Force of Life
An alien life-force transforms a technician into a deadly energy vampire.
"Force of Life" is the 18th episode of the first series of *Space: 1999*. Johnny Byrne wrote the screenplay, and David Tomblin directed. The original working title was "Force of Evil." The shooting script was dated 15 May 1974, with a final version dated 24 May 1974. Live-action filming began on Wednesday 29 May 1974 and ran through Friday 7 June 1974. After a planned three-week hiatus—guaranteed by the Landaus' contract for a summer holiday—filming resumed from Monday 1 July 1974 to Friday 5 July 1974. The episode first aired in Australia on 18 August 1975, and in the UK on 11 September 1975.
**Plot**
A blue sphere of light approaches the Moon and freezes everyone in Alpha except technician Anton Zoref, who is in a nuclear power plant. The sphere enters Zoref's body, knocking him unconscious. The other personnel revive, and the light vanishes. When Zoref wakes, he is shaken but Dr. Russell finds no physical harm and releases him to his wife, Eva. Professor Bergman checks computer logs and notes a large energy discharge in the power plant at the time of the attack.
Unknown to the crew, Zoref is transforming into an entity that craves thermal energy. Lights dim as he passes, and anyone touching him loses all body heat, freezing to death instantly. Each incident registers as an unexplained energy discharge. Driven by instinct, Zoref kills and drains energy from technician Mark Dominix and medical orderly Hilary Preston. He then enters the solarium, where he begins glowing purple while basking in the sunbeds' warmth. Commander Koenig arrives with a security team and shoots the solarium's power generator, cutting all nearby thermal energy and neutralizing Zoref.
Unconscious, Zoref is taken to Medical and placed in an observation room with a single weak light source. That light is enough to restore him. He breaks out, freezing a security guard, and heads back to the nuclear plant. Koenig declares a base-wide emergency, ordering personnel to avoid Zoref if possible but to shoot to kill if necessary. Reasoning that the only way to destroy the alien force is to starve it of energy, he cuts power to all sectors—including Medical, which has critical patients.
Eva finds Zoref and begs him to surrender. Though weakened by low light, Zoref remains dangerous and nearly freezes Eva until Captain Carter pulls her away. Koenig, Carter, and Bergman confront Zoref at the
- series
- Space: 1999
- episode_number
- 18 (first series)
- original_title
- Force of Evil
- screenplay_by
- Johnny Byrne
- directed_by
- David Tomblin
- first_aired_Australia
- 18 August 1975
- first_aired_UK
- 11 September 1975
Lore & Background
The episode follows a sphere of blue light that immobilizes Moonbase Alpha's personnel and enters technician Anton Zoref. Zoref transforms into an entity with an insatiable need for thermal energy, draining heat from others and freezing them to death. Commander Koenig eventually cuts power to starve the entity, but Zoref reaches the nuclear reactor and steps inside, causing an explosion. The blue light reappears and departs into space. The story was originally conceived as a malevolent alien force, but during a story conference with Gerry Anderson, Byrne rethought the concept, making the entity follow an evolutionary imperative. Byrne described it as "a being going through a galactic transformation... from the 'caterpillar' into the 'butterfly'." ITC executives insisted on adding a scene where Koenig and Bergman speculate the entity might be a developing star.
Reader's Guide
The episode is notable for its use of abstract electronic music by Georges Teperino, Cecil Leuter, and Giampiero Boneschi, replacing the regular Barry Gray score to emphasize the alien nature. Director David Tomblin employed unusual camera angles and lens techniques. Reception was mixed: a Birmingham Daily Post reviewer criticized the horror content as excessive and harmful to children. Critics like John Brosnan and James Van Hise found the story clichéd or poorly plotted, with Van Hise noting it exemplified the show's "storytelling deficiencies." Martin Landau, when asked by Buster Crabbe to explain the alien force, replied he had no idea. Retrospective reviews have been more positive: SFX magazine gave an "A minus," calling it "unsettling and distinctly eerie." John Kenneth Muir interpreted it as an analogy for demonic possession or the Midas myth, praising its ambiguity and visual style.
Did You Know?
- The original title was "Force of Evil" before being changed to "Force of Life."
- Live-action filming began 29 May 1974 and concluded 5 July 1974, with a planned three-week hiatus for the Landaus' summer holiday.
- The episode's music was drawn from a library of abstract electronic compositions, including 'Cosmic Sounds No. 1' by Georges Teperino.
- John Kenneth Muir noted that "Zoref" is an anagram of "froze."
More in Space: 1999 episodes 1-24
Spotted an error? Know more?
This is a living reference — every entry is fact-audited, and reader corrections feed straight into our audit queue. Suggest an edit · See this site's audit record