The Catacombs The Continuity Guide
Moonbase Guide
by Martin Willey

Moonbase Buildings


click for larger image

The studio backdrop. Note the Main Mission Tower is a straight sided building.

Black Sun

Several episodes used a studio backdrop of Alpha buildings.

Catacombs Of The Moon Catacombs Of The Moon Catacombs Of The Moon

Outside the windows in Year 1 we could see buildings. This backdrop was seen clearly in the dream sequences in Catacombs Of The Moon

There were two brief shots of individual Moonbase buildings in Breakaway, but the first views of the Main Mission tower and other buildings were in Guardian Of Piri. Among the notable features are rotating radar dishes in Force Of Life & The Metamorph, and the dish in Seed Of Destruction. The base was surrounded by forcefield towers seen in several episodes.

An underground research station, with a cross-shaped pad and buildings embedded in a lunar hill, was seen in The Exiles. A raised building was seen in The Exiles, Journey To Where, The A B Chrysalis & Space Warp. This was seen in conjunction with a dome (from the Daria, Mission Of The Darians) with the Moonbase seen beyond and an Eagle foreground in Space Warp, New Adam, New Eve, The Seance Spectre & Seed Of Destruction. The dome was also seen in Journey To Where (as the "transference dome").

Breakaway

From Breakaway, the first brief view of individual Moonbase buildings. The building on the left is seen in many of the later shots of Alpha buildings.

Depot

Exterior shots of the Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 2 waste depot were filmed but mostly cut from Breakaway. The circular building made many additional appearances, however.

Breakaway

The only shot of the exterior of the depot in the final version of Breakaway

Force Of Life

In Force Of Life, the SFX crew began to experiment with more larger scale buildings.

Force Of Life Force Of Life Force Of Life

Close up of the revolving radar array

The Last Sunset

The circular building is seen again in the distance, from The Last Sunset

The Last Sunset

During daylight.

The Dorcons

The circular building survives until the final episode, The Dorcons, where it sits on top of another building.

Year 2 titles- textless

From the Year Two titles: the foreground buildings are on a large hill overlooking the base. Note there are actually two moonbuggies in this shot. There is a (non-revolving) antenna on the round building.

The Metamorph

In the background of this shot from The Metamorph, the depot is seen again. A revolving antenna is on top. The small construction on the hill top is a satellite from Into Infinity.

The Metamorph

From The Metamorph, two of the depots, one with a revolving antenna.

The Dorcons

Eagles flying over Moonbase buildings

Space Brain

This launch pad is very close to other buildings.

Other Exterior Structures

New Adam, New Eve

Outlying launch pad. Note building and transference dome

Journey To Where

Journey To Where. The same angle of Moonbase Alpha, at the base of two hills (one must be the hill from the title sequence, as the same launch pad is visible).

Seed Of Destruction Seed Of Destruction Seed Of Destruction

Seed Of Destruction: energy transmitting dish.

The Bringers Of Wonder part 1

Bringers Of Wonder part 1: note beyond this launch pad is another launch pad.

Catacombs Of The Moon

In Catacombs Of The Moon, beyond this launch pad is the Main Mission tower and the modular building.

Modular building

Space Warp

This Martin Bower building is seen in a panning shot from The Exiles. A longer form of the pan (in the opposite direction) appears in Space Warp and The A B Chrysalis.

Journey To Where

The other main appearance is in Journey To Where by the dome. This is the opposite side.

New Adam, New Eve

Similar view of the building and dome, now with a launch pad New Adam New Eve

The Bringers Of Wonder part 1

It's at the end of the launch pad in Bringers Of Wonder part 1.

The Bringers Of Wonder part 2

It's also at the waste dump in The Bringers Of Wonder part 2 (some parts visible in part 1). The upper part of the building has been removed.

Blue Peter

The building also appears in the Jif "Alien Attack" advert and was sold in 1979 on the Blue Peter children's programme (no mention was made of the origin)


Copyright Martin Willey