Production GuideObservations: The Metamorph
Production GuideThe spaceship graveyard in The Metamorph is only seen in 4 shots, but there were many publicity shots.
The graveyard reused a number of ships from other episodes. Note only two are bigger than the 44" Eagles, and some are tiny (for instance, the Altares probe in the foreground). However, the graveyard is only seen briefly and is shrouded in mist, so the scale problems are not too obvious.
Amendment page for The Biological Computer, for the script dated 5 January 1976, used by SFX crew member Ron Burton. The episode would be retitled The Metamorph in a script dated 19 January. A very rough plan of the crater floor and spaceships is drawn below the script direction. The square above is possibly the camera pit. "The Eagle lands gently on the base of a large crater. Scattered around it are a variety of alien ships ... and Eagle One." Thanks to Simon.
There are two Eagles in the scene, Fraser's Eagle 1 (regular transporter) and Koenig's Eagle 4 (with special pod and spine boosters). During the episode, two different 44 inch Eagles are used to represent both, often swapping from shot to shot: the original model and the second model. In this scene, Fraser's Eagle 1 is the original model, and Koenig's Eagle 4 is the second model.
The first shot in the episode of the graveyard prominently shows the Alphan mines from Collision Course (two scales). Also visible, left to right:
See below for more model identifications.
At the end, we see another version of the graveyard with Eagle 2 replaced by the large Eagle leg pod, only used in this shot. Only the Dragon ship and the large Alphan mine remain with Eagle 1; the other ships have disappeared.
This shot, from the ending as the volcano starts to explode, is the shot that we see all the publicity shots from. It is the reverse view to the other shots, with Eagle 1 and the Dragon ship foreground, and Eagle 2 beyond. There are a lot more ships than the opposite view, and the positions are not consistent.
Publicity photos, with varying amounts of mist.
This shot, with more mist than the above, appeared in Starlog Photo Guidebook: Spaceships (1977), Starlog issue 24 (july 1979), Starlog Photo Guidebook: Special Effects Volume 1 (1979), and the Starlog Poster Magazine No. 1 (1983)
Two versions of a high angle view, which clearly shows the Ariel probes lying on their sides. This shot appeared as the February picture in the 1999 calendar
Eagle 1 shows damage, losing two rear horizontal bars from the spine. The Eagle is normally held by wires attached to these bars. The broken spine is only seen in publicity photos. Thanks to David Sisson. The front left leg pod has been switched here to back right.
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In the foreground, both these ships are the front "command modules" of the Battlecruiser seen in multiple episodes. The ball appeared in Alpha Child and War Games. The yellow ship is the front end of the Deltan ship from The Last Enemy | 
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This is one of the satellites from Into Infinity. It also appears as a building.by the laser canons earlier in the episode.
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The final satellites from Into Infinity can just be seen hidden by the Dragon ship. |  |
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The Dragon ship from Dragon's Domain is prominent is all the shots of the graveyard. | 
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These green and blue ships were also in the Dragon's Domain graveyard. | 
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Arra's shuttle from Collision Course, upside down here. It also appeared in the Dragon's Domain graveyard. | 
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The Sidon ship from Voyager's Return, seen from behind. | 
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Mostly hidden behind the Deltan command module is Dione's escape capsule from The Last Enemy. | 
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Alphan mines from Collision Course. The large one is prominent in the foreground right. There are two smaller ones in the mist beyond. | 
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Only visible in the high angle shot are two Ariel probes from The Last Sunset lying on their sides. The round blue model is unidentified, but was in the Space City exhibition. |
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Space 1999 copyright ITV Studios Global Entertainment