Space: 1999
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Space: 1999
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| Episodes: | 48 |
| Year: | 1975-1977 |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Seasons: | 2 |
| Seasons Breakdown: | (1) 24, (1) 23 |
| Category: | Space |
| Colour: | Yes |
| Format: | Series |
| Company: | Group Three Productions (1) and Gerry Anderson Productions (2) |
| Creator: | Gerry and Sylvia Anderson |
| Run Time (mins): | 48-52 |
| Language: | English |
| Type of Show: | Live Action |
| Status: | Ended |
| Broadcaster: | ITV |
| First Aired: | September 4, 1975 |
| Last Aired: | November 12, 1977 |
Summary
The premise of Space: 1999 centres on the predicament of the personnel of Moonbase Alpha, a scientific research installation situated within the lunar crater Plato in the Moon’s northern hemisphere. Humanity had long utilised the far side of the Moon as a repository for nuclear waste, depositing vast quantities in engineered disposal sites. In 1999, the detection of an anomalous form of magnetic radiation precipitated a critical mass event within the accumulated waste. On 13 September, a catastrophic thermonuclear explosion occurred, generating sufficient force to propel the Moon out of Earth’s orbit and into deep space. The 311 inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha were consequently marooned, carried with the runaway satellite on an uncontrolled interstellar trajectory.
In the narrative framework of the series, the Moon effectively becomes an involuntary spacecraft, transporting the Alphans as they search for a viable new home. Shortly after leaving the Solar System, the Moon traverses a black hole and subsequently encounters several space warps, each accelerating its passage into increasingly remote regions of the universe. Over the course of their journey, the Alphans confront a wide spectrum of alien civilisations, dystopian cultures, and phenomena beyond prior human experience. Several episodes in the first series imply that the Moon’s displacement may have been influenced, or even initiated, by an unidentified external agency guiding the Alphans toward a predetermined destiny. The second series adopts a more direct, action‑oriented narrative approach.
The first series employs a teaser or cold open preceding the title sequence. This sequence emphasises the prominence of the programme’s principal actors, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, both credited as starring, and features more than thirty rapid‑cut preview shots drawn from the episode. The format echoes the opening montage used in Landau and Bain’s earlier television series Mission: Impossible. For the second series, this montage was removed. Each episode is structured into four acts of approximately ten to twelve minutes, accommodating commercial breaks for North American broadcast. Episodes conclude with a brief epilogue, which in the second series frequently adopts a lighter, more humorous tone.
Cast
Commander John Koenig MARTIN LANDAU, Dr. Helena Russell BARBARA BAIN, Prof. Victor Bergman BARRY MORSE (1), Captain Alan Carter NICK TATE, Sandra 'Sahn' Benes ZIENIA MERTON, Paul Morrow PRENTIS HANCOCK (1), Dr. Bob Mathias ANTON PHILIPS, David Kano CLIFTON JONES (1), Maya CATHERINE SCHELL (2), First Officer Tony Verdeschi TONY ANHOLT (2), Yasko Nugami YASUKO NAGAZUMI (2), BARBARA KELLY, Bill Fraser JOHN HUG (2), Dr. Ben Vincent JEFFREY KISSOON, Tayna Alexander SUZZANE ROQUETTE (1), Dr. Ed. Spencer SAM DASTOR (2), Alibe ALIBE PARSONS, Voice of Moonbase Computer BARBARA KELLY.
Tags: Space, United Kingdom, 1975, English
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