The Continuity GuideMoonbase Guide
by Martin Willey
The Continuity Guide
Main Mission (named "Main Mission Control" in Ring Around The Moon) is the control room which monitors and supervises all Moonbase operations. Later in Year 2, operations moved to Command Centre. The "big screen" is the large view screen at the front of these rooms. Behind is Koenig's command office, with large "big doors" which can be closed to isolate the two areas.
Main Mission is staffed by members of all organisational sections - not just red sleeves. Normal staff levels are about double the number of desks: various staff are employed looking at the computer panels (this was Kano's position until he got a desk) or walking round carrying pieces of colourful plastic. Minimum staff levels are two or less (Black Sun, Space Brain).
The layout and lighting of Main Mission changed through the series. In early episodes, the panels are illuminated white. In Alpha Child they became green for six episodes. In End Of Eternity only they are yellow. In War Games and The Last Enemy they are both white and red. In the remaining six episodes they are white, except for some scenes in Space Brain when they are green.
In the September 1973 writers guide, Main Mission is an organisational section, and the room was called Central Control.
Cut-away view and renders of Main Mission, by Andrew Novinc. The configuration is a mix of pre-Earthbound (window steps) and Missing Link to Force Of Life (Kano's desk, clock panel under Big Screen). See 360° panoramas here
The view from Koenig's desk.
View to balcony steps. Note the high ceiling
From Alpha Child the illuminated panels become green, although they will become red or yellow in specific episodes. Note that the higher level panels are not illuminated, and the camera never reveals the full ceiling like the early episodes.
Even the lights over the side windows are no longer illuminated. Main Mission is less brightly lit, giving more shadows. They are using studio lights (seen at the top of frame here), so the room is not cast in green with deep shadows.
View towards Command Office, doors open.
A view towards the other corner. From Breakaway to Ring Around The Moon, there is a platform up to the windows. After Earthbound, the steps and platform disappear, and the four windows shift forwards towards the front of Main Mission.
In several episodes, we see the Moonbase abandoned for Operation Exodus. In 3 episodes, we see the empty Main Mission after Exodus, each time slightly different.
In Another Time, Another Place, we see Main Mission stripped of all electronics. The camera pans over the deserted room, as shown in this panorama here.
In Another Time, Another Place, even the door control panels have been removed. All that remains is Koenig's Domani chair, two of the desks including Paul's (tipped over), and the navigation signal panel under the Big Screen.
In Guardian Of Piri, Main Mission is intact. Although "Computer Has Removed To Planet Piri", all the computer panels are intact (apart from the ones Koenig damaged earlier in the episode). Helena talks about being able to return to the Moonbase, so none of the technology was removed.
In War Games, the Exodus takes all the desks apart from Paul's. Paul also retains his Sorella lamp, keyboards and the Eagle remote control. Again, Koenig's Domani chair is left, while his desk has gone. Perhaps because of the limited evacuation time, the computer and Big Screen are fully intact, and even the drinks dispenser is in place.
Through the Main Mission arches is a narrow corridor, about 6ft/1.8m wide, with two single doors opposite the arches. The precise position of the single doors varies- normally they are aligned to the arch centres, but sometimes shifted left or right.
Both Breakaway and Matter of Life and Death show TV images of Koenig in the corridor before entering Main Mission, each showing the opposite ends of the corridor.
The Breakaway shot with Bergman and Koenig shows the wall aligned with Main Mission's windows. Here there are lighted panels at the end of the corridor and a side corridor, perhaps 6ft or 8ft wide.
The Matter of Life and Death shot shows the wall aligned with Main Mission's computers, with blank panels and a narrow 4ft/1.2m side corridor.
In Alpha Child and Collision Course there are scenes in the corridor behind the Big Screen. However, they are not consistent- in one there is a side corridor and no windows; in the other, no corridor and at least one window.
In Alpha Child, this is the same view as the Breakaway shot above- with no lighted panels- , and the opposite view to the Collision Course window, which is not there. The single door opposite the arch has moved to the centre, leaving 2 blank panels (not 1 as in Breakaway) before a wide 8ft/2.4m corridor.
In Collision Course there is a window, but no side corridor. It is unclear if there is another side corridor at the other end, but half a wall panel is visible at the end. Thanks to John Day.
This shot shows the corridor wall has a sharp corner, with another wall indented perhaps 1ft.
Copyright Martin Willey