‘I’d never seen something so bizarre in all of my life. I have to say my mouth was agape. It was just so strange – all the balls [on the planet surface]. I remember there were balls absolutely everywhere, and I just didn’t know if that would convey onto the screen. But I’m told it conveyed beautifully. I mean, it’s Keith’s work – he has the imagination. He knows where the camera angles are going to be, and actors don’t always have that same kind of imagination – we do something else. But I thought, “Either this is going to be the biggest disaster, or it’s going to be mind-blowing”.’
Christopher Penfold: ‘“Guardian of Piri” is an odd one. [In 1992] I met a group of ex-Central [School of St. Martin’s] fashion design students who now make extremely expensive gear, mostly for American pop stars, using Space: 1999 as their inspiration. So these guys turned up at my house and we spent a very long Sunday afternoon in my garden in west London, with them asking questions about “Guardian of Piri”. They were pretty sure that there was some hallucinogenic element in the bloodstream when I was writing it, which was not the case. There was a lot of adrenaline, but nothing else. As far as the sets are concerned, it was one of those … events where as a writer you sit down and write stage directions describing a physical environment that nobody in the world has ever seen – it exists only inside your own head – and it comes out on the printed page. This goes out to the art department and Keith is sitting there looking at it, thinking, “What on Earth am I going to do with this?” And then the art direction comes back and my initial reaction was, “This is nothing like what I wrote!” But, of course, it was fine. It was what was achievable. Keith was absolutely brilliant throughout the series, in responding to quite extraordinary requests from the scripts, in producing a physical environment in which actors could act and on which cameras could photograph, and which would make sense of the lunacy that was going on inside the writer’s mind, and with peanuts at his disposal, really.
‘With “Guardian of Piri”, for one example, we were exploring what it means to be human. Perfection is not an attainable reality, but one for which we constantly strive. That line, “Leave me with my pain,” follows Koenig committing – for him – an extremely irrational act. Immortality might be attainable. What are the consequences of obtaining that immortality? The process of getting there is more important than the arrival.’
Keith Wilson: ‘[Catherine Schell and I] worked together on “Guardian of Piri”, which is for me one of the most extraordinary episodes. It’s one of my favorite episodes. I enjoyed dressing this beautiful creature in that extraordinary dress. When we were shooting the sequence… she had white straps on the shoes that went up to the knees. I couldn’t use ordinary string, or whatever, because it would just fall down. So I used sticky tape. Very delicate, but it would stick to her legs. I used to go in the dressing room every morning and sit on the floor, in between her legs, putting this white tape all the way up her legs… And my hands have a slight tremble. I’ve always had this tremble – just a slight one. And I was sitting between her legs one day and I looked up and she was standing there looking down at me with a huge smile on her face and she said, “Why are your hands trembling?” …
‘The most expensive [Space: 1999] set, I think, was [the planet for] “Guardian of Piri”. I was really trying to be different. and because of that I had to make a lot of things that didn’t exist.’
Bloopers: As Carter and Koenig land on Piri for the first time, various Eagles are already visible on the surface. This is obviously a shot belonging later in the episode, after the exodus to Piri, which somehow got put in the wrong place.
Viewpoints are shown on the big screen in Main Mission which are impossible, including the opening shots of the Eagle flying over the surface of Piri, and then the image of Koenig speaking into his Commlock – how are the cameras picking up these shots?
Watch the Eagles for passenger modules that suddenly change configuration between their standard shape and the extended Laboratory pods (which appear here for the first time).
Observations: The design of Piri as a landscape of ‘ball’ trees was paid homage in the animated science fiction film Titan A. E., which featured key scenes in a remarkably similar setting.
The original story concept was called ‘Nobody’s Perfect’ and was written by David Weir, who was also responsible for ‘Black Sun’.
The chain-reaction destruction of the Guardian is similar to the chain-reaction destruction of the alien planet in the later episode ‘War Games’ – perhaps not unsurprising as both scripts are by Christopher Penfold.
Watch for the ‘Piri’ graffiti scrawled on a lighting panel in Medical Centre.
A special effects shot of the surface of Piri was reused in the 1979 Doctor Who story ‘Nightmare of Eden’.
Review: ‘Guardian of Piri’ is a visually astonishing episode featuring a powerful anti-conformist theme. The script by Christopher Penfold and direction by Charles Crichton are virtually faultless. Crichton’s particularly effective in contrasting the vibrant psychedelic set of Piri against the dimly lit sequences featuring Koenig isolated on Alpha.
Utmost praise must be given to realisation of the planet Piri itself, and of the expansive mesa that is home to the Guardian – depicted via a dazzling, surrealistic, utterly otherworldly set. It is a beautiful design by Keith Wilson, unparalleled not only within the episodes of Space: 1999, but perhaps within all filmed science fiction.
Catherine Schell is brilliant in her portrayal of the robot servant of the Guardian, conveying outward warmth combined with an underlying coldness. The literary connections to Greek mythology and Homer’s The Odyssey are apparent with Shell’s lovely Servant fulfilling the role of The Odyssey’s Sirens, leading the wayward travellers (whether seafarers or spacefarers) to their deaths. As everyone who has more than a passing acquaintance with Space: 1999 knows, Schell would return as the regular character Maya in the show’s second season. It should also be noted that ‘Guardian of Piri’ is not the only episode in which she plays a robot in Space: 1999 – in Year Two’s ‘The Taybor’, a robot duplicate of Maya is constructed, and meets a fate uncannily similar to that of the Servant of the Guardian!
Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and Barry Morse are all in excellent form, as are the entire supporting cast. The background on David Kano is well played by Clifton Jones and is greatly welcome – here viewers learn that he was part of an experiment to implant computer connections in the human brain in order to link the abilities of the mind with those of a computer. This provides a fascinating insight into the advancements of human science in Space: 1999. It is significant that both he and Bergman (with his artificial heart) are among the first to succumb to the spell of the Guardian.
The party scene is highly enjoyable, depicting the Alphans inebriated under the Guardian’s spell. Among other delights, watch for Helena and Victor playing peek-a-boo around a communications post, and Sandra dancing. Another comedic scene in this episode is set in Koenig’s office, featuring Helena and Victor discussing the Commander and whether or not they’d like to take him to Piri. It’s delightfully funny and shows Barbara Bain’s deft handling of humorous material.
There is beautiful attention to detail in this production, as evidenced by such seemingly minor aspects as bubbles floating in the air and a butterfly fluttering around the robot body of the Servant in the epilogue. There is iconic series imagery here, including the flight of Eagles leaving Alpha, and while there are several small moments that don’t quite succeed, including some of the miniature work with the Eagles on the surface of Piri, these criticisms are negligible.
The anti-conformist stance of Penfold’s script is confirmed via the directive from the Servant of the Guardian, ‘You must accept, Commander … You must conform.’ While the Alphans are taken in by the spell of the Guardian, they are under the impression that they are fully realising their potential as ‘thinking human beings’ (in Professor Bergman’s words), while being granted immortality through
the abilities of the Guardian to stop time. However, Koenig states the truth: ‘Life is stopping for them.’ The Alphans are indoctrinated into a world held in a state of static death, with no progress or future, visually symbolised by the Eagle suspended in mid-air and the near-motionless poses of the Alphans on Piri. Everything comes to a full stop on Piri – including life, as Koenig says.
Once the Guardian is destroyed and time is restored, the sterile environment of Piri returns to life and regains the promise of a future, as do the Alphans on their own voyage. As the Alphans realise, they brought a dead world back to life, which is an ongoing theme throughout their journey. Ironically, in the end, Piri could have been perfect for them.
‘Guardian of Piri’ is also concerned with the Man versus Machine conflict – here it is Koenig versus the Guardian. Man being overpowered by machines will return as a theme for future episodes, notably ‘The Infernal Machine’ and ‘One Moment of Humanity’.
Another moral to the story is in the nature of man – Koenig states, ‘Leave me with my pain. It reminds me I’m human.’ This is in contrast to the unthinking existence of Piri, representing the escapism of the drug culture – note the glazed attitude of those under the spell of the Guardian! They’re blissful, but they’re under a spell that leads nowhere. It’s a strong condemnation of drugs and extreme escapism. One also cannot blithely follow idealistic promises without thinking about them, and their potential ramifications. That is how the entire Pirian society perished, and the same fate nearly befalls the Alphans, as well. The Servant of the Guardian shows Koenig an image of Helena and tells him: ‘Her nerves are relaxed, her appetite assuaged. The struggle is over. And you can join her in paradise.’ Here, the ultimate lesson of the episode is being pointed out to Koenig: that, in reality, there is no ultimate paradise. The reality of life is inextricably bound to struggle, in one form or another. The idea that computers could take over all of society’s work, leaving the people as unthinking hollow shells of themselves, remains thought provoking: does mankind run the risk of creating a Guardian here on Earth through its ever-increasingly technological world?
Visually stunning, and with much to say on the essence of being human, ‘Guardian of Piri’ is a classic episode of Space: 1999 and a fine example of the potential of the science fiction television genre.
Rating: 9/10
1.9
FORCE OF LIFE
Screenplay by Johnny Byrne
Directed by David Tomblin
Selected Broadcast Dates:
UK LWT:
Date: 13 September 1975. Time: 5.50 pm
Granada:
Date: 3 October 1975. Time: 6.35 pm
US KRON (San Francisco):
Date: 4 October 1975. Time: 7.00 pm
WPIX (New York):
Date: 18 October 1975. 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), John Hamill (Mark Dominix), Eva Rueber-Staier (Jane – Solarium Girl)
Guest Star: Ian McShane (Anton Zoref)
Guest Artist: Gay Hamilton (Eva Zoref)
Uncredited Cast: Suzanne Roquette (Tanya Alexander), Barbara Kelly (Voice of Computer), Lea Dregorn (Hilary Preston), June Bolton (Operative June), Sarah Bullen (Operative Kate), Loftus Burton (Operative Lee Oswald), John Clifford, Andrew Dempsey, Raymond Harris, Robert Phillips, Maggie Wright(Main Mission Operatives), Tony Allyn (Security Guard Tony Allan), Quentin Pierre (Security Guard Pierce Quinton), Vincent Wong (Medic), Maureen Tan (Nurse), Michael Stevens (Alphan in corridor), Alan Harris (Alphan)
Previously Titled: ‘Force of Evil’
Plot: An alien life force is drawn to Alpha and possesses technician Anton Zoref, who develops an uncontrollable need to absorb heat. While horrified by his plight, Zoref succumbs, and makes his way towards the ultimate source of heat and energy on the Moon – Alpha’s nuclear generators.
Quotes:
Victor: ‘And this alien force is here – right now – somewhere on Alpha.’
Koenig: ‘Well, Victor, we can speculate forever – but that’s not our problem. What we’ve got to do is destroy that force while it’s still relatively weak.’
Helena: ‘Don’t worry. He can’t get out of there, and I’m certainly not going in.’
Victor: ‘Some sort of creative evolution. A stage in its development; perhaps the beginnings … A birth.’
Filming Dates: Wednesday 29 May – Friday 7 June 1974
Monday 1 July – Friday 5 July 1974
Incidental Music: Swings from bizarre, chilling and disorientating electronic cacophony (‘Cosmic Sounds No. 1’ and ‘Cosmic Sounds No. 3’ by Georges Teperino and ‘Videotronics No. 3’ by Cecil Leuter) to lounge music (‘The Latest Fashion’ by Giampiero Boneschi, heard during the Solarium sequence). All of these tracks were from the Chappell Recorded Music Library.
Commentary:
Zienia Merton: ‘Everyone was always seen in Main Mission … Some of us should have been seen eating. One of the only times in series one they showed a bedroom [in “Force of Life”], we all had hysterics. We thought, “What? A bedroom! People actually sharing a bed … Husband and wife they might be … but is this possible on Moonbase Alpha?”’
Nick Tate: ‘Another actor I liked very much was Ian McShane. He’s a clever actor, and a good guy – a real man’s man.’
Johnny Byrne: ‘“Force of Life” was previously [entitled] “Force of Evil”. I was going to make it a much more malevolent force but, in fact, I reconsidered and then in talks with Gerry … I decided it was much better that this creature had no sort of actual human malevolence, that its actions should be [dictated by] what it was; without good, without evil, simply doing its thing.
‘I wanted to get away from the notion of good and evil. You know, the nasty, mad alien and the cowering Earthlings. That’s a valid form of story, and we’d seen it ad nauseam on Star Trek, and I think too much of it came in later on into Space: 1999. In “Force of Life”, [we had the idea that] to many forms of life out in space, intelligent Earth life means bugger-all. It means as much as a wisp of gas up in space. And here I had the kind of mindless evolutionary imperative at work. We picked up a random force going through a kind of chrysalis stage in space. Its decision to latch itself onto Zoref was purely arbitrary. He happened to be in the right place at the right time and, of course, there was something about him that attracted the creature. But it hadn’t any kind of intelligence in the sense we understand intelligence. It had an imperative, a kind of instinctive thing driving it. Of course, these things have to be visualised in terms of science fiction for the screen, so the way I found [the means] was to turn him into a heat junkie. He was just like an addict. The thing inside him would need a fix every so often, and we had him going through these spasms where he’d draw heat out of any object including coffee, including people, including anything finally – again I applied to the tail end the technique of the first story, where you look at the situation and see what’s the inescapable logic and try to build on it. This force had been ripping its way as part of its evolutionary imperative through the base, and the effects it has on human rituals are very simple.
‘Now, at the end of the day, our people ask what the hell has happened. They can work out a pattern to the thing and can make a guess at what it might be, but they don’t really know. Someone, I think, forced me to put in the notion that it was a star in the making. I think that this was a foolish notion, because it was better to say that we simply didn’t know what it was. If you want to draw a comparison, it’s the caterpillar and the butterfly, but in some impossibly difficult and imponderable circumstances. It was one of those situations where not knowing the answer was where the drama lay. Knowing would have killed the drama.
‘I think David [Tomblin] [directed] it very well … I worked very closely with David and he m
ade a tremendous contribution to the scripts. Not so much to “Another Time, Another Place”, but more so to this … We didn’t sit down and say, “Let us make this a thriller.” We had essentially a story, and we wanted to keep the story fairly simple. We wanted to make it different in the sense that it didn’t have a kind of [standard] “heavy”. It had a force effecting people. The force had its own reasons for doing what it did, and they were perfectly understandable in terms of itself. But it had a kind of unthinking, devastating effect on people. I thought the use of camera angles, pace and effects were quite stunning … David Tomblin got a tremendous sense of pace with Ian McShane striding through those corridors, which are usually the most boring of shots, but somehow David could invest them with tremendous energy and drama. David could communicate that sense of urgency – you would actually get off from watching somebody walking down the corridor.
‘Given the nature of the relentless need for story in these things, it was often very difficult to develop aspects of character. There were a huge number of balancing acts and trade-offs that one had to incorporate into these stories: anything that walks in from outer space or outside Moonbase Alpha has to be explained whereas, in contemporary drama, anything that walks in off the street doesn’t need any explanation; the story needs to be kept moving very fast because people are assumed to have the attention span of a gnat and [be unable] really to comprehend anything in the way of difficulty in terms of drama and ideas; and also [the need to achieve a] distribution of roles between the leading actors and those brought in for the episode. These things didn’t always work, but I think that this [episode] perhaps worked better than most in terms of the directorial flare that David brought to it. I was very pleased with “Force of Life”.
Destination: Moonbase Alpha Page 14
