The Continuity Guide
Technical Facilities
by Martin Willey

9 Technical Facilities

9.1 Computer

Thanks to Marcus Lindroos

• General
• Data Centres
• Functionality
• Hardware
• Input/ Output

---

The Moonbase Computer is identified by several terms which are used in different episodes.

Master Computer

Breakaway

Central Computer

Black Sun, Ring Around The Moon, The Metamorph, Seed Of Destruction

Main Computer

Alpha Child, Space Brain, The Testament Of Arkadia, The Metamorph, Brian The Brain, The Seance Spectre

X5 Computer

The designation seen on panels in Main Mission, Eagle sets and outside Command Centre.

The 1970s audience would assume that the "Main Computer", the computer wall in Main Mission/Command Center, and the Computer Room are massive mainframes. The modular panel designs suggest more modular networked components. The scenes where Alphans open panels to pull out circuit boards to replace them is equivalent to components on sliding rails in modern rack-mounts (the dimensions originally established by 1920s telephony equipment) or even blade enclosures; the moonbase computer 2 x 8 panel configuration is essentially a variation of a rack in modern data center.

Although Computer seems to be based on fairly primitive mid-1970s technology, it nonetheless provides some impressive services including speech recognition and rudimentary artificial intelligence/"expert system" applications (see below).

Other computing

Although the Alphans are very dependent on the Central Computer, there are many examples where they prefer to use something else.