and don't leave a trace. Originally Space 1999 was supposed sequel series UFO 1999 in which giant base whose purpose was to continue the war against the unknown alien menace.

 

[JunkMonkey]

The humans would have lots to do on top of surviving on limited resources.

The "surviving on limited resources" bit is all you need. Would make a seriously good, interesting, hard decisions about life or death series. Like The Martian but with more people and less duct tape. You wouldn't need the 'mysterious barrier' either to get things started. Just jigger the politics, add an ecological disaster, and make the governments of Earth not willing or able to support the Moon colony any more... or pay for them to be evacuated.

 

[Swank]

The "surviving on limited resources" bit is all you need. Would make a seriously good, interesting, hard decisions about life or death series. Like The Martian but with more people and less duct tape. You wouldn't need the 'mysterious barrier' either to get things started. Just jigger the politics, add an ecological disaster, and make the governments of Earth not willing or able to support the Moon colony any more... or pay for them to be evacuated.

No cool Eagle flights when your show focuses on staying home and pickling vegetables. Not a lot going on on the moon.

The Martian is a survival story, but also travel. Moonies got nowhere to go.

 

[JunkMonkey]

hiccup

 

[JunkMonkey]

No cool Eagle flights when your show focuses on staying home and pickling vegetables. Not a lot going on on the moon.

The Martian is a survival story, but also travel. Moonies got nowhere to go.

Survival story yes. They are always fascinating - look at the endurance of the Robinson Crusoe story. But there's more to it than that. The limited ecosystem they would have on a moonbase would mean all sorts of issues could be explored as a direct analogy with the equally limited (but immensely larger) eco-system we have on earth. What for instance would happen if one of the characters fell pregnant? Could the system sustain a population increase - if so how many? And who decides? How is this station governed? military? civilian? gang of techies who took over the central power distribution network? Abortion and union rights as SF. Without getting into banned realms those are discussions being had very vociferously at the moment - and for the past 100 years - and aren't going to go away soon.


If you want your SF to be just about Zap! Pow! Whoosh! "Bypass main power to auxiliary control and fire the photon charges!", then the old Space 1999 is just the thing. But personally I want a bit more from my fiction. And even more from my science fiction.

 

[Swank]

Survival story yes. They are always fascinating - look at the endurance of the Robinson Crusoe story. But there's more to it than that. The limited ecosystem they would have on a moonbase would mean all sorts of issues could be explored as a direct analogy with the equally limited (but immensely larger) eco-system we have on earth. What for instance would happen if one of the characters fell pregnant? Could the system sustain a population increase - if so how many? And who decides? How is this station governed? military? civilian? gang of techies who took over the central power distribution network? Abortion and union rights as SF. Without getting into banned realms those are discussions being had very vociferously at the moment - and for the past 100 years - and aren't going to go away soon.


If you want your SF to be just about Zap! Pow! Whoosh! "Bypass main power to auxiliary control and fire the photon charges!", then the old Space 1999 is just the thing. But personally I want a bit more from my fiction. And even more from my science fiction.

I'm not saying that wouldn't be worthwhile SF, it just doesn't sound like a show that would resemble the travel/adventure aspects of Space 1999, since the moon is so homogenous that there would be little reason to leave the base.

How about a Star Wars show that focuses on desert vaporator farming?