Production GuideObservations: Space Brain
Production Guide
Does everyone on Alpha do the same puzzle? (Helena's puzzle is different from Koenig's). Koenig's jigsaw shows a painting of the Visitation: the pregnant Virgin Mary places her hand on the stomach of Elizabeth - in her womb, the baby John the Baptist leaps for joy. The Late Gothic painting is one of eight depicting the life of the Virgin, painted around 1470 for the church of St Ursula in Cologne, Germany. It is now in the Alte Pinakothek, Munich. The anonymous artist is generally known as the Master of the Life of the Virgin (in German, Meister des Marienlebens). Thanks to Marcus Lindroos. The jigsaw omits much of the golden sky including the angels and the city top right.
Helena's picture is The Gallery of Archduke Leopold in Brussels painted by David Teniers the Younger around 1650. It is one of a series which depict the Archduke, regent of the Spanish Netherlands, with his collection of paintings (Teniers, in addition to being a court painter, was director of the collection). The canvas is now in the Schleißheim palace in Bavaria. The jigsaw is in fact only a detail; it omits the wooden roof and much of one painting in the top left.
The communications post where Koenig first sees the hieroglyphics shows a time of 15:09 (3:09 pm, a curious time for him to be exchanging "goodnight" wishes). The post in Kelly's quarters has a similar time. When Helena checks the screen in her quarters, the clock reads 17:45. As Victor meets Helena in the corridor, that post reads 6:00. Thanks to John Day.
Note the brown carpet on the floor in Bergman's living quarters.
The "S" symbol on the communications post has slipped down on the side (clearly seen as Koenig runs back to Main Mission).
The camera shows Bergman and Helena looking at the life signs on the screens, visibly moving with sound effects, and pans to Kano, who turns and says all transmissions from on-board computer ceased - even though we just saw signals from the Eagle. We then cut to Helena checking the blank screens. How can the life signs be shown when transmission has stopped? Is there a processing lag? Thanks to John Day.
Most of the episode was filmed in December 1974, but new scenes were filmed in February 1975. We won't point out all the examples, but here's a scene that starts in December (Koenig walks to the top of the steps and says "Paul") and continues in February (Paul replies " It's as if Wayland's Eagle..vaporised"). The reason for the rewrite was to introduce the "orbital reference 397" thread that ties up the Eagle, meteorite and space brain. To distinguish the shots, there are some subtle clues. In the starting shot, the small screens under the big screen have name labels under them and show life signs (presumably Alan and Kelly). In the closer shot, there are no labels, and the screens show Alpha and a launch pad. The computer panel on the right, behind Kano's head, is inverted between the wide and close shots. The position of Kano's desk is slightly different.
Scenes from the This Episode section of the titles. These are deleted scenes, filmed in December. The small screens show the "Carter" and "Kelly" life signs. Kelly is space walking, and Koenig orders Alan to return. In the original episode, the vital signs show he is dead (the straight line in the second shot). This is why Koenig wants Alan to abandon Kelly. In the final episode, we see Kelly in some sort of trance. There is no indication he is dead. Thanks to John Day.
Kelly takes his helmet for EVA wearing a normal backpack (note the air hose hanging off it). Later he has a special backpack (where is his oxygen?)
In the passenger module we see Kelly adjusting the EVA backpack and opening the Eagle door. He doesn't have a chest pack, as he did in the command module. We cut back to Alan Carter saying "Go", then back to Kelly launching himself into space. Now he has his chest pack in place. Thanks to Richard Totis.
When the Eagle door opens to the vacuum, how can Kelly get away from the artificial gravity? We could presume the gravity is turned down or off, but there are unsecured boxes and stun guns on the shelves which could float away.
The close-ups of Helena during this conversation show the curved wall beyond- but also a completely different striped panel beyond (there is a blank wall panel in the group shot). The close-up was filmed on the Command Office set.
In long view there is a strong shadow behind Lee. In close up, the shadow is gone. (Similar errors are seen throughout the series- these on-screen camera shots were filmed in front of a wall, not a full set. In the "reality" of the show, they were often in Main Mission far from a wall).
Why does Koenig try to order Alan to abandon Kelly? He knows both men are in imminent danger of being crushed, but he comes across as ruthless. There's a similar moment later when Koenig tries to stop Helena going to help Mathias with Kelly. Thanks to Richard Totis.
The shots of Kelly leaving the Eagle and Alan leaving are similar. When "Alan" flips over, you can see the number on his front pack: it is "4", Kelly's number, not "3".
In Technical, we can just see a whiteboard in the background. It was used in Collision Course and still has Bergman's plan for operation Shockwave drawn on it.
Helena's "neuronic concussion" instrument. In the earlier view from the observation room we can see it mounted on the opposite side of the suspended instrument panel. When Mathias uses the instrument panel, it has gone. It must now be conveniently close for Helena to pick it up. Thanks to Jamie Gallant.
Later in the symbiosis scene, we see the concussion instrument mounted on the other side of the instrument panel. At the end of the scene, Kelly wakes up, and it is gone.
The close-ups of Kelly typing are similar to shots in Ring Around The Moon. Note that Kelly doesn't actually depress any of the buttons. The keys rows are quite irregular.
One of the computer displays lists a grid of words: Injection, Minimum, Intermittent, Decaying, Restorers, Retard, Accentuates, Unbalanced, Degrees, Regular, Low, Maximum, Intensity
Kelly uses a computer panel that is normally seen in Medical. The label says "Blood Transfusion Treatment And Recycle Unit "
The close up of the "Computer Master Switch" shows the panel with a completely different panel to the right, and apparently at a lower level judging by Koenig's arms. The side panel is close up has the "SM" logo of Space Models, who constructed all the panels.
Melita enters Medical to see Kelly: "Where is he? What has happened?". A close up shows Koenig turning off the communication with Helena. On the desk we can see a thermographic scan, upside down. The image is of Helena, showing the Triton ball of light in her brain, as seen in Ring Around The Moon
On the launch pad the robot Eagle has the starboard docked. It launches with the portside to the tube.
When John Koenig instructs Alan Carter to set the nuclear trigger to destruct at 18:45, he types in the number 1 - 8 - 7 - 4. "18:45, Commander" says Alan Carter (thanks to Alan Colosi). Joe Wagner pointed out he could be using decimal time. Alan Colosi responds that it doesn't correspond to any (Aristean) decimal time (which would be 22:30 or 18:22 depending on decimal point). Even if it's a decimal part of an hour, it's a 20 second error. Richard Totis suggests 1874 is merely a security code, not the timing.
These shots of Technical and Intensive Care were re-filmed in February, revamping a corner of the Command Office set- notice the raised ceiling, not present in the sets filmed in December. Thanks to Craig Rohloff.
Completing the wide angle turn, Koenig's Eagle and the robot Eagle are superimposed.
In the boarding tube between Koenig's Eagle and the robot Eagle, one door is the normal Moonbase door.
Which is Koenig's Eagle and which is the robot Eagle? Based on the set and the shot when they separate, Koenig's Eagle is on the right. In the docking sequence, Koenig's Eagle is in the foreground (the robot Eagle is "played" by the first 44 inch Eagle, as it is in other shots). The only shot that is inconsistent is the first shot of Koenig's Eagle curving round to meet (and superimpose) with the robot Eagle, which, if the Eagles didn't superimpose/collide, suggests that Koenig's Eagle arrives on the left. Thanks to Richard Totis.
The two Eagles hurtle towards Alpha. All the views use a similar angle of the base.
Bergman talks to Koenig after the bomb Eagle has crashed. Note the detonation control mounted on the control panel (unexploded)- it should only be in the bomb Eagle, not Koenig's pursuit Eagle.
After the bomb Eagle has crashed, we see Koenig running down the corridor from the Travel Tube. Underneath the clock in the communications post are four "white" slots. As an Alphan passes behind the post, you can see him pass through the slots. The communications post only has two sides, and the lighted slots actually show the wall panel behind. Thanks to Craig Rohloff.
Helena tells Koenig "John. If we increase pressure too quickly, our people will be in trouble.". She hands him a paper- titled "Moonbase Alpha Autopsy Report".
The foam fills the corridor. Note that the communications post is immediately in front of the travel tube door. There is also a tall panel behind it and the travel tube door, keeping the height of the foam up.
Copyright Martin Willey