The Continuity GuideMoonbase Guide
by Martin Willey
The Continuity Guide
There are 6 desks, plus Kano's added from Missing Link. Each has slightly different detailing. Four were adapted into Command Center desks (see Command Center prop desk). The desks sometimes appear elsewhere in Alpha (all 6 appear in the Main Power Unit, all 7 in Nuclear Generating Area 3; other desks appear in the Eagle Passenger Module, Life Support, Observation Unit, Techlab 6b, and Flight Control)
The 6 desks, plus Kano's and Koenig's desk, were refurbished after filming Year 1. Some had monitors added and appeared in Command Center. Other desks appeared at the side of Command Center and in other Year 2 sets. They also appeared in other TV series.
In this shot from The Last Enemy, we can see the wooden base of the desk, with loose wires and writing.
Paul Morrow's desk has two configurations. For the first 12 episodes, there is a 14 x 6 keyboard. From Collision Course onwards, there is a new keyboard (see below), and the right side has a flip-up compartment, the multi-function hatch.
The multi-function hatch only appears from Collision Course
The early keyboard.
From Collision Course onwards, Paul has a new keyboard, made from one of the stand-alone keyboards.
In Space Brain, most of the desks including Paul's have an additional white button between the metal plate and the instrument lights (just above his hand here). It isn't present in many shots (including the long shot immediately preceding this close-up).
Paul's desk in the Nuclear Generating Area 3 office.
In The Metamorph Sarah Bullen sits at Paul's desk, on the side of Command Center.
It appears, slightly modified alongside two corner units, in the Research Outpost in The Exiles
Also in The Exiles, it is in Life Support (also in One Moment Of Humanity, but not clearly seen)
In Journey To Where in the Research Building.
In the year 2 Eagle Passenger Module, the desk is always Paul's.
It reappears in Command Center in Seed Of Destruction, when Koenig needs to use Paul's multi-function hatch. In the episode, Helena sits at this desk, so it is slightly odd for it to have a "Laser Gun Control".
In The Dorcons, Paul's desk appears on the side of Command Center, and is used by Helena.
After the series, Paul's desk would appear in other TV series, being modified to add a small screen.
This type of desk has a 2 x 5 "keypad" on the right. There are 2 desks like this; at the start of the series, one is Alan's (with red and white keys), and the other is Sandra's on the computer side (with blue and green colours). Later in the series these move around.
In Breakaway, the red and white keys version is on the computer side, here in the foreground. During the series it will move to Alan's position (alongside Paul), and then move around.
Here Tanya sits at the desk; the other desk of this type is by it, behind Andy Dempsey.
In earlier episodes, this one (with more colourful keys) is Sandra's, on the computer side.
In Collision Course the red/white version is on the computer side in front.
On the right here in The Infernal Machine.
Both of these desks were used in the Eagle passenger module during Year 1.
In Force Of Life they appeared in Nuclear Generating Area 3 (one of the type C desks is on the left, the colourful type B is on the right).
For Year 2, both of these desks were modified to become Command Center desks.
This desk has a column of 6 keys on the left and the right. One has a single blue key on the lower left (normally this desk is front left); the other has a green key in a higher position on the left (sometimes Alan or Tanya's desk).
In Breakaway, the bottom left desk (by Marc Zuber) and Tanya's desk alongside Paul are these type.
In Force Of Life, Zoref's desk, on the right, is the one with the blue key. Normally it sits on the front left, but occasionally moves to front right.
In Force Of Life, this is the desk with the green key (Alan/Tanya's).
Alan/Tanya's desk, with the green key. Occasionally it moves to front right.
A nice close-up from Space Brain in Medical. The white button by the metal plate was added to all the desks, except Kano's and Sandra's, in this episode.
For Year 2, both of these desks were modified to become Command Center desks; the blue-key desk will be Maya's desk.
This desk is initially positioned on the window side by Alan Carter's desk, and is thus frequently seen in the series. It is a different panel design, with a line of lights. There is a good close-up of the lights in the Breakaway This Episode sequence. Sandra often sits on the opposite desk, by the computer, but she is here in Black Sun; later in the series, it swaps sides to her position. The desk always has the dial instrument on top, even in Year 2.
Occasionally it moves; here in Guardian Of Piri it has swapped with Alan's desk.
In Collision Course, Sandra has it on the computer side.
It also appears in flight control in Breakaway (and this recycled shot in Force Of Life)
This desk also appears in Command Center, and is the only one not to have a screen.
In The Exiles, it is in Life Support
After the series, Sandra's desk would appear in other TV series, with the instrumentation completely changed.
Kano's desk first appeared in Missing Link. While those at other desks sit in Gaudi chairs, Kano sits in a more upright Selene chair.
Kano's desk is has a slightly different design. In front there is a small screen (never seen in use). The flat desk has rows of red and white buttons. The sides are illuminated, and there are print-out slots in front. Print-outs always emerge from the left slots.
In End Of Eternity, Balor rips up Kano's desk (a lightweight stunt replica).
In War Games, Kano's desk is further back in Main Mission, just in front of Alan and Paul (in some shots, shifted to the left in front of Alan). After the attack, it moves forward again to it's normal position.
Kano's desk in Nuclear Generating Area 3 in Force Of Life.
In The Metamorph it's one of the desks to the side of Command Center (foreground here).
In The Exiles, it is in Life Support
In Brian The Brain it's back in Command Center
After the series, Kano's desk would appear in other TV series, with some panel changes.
Each desk has a Sorella lamp. The power cable should enter through a visible hole in the back, but is actually through the base (which can be seen in a few episodes when they fall over).
There are four corner cabinets. The corner by Paul Morrow has a different top; originally white (and often covered with red clipboards), it later has a grid with abstract symbols (first seen in The Last Sunset). Each has an "X3" label (perhaps an earlier version of the "X5 computer" on the main computer panels). There is a slot which may be a print-out slot, or a card-reader slot, but it is never used in the series.
The corner units are placed on alongside the four main desks in Command Center (shot from The Rules of Luton).
Two of them also appear in the Research Unit in The Exiles, and in the Observation Unit in Seed Of Destruction
Copyright Martin Willey
