Destination: Moonbase Alpha

by Robert E. Wood

  ‘I’m sure the spark for the stories concerning time is rooted in my Irish background and the pervasive long-lived effects of Celtic myth and legend in Ireland. Their strong hold on the imagination of the ancient pagan Gaels was already firmly in place long before the island was formally Christianised in the early 5th Century. It survived virtually intact until the end of the 17th Century and thereafter externally in fragmented form, and internally in the minds of our people until the present time … As kids growing up, we knew endless places – churches, rocks, wells – where legend had it that walking around them anti-clockwise a certain number of times could result in meeting yourself, or even something nastier!

  ‘I wanted the repercussions to affect the Alphans on the human and emotional level, rather than [through] in-your-face gothic horror. [The story] would also, I hoped, open up the relationship of Koenig and Helena in a way that was not normally possible. Carter I chose because I wanted to highlight the man of feeling behind the macho image. I thought he beautifully captured the poignancy of his relationship with the doomed Regina. On the planet, Morrow’s aggressive response was rooted in fear for the community they were struggling to establish. It embodied elements of the rural idyll/Technological Man dilemma … Morrow and the others had decided to establish a community that, though less comfortable, was infinitely more predictable. Out were the vast uncertainties of the wandering Moonbase Alpha. At least here they knew what to expect and were prepared to make it work. The second Moon’s arrival and Koenig’s appearance on the scene revived all the uncertainties they had hoped to put behind them. Complicating that was the primitive, visceral fear of people mingling with their other selves. The same fear we see expressed today on the subject of human cloning – one of the big issues of our increasingly Brave New World.’

  Bloopers: Watch the buttons on Martin Landau’s Commlock – in some scenes they’re all squished together.

  Also note the two children on Earth – when they are seen facing the camera, the girl is considerably shorter than the boy; but when they are seen facing away from the camera, she’s somehow taller!

  Finally, there are continuity issues in the scene where the future Helena kisses Koenig: watch younger Helena in the background, because in close-up shots she’s in an entirely different position than she is in the long shots.

  Observations: The highly effective shot of the Alphans leaving the Eagle will re-appear in the last Year One episode, ‘The Testament of Arkadia’. The production team did not construct a full-size version of the Eagle – this effect was achieved by using a two-dimensional cutout that convincingly simulated the life-size ship.Victor mentions that 24 hours are required for total evacuation of Moonbase Alpha (Operation Exodus). This is down significantly from the 48 hours quoted in ‘Matter of Life and Death’ – they’ve obviously been working to speed up the process in case they encounter a habitable planet.

  Watch the opening ‘This Episode’ sequence for a view of another Alphan settlement on Earth, absent from the episode itself.

  Review: While the first five episodes bear evidence of a series trying to find its footing and path, ‘Another Time, Another Place’ represents the crystallisation of a firm direction that the rest of Year One would follow to a very large extent. The teaming of writer Johnny Byrne and director David Tomblin (making his debut on the series) results in the only first season episode to deal with time travel, with the Alphans encountering their future selves. There is also the appealing, romantic notion of returning to a time when life was less complex.

  Filled with impressive imagery and effectively subdued and atmospheric lighting, the episode is visually superb. One of the only things that could be fairly criticised is the make-up depicting Regina’s sunburn, which is somewhat unconvincing. ‘Another Time, Another Place’ has (as Zienia Merton points out in the commentary below) some very surrealistic elements to it. The spatial special effects are stunning, including the Eagle flight sequences between the two Moons, and the Eagle flight over Earth. Regina’s painting of the Santa Maria settlement (actually the work of designer Keith Wilson, and similar in appearance to his original production design paintings for Santa Maria) is a nice touch, showing Alpha has art materials available for use as a leisure pursuit. The settlement itself is a thoroughly realistic vision of the kind of colony the Alphans would establish if they were to colonise a planet.John and Alan still have the tense, argumentative relationship they’ve demonstrated since ‘Breakaway’, although they are now appearing to become more adjusted to each other. They’re less aggressive and are obviously forging the connections of the deep friendship they will soon have. Alan is his gung-ho self, wanting to get down to the planet as soon as possible. Koenig, in a subtle pointer toward the agrarian lifestyle their alternate future selves follow, displays a lack of reliance on Computer. He states, ‘Computer … Computer can’t even tell us why Earth doesn’t answer our signals.’ It is very easy to see how the alternate Koenig came to the decision to move his people down to Santa Maria, favoring a natural environment over a technological one.

  The Alphans’ decision to establish a number of settlements throughout the area is a very sensible one, serving to separate each village from potential calamities that might happen to befall others. Examples could be crop failure, natural disasters or sickness.

  The relationship between Alan and Regina is very well presented, with Nick Tate’s effective mix of disbelief and compassion as the former and Judy Geeson’s moving portrayal of the latter’s conflicted nature. Regina’s two brains parallel the two Moons – dichotomies abound throughout this episode. It could have been more effective to portray Regina as having two brainwave patterns, rather than two actual brains, which is a physical impossibility. That said, this has no negative impact on the story itself, and is an element easily forgiven.

  Barbara Bain, Barry Morse and Nick Tate give some of their strongest performances in the series. The rest of the main cast – Martin Landau, Zienia Merton, Prentis Hancock, Clifton Jones and Anton Phillips – are all in their usual top form, with the added bonus of most of them being able to present their characters as themselves, and also as their counterparts years into the future. The time spent with the other Alphans on Earth offers additional character points (Paul with a beard, Paul and Sandra’s children, Victor’s gardening, David’s greying hair, and more). Barry Morse provides an effective piece of linking characterisation by whistling as both versions of Victor, and Barbara Bain excels depicting the subtle changes in Helena Russell between her optimistic and wide-eyed present and resigned older selves. Helena’s conversation with her future self is both touching and eerie, and a seamlessly filmed example of split-screen effects. The scene is spoken in whispers and, indeed, a lot of Year One features such subdued dialogue – effectively contrasting the intimacy and closeness of such quiet communication against the cold vastness of deep space. It is very moving to see the ‘future’ Helena encounter and kiss her long-lost love, John Koenig. It is the last moment of her life, and she is completely at peace.

  A fascinating scene shows Helena in Medical with the dead bodies of the alternate John and Alan. She can’t bring herself to raise a sheet over the dead Koenig’s head, even though she has just done the same thing, with no difficulty, to Carter. It is obvious the relationship between her and John is advancing. Another gentle, delicate scene shows Carter placing flowers on Regina’s grave.

  The line, ‘If you were to come here there would be chaos and disaster,’ points to interesting parallels with ‘Matter of Life and Death’. The colliding of the two Moons here is also similar to the plotline in the later ‘Collision Course’ involving the giant planet Atheria – the use of colliding planets as a plot point resonates with some of the most mystical and metaphysical elements of the first series. The possibilities are thought-provoking: what could happen in a situation like this? What would happen if we were to meet ourselves?

  Elements of horror are common in Year One stories; here it is the spine-chilli
ng scene where Koenig and Carter discover their own dead bodies in the crashed Eagle, followed by Koenig seeing himself on the autopsy table in Medical. Additionally, the visit to the empty, lifeless alternate Alpha is a remarkably haunting sequence. All are unnerving.

  The main themes from ‘Breakaway’ recur, notably the dual focus on environmental and anti-technological aspects, encapsulated here by the contradiction between Technological Man and Biological Man – the more we progress toward science the less connected we are to nature. Additional themes are introduced that will reappear in numerous upcoming Johnny Byrne episodes, including the aforementioned nostalgia for a simpler, more natural way of life (which features again most notably in ‘The Testament of Arkadia’), violent or mysterious events (as in ‘The Troubled Spirit’, ‘End of Eternity’ and ‘The Immunity Syndrome’), and gloomy locales (again, ‘The Testament of Arkadia’), but always with the potential for a brighter future. More than anything, ‘Another Time, Another Place’ is about belonging (with whom, and in what place and time), and the fact is that the Alphans are not yet ready for the life they see their alternate selves living. The loss of this alternate Earth, as melancholy as the experience is, makes the glimmer of hope for a new world more rewarding.

  Gothic and philosophical in nature, this is a superior example of the series and genre. In the beginning, the space storm caused the Alphans to separate from themselves. In the resolution, the two Moons collide and time corrects itself – ‘Normality will return. There will be one Moon, one community, one time,’ says the prophetic Bergman. The agrarian and technological Alphans are reunited and are whole, pointing out that our best hope lies not in a complete focus on either extreme, but in embracing both the past and the future.

  There is a haunting power to the line, ‘If you are not back on your own Moon when time does correct itself, you will have nowhere to die.’ This opens up the possibility that the Alphans could be trapped in some form of limbo or purgatory, and makes the rush to return to Alpha all the more urgent. The delivery of this line, and the entire preceding speech, constitutes some of Barry Morse’s most inspired acting, and is one of the stand-out moments in Space: 1999, reconfirming Professor Bergman as not just a scientist, but also a philosopher.

  In all regards, this episode shows a series that has found itself. It knows what it wants to express and what it wants to leave more vaguely to the imagination of the viewer. ‘Another Time, Another Place’ is an atmospheric masterpiece that achieves the combination of style and substance, of tone and pace, and of science and mysticism with which most of the best of Space: 1999 would remain forever associated.

  Rating: 9.5/10

  1.7

  MISSING LINK

  Screenplay by Edward di Lorenzo

  Directed by Ray Austin

  Selected Broadcast Dates:

  UK LWT:

  Date: 24 January 1976. Time: 11.30 am

  Granada:

  Date: 6 February 1976. Time: 6.35 pm

  US KRON (San Francisco):

  Date: 17 January 1976. Time: 7.00 pm

  Credited Cast: Martin Landau (John Koenig), Barbara Bain (Helena Russell), Barry Morse (Victor Bergman), Prentis Hancock (Paul Morrow), Clifton Jones (David Kano), Zienia Merton (Sandra Benes), Anton Phillips (Bob Mathias), Nick Tate (Alan Carter)

  Guest Artist: Joanna Dunham (Vana)

  Special Guest Star: Peter Cushing (Raan)

  Uncredited Cast: Patrick Brock (Zennite), Suzanne Roquette (Tanya Alexander), June Bolton (Operative June), Andrew Dempsey, Christine Donna, Robert Phillips, Alan Harris (Main Mission Operatives), Tony Allyn (Security Guard Tony Allan)

  Plot: Koenig’s Eagle crash-lands on the lunar surface, leaving the Commander near death. While Helena struggles to save him, the society of Moonbase Alpha begins to crumble without his leadership. Koenig, meanwhile, finds himself in a fabulous city on the planet Zenno, where he meets the alien anthropologist Raan and his daughter Vana, and learns that the Alphans are the Zennites’ missing link.

  Quotes:

  Raan: ‘This is my home. It is made of light. Outside is our city, one of many. … A city of light. Light is alive. Colour is alive. Magnificent. Ah – at last you are impressed.’

  Koenig: ‘Every scientist makes that claim. The end justifies the means.’

  Koenig: ‘Without feeling hate, one cannot feel the joy of love.’

  Duplicate Victor: ‘Oh, don’t philosophise, John! Not with me. I’m not talking about Sandra – I’m talking about everything! When are we going to stop kidding ourselves? We’re never going to get off this rock. This is our tomb! We walk about here breathing, but we’re not living, we’re existing! I tell you, I’ve just about had enough of it. I want to live like a human being again.’

  Duplicate Victor: ‘How does it feel to play God every day?’

  Alan: ‘Tanya, you have the most beautiful voice in the world.’

  Raan: ‘As a scientist I owe it to humanity to learn all I can. It is the only way to help man; to bring him closer to his true destiny.’

  Helena: ‘It may simply be John’s time to die.’

  Vana: ‘A world without fear.’

  Raan: ‘Until tomorrow, John Koenig. Until tomorrow …’

  Filming Dates: Monday 22 April – Thursday 9 May 1974

  Monday 22 July 1974 (Second Unit)

  Incidental Music: From the Stingray episode ‘Ghost of the Sea’, composed by Barry Gray. Utilised here for the Zennite city, it is later used as ‘Kara’s Theme’ in the episode ‘Mission of the Darians’.

  ‘Vana’s Theme’, consisting of electronic organ music, was composed for ‘Breakaway’ by Barry Gray, with the intent that it would be used as a general establishing theme for views of Moonbase Alpha. This never happened, and the theme features only in this one episode, projected from Vana’s mind.

  Commentary:

  Zienia Merton: ‘One of the funniest incidents I can remember … They built a huge tent [for “Missing Link”] and they pumped it full of dry ice to get a misty effect. The cameramen were given directions, and they got lost! We couldn’t see anybody in that mist. It was Ray Austin who directed. I said, “Listen Ray, how far is this mist coming up?” and he said, “To Martin’s chin.” You know how little I am, so I said, “Well, if it’s coming up to Martin’s chin, I can throw my lines in. I needn’t appear. All Martin has to do is hold a black mop for the top of my head.” He said, “Yes, I see what you mean.” We had marks to walk forward to, but there was no point because we couldn’t see anything. It was absolutely fogged up. Poor Gladys, the continuity lady – who always sits on a stool – we never saw poor Gladys the whole time we were doing that.

  ‘It was a marvellous show, but you get very wet as well in the dry ice, and it’s an awful feeling. And of course I had these pajamas on – I won’t tell you what it felt like. Between each take, of course, they’d pump in more dry ice as well, because it evaporates so quickly. It’s a wonderful effect, and it was terribly funny as well. Because, as you know, Peter [Cushing] brings me back, and the running gag was that because I was so small, every time I had to do a shot they’d stand me on something or else everybody else had to take their boots off. I remember turning around, and there was this great trestle table suspended six feet off the ground and I said, “Hey, I’m not that short!” But the effect they wanted was to make it look as if we were floating in the air, and it was a marvellous effect. “Missing Link” was good, and it was nice my knowing that something was wrong … because of course in the Eagle crash both Martin and I had head injuries, and that’s why we could go to Zenno.

  ‘Poor Joanna was in a costume that she couldn’t even sit down in, so they gave her this thing that made her look like a Mummy … a sort of thing with armrests, and that’s where she rested. She couldn’t sit down. Peter could sit down. And that gold paint as well – that wasn‘t pleasant and took hours to apply.’

  Nick Tate: ‘Peter Cushing was a charming man, and an extraordinary actor.’

&nb
sp; Anton Phillips: ‘Peter Cushing in “Missing Link” was terrific. I really liked him. He was such a charming, charming person. And he was always impeccably polite to you, and complimentary. He really was nice. Of all our guest stars, he was the one that made the most impact on me, because he was such a nice person. And then there was Christopher Lee [in “Earthbound”], who was not like Peter Cushing. He was very, very grand.’

  [Regarding a fight scene in ‘Missing Link’ between Alan Carter and Bob Mathias:] ‘[Nick Tate] knocked me. He didn’t knock me out. He made a mistake. We’d rehearsed the fight all morning, and all I had to do was hold him (with both arms on his shoulders), and he had to break free, step back and throw a punch past my chin. So he broke free but instead of stepping back he stepped forward, and it took me across the chin. That was my involvement with the scene. After that, my stunt man, Paul Weston, came in. The rest of it was him fighting. I think Nick was really very shocked when that happened. Because he thought he would hurt me, and he didn’t. He was surprised that I didn’t go down!’

  Martin Landau: [Regarding Nick Tate accidentally hitting Anton Phillips during the filming of ‘Missing Link’] ‘Yes, I remember that. I don’t believe in that. When you actually hit someone, it doesn’t look as good. Most of the time, you cry. I hate to see a grown man cry.’

  Johnny Byrne: ‘Ed [di Lorenzo] wrote “Missing Link” and “Ring Around the Moon”, but they were heavily re-written by Chris [Penfold]. Wonderful man though he was, and a writer with a delicate touch and philosophical feel, Ed had problems with the type of story needed for Space: 1999 at the time. His great love was the book he was writing. I think it was called White Light, and like his script work, it was poetic, delicate, a sort of post-hippy Jonathan Livingstone Seagull (Chris’s description). According to Chris, Ed left because he was fed up with the rewrite demands, and anyhow, his book was his first priority. I was very sad and disappointed when he left, because I felt he would have grown into the series and thus made it all the more special.’