Lunarville 7
A lunar colony declares neutrality in Earth's war with Mars.
Lunarville 7 is the 15th episode of the British Supermarionation series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson. Written by Tony Barwick and directed by Robert Lynn, it first aired on 15 December 1967 on ATV Midlands. The episode is notable as the first part of a two-episode story arc that concludes in Dangerous Rendezvous.
Quick Facts
- Series
- Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons
- Episode
- 15
- Air date
- 15 December 1967
- Production
- SCA 15
- Writer
- Tony Barwick
- Director
- Robert Lynn
- Photographer
- Julien Lugrin
- Editor
- Bob Dearberg
Facts from the source article.
Plot
The Lunar Controller of Lunarville 7 broadcasts a declaration of the Moon's neutrality in the conflict between Earth and the Mysterons. Colonel White dispatches Captain Scarlet, Captain Blue and Lieutenant Green to deliver the World President's written response and to investigate a new, unauthorised colony in the Humboldt Sea on the Moon's far side. At the colony, the officers meet the Controller and his assistant Orson, and are introduced to the Speech Intelligence Decoder (SID), an artificial intelligence that identifies humans via recognition discs. After handing over the President's letter, Orson takes them on a Moonmobile trip but refuses to visit the Humboldt Sea. The trio discover their quarters are bugged. Scarlet learns that the Controller has re-programmed SID to accept only his commands and has ordered an evacuation. By swapping recognition discs with the sleeping Controller, Scarlet obtains a Moonmobile. They travel to the Humboldt Sea and find a Mysteron installation under construction in Crater 101. Returning to Lunarville 7, they confront the Controller and Orson, who appear to be Mysteron reconstructions. Scarlet, wearing the Controller's disc, orders SID to prepare a shuttle. When SID ignores the Controller's lockdown order, the Controller shoots SID, causing an explosion that kills himself and Orson. Scarlet, Blue and Green escape in the shuttle as the colony is destroyed.
Production
The episode was filmed on Stage 4 of Century 21 Studios. In the original script, the Lunar Controller was to have discussed the Moon's self-reliance in greater detail, but these lines were cut. The voice of SID was provided by Martin King, who spoke into a vocoder supplied by Standard Telecommunication Laboratories of Harlow; the closing credits acknowledge STL for electronic collaboration. The miniature model of Lunarville 7 incorporated colanders and mixing bowls. Set elements were recycled from Thunderbirds: the Moonmobile cockpit reused parts of Thunderbird 4's interior, and the Lunar Controller's desk was a modified version of the Glenn Field controller's desk from Thunderbirds Are Go. The Moon shuttle cockpit was a redressing of the Martian Exploration Vehicle interior from Thunderbirds Are Go and the episode The Mysterons. The Lunarville Moonmobiles influenced the design of the SHADO Moonmobiles in the series UFO. The incidental music, largely electronic, was performed by a four-member ensemble using electric guitar, accordion, vibraphone, and an Ondes Martenot played by Barry Gray. It was recorded on 23 July 1967 in the same session as the music for The Launching. Lunarville 7 was the first Captain Scarlet episode to feature the lyrical version of the ending theme, performed by The Spectrum, recorded on 26 July 1967.
Reception
Chris Bentley, author of Captain Scarlet: The Vault, considered Lunarville 7 and its follow-up Crater 101 his favourite story of the series, finding it memorable for its off-Earth setting. Chris Drake and Graeme Bassett regarded the episode as good. Fred McNamara, in Spectrum Is Indestructible, praised it as an enjoyably solid, moody affair, though he felt the mystery was undermined by dialogue that made the Mysteron infiltration clear before it was confirmed on screen. He commended David Healy's performance as the Controller, Lieutenant Green's substantial role, and the design of the Mysteron lunar complex. In a later article, McNamara ranked it among the best episodes, highlighting the reveal of the Mysteron outpost and the true identities of the Controller and Orson as an enthralling twist that underscores the episode's sense of terror-stricken mystery. He again praised Healy's scene-stealing voice acting, noting that his portrayal of the Controller's psychosis gives the episode a memorable finale. Mark Brend wrote that the incidental music features one of Barry Gray's most fully realised predominantly electronic compositions, praising its evocation of the cold, desolate expanses of the Moon. Andrew Pixley and Julie Rogers of Starburst viewed the karate blow Blue lands on Orson as one of the series' more violent moments. The British Board of Film Classification certified the episode U, noting one mild instance of violence.
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