Production GuideObservations: Journey To Where
Production Guide
During the in-show credits, we track through Command Center, following Jackson with his checklist. We end on Maya hitting controls on the computer. We then cut to a closer shot of Maya, and her hands are in very different positions. Thanks to Simon.
After the above sequence, we cut to a three shot of Helena, Tony and Koenig. We quickly cut back to Maya, then track her walking back to Koenig and the others. In seconds, Jackson has made it across the set, unseen, and is now behind Helena in the doorway. Thanks to Simon.
Why would the Earth of 2120 be searching for Moonbase Alpha after 121 years? The newsreader at the end of Breakaway says of Moonbase Alpha "Little hope is held, however, that there are any survivors." In 2074, the Kaldorians from Earthbound should have arrived (with the corpse of Simmonds), to confirm that the Alphans are alive. There is no reference to this in the episode.
In Death's Other Dominion the Thulians are living in 2870 - either they or the Alphans have been through a timewarp. If the Moon has passed through one or more time warps, time dilation through relative velocity is irrelevant.
Thanks to Fergus.
A possibly unintentional reference to Bergman's Year 1 credit shot. Perhaps Bergman was brewing beer too?
Tony's beer making machine includes a lava wave machine, possibly made by the American company Lava-Simplex (who licensed the concept from the British inventors, Crestworth). Using the same principle as lava lamps, a coloured oil-wax mixture moves through water. While a lava lamp uses heat from a lamp, the wave machine rocks from side to side, creating a slow motion wave. These were sold as office decorations for business executives.
Why is Tony's brewing machine in the Medical Centre? (The scene was scripted to be in Verdeschi's quarters, which would have been more logical).
Between these two shots (when Carla does the "indoctrination"), the desk decorations, including Logan's box of pills, have moved round one place (as has Logan's seat).
The neutrino transmission supports live audio, but does not seem to support live pictures. Moving pictures are possible, but not live. Carla shows film of the metrocomplexes and the historical pollution. Oddly, they never send pictures of Carla and Logan to Moonbase Alpha. Thanks to Fergus.
The domed building outside of Moonbase Alpha is presumably what is referred to in dialogue as the "transference dome". However, you can see it before they built the dome- it can just be seen in the episode title shot. The revolving antenna on the adjacent moonbase building is the exact same antenna revolving on top of Texas City.
Despite the distant location, Helena and Vincent get back to Command Center very quickly after setting up the test package.
When Helena contacts Command Centre to inform them of the test package, she is seen via camera on the big screen talking into her commlock, her gaze is away from the camera. Ben, who is right next to her, talks to Command Centre by looking straight at the camera without the use of a commlock.
Thanks to Fergus.
The instrument that Vincent uses shows the logo and brand name "Fantavox", a company based in Chicago, USA. Underneath is the text "converter" and the model number VHF 105. The full text is "VHF Converter"; the hidden text under the pink sticker is "Aircraft". It is a device for radio enthusiasts to listen into ground to air and air to ground communications (between 110 and 135 MHz, the range on the dial). The bottom dial is for volume. The original black dials have been replaced by metal dials. There was a re-badged UK model by Midland (model 10-502), but this is clearly the US version.
"Sensors in the antenna are designed to simulate blood pressure, respiration and body temperature." The electrical device is not necessarily a good test for transferring a living organism.
The close-up reveals how rough the props can be: chipped paint (right), paint drips (top left) and a nasty crack (under the sensor).
When Koenig is asking for volunteers to transport, he is in front of the missing wall of Command Center. Normally they shoot reverse angles against the opposite wall, but here they use the same computer wall as is in the transference section of Alpha. Koenig's reverse was filmed on the technical/life support set, not in Command Center. Thanks to Simon.
Would Alpha would have the necessary technical materials to construct a transfer dome devised by 22nd Century Earth technology? Thanks to Fergus.
The Alphans have been deceived many times, so they could have taken stun guns as a precaution. Thanks to Fergus.
The door has the same handle seen in Death's Other Dominion on Rowland's epsilon ray cabinet and in Mission of the Darians on the Darian cabinet that destroys mutants.
The "computer graphics" seen in the episode are live TV camera shooting real props. The horizontal scale is from a computer panel normally seen in Medical. In both you can the lights are simply bulbs.
In this publicity photo, Landau has a cigarette in his hand.
Why does Alan go off exploring on his own, with no warning or explanation to Koenig and Helena?
Alan's stunt double has his face to camera when the swordsman jumps on him. Koenig's stunt double can just be glimpsed when he joins the fight.
Alan is attacked by the swordsman. On the right you can see another sword, propped up against something out of frame.
The sword is an authentic Highland broadsword design - a claymore, with distinctive cross-hilt - although 60 years before the first known use of this weapon. It is obviously not very sharp, as it makes no cut marks on the tree trunks or the branch that Alan holds up to defend himself.
Koenig dives onto the Scot from the little rise. The pair of them tumble out of shot and Alan sits up into shot diagonally opposite. Yet, as Koenig stands up Alan is beside him and to his right. Thanks to Simon.
The pond also appeared in The Full Circle, where Koenig and Helena found the dinosaur footprint and fired at the cave. Journey To Where was filmed in April, while Full Circle was filmed in September, which explains some of the difference in vegetation.
We see various labels on the computer panel "Computer C1". "Read out" is now usually written "readout" or "read-out". There are two labels "Programme Input Int" and "Programme Input Ext". "Programme" is a British English spelling, but in computing British English follows the American convention of "program". In both British and American English, the verb form ("programming") conventionally has a double-m.
"We still have time to send some of you back down to Earth. If anybody wants to try it." says Tony. He only makes the offer to the 7 staff in Command Center, not to the 290 others on the base, some of whom may be willing to risk the transfer. In Death's Other Dominion, Koenig insisted "Alpha cannot function without a great many trained men to operate it. Either all of us come, or all of us stay." Either Alpha is more automated and requires less crew (see The Beta Cloud), or he only meant to offer the chance to the 7 crew present, which seems a little unfair. Thanks to Richard Totis.
When Alan hits the rock wall, it bounces slightly. Thanks to Richard Totis.
MacDonald and his small group of men live in caves. Even the "Great Hall" set for the banquet is a cave. There are a number of caves that were inhabited in early Middle Ages Scotland, including Wemyss caves by MacDuff Castle, and the man-made caves beneath Hawthornden Castle. Robert the Bruce had a policy of slighting (destroying) wood and stone castles in Scotland so they could not be occupied by the English.
The interior door of the dungeon. There are four screw holes on the right side of the door, perhaps for a handle. Thanks to Simon.
The lighting effect on their faces, of the clouds passing over and cutting the moon light, doesn't tally with what's happening with the glass/SFX shot of the clouds/Moon. Thanks to Simon.
Koenig asks "Your language?" "The Gaelic. Scotland's language." Apparently only now does Koenig realise they are in Scotland. MacDonald has already asked "Why do three English travel Scotland", but it didn't seem to register with Koenig.
On the left is a gibbeting cage. A hanged body would be left to rot in the iron cage, sometimes for years, in a public area by a road or port. MacDonald's dungeon is not a very public area, but this cage isn't in use.
Koenig sends his Morse message from Helena's wrist monitor. In close up there is a nice green cast from it on the cave wall, in the wide he's pressing away and no green light. Thanks to Simon Rhodes.
Koenig's Morse code message is translated by the computer. Morse code includes the numbers 0 to 9, so Koenig only needed two numeral codes, not 11 codes to spell "twenty five". There is also a "plus" code, which would save a further 3 characters.
The Earth computer text. In 2120, Wikipedia/Siri has adopted a minimalist text style and a 140 character limit.
The Alphans are burned at the stake. Normally the fire is built so the victims start burning quickly, although even after the skin has burned off death can take some time. Fortunately the Scottish are poor fire builders, or the Alphan uniforms and hair spray must be highly fire resistant. In MacDonald's apparently unventilated cave, almost everyone would be in great danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.
Koenig's jacket had fallen off Helena as they were burned. Back on Alpha, they are dishevelled and dirty, but Koenig has his jacket back. Thanks to Simon Rhodes.
"After the germ free environment of Alpha, we've no resistance. A common cold could be as lethal as cholera or the Black Plague." Helena's "viral pneumonia" may be easily cured on Alpha, but the Alphans could have encountered many other serious diseases in 1338/1339 Scotland. A quarantine would be best practice. Thanks to Fergus.
Copyright Martin Willey