The Catacombs Catacombs International Guide
Portugal

Portugal flag Portugal

(By Paulo Jorge Morgado)

Portugal logo

Space 1999 was enormously successful in Portugal when it premiered on Saturday night prime-time back in October 1976. The impact of the series then was tremendous since the only science fiction on Portuguese Television to date had been "The Tomorrow People" beginning in June 1975. Star Trek had never been shown here and Space: 1999 got everybody jaw dropped, opening the path to Science Fiction on Prime-Time.

When Year 1 was over, Star Maidens [As Mulheres do Espaço] followed, then Gerry Anderson's INTO INFINITY - The Day After Tomorrow and a German series, "RAUMPATRUILLE - The adventures of Space Ship Orion". Read more information about SF TV in Portugal

Then Space: 1999 Year Two, and only then, Star Trek.

Doppelganger rocket

In the 1960s a film called Doppelgänger - Journey to the Far Side of the Sun was Gerry Anderson's first live action experience. It was filmed on location around Albufeira in Portugal's southern province of the Algarve, where the EUROSEC (European Space Exploration Centre) spaceport was set. This film featured beautiful special effects by Derek Meddings, who also directed the SFX of the UFO TV series). Maybe this was prophetic to the success that Space 1999 would know in this country.

Eagle

To give you an idea of the impact Space had in Portugal at the time, a town-hall close to Lisbon had an almost real-life-sized replica of an Eagle built in a public playground. Every boy wanted to be John or Alan. Every girl wanted to be Helena or Maya. The Eagle was in Sines.

1999 Events:

Lisbon Planetarium showed Alien Attack on 12th September 1999 with a presentation on the latest Earth and Moon science.

FANTASPORTO is one of the most important SF, fantasy and film festivals in Europe. It is based in Oporto, Portugal. In 1999 it showed a tribute to Space:1999.

The Space 1999 movies were shown in unsubtitled original versions at the Pre-Fantasporto Sessions at the studio of the Rivoli Theatre.
Sunday/Domingo 21/2 - 16,15 - Espaço 1999 - The Bringers Of Wonder (Destination Moonbase Alpha)
Tuesday/Terça 23/02/99 - 16,15 - Espaço 1999 - Breakaway + War Games (Alien Attack) - v.o. ing.
Thursday/Quinta 25/02/99 - 16,15 - Espaço 1999 - Black Sun + Collision Course ("Alien Attack" was announced but it probably was "Journey Through the Black Sun" instead)

21st Century Repeats

In 2006, the cable TV channel SIC Radical broadcast Year 1 (starting January 10th, Tuesdays 22:00, reruns Thursday 14:30 and Sunday 15:00). (thanks to Luis Cotovio and Paulo Jorge Morgado)

In 2011, the cable TV channel RTP Memória ("RTP Memory") broadcast Year 1, starting on May 30 at 9:30pm. Episodes were shown Monday to Friday at 21:30, repeated at 14:15 the following day.

Since 14 April 2023, SIC Radical (see above) started to show the episodes on Saturdays at 11:30pm, although the schedules have changed constantly. The episodes are, for the first time in Portugal, HD and cropped to 16:9 (thanks António Rodrigues)

ESPAÇO: 1999 - History in Portuguese Television

Listed on the 1976 RTP Annual

RTP1 Title of Portuguese Version Original Title Serial Number
(production order)
Sat, 16 October 1976 A Ruptura (as "the rupture") Breakaway Y1/01
Sat, 23 October 1976 Questão de Vida ou Morte (as "question of life or death") Matter Of Life And Death Y1/02
Sat, 30 October 1976 A Máquina Infernal The Infernal Machine Y1/21
Sat, 06 November 1976 Os Domínios do Dragão (as "the domains of the dragon") Dragon's Domain Y1/23
Sat, 13 November 1976 O Testamento de Arkadia The Testament Of Arkadia Y1/24
Sat, 20 November 1976 O Último Inimigo The Last Enemy Y1/18
Sat, 27 November 1976 A Missão dos Darianos Mission Of The Darians Y1/22
Sat, 04 December 1976 O Espírito Perturbado The Troubled Spirit Y1/19
Sat, 11 December 1976 O Cérebro do Espaço (as "the brain of space") Space Brain Y1/20
Sat, 18 December 1976 Jogos Guerreiros (as "warring games") War Games Y1/17
Sat, 25 December 1976 Fim da Eternidade End Of Eternity Y1/16

Listed on the 1977 RTP Annual

RTP1 Title of Portuguese Version Original Title Serial Number
(production order)
Sat, 01 January 1977 O Círculo Fechado (as "the closed circle") The Full Circle Y1/15
Sat, 08 January 1977 O Outro Domínio da Morte Death's Other Dominion Y1/14
Sat, 15 January 1977 Percurso para a Colisão (as "the path for the collision") Collision Course Y1/13
Sat, 22 January 1977 O Regresso do Viajante (as "the Return of the Traveller") Voyager's Return Y1/12
Sat, 29 January 1977 A Criança de Alfa Alpha Child Y1/10
Sat, 05 February 1977 O Último Pôr-do-Sol The Last Sunset Y1/11
Sat, 12 February 1977 A Força Vital (as "the vital force") Force Of Life Y1/09
Sat, 19 February 1977 O Guardião de Piri Guardian Of Piri Y1/08
Sat, 26 February 1977 O Elo Necessário (as "the necessary link") Missing Link Y1/07
Sat, 05 March 1977 Outro Tempo, Outro Local Another Time, Another Place Y1/06
Sat, 12 March 1977 Rumo à Terra (as "course to Earth") Earthbound Y1/05
Sat, 19 March 1977 Os Cativos (as "the captives") Ring Around The Moon Y1/04
Sat, 26 March 1977 O Sol negro Black Sun Y1/03

Still in 1977, Y2 starts airing:

RTP1 Title of Portuguese Version Original Title Serial Number
(production order)
Sat, 20 August 1977 Metamorfoses (as "avatars") The Metamorph Y2/01
Sat, 27 August 1977 Os Exilados The Exiles Y2/02
Sat, 03 September 1977 Viagem para Onde? Journey To Where Y2/05
Sat, 10 September 1977 Um Momento de Humanidade One Moment Of Humanity Y2/03
Sat, 17 September 1977 Nem Tudo o que Brilha... All That Glisters... Y2/04
Sat, 24 September 1977 A Marca de Archanon The Mark Of Archanon Y2/08
Sat, 01 October 1977 O Negociante (as "the trader") The Taybor Y2/06
Sat, 08 October 1977 Brian, o Cérebro Brian The Brain Y2/09
Sat, 15 October 1977 A Lei de Luton (as "the law of Luton") The Rules Of Luton Y2/07
Sat, 22 October 1977 Os Novos Adão e Eva (as "the new Adam and Eve) New Adam, New Eve Y2/10
Sat, 29 October 1977 Semente da Destruição Seed Of Destruction Y2/13
Sat, 05 November 1977 As Crisálidas A-B (as "the chrysalids A-B) The AB Chrysalis Y2/11
Sat, 12 November 1977 Catacumbas na Lua (as "catacombs on the Moon") Catacombs Of The Moon Y2/12
Sat, 19 November 1977 Vazio Espacial (as "space void") Space Warp Y2/16
Sat, 26 November 1977 Uma Questão de Equilíbrio A Matter Of Balance Y2/15
Sat, 03 December 1977 A Nuvem Beta The Beta Cloud Y2/14
Sat, 10 December 1977 O Factor Lambda The Lambda Factor Y2/19
Sat, 17 December 1977 Os Emissários do Terror I (as "the emissaries of Terror I) The Bringers Of Wonder part 1 I Y2/17
Sat, 24 December 1977 Os Emissários do Terror II (as "the emissaries of Terror II) The Bringers Of Wonder part 2 Y2/18
Sat, 31 December 1977 Visões Perigosas (as "dangerous visions") The Seance Spectre Y2/20
1978
Sat, 07 January 1978 Dorzak Dorzak Y2/21
Sat, 14 January 1978 O Planeta do Diabo Devil's Planet Y2/22
Sat, 21 January 1978 O Sindroma da Imunidade The Immunity Syndrome Y2/23
Sat, 28 January 1978 Os Dorcons The Dorcons Y2/24

One episode was rerun as a filler in 1979:

RTP 2: 1979 Os Cativos de Triton The Eyes Of Triton Y1/04

The episodes were aired on Saturday evenings at 21h30m, subtitled in Portuguese (in Portugal, unlike most other European countries, feature films and TV programmes are not dubbed. The Portuguese prefer to listen and appreciate the actors' original performance).

PAL colour transmissions began in Portugal in 1980 with the Eurovision Song Contest.

Y1 would be rerun (now in colour) in 1983 (start 19/03/1983 replacing Battlestar Galactica on Saturday evenings.)

The movie [Destino: Base Lunar] ("Destination Moonbase Alpha", a compilation of the two parter "The Bringers Of Wonder" from Y2) would be aired (also in colour, now) in 1983 on RTP1.

9 episodes of Y1 were to be rerun again in the mid-afternoon slot "Agora Escolha" (Now YOU Choose) between 19/10 and 28/12/87 and another 17 between 04/01 and 03/09/88 (apparently, two of them were rerun in duplicate). The RTP annuals do not register the title or date of the episodes' airings. In this slot, two programmes were presented and the viewers were invited to vote in the one they preferred to watch.

Y2 rerun in 1990 (new translations):

RTP1 Title of Portuguese Version Original Title Serial Number
(production order)
Sun, 28 January 1990 A Metamorfose (as "the Metamorphosis") The Metamorph Y2/01
Sun, 04 February 1990 Os Exilados The Exiles Y2/02
Sun, 11 February 1990 Viagem para Onde? Journey To Where Y2/05
Sun, 18 February 1990 Um Momento de Humanidade One Moment Of Humanity Y2/03
Sun, 25 February 1990 Nem Tudo o que Brilha... All That Glisters Y2/04
Sun, 04 March 1990 A Marca de Archanon The Mark Of Archanon Y2/08
Sun, 11 March 1990 Taybor The Taybor Y2/06
Sun, 18 March 1990 Brian, o Cérebro Brian The Brain Y2/09
Sun, 25 March 1990 As Leis de Luton (as "the laws of Luton") The Rules Of Luton Y2/07
Sun, 01 April 1990 Novo Adão, Nova Eva New Adam, New Eve Y2/10
Sun, 08 April 1990 A Semente da Destruição Seed Of Destruction Y2/13
Sun, 22 April 1990 Planeta das Crisálidas (as "Planet of the Chrysalids") The AB Chrysalis Y2/11
Sun, 29 April 1990 O Visionário (as "the visionary") Catacombs Of The Moon Y2/12
Sun, 06 May 1990 Passagem para Outra Dimensão (as "passage to another dimension") Space Warp Y2/16
Sun, 13 May 1990 Uma Questão de Equilibrio A Matter Of Balance Y2/15
Sun, 20 May 1990 A Nuvem Beta The Beta Cloud Y2/14
Sun, 27 May 1990 O Duelo das Mentes (as "duel of the minds") The Lambda Factor Y2/19
Sun, 03 June 1990 Os Criadores de Sonhos I (as "the creators of Dreams I") The Bringers Of Wonder part 1 I Y2/17
Sun, 10 June 1990 Os Criadores de Sonhos II (as "the creators of Dreams II") The Bringers Of Wonder part 2 Y2/18
Sun, 01 July 1990 O Espectro da Visão (as "the spectre of the vision") The Seance Spectre Y2/20
Sun, 08 July 1990 Dorzak Dorzak Y2/21
Sun, 15 July 1990 O Planeta do Diabo (as "planet of the Devil) Devil's Planet Y2/22
Sun, 29 July 1990 O Planeta sem Esperança (as "planet without hope") The Immunity Syndrome Y2/23
Sun, 05 August 1990 Os Dorcons The Dorcons Y2/24

Download Calendar

Merchandising

The only merchandising items released in Portugal that I recall were:
Panini card album AMZ TV Junior Ahi Stun Gun Eagle water gun Airfix Hawk Airfix Eagle