Production GuideObservations: Guardian Of Piri
Production Guide
As Irving and Davis fly acrobatics, the Main Mission crew watch their Eagle on the Big Screen. What camera can take this view?
In this shot, Irving's Eagle is a photo cut out. The photos don't always work, but this shot still looks good in high definition.
The "second" Eagle (bottom left) is made up of components. The spine constructed with EMA plastic tube. Note there are no "collars" at the frame joints. The pod is only the top section of a transporter pod (only one side- the other side in the extreme bottom left corner is undetailed plastic sheet with no "lip" at the top). The front leg pod is actually the rear starboard leg pod stolen from the first Eagle (out of frame, so you cannot see it is missing). On careful inspection, you can see there is no framework in front of the second Eagle's pod. The docking tube doesn't join to where the pod's door would be, either.
The final shots use forced perspective, with the 44 inch Eagle in foreground, and the 22 inch or 11 inch Eagles in background, also launching. The other Eagles are photo cutouts.
The position of the black chair moves in the scene when Bergman recovers and Graham dies. A chair and small tray also disappear.
Irving and Davis fly in Eagle 6, although the number on the door is "4". When Alan boards the empty Eagle, the number on the door is "6"
Alan enters the cabin of the deserted Eagle. The shot of Alan peering in the door shows the lights are dimmed. The shot of the cabin shows it lit up, and the door is still closed (actually it's a clip from Breakaway)
As Koenig and Helena brief the medical staff before Kano is linked to computer, there is a close up of nurse Jodi Sherwood. She is standing alongside the medical monitor- but in the shots before and after, she is on the other side of the monitor (she takes that side when the computer link is turned on).
As they prepare Kano, we see a shot of Mathias ready to turn on the computer, and another of Jodi Sherwood, noted above. When Kano relaxes, Koenig and Helena break into smiles. We see the same shot of Mathias again, not looking relaxed. Why this repeated shot of Mathias?
In an alternative cut of the episode found on Martin Landau's tapes, this was a shot of Jodi Sherwood breaking into a smile, better fitting the emotion of the others.
Koenig states they have "lost three men" (Irving, Davis, Kano)- there is no mention of Graham's death. Guy Burton points out that this is literally correct - three men are missing. Graham's death is due to the computer, but it is not directly related to the planet (as Irving and Davis are).
Helena watches Koenig on Piri. She is not wearing her belt.
On the Main Mission big screen we see Koenig on the Piri surface talking into his commlock. What camera can take this view?
When the Guardian tower first appears, Koenig staggers back. The white ball (on the right of this picture) is knocked and spins.
Certain shots of the Piri surface show the painted backdrop. This wasn't as obvious on previous VHS and even DVD releases, but is unfortunately clearly seen on the 2004 remastered picture seen on the Network DVDs and even more so in high definition.
Koenig returns to the Eagle and sits, the seats sliding forward. The console also slides forward towards them. The moving console isn't seen in any other episode. Thanks to David Penn.
Stuntman Marc Boyle is seen briefly doubling for Koenig in the fight. Joe Dunne doubled for Nick Tate, but his face is not clearly seen. Thanks to James C.
During the party, this shot reveals a hole in the ceiling (top left).
Koenig makes his way from Medical to Main Mission as the Alphans prepare to evacuate. The communications post direction sign points to "Main Mission" in the direction he has comes from. When he arrives in Main Mission, several of the Alphans he passes in this corridor scene are already there. Operative June Bolton says "Good morning, Commander." in the corridor and is loading up a trolley; she arrives in Main Mission just after Koenig. Security guard Maxwell Craig crosses in front of him in the corridor (saying "Good morning, Sir"), and again at the top of the steps in Main Mission. Blonde operative Christine Donna passes in the opposite direction to Koenig, and when he arrives is just sitting at a desk. Security guard Tony Allyn is seen from behind going in the opposite direction, and is then sitting in on the conference in Koenig's office. Operative Raymond Harris walks pass (also saying "Good morning, Sir") carrying some trays, and is also in Main Mission.
When Koenig enters Main Mission in his pyjamas, the shot opens with a close up of a TV screen and pulls back. The reflection on the screen shows Alphan Mike Stevens standing still, holding the white box. Only when it pulls past Tanya does he start walking and pass in front of the camera.
When the computer panel opens, a small pipe is visible in the lower right of the hatch. This was used to make the hatch pop open (it moves slightly). When the hatch opens, the top button is pressed in. Koenig presses the middle button, then the bottom button (which causes the middle button to pop up again). The cut to long shot shows the middle button pressed.
During the Eagle evacuations, two shots are shown a second time, in reverse.
When Koenig's last Eagle rises on the launch pad, the boarding tube is on the port side. When it launches, the tube is on the starboard side.
Behind the scenes. The microphone is on Bergman ("mmm" he says as Helena is taken away). Barbara's handbag is alongside her. She steps down onto a box. In the background left, Suzanne Roquette wears her dressing gown.
Before Irving is stunned, the corner of the black pad for him to fall on is visible bottom right. Michael Culver "falls" some distance sideways to reach the pad. His body is not visible in later shots, for instance when the Pirian girl is thrown down the steps.
When Koenig pulls the hands from the face of the robot, her thumbs are on the inside. In fact Catherine Schell is below frame holding up her hands over the robot head, so her left and right hands are in the wrong position. Thanks to Craig Rohloff.
The robot mechanism inside the Servant's face is made from Aifix 1:144 Saturn V engines. The 'mouth' has two of the Saturn V's F-1 engines mounted bottoms-together, with two more of those engines mounted atop them, pointing toward where the eyes would have been. A single, smaller J-2 engine sticks up roughly where the nose would have been. Thanks to Craig Rohloff.
Alan wakes up very quickly after being stunned. If he had been unconscious for hours, he would have been left on the planet. As he gets up, his commlock falls off and is left behind.
As the Alphans run to the Eagles, one female technician stumbles into part of the set. Loftus Burton helps her carry on. It's possible this was just acting, but it looks realistic (and she's not a stuntwoman) so it is probably an on-set accident that was kept in.
When Gareth Hunt takes his seat, not only is the top right of the set seen to be missing, but a piece of padding near the roof is absent.
The position of the servant's body is different from when we see it land at the bottom of the steps, and later when the vegetation covers it. This may be because the explosion of the guardian tower had moved it. Oddly, the arms have arrived back close to the body. An obvious piece of sprue from a plastic kit is seen.
Copyright Martin Willey