Space 1999: A Tale of Two Moons
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- Опубліковано 5 вер 2024
- Chris Dale explores the differences between the two seasons of Space:1999, and how the changes between the two are never actually referenced or explained on screen. Fans have their theories, but what actually is the truth, if it exists?!
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We hope you enjoyed this look at the two moons of Space: 1999. Join us from 6:30pm BST on 13th September for a Breakaway Day live stream here: ua-cam.com/video/IkzFWGVV5YM/v-deo.html
if you watch the first episode of season two alpha has the impression of being a lot larger than season one witch i have always put down to that season two is about 5 to 10 years after season one
now with the dates i had to through them out the window because as you pointed out they do not add up and i can not for the life of me make them fit
but if i was going to have a try the best that i can come up with is that at some point they had a complete melt down with there computers that wiped all data so they had to start from scratch yes i know this is not perfect but that is the best that i can come up with
and the other thing that made me thing that it was about 5 to 10 years is that the first season did not have space cannons season two did
Great vid!! I watched most all the episodes as a kid, but remember hardly anything except that I was in love with Mia.
I need your help. I'm trying to find a sci-fi movie that I saw part of on tv here in the U.S. back in the 70's, that I never caught on tv again. The only scene that I remember was, there was a Moon Base and a computer alarm kept repeating something like, "Moon Base RED ALERT!!" because there was a small unknown saucer-like spaceship coming in to land at the moon-base. After it landed, they opened it up and to their shock there was a human looking figure inside but his skin was green (i think he was dead). That's all I can remember.
@@MAGGOT_VOMIT Sounds like the TV series UFO, which was what Space 1999 was based on.
@@MAGGOT_VOMIT sounds like UFO that came before space 1999 same production crew
@@my3dviews Thanks to you and Mark Taylor for that. I'll check it out and see. It was around '75-'76. I was only about 7 or 8yrs old and only saw that 5-10min segment cause my family and I were heading out that evening to my Grandparents house for Christmas Eve.
Season 2 is fun to watch. The new characters are pretty great, however season 1 just hit different. It had a peculiar charm that no other SCI-FI had or has.
I enjoy watching both, but I prefer season 1 by a big margin. It feels more unique and special.
Both seasons were charming...in their own way. Throw away continuity in that how many eagles were blown up? etc etc. But it was must-see viewing in the 1970s.
Season 2 is charming only if Space: 1999’s audience was shifted to Saturday morning television. Shows like Shazam!, Isis and Ark II on CBS look as cerebral as 2001: A Space Odyssey when compared to season 2 of Space: 1999.
I enjoy season 1 most. It has the feel of "The Outer Limits."
How about "...fans were sickened by the changes that were made"? We traded in a minimalist space soap opera with existential themes for a sci-fantasy disco party. You can keep it. Since 1976, I have tried to convince myself that season 2 was just a bad dream.
My feelings exactly.
There were things to enjoy in season 2 but it just didn’t hold up to season 1. I loved Victor Bergman. He was one of my favourite characters. I don’t know if he left by choice but I don’t think his character would have fitted in with season 2 at all. Season 2 had too many silly monsters and many of the stories just didn’t match up to the first season. There were so many really good and thoughtful episodes in season 1 and only one monster that I can recall. My favourite episodes were the first episode Breakaway, the Quiller Drive episode Voyagers Return and the episode where they find the human remains on the remote planet Testament of Arcadia. Brilliant but there were other memorable episodes. I can honestly say, apart from the first episode of season 2 where we meet Maya very few of the episodes really stick in the memory at all. Sad and a waste of a good series to me. I recently saw a video which suggested that Space 1999 was created because the series UFO was cancelled. UFO was an outstanding series. Only 26 episodes but really good stuff. It’s a shame they didn’t make more. I thought it would be great to remake UFO for modern times but not sure. After watching the first episode of the remake of The Prisoner, I think maybe they should leave UFO alone. Any remake would be unlikely to do it justice.
I never saw UFO when it originally aired or in reruns, just on DVD and I enjoyed it more than Space:1999 (and Space:1999 WAS from my childhood.)
@@rumblehat4357 I too only caught up with UFO much later, but I think that Space: 1999 is vastly superior. UFO has some interesting concepts and some very strong episodes, but, on the other hand, its basic concept is rather silly and even cartoony, more suited to a puppet show than to a live-action series. And even the miniature work and SFX don't even come close to the level of what they did in Space:1999. And I always tought that it was ridiculous how the moonbase on UFO only had 3 interceptors with one missile each, amd the aliens rather convenientely never came in waves of 4 or 5, as if they were too stupid to figure that out (not to mention the fact they always seemed to approach Earth passing the Moon in the first place). It is a fun show, but better than Space:1999 Y1? Not even close, IMO.
@@PAULOSOUSADIAS I enjoyed UFO more. It was a fun show. Space:1999 seemed to drag in places for me, and the “monster of the week” episodes were not really my thing. I do like both, though (I bought the Space:1999 box set.) Space:1999 was what Gerry Anderson could do with money. The opening theme of season 1 alone is a favorite. It’s a tough call for me, though.
Chris, you read my mind. I've had this exact theory for years. I found it a comfort to imagine that the season one Alpha with all its crew is still out there and that the season two Alpha was an alternative version.
If anyone is looking for a different approach I highly recommend the Space 1999 novel "The Forsaken." by John Kenneth Muir which tries to tie up both series and explain missing crewmen.
Space:1999’s first season was the superior one IMHO.
I have to agree. At least Series 2 brought us "Bringers of Wonder". However, without Victor Bergman things didn't feel right.
Rewatching it in 2024. First season was a bit boring but the quality was really good. Season 2 seemed more interesting and the uniforms updated with jackets to bring a new look. Season 2 also got rid of the useless characters. The title sequence in season 2 at the beginning of every episode with the commander turning around in his chair and firing his weapon always cracks me up.
I agree no competition there.
Meddling tv execs there again. They did the same with the original 60 Star Trek series where in the first series you ihad ntelligent interesting stories but by series 3 it had descended too ludicrous ones like 'Spock 's Brain. Consquently, that's why the original series ended in 1969 because of deterioration of the storys.
@@garyturner5739
Fred Freiberger produced season 3 of Star Trek and season 2 of Space:1999.
William Shatner noted in his memoir, Star Trek Memories, that as soon as Star Trek ended, it was virtually 'Fred Frieberger season' as fans blamed him for season 3's woes.
only Fred Freiberger knows for sure. ;) For me, the secret sauce is the ambiguity of season 1, where every encounter leads to unexpected problems, and unanswered questions... where space is dangerous, spooky & lonely. *That vibe* is what set it apart from the likes of Star Trek. Alpha isn't ready to be cut loose from home, but there they are, unready & making the best of it. When the show lost that quality (embodied in the character of Victor Bergman, btw) it stopped being Space:1999, imho.
Yes. Freddy Fried Burger ruined it.
I couldn't agree more. 👍
The serial killer.
I'm trying to find a sci-fi movie that I saw part of on tv here in the U.S. back in the 70's, that I never caught on tv again. The only scene that I remember was, there was a Moon Base and a computer alarm kept repeating something like, "Moon Base RED ALERT!!" because there was a small unknown saucer-like spaceship coming in to land at the moon-base. After it landed, they opened it up and to their shock there was a human looking figure inside but his skin was green (i think he was dead). That's all I can remember.
@@MAGGOT_VOMIT Could you be thinking of UFO? It was a TV series by the same production company as Space: 1999.
Since the multiverse theory seems to be so popular at the moment, particularly with the DC and Marvel universes, I think this theory fits very well. Due to all the widespread and unexplained changes, I simply regard Year Two as a separate show, with only the break away from Earth orbit missing. In any case I find it vastly inferior to Year One.
Agreed.
When I was a kid in the 70s I preferred season 2. It seemed way cooler with all the action. As an adult, I much prefer the darker and weirdly metaphysical nature of season 1. Plus the season 1 theme is 1000 times cooler than season 2s!
As a longtime fan of Space: 1999 who watched both Year 1 and Year 2 as a kid, I took at face value the explanations for the differences between the seasons in the Moonbase Alpha Technical Manual:
1. Victor died from a faulty spacesuit
2. Morrow and Kano were killed in an Eagle crash (which makes sense given how many crashed throughout both seasons)
3. Main Mission was closed down for safety reasons and Command Center was set up to provide more protection to base command personnel. Of course, the destruction to Command Center shown in the final Year 2 episode “The Dorcons” would seem to suggest Command Center wasn’t well enough protected!
I think it was brilliant that you found “Tony Allen” as Security Chief in Year 1! That helps justify Tony Verdeschi’s elevation to that role. I’m assuming Tony Allen was killed in action between seasons and Tony Verdeschi was promoted to that role, which took on greater command importance as Command Center was set up and Moonbase Alpha was fortifying itself against more frequent alien threats.
In my mind, the cosmetic changes in the architecture, badges, and clothing can be explained by hardening of the base’s security, too.
While I have loved the parallel and multiverse stories in “Star Trek” and other sci-if shows, I am sticking with the above for my explanation of the changes between the 2 seasons.
That's Cool you found reason for changes between Seasons I and II. But alias, many average viewers of series never knew about Moonbase Technical Manual. Besides, wouldn't been easier have Cmdr Konieg or Dr Russell mention in Log entry? Or some new characters doing research on Alpha main computer?
Losing Bergman was a big blow. I liked the new characters but really missed The Professor.
As did I. It was not the same to me without Dr. Bergman.
I assume Season 2 was the visualization of the bad trip Paul Morrow went on after discovering those mushrooms growing on the lunar surface in "The Last Sunset".
I've been saying this for decades: the strongest evidence that they are two separate universes can be found in the uniforms. It is very hard to believe that after such a long time in space, suddenly they felt the need to put photo ID badges on newly-redesigned uniforms and issue new colored jackets all around.
Without a doubt, the history of Moon Base Alpha was different long before the events of 13 September 1999; different personnel were assigned to the base to cover different positions, the selection of uniforms was made differently (note the line pattern on the chest of S2 uniforms), and tighter security requirements mandated Photo ID badges and additional marker insignia to be worn on the uniforms.
I will posit that the pilot episode (Breakaway) may even be a *third* alternate timeline; note how Commissioner Simmons and the Meta Probe are a big part of the plot of the episode, yet are pretty much never mentioned again.
Another possibility: My daughter has said that after the end of the first season, everybody died and S2 is actually a composite of people's memories as their collective brains are dying, which explains why it seems fore fantastical and action-oriented than the more cerebral/spiritual S1.
Simmons died in the second (third?) episode. If I remember right, he was tortured to death by some aliens.
One other possibility (far out as it may be), is that some of the new season 2 characters WERE there in season 1, but we just didn't see them. Maybe they were "promoted" - remember Chekhov remembering Khan, though he was nowhere visible during Khan and the ENTERPRISE's first meeting. The explanation for this continuity error was explained that he WAS there, but was just an ensign in a different department who just didn't happen to interact with Khan at the time. So it's POSSIBLE they were already there, but just didn't happen to have any input in the storylines of season 1. Maybe they were all at lunch at those times.
@@toddkurzbard Uh, no. It was the fifth episode (in production, aired orders varied by station). And it was friendly aliens who offered to bring Simmons back to Earth, but Simmons was so paranoid he didn't go through the preparations needed to make the journey in hibernation and he woke up too soon. There was no torture by anyone!
Of course the real reason Meta was never mentioned again was that between episodes continuity wasn't considered important in those days, and shows were generally intended to be viewable in any order. Even with the dates after leaving Earth orbit in year 2 the only episodes you really needed to worry about seeing in order were parts one and two of "Bringers of Wonder," for obvious reasons. "Devil's Planet," "The Lambda Factor," and "The Immunity Syndrome" all take place over the course of 5 days consecutive days, yet the episodes don't reference each other in any way.
I enjoyed both seasons and watch them both when they were on televised in the the United States. I watched them again with few years back on Amazon Prime. It was a well done series for its time.
Damn watched all this, as a little kid. Had the Eagle Landers and Moon Base Alpha sets.
Would love a remake of this TV series. Nostalgia
🇦🇺🤠👍👍👍
I sincerely hope that one day, some studio, that really cares about this show will someday revive it.
I always wondered how Rollin Hand and Cinnamon Carter ended up being in charge of a Moon base. :)
Indeed. So some one really needs to explain how the Mission Impossible team got on the moon, and why weren’t Barney, Willy, and Phelps ever seen. Would we have seen Victor Bergman rip off a rubber mask to reveal Phelps? Would the entire moonbase be revealed to be a fake set, with Willy Armitrage pulling on cables to make it rock back and forth? So many questions. A far larger quandary than a few Space 1999 episodes.
Or how a Vulcan from the future ended up being a terrestrial secret agent. :)
@@DoctorShocktorThat is EXACTLY what happened! And when the undercover spy didn't cough up the info, they changed how wild the simulated sci-fi scenario was, including a shape-shifter just to keep him off balance. Victor Bergman's "disappearance" is because he went behind the scenes to help run things.
I prefer season one. There are a few pretty good 2nd season episodes but far too many monsters and plots that have Maya saving the day by morphing into an elephant to crush the bad guy. Plus, I missed Victor, Paul, Kano and Sandra, though she appears in a few 2nd season episodes. I just prefer the more "serious" tone of the first season.
Excellent, Excellent, Excellent. Thank you Chris for your insightful hypothesis. 10-year-old me was a huge fan of Series 1. Come Series 2 and the loss of Victor Bergman, things were not quite the same. Switching focus to a "Monster of the Week" storyline and less time spent with the likes of Alan Carter was disappointing. My favourite Series 2 story was the Standout Two-Parter "Bringers of Wonder". This allowed me to forgive S2 for its flaws. Space 1999 remains one of the finest Sci-Fi shows of all time.
The concept behind Bringers of Wonder was Cool, but the Jello Aliens brought the quality way down. Could have put more thought into Aliens design.
There is no second season… repeat after me…
Yes there wasn't one.
I liked the original theme music with its walka chica Shaft guitar, disco beat and piercing melody. Its a real arm waver.
This could also explain the third Dinky universe, where the Eagles and earlier Interceptors were green
...and later blue!
6:53 wonderful model work
Basically what they had left in the paint store. Lol
@Damon Manda and the green Shado Mobiles and Interceptors. Lol 😆😆
I prefer season one over two, but season two is still fun to watch.
Music is better. You can dance to Space 1999 with that 1970s music.
For me, “Testament of Arkkadia” was the series finale of Space:1999.
Absolutely. Y2 is just a poor attempt at a remake or reboot and doesn't hold a candle to the original.
@@PAULOSOUSADIAS as with many remakes/reboots
I am still mentally scared by "Dragon's Domain"
Get over it
It was and still is one of the best episodes of season 1, a perfect blend of sci fi and horror.
I hear you. That episode terrified me as a kid. One of the best and scariest episodes of Space 1999.
Great video Chris, you've just confirmed my 40 year old theory from when I first saw series 2 😃 I can't fathom how it could be the same Alpha - I mean not only did they rebuild and down size the entire base (plus build some new nuclear domes that never existed), but the Eagles were all re-designed and suddenly we have a population of mid-Atlantic 20-30 something's as the crew
The real question is why after 800 days in space did they suddenly have to wear photo ID badges
True
Season 1 was outstanding writing and direction, just top notch storytelling, all 24 episodes were a pleasure to watch and why we love the series…….
🌖💥🌘 Really fun video -- I love the characters being vicariously 'included' in the discussion!! Very funny! I love both seasons equally BECAUSE they are different. Also, there is so little Space: 1999 that one should cherish it all. The only consolation with Season 2 was that it did show growth in that the Alphans were learning about surviving in space (especially with someone in the role of 'Guide' in the form of Maya) (Catherine!) who is also a VERY nice addition to the show.
What we fans might all have wished for (and been realistic) would be about 5 seasons of the Season 1 style, and about 3 or 4 seasons of our existing Season 2 style, giving our series a nice "Seinfeld"-like run of 9 Seasons. If only. 🌗
Happy Breakaway Day! And Well Done Chris Dale For Producing Another Great Space:1999 Video!
Season 1 was like Lost in Space season 1. Season 2 was like Lost in Space season 2, made campy with a Monster of the Week and garish production values, to emulate Batman '66
I always loved the Second Season. It had a little bit more action than the First Season. Maybe because I was a kid back then and it keep my attention.
it was the jazzed up music. and the shape shifter
But you're an adult now, right? Year 2 was a kiddie show.
@@erichwise9936 I still prefer Year 2, old habits die hard!!LOL! I also like the music and Maya!!
Season Rwo is the one I will never watch again.
Happy breakaway day!
I should write a book about this stuff. Oh wait. 😂 Nice video. In Dr Who terms, season one is Hinchcliffe and season two is Williams and Douglas Adams. Except Bringers of Wonder which is proper tense and scary again.
So The Bringers of Wonder is the Horror of Fang Rock of Space 1999?
Alternate timeline works for me! That's the beauty of sci-fi. One thing nobody seems to talk about though is the devastating consequences the Moon's loss would have for Earth. That could've made for an interesting spinoff in itself
I believe it was David Hirsch at Starlog magazine and his contacts with the Space: 1999 production team who tried to iron out, in writing, the most significant changes that occurred between seasons in an effort to make sense of it for the Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook (1977). Alpha installs perimeter point defenses, a project during which Professor Bergman suffers an EV suit failure. Some unseen Eagle crash (yet anther one?) takes the lives of Paul Morrow and David Kano. The top-floor Main Mission Control's functions are transferred to the more bunker-like Command Center in Alpha's basement. Nothing is said to explain the changes made to the base uniforms or signage (the futuristic Countdown font, with forms that nicely echoed the architectural shapes inside the base, disappears in favor of a much plainer but more legible sans-serif typeface.) Commlocks are no longer manually activated like IR remote controls to open the doors inside the base (I assume a sensor now reads a security strip in the ID badges and automatically opens doors.)
So does this mean the audio reboot is set on a third moon?
Seems sensible...
Fun video! Made me think that if there's two Moonbases, one with and one without Victor, that must mean there is also a second Earth, with Victor living the life he'd have had if he didn't join Moonbase...
Always loved the first season way more than the second. I have expressed this online and gotten so much flak for it but I don't care. It was very unique and refreshing. The second season was good and I could have accepted it better if not for the first. I got the sense that the show was repackaged for the American audience (correct me if I am wrong). The franchise went from being unique to just being like so many others. I had watched it as a kid from the beginning and I always dismissed the second season as never happening. Now, I can accept both seasons if they can be regarded as parallel universes. I am sorry to dis the second season. It was good. But it replaced something that was great.
I love Fanon explanations for Real World show changes! Loved it!
Fred Freiberger did for Space: 1999's second season what he did for Star Trek TOS' third season. He turned it into a hot mess. However absurd the original S1999 concept may have been, the first year had a visual style and atmosphere almost reminiscent of 2001:A Space Odyssey. Season two was a train wreck on par with the worst of Irwin Allen's 1960s monster-of-the-week garbage. To this day, I have been unable to watch most of the second year eps all the way through. Freiberger, the producer who gave us "Spock's Brain" and other Star Trek 3rd year laugh fests, was a hack.
Boy that was a clever explination Which I totally accept - Now I can watch season 2 and think Victor Is still Alive on the Season 1 Moon ~ Yes season 2 was not as good but its because its moon # 2 !
I was in elementary school when the show was on and I LOVED the first season. I was fascinated by space and astronauts, having caught the space bug watching all the Apollo missions. However, I lost interest in Space: 1999 in its second season. The changes didn’t make sense and I didn’t deal well with change anyway (I am on the autism spectrum). Buck Rogers was the same way for me a year or two later; I was completely obsessed with it in its first season but didn’t like all the changes they made for the second season.
I’m still waiting for a remake. Come on Hollywood!
Iam still waiting for a Battle Star Galactica style reboot, SPACE is long overdue the Fanbase is still alive I was 5 years old in 1975 and iam 52 NOW iam a life long fan
God, I hope not. I absolutely hated the BSG reboot.
Ug no. Original BSG was better. Original Hawaii five-O was better. Original Mission Impossible was better. Original Outer Limits was better. Original Twilight was better. Original SWAT was better (for what is was). Original Starsky and Hutch was better. Original Charlie’s Angels was awful and still better. And on and on. And not just “better”, but the sequels were awful, not just worse.
@@DoctorShocktor It wasn't all good in the Seventies. There was a lot of bad TV back then, plus shows that were cancelled after just one season, or pilots that didn't even make it to a series.
This is so great. I mean, UA-cam doesn't get much better than this. ❤
This show was great back in the day , I would love to see a remake
This is a brilliant explanation, but to me, living where Space:1999 did not air until after its cancellation, I was well aware of changes being made via Starlog. For me, this, all all the other various gaffs made in my very favorite TV show, I just have the attitude of Ham Salad said in "Hardware Wars", "Take it easy kid, it's only a movie." Just watch and enjoy, drool over the amazing FX, and try and ignore the inconsistencies.
I liked Maya a lot, but I missed the original moon base sets and the characters that disappeared in the second season.
it's an interesting idea I guess, but I think it really all hinges around that forgotten date from season 1 that was then contradicted in season 2 (which as pointed out in the video is far more likely to be down to accidental forgetfulness than anything deliberate). And at least in Another Time Another Place the two moons had a common origin point that they branched off from (the moment the moon entered the phenomenon), so presumably some other space warp would have as well and the changes wouldn't work retroactively.
Personally - if I exclude my usual "nope, Season 2 never happened" explanation :) - I like how the comics covered it (collected in "To Everything That Was" and published by Archaia). Those mostly happened in a time between Season 1 and Season 2 (and then go beyond) and explain the deaths, missing people and new people and changes to the base pretty sensibly and without resorting to duplications or parallel universes.
Interesting observation about the Security Guard called "Tony" in Season 1 though, I never realised that was the same guy all the time (probably because his hair keeps changing and he has and loses a beard every now and then)!
Happy Breakaway Day! :D
The more I thought of this video, the more I felt I needed to make a follow up comment (which says a lot for my decades-long love for this show). This channel’s solution to the ‘two moon’ problem actually makes the most sense. And it was something unintentionally set up in first season’s ‘Another Time, Another Place’ (my favorite episode, BTW). We still have two parallel universes, but it was done in a way that was in keeping with the style of this show. Space 1999’s own answer to the multiverse. I will refer to each moon as S1 and S2. Two moons made from one through a mysterious temporal anomaly, two histories, in a way that was fitting to the show’s unique style. Both moons having a slightly different set of characters. Though I think Tony did exist on the S1 moon, Bergman, Morrow, and Kano did not exist on the second one, not because they were died (though I had once read an offscreen explanation in a magazine (Starlog maybe) that they had died in an alien attack), but because they were never posted to the base in that timeline. And where Tony Derdeschi may have risen up faster in the ranks (probably because of the absence of Paul Morrow). This explanation immediately made me think of a Star Trek Voyager episode where Lt. Harry Kim ended up back on Earth after a shuttle encounter with a time-stream. He is in a history where he was never posted to the Voyager in the first place. Something similar happened to our S2 moon. And as I love S1 much more than I do S2, I would love to do stories on the S1 moon based on this idea.
It’s a great theory. I think it works well. 👍🏻
I sure wish it could’ve stayed the same as the first season
This, and the Infirnal machine, are they based on some old cathic Italian tales?
I do remember I tale about a valley and two moons over a monastary.....
Brilliant!! I loved season 1 (shock) but season 2 also had some great stories. Thanks for this video
Outstanding! I love these videos. I hope Chris will do a video of his favorite Season 1 episodes similar to the ones he did with Season 2. He'd probably have to do at least a top 10 list, because there are so many great episodes from that season.
Thanks for the video. I'll have to add this to my rewatch list.
I am SO grateful to PowysMedia for relaunching the novels that also explained how the transition between season 1 and 2 happened.
I don't know about anybody else but my head's hurting after watching this.
If this had happened today, I would have thought JJ Abrams had gotten ahold of it. There was nothing wrong with the original show and it didn’t need a shakeup. I feel that the second season never lived up to the first.
As one of my all time favorite TV series the theory that the S2 was that of the alternate Moonbase Alpha provides some comfort for a Season 1 fanboy.
Now how about a Space 1999 computer sim? This would make for an excellent game.
Loved this show 👍
What if Series 2 was set on the Moonbase Alpha of the world from "Journey to the Far Side of the Sun?"
The first season had mysticism, with some unknown force leading the Alphans to an unknown destiny. Season 2 was more of a straight up adventure.
That's probably why there was never a season 3. Fans don't like it when you mess with the cast that much and don't even try to explain the changes.
It just shows poor science fiction writing.
I tend to favor that they are parallel timelines due to changes in sets, stories, and characters. It is the easiest answer and requires the least logical leaps to make work.
Another show that had a heavy revamp between seasons, much to the dislike of many fans, was the 1988 syndicated War of the Worlds TV series. Although two of the regular main characters were killed off onscreen in the opening episode of the second season the majority of changes were given no explanation. This included how the normal except for the aliens late '80s setting of the first season changed to the near apocalyptic "almost tomorrow" of the second. At least the new major character of John Kincaid, played by future Highlander The Series star Adrian Paul, was given an actual introduction.
That’s an interesting take on it and would satisfy the unanswerable questions - two moons, different timelines. Very entertaining video with nice quips added at the right times. Thank you!!
The explanation is obvious: the producers and writers didn't give a d*mn about in-series continuity.
Because the producers got hacht man to get rid of some of the characters from season 1 they didn't like.
Thing is both seasons had different strengths & weakness. I watch Dragons Domain at least once a year. Still one of my favourite episodes of anything ever. Victor's ok there's a short floating around on UA-cam dealing with just this with Barry reprising the role.
In my head I believed that Victor, Paul and Kano stayed behind in main mission control to do something important to save Moonbase Alpha. There was a radiation leak of some sort and they died heroically. The only option was to move everyone down to the Security Command Center in the base of the main tower until the radiation levels decreased to safe levels. This is where Tony was working out of all a long. We just never met him in the first season like the other new actors.
An official Moonbase Alpha tech guide is available to buy from the Anderson group. All the changes between seasons are addressed, and it reveals that Space: 1999 is set in the same universe as UFO (as in afterwards) as Interceptors are discovered by tbe Alphans under an abandoned luna facility.
When the second series premiered in 1976, I was upset at not just the changes but no explanation about them. I was also disheartened that Dr. Bergman was nowhere to be seen and nohow to be mentioned. A few years passed and I concluded that the two series were two different versions of the same accident, each version in a different universe.
I didn't think to consider the prospect that somehow the moon passed through a heretofore phenomenon that could -- and did -- split it into two different moons. Given the striking contrasts between the two, this is plausible. Thanks for the plausibility.
This really bothered my 9 year old self at the time. I could never enjoy season 2 because of all the contradictions.
I enjoyed both and don't care about it making sense. I was 10/12 at the time and loved it all
I have a name for this strange phenomenon that effects time lines its called "The Freiberger effect"
well thought out. thanks for posting this
... an answer to the question of what happened between series one and two was put forth in the novel "Space: 1999 - The Forsaken", it ties the loose ends of where some of the moon base crew had gone to and the change to Main Mission itself ...
I deeply love, always, the first season of Space: 1999.
When I first saw the second season episodes I was not satisfied.
I can't consider the theory of the two moons.
Simply, at that time, they thought about modifying a jewel to make it more brilliant. But, in my opinion, that was not the case.
It was simply a commercial expediency at the expense of maintaining a perfect stylistic homogeneity which, for me, would have been the best.
First season is 90% gold medal, 10% silver.
Second season... mmm... There are 3 or 4 gold episodes, some silver, and 50% bronze or wood medal... but it's only my opinion.
However, in any case, I love Space:1999.
Thank you for the video.
So when do we get the evil alternative moonbase alpha where Koenig has a black uniform and a mustache?
Ooh “Freiberger Timeline” Alpha 😎
I like that concept.
I remember reading in TV Guide in their annual fall issue, that the command center had moved underground due to the danger from surface attacks. I don't remember if they said why the cast had changed.
I read that too, but I think it might have been in "Starlog''. I do remember seeing Gerry Anderson at a "Save Space:1999 Alliance" convention in 1978 or 79 saying the Main Mission set was actually too big for the TV screen (back then anyway)
@@masterbondofox8982 Command center looks so much more claustrophobic, but I guess they could limit the amount of extras needed on the smaller set too.
Question, if the initial explosion was on the far side of the moon, would the Moon's trajectory not be towards the Earth & not away from the Earth?
I’m still traumatized by Dragon’s Domain.
Best part of Moonbase Alpha, was Eagle transporters, (I had the Airfix kit), but the show lost the plot, after moon left orbit, (what happened to earth tides?), then Shapeshifting Aliens in Crew, they ran out of plot ideas, so went with none, if its remade, maybe base it in reality, as Humans may be about for real to start with building a base on moon & Mars, Strip mining asteroid belt not long after, (its a navigational hazard anyway), maybe that gives some "plot mechanisms" for stories, with interaction with these bases... More aligned with Dangers are really about to face, with some thought out plots, even movie "the martian" made space potatoes a plot device, none of them mutated, grew 3 heads, shapeshifted, or even levitated, but it worked ..
The aste3roid belt is not a navigational hazard. The asteroid are 10s of thousands of miles apart.
@@jessepollard7132 Thousands of miles apart, Colliding, changing orbits, so just like Navigational hazards here on Earth in Oceans, Rocks in Wrong Place, If we are going to navigate the Solar System & Beyond, getting Resources together Off-World will be necessary, SO do we, Wreck another Planet or Pick up the Rocks floating by the Spacecraft ?..
The second series wasn’t a continuation of the first, it was a reboot.
and like most - a bad reboot.
There needs to be a comic book (graphic novel?) crossover of the two Moonbase Alphans!!!
I was surprised at season 2s changes, but both stand in their own right. Season 1 with Gray’s score and serious scripts worked well. Season 2 came just after the arrival of Punk Rock. Wadsworth's music was wonderful and well coordinated with visuals.
love the music from both seasons.
The difference from season 1 to season 2 was clunky. I wondered what was going on. (Space: 1999 Kelvin Universe).
The real, out-universe answer is: The show was changed as justification for bankrolling a 2nd season. When the new Producer Freddy Freiberger was questioned about the problematic inconsistency between seasons he was creating, his stock answer was (and I paraphrase), 'No one will notice or care.'
Except many of us did, of course😂.
Well he was the killer of Sci Fi series. He was the producer of the last season of Star Trek too.
Back when this show originally ran, I remember reading an article in a science fiction magazine (forgot which one) about current projects and it mentioned Space 1999 (upcoming season 2 maybe?). It referred to the show as "Space 1949" Yeah, I thought the author was being a little generous. The show wasn't THAT good.
Before there was Seasons 1 & 2 of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century, there was Seasons 1 & 2 of Space: 1999.
i just thought that due to moon base looking so big in the first season that in the 2nd season they had rotated the staff, and the new staff had always been there but else where in the the base doing other jobs.
I HATED THE SMALLER SETS, THE ABSENCE OF VICTOR, A CHOICE , AND MAIN CHARACTER, AND PAUL, ALTHOUGH HE SHOWED UP ON DR. WHO MANY TIMES IN DIFFERENT ROLES, DIFFERENT HAIR
COLORS, WITH AND WITHOUT A MOUSTACHE ETC. GOOD/ BAD GUY. BUT IT WAS VICTOR I WAS MOST
UPSET WITH BARRY MORSE WAS AN INTEGRAL PART TO THE SHOW!!!!GARY BAILEY KING OF DARKNESS AND GOD OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING I DID LOVE THE ADDITION OF MYA AND TONY. I
TOTALLY FORGOT ABOUT ONE OF MY FAVORITE COMMAND CENTRAL GALS TONYA!!!
THANKS VERY MUCH FOR REPLYING AND FOR THE THUMBS UP, THEY ARE APPRECIATED VERY MUCH!!!GARY BAILEY KING OF DARKNESS AND GOD OF THUNDER AND LIGHTNING /GARY BAILEY
Season 2 paled drastically in the face of the brilliantly executed Season 1. It's not even close.
From what I have read, season 1 had many rewrites and needed to find content in order to get enough episodes made to complete the contract. When the ratings did not take hold, they reworked the series but the timing caveat was somewhat the opposite -- short of time to film the season 2 scripts they had written. Both seasons had their quirks but nonetheless had something to offer. The science was more accurate in season 2 though not totally. One may think season 1 as more of an echo of 2001: A Space Odyssey than season 2 is of Star Trek. Season 2 incorporated elements the mass audience found lacking in season 1 but because season 1 style was first and they did not explain the differences, a noticeable number of the waiting audience for the new season felt estranged. Season 2 has a warmer and fantastic approach while season 1 is more towards measured awe.
It still irks me just how much of a mess Fred Freiberger made of Space 1999 for the second series, and I wish he had had nothing to do with it whatsoever.
I'm old enough to remember watching Space 1999 when it first was on TV. Loved season one. When season two started I was like WTF (will I didn't use those words, but same type of reaction) is this. I didn't like the Mia character. Seemed like almost every episode had her changing into someone or something else.
I did buy season 1 when it came out on DVD. Didn't waste my money on season two.
IT was so bad I quit watching. didn't waste maney on either one - even the first season was crap.
Wonderful filming and photography technique: multiple characters in the same frame unlike the crappy hollywoodian-crappy head and shoulders shot, which go back and forth, and clumsy editing which even high budget films usually have these days. The set design and overall design and fashion of the time and place and technological environment we are watching are top-notch. And this is the Seventies! Well done! I'd rather watch this again and enjoy the day-dreaming or old-school sixties Star Trek than another dose of a numbing and boring sequel to Star Wars or Star Trek goes ballistic!
So second season is an alternate universe. It makes a lot of sense and it would have been before the whole multi-verse thing became popular in SF.