The Character Guide
by Martin Willey

Alan Carter (Reconnaissance Section)

The pilot role was always a significant supporting character, named "Lt Caron" in the early script Zero G. In the early guidelines he was name J. W. (Jim) Grayson P.C.I., a 26 year old "Britisher", Probe Captain First Class and chief of Reconnaissance. Born in 1963 and 26 years old, he was veteran of 9 deep space adventures. The name Grayson also appears in the early script Siren Planet. By the first draft of Void Ahead he was Captain Catani, an Italian character. The first draft has no first name, the second has him as Sergio Catani, a late version has him as Carlo Catani, publicity sources use the first name Alphonse. The Italian actor Giancarlo Prete was cast in the role, but could not be released from a film, allowing Nick Tate to be cast in his place.

Nick Tate was 33 in 1974, so presumably Carter is the same age in 1999, putting his birthdate as 1966. He was born in Australia (The Mark Of Archanon, Dorzak). According to Dorzak script, his family had a cattle ranch on the Eastern Seaboard, near a beach where he would go surfing.

The Blam comic Aftershock (2012) introduces a daughter, Haylee Ryan. Her mother didn't tell Carter or Haylee until she turned 16 in 1999. Her home and family are destroyed by a tsunami caused by the breakaway, and she is attacked by an octopus, but is rescued by Guido Versdeschi. One page jumps ahead ten years to show Haylee Ryan Carter is an astronaut on the Janus Probe.

Carter holds the Houston Base Championship for boxing. Other sports include badminton (The Last Sunset) and rugby league (The Mark Of Archanon; he owns the ball used in the Australia-Great Britain game, Swinton, 1963, with Harrison's signature, as Alan's grandfather used to play in Harrison's team). Assigned to Alpha, overseeing Meta Probe, about 1999. Rank of Captain (Breakaway, Matter Of Life And Death), although addressed as "astronaut" in Black Sun. Head of Reconnaissance Section, attends command conferences, assumes command in New Adam, New Eve & Space Warp. Also part of the Radioactive Monitoring Team (The Bringers Of Wonder part 1). Flies most Eagle missions, as copilot if Koenig is pilot.

A skilled pilot (see The Last Sunset, Death's Other Dominion, War Games, The A B Chrysalis), he has had several crashes (Ring Around The Moon, Another Time, Another Place-fatally, Alpha Child, Missing Link, The Last Sunset, The Immunity Syndrome).

Carter is fiercely loyal (Missing Link, Seed Of Destruction) although he can be impulsive and emotional (arguing with Koenig in Matter Of Life And Death, Black Sun, Ring Around The Moon, Another Time, Another Place; attacking the Guardian's casket in The A B Chrysalis; in pursuit of Sandra in The Full Circle).

He flirts with Sandra in The Full Circle, but in Alpha Child & The Last Sunset he seems close to Tanya (he has his arm round her in both episodes). In Another Time, Another Place the "alternative" Alan married Regina Kesslann. He also pursues a blonde (Jennie) in The Bringers Of Wonder part 2.

In the novels, he has a relationship with the alien girl Rhoda in Phoenix Of Megaron, and has a strong bond with Ava in the unpublished sequel Original Self. He has a large role in Born for Adversity, which refers to the death of Sahala. In Survival, he is seduced by Eroca, who protects him in the later novel Omega and elects to live with him on Alpha at the end of Alpha. In Omega he and Maya travel to Arkadia, and Earth. In Alpha he meets the daughter of the Earth-Alan and Regina, Ariana Carter, and she returns with him to live on the Moonbase.

Alan loses his shirt in Guardian Of Piri and runs around in pyjamas in Collision Course and The Beta Cloud. The The A B Chrysalis scene never made it to screen- it's a publicity shot

The character name was originally Captain Grayson (in Art Wallace's Siren Planet script), then Captain Catani (in George Bellak's The Void Ahead and Turning Point scripts). He was to be the Captain of the Meta Probe.

Alan Carter is featured in 42 episodes (not The Taybor, The Rules Of Luton, Brian The Brain, Catacombs Of The Moon, A Matter Of Balance, Devil's Planet).

"Hey, come on, Commander, you've got a problem you're not telling me about." (Breakaway)
"Well, I should be one of those six, Commander. Because if anyone could get them somewhere...I can." (Black Sun)
"Hey! All this concern. Paul's going to get jealous." (The Full Circle)
"Hey, Paul! Tomorrow we'll build a swimming pool!" (The Last Sunset)
"When the ship's sinking the rats are the first to leave." (The Testament Of Arkadia)
"On Earth I come from a country called Australia." (Dorzak)
"Well, now you can see why I got drummed out of the boy scouts." (Journey To Where)
"Can you kill me, cobber?" (The Mark Of Archanon)
"Words, huh? Well, they may be just words to you, but to me they add up to something else. Loyalty and duty and my duty is to John Koenig." (Seed Of Destruction)
"Where's the nearest john?" (The Bringers Of Wonder part 2)
"As you said, if you like nature, doctor." (The Seance Spectre)
"Compliments of computer. Two genuine, one hundred per cent imitation coffees." (The Dorcons)

Breakaway	Carter is in charge of the Meta Probe mission planning on Alpha. When sent to observe the NDA 2 operations, he sees the explosion and decides to follow the Moon.
Matter Of Life And Death	Carter is the pilot in the landing party to Terra Nova. He is "killed" when the Eagle explodes.
Black Sun	Alan pleads to be on the lifeboat.
Ring Around The Moon	Alan is the Eagle pilot in several trips to the Triton probe, crashing with Donovan
Earthbound	Carter is again the pilot, but then waits in Main Mission with the others.
Another Time, Another Place	Alan discovers Regina is his wife, he was killed in an Eagle crash, and returns to Earth.
Missing Link	Alan is in the Eagle crash, and is the first to recover. He fights with Bob Mathias to stop them turning off Koenig's life support.
Guardian Of Piri	Carter argues with Kano, flies to the empty Eagle, fights with Koenig in the Eagle cockpit, and is shot by him on the Piri surface.
Force Of Life	Alan accompanies Koenig is chasing after Zoref
Alpha Child	Alan takes Jackie for a flight, and is called "virtually incompetent" by Koenig. He goes out on the surface with a laser to shoot down the alien ships.
The Last Sunset	Carter plays badminton, and is in the Eagle crash.
Voyager's Return	Carter first encounters the Voyager
Collision Course	Alan has trouble in his Eagle and is lost in the radiation cloud. He talks to Arra, and helps Koenig prevent operation Shockwave in his pyjamas.
Death's Other Dominion	Alan is separated from the others on the surface of Thule, and flies back to Alpha
The Full Circle	Carter fights Spearman in the pit, and searches for Sandra
End Of Eternity	Alan shoots Balor
War Games	Carter destroys the battlecruiser. He ejects when his Eagle is destroyed, but his helmet visor is smashed and he is dead.
The Last Enemy	Alan can't launch his Eagle
The Troubled Spirit	Alan is at the concert
Space Brain	Carter flies with Kelly to investigate the space brain (the fight scene was cut
The Infernal Machine	Alan brings the supplies to Gwent
Mission Of The Darians	Alan is with Paul until the fight with the survivors, when he is captured. He unmasks the Darian suit and leads the survivors to the others
Dragon's Domain	Alan is knocked out by Cellini... twice.
The Testament Of Arkadia	Alan is part of the landing party, and later follows Luke and Anna to rescue Helena.
The Metamorph	Carter pilots the Eagle to Psychon. He is stunned by an overseer when he challenges Koenig.
The Exiles	Alan pilots the Eagles to retrieve the capsules.
One Moment Of Humanity	Alan is rejected as not suitable by Zamara
All That Glisters	Carter is part of the landing party
Journey To Where	Alan is transported to Earth
The Mark Of Archanon	Alan helps Andy Johnson find the Archanons in the caves, and forms a close bond with Etrec.
New Adam, New Eve	Alan tries to launch an Eagle but is unable to lift off.
The A B Chrysalis	Travels to planet with Koenig and Maya
Seed Of Destruction	Carter flies Koenig to the asteroid. He argues for "Koenig" against Tony, Maya and Helena.
The Beta Cloud	Alan is sick in Medical
Space Warp	Alan and Helena chase after Maya. His spacesuit oxygen is damaged.
The Bringers Of Wonder	Alan is part of the Radioactive Monitoring Team. He meets his old friend Ken Burdett. He tries to restrain Koenig when he first enters Command Center and sees the aliens. He is selected to return to Earth.
The Bringers Of Wonder part 2	Alan believes he has returned to Earth, as he prepares to detonate the nuclear waste. He has two big fights with Koenig.
The Lambda Factor	Alan is trapped in engineering with an overheating motor.
The Seance Spectre	Carter pilots the first Eagle with Koenig. He uses the remote control to bring the crash Eagle back. In the ending, Tony and Alan are watching girls on the computer screen.
Dorzak	Alan meets Sahala.
The Immunity Syndrome	Carter's Eagle crashes, and he discovers the alien chamber.
The Dorcons	Alan is desk-bound in Command Center. He attacks a Dorcon solder.

• Nick Tate profile
• Dialogue
• Character profile (Technical Notebook in Cybermuseum)