Destination Moonbase Alpha Episode Guide- Space: 1999 Catacombs

Background
Poster
Music
Changes
Continuity
Errors
Observations
Links

Destination Moonbase Alpha

Film Compilations Film 1 (1978)

Compiled From
The Bringers Of Wonder part 1
The Bringers Of Wonder part 2

96 minutes

Portugal	Destino: Base Lunar Destino Base Lunar Alfa
Japan	Space: 2100
Mexico	Destino Base Nuclear Alfa
Italy	Destinazione: Base Lunare Alpha
Germany	Angriff auf Alpha 1
Denmark	Angrebet på Månebase Alpha
Spain	Destino Base Lunar Alfa

Background

There are additional shots in the title sequence from Breakaway, The Metamorph and The Exiles. At the end there is a shot from Space Brain.
The compilation film was designed with a cinema release in mind (and film posters and trailers to support it), but the main target was cable and satellite TV, and home video. The only known theatrical release seems to have been in Denmark, where it premiered at the Saga cinema in Copenhagen on May 10th, 1979. It was sold to US TV as part of a package of ITC films (including Capricorn One), and was first seen in September 1979. It was on CFTO-TV Channel 9 in Toronto on 9th February 1980.
It was shown on German channel SAT1 on 24 April 1994.

The tag line for this Super Space Theatre Press Kit was "Man's Quest For Extraterrestrial Contact Ends Here!"

Poster

The poster (by movie artist Tom Chantrell) features a Hawk (from War Games, which does not appear in this movie), and Koenig cuddling Maya (in her One Moment Of Humanity dress).
Chantrell (1916-2001) designed his first film poster in 1938. In the 1960s he was known for his bold, colourful art for Hammer Films including an iconic image of Raquel Welch in One Million Years B.C. (1966). His poster for Star Wars (1977) quickly replaced the earlier posters (which had been produced prior to casting, and thus didn't resemble the actors).

The title music is an ATV library track by Mike Vickers (erroneously credited as "Mike Vikkers"), former guitarist from the 1960s band Manfred Mann (also a member was Paul Jones, who appeared in Black Sun). His other compositions include the opening music for the long running US sports series "This Week In Baseball" since 1977 (it was also used by ABC news in the 1970s). The tracks appear on the 1984 Bruton music LP Points of Impact (BRJ 29) as "Moonbase part 1" (the opening narration until the nuclear waste explodes), "Moonbase part 2" (the TV announcer) and "Moonbase part 3" (the main titles). Thanks to Chris Dale.

The end title song, titled "Space", is composed by Guido and Maurizio de Angelis (mis-spelled on the end credits as "Maurizo De Angalis"), lyrics by Hilary Harvey, sung by "Oliver Onions". Oliver Onions is a pseudonym used by the de Angelis brothers. They also performed the Italian song "S.O.S. Spazio 1999" as "Oliver Onions", a spin-off single in Italy. In Germany it was re-recorded in German by Berry Sarluis, and released as a single "Flieg mit mir (Raumschiff 1999)" ("Fly with me (spaceship 1999)").

Music Cue Sheet

Changes

1. An introductory narration, with scrolling text as in Star Wars. The narration is spoken by Mark Smith (the voice of the Cloud in Beta Cloud).
2. Helena's recap of part 1 is cut
3. The epilogue in Command Centre is cut (the alien ship disappears, Tony asks Maya about the larren, Koenig asks Helena when everyone will wake up and falls asleep).
There are no other cuts.

Continuity

The narration states the year is 2100, not 1999. A little later it states "For the survivors of the doomed Moonbase Alpha, the date time is now well into the twenty first century." 2100 would be (according to your preference) the last year of the 21st century or the start of the 22nd century.
The Moonbase life support system is "fed by nuclear waste from Earth"; when a nuclear plant on the far side of the Moon malfunctioned, the Moon was blasted out of orbit.

Merchandise:

UK Video: Precision (UK, 1980), Channel 5 (UK, 1986), Polygram (UK, 1992)
US Video: CBS Fox (US, 1985).
Spain Video: CBS Fox (Spain, 1986).
Germany Video: CBS Fox
Japan Video: CBS Fox Far East Co (as Space: 2100)
DVD: Prisvideo Editions (Portugal, 2004)
DVD: Passworld (Italy, 2006)
DVD: House of Knowledge (Netherlands, 2006)
DVD: Laser Paradise (Germany, 2011)
DVD: Fernsehjuwelen (Germany, 2016)
UK Blu-ray: Network Bringers Of Wonder Special Edition (2014)
UK Blu-ray: Network (2022)

Errors

Narration: "Far out into the galaxy of the universe is the Moon, Earth's great natural satellite, revolving round man's planet in an orbit as fixed and rigid as that of the sun." The "galaxy of the universe" is nonsense, the Moon is not "far out" in either, and the sun does not go round the Earth.

Narration: "This existence is made possible by a specially developed nuclear support system fed by nuclear waste from Earth." This is not mentioned anywhere in the episodes, including The Bringers Of Wonder, which state the nuclear waste is merely dumped.