When
it was first broadcast in 1975, there had never been a more lavishly
produced science fiction TV series than Space: 1999, a British
production whose budget for the first of its two seasons ran an astounding
3.25 million pounds. What keeps us fans enthralled after all these years
has only partly to due with the first-rate production values, the plausibly
constructed spaceship models, and expert special effects. The tone of the
show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV sci-fi
predecessors such as Star Trek, whose mood was more convivial. Our
heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival
trait. Those circumstances: the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha
experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth's
orbit and travel endlessly through space, turning our heroes into
unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of
hard science fiction than this. Of course the show is not without its
detractors; it has been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors.
No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticized the show for its
premise in the opening episode, "Breakaway," which had nuclear
explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propelling it
out of Earth's orbit and flying through space without regard to any
physical laws. In "Earthbound", aliens traveling to Earth state
it will take them 75 years to reach their
destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to
encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to
remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe
created by the many strange creatures and phenomena that the crew members
encounter on their journey through the galaxy. (Written
by Jim Gay as an editorial review for
Amazon.com)
NTSC VHS
A & E Entertainment released four NTSC VHS sets in 2001,
each set including three episodes on three cassettes.
R1 DVD
A & E Entertainment released eight Region 1 DVD sets in
2001-2002, each set including six episodes on two discs, and a Space 1999 DVD
Mega set in 2002 which contains the entire series
Carlton Visual Entertainment,
Ltd released two region 2 DVD sets, each containing a season of Space 1999, and
six region 2 DVD sets in 2001, each set containing four episodes
Homage to the “Space:1999”
science fiction series
http://members.aol.com/andicombs/spc-1999.htm
Maya
Morph Movie. Screensaver.
Wallpaper Tiles. Scans. Video Captures. Links. September 13th, 1999. A nuclear accident at a
lunar-based waste disposal site propels our moon out of Earth orbit and into
deep space.
http://www.britishdrama.org.uk/space1999.html
Space 1999.
Space 1999, the Gerry Anderson live action classic, starring Martin Landau,
Barbara Bain and Barry Morse, has made it to DVD, and Carlton Video have not
done things by half. Released in 6 stand alone DVD volumes
and as a box set.
contains related books, articles, pictures, collectibles, fan
fiction and other miscellaneous items.
http://www.space1999.net/~online/
Space: 1999 from Alpha to Zeno.
http://space1999list.com/space.htm
A comprehensive list of links to more Space 1999 websites
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