Space: 1999

Lore & Background

The premise of Space: 1999 centres on the plight of the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, a scientific research centre located within the crater Plato in the Moon's northern hemisphere. Humanity had been storing its nuclear waste in vast disposal sites on the far side of the Moon, but when an unknown form of 'magnetic radiation' is detected, the accumulated waste reaches critical mass and causes a massive thermonuclear explosion on 13 September 1999. The force of the blast propels the Moon like an enormous booster rocket, hurling it out of Earth orbit and into deep space at colossal speed, stranding the 311 personnel stationed on Alpha. The runaway Moon becomes the 'spacecraft' on which the protagonists travel, searching for a new home. During their interstellar journey, the Alphans encounter an array of alien civilisations, dystopian societies, and mind-bending phenomena. Several episodes of the first series hinted that the Moon's journey was influenced, and perhaps initiated by, a 'mysterious unknown force' guiding the Alphans toward an ultimate destiny. The second series used simpler action-oriented plots.

Reader's Guide

Space: 1999 was the last in a long line of science-fiction series that Gerry and Sylvia Anderson produced as a working partnership, beginning with Supercar in the early 1960s. The series owes much of its visual design to pre-production work for the never-made second series of UFO. Sir Lew Grade, head of ITC Entertainment, insisted the series have American leads to appeal to the US market, leading to the casting of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain over the objections of Sylvia Anderson, who wanted British actors. The first series was co-produced by ITC Entertainment and Italian broadcaster RAI, while the second was produced solely by ITC. The programme featured guest appearances from notable actors including Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing, Joan Collins, and Brian Blessed. The show's vehicles, including the Eagle space shuttle and the Moon Buggy, were represented with a mixture of full-sized props, photographic blow-ups, and detailed scale models. The programme's special effects director was Brian Johnson.

Did You Know?

• Space: 1999 was first telecast on Australia's Channel 7 Melbourne, not in the UK.
• The explosion that sends the Moon hurtling into space occurs on 13 September 1999.
• Martin Landau and Barbara Bain were married at the time and had previously appeared together in Mission: Impossible.
• The second series eliminated the teaser introduction and montage that opened episodes of the first series.