‘So there was a kind of social message in that, a slight one, and one tried to make it as interesting and agreeable and as tense a situation as possible … It was more a nuts and bolts story, that – a pure sort of nuts and bolts science fiction Space: 1999 story. I particularly liked the interior of the Earth ship, the Queller ship. The alien ones looked a bit too stick-cricket-like. They didn’t strike me as menacing enough. They were meant to be – and I laid this on very heavily in the script – extremely menacing. You could sense power but not see it, and you had the feeling that things were going to start poking out and start firing at you at any moment …
‘Here was a man who believed he had a great gift to give to space, people, other nations and other races if he brought contact between those two worlds. He did bring contact, but not in the way he expected. And I think there’s a message there that – even today, when we’re littering space with all kinds of hideous junk – we don’t really give a thought to the consequences and the things we send out. Just as if something came from outside and landed here, with the thought of contamination – it’s a grisly thought – we should have the same regard for what might be out there. That’s not to say we shouldn’t explore. We should be very responsible and treat space as much like our home backyard as we can. It’s a curious thing, that. As we become more aware of how precious the Earth is, and how to look after it, the less we seem to care about space. Obviously, when we’ve sorted out our back garden and sorted out the Earth, then perhaps we’ll sort out space. And by that time, let’s hope that it hasn’t gone too far …
‘I enjoyed it … and I think the scientist was well played by Jeremy Kemp. I liked the story because it was simple, it was immediately comprehensible, it was relevant to people’s lives, because it was directly linked to what was actually happening in terms of our rather misty-eyed notions about mankind sending [out] universal messages of love, hope and peace. Well, we know where that kind of thing ends up, don’t we? It usually ends up with someone getting their arse kicked. It’s self-deluding to believe that by sending things out into space you are actually helping to extend mankind’s mission to civilise. We know what happened in Earthly terms when this kind of thing was tried: you had missionaries arriving in [places] like Africa, and when they arrived they had the Book and the Africans had the land – by the time they left, the missionaries had the land and the Africans had the Book. This is, I should imagine, the kind of fate that will befall those aliens unfortunate enough to encounter us. If they are of a lower level of competence and technology, their fate won’t be a nice one.
‘So it’s about the assumptions that we bring to our understanding of what constitutes life and the arrogance that we have about our own form of existence and our own way of living. We see it played out on the small scale of the planet Earth. Played out on a vast scale up in the stars, it’s just too horrendous to contemplate. I think that all of those aliens who ever said, “Stay where you are and leave us alone,” have got it right and probably will have for at least the next five million years!
‘I wanted to give Queller a Germanic type of façade. I never saw him as a “nasty” – I didn’t see him as a Nazi. I had in mind those haunted individuals who had avoided being taken by the Russians at the end of the Second World War and found their way, sort of bribed, into service by [the] American and British [governments], serving in the Cold War. These were people who were intelligent enough to know that the end product of their science and their genius was the destruction of people and it was in the service of a despotic master. They, by their own reckoning, were not evil men – they were perhaps scientists; they were idealists; they were all sorts of things. But if we talk about the downfall of 20th Century Man, this is the classic symptom of that malady. They took their poison chalice, they took their shilling, and they lived with the guilt. This man [Queller] perhaps exemplified it that bit more severely, because what he had done was to actually kill people in the service of trying to improve humanity’s lot. He carried the guilt; he found a way to bury himself, lick his wounds, and hopefully everybody would forget him. That was his situation. He was too brilliant to be wasted, and the powers that be knew about him and they had him there doing something very important out of sight and out of mind. We all deserve a second chance, and [Queller] exemplifies the larger condition of the Alphans being people who were set on a course of redemption for humanity as a whole. Don’t forget the almost biblical destruction of the Earth. And these people were given the opportunity, one could say, of redeeming whatever caused the fall: man’s second chance.’
Bloopers: Watch the shots of Voyager One flying – liquid Freon can be seen dripping from the bell rockets and dropping to the bottom of the screen (which it wouldn’t do in zero gravity in outer space).
Review: ‘Voyager’s Return’ features an effectively chilling opening, with the Voyager probe destroying an Eagle and killing Alpha pilot Abrams, as well as damaging Eagle One and injuring Carter, before relaying the message, ‘This is the voice of Voyager One. Greetings from the people of the planet Earth.’ The death of pilot Abrams is one of the most visually accomplished in the series – he is literally sucked out of the Eagle’s shattered view-port. It is a short sequence, but certainly on a par with similar later shots of explosive decompression in the “War Games” episode.
The destructive force of the Queller Drive is best stated by Paul Morrow when he says, ‘You’d survive better standing smack in the middle of a nuclear explosion.’ The knowledge that the Queller Drive killed Paul’s father provides both intriguing character background and enlarges the strong supporting role for Prentis Hancock.
The episode plunges the viewer effectively and immediately into discussions on what to do with Voyager: Helena wants it stopped before it can do any more harm, while Victor wants the scientific information it contains. As Bergman states, ‘For 15 years Voyager has been photographing other planets, analysing atmospheres, detailing all forms of life, recording gravities, temperatures … It would take 100 years to learn what Voyager already knows.’ Koenig finds himself in a position of balancing the various opinions around him and seeking an acceptable middle ground. The Alphans are quite divided on what to do with Voyager, making this an intriguing examination of the way the command of Alpha is often open for discussion.
This episode provides a highly refined portrait of Ernst Linden/Queller as he tries to atone for his longstanding private guilt over the deaths for which his creation has been responsible. The presence of the Sidon aliens (and their marvellously insect-inspired ships) shows that Voyager has destroyed other alien civilisations as well, making the scientist’s grief that much greater. He is perfectly portrayed by Jeremy Kemp – alternately powerful, sympathetic, heroic, or simply a tired old scientist who has been worn down by years of accumulated guilt. It’s a richly written and performed role, and Kemp joins the roster of talented guest artists who have appeared in the series to date. Faced with the destruction of Alpha by the superior technology of the Sidons, Queller attempts to reason with the aliens, making an impassioned plea of good intentions. When the aliens fail to listen to reason, Queller uses his Drive as a weapon, destroying the Sidons and then activating self-destruct mechanisms within Voyager and killing himself, but saving Alpha in the process.
One rather strong political statement is made with Victor’s line, ‘We believe that revenge, sanctioned by authority, is also a sign of a debased culture.’ To put it another way, justice is not accomplished through revenge. Thus, for example, a civilised culture could never permit the use of the death penalty.
Barbara Bain performs a wonderful arc of character development through this episode, as Helena progresses from a cold distrust of Queller to an obvious warmth and compassion towards him. Helena also serves her frequent role as the voice of caution – appropriate for Alpha’s top doctor.
Johnny Byrne’s script clearly draws parallels between Ernst Queller and Wernher von Braun – the real-life German scientist who was respo
nsible for the design and creation of the V-2 combat rocket during World War II and then entered the United States at the end of the War and became the primary designer of the Saturn V super-booster that propelled Americans to the Moon. With such rich inspirational material for the script, it’s unfortunate that the episode didn’t turn out better. This is the directorial debut of Bob Kellett on the series, and unfortunately his work comes across as unremarkable when compared with that of David Tomblin (whom he was temporarily replacing while Tomblin served as assistant director on the film Barry Lyndon), Ray Austin or Charles Crichton.
Disappointingly, the information from the Voyager One memory banks will never be mentioned again in the series, although it will be made use of in the tie-in novel Android Planet. Voyager One and Voyager Two are further failed Earth space missions (following the Meta Probe and the Astro 7) – part of the unfolding negative image of mankind’s exploration of space. This theme, which could be regarded as depressing in its almost unrelenting string of failure, also constitutes a cautionary tale. As these failed missions continue to pile up over future episodes, the question will arise whether they were all initiated by the same space agency or whether some funding came from other organisations, countries or private corporations.
It is the disturbing irony of the episode that Earth’s peacefully-intended efforts to explore space via the unmanned Voyager ship should end up being so horribly destructive to the alien life it discovers. As Linden/Queller says, ‘The responsibility for what Voyager did to the Sidons I must bear alone. Two worlds made lifeless. Millions of people dead … I had no wish to harm them; to harm anyone.’
‘Voyager’s Return’ is an exploration of redemption, guilt, hubris, repentance and forgiveness. But although it is a solid science fiction story, it ends up being somewhat too conventional in execution, and falls short of being one of the best episodes of the series.
Rating: 7.5/10
1.13
COLLISION COURSE
Screenplay by Anthony Terpiloff
Directed by Ray Austin
Selected Broadcast Dates:
UK LWT:
Date: 20 September 1975. Time: 5.50 pm
Granada:
Date: 10 October 1975. Time: 6.35 pm
US KRON (San Francisco):
Date: 27 September 1975. Time: 7.00 pm
WPIX (New York):
Date: 11 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)
Special Guest Star: Margaret Leighton (Arra)
Uncredited Cast: Suzanne Roquette (Tanya Alexander), Sarah Bullen (Operative Kate), Loftus Burton (Operative Lee Oswald), Annie Lambert (Operative Julie), Vic Armstrong, Andrew Dempsey, Michael Stevens (Main Mission Operatives), Tony Allyn (Security Guard Tony Allan), Quentin Pierre (Security Guard Pierce Quinton), Alan Harris (Alphan), Alf Joint (Balcony Alphan), Glenda Allen (Nurse)
Plot: The Moon is on a collision course with the giant planet Atheria. While the Alphans enact a plan to save themselves, Koenig’s Eagle is captured by a spaceship belonging to the alien queen Arra, who tells Koenig that the Alphans are on a pre-destined voyage, and that the collision with Atheria will not result in destruction, but in the evolution of her people.
Quotes:
Alan: ‘Take me to your people!’
Koenig: ‘Don’t worry – I’ll wear my galoshes.’
Arra: ‘Oh, poor John Koenig. How you belittle yourself in the scheme of things. And yet how small you are, to be so great.’
Koenig: ‘I trust her. I believe her.’
Arra: ‘The gene, of which I and my people are a part, shall mutate. We shall take on another form, unrecognisable, spiritual if you like. But once changed we shall become immutable, for time inconceivable.’
Kano: ‘It defies logic.’
Victor: ‘Yes, it’s a thing called faith.’
Arra: ‘We have met with purpose. We must not fail our destiny.’
Arra: ‘I go to shape the future of eternity. And I need your help.’
Filming Dates: Tuesday 27 August – Tuesday 10 September 1974
Incidental Music: This episode features Barry Gray compositions from the Joe 90 episodes ‘Arctic Adventure’ and ‘Operation McClaine’, which here are combined to form one track heard in a number of scenes featuring Arra, such as when Carter regains consciousness and when Koenig receives the orbital reference. In addition, music from the film Thunderbird 6 (previously used in ‘The Last Sunset’ and ‘Voyager’s Return’) is heard again.
Bloopers: Watch Helena’s Commlock for missing buttons.
Observations: The planet name Atheria was misspelled as ‘Aestheria’ in some original ITC promotional material. This error has often been repeated to this day, as has the also-incorrect variant ‘Astheria’.
The impressive-looking throne on which Arra sits will later appear in the episodes ‘The Infernal Machine’ (as Companion’s bed) and ‘The Dorcons’ (as Archon’s throne).
Special effects footage of Koenig’s Eagle being swallowed by Arra’s ship was used in a 1979 episode of The Tomorrow People titled ‘War of the Empires’.
Review: Beginning with an intense opening teaser as Eagles work to plant nuclear charges on the approaching asteroid threatening to destroy them, ‘Collision Course’ is a largely successful episode.
Viewers are immediately struck by Martin Landau’s emotionally charged performance, which is one of his finest in the series. The entire cast receive solid treatment from this script. Prentis Hancock, in particular, gets one of his rare opportunities to leave the Main Mission set, and excels in the role. Here his character is on the Rescue Eagle mission to save Alan Carter from the deadly radiation cloud, following the asteroid explosion. Nick Tate also stands out as the bewildered Carter. There are many small moments of simple and subtle human warmth.
The special effects of the radiation cloud hovering like a fog over Alpha are highly effective. As well, the landing of the two docked Eagles onto a single launch pad is a unique and impressive visual.
‘Collision Course’ was filmed in late August and early September 1975. Guest star Margaret Leighton was suffering the effects of multiple sclerosis, and passed away only a few months later, in January 1976. She relied upon a great deal of direction in order to help her through the complicated dialogue, as related by Keith Wilson: ‘She was wonderful, but she didn’t understand a word she was saying … She was really quite worried about it.’ Leighton also knew she didn’t have long to live and told director Ray Austin, ‘You’d better get this shot, because I’m not going to last long.’ Despite all of this, her performance stands out as one of the most powerful and dignified guest appearances seen in the series. She captures and conveys the ageless wisdom, as well as the contrast of fragility with great strength, intrinsic to the character of Arra. Arra is presented as a mysterious figure of great knowledge and influence. Her nearly mystical presence is suggested not only through Leighton’s performance, but also through Austin’s direction.
An exceptional scene begins as Arra visits Alan in Medical: as he lifts her veil, he is really lifting his hands into Helena’s hair. Alan is sedated and then John and Helena have a tense confrontation rivalling their later arguments in ‘Dragon’s Domain’ (in which they will fight over the mental state of astronaut Tony Cellini, as here they are engaged about the mental and physical health of astronaut Alan Carter). Ray Austin again displays his use of unusual camera angles, taking a shot of Koenig and Russell through a shelving unit. He later uses this same striking approach in Koenig’s quarters.
Faith shows itself as a prevalent theme in Anthony Terpiloff’s writing – here, Koenig’s faith in Carter is demonstrated, Koenig’s faith in Arra is tested, and the faith of the Alphans in their Commander is strained. Arra herself says, ‘I have faith in
you, John Koenig.’ Koenig responds, ‘And I have faith in you. But what is faith against the fact of imminent collision?’ Religion itself is drawn into question – in an allusory fashion – as the Alphans are asked to believe Koenig and have faith in a being/race/power that is mysterious, invisible and greater than themselves. This theme will appear again in later Terpiloff scripts. It’s interesting that an episode titled ‘Collision Course’ would make the physical collision itself of secondary importance behind the thematic collision of faith and trust versus logic.
Destination: Moonbase Alpha Page 17
