The Catacombs Episode Guide

The Seance Spectre

The Lambda Factor Year 2 - Episode 20 Dorzak

Writer Donald James
Director Peter Medak
Guest Stars Ken Hutchison,
Carolyn Seymour
Original Title The Mutiny
Belgium (Flemish) Muiterij Mutiny 1 Feb 1978
Spain La sesión fantasma The ghost session16 Nov 1977
France/Canada Le spectre The Spectre 25 Jun 1977
Germany Die Meuterei The Mutiny 20 Aug 1978
Italy Tora 16 May 1979
Japan Move, Moon! TORA, the Planet of Nostalgia 15 Jun 1981
Portugal Visões Perigosas Dangerous Visions 31 Dec 1977
Portugal O Espectro da Visão The Spectre Of The Vision
USA (New York) 12 Mar 1977
USA (San Francisco) 5 Mar 1977
UK (ATV) 18 Aug 1977
UK (LWT) 10 Sep 1977

A new planet is sighted, but is it habitable? By holding a seance, one of Alpha's crew becomes convinced that it is and tries to force Commander Koenig to evacuate all Alphans onto this new, green land. ITC summary

Background

The Seance Spectre

SFX

The Seance Spectre The Seance Spectre
The Seance Spectre Original titles

Tora, glimpsed briefly in the Eagle window, appeared in the original Year 1 title shot (seen on some prints of Matter of Life And Death).

Music

Science

The Seance Spectre
The Seance Spectre

"Our oxygen recycling plant is less than five per cent effective". Oxygen is not normally the immediate problem - the build-up of carbon dioxide is. At 2% concentration, carbon dioxide will kill. Oxygen rebreathers (in spacesuits, diving, mountain climbing and firefighting) work primarily by scrubbing the carbon dioxide from the breathed out air.

Continuity

Chronology:

2012 days after leaving Earth orbit (Thu 17 Mar 2005)

Alpha Personnel:

The Seance Spectre

1 fatality (Greg Sanderson).

Alpha Technology:

The Seance Spectre

Eagles:

The Seance Spectre

Eagle 1 (Koenig- 2nd, crashed and damaged); 2 (Koenig- 3rd); 3 (Tony); 4 (Koenig- 1st); 6 (Alan)

Maya transformations:

The Seance Spectre
Catherine Schell and two child actors (only the right child appeared in the episode)

Plant, child Maya, lizard-head alien.

The Seance Spectre The Seance Spectre

Planets:

Tora (proto-planet)

Aliens:

None

Footage:

Errors

The Seance Spectre

Maya says "We'll be swallowed by red dust and toxic gases." (sc 115) Tora is obviously yellow-orange in colour. The script described Tora as red, but the line was not changed at filming.

The Seance Spectre

Sanderson's spacesuit visor knocks open during the fight.

Observations

The Seance Spectre
The Seance Spectre
The Seance Spectre

The models pictured were scripted to be posing by a stream or an oak, to demonstrate they were nature photos. In the script, Maya turns into one of the models (UK based American model Mary Weston, using the stage name Venicia Day). Tony is irritated when Alan comes on to her. The scene was shot (see pictures) but cut from the completed episode.

Merchandise:

Links

External Links


Contents copyright Martin Willey