The Last Sunset (Space: 1999)

Lore & Background

The Moon appears captured by a planetary system and is on course to orbit its star. The system contains a single planet, nicknamed "Ariel" by the Alphans, believed habitable. Artificial probes from Ariel emit a vapour that blankets the lunar surface, giving the Moon an Earth-like atmosphere and gravity. The probes depart except one. The crew relax on the moonscape; Paul Morrow and Sandra Benes confess their love and kiss. The remaining probe generates clouds and rain. Commander Koenig realizes Alpha, built into Plato crater, will flood. He orders Eagle scouts to find relocation sites. Captain Carter, Dr Russell, Morrow and Benes crash in a thunderstorm. An unknown element corrodes metals except graphite-coated ones. Koenig orders an Eagle reinforced with graphite. Morrow, unable to bear Benes's suffering, walks for help, collapses, but finds a mushroom-like organism that sustains him. Bergman calculates the Moon is exiting the system. Koenig sets out in the graphite-coated Eagle. Morrow brings his crewmates to his shelter, delusional, declaring himself founder of a new "Garden of Eden". Russell destroys the crashed Eagle to signal Koenig. Koenig lands; Morrow attacks him but is knocked unconscious. Bergman discovers the food source was a hallucinogen. The probes depart; a voice says its people terraformed the Moon to dissuade the Alphans from coming to Ariel. Koenig insists their intentions were peaceful, but the voice replies they do not trust humanity. The atmosphere dissipates; the Alphans see their last sunset.

Reader's Guide

This episode is notable for being the only first-series episode to feature only the regular cast and background extras. It highlights the Morrow-Benes romance, evolving from its beginnings in "Black Sun". A line of dialogue was trimmed before the kissing scene where Sandra was to answer her own question about the sound she misses most with 'The sound of children'; both actress Zienia Merton and director Charles Crichton felt this made the character seem too desperate on a first date, substituting an enigmatic look. The episode featured the first location filming for the series, with rainstorm scenes shot in the Pinewood Studios car-park two weeks after principal photography. Scenes cut from the final print include a segment where technicians replace a shattered window with an openable panel, and a line where Koenig orders all windows replaced, leaving viewers with the impression Alpha windows were always openable. Reception varied: SFX rated it A-plus; Video Watchdog found it enjoyable; SciFiNow gave 4/5; John Kenneth Muir criticized its overload of incident but praised expanded roles; Dreamwatch Bulletin rated it 7/10; TV Zone considered it a disappointment, calling the plot unstimulating and the terraforming strategy ludicrous.

Did You Know?

• The final shooting script is dated 21 July 1974, with blue-page amendments dated 22 July 1974 and pink-page amendments dated 23 July 1974.
• Live-action filming took place from Tuesday 23 July 1974 through Tuesday 6 August 1974.
• A day of second-unit location work was completed on Wednesday 21 August 1974, during production of 'Voyager's Return'.
• The Italian edition was lost in the RAI buildings, then taken by a worker of a closed company; after many vicissitudes, the episode was transmitted but the first minutes are with English audio.