The Production GuideScript To Screen: The Immunity Syndrome
by Martin Willey
The Production Guide
On 24th October 1975, Johnny Byrne completed his first draft of The Face Of Eden for the second series of Space: 1999. The script was eventually rewritten as The Immunity Syndrome. This draft of the script includes Bergman, Paul and Kano; Maya and Tony Verdeschi do not appear. Here is one of the few scenes that survived the rewriting- as the stranded Alphans warn Moonbase Alpha not to attempt rescue. You can read the original version of the story in E C Tubb's novel Earthbound, published by Fanderson in 2003.
37
CONTD.
HELENA
Victor, contact Alpha.
Let them know what's happened.
Come on Alan, we've got to
get the rest of our people inside.
HELENA and CARTER exit into the howling nightmare.
BERGMAN presses his commlock and MORROW appears on
the screen.
BERGMAN
Paul ... disaster - the
camp ... the eagles -
wiped out.
INT. MAIN MISSION
MORROW, TANYA and other Main Mission ALPHANS on duty.
BERGMAN'S face is on the tv monitor.
MORROW
(disbelief}
What did you say?
BERGMAN
(on tv monitor)
Listen Paul ... just listen.
All our metal components
are decaying rapidly ...
we may lose contact any
moment.
MORROW
Can you hold out till
we get down there?
BERGMAN (on tv monitor)
No. Intense corrosion Paul ...
You can't ... the Eagles won't
make it to the ground.
MORROW
We can't just leave you down
there.
INT. CAVE. PLANET. NIGHT.
RESUME SCENE.
ON BERGMAN.
BERGMAN
Don't try it Paul. No Eagles
until conditions change.
38
CONTD.
Copyright Martin Willey