 Now here's a real space-out family. Maya and her father, played by actor Brian Blessed, from the episode "The Metamorph." ITC (Independant Television Corp) which released the Panther film had a new, important TV show in the works. Space: 1999 was going to buck the system. An extremely expensive series it was going to go into production without a guaranteed sale to an Americal TV network. Instead, ITC was going to sell it in syndica- tion, separately, to whatever number of stations they could find to buy it. This was not only risky, it appeared near suicidal. But the initial sales were so impressive (over 180 outlets) that it seemed the gamble would pay off. During the first season of Space: 1999, Catherine Schell was one of many British stars who showed up as guest "aliens." Miss Schell appeared as the "Guardian of Piri," a beauteous robot who is the keeper, and sole inhabitant of a computer run plantet. She appears on Moonbase Alpha and, within a matter of hours, man- ages to convince the alien Alphans (with the exception of series star Martin Landau) that Piri is the perfect place for them to settle. Transporting the |
entire population to the planet, Schell seems to have succeeded until the in- dominate Koenig faces her with laser gun in hand and blows her beautiful face away, revealing that she is a machine. The alarmed Alphans race to their ships, just as the computer, reacting to the loss of its control, self-destructs, taking the whole planet with it. The episode was successful -- the series less so. With a second season in sight, the executives at ITC made an important decision -- they would make changes in what had been a moderately suc- cessful series. They would attempt to correct their mistakes in the hope that the show would be still more successful. First, they hired an American, Fred Freiberger (hero of the demise of Star Trek), to take over as producer. Next, they fired several series regulars (Prentiss Hancock along with old pro Barry Morse) and replaced them with entirely new characters. Tony Anholt, as security chief Tony Verdeschi, replaced Hancock. Morse's character was replaced by Catherine Schell. She was to become Maya, resident alien of Moonbase Alpha, and successor to Mr. Spock of Star Trek. Maya was a Psychon, an inhabitant of the destroyed planet that appears in the second season's first episode. Homeless, and blessed with great beauty, a computer-like mind and the ability to metamorphose, she is offered refuge by the compassionate people of Moon- base Alpha. Within a week she has become their science officer, changed her hair style three times, and fallen in love with Tony Verdeschi. But it is not for her beauty alone that ITC decided on Schell as the new star of Space: 1999. Her high cheek- boned looks and large expressive eyes made her the perfect foil for their new concept. For Maya was not to be an ordinary alien. Rather, she was a metamorph, a shape-changer. Her ability to change herself into any human, animal, or plant life that she had ever seen was to become the crux of most of the second season's plots. Thus, we get to see Maya change into a plant to save herself and Koenig, change into a super-powerful beast to destroy alien invaders. An interesting concept, certainly, but one that quickly backfired. Space: 1999 did not survive the second season |
and Miss Schell is back working in British TV. But there is hope on the horizon -- Catherine Schell, Tony Anholt and Nick Tate got huge amounts of mail during the run of 1999 -- and ITC has not forgotten that. Currently, they are attempting to build a series around the three young stars and if that possibility falls through, there is Catherine Schell, as Maya, is primed for action in this episode of SPACE: 1999.  always the possibility of a movie. So Catherine Schell has come full circle -- from Moon Zero Two (as Catherina Von Schell) to Moonbase Alpha. A long trip, but one that has opened great promise for the future, for Catherine Schell has certainly made it, and the best is yet to come. |
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