CyberMuseum
Space: 1999 - in retrospect

by John August

Here's my contribution to Space: 1999. For me, Space: 1999 is something which deserves, wants to be written about.

Space: 1999 - so long ago. I was young then; it certainly made an impression on me, one that I still remember. Such an impression that the words still boil up in me, want to get out...

I sure found it a significant series. But what about the general view ? A lot of people bag it out. So, it makes sense to critically assess the series.

Lets go through its failings. It had a poor grasp of science, and used scientific jargon because the terms sounded good rather than anything else.

Some might say the idea of the Moon travelling through space as a result of a great explosion was silly, but this is just a knee jerk response. Yes, you have to suspend disbelief to get to the point where the Moon can reach a new solar system every few weeks and not have to deal with issues of the speed of light, not to mention the fuel required to land and take off a rocket based craft.

However, you need to give any series a bit of slack. There's a saying that a reader will swallow any one big impossibility - but don't push it beyond that. Lets now apply this to a TV series. To me, the Moon travelling through space is a cute idea, rather than something stretching credulity.

And, lets go through the positives. It had a good look, some people call it artistry. The sets were impressive, the Eagles looked good, the outfits were good and the chicks were really cute and well dressed - whether in the Moon city outfits or the amazing dresses that alien species had.

(Obviously their economies were advanced enough to have specialised and included fashion designers.)

This look was unique, or close to. It had its own psychedelic feel. The artwork which was used as the background to various installations of different planets - they were impressive.

The script reflected this psychedelic feel. I didn't find these touches corny, I found them cute and stimulating, and important part of the overall feel.

"You computer failed to take the human soul into account"
"You must not touch my brain"
"Time is but an illusion, Commander Koenig"

This was a part of the whole feel to the series. Now, yes it had its derivative components. But, the psychedelic feel was novel and innovative. Have there been any other series which had that psychedelic feel ? I can't really think of any from the same time period. The closest thing I can think of in recent history has been the Lexx series, and that was a long time after Space: 1999.

(Some Lexx fans might cringe at that comparison, but it makes sense to me.)

The point is that this psychedelic feel meant the series was potent and original. Now, not everyone will be impressed by such a series; it is a particular taste. But if it tweaks your perceptions, you'll really notice it.

Space: 1999 has also been criticised as being derivative; that is, borrowing a lot of ideas. OK, maybe it did, but the ideas weren't just copied. Space: 1999 added its own unique charm to the ideas that it borrowed.

For instance, Trek had a pair of planets who were eternally at war. In Space: 1999, you had two planet at opposite sides of an orbit who were always at war. Derivative? Perhaps. But, then add the fact that the two planets seemed to operating along matriarchal and patriarchal lines. And then, the spacecraft sent to the Moon from one of the planets was crewed by attractive women in very attractive dresses. And then, that Koenig did some subterfuge right at the end to disentangle himself from the crossfire between the planets.

There was a space probe from another galaxy, which appeared as an eye and extracted information from their computer. OK, there have been probes from other places before. But this one had an interesting look - the eye was a cute rendering, and there was an interesting twist in the plot.

And there are several other examples.

But, what do you want from a SF series ? Yes, science is good. But what a series lacks in some ways it can make up in others. And, what about the emotional impact of a series ? Does it will you with wonder about space, and travelling through it ? Does it engage you, making you wonder what will happen next to the characters ? Space: 1999 does this, and it does it well.

The conclusion of this is that Space: 1999 was, for all its faults, a unique and innovative series which has an originality which has persisted and not been challenged. To some degree Space: 1999's charms are in the eye of the beholder, but the fact that so many people still look upon it fondly has to mean something.

But moving on ... here's me, an Australian, watching the adventures of Alan Carter, an Australian character. He's forever the passionate one, not quite the way I'd imagined an Australian. But, when I found out he replaced a character who was originally going to be Italian, it all made sense.

Alan's character was one I related well to. Not just because I was an Australian; piloting an Eagle seemed fun, too.

Sad to say, in Australia appreciation for Space: 1999 seems rather thin on the ground. I have enthusiasm, but could never find anyone within reach who shares it, at least in the fan circles I was circulating in. Australia can be too small sometimes, but I've never felt inclined to leave. It does have its compensations, regardless.

It was several years ago that I looked into Space: 1999 on the net, and found that there was a whole other world out there. Conventions, mailing lists and other material. There was a whole world out there, with its traditions and issues. While I was floundering in isolation, it had bloomed and progressed.

But, what about what was available on the net, from my vantage point in Australia ? Sadly the mailing list archives seemed intellectually stagnant. People on the mailing lists were bemoaning the fact that it had all been discussed before, and there was nothing new to be said about the series. And raw mailing lists, unedited and with a lot of administrivia, greetings and chatter are not easy to relate to, particularly when the participants themselves seem to have lost their passion.

I hope that doesn't come across as too negative, from my distant viewpoint in Australia. Regardless of the here and now, Space: 1999 remains a noble memory.