Guardian of Piri
Alien intelligence brainwashes Alphans into thinking dead planet Piri is ideal.
The 19th episode of *Space: 1999*'s first series, "Guardian of Piri," was the eighth episode produced and was filmed at Pinewood Studios in May 1974. Christopher Penfold wrote the script based on a story by David Weir, with Charles Crichton directing. The episode introduced Catherine Schell to the series; she would later return as the regular character Maya in the second series. Produced by Group Three for ITC Entertainment, the episode first aired on 15 September 1975 in Australia. Critical reception was mixed, though the production design received praise.
In the story, set in 1999, the Moon has been blasted out of the Solar System by a nuclear explosion, leaving the crew of Moonbase Alpha adrift. The Alphans encounter an alien intelligence on the dead planet Piri that brainwashes nearly everyone—except Commander John Koenig—into believing Piri is an ideal new home. The plot involves the Guardian corrupting the base's Computer, causing malfunctions that lead to deaths and disappearances. Koenig eventually discovers the truth: the Guardian and its Servant (a machine) have stopped time to create a perfect, illusory existence. After a firefight, Koenig destroys the Servant, which releases the Guardian's hold on the Moon and time itself, restoring the Alphans' senses.
The episode's script evolved from David Weir's treatment "Nobody's Perfect," inspired by the Lotophagi in Homer's *Odyssey*. Weir's original draft included Koenig taking hostages and a different ending where the Guardian destroys itself after realizing its actions caused a dead planet. Neither Weir nor Penfold received credit in the finished episode. Filming took place from 7 to 24 May 1974, concluding that August. Guest star Gareth Hunt was originally cast as Irving but quit after a disagreement with the director on the first day; Michael Culver replaced him, while John Gleeson took over for John Lee-Barber as Davis. Footage of Hunt and Lee-Barber was kept in the final episode, where they appear as unnamed Eagle pilots. Catherine Schell interpreted the Servant as eerie and programmed, lacking real warmth or spontaneity. Series producer Gerry Anderson was unimpressed with the vibrant set designs for Piri's surface.
- Series
- Space: 1999
- Episode number
- 19 (first series)
- Written by
- Christopher Penfold (from a story by David Weir)
- Directed by
- Charles Crichton
- First aired
- 15 September 1975 (Australia); 13 November 1975 (UK)
- Guest star debut
- Catherine Schell
Lore & Background
In "Guardian of Piri", the Moon passes a planet of unknown habitability. Scans by Alpha's Computer fail to return meaningful data. An Eagle survey mission disappears, presumed destroyed. Commander Koenig investigates and finds the first Eagle suspended in mid-air with no sign of the pilots. Professor Bergman collapses because Computer has reduced oxygen levels; on waking, he declares the planet perfect. Computer malfunctions kill a patient during a blood transfusion. David Kano uses his brain implant to interface with Computer but is found in a trance on the planet Piri after interfacing. Koenig and Carter land on the planet and find Kano and the pilots in a trance, insisting the planet is perfect. A woman calling herself "the Servant of the Guardian" explains that the Pirians built machines to run their planet and left all decision-making to the Guardian, which stopped time so their perfect existence would last forever. The Alphans have accepted the offer of happiness, and time h
Reader's Guide
The episode was based on David Weir's story "Nobody's Perfect", which drew on the tale of the Lotophagi in Homer's Odyssey. Weir's original treatment included Koenig taking Alphans hostage and a different ending where the Guardian destroys itself after Koenig makes it see its actions caused a dead planet. Neither Weir nor Penfold is credited in the finished episode. Guest star Gareth Hunt was originally cast as Irving but quit after a disagreement with the director on the first day; Michael Culver replaced him, while John Gleeson replaced John Lee-Barber as Davis. Footage of Hunt and Lee-Barber was retained as unnamed Eagle pilots. Catherine Schell decided to play the Servant on one level only, with no deep emotions, as she was programmed to be alluring but without real warmth. The vibrant set designs for Piri were coolly received by series producer Gerry Anderson, but praised by Group Three's film laboratory as the series' best episode so far. A shot of the Pirian landscape was later used in Doctor Who's Nightmare of Eden (1979). The episode received mixed reviews: SFX magazine gave it an "A" grade, calling the planet design "a masterpiece of the bizarre"; TV Zone found the plot "not desperately original" but praised production design; Dreamwatch Bulletin gave it 3 out of 10, calling it the nadir of the first season. John Kenneth Muir called the episode "good, if not terribly original", praising the design of Piri as the most unusual and interesting one-off planet in Space: 1999, and favorably noting Schell's performance as a standout villain.
Did You Know?
- The episode was based on David Weir's story 'Nobody's Perfect', which was inspired by the tale of the Lotophagi in Homer's Odyssey.
- Guest star Gareth Hunt quit after a disagreement with the director on the first day of filming; his footage was retained as an unnamed Eagle pilot.
- A shot of the Pirian landscape was later reused in the Doctor Who serial 'Nightmare of Eden' (1979) to represent the surface of the planet Ranx.
- Catherine Schell, who played the Servant, later returned as the regular character Maya in Space: 1999's second series.
More in Space: 1999 episodes 1-24
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