This is it, the last week of Space: 1999, and while some of it has been very good, and a number of stories showed some promise, the series, as a whole, has not weathered the decades as well as it could have. The penultimate episode is The Immunity Syndrome (not to be confused with the…
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Space: 1999 (1976) – The Metamorph, and The Exiles
New uniforms, additions to the cast, and the unmentioned disappearance of other cast members propels Moonbase Alpha into its second season. The changes aren’t discussed, and we’re thrown into the new season with a brand new theme and opening credits which introduces new cast member Catherine Schell before her character is even introduced in the…
Space: 1999 (1976) – Space Brain, and The Troubled Spirit
A Christopher Penfold script takes us farther out into the universe this week with Moonbase Alpha, in this story that first aired on 29 January, 1976. And in what seems to be a recurring theme throughout the first season, a member of Alpha is taken over by an alien presence, one that is a big…
Space: 1999 (1975) – The Full Circle, and Another Time, Another Place
The Full Circle was written by Jesse Lasky Jr. and Pat Silver. It first aired on 11 December, 1975. And honestly, has my vote for worst episode of the season, if not the series. The moon comes across a strange planet, one whose surface is shrouded in a strange mist. When an Eagle, and additional…
Space: 1999 (1975/1976) – Matter of Life and Death, and Earthbound
Doctor Helena Russell’s (Barbara Bain) presumed dead husband, Lee Russell (Richard Johnson) mysteriously appears on a planet christened Terra Nova in this episode penned by Art Wallace and Johnny Byrne. This one first debuted on 27 November, 1975, and honestly, is a bit of a low point for the first season. It’s obvious that Lee…
Space: 1999 (1975) – Guardian of Piri, and End of Eternity
Computer is causing problems, and Moonbase Alpha has drawn close to a strange planet which is having adverse effects on the Alphans. Guardian of Piri was written by Christopher Penfold, and first debuted on 13 November, 1975. As the moon draws closer to a odd world, computer’s data, and mechanical instruments become increasingly unreliable, Eagle…
Space: 1999 (1975) – Death’s Other Dominion, and Voyager’s Return
Moonbase Alpha and its inhabitants encounter members of a lost Earth Expedition on the far-flung world of Ultima Thule in Death’s Other Dominion. Written by Anthony Terpiloff and Elizabeth Barrows, this episode first debuted on 2 October, 1975. There’s no suggestion of where Ultima Thule is in the galaxy, and how long Alpha has been…
Doctor Who (Peter Davison) – Arc of Infinity
Season 20 (!) gets underway for the Doctor (Davison) this week, and each story this season has a nod back to the stories before it, as they celebrate the show’s anniversary. This four episode story ran from 3 to 12 January, 1983, and was written by Johnny Byrne, who brought back the ancient, villainous…
Doctor Who (Tom Baker) – The Keeper of Traken
Tom Baker’s penultimate tale as The Doctor was a four-parter written by Johnny Byrne that aired from 31 January to 21 February, 1981. It introduced a new companion, Nyssa (Sarah Sutton) and the return of The Master in the form of Geoffrey Beevers and the Anthony Ainley. The Doctor and Adric (Matthew Waterhouse) arrive…
