Production GuideObservations: The Last Enemy
Production Guide
Keith Wilson spotted stacks of stainless steel tables at a hire company. Keith says on the Network Blu-ray "SFX and Design Featurette": I saw a whole pile of stainless steel tables, at one of hire companies, and they'd been stacked in a way that made a spiral. It was just a simple stainless steel frame but with no glass in it, they’d just been stacked. And I hired the whole lot, just like they were. And I put them on the set and it looked like a piece of modern art.
The white sofas are a modular sofa system called Swany designed by Hugues Steiner. It is also seen in Force of Life and in the Croton ship in Dorzak.
The "This Episode" sequence has a shot of Koenig and Dione falling to the floor by Koenig's desk. This isn't in the episode- we see them from the other side, with the wall behind them. The two publicity shots also show this unseen sequence.
A wide shot of the crew, plus close-ups of each Alphan as the rockets fire. In the wide view, Koenig is at Bergman's feet, in front of the diagram. In the Bergman shot, Koenig has disappeared, but the diagram is still propped against the wall.
In this shot of Kano, we can see the wooden base of the desk, with loose wires and writing.
The balcony window has some very obvious smears on it.
Koenig looks through his binoculars to see the missiles strike Delta, then turns to Helena and Victor who have joined him to state "It's bombarding the right hand planet." The shot of Koenig is actually of a ground level window, either in Main Mission or his office. The wall is vertical (see especially the top section illuminated red by the lights), while the balcony has a sloping roof immediately over the window. Thanks to Craig Rohloff.
Dione is very obviously in motorcycling helmet and gear.
The Bethan uniforms have pips, which may indicate military rank . In Year 2, the Alphan jackets would also have pips (although none of these precise designs). Thanks to Fergus.
Moonbase Alpha computer panels can be seen behind the distorting glass in the Satazius.
These two scenes in the Satazius control room show a reflection of the microphone. Beyond the women is a black and white "display" with two circular black "screens". The transparent top area shows a reflection of the false ceiling, and a reflection of the microphone on the top left. The first is just before the radar dishes rise ("Activate scanners"); the microphone moves to the right as Dione turns. The second scene is immediately before they open fire ("Weapons ranged and ready to fire"); the microphone reflection hovers on the left edge. Thanks to Marc Abernathy.
The hull section is seen on both the Bethan and Deltan ships. First it is seen around the radar dishes. Then it is seen when Dione's escape ship is launched. Then it is seen on the Deltan ship rocket launcher (which has one of the Bethan radar dishes mounted on top). The rocket nozzles seen on the left are particularly obvious kit decoration.
When the Deltan ship explodes, one brief shot actually shows the Satazius.
The rocket launchers firing seem to be superimposed (perhaps reflected over glass). Note the Alpha gravity tower fitted upside down over the Bethan launcher.
In some scenes Dione has a higher fringe and badly fitting false eyelashes. This is because some sequences were shot several months apart. Thanks to Ed Carlyle.
Helena and Victor watch Dione and Koenig at his office windows ("What is happening to you was never our intention"). The colour of the panel is a pale pink, rather than the bright red seen in other shots.
At the top of the closed doors on the right, light is visible from Main Mission.
On her return to Satazius, Dione answers Koenig's call wearing a yellow sash; she wasn't wearing it moments earlier, as she talked to Theia. Later she wears a thick black scarf. Thanks to Ed Carlyle.
Talos appears to be wearing the same type of suit worn by Lee Russell in Matter of Life and Death, albeit with the addition of epaulettes (in the same plastic/pvc as the collar) and different badging. Thanks to Richard Totis.
Notice Koenig is standing on a stretch of carpet (to muffle the sound of his footsteps). In the long shot on the Satazius screen it is not present.
The model astronaut doesn't have a front-pack. In the plot, it's an empty suit, so it isn't needed. Thanks to Richard Totis.
Presumably the helmet falls off the astronaut suit because of the vibration from the rocket launches as it nears the Satazius. However, as Anthony D points out, the oxygen tube for the helmet somehow also detaches and disappears.
When she screams at the end of the episode, Dione is seen to have amalgam fillings in her teeth.
As Koenig walks into his office, his foot lightly kicks the Toga chair as he walks past. Thanks to Richard Totis.
Copyright Martin Willey.