Chris, You're another example of why the Brits make the best narrators. I love your clear, well paced delivery and dry wit. "Nappie-wearing guard, I'm looking at you." Ha!
Dry humor, indeed. No pun intended given the inclusion of "nappies", hehehe! No silly background music blaring either. Just a well-read presentation that really keeps interest, without excessive and distracting jump cuts either.
I have to say, as a small child The Beta Cloud was my favourite episode. It just had so much action and an unstoppable beast is just an awesome enemy for the crew to face, when you are a child.
I'll always count season one as the best of the two, but I did enjoy season two a lot. The opening credits for one thing I liked more, lol. The Beta Cloud was actually an episode I remember fondly. When I first watched it as a kid that unstoppable creature scared the crap out of me and even these days when I watch the episode on DVD I still feel that twinge of fear I remember from my youth.
This is a very written and produced analysis. I loved this show when it ran on WPIX in New York and even wrote a term paper on it in high school. And now 40 years later, Koenig's line of "Maya, go and see!" from The Metamorph jumps in my head from time to time.
Barbara Bain stated in an interview that the first series main mission was a gorgeous set that everybody loved, but very hard to light properly so it was sacrificed in season two. The reason for the change given in the series was it sustained damage at some point and could not be repaired.
Superb analysis and narration Chris. Editing was also well done. I won't comment on your choice of top 5 as we all have our own tastes, but as soon as I saw your choice for position 5, I sort of knew you'd go for Immunity Syndrome for top spot :-) I must mention the Dave Prowse and fire extinguisher scene - it hits him directly in the chest not groin (try watching the moment in slo-mo or frame step it) plus the monster noises are as dubbed as the fire extinguisher sounds (listen again with a head set). Nice and extremely entertaining piece of work - I'd like to see you do a follow up for Series One top 5
I watched "Space 1999" during its original run and loved the first series. When the second series was broadcast it was like watching a totally different show. Since then, my attitude towards Series 2 hasn't changed. I'm one of those people who believe that, after Series 1, nothing at all would have been better than Series 2.
Thank you for this video. It was great seeing these clips again. Loved the show as a teenager and still excites me to see the FX scenes and too hear the music. Tony with Maya were my favorite characters as well as Professor Bergman from SE 1 R I P Mr. Martin Landau R I P Mr. Barry Morse R I P Mr. Tony Anhholt
Great summary. I agree completely about Beta Cloud. It was a tour de force for Verdeschi. Entertaining as hell, but also inspiring because Verdschi NEVER GAVE UP. no matter how bleak things looked, even engaging the robot in hand to hand combat at the end. Journey to Where though.. deserved honorable mention.
A perfect and professional-quality review over a season of a show most hate, making it all even better. Thank you! Great choice of episodes. "AB Chrysalis" is definitely underrated. And Sarah Douglas is just as iconic here as ahe is in anything else scifi/fantasy. Bringers of Wonder is solid, and some costumes I think got parodied in Futurama. The aliens remind me very loosely of "The Green Slime", only done far far better. Yeah, the captain's log reports were always a cluster in season 2 and not always due to (episode reordering?). Metamorph - loved Maya. Mentor was made better thanks to Brian Blessed, but Catherine Schell definitely steals the show. I wish her scripts were more consistent. Nice interview clip of Catherine too! But, dang, now I want to see Shouty Brian as Mentor! Beta Cloud I loved, until the ending. I should revisit this one... the fish costume was a bit unfortunate... i heard Prowse but oddly never really noticed where the extinguisher had hit. I don't even remember Immunity Syndrome. Will be revisiting that too... I remember the one with the yellow orange people being a semi-ripoff of Space Seed. The dialogue was not great, but the psychological horror almost made up for it. Then one remembers the sets comprised of red, yellow and blue circles and it went back downhill. It also made me hungry for bread.
I'm a fan of Series 2, but I'm not oblivious to the pitfalls and good works that 2 had. This is just so much fun!! I have it on my favorites playlist! Have you ever done this for Series 1??
Agree with Frieda. Replace "Beta Cloud" with "Journey to Where" and I'd pretty much agree with this list too. And yes, I cringed when BC popped up. Sorry!
Nicely put together video. My compliments. Season 1 will always rule for me. But Season 2 had its highlights. "The Bringers of Wonder" both parts, is the best episode for me.
Well Done! Although Season 1 is the best season, I do enjoy Season 2. Some of my favorite episodes that didn't make the list were "Catacombs of the Moon", "Seed Of Destruction", "The Mark of Archanon", and "The Lambda Factor". This season and the third season of Star Trek TOS are guilty pleasures of mine. What a coincidence that both have the same producer. I hope to see more Space: 1999 videos in the future.
Freiberger produced the final season of The Six Million Dollar Man as well. His writing on westerns during the '50s and '60s (including the first episode of Rawhide) is generally good though.
No coincidence. Fred Freiberger is the dreaded "show killer" of sci-fi TV! By watching SPACE: 1999's 2nd Series, Star Trek fans can see how bad Star Trek's 3rd season WOULD have been if not for William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Bob Justman fighting him to keep SOME integrity in the show! I won't even talk about how bad The Six Million Dollar Man was with him at the helm!
Agreed Seance Spectre was a terrific episode. Ken Hutchinson was a brilliant villain. Also liked Seed of Destruction. Havent a clue why narrator likes Beta Cloud.
While I'm not a fan of the second season in any way, you make some great points, particularly about the wonderful Catherine Schell. As for the Top 5 episodes, I would have put Space Warp in there somewhere. All in all I disliked the lighter tone of the show in its second run, in particular the humorous wrap-up scenes. The scene where poor Dave Prowse is on the wrong end of the fire extinguisher is hilarious; pity poor Tony with his bubble wrap bandages! But a very entertaining video, thanks for uploading.
A *VERY* well produced, professional-looking video. Thank you. In AB Chrysalis, I love how the eagle lands perfectly on that hidden lift pad. What are the odds?
Great list!! A B Chrysalis is amazing and enigmatic. One Moment of Humanity is my favorite, not the best but... Season 2 was the one I remember more of from my childhood... because of Maya!
Okay, I agree with the reasoning about Beta Cloud, even though I don't think it would have made my top 5 list (I might have put Space Warp or Seance Spectre there). But yes, it was entertaining even if for the wrong reasons (and I had NO idea David Prowse took a fire extinguisher to his gentleman's area).I am glad AB Chrysalis made the list as indeed it felt VERY much like a season 1 episode. It was the one episode of Series 2 which to me felt like Series 1 with its uniquely British 60s 70s set design feel and story flow, even if at times those white globe things felt a bit like mini Rovers (no, not THOSE Minis and Rovers) from The Prisoner.Immunity Syndrome as #1, yes I would concur with that. It was indeed a good episode and probably the best of the lot as you had everything in it, including a spectacular Eagle crash.
I'm a huge fan of Series 1; and one of those people who wish that Series 2 had never been made. As with "Highlander 2", I just pretend it never happened.
I watched season two as a kid, and really loved it. Season one was not broadcast over here, although I knew something about it, because all the comics, toys, and other merchandise was about season one or featured images from season one. But I didn't see the first season until the '90s, when it ran on the Sci Fi Channel. Qualitatively, I'll agree season one was vastly superior, but I always preferred the characters of season two. I liked Tony and Maya, while I always found Paul Morrow and David Kano to be rather colorless, uninteresting characters. I liked Victor Bergman though. And I'm glad they kept Alan Carter and Sandra Benes. I agree with your list, and I'm glad to find, after seeing it almost universally panned in reviews, that I'm not the only one who found the Beta Cloud among the more enjoyable of the season two episodes, despite its flaws (like a movie that's so bad its good).
If there were a season 3, one fum thought would be to really explore their paranoia. Season 2 is a mixed bag, but the strong episodes prove there's a good show there. Like Star Trek TNG season 1 had.
@@ShamrockParticle If Season Two had Victor Bergman I honestly think it would have been the best thing ever. That it didn't rankled. I enjoyed the change in tone (Season One often mistook 'dour' for 'profound,' but Bergman needed to be along for the ride).
I really enjoyed this recap of my favorite series. Well done. Replace Beta Cloud with Journey to Where and that would be my top 5 list of season 2. How about doing a list for season 1?
Blackwood I just saw this show for the first time today (on Pluto TV) and the first episodes i saw were The AB Crystalis and Seed of Destruction. I didn't know this had a radically different first season or it was related to Thunderbirds. That theme song is a bop 👌🏾
This made me ridiculously happy! Good job on the ranking. Hoping that someone decides to release Series 2 Blu-Ray in the US. My Series 1 Blu-Ray need some company. I've always enjoyed both Series so this was a-ok by me. I must now see if you have a ranking of Series 1 episodes.
I will always say that my favourite episode of Space 1999 during the two seasons has to be "The Testimate Of Arcadia ". This story is outstanding , because of the possibility of humans coming from another planet. Add to the fact that you get sand scrit but an earlier version. the storyline and acting and the script work wonderful. It ended the series of 24 on a high, and this is top notch Si-Fi. ... Space 1999 an outstanding series and leaves great memory's. .....
I'm shocked to hear season 1 was viewed as the better season. I was aware if the show but wasn't to interested then when they added Maya, I became a loyal fan, She's the reason I would watch . I only recall one first season episode I liked. I'm American BTW
I'm sorry but Helena in the second series was a laugh. It was Friedberger's "belief" that Helena was the emotional centre of the show. Wrong! I loved how analytical she was in season one and how Helena was ..... well ..... a doctor.
I adore immunity syndrome (although the title, an episode title from the 3rd season of the original Star Trek, was never explained as to how it related to the actual story) and the rest of your top 5 was spot on. I agree the last third of the season was a course correction from the disjointed first half. The Seance Spectre should be an honorable mention to this list.
I recently got a DVD copy of an episode of Space 1999 that aired in Los Angeles in 1980 ("Brian The Brain") ... quality was NOT Blue-Ray, but the commercials were fun. I remember buying the Space 1999 trading cards and some of the comics as a kid - not to mention lunchboxes and other merchandise - and also not to mention the size of the American TV market, so its understandable that American complaints would be heeded since that's where the big money is.
I loved the Immunity Syndrome too so I totally get why you would have chosen it as your Number 1 pick. I would have chosen Dorzak or Devil's Planet. I know you think I am stock raving bonkers but in Devils Planet when Albe the black lady in the rescue Eagle cried, I lost it. I cried too like a baby. That was the first time in Space: 1999 where you got to see the rank and file Alphan show real love and emotion for the commander. I enjoyed Dorzak because the pacing was good, the story was good and it had more than a few plot twists that were not stupid. I liked Space Warp too the pacing there was spot on. Yes it have a few slow spots but it was fast paced for the most part. I wish they had shown the Alphans learning and cannibalizing that derelict space ship in space warp. They could have used that ship to justify some new futuristic tech for Alpha in Year 3 had there been one. Even in a following year 2 episode. Oh and you said something about The Bringers of Wonder episode 2 happening 3 years after Bringers of Wonder Episode 1. Sorry dude but to me the huge time span between the two times made perfect sense. Remember what the last alien said just after Koenig keep Alan Carter from pushing the fuel core into the waste dome blast initiator. He said Commander "We we could have given your people a lifetime of experiences in an instant of time,. Now your lives will be what they always have been, Cruel and futile! To which Commander Koenig said it is better to live as your own man than to live as a fool in someone else's dream!" All that to say if the Bringers of Wonder crafted illusions that also manipulated the human perception of time then the three years was not an error but evidence of the time manipulation associated with the mind control used by the Bringers of Wonder. Remember the Aliens were not fully beaten till the very end of the show. Remember if enough aliens worked together even after introduction of the white noise they could still control select Alphans! Helena Russell was still being controlled when she delivered the Status report. Maybe the Alphans never caught wise to it because they felt as if the events during the manipulated time really happened! Hey I'm just saying that date given in the Moonbase Alpha Status Report in Bringers of Wonder Part 2 was not that far fetched.
This is Great loved both seasons a lot,although 1st was indeed better overall and my favourite,R.I.P Martin Landau up to this day i hoped he would take part in a reboot or continuation or remake of the series as a special guest star
Loved this video and your analysis and commentary. S2 to me was enjoyable because the characters were better developed. I know some didn’t like the romantic relationships, but I did. Finally Helena seemed like a real person. Barbara Bain’s season 1 performance has been criticized as wooden. Can’t disagree, but it has to be said that it was scripted and directed that way. Bain’s S2 performance is far superior. The stories in season 2 were sadly quite silly, and not at all up to the quality of S1. Wish we’d gotten a S3 where the best of both seasons could have been integrated. All in all the series is nostalgic for me and the premise still is intriguing.
The Immunity Syndrome is probably my favorite second-season episode as well, although in my memory, I thought the cowboy-hat-wearing Alphan from your least-favorite second-season episode was in it. I do remember being impressed by that Eagle crash though. My impression of Barbara Bain from season 1 can be summed up by the way she turns in the opening credits. She looks like a mannequin being swiveled around.
A lot has changed since this show was made...The moon is now in the Earth's atmosphere, there are now three moons, there is water on the moon, and the moon is upside down, or something. We owe it all to the 'Moondela Effect' (see what I did there?).
It's difficult, but my top 5 best: 1) The Bringers of Wonder (both) 2) The Seance Spectre 3) The Beta Cloud 4) The Immunity Syndrome 5) The Lambda Factor The Dorcons, AB Chrysalis and Space Warp would also be close.
I Totally Agree with most of the analysis on this video Even though S1 is the Best i Loved a lot of things in S2 as well.I would easily Like to see 10 more Seasons of Space1999 even if they were S2 like.
One point about Maya that's never addressed - once she joins the Alphans, she's installed as science officer. Why do they need a science officer when the overwhelming majority of the personnel on the base are scientists? Also, I know there was a deleted scene explaining where Victor went, but we never learn why Paul Morrow and David Kano aren't around anymore.
True. According to one of the Annuals, Morrow died in an Eagle crash and Tony was promoted to his position, which sounds reasonable - but the Annuals also seemed to state that Kano became a Security guard for some reason, and showed a photo of a random black Security guy and claimed it was him...which wasn't quite so reasonable.
Kano becoming a security guard is roughly akin to using Alpha's computer to ring up a grocery bill. The man was arguably the most brilliant mind on Alpha.
Spock was Science Officer. Maya was Space:1999’s resident alien. Freiberger probably came up with it. Also she’s a genius so you wouldn’t put her in charge of hospitality.
Both Seasons are released from what i know,remastered on Blue Ray and Both are more than worth having and watching,if you cant find it in states thats wierd you should order it from E.U
Barry Morse refused to appear in the second series because he didn't feel it was good television. He reportedly said "I think I'll go talk to some grownups for awhile."
Concerning the sudden changes of season 2 with some of the silliness that is seen and unexplained loss of personnel and change in the command center and all that... *there is* a plot point in season 1 that explains this. It's to be found in episode 13 of season one, Matter of Life and Death, at the time stamp of 47:30. Basically, the moon is destroyed. Everyone but Helena dies. And if you are not paying enough attention or stepped out for a snack at this crucial minute, you won't realize what just happened. The key is all in the wording. Helena is not given the ability to rewind time or alter a thing. "See...what you want to see." This power of escaping that is given to her...means that she...alone...takes the whole series forth in her mind. And...boom! The planet that's a wasteland is revived. The dead Koenig is now alive, again. The moon and everything Helena knew...is restored. The series drops subtle hints to this dream like reality that Helena now lives in. But, if you missed out on this one vital minute, it's not really clear in the slightest. Little hints like Helena starts off some episodes with her point of view and logs. Helena is the center point in some episodes. The alien of the week takes her. Various other nudges, like how some plot points work perfectly to things that Helena knows about or has experienced. Perhaps one of my favorites is how the moon gets an atmosphere for a short bit. And...Moon Base Alpha gets a window that can be opened. Seriously. A window that manually opens to the vacuum of space is like a screen door on a submarine. It only makes sense inside of a dream. Now, if the show should have had a second season or not...I agree to yes. If it was that or nothing, I'll gladly take that. Memorable episode: Dragon's Domain. That one stuck with me from the early days of poorly received TV. I can still watch the rest of the series and struggle to remember most of it. Which makes rewatching such a charm.
You made a valiant effort and I did enjoy listening to your commentary, but it's a no from me. In fact, I only really like a handful of season one episodes, but I do like those a lot. An alien metamorph who morphs conveniently into any number of earth creatures to save the day over and over was just a bit too much for me. In fact, that character may be what was most wrong with season 2. I don't hold the mess against the actors. They did their best with the material.
the Beta Cloud show all the high points of Star Trek as it was written by Fred Freiberger who produced star trek from 1968 to1969 , witch would work if the first season was never made or if this was for American television .
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed that similarity! more recently in series 12 you can see more space 1999 influences with the space suits almost identical to the alphan ones.
Again, S2 was not awful but of variable quality. I remember wondering what happened to the cast but then I was told why most of the cast was gone. Good episodes were on but some seemed to be done in a coma. Thank you- Maya could have been a truly lame character but Catherine Schell is a great actress.
I just watched this recently and I was surprised to see Beta Cloud in the top 5 list. But I guess it makes sense since this episode did have an impact on my friend Yves and myself. Proof to the point is this fan film we made between high school and college in 1979: ua-cam.com/video/lppROZy5h4A/v-deo.html
The first seasons costumes and many of the episodes were cold, logical and "intellectual" just as was the first pilot for Star Trek. I like the first season as much as the second. I tend to watch the second more because of the more colourful action stories. The producers realised the problems with the first season and brought in colourful costumes, shrunk the mission control set so as to make the people more real and personable as they all appeared a bit robotic in the first season with interchangeable dialog. The second season has a varied mixture of action, fun, silly. intellectual and aliens. If you really like plodding "smart" episodes you might like the almost unwatchable 2nd season of buck rogers as i believe some were as slow as some from 199 first season. But there were some great action gems from this season to They brought in a "seven of nine" (ST Voyager) beautiful actress in Maya and she can only be a great addition to the stories that she was in. The beer making seemed a good idea but failed badly when added to episodes and the actor had to try to make it work and it was always out of place and awkward. Brian blessed was great as always and the fun of the second season is also the gorillas, digs and various animals that Maya turns into even if done previously. A show has to be enjoyable to watch and easy on the eye and brain usually so a season really has to have a mixture or much of the audience will turn off if too silly or not silly enough as it were so a list of best should be defined and frankly the list shown here dont make my list as they bit slow even if meant to test the brain and emotions a bit. Other better ones were offered in both seasons with entertain as well as pace and "smart" without all the laser guns and such. I believe the second season actually moved along well and felt strong and easy ready to bounce to a third but never happened which is sad as i thought it was hitting its marks and had a good mixture of enjoyable characters, varied stories and plenty of scope to go in multiple directions due to the sheer size of the base and personnel. One curious thing about the base is that the power station/Reactor sets kept changing every time it was under threat so was never consistent. Still it allowed fresh set to be built each time and a visual feast for the eyes so we can ignore this small point.
Chris,
You're another example of why the Brits make the best narrators. I love your clear, well paced delivery and dry wit. "Nappie-wearing guard, I'm looking at you." Ha!
Thank you very much, Glenn! Much appreciated.
Dry humor, indeed. No pun intended given the inclusion of "nappies", hehehe!
No silly background music blaring either. Just a well-read presentation that really keeps interest, without excessive and distracting jump cuts either.
"Dragons Domain"was the Best episode ever. The monster octopus with a headlight
My fav one!
I man . I was very young when I originally saw that episode, it scared me very much, I never forgot that episode
The monster spitting out the charred corpses is still disturbing.
The monster's name was 'Xerox' 😁
I still don't know why Canadians flipped out over this episode? This represented the dangers of space...
I have to say, as a small child The Beta Cloud was my favourite episode. It just had so much action and an unstoppable beast is just an awesome enemy for the crew to face, when you are a child.
I'm a Year 1 purist at heart, and I enjoyed this way more than I should have. A very well-made analysis of Year 2 overall.
Thank you very much! Much appreciated. :)
C'mon...give in to season 2. It's okay to like crap as long as it's fun.
ChrisDalek, you are truly gifted! I’ve rarely if ever heard more entertaining reviews of a TV program.
The line I agree with the most... "Thank God for Catherine Schell." Yes, in deed.
I had THE biggest nightmare of my life after "The Bringers of Wonder".! Still freaks me out to this day. Awesome list ;-)
It's so great it inspired the Rick And Morty episode, "Total Rickall"
I'll always count season one as the best of the two, but I did enjoy season two a lot. The opening credits for one thing I liked more, lol. The Beta Cloud was actually an episode I remember fondly. When I first watched it as a kid that unstoppable creature scared the crap out of me and even these days when I watch the episode on DVD I still feel that twinge of fear I remember from my youth.
This is a very written and produced analysis. I loved this show when it ran on WPIX in New York and even wrote a term paper on it in high school. And now 40 years later, Koenig's line of "Maya, go and see!" from The Metamorph jumps in my head from time to time.
Barbara Bain stated in an interview that the first series main mission was a gorgeous set that everybody loved, but very hard to light properly so it was sacrificed in season two. The reason for the change given in the series was it sustained damage at some point and could not be repaired.
Superb analysis and narration Chris. Editing was also well done. I won't comment on your choice of top 5 as we all have our own tastes, but as soon as I saw your choice for position 5, I sort of knew you'd go for Immunity Syndrome for top spot :-)
I must mention the Dave Prowse and fire extinguisher scene - it hits him directly in the chest not groin (try watching the moment in slo-mo or frame step it) plus the monster noises are as dubbed as the fire extinguisher sounds (listen again with a head set).
Nice and extremely entertaining piece of work - I'd like to see you do a follow up for Series One top 5
Thank you! There will be a follow up. :)
If the followup ranks five Series 1 episodes, I imagine you'll make a compelling argument as to why The Full Circle is among your choices.
I admit, series 2 wasn't the best but 'The Metamorph' was a good episode and I agree with your points about Maya.
I watched "Space 1999" during its original run and loved the first series. When the second series was broadcast it was like watching a totally different show. Since then, my attitude towards Series 2 hasn't changed. I'm one of those people who believe that, after Series 1, nothing at all would have been better than Series 2.
Thank you for this video. It was great seeing these clips again. Loved the show as a teenager and still excites me to see the FX scenes and too hear the music. Tony with Maya were my favorite characters as well as Professor Bergman from SE 1
R I P Mr. Martin Landau
R I P Mr. Barry Morse
R I P Mr. Tony Anhholt
RIP Martin Landau.
I agree RIP Martin Landau and thank you kind sir for all you shared with us!
N_ R
Landau’s first job, at 17, was as cartoonist and staff illustrator for NY Daily News.
Where is Now? ... ..In the Sky. ....o... .In other planet?
Love Space:1999 my fav show.. I really enjoyed your take on it. Cheers!
Such a well done countdown. Thank you. I love this series, even the bad parts.
My fav is "Dragon's Domain". This one made me have many nightmares, but, still my number one!
I love series 2 of space 1999, lot of fans here in south america and Colombia
Great summary. I agree completely about Beta Cloud. It was a tour de force for Verdeschi. Entertaining as hell, but also inspiring because Verdschi NEVER GAVE UP. no matter how bleak things looked, even engaging the robot in hand to hand combat at the end. Journey to Where though.. deserved honorable mention.
The dark haired woman @6:02 is Sarah Douglas, who is best known as Ursa from the Superman movies.
A perfect and professional-quality review over a season of a show most hate, making it all even better. Thank you!
Great choice of episodes. "AB Chrysalis" is definitely underrated. And Sarah Douglas is just as iconic here as ahe is in anything else scifi/fantasy.
Bringers of Wonder is solid, and some costumes I think got parodied in Futurama. The aliens remind me very loosely of "The Green Slime", only done far far better.
Yeah, the captain's log reports were always a cluster in season 2 and not always due to (episode reordering?).
Metamorph - loved Maya. Mentor was made better thanks to Brian Blessed, but Catherine Schell definitely steals the show. I wish her scripts were more consistent.
Nice interview clip of Catherine too!
But, dang, now I want to see Shouty Brian as Mentor!
Beta Cloud I loved, until the ending. I should revisit this one... the fish costume was a bit unfortunate... i heard Prowse but oddly never really noticed where the extinguisher had hit.
I don't even remember Immunity Syndrome. Will be revisiting that too...
I remember the one with the yellow orange people being a semi-ripoff of Space Seed. The dialogue was not great, but the psychological horror almost made up for it. Then one remembers the sets comprised of red, yellow and blue circles and it went back downhill. It also made me hungry for bread.
I'm a fan of Series 2, but I'm not oblivious to the pitfalls and good works that 2 had. This is just so much fun!! I have it on my favorites playlist!
Have you ever done this for Series 1??
Grew up watching this with my brother- we used to playact Space 1999 quite a bit.
Agree with Frieda. Replace "Beta Cloud" with "Journey to Where" and I'd pretty much agree with this list too. And yes, I cringed when BC popped up. Sorry!
No probs, we all have our own tastes. :) It's just that BC has brought me so much joy over the years that I couldn't leave it off!
You're a fantastic UA-camr about vintage 70-80s sci-fi. !
Nicely put together video. My compliments.
Season 1 will always rule for me. But Season 2 had its highlights. "The Bringers of Wonder" both parts, is the best episode for me.
Well Done! Although Season 1 is the best season, I do enjoy Season 2. Some of my favorite episodes that didn't make the list were "Catacombs of the Moon", "Seed Of Destruction", "The Mark of Archanon", and "The Lambda Factor". This season and the third season of Star Trek TOS are guilty pleasures of mine. What a coincidence that both have the same producer. I hope to see more Space: 1999 videos in the future.
Freiberger produced the final season of The Six Million Dollar Man as well. His writing on westerns during the '50s and '60s (including the first episode of Rawhide) is generally good though.
No coincidence. Fred Freiberger is the dreaded "show killer" of sci-fi TV!
By watching SPACE: 1999's 2nd Series, Star Trek fans can see how bad Star Trek's 3rd season WOULD have been if not for William Shatner, Leonard Nimoy and Bob Justman fighting him to keep SOME integrity in the show!
I won't even talk about how bad The Six Million Dollar Man was with him at the helm!
I was suprise Seance Spectre is not on the list. My favorite episode.
The Dorcons was good episode too
Really like Spectre. The Dorcons is good too, but the reuse of sets/costumes etc makes it feel kind of tired.
Agreed Seance Spectre was a terrific episode. Ken Hutchinson was a brilliant villain. Also liked Seed of Destruction. Havent a clue why narrator likes Beta Cloud.
While I'm not a fan of the second season in any way, you make some great points, particularly about the wonderful Catherine Schell. As for the Top 5 episodes, I would have put Space Warp in there somewhere. All in all I disliked the lighter tone of the show in its second run, in particular the humorous wrap-up scenes. The scene where poor Dave Prowse is on the wrong end of the fire extinguisher is hilarious; pity poor Tony with his bubble wrap bandages! But a very entertaining video, thanks for uploading.
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it! And I like Space Warp for many of the same reasons I like Beta Cloud, but the John/Tony scenes get a bit boring.
A *VERY* well produced, professional-looking video. Thank you.
In AB Chrysalis, I love how the eagle lands perfectly on that hidden lift pad. What are the odds?
that they changed the theme was a deal breaker. The theme set the table in the first series
It's a shame they couldn't leave Maya it that silver dress for the whole series - maybe the yanks would have given it a third season!
How about give her a big ass and put her in a bikini then show will be still on the air..
Well, I'm a Yank...and it wasn't MY fault it was cancelled. I watched that show religiously!
Great list!! A B Chrysalis is amazing and enigmatic.
One Moment of Humanity is my favorite, not the best but...
Season 2 was the one I remember more of from my
childhood... because of Maya!
Overall I agree with your choices, although Journey to Where would be in my top 5
That's a good one too. :)
great movie clip! Thanks for sharing!
Okay, I agree with the reasoning about Beta Cloud, even though I don't think it would have made my top 5 list (I might have put Space Warp or Seance Spectre there). But yes, it was entertaining even if for the wrong reasons (and I had NO idea David Prowse took a fire extinguisher to his gentleman's area).I am glad AB Chrysalis made the list as indeed it felt VERY much like a season 1 episode. It was the one episode of Series 2 which to me felt like Series 1 with its uniquely British 60s 70s set design feel and story flow, even if at times those white globe things felt a bit like mini Rovers (no, not THOSE Minis and Rovers) from The Prisoner.Immunity Syndrome as #1, yes I would concur with that. It was indeed a good episode and probably the best of the lot as you had everything in it, including a spectacular Eagle crash.
Thank you! Glad you liked it. :)
Yes I'm glad we have season 2 of "Space: 1999". It's really good 'dumb fun'. And you can only get this funky in the 70's so let's embrace the horror.
I'm a huge fan of Series 1; and one of those people who wish that Series 2 had never been made. As with "Highlander 2", I just pretend it never happened.
I watched season two as a kid, and really loved it. Season one was not broadcast over here, although I knew something about it, because all the comics, toys, and other merchandise was about season one or featured images from season one. But I didn't see the first season until the '90s, when it ran on the Sci Fi Channel. Qualitatively, I'll agree season one was vastly superior, but I always preferred the characters of season two. I liked Tony and Maya, while I always found Paul Morrow and David Kano to be rather colorless, uninteresting characters. I liked Victor Bergman though. And I'm glad they kept Alan Carter and Sandra Benes. I agree with your list, and I'm glad to find, after seeing it almost universally panned in reviews, that I'm not the only one who found the Beta Cloud among the more enjoyable of the season two episodes, despite its flaws (like a movie that's so bad its good).
What always appealed about Year Two was the nature of the Alphans to physically attack anything, no matter how daunting.
If there were a season 3, one fum thought would be to really explore their paranoia. Season 2 is a mixed bag, but the strong episodes prove there's a good show there. Like Star Trek TNG season 1 had.
@@ShamrockParticle If Season Two had Victor Bergman I honestly think it would have been the best thing ever. That it didn't rankled. I enjoyed the change in tone (Season One often mistook 'dour' for 'profound,' but Bergman needed to be along for the ride).
" Bringers of wonder " is an excellent script, that could have even worked for Hitchcock or Tarkovsky )
I really enjoyed this recap of my favorite series. Well done. Replace Beta Cloud with Journey to Where and that would be my top 5 list of season 2. How about doing a list for season 1?
Blackwood
I just saw this show for the first time today (on Pluto TV) and the first episodes i saw were The AB Crystalis and Seed of Destruction.
I didn't know this had a radically different first season or it was related to Thunderbirds.
That theme song is a bop 👌🏾
@20:31 thank you I haven't laughed this hard in years!
PS I grew up with the show and loved it
I always enjoyed The Seance Factor. Revisiting the ole waste dumps and trying to re-detonate them.
This made me ridiculously happy! Good job on the ranking.
Hoping that someone decides to release Series 2 Blu-Ray in the US. My Series 1 Blu-Ray need some company.
I've always enjoyed both Series so this was a-ok by me.
I must now see if you have a ranking of Series 1 episodes.
I will always say that my favourite episode of Space 1999 during the two seasons has to be "The Testimate Of Arcadia ".
This story is outstanding , because of the possibility of humans coming from another planet.
Add to the fact that you get sand scrit but an earlier version.
the storyline and acting and the script work wonderful.
It ended the series of 24 on a high, and this is top notch Si-Fi. ...
Space 1999 an outstanding series and leaves great memory's. .....
I'm shocked to hear season 1 was viewed as the better season. I was aware if the show but wasn't to interested then when they added Maya, I became a loyal fan, She's the reason I would watch . I only recall one first season episode I liked. I'm American BTW
Maya turned it into a kiddie show.
@@erichwise9936 Well I was a kid back then LOL
I'm sorry but Helena in the second series was a laugh. It was Friedberger's "belief" that Helena was the emotional centre of the show. Wrong! I loved how analytical she was in season one and how Helena was ..... well ..... a doctor.
I adore immunity syndrome (although the title, an episode title from the 3rd season of the original Star Trek, was never explained as to how it related to the actual story) and the rest of your top 5 was spot on. I agree the last third of the season was a course correction from the disjointed first half. The Seance Spectre should be an honorable mention to this list.
Very good analysis, Chris!
I recently got a DVD copy of an episode of Space 1999 that aired in Los Angeles in 1980 ("Brian The Brain") ... quality was NOT Blue-Ray, but the commercials were fun. I remember buying the Space 1999 trading cards and some of the comics as a kid - not to mention lunchboxes and other merchandise - and also not to mention the size of the American TV market, so its understandable that American complaints would be heeded since that's where the big money is.
I loved the Immunity Syndrome too so I totally get why you would have chosen it as your Number 1 pick. I would have chosen Dorzak or Devil's Planet. I know you think I am stock raving bonkers but in Devils Planet when Albe the black lady in the rescue Eagle cried, I lost it. I cried too like a baby. That was the first time in Space: 1999 where you got to see the rank and file Alphan show real love and emotion for the commander. I enjoyed Dorzak because the pacing was good, the story was good and it had more than a few plot twists that were not stupid. I liked Space Warp too the pacing there was spot on. Yes it have a few slow spots but it was fast paced for the most part. I wish they had shown the Alphans learning and cannibalizing that derelict space ship in space warp. They could have used that ship to justify some new futuristic tech for Alpha in Year 3 had there been one. Even in a following year 2 episode.
Oh and you said something about The Bringers of Wonder episode 2 happening 3 years after Bringers of Wonder Episode 1. Sorry dude but to me the huge time span between the two times made perfect sense. Remember what the last alien said just after Koenig keep Alan Carter from pushing the fuel core into the waste dome blast initiator. He said Commander "We we could have given your people a lifetime of experiences in an instant of time,. Now your lives will be what they always have been, Cruel and futile! To which Commander Koenig said it is better to live as your own man than to live as a fool in someone else's dream!"
All that to say if the Bringers of Wonder crafted illusions that also manipulated the human perception of time then the three years was not an error but evidence of the time manipulation associated with the mind control used by the Bringers of Wonder. Remember the Aliens were not fully beaten till the very end of the show. Remember if enough aliens worked together even after introduction of the white noise they could still control select Alphans! Helena Russell was still being controlled when she delivered the Status report. Maybe the Alphans never caught wise to it because they felt as if the events during the manipulated time really happened! Hey I'm just saying that date given in the Moonbase Alpha Status Report in Bringers of Wonder Part 2 was not that far fetched.
This is Great loved both seasons a lot,although 1st was indeed better overall and my favourite,R.I.P Martin Landau up to this day i hoped he would take part in a reboot or continuation or remake of the series as a special guest star
I was hoping "The Beta Cloud" would make your list. I love that episode.
Loved this video and your analysis and commentary. S2 to me was enjoyable because the characters were better developed. I know some didn’t like the romantic relationships, but I did. Finally Helena seemed like a real person. Barbara Bain’s season 1 performance has been criticized as wooden. Can’t disagree, but it has to be said that it was scripted and directed that way. Bain’s S2 performance is far superior. The stories in season 2 were sadly quite silly, and not at all up to the quality of S1. Wish we’d gotten a S3 where the best of both seasons could have been integrated. All in all the series is nostalgic for me and the premise still is intriguing.
I've always enjoyed both seasons equally.
I missed the professor from season 1, but I loved season 2 so much more because I adored Maya. I have her action figure moc.
The Immunity Syndrome is probably my favorite second-season episode as well, although in my memory, I thought the cowboy-hat-wearing Alphan from your least-favorite second-season episode was in it. I do remember being impressed by that Eagle crash though.
My impression of Barbara Bain from season 1 can be summed up by the way she turns in the opening credits. She looks like a mannequin being swiveled around.
great work ! expecting your commentary - analysis on season one (by far the best one)
A lot has changed since this show was made...The moon is now in the Earth's atmosphere, there are now three moons, there is water on the moon, and the moon is upside down, or something. We owe it all to the 'Moondela Effect' (see what I did there?).
It's difficult, but my top 5 best:
1) The Bringers of Wonder (both)
2) The Seance Spectre
3) The Beta Cloud
4) The Immunity Syndrome
5) The Lambda Factor
The Dorcons, AB Chrysalis and Space Warp would also be close.
I Totally Agree with most of the analysis on this video Even though S1 is the Best i Loved a lot of things in S2 as well.I would easily Like to see 10 more Seasons of Space1999 even if they were S2 like.
it was actually season two that made me a fan of the series during my teen years.
Series 2 had good episodes? :) Bringers of Wonder were the only 2 episodes of season 2 that were good, imho.
Bringers of Wonder 1, Bringers of Wonder 2, Immunity Syndrome, Journey to Where, Seed of Destruction. :)
superb analysis thank you
Good Lord. How can you NOT have “journey to where“ on this list??
One point about Maya that's never addressed - once she joins the Alphans, she's installed as science officer. Why do they need a science officer when the overwhelming majority of the personnel on the base are scientists?
Also, I know there was a deleted scene explaining where Victor went, but we never learn why Paul Morrow and David Kano aren't around anymore.
True. According to one of the Annuals, Morrow died in an Eagle crash and Tony was promoted to his position, which sounds reasonable - but the Annuals also seemed to state that Kano became a Security guard for some reason, and showed a photo of a random black Security guy and claimed it was him...which wasn't quite so reasonable.
Kano becoming a security guard is roughly akin to using Alpha's computer to ring up a grocery bill. The man was arguably the most brilliant mind on Alpha.
Spock was Science Officer. Maya was Space:1999’s resident alien. Freiberger probably came up with it. Also she’s a genius so you wouldn’t put her in charge of hospitality.
Why hasn't someone released the blu ray in the states?
thomas rokos Both Seasons are on Hulu. The second season episodes aren't listed in the correct order, though.
Both Seasons are released from what i know,remastered on Blue Ray and Both are more than worth having and watching,if you cant find it in states thats wierd you should order it from E.U
How did you learn the show was once cancel before Season Two? I remember Season One being huge in the US.
Hey, those creatures in Bringers of Wonder really freaked me out as a kid.....
My top 5 best episodes picks of season 2 are 1. The Immunity Syndrome 2. Bringers Of Wonders 3. The Exiles 4. The Metamorph 5. All That Glisters
Barry Morse refused to appear in the second series because he didn't feel it was good television. He reportedly said "I think I'll go talk to some grownups for awhile."
Not true.
I'm buying series 2 today just so I can watch Beta Cloud
I love your vid! Beta Cloud forever!
Concerning the sudden changes of season 2 with some of the silliness that is seen and unexplained loss of personnel and change in the command center and all that... *there is* a plot point in season 1 that explains this. It's to be found in episode 13 of season one, Matter of Life and Death, at the time stamp of 47:30. Basically, the moon is destroyed. Everyone but Helena dies. And if you are not paying enough attention or stepped out for a snack at this crucial minute, you won't realize what just happened. The key is all in the wording. Helena is not given the ability to rewind time or alter a thing. "See...what you want to see." This power of escaping that is given to her...means that she...alone...takes the whole series forth in her mind. And...boom! The planet that's a wasteland is revived. The dead Koenig is now alive, again. The moon and everything Helena knew...is restored. The series drops subtle hints to this dream like reality that Helena now lives in. But, if you missed out on this one vital minute, it's not really clear in the slightest. Little hints like Helena starts off some episodes with her point of view and logs. Helena is the center point in some episodes. The alien of the week takes her. Various other nudges, like how some plot points work perfectly to things that Helena knows about or has experienced. Perhaps one of my favorites is how the moon gets an atmosphere for a short bit. And...Moon Base Alpha gets a window that can be opened. Seriously. A window that manually opens to the vacuum of space is like a screen door on a submarine. It only makes sense inside of a dream.
Now, if the show should have had a second season or not...I agree to yes. If it was that or nothing, I'll gladly take that.
Memorable episode: Dragon's Domain. That one stuck with me from the early days of poorly received TV. I can still watch the rest of the series and struggle to remember most of it. Which makes rewatching such a charm.
Matter of Life and Death was the second episode. Local stations showed the episodes in any order they could byt it's not the official order.
I agree 100% about the Beta Cloud.
"The Immunity Syndrome" was also the name o f a second season Star Trek: TOS episode.
So poor Brian the Brain got left floating in the vacuum of space between best and worst (my favorite season 2 episode).
whats your top 5 seas 1
You made a valiant effort and I did enjoy listening to your commentary, but it's a no from me. In fact, I only really like a handful of season one episodes, but I do like those a lot. An alien metamorph who morphs conveniently into any number of earth creatures to save the day over and over was just a bit too much for me. In fact, that character may be what was most wrong with season 2. I don't hold the mess against the actors. They did their best with the material.
Yep.... immunity syndrome is the best example of year 2 and is my all time favourite year two episode.
I'd love your take on UFO.
the Beta Cloud show all the high points of Star Trek as it was written by Fred Freiberger who produced star trek from 1968 to1969 , witch would work if the first season was never made or if this was for American television .
Thanks for this
Journey to where should have been in the best and Space warp the no 1 WORST. Especially the fight in the medical centre
Were those green aliens inspiration for Red Dwarf's Camille?
I’m glad I’m not the only one who noticed that similarity! more recently in series 12 you can see more space 1999 influences with the space suits almost identical to the alphan ones.
I'd put Lords of Luton on my list, but it is kind of a copy of the Trek episode Duel. Frieberg worked on Trek so it makes sense.
Again, S2 was not awful but of variable quality. I remember wondering what happened to the cast but then I was told why most of the cast was gone. Good episodes were on but some seemed to be done in a coma. Thank you- Maya could have been a truly lame character but Catherine Schell is a great actress.
Agree the "Immunity Syndrome" was the best episode of season 2
Bringers of Wonder was superb fun
I just watched this recently and I was surprised to see Beta Cloud in the top 5 list. But I guess it makes sense since this episode did have an impact on my friend Yves and myself. Proof to the point is this fan film we made between high school and college in 1979: ua-cam.com/video/lppROZy5h4A/v-deo.html
Beta cloud is the most fun and exciting episode for a teenager.
What, No Journey To Where?
I remember it well.😂😁
The first seasons costumes and many of the episodes were cold, logical and "intellectual" just as was the first pilot for Star Trek. I like the first season as much as the second. I tend to watch the second more because of the more colourful action stories. The producers realised the problems with the first season and brought in colourful costumes, shrunk the mission control set so as to make the people more real and personable as they all appeared a bit robotic in the first season with interchangeable dialog. The second season has a varied mixture of action, fun, silly. intellectual and aliens. If you really like plodding "smart" episodes you might like the almost unwatchable 2nd season of buck rogers as i believe some were as slow as some from 199 first season. But there were some great action gems from this season to They brought in a "seven of nine" (ST Voyager) beautiful actress in Maya and she can only be a great addition to the stories that she was in. The beer making seemed a good idea but failed badly when added to episodes and the actor had to try to make it work and it was always out of place and awkward. Brian blessed was great as always and the fun of the second season is also the gorillas, digs and various animals that Maya turns into even if done previously.
A show has to be enjoyable to watch and easy on the eye and brain usually so a season really has to have a mixture or much of the audience will turn off if too silly or not silly enough as it were so a list of best should be defined and frankly the list shown here dont make my list as they bit slow even if meant to test the brain and emotions a bit. Other better ones were offered in both seasons with entertain as well as pace and "smart" without all the laser guns and such.
I believe the second season actually moved along well and felt strong and easy ready to bounce to a third but never happened which is sad as i thought it was hitting its marks and had a good mixture of enjoyable characters, varied stories and plenty of scope to go in multiple directions due to the sheer size of the base and personnel.
One curious thing about the base is that the power station/Reactor sets kept changing every time it was under threat so was never consistent. Still it allowed fresh set to be built each time and a visual feast for the eyes so we can ignore this small point.
Is that character's cast made out of bubble wrap at 22:46?!?! Bubble wrap!?!?
Good Work