The Production GuideScript To Screen: War Games
by Martin Willey
The Production GuideAt the start of Act One, the Hawks attack, destroying Eagles and blowing up the base. There was a number of action scenes that were filmed, but cut from the final edit.
These are the surviving parts of the scenes we see in the episode. In scene 34, Paul announces "Damage control units to pad four. Explosive decompression in the end section. Area sealed off." There is an unscripted shot of the Hawks flying away, having completed their attack (a shot from elsewhere in the episode). We then skip to scene 40, with Koenig talking to Kano, Helena and Carter.
These are the intermediate scenes.
Scene 35 shows a moon buggy driving down a Moonbase corridor with three spacesuited technicians. This was filmed on 31st October; two of the moonbuggy crew are "A.N.Other", with the third was Ron Watkins.
35 INT. CORRIDOR. 35
Moon Buggy races along towards space sky at the end of
the corridor. THREE TECHNICIANS in spacesuits and helmets
jump out and struggle to close air-lock doors manually.
The moonbuggy scene was filmed immediately after scenes 32 and 35, with stuntmen Paul Weston, Colin Skeaping and Les Crawford, so this was the corridor that the moonbuggy drives through.
There are a couple of scenes of the chaos outside and inside the Medical corridor. These were filmed on 30th October; the First Alphan was played by Tony Goodall (on the right in this shot from later).
36 INT. CORRIDOR (OUTSIDE MEDICAL CENTRE) 36
TWO CASUALTIES on trolleys are pushed very fast by
ordinarily uniformed ALPHANS. At the door NURSES move
round the trolleys as they are pushed inside.
37 INT. MEDICAL CENTRE. 37
A disaster area. HELENA directs the trolleys to be
wheeled between already-filled beds.
CONTINUED:
10
37 CONTD.
MATHIAS moves in to attend to one of them. HELENA moves
to the other. She looks up at the ALPHANS who brought
the patient.
HELENA
De-compression?
FIRST ALPHAN
(nods)
From pad four.
We are then in Main Mission for scene 38 and 40, filmed on 25th October. The linked Eagle command module shots, scenes 39 and 41, were filmed on Friday 1st November. Nothing of scenes 38 and 39 remains in the episode.
38 INT. MAIN MISSION. 38
MORROW reports to KOENIG.
MORROW
Launch pads one and four
are out.
KOENIG turns to SANDRA.
KOENIG
Hawk positions?
SANDRA
Orbital reference 307.
He presses a key and CARTER appears on the TV Screen.
KOENIG (Cont'd.)
Alan, they're coming at you.
CARTER
(on TV screen)
Got 'em on scanners, Commander.
KOENIG turns to BERGMAN.
KOENIG
We have performance data on
the Hawk in the memory bank.
It may give Alan more of a
chance.
BERGMAN nods approval and races over to the Main Computer
Bank,. He thinks a moment, and begins pressing buttons.
KOENIG turns back to CARTER who is still on the TV Screen.
CONTINUED:
11
38 CONTD.
KOENIG
Computing attack data now.
Hit them as soon as you get
a chance.
39 INT. EAGLE COMMAND MODULE. 39
CARTER at the controls. JOHNSON beside him.
CARTER
Ready and waiting, Commander.
Martin Landau rewrites the lasts lines of dialogue as Koenig tells Bergman to give Carter performance data on the Hawk. Landau adds a remark "So late!".
KOENIG turns to BERGMAN.
KOENIG
We have performance data on
the Hawk in the memory bank.
It may give Alan more of a
chance.
So late!
We're transmitting all the
performance data we have from the
memory banks into your on-board computer.
It'll give you more of a chance.
BERGMAN nods approval and races over to the Main Computer
Bank,. He thinks a moment, and begins pressing buttons.
KOENIG turns back to CARTER who is still on the TV Screen.
CONTINUED:
11
38 CONTD.
KOENIG
Computing attack data now.
Hit them as soon as you get
a chance. Within range.
The episode resumes with scene 40 (starting from Koenig's second line "I want damage reports"), but the dialogue will be changed. Here's the original version. Martin Landau's handwritten changes are explained below.
40. INT. MAIN MISSION. 40
KANO reports to KOENIG.
KANO
Air lock doors to pad four
are holding at travel-point
fourteen.
MORROW
Damage control units already in
the area.
KOENIG
I want damage reports on the
launch pads and the Maintenance
Section. Check the minimum
countdown to get the last
laser-equipped Eagle off.
(he presses a key)
Helena? Give me a casualty
report.
HELENA appears on the TV Screen.
HELENA
(on TV screen)
Apart from Eagle crews, we've
lost all technicians on launch
pad four. We have eleven other
casualties so far and two men
unaccounted for.
KOENIG
Unaccounted for?
HELENA
(on TV screen)
Probably went out when the
corridor blew.
CONTINUED:
12
40 CONTD.
KOENIG digests this momentarily.
HELENA (Cont'd.)
(on TV screen)
John, what happened?
KOENIG
We're at war.
KOENIG releases the key and the TV Screen dies. KOENIG
turns to SANDRA.
KOENIG
Position?
SANDRA
Eagles at orbital reference
three two six, Hawks at
three one nine and closing.
KOENIG turns to KANO.
KOENIG
Interception.
KANO
Laser range in two minutes five.
KOENIG presses another key. On the TV Screen, CARTER appears
KOENIG
They're moving towards you
from three one nine, Alan.
Within range in two minutes...
KANO
(interrupts)
and four seconds.
KOENIG (Cont'd.)
(to CARTER)
... and four seconds. We're
getting you all the help we can,
but there's only you between us
and them.
13
41 INT. EAGLE COMMAND MODULE. 41
KOENIG appears on the TV Screen. CARTER and JOHNSON
watch.
KOENIG (Cont'd.)
(on TV Screen)
And Alpha wasn't built as a
fortress. We're relying on you.
CARTER
We'll take care of you.
CARTER smiles nervously and glances at JOHNSON.
KOENIG
(on TV Screen)
Good luck.
The screen dies. CARTER looks out ahead.
Koenig's question "Unaccounted for?" and Helena's response is crossed out (we saw them being sucked out into space). We skip immediately to Koenig's grim line "We're at war."
Landau deletes the line "and four seconds" from Kano, which with his repetition would take more than four seconds to say.
Landau's final amendment is to delete Alan's line "And Alpha wasn't built as a fortress". All of scene 41 is played out on the Main Mission screen, not in the Eagle cockpit. On set it would have been filmed twice, once on 25th October in Main Mission, then again in the Eagle command module on 1st November, giving the editor both versions. The editor decided to keep the Main Mission version.
Copyright Martin Willey.