Apart from the non-believable scene of Koenig's jealousy, I have found this a good episode, with its reflections of what a too intelligent AI might one day learn from us.
The costumes of the humans were an inspiration for similar characters in The Black Hole, two years later.
4 Reviews
Pretty goofy--especially at the end.
planktonrules24 May 2010
Warning: Spoilers
You may recognize the guest star of this episode, Billie Whitelaw, as the woman who played the amazingly slutty Marie Antoinette in the wonderfully entertaining but bizarre film "Start the Revolution Without Me". She plays 'Zamara'--an alien who takes over Moonbase and kidnaps Dr. Russell and Tony. Considering that it usually is Dr. Russell who is kidnapped in shows, it's not surprising she's taken and Tony is the new hero on the show, so his inclusion is also not too surprising.
The show begins with the Alphans in some sort of suspended animation. They are at their posts but frozen in place by Zamara. Why she has done this and reduced the life support on the station to a bare minimum is unknown--all they know is that she takes the two prisoners and disappears to her nearby planet. Once their, one of the androids that serves Zamara and her friends makes contact with Russell--indicating why this elaborate ruse has occurred. It seems that the humanoids are actually the robots and the androids are humans made up to look like them--as the robots have taken over long ago. They have brought the humans there in the hope that they can teach them aggression--something that they have yet to learn.
While the show is generally good, there is a portion of the show that is pretty goofy. Late in the episode, the robo-dudes are trying to provoke Koenig to react out of jealousy by vamping Dr. Russell right in front of him. The incredibly silly music (with its very obnoxious blaring) is hard to take and the love scene is about as hot as watching grandma undress!! The overall effect is just ridiculous and the definite low-point of the show.
The end is highly reminiscent of, believe it or not, "Pinocchio"! And, if this is any sort of indication of the direction the show is taking in season two, I can see why it was canceled!
The show begins with the Alphans in some sort of suspended animation. They are at their posts but frozen in place by Zamara. Why she has done this and reduced the life support on the station to a bare minimum is unknown--all they know is that she takes the two prisoners and disappears to her nearby planet. Once their, one of the androids that serves Zamara and her friends makes contact with Russell--indicating why this elaborate ruse has occurred. It seems that the humanoids are actually the robots and the androids are humans made up to look like them--as the robots have taken over long ago. They have brought the humans there in the hope that they can teach them aggression--something that they have yet to learn.
While the show is generally good, there is a portion of the show that is pretty goofy. Late in the episode, the robo-dudes are trying to provoke Koenig to react out of jealousy by vamping Dr. Russell right in front of him. The incredibly silly music (with its very obnoxious blaring) is hard to take and the love scene is about as hot as watching grandma undress!! The overall effect is just ridiculous and the definite low-point of the show.
The end is highly reminiscent of, believe it or not, "Pinocchio"! And, if this is any sort of indication of the direction the show is taking in season two, I can see why it was canceled!
The deserted moon base
ShadeGrenade3 March 2010
Warning: Spoilers
Off-hand I cannot think of many science fiction programmes where Lionel Blair has had a credit, but this is one of them.
A power loss hits Moonbase Alpha. Everyone is frozen into immobility. A beautiful alien woman - Zamara ( Billie Whitelaw ) - materialises in Command Center. She spirits Helena and Tony back to her world. A robot named 'Number Eight' ( Geoffrey Bayldon ) tells the doctor not to lose her temper no matter what happens. It is hard not to do so. Zamara insults her, then Zarl ( Leigh Lawson ) tries to pick a fight with Tony.
Zamara is one of a race of robots, who have taken over and whom are now using their creators as servants. They want the Alphans to show them how to kill. When direct provocation fails, they send them back to Alpha, or rather to a replica of Alpha which is totally free of personnel...
The late Tony Barwick was a regular contributor to Gerry Anderson's shows, commencing with 'Thunderbirds'. He penned two episodes of 'Space: 1999', of which this is the first. It is pretty good on the whole, with some superb sets and costumes, and Billie Whitelaw being wonderfully haughty. It feels more like a Year 1 rather than a Year 2 story, which might explain its quality. The notion of characters finding themselves in a deserted Alpha seems to have been inspired by Star Trek's 'The Mark Of Gideon' ( which Fred Freiburger also produced ).
Where does Lionel come in to this, I hear you ask? The 'Give Us A Clue' team captain is credited with providing 'movements' in a ( mildly ) erotic sequence where Zarl tries to antagonise Koenig by getting over friendly with Helena. Leigh Lawson had played 'Percy' in the sex comedy 'Percy's Progress' ( a role he inherited from Hywel Bennett ) and later married Twiggy. Geoffrey Bayldon was 'Catweazle' in the classic I.T.V. children's series of that name.
A thoughtful and colourful little episode, no flashy pyrotechnics but fun.
A power loss hits Moonbase Alpha. Everyone is frozen into immobility. A beautiful alien woman - Zamara ( Billie Whitelaw ) - materialises in Command Center. She spirits Helena and Tony back to her world. A robot named 'Number Eight' ( Geoffrey Bayldon ) tells the doctor not to lose her temper no matter what happens. It is hard not to do so. Zamara insults her, then Zarl ( Leigh Lawson ) tries to pick a fight with Tony.
Zamara is one of a race of robots, who have taken over and whom are now using their creators as servants. They want the Alphans to show them how to kill. When direct provocation fails, they send them back to Alpha, or rather to a replica of Alpha which is totally free of personnel...
The late Tony Barwick was a regular contributor to Gerry Anderson's shows, commencing with 'Thunderbirds'. He penned two episodes of 'Space: 1999', of which this is the first. It is pretty good on the whole, with some superb sets and costumes, and Billie Whitelaw being wonderfully haughty. It feels more like a Year 1 rather than a Year 2 story, which might explain its quality. The notion of characters finding themselves in a deserted Alpha seems to have been inspired by Star Trek's 'The Mark Of Gideon' ( which Fred Freiburger also produced ).
Where does Lionel come in to this, I hear you ask? The 'Give Us A Clue' team captain is credited with providing 'movements' in a ( mildly ) erotic sequence where Zarl tries to antagonise Koenig by getting over friendly with Helena. Leigh Lawson had played 'Percy' in the sex comedy 'Percy's Progress' ( a role he inherited from Hywel Bennett ) and later married Twiggy. Geoffrey Bayldon was 'Catweazle' in the classic I.T.V. children's series of that name.
A thoughtful and colourful little episode, no flashy pyrotechnics but fun.
good drama with good actors
marcgreenman23 July 2020
This episode works quite well as a drama and a morality play, with no monsters and little emphasis on effects, showing that 1999 could make stories work when they had a completely different emphasis. the guest stars billie whitelaw and leigh lawson are strong, billie whitelaw in particular is riveting to watch. the show needed more villains like her who could project ruthlessness and evil like her. the plot twist was guessable but effective. the ending was a bit sad, which made a change from the way year two usually ended its stories.
See also
Awards | FAQ | User Ratings | External Reviews | Metacritic Reviews
