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Compiled by Martin Willey

Spazio 1999: L'ultimo tramonto by Gianni Padoan

This is the introduction to the Fanucci novel Spazio 1999: L'ultimo tramonto by Gianni Padoan. Translation thanks to Patrick Zimmerman.

UFO: 1999

Few television writers have been able to capture the imagination of viewers like Gerry Anderson. Starting from the early 1960s, all Anderson television series have always stood out for their above-average production values and for particular attention dedicated to the details, especially on a visual level. Gerry Anderson began his career making science fiction series for kids with puppets as protagonists. Over the years, the puppets themselves and the animation technique became sophisticated to the point that a new term was coined to describe them: Supermarionation. Among the most popular series in Supermarionation are undoubtedly Stingray (1964-1965, 39 episodes) and Thunderbirds (1965-1966, 32 episodes). In 1969 Gerry Anderson, together with his wife Sylvia, decided to take a new path and created his first television series with real actors: UFO (1970-1973, 26 episodes). The absence of puppets was not the only difference from the past. With UFO for the first time the Andersons created a series no longer aimed only at an audience of children. Due to the themes covered and the depth of its UFO stories it can be considered in all respects an adult series. However, Gerry Anderson's passion for models and special effects remained unchanged. UFO boasted the best visual effects ever seen on TV at the time. The series did not receive widespread public approval, but there are still many faithful fans spread all over the world, including Italy. In 1973 Anderson was asked to create a new science fiction series, even more spectacular than the previous one.

Although Space 1999 was made entirely in England, it underwent numerous influences from the US market right from its origins. During the 1972/73 season UFO, almost completely ignored in its country of origin, recorded excellent ratings in the United States. CBS, which broadcast the series overseas, expressed interest in purchasing a second season, and Gerry Anderson immediately set to work to follow up the adventures of Commander Straker. The new series was given the provisional title of UFO 2. During the first broadcast of UFO, a certain preference emerged among viewers for those episodes set entirely or largely on the Moon. Among the various means available to SHADO to hinder the alien threat, Moon Base and its Interceptors were undoubtedly the most futuristic and had captured the public's imagination the most. Anderson then imagined a new scenario for the second season: SHADO would have to move massively to the Moon, within a much larger complex, called Moon City. As usual, the author took great care to accurately describe the new structure. Moon City would have been the main defense bastion against alien incursions. To defend itself from enemy ships it would have had both interceptors and tracked vehicles capable of moving on the surface at its disposal. Other vehicles (precursors of the Eagles) would have guaranteed connections with the Earth, while the 'Moonhoppers' (an evolution of the UFO Lunamobiles) and the 'Moonbuggy', the two-seater six-wheeled vehicles made in sequel for the series. Another interesting feature envisioned by Anderson, and later completely abandoned, was the presence of a personal computer of the Moon City commander, capable of 'thinking' with the same parameters of morality as the commander. To respect continuity with what was narrated in UFO, the setting of the new series was placed chronologically in 1999, about twenty years later than the previous one. At the same time the title of this new incarnation of UFO was changed to UFO: 1999. Since the series was intended primarily for American networks, Gerry Anderson received instructions from the New York office of ITC (the production company of UFO and Space 1999 ) to make the new series more adventurous and less introspective than the previous one. Anderson then developed an even more innovative idea. He imagined that an alien attack could hurl the Moon, with all its complex and its inhabitants, out of Earth's orbit, launching it on an endless journey into deep space. Preproduction of the series was now at an advanced stage. Several actors from the UFO cast, including Ed Bishop, were approached to reprise their roles. A new consultant, Christopher Penfold, was brought in as script supervisor.

Unfortunately, at that time the popularity of UFOs in the United States suffered a sharp decline. The audience for the last episodes began to fade and advertisers began to look for new programs for their commercials. CBS promptly withdrew its request for a new season and the entire project was aborted. A series like the one imagined by Anderson would undoubtedly have been very expensive, and without the adequate guarantees from an American broadcaster it was considered too risky an undertaking. Anderson did not give up and convinced Sir Lew Grade, head of ITC, that with the necessary changes UFO: 1999 could become a completely new and successful series. Any connection with UFOs was thus abandoned. The title of the series was changed to Space Journey: 1999, and the functions of the lunar complex became scientific research rather than defence from extraterrestrial attacks. During the summer of 1973 the Andersons wrote the script for a new pilot episode, entitled "Zero G". The protagonist of the new series had become Commander Steve Maddox, head of City Moon. An attack by alien forces manages to completely cancel the gravity of the Moon which consequently abandons Earth's orbit, thus starting its long journey into space.

The US market, however, remained of vital importance for ITC, which imposed an American writer as script supervisor. This role was initially filled by George Bellak, who wrote a new version, based on the Andersons' story, of the pilot episode entitled "The Void Ahead". Although the script was later used for the final version of the pilot episode, Bellak soon found himself at odds with Gerry Anderson and left the series soon after. His role was then entrusted to another American writer, Edward di Lorenzo, and to the Irishman Johnny Byrne. Di Lorenzo and Byrne, in addition to carrying out supervisory work alongside Penfold, also contributed many stories of their own.

In the meantime, the series was increasingly taking on its definitive form: Moon City became Moon Base Alpha, while the protagonist's name was changed from Steve Maddox to John Koenig. Commander Koenig was joined by Dr. Helena Russell, the base's chief medical officer. A relationship would have been established between the two, left deliberately ambiguous by the writers, at least during the first season. Professor Victor Bergman was introduced as the third main character of the series, who would provide the scientific point of view as the stories evolved. At the insistence of the ITC, two American actors were chosen in the roles of the main protagonists: Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, also a couple in life, thus took on the roles of John Koenig and Helena Russell. The two actors were undoubtedly very well known to the American public and had already starred together in the very popular Mission: Impossible (1966-1973, 171 episodes).

With the final title of Space 1999, the series began broadcasting in England on September 4, 1975, and reached the United States shortly thereafter. As had already happened with UFO, Space 1999 received the greatest acclaim overseas, while it remained little appreciated in its country of origin. Although the series was not purchased by any of the major American networks, it was broadcast by many local broadcasters and the ITC offices in New York were flooded with letters from viewers. ITC's efforts to win over American audiences had paid off, and as the first season wrapped up Anderson was given the green light to produce another. In its second year of life Space 1999 underwent numerous changes both in front of and behind the cameras. Gerry Anderson was joined by American producer Fred Freiberger, who had already worked on the third and final season of Star Trek (1966-1969, 79 episodes).

Freiberger, while completely satisfied with the visual aspect of the series, suggested numerous changes to the main characters to make the stories more appealing to the American public. Some substantial changes were then made to the cast. Professor Bergman, considered too serious a character, and Paul Morrow disappeared without any explanation being given; the relationship between Commander Koenig and Dr. Russell was made more explicit. The most important change was the introduction of two completely new characters, who were supposed to provide inspiration for more adventurous stories.

Tony Verdeschi (played by Tony Anholt) was introduced as second in command of Moon Base Alpha. of Italian origins and with a great passion for beer. Perhaps more interesting was the introduction of the fascinating Maya, originally from the planet Psychon. The alien, who joins the Alphans during the first episode of the second season, has the ability to take the form of any type of animal, terrestrial or otherwise. Koenig and Helena weren't the only ones who added a touch of romance to the series; Tony and Maya (played by Catherine Schell) will also soon form a romantic relationship. As a further change, the enormous set of the Command Room, considered cold and distracting, was abandoned in favour of a more intimate environment called the Command Center. Overall the tone of the series became less dark; the writers were invited to end their stories with funny moments rather than the dramatic questions that closed the first season's episodes. These changes, however, were not of benefit to Space 1999. Once again the English public did not welcome it with enthusiasm, but the lack of success in the United States was much more serious. Viewers did not like the lighter and more superficial atmospheres of the second season, and Space 1999 failed to repeat the previous year's ratings. It soon became apparent that there would not be a third season, and the series closed in 1977. A total of 48 episodes had been produced.

More than twenty years after the end of Space 1999, it becomes natural to wonder about its fortune. Seen today, the episodes reveal all their limitations: the plots seem really thin compared to the more mature perspectives (not only from a strictly scientific point of view) offered by more recent science fiction television series, such as Star Trek - Deep Space Nine or Babylon 5. The acting often appears forced, and the characters themselves suffer from a certain two-dimensionality. It would seem that time has been merciless, and that the reality of the facts does not bear comparison with the fond memories that many still retain.

Yet, there is something profoundly moving in the journey undertaken by the inhabitants of Moon Base Alpha: involuntary victims of the odyssey of our satellite, thrown from its natural orbit due to the arrogance of Earth's scientists and technocrats, the men led by the tormented commander Koenig they are overwhelmed by a sense of loss that is sometimes truly overwhelming. The odyssey of the Moon is accompanied by anxiety over the failure of the naively positivist vision of scientific progress. It is not far-fetched to argue that in Space 1999 there are the harbingers of the pessimism that seems to have imbued much of the science fiction imagination from the end of the 1970s onwards. In this sense, the series presents itself as an ideal bridge between the cold iconography of 2001 - A Space Odyssey (1968) by Stanley Kubrick and the degraded world of Alien (1979) by Ridley Scott. This transition reflects the climate of disillusionment that began to emerge at the end of the most striking phase of the 'conquest of space'. Of course, in their ceaseless wanderings in the cosmic abyss, the crew of Moon Base Alpha never lost their humanity, facing the dangers and wonders that lay before them with extraordinary courage. As two-dimensional as they were, it was hard not to become attached to those characters.

A separate discussion would deserve the consideration that Space 1999 was the first truly adult science fiction television series to arrive on Italian television screens (RAI was also a co-producer). For at least two generations of fans, the series has played the role that Star Trek had in the United States: with Space, new horizons opened up for the imagination of viewers. It is no coincidence that since its first appearance on RAI (the debut, strictly in black and white, took place on 31 January 1976), Space 1999 experienced extraordinary popularity in Italy: the odyssey of the Moon was not only exciting, it also seemed credible.

The special effects offered by the series have fully stood the test of time: in particular the models, which in 1975 were absolutely astonishing, can still be fully defined as among the best ever made for television. Far from being a mere technical exercise, the models were intended to provide a technologically credible and coherent context to the series. The work of Brian Johnson, supervisor of the special effects and responsible for the design and creation (among other things) of the beautiful Eagle, was admirable in this sense. The verisimilitude of the models was achieved not only thanks to the accuracy of the proportions, but also to the adoption of finishes that gave the illusion of objects constructed with hundreds of parts, subjected to inevitable wear and tear. Already tested in UFO, this stylistic solution reached its most complete expression in Space 1999. It is worth noting that also from this point of view the series lies between the rigour and formal cleanliness of 2001 and the chaotic realism of the spaceships of Alien (significantly, Johnson participated in both productions).

Gianni Padoan began his involvement in genre publishing with the novel Robinson in Space, published in 1969 by AMZ of Milan. As evidence of a particular attention to children's fiction, other novels aimed at a young audience would follow, including Atoms in the Cellar (1971), The Pioneers of the Cosmos (1976) and Conquering Rigel (1980).

Also for AMZ, Padoan began writing literary adaptations of some episodes of Space 1999 in 1975. Even in Italy a myriad of collateral initiatives had developed (or been imported) of what was not yet called merchandising: disks for 3D View Master viewers and the detailed models from the English Dinky Toys (but also of Harbert), were accompanied by comic books and of course the now legendary Figurine Panini. The AMZ volumes were particularly successful: Padoan's lively style perfectly captured the spirit of the episode plots. In an era before the mass diffusion of home video recorders, this was the only way to fuel one's burning passion. After a first series of thirteen volumes, with adaptations of all the episodes of the first season (published between 1975 and 1978), another four were added in 1979 with the adaptations of eight episodes from the second.

As in the previous volumes published by our publishing house, in this case four novelizations by Padoan have also been collected. Among these is also 'The Last Sunset': the Italian dubbed version of the episode (one of the most memorable of the entire first season) has been lost in the dusty archives of State Television. It is therefore with particular pleasure that we include the literary adaptation, certain that there will be many nostalgic memories that will emerge in the minds of our readers.

Aleksandar Mickovic
Marcello Rossi