The Return of Victor Bergman Episode Guide- Space: 1999 Catacombs

Background
Cast
SFX
Music
Science
Continuity
Errors
Observations
Links

The Return of Victor Bergman

Screenplay by Robert E. Wood Barry Morse	Directed by Robert E. Wood	Guest Artist Barry Morse

Background

The Barry Morse footage was shot on video tape by James Ommert in 2002, with dialogue by Robert Wood and Anthony Wynn. The film was shot with little preparation, after a theatre performance at a Vulkon science fiction convention. The video copy was lost for many years. In 2010, the final film was edited and completed by Eric Bernard, "in association with" Bernard's Retcon Studios. It was first shown at the Journey To Where convention in Texas, USA, on Friday, 16 July 2010.

Victor Bergman records a Moonbase Alpha status report on his commlock in the Medical Center, whilst the Alphans watch in Command Center. Helena had put him into stasis when his mechanical heart failed; he has now awoken and is cured. "To everything that might have been... to everything that might yet be."

Cast

Victor Bergman	Barry Morse

SFX

The opening is a 1 minute 30 second zoom through a (CGI) nebula in space. From the nebula emerges the Moon (SFX from Black Sun)

There is a brief SFX shot from Force of Life, and a stock zoom into Moonbase Alpha (from The Exiles).

Music

Opening: Background music from Year 1 by Barry Gray
Previously: 'The Departure' (from Gattaca (1997) by Michael Nyman
The Return of Victor Bergman: 'We're all aliens' from The Metamorph, by Derek Wadsworth
End credits: Year 2 end credits, by Derek Wadsworth

Year 1 Barry Gray incidental music is heard during the first section; during the Command Center sequence, Derek Wadsworth's incidental track is heard. The Wadsworth end title track is heard.

Science

Continuity

Chronology:

Occurs 6 years after the end of Year 1, presumably after The Dorcons.

Alpha Personnel:

0 fatalities.

Alpha Technology:

Footage:

Black Sun - several sequences
Another Time, Another Place - brief sequence of Earth-Victor
War Games - brief sequence of Paul Morrow with Victor in Eagle
Force Of Life - Koenig and Victor looking out window
Alpha Child - Victor shows Jackie flower
Guardian of Piri - Victor collapses
Breakaway - Koenig observes isolation ward
Missing Link - Helena upset, close-up of medical monitor
The Exiles - Mathias opens plastic tent, Sandra reaction in Command Center
Journey To Where - Command Center scenes, reaction to Big Screen
The Metamorph - Annette Fraser by Big Screen
Series end titles

Errors/ Questions

Script

"Moonbase Alpha status report. Professor Victor Bergman recording. My dear doctor, Helena Russell, had me put into stasis when my mechanical heart failed. Now, I feel rather like a sort of futuristic Rip Van Winkle. I've awoken to find myself cured. And, uh, I rather like ... (strokes beard) ... my new look. But there have been some strange changes on Moonbase Alpha since my day. But it is wonderful to see my old friends again. Dear John, dear Helena, dear Sandra, dear Alan. And all the rest of them. And the times we had. To everything that might have been... To everything that might yet be."

Observations

The new scenes with Victor are about 90 seconds of the 7 minute 35 second running time
The initial section, "Previously", is about 4 minutes 35 seconds of clips from Black Sun and other episodes.
Victor's death is represented by scenes of his collapse from Guardian of Piri, plus reaction shots of Koenig and Helena (from Breakaway and Missing Link) and an altered shot of a medical monitor showing a flat-lining signal (from Missing Link; Bergman's name is substituted for Koenig's).
Victor's revival is represented by scenes of Mathias, Koenig and Helena in Medical from The Exiles (with audio dialogue from The Infernal Machine), and reaction shots in Command Center from Journey To Where.
Victor wears a black sweater and holds a commlock (a replica by Mark Shaw). In 2002 Morse was filmed in front of a plain backdrop; in 2010 Eric Bernard was able to replace the background with a still of Medical Center (from The Exiles). He is superimposed on the Big Screen, and, in one shot, on a monitor below the Big Screen (by Annette Fraser).
The final line as written by Robert Wood and Anthony Wynn was a direct quote from Black Sun: "To everything that might have been... To everything that was.". Morse changed it to "To everything that might have been... To everything that might yet be."

Episode Guide