Koenig’s meeting with Arra inside her cobweb-filled and darkly dramatic ship is a gorgeous example of all the elements of this production working together in harmony – the performances, script, direction, musical score and lighting, as well as the lovely and eerie monochromatic set.
The underlying distrust in science shown by Space: 1999 must have had a degree of negative impact on the portion of North American viewers and critics (so conditioned to the rose-tinted future of Star Trek) who didn’t respond well to the series. Another example of this distrust in science appears here, as, despite everyone’s faith in the Professor, Bergman’s Operation Shockwave doesn’t hold the answers to their survival. They must follow the advice of Arra and allow their two planets to collide, going against all scientific knowledge and logical thinking, putting trust in Arra and the Mysterious Unknown Force. Koenig is convinced that Arra is right, but he also knows that his scientifically-minded friends won’t believe him. He says, ‘What you tell me sounds magnificent here in this chamber, and from your lips. But how will it sound in the cold light of Moonbase Alpha? They’ll never believe me …’
The idea that Alpha’s journey was predestined is of significant importance. Arra states, ‘We have expected you for many millions of years. You see, your destiny has always been our destiny.’ She also asks Koenig, ‘Are you unfit to play the part for which you have been destined since the beginning of time?’ The alien Queen also offers a prophecy for the Alphans’ future: ‘You shall continue on. Your odyssey shall know no end. You will prosper and increase in new worlds, new galaxies. You will populate the deepest reaches of space.’
Intriguingly, there is a parallel in dialogue between this episode and ‘Black Sun’. In that earlier episode, Victor asks the mysterious voice in the Black Sun, ‘Who are you?’ The answer is, ‘A friend.’ Here, in ‘Collision Course’, Alan asks Arra, ‘Who are you?’ and receives the same reply, ‘A friend.’ Could there be a connection between the voice in the Black Sun and Arra, or is this purely coincidence?
The culminating scene in Main Mission as Koenig and Carter take over (in their pajamas!) and force the end of Operation Shockwave is an absolutely riveting sequence. The duo can be viewed as religious zealots – madmen leading their people to death through the lunacy of their beliefs … and yet, they are right. As Koenig says in the epilogue, ‘How could anyone possibly know that a planet on a collision course would not collide, but simply touch?’
Of course, the science in this episode leaves much to be desired: Operation Shockwave could never work because shockwaves don’t travel in the vacuum of space, let alone be strong enough to force apart the Moon and Atheria. Apart from that, ‘Collision Course’ successfully presents the kind of mature, philosophical, metaphysical thinking that sets Space: 1999 apart from other television science fiction programmes.
Rating: 9/10
1.14
DEATH’S OTHER DOMINION
Screenplay by Anthony Terpiloff and Elizabeth Barrows
Directed by Charles Crichton
Selected Broadcast Dates:
UK LWT:
Date: 4 October 1975. Time: 5.50 pm
Granada:
Date: 24 October 1975. Time: 6.35 pm
US KRON (San Francisco):
Date: 20 September 1975. Time: 7.00 pm
WPIX (New York):
Date: 4 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), Mary Miller (Frieda)
Guest Star: Brian Blessed (Dr Cabot Rowland)
Guest Artist: John Shrapnel (Colonel Jack Tanner)
Uncredited Cast: Suzanne Roquette (Tanya Alexander), Sarah Bullen (Operative Kate), Loftus Burton (Operative Lee Oswald), Annie Lambert (Operative Julie), Andrew Dempsey (Main Mission Operative), Robert Phillips (Main Mission Operative), David Ellison (Ted Foster), Valerie Leon (Thulian Girl), Jack Shepherd, Laurie Davis, Eddy Nedari, Tony Houghton, John Lee-Barber, Suzette St Clair, Barbara Bermel, Jenny Devenish, Carolyn Hudson, Glenda Allan, David Murphy, Michael Ryan, Anette Linden (Thulians), Adrienne Burgess, Lesley Collet, Robert Driscoll, Margaret Lawley, Terry Rendle, Ian Ruskin, Ellen Sheehan (Revered Ones)
Plot: On the ice planet Ultima Thule the Alphans encounter the survivors of the Uranus Probe of 1986, who have carved out a home within underground caverns. But not everyone sees Thule as a paradise, and it is revealed that life here is immortal – these Earthmen are frozen in time and have lived for 880 years! Attempting to persuade his fellow humans to relocate on Thule, Dr Rowland accompanies the Alphans for a flight to the Moon, but as they leave the icy atmosphere the extent of Thule’s influence becomes clear.
Quotes:
Jack: ‘I am the dog that bays the Moon who sets her cats amongst your pigeons, doctor.’
Jack: ‘Good doctor, revel while you can. The hour is late. Our end is near. The road to paradise has seized up.’
Alan: ‘Come on, you beautiful bird. Lift off. Lift off!’
Helena: ‘But Alpha isn’t home. It’s a barracks, on a barren rock, flying endlessly through space! We want a real home. A place to live … to raise children.’
Jack: ‘A death on Thule would be a marvellous thing.’
Rowland: ‘The blight of human life has been death. The most brilliant minds cut off. Progress held back. We have lived on Thule for 800 years. We have immortality.’
Jack: ‘Oh yes, wonderful. Science in the belly and salad on the brain.’
Koenig: ‘Come on, Jack. There’s more in that mind of yours than meets the ears.’
Jack: ‘The ultimate welfare – where want is dead.’
Jack: ‘By all dishevelled, wandering stars, I tell you – death has dominion!’
Koenig: ‘Is it death that gives meaning to life, in the end?’
Jack: ‘If there is an end.’
Filming Dates: Wednesday 11 September – Monday 23 September 1974
Incidental Music: Includes a track by Barry Gray from the Joe 90 episode ‘Big Fish’, heard at the start of the episode while Jack and Dr Rowland discuss the Moon, and as Rowland calls Alpha.
Commentary:
Barry Morse: ‘In “Death’s other Dominion” I was obliged to spend the day struggling through a studio blizzard. I evidently managed to get through it all right. It was very comical, that snow storm, and gave rise to a lot of giggles, especially from Brian Blessed. Dear Brian and I had some testing moments playing together, because you’d only have to give the slightest twinkle of your eye and Brian would be off giggling. We had a wonderful time. I also remember John Shrapnel playing his character rather like The Fool from King Lear. The entire episode had a rather Shakespearean tone to it.’
Sylvia Anderson: ‘When we were preparing for the show there were a lot of strikes going on, so we only had so many days a week that we could work, [and] we brought our own generators into Pinewood Studios. One day I walked in and they were building this fantastic futuristic set [of the ice caves for “Death’s other Dominion”]. And I said, “My God, no-one can work in this.” They were using embalming fluid to build the set! I said, “We can’t do this.” Everyone said, “Don’t say anything. Wait for the actors to come on.” Anyway, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain came on and within seconds they were absolutely falling about and came over to me saying, “What’s happening, what’s happening?” So we had to do something about that.’
Christopher Penfold: ‘The episode “Death’s other Dominion” was written by Anthony Terpiloff. I got him involved because he had written an absolutely brilliant television play about Dylan Thomas, in New York, which is about as far removed from a science fiction subject as you could possibly get, but I just thought he was a great writer. So the reason for bringing him on to the show was not that he was a science fiction expert or that he had a great background in science fiction writi
ng, but because he was actually just a great writer. The science fiction expert on the team was Johnny Byrne; and it was a team.’
Keith Wilson: ‘The cheapest set I did was [for] the ice one with Brian Blessed, “Death’s other Dominion” … It was the Ice Palace, the interior. I built it out of rubbish. Literally. We walked around the lot and we picked up rubbish and we constructed … I would say, “A bit more here … An archway there …” and once it was built – out of literally rubbish – we sprayed it all with this foam. It went crispy, but it left (I think) formaldehyde, and it gave a smell. For a few minutes it would make your eyes water. On Friday, the set was being finished and Martin and Barbara just wandered [in] to see what they were going to be shooting on Monday. Martin went, “What’s that smell?” and somebody said, “Oh, it’s formaldehyde. It’ll give you cancer, that will.” We’re shooting the bloody thing on Monday! Martin went wild. He left the stage, he went to Gerry, and he said, “This set will give me cancer!” We had to get scientists in to take tests [and confirm it was safe], and it went on all over the weekend. I had finished the set, but I had to work all weekend because if we couldn’t shoot in it, we had nothing to shoot on Monday. During this period when we had scientists there taking tests, there were a couple of riggers sitting there having their lunch on the set. They were eating shrimp sandwiches, or something, and the scientists said to them, “Does this smell worry you?” They said, “What smell?” They’d been working in it and they’d got used to it. But it was a great worry. It was one of the biggest worries on the series, because I thought, “What the hell are we going to do?”’
Bloopers: In the command module, Carter brings up an image of the Eagle being buried in snow – but where does this image come from? It is an impossible viewpoint.
Observations: One interesting ‘behind the scenes’ anecdote – the soap that was used to simulate blowing snow during the blizzard sequences was apparently quite abrasive and took the skin off of Martin Landau’s face.
‘Death’s other Dominion’ features the largest cast of any Space: 1999 episode.
Review: ‘Death’s other Dominion’, first and foremost, presents a tale of immortals living on an ice planet – what more appropriate setting could there be? Everything freezes in this giant icebox and essentially lasts forever – including the people.
Perhaps the most staggering individual guest appearance in the entire series comes from John Shrapnel as Jack Tanner. He gives himself to the role entirely, and is flanked in all directions by outstanding performances from his fellow Thulians (including the charming Mary Miller as Frieda) and the Alphans. Brian Blessed makes his first of two Space: 1999 appearances here – the other will come as Mentor in ‘The Metamorph’ – and the parallels between them are quite striking. In both, he rules in underground cavern-worlds symbolic of Hell. His characters both have immense magnetism, charisma and power (all of which are admittedly hard to avoid when you cast Blessed in the role!) The scene here where his laboratory is destroyed is initiated by Koenig, as will be the equivalent scene in ‘The Metamorph’, and in both instances the hubris of Blessed’s character is his downfall. Both Rowland and Mentor have crossed the ethical boundaries of their scientific profession – it’s a fascinating comparison. Rowland’s end is the most gruesome scene in the series. The depiction of his corpse is horrifying: the culmination of the many nightmarish aspects of the episode.
Ultima Thule is a believable frozen world (despite the strangely foamy snow), and the caverns are a model of art direction, design and construction. Thulian life is detailed, with attention to their clothing (fur and skins from a species of Ox mentioned by Foster) and food (at once nauseating, but adaptable). Also deserving of note are the Alphan snowsuits and sweaters, a striking combination of blue, white and red. They are seen only in this one episode. Martin Bower’s model of the Phoenix (the ship the Thulians are constructing in order to leave their ice world) is an impressively detailed miniature, inspired by the unfinished rocket in the film When Worlds Collide. It would have been lovely if the Phoenix had received more screen time.
Characterisation is mixed, unfortunately. Martin Landau gives one of his strongest performances as Koenig, showing a leader at odds against an adversary he doesn’t fully understand, and at the same time lacking the support of his closest comrades. Koenig, above all, is sensible. On the other hand, both Helena and Victor are inconsistent and come across as naïve – simplistically falling under Rowland’s charismatic spell. Bergman’s customary wisdom and Helena’s usual caution are completely absent, and there really is no basis for their gullibility, other than the convenience of the script. Viewers are left with two of the three series leads acting well out of character, with no reasonable explanation being provided.
The sequences back on the Moonbase show the starkly contrasting environments of life on Alpha and in the Ice Palace on Thule. Charles Crichton’s direction excels as he follows the twists, turns and revelations of the plot, and tells this tale of the dangers of immortality. Crichton previously directed the storm sequences in ‘Matter of Life and Death’ and, although the blizzard here isn’t as dynamically shot, it is still highly memorable.
This episode tests the faith of characters – Helena’s and Victor’s misplaced faith in Rowland; Rowland’s faith in mankind’s ambitions; and the crisis of faith shown to Koenig. Faith is always a theme in Terpiloff’s scripts (see the previous episode ‘Collision Course’ and, notably, Year Two’s ‘Catacombs of the Moon’). As with ‘The Infernal Machine’, Terpiloff’s work here is heightened by the contribution of his wife and co-writer Elizabeth Barrows. Koenig desires humanity, which Russell and Bergman have overlooked in their quest for scientific perfection. Jack Tanner fills the Shakespearean role of the ‘Fool’ of Thule, around to ridicule and debase authority figures. Many of Jack’s lines have a decidedly Shakespearean flavour to them. The role reversals between Rowland and Jack are notable. When the Uranus Probe left Earth, Jack was in command. On Thule, Rowland takes over until his death, when Jack attains the leadership position again. Also of interest, the name ‘Jack’ is a diminutive for ‘John’, so when the Alphans leave Ultima Thule, they have left behind another Commander John. It is also worthy of note that while Jack Tanner seems to have Shakespearean inspirations, his name is the same as that of the central figure in a masterpiece by another literary genius – George Bernard Shaw’s Man and Superman.
Alan, alluding to future events, sings of ‘Lucifer’ – the Devil. (The song he’s singing, ‘Pack Up Your Troubles in Your Old Kit Bag and Smile, Smile, Smile’, was a popular marching song during the First World War and the ‘Lucifer’ in question is actually a brand name of matches.) Jack leads Koenig to the Cave of the Revered Ones, the place of (what passes for) death on Thule. The Cave of the Revered Ones is equated to Hell by red lighting and their descent into it.
Amongst many other historical meanings, some sources denote ‘Ultima Thule’ as the Latin name for Greenland when the designation ‘Thule’ is used for Iceland. Also, in medieval times, ‘Ultima Thule’ was the designation given to any place situated beyond the ‘borders of the known world’. Obviously, the name ‘Ultima Thule’ is highly appropriate for this frozen world, located an unknown distance from Earth.
The Uranus Probe joins the list of Earth’s failed space missions, along with the Ultra Probe, Astro 7 and Voyager One. The recurrent Space: 1999 distrust in science also appears here, with Rowland’s experiments being the cause of the mindless state of the Revered Ones. Once again, mystical or mysterious events in Space: 1999 do not require scientific explanation, and this is acknowledged when Frieda says, ‘We have the secret to eternal life. Must we also seek to understand it?’
Thematically, the value of life is explored through the eternally intriguing topic of immortality; the statement being that the true value of life can be measured only against a fear of death. Immortality is undesirable, and is a trap the Thulians fell into. As so often happens with Space: 1999 episodes, viewers
are left with any number of questions. Here these questions are mostly centred on the Thulians. Will they manage to restore the Revered Ones? Will they discover the source of their immortality, or ever find a way to be free of it? And, if immortality becomes unbearable, would they eventually use the Phoenix spaceship as a way to end their eternal existence? It’s a chilling thought, adding layers of meaning to Koenig’s statement that the Thulians’ future ‘will haunt us till the end.’
The Shakespearean tone of the episode is not its only link to literature: in basic plot, ‘Death’s other Dominion’ is a re-telling of Lost Horizon, the 1933 novel by English writer James Hilton. Lost Horizon follows a group of people who end up in utopian Shangri-La after their plane crashes. As they settle into their new home their aging slows; but if they leave the valley they will age quickly and die. Cabot Rowland is much like the novel’s character Conway, who believes that his party’s plane has ‘progressed far beyond the western range of the Himalayas towards the less known heights of Kuen-Lun.’ This statement is paralleled in Rowland’s account, ‘We travelled at unbelievable speed to the farthest limit of the then known universe – and beyond.’ In the end, Conway agrees to leave the valley and meets his demise, as Rowland unwittingly does upon leaving Ultima Thule. There is also apparent reference to Milton’s Paradise Lost when Rowland calls to the Alphans, ‘Thule is a lost paradise,’ while Jack Tanner adds, ‘Lost, and with no final end.’
Destination: Moonbase Alpha Page 18
