8. Android Planet by John Rankine. Published in August 1976 (Orbit, UK) and September 1976 (Pocket Books, US). This is an original novel. Back-cover plot synopsis: ‘The mysterious planet Pelorus stares out of Main Mission Control’s star-scanning screen like a monstrous orange unblinking eye. Is it daring Alpha to make the first move? Or is Pelorus – millions of light years from Mother Earth – their long-awaited new home? The Alphans make their fateful choice, and they are thrust into the heart of an android world where superhuman beings wield bizarre weapons. Their only chance of rescue is to trust a humanoid tribe whose friendly smiles hide a secret of devastating impact!’
9. Rogue Planet by E C Tubb. Published in August 1976 (Orbit, UK) and September 1976 (Pocket Books, US). This is an original novel. Back-cover plot synopsis (under the heading ‘Turn back, for death awaits you!’): ‘The chill warning echoes from the depths of the unknown, shattering the icy silence of space. But the bold Alphans must spin faster and faster toward an electrifying confrontation with their unknown enemy. Ageless against the stars stands Omphalos. A giant green “brain”, this galactic monster spins a web of deadly horrors, trapping Alpha in a ghastly psychic war!’
10. Phoenix of Megaron by John Rankine. This is an original novel, and was published only in the USA by Pocket Books (November 1976). Back-cover plot synopsis: ‘A lush, green planet beckons from Main Mission Control’s star-scanning screen … and to the homeless Alphans, it looks like Earth. But descent reveals a wasteland of towering, silent cities, mute testimony to an atomic holocaust! Two pockets of civilisation survive: the drug-controlled inhabitants of Caster, and the freedom-loving people of Hyria. Soon the Alphans find themselves caught in the treacherous quicksands of civil war, their only allies a beautiful Hyrian with golden-brown eyes and an ancient man, the last custodian of the old wisdom.’
11. Earthfall by E C Tubb. This is an original novel, and was published only in the UK (Orbit, March 1977). The plot is a re-imagining of the entire series, encompassing the multi-generational journey of Moonbase Alpha from ‘Breakaway’ through to an eventual return to Earth. It was billed as ‘The epic story of Moonbase Alpha.’
The Year Two novelisations are:
1. Planets of Peril by Michael Butterworth. Published in 1977. Adaptations of ‘The Metamorph’, ‘The AB Chrysalis’, ‘The Rules of Luton’ and ‘New Adam New Eve’.
2. Mind-Breaks of Space by Michael Butterworth. Published in 1977. Adaptations of ‘Brian the Brain’, ‘The Mark of Archanon’, ‘Catacombs of the Moon’ and ‘One Moment of Humanity’.
3. The Space-Jackers by Michael Butterworth. Published in 1977. Adaptations of ‘Seed of Destruction’, ‘A Matter of Balance’, ‘The Exiles’ and ‘The Beta Cloud’.
4. The Psychomorph by Michael Butterworth. Published in 1977. Adaptations of ‘The Lambda Factor’ and ‘The Bringers of Wonder’ Parts One and Two.
5. The Time Fighters by Michael Butterworth. Published in 1977. Adaptations of ‘Space Warp’, ‘Dorzak’, ‘Devil’s Planet’ and ‘Seance Spectre’.
6. The Edge of the Infinite by Michael Butterworth. Published in 1977. Adaptations of ‘All That Glisters’, ‘Journey to Where’, ‘The Dorcons’ and ‘The Immunity Syndrome’.
The Year Two novelisations were based on early drafts of the scripts and consequently many details such as character names differ considerably between the books and the televised episodes. ‘The Taybor’ was the only Year Two episode not adapted into a novelisation.
These Space: 1999 novels were also published as translations into other languages, including Japanese, Italian and German. The German series is of particular note as it was continued on beyond the Michael Butterworth novelisations of Year Two (with Butterworth’s ending for The Edge of the Infinite altered to accommodate this), with an additional six original novels that have never been translated or published in any other country or language. These original German novels are:
1. Das Andromeda-Ratsel (The Andromeda Mystery) by H W Springer. Published in 1978.
2. Das Erbe der Roboter (The Robot Inheritance) by H W Springer. Published in 1978.
3. Die Ewigen von Luna (The Immortals of the Moon) by H W Springer. Published in 1978.
4. Invasion der Esper (Invasion of the Telepaths) by H W Springer. Published in 1978.
5. Aktion Exodus (Operation Exodus) by Kurt Brand. Published in 1978.
6. Der Stahlplanet (The Steel Planet) by M F Thomas. Published in 1978.
NOVELS AND NOVELISATIONS (2000s)
The arrival of the new millennium saw the return of Space: 1999 to the professional publishing world, with books released by several different publishers.
Eagle One Media Inc published a reprint of E C Tubb’s original novel Alien Seed in January 2002. The book featured a new introduction by the author.
Fanderson (the Official Gerry Anderson Appreciation Society) then released two Space: 1999 novelisations under their Century 21 Books imprint. These are:
1. Earthfall by E C Tubb. Published in November 2002. A re-publishing of Tubb’s original 1977 novel.
2. Earthbound by E C Tubb. Published in August 2003. Featuring new adaptations of ‘Earthbound’, ‘The Exiles’ and ‘Face of Eden’. (‘Earthbound’ had not been adapted in the original run of novelisations, while the latter two stories are based upon early scripts drawn up in the Year One format.) As Chris Bentley wrote in his Afterword to the book, ‘The original Year One versions of the stories offered a fascinating opportunity to explore an alternative Space: 1999 universe … in which Professor Bergman, Paul Morrow and David Kano don’t mysteriously disappear after the events of “The Testament of Arkadia”, in which the Alphans never meet the metamorph Maya, control of the base remains in Main Mission … and the parameters of the first season’s credible fictional reality are maintained. In short, a continuation of Space: 1999’s first season which imagines that Year Two never happened.’
Powys Media have also published a series of books based on the series, beginning in 2002. Their titles include:
1. Resurrection by William Latham. Published in May 2002. Featuring an introduction by Johnny Byrne.
2. The Foresaken by John Kenneth Muir. Published in January 2003. Featuring an introduction by Prentis Hancock.
3. Survival by Brian Ball. Published in March 2005. Featuring an introduction by Barry Morse.
4. Eternity Unbound by William Latham. Published in March 2005. This title includes three sections: Eternity Unleashed, which chronicles the origin of Balor, End of Eternity, in a new adaptation, and an expanded version of Latham’s earlier title Resurrection.
5. YEAR TWO by Michael Butterworth. Published in April 2006. This volume contains revised adaptations of all 24 episodes of Year Two (including ‘The Taybor’, which had not previously been adapted to novel form), as well as a foreword by the author.
6. Shepherd Moon (anthology by various authors including Brian Ball and E C Tubb). Published in January 2010.
7. Born for Adversity by David A McIntee. Published in February 2010. Featuring an introduction by Catherine Schell.
8. Omega by William Latham. Published in February 2010. Featuring an introduction by Christopher Penfold.
9. Alpha by William Latham. Published in February 2010. Featuring an afterword by Christopher Penfold.
10. Chasing the Cyclops: The Making of the Powysverse Mythology by William Latham. (Non-fiction.) Published in December 2010.
11. The Powysverse Compendium: The Authorized Companion to the Powys Media Space: 1999 Universe by Patricia T Sokol. (Non-fiction.) Featuring an introduction by Zienia Merton, and an afterword by Martin Willey. Published in February 2012.
12. Johnny Byrne’s Children of the Gods by William Latham (based upon the lost Johnny Byrne script). Published in January 2013. Featuring an introduction by Sandy Byrne.
In May 2010 Powys also released an audiobook version of Resurrection, recorded by Barry Morse in 2004. At the time of writing (early 2014), Powys Media has a number of addi
tional Space: 1999 novels in development, including Year One (omnibus edition featuring revised episode adaptations by original novel authors Brian Ball, E C Tubb and John Rankine), The Whispering Sea (by John Kenneth Muir), Black Doves (by Elena Cambio, with a foreword by Nick Tate), The Final Revolution (by William Latham), Odysseus Wept (by William Latham) and The Prodigal Moon (anthology by various authors).
MERCHANDISE
It would take a complete specialised book to detail fully all of the Space: 1999 merchandise that has been produced globally over the decades. The intent of this section is to focus on merchandise that is commercially or readily available at the time of publication (2014). These details are subject to change as items sell out, are discontinued or are superseded by new products (which seems to be happening at a rate unseen since the mid-1970s!)
The greatest difficulty encountered by companies wanting to release new Space: 1999 merchandise has been the unwillingness of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain to agree to license use of their likenesses for anything other than DVDs. This has meant that recent action figure releases have gone forward without Commander Koenig or Dr Russell figures, and that other projects such as CDs and books have either had to proceed without use of their images, or be shelved altogether. However, even faced with this challenge, merchandising for Space: 1999 does continue. Here is a sample:
PROP REPLICAS
STUN GUNS AND COMMLOCKS
Commercially released props of both the Stun Gun and Commlock were issued as a collector’s set by Iconic Replicas in 2007. This limited edition of 1,000 sets quickly sold out, although the props were not completely accurate. Fully constructed prop replicas of both the Stun Gun and Commlock are available (at the time of printing) from CY Productions in the US. (CY’s Commlock is cast from a replica made by UK fan Mark Shaw, who is renowned for the accuracy of his Commlocks.)
EAGLES, MOONBASE ALPHA AND OTHER SPACECRAFT
Since the 1970s, the Eagle has been the most frequently and widely marketed item of Space: 1999 merchandise. The 12” MPC Eagle model kit has been re-issued by Round 2, with each box containing a photo card of Alan Carter (100 of which are hand-signed by actor Nick Tate). Round 2 has also re-issued the vintage MPC moon buggy kit (an original design not based on anything seen in Space: 1999 called ‘The Alien’), including a photo card featuring Maya, with 100 of these cards signed by actress Catherine Schell. The Moonbase Alpha model kit has also been accuratised to feature five landing pads (previous releases had only three), along with other pieces to accurately portray the layout of the base. New in-scale Eagle Transporters are also included in this 2014 release from Round 2.
The UK company Robert Harrop released a ceramic resin figurine in September 2013 depicting an Eagle blasting up from the lunar surface, in a limited edition of 250.
Various Eagle models in 12” and 23” sizes were produced by Product Enterprise/Sixteen 12, and although they are no longer in production, they can be easily found on the secondary market (although at significantly higher prices than during their original release).
Custom-commissioned builds of various Space: 1999 models can also be ordered from original series model-maker Martin Bower through his website (www.martinbowersmodelworld.com).
ACTION FIGURES
An extensive series of 8” action figures are currently available from the Figures Toy Company (www.classictvtoys.com), featuring such regular characters as Professor Bergman (in two different versions, including the aged Bergman from ‘Black Sun’), Maya, Alan Carter, Paul Morrow, Sandra Benes, Tony Verdeschi and David Kano. Guest characters have also been well-represented by this series, including Balor, Raan, Companion, Female Alien (from ‘War Games’), Mentor, Number 8 and Dan Mateo. The Figures Toy Company has also re-issued a four-character set based on the original 1970s Palitoy action figures. These 8” figures include the characters Paul Morrow, Alan Carter, Mysterious Alien (from ‘War Games’) and Captain Zantor. (The original Commander Koenig figure was not reissued because of the aforementioned refusal of Martin Landau to authorise use of his likeness for merchandising.)
SOUNDTRACKS
Commercially available at the time of this printing are Year One and Year Two soundtracks released by Silva Screen Records. Year One and Year Two soundtracks were previously released via Fanderson, as double CD sets, but those are sold out. Derek Wadsworth also produced a CD of his compositions from Year Two, but this was a limited release produced for the promotional purposes of the composer only (although a certain number of copies did find their way onto the commercial market). The Derek Wadsworth and Fanderson CDs are highly sought-after and command substantial values when they can be found on such sites as eBay, which is very rarely.
DVDs and BLU-RAYs
Various DVD releases of Space: 1999 are readily available around the world, in countries such as the UK, US, Canada, Australia, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, Portugal and Spain.
But even more impressive than the DVDs are the Blu-Ray releases of Year One, which have been released by Network in the UK and A&E in North America. The high definition images are absolutely stunning, and fans are now eagerly awaiting the Blu-Ray releases of Year Two as well.
The Space: 1999 movies (Alien Attack, Destination Moonbase Alpha, Journey Through the Black Sun and Cosmic Princess) have also found their way to DVD. They were released as a box set in Portugal in 2004 and in Italy in 2007. Two of the movies (Destination Moonbase Alpha and Cosmic Princess) were released as a box set in the Netherlands in 2006. Similarly, two (Alien Attack and Cosmic Princess) came out as a box set in France in 2007.
GRAPHIC NOVELS
Blam! Ventures has released two major Space: 1999 graphic novels, as well as an extensive range of comics. The first graphic novel is Aftershock and Awe, which takes the ‘Breakaway’ origin story and expands it to show what happens to Earth after the Moon is blown out of orbit. The second is To Everything That Was, which compiles selected remastered works from the original 1970s Space: 1999 comics. These titles are available via Amazon and more information can be found online at the Blam! website: www.blamventures.com .
OTHER MERCHANDISE
Other diverse merchandise is currently available for avid fans, including high-quality metal lapel pins of the Eagle, the Mark IX Hawk, the series logo, and the Alpha Moonbase crest; patches; posters; blueprints; door-mats; T-shirts; stickers; accessories for your home fleet of 12” Eagles (as well as stands and display cases); and more … Most of these items can be obtained online through sources such as eBay or specialist retailers like FABGearUSA.
It is certainly a good time to be a merchandise-loving fan of Space: 1999!
* * *
[1] Time: ‘Spacing Out The Networks.’ 1 September 1975.
[2] Adler, Dick. Los Angeles Times: ‘Some Lame Rerunning.’ 9 January 1976.
[3] Carmody, John. The Washington Post: ‘1999 Gets Humanised.’ 2 January 1976.
[4] Bassi, Bob. Triad magazine, December 1975.
[5] TV Showtime (The Cleveland Press), 21 October 1975.
[6] Simmons, Robert (head of press and public relations, HTV West). The Bristol Evening Post, 18 July 1979.
[7] The Television Year Book (Virgin, 1985).
[8] Denney, James D. Art and Story No. 2: ‘The Metamorph and the metamorphoses.’ August 1976.
[9] Stein, Benjamin. Wall Street Journal: ‘Sailing Along on a Moonbase Way.’ 7 November 1975.
[10] O’Flaherty, Terence. San Francisco Chronicle: ‘Fasten Your Seat Belts!’ 5 September 1975.
[11] Stanley, John. San Francisco Datebook: ‘Moonbase Gone Astray Two Years Before the Odyssey.’ 7 September 1975.
[12] Emmett, Arielle. Science Digest: ‘Space: 1999 – Adventures in Science “Faction”.’ November 1975.
[13] Winfrey, Lee. Chicago Tribune: ‘Space: 1999 is a 1976 Smash for Landau, Bain.’ 21 October 1975.
[14] Asimov, Isaac. Cue: ‘An Expert’s Verdict: Trek Wins.’ 20 December 1975.
[15] Amory, Cleveland. TV Guide:
‘Space: 1999.’ 28 February 1976.
[16] Waters, Harry F. Newsweek: ‘Spaced Out.’ 20 October 1975.
[17] Javna, John. Best of SF TV. 1987.
[18] Carmody, John. The Washington Post: ‘1999 Gets Humanised.’ 2 January 1976.
[19] Alder, Dick. Los Angeles Times: ‘Some Lame Rerunning.’ 9 January 1976.
[20] In some instances the Granada broadcast dates recorded in this book do not include time of day as the information is unavailable.
[21] In fact, colour television was introduced in the late 1960s in the UK, but sets were still very expensive at the start of the 1970s and most families still watched in black and white.
[22] Stewart, Brian. Cinefantastique magazine: ‘It’s really disco, lost out there!’ 1975.
[23] Denney, James D. Art and Story: ‘The Metamorph and the Metamorphoses.’ August 1976, No 2.
[24] Carolyn actually orders Maya to change into ‘a monkey’. As monkeys and chimps are not the same thing, one can only attribute this dichotomy to Maya’s own interpretation of the term ‘monkey’. This is not a completely satisfying explanation, however, as Maya previously transformed into a spider monkey in ‘A Matter of Balance’, so she obviously knows the differences in the primates.
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