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All images courtesy of Martin Willey@The Catacombs
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Space: 1999 was produced in England from 1974 to 1976. An ambitious and successful science fiction action series, it ran for two seasons and 48 episodes before fading into television history. What made the show a success were its awesome (for the mid 70s) special effects, beautiful, futuristic sets and musical scores that were haunting and more than memorable. Equally, the show was often maligned for bad acting, poor scripting and even poorer science.
    The series was produced by the husband and wife team of Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. It concerned the crew of Moonbase Alpha and took place in the year 1999, hence the show's name. Moonbase Alpha was a civilian installation built on the Earth's moon. Part scientific research station, part garbage dump for the world's nuclear waste, the moonbase was staffed by 311 men and women from all corners of the globe. On September 13, 1999 a titanic nuclear explosion blasted the moon out of earth orbit into interstellar space. And so began the adventures of Space: 1999!
     The text on these pages represent my own opinions of the show and nothing more. This site is just a surface introduction to Space: 1999, one of my favorite science fictions shows of all time.
     I hope you enjoy your stay!
Principle Cast: Martin Landau played 
Commander John Koenig (far left).  Barbara Bain was Doctor Helena Russell. Barry Morse was Alpha's scientific adviser Victor Bergman during the first season and Catherine Schell was the alien science officer Maya  during the second year.
Supporting Players: Space: 1999 had a talented group of secondary performers. Nick Tate played Eagle pilot Alan Carter (far left). Zienia Merton was Data Specialist Sandra (Sahn) Benes. Anton Phillips was Doctor Bob Mathias and Tony Anholt was Security Chief Tony Verdeschi.
Moonbase Alpha - The exterior of Earth's lunar outpost was designed by special effects artist Brian Johnson. It was widely regarded as a realistic example of future technology among some scientists and was popular with television viewers. The wheel-shaped base was a self-sustaining colony with all the internal facilities necessary to support its 311 inhabitants. From Medical Center to recreation areas to the enormous underground hangers housing the Eagle spacecraft, Moonbase Alpha was Earth's first extra planetary city in space. 
Moonbase Alpha Locator - From a late 1970s Technical Manual released by Starlog magazine, the schematic at right gave fans a detailed map of where all Moonbase Alpha's control rooms and laboratories where located. Click the image at left to see a larger view.
Moonbase Alpha was serviced by its fleet of Eagle spaceships, another favorite piece of 'future technology' among scientists and fans alike. The ships had interchangeable central compartments that allowed them to be used for a variety of uses. The image at right shows Eagle One readying for lift off.
Eagle One Command Module - Commander Koenig and Tony Verdeschi aboard Eagle One. A detailed and realistic interior, this set appeared in almost every episode of the show. 
Main Mission was Moonbase Alpha's control room during the first season. I always liked this set because it was simple -- easy on the eye -- yet very detailed and visually appealing at the same time. The set was shot from many different camera angles under different lighting all throughout the first season. It was the heart of Moonbase Alpha and sadly missed during the second season. 
Nuclear Generating Area 3 - Another magnificent set from the first season episode "Force of Life." It was easy to believe you were in outer space when the camera pans across this enormous room.
Command Center  - Although a much smaller set, season two's Command Center was home to Moonbase Alpha's second season adventures. Although never stated as such on screen, this room was located under the lunar surface, several levels directly below Main Mission. To explain the change, Main Mission was shut down for safety reasons sometime between the first and second season.
Season One - All 24 episodes of Space: 1999's first season had a very unique flavor to them. Some kind of Unknown Force seemed to be protecting the Alphans on their adventure into the unknown. In 'War Games' Commander Koenig referred to this force as possibly being God. It was also evident in 'Collision Course' when Koenig was told that the Alphans were destined to colonize the deepest regions of space. Someone -- or something -- was guiding and protecting the Alphans. Every aspect of the first season reflected the Alphan's trials in the unfamiliar environment of outer space. Some people argue that this didn't translate well on television, especially in the United States. The show was sometimes referred to as being 'plodding and dull.' But many viewers were enthralled be the unique slant on adventure the Gerry Anderson brought into their homes week after week.
Season Two - When the show went into production for its second season, an American producer, Fred Frieberger, was brought in to make it more accessible to an American audience. The emphasis was off the mysterious journey and on action and adventure. The second season had a very different flavor than the first and appealed to a whole different audience. But, in many ways, it was still very much the same show. The alien Maya provided viewers with a constant reminder that they were in outer space. Her take on human behavior ran from banter with Doctor Russell to a flirtatious relationship with Tony Verdeschi to outright disgust at some human behaviors. 
Season One
Favorite Episodes
'Breakaway'
'Another Time, Another Place' 
'War Games'
'Dragon's Domain'
'Space Brain'

Season One
Least Favorite Episode
'Ring Around the Moon'
Season Two 
Favorite Episodes
'The Metamorph'
'The Catacombs of the Moon'
'Space Warp'
'Immunity Syndrome'
'Bringers of Wonder, Parts 1 and 2'

Season Two 
Least Favorite Episode
'All That Glisters'
My Space: 1999 Episode Ratings
5=Best 4=Good 3=Average 2=Fair 1=Poor
Season One (1974)
Breakaway (5)
Matter of Life and Death (3)
The Black Sun (3)
Ring Around the Moon (1)
Earthbound (2)
Another Time, Another Place (5)
Missing Link (4)
The Guardian of Piri (3)
Force of Life (3)
Alpha Child (2)
The Last Sunset (4)
Voyager's Return (3)
Collision Course (4)
Death's Other Dominion (5)
Full Circle (4)
End of Eternity (3)
War Games (5)
The Last Enemy (3)
The Troubled Spirit (4)
Space Brain (5)
The Infernal Machine (2)
Mission of the Darians (4)
Dragon's Domain (5)
The Testament of Arkadia (4)
Season Two (1976)
The Metamorph (5)
The Exiles (3)
One Moment of Humanity (3)
Journey to Where (3)
All That Glisters (1)
The Taybor (2)
Mark of Archanon (3)
Rules of Luton (3)
New Adam, New Eve (2)
Brian the Brain (3)
A B Chrysalis (4)
The Catacombs of the Moon (5)
Seed of Destruction (4)
Beta Cloud (4)
A Matter of Balance (3)
Space Warp (5)
Bringers of Wonder, Part 1 (5)
Bringers of Wonder, Part 2 (5)
Dorzak (4)
The Lambda Factor (2)
Devil's Planet (2)
Seance Spectre (3)
Immunity Syndrome (5)
The Dorcons (4)
While some science fiction television shows have endured and prospered over the years, Space: 1999 didn't make it out of the 70s. The show's second season was its last as its production house, ITC, turned its money to other projects. The show resurfaced over the following years with episodes condensed into tele-movies. But, Space: 1999 still has a loyal fan-following, even after thirty years. The entire 48 episode series was made available on DVD in 2001 and is still for sale on sites like E-bay for a reasonable sum. Over the years, the show has been compared to Star Trek numerous times. I've always felt like it was comparing apples and oranges. In some ways, Space: 1999 had a heart to it that the original Star Trek lacked. While I am a huge fan of that show too, I have strong memories of watching Space: 1999 as a 7 year old kid in 1974. The first episode I clearly remember was 'Dragon's Domain' and boy did it scare the crap out of me! I created this page as an enticement to bring new fans to an old show. This is in no way meant to be an exhaustive site, although I may add to it from time to time. If you have and constructive comments or criticisms, please email me at the link above!
     Thanks!
     Greg

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