Production GuideObservations: The A B Chrysalis
Production Guide
Command Center anxiously awaits the detonation. The red flashing light in front of the Big Screen is strikingly odd. It looks more like a red light hanging from the ceiling in the foreground (and is it- the same red light is by Tony's desk in Journey To Where). It's probably intended to represent the Big Screen without having to use front projection, but it looks fake.
Alphans #1. We see three astronauts run through the corridors - including Harry Fielder and Quentin Pierre. Part of this shot is repeated in Bringers Of Wonder part 1.
Alphans #2. Moments later, we see medics striding through the corridors, and a bunch of rescue crew in jumpsuits run past. One of them is Quentin Pierre, again.
Alphans #3. Immediately before the detonation, we see among a group of technicians bracing themselves in the corridor. Among them are Harry Fielder and Quentin Pierre (who plays the security guard).
Alphans #4. In Alan's Eagle, among the group of astronaut passengers is ... Quentin Pierre. Later, after the Eagle lands, Harry Fielder (astronaut 2) is with Pierre.
Alphans #5. In the Eagle the astronaut in the rear corner seat is played by Pat Gorman. In the travel tube, we see the astronaut with the same helmet name turn to the others, but it is a different actor, Harry Fielder (who we also saw with Quentin Pierre on Alpha). Thanks to Fergus. The helmet name isn't clear but it is short and ends with "IN" ("Bain" would fit). The bearded astronaut is probably "Darren"; we later see him in Medical with a head injury.
Alphans #6. One of the group of astronauts is "Prescott", played by Jenny Cresswell, carrying a medical bag (she is seen later as a nurse). Her suit number is "1"; this is the only time we see an Alphan other than Koenig with that number. Thanks to John Day.
In front of the astronauts is a large barrel marked "Ethylene". Ethylene (ethene, C2H4) is a common industrial chemical, with many uses from making plastics included polyethylene (polythene) to being an anaesthetic. It is combustible and perhaps too dangerous to leave on Alpha.
There is also a box of Hyper-Nitro, from the double-up episode Catacombs of The Moon, and a case marked "Limpets - Multi-Channel", seen in The Taybor.
The box marked "Thermal Spec, Short Field", which was in the equipment room in The Taybor, is both in the Alpha corridor, and on the Eagle.
Koenig's blast procedure leaves something to be desired- kneeling by the sharp corner of a desk covering his ears.
This reaction shot shows the fourth wall of Command Center- but of course it's actually the standard computer wall, with Koenig crouched in another position. It's not even Koenig's desk. It's a standard desk, with a second red bar added above the existing one. The new top red bar isn't straight, it sags in the middle. Thanks to Simon.
The end of a long pan over the Moonbase buildings before the shockwave hits. To the right of the "Main Mission Tower", the lunar mountains end and we see just black space. This is the end of the set, and it probably wasn't intended to use the full extent of the pan. The uneven terrain (sloping towards us) and random buildings are noticeably different to the wide view of Moonbase Alpha we are used to.
In the Eagle, we see astronaut 1, "Prescott" (Jenny Cresswell) go first to the door, followed by astronaut 8, "Darren". In the reverse angle, showing Alan leading them out of the Eagle into the Travel Tube, astronaut 8, "Darren" (Charlie Price), is first, followed by astronaut 2 (Harry Fielder), then astronaut 5 (Quentin Pierre) and finally astronaut 1, "Prescott". Thanks to Fergus.
While the base is in chaos, with fires and power cuts, fortunately the travel tube works fine. When the travel tube doors open, we see that the outer doors (from the reception corridor to the tube shaft) were already open, perhaps due the damage. It might have been better to seal the base sections with bulkheads, including shutting down the travel tube system, so a depressurisation or fire in one area doesn't spread throughout the base. (Thanks to Fergus).
This publicity photo shows the mat on the floor under the fire, protecting the vinyl flooring from the flames. Also there is a paint can on the right side. Both the mat and the can are visible in the episode (see previous screen shot).
Astronaut 8, "Darren" is played by Charlie Price, who was an alien in The Exiles. He checks the air- his dialogue is "Pressure's down a little. It's safe." Shortly later seen being treated in Medical. He wasn't on Alpha when the shockwave occurred. He may have been hurt while clearing debris.
Wires are visible in the smoke as the Eagle descends (the shot is seen twice, once in the titles, then later as Eagles blow dust from the buildings).
After Koenig says "Maya, let's go" and the Eagle launch, Maya has time for a visit to the hairdresser (or a molecular transformation). In Command Center, her hair has curls and braids; in the Eagle her hair is straight and wound in a large bun. Thanks to Fergus.
The Eagle lands in the middle of the ring of towers. But the view from the camera helmet shows him approaching one tower with another beyond- so he must be outside the ring.
Koenig's suit says it is Eagle 4; but they are in Eagle 1 (Alan's suit is correct).
When Koenig leaves Eagle 1 on the alien moon, he says over his helmet radio 'Okay?' to which Maya responds with a nod. Why nod to a person who is receiving messages via audio only? Thanks to Fergus.
Koenig falls to the floor. The shot looks like it is reversed, as there is no bounce when he hits the floor. The camera filmed Landau lying on the ground, then sitting up. This is safer for him and the helmet. Thanks to Simon Rhodes.
When Koenig lies on the floor, there's a huge gap between his collar and the spacesuit. Thanks to Simon Rhodes.
When Koenig and Alan raise their helmet visors, there is an "air" pipe from the helmet to their backpacks (as normal). When they remove their helmets, both ends of the air pipe are plugged into the backpack (it would be difficult to remove the helmets otherwise).
Alan's stun gun is almost falling out.
The POV shot of Koenig's camera helmet shows him approaching the Eagle's portside. Koeing and Alan enter the starboard.
Having left the alien moon, the Alphans see this view of the alien planet and moons. "A ring of moons, each one with a space station." It is the same view as on Alpha, yet they are close to one alien moon in the ring, or within the ring.
Landing on the airless moon, Koenig and Alan wear spacesuits. Immediately after landing on a planet covered in poisonous chlorine gas, they remove their spacesuits. Thanks to Fergus.
Implausibly, Alan lands exactly on the elevator. Which is directly over the underground chamber of the planet's only awakening chrysalids.
A POV shot in the Eagle passenger module shows the command module screen.
In this angle, you can see the gap between the passenger module and the front cage. In the show's reality, the doors between the two sections must be sealed or the crew couldn't walk through the Eagle. Thanks to Richard Totis.
Wires are seen pulling the stun guns from the holsters (although this is only really clear in slow motion).
A rare example of a dissolve between Maya and her transformation. Her position is good, but not identical.
The Eagle is shown with steps on the portside. They leave and look out the starboard.
Note the Eagle is flopped right-to-left here (the Alpha logo is reversed). It is also reversed when the Eagle takes off (but it is correct when it emerges on the surface). The SFX crew probably filmed the other side of the Eagle, and the editor has reversed the image so it is consistent with the other shots (always showing the port side). Thanks to Richard Totis.
After Koenig is struck down, he rises, leaving his commlock on the ground. He is then struck again. When he rises the second time, his commlock is back on his belt.
Alan's identity photo varies from scene to scene, either with a light background or a dark background.
Maya's identity photo varies from scene to scene, either with a light background (on Alpha or in the Eagle) or a dark background in the alien caves (oddly, the photo shows rough cave walls). The light photo shows her section as "Command Centre" (British spelling); the dark photo shows her section as "Command Center" (American spelling).
The aliens are close together in long shots, but in close up they are further apart.
There are 3 different reverse angle shots in the episode, looking towards the left wall of Command Center (see more). In fact, they simply turn the desks around, so we see the computers of the right-hand side. In this shot, Yasko isn't even at the same desk. The Eagle remote control is on her desk in the reverse shot- it's actually Fraser's desk.
As the Eagle leaves the elevator shaft, the wires are visible.
When Helena is first talking to Koenig, there is a black wire leading to the white telephone. A few shots later, the wire disappears and the phone has moved slightly.
The brown sleeved Alphan in Command Center beyond Helena is Pam Rose. Simultaneously, she listens to Koenig's announcement in the corridor. In both shots, her face is not seen.
Koenig makes his announcement to everyone on Alpha near the end of the episode. In one scene we see Alphans watching the communications post in the corridor. On the right is Jenny Cresswell, wearing a yellow sleeved uniform. In the next scene, we see more Alphans watching the communications post, this time in Medical. On the right, but closer to camera, is Jenny Cresswell, wearing a nurse's uniform. She also appeared as a medic in a spacesuit ("Prescott") earlier in the episode (arguably the same nurse). In other episodes her name is L. Picard, so perhaps Cresswell is playing twins, one named Picard and the other Prescott! Thanks to Dana Lubich.
At the start of the episode they had partially evacuated the base into Eagles which are shielded from the blast. Why not do the same at the end of the episode? They also evacuate in Brain The Brain and The Seance Spectre. Even if Moonbase Alpha is destroyed, they could avoid casualties. Thanks to Fergus.
The Red Alert sounds. In the Power Room, a technician turns off the power and the lights dim. Everywhere else in Alpha remains brightly lit. Except during Koenig's message, we see him on the screens in Command Center, in darkness with even the big screen above him turned off. All other shots in Command Center are still lit normally, as if the big screen when they watch the explosion.
While Koenig and Alan secure their seatbelts, Maya sits in a swivel seat with wheels, even though there are four seats with seatbelts behind her. In this shot we see she has some sort of lap belt, although it doesn't stop her swinging around violently.
When they leave the alien planet, there is a fire extinguisher behind Alan. When they brace for the shockwave, it has gone.
Copyright Martin Willey. Thanks to Thomas, Fergus, Dana Lubich, John Day.