Catacombs International Guide
Germany

WEST GERMANY (Federal Republic of Germany)

In Germany in the mid-1970s there were two main television channels, Deutsches Fernsehen ("German television", now "Das Erste", founded in 1952 and regionally based) and ZDF ("second German television", since 1963 and operated as a single national channel). Both were funded by a television license and advertising. Colour television started in 1967, and by the 1970s was more widespread than most European countries, including the UK.

Beginning in August 1977 the station ZDF showed 17 Year One episodes and 13 Year Two episodes, once a fortnight on Sundays at 6:15pm (the series was named "Mondbasis Alpha 1"). Shown without commercials, lasting 45 minutes each (all were cut) . The satellite station PRO 7 broadcast episodes in 1989 and 1990 (now titled "Mondbasis Alpha"). .

Opening titles

The opening titles were shortened to 15 seconds and two pictures: the logo, and the episode title. Unlike UK/US Year One, these appeared before the "hook". The episode title is static; for the last 3 seconds the episode title disappears and the Eagle moves. There were no in-episode titles.

Most Year 1 episodes used the Gray theme as the main title and end title, until February 1978 when Matter Of Life And Death ("Rückkehr Der Toten") used the Meco disco version of Star Wars (from Star Wars and Other Galactic Funk, released in October 1977). The remaining 3 episodes of Year 1 used Jean-Michel Jarre's Oxygene II (1977). For Year Two, the Wadsworth theme was replaced by Jarre on all episodes.

End credits

While the original episodes finished with a freeze-frame and the caption "series created by", the German episodes cut directly to the 30 second end titles, which repeated the episode and series title. The end titles were just 30 seconds long, with a single picture (a freeze frame from the end of Force of Life).

In most episodes, the writer was credited with the story consultant, so Christopher Penfold's name appears prominently on many more episodes. Johnny Byrne is often credited as "Jonny".

Repeat runs (see listings)

• 1985: SAT1 channel, 11 Feb- 16 September
• 1989: PRO 7, 7 January - 29 August
• 1992 and 1994: Kabelkanal (an entertainment cable/satellite channel, now Kabel eins). Saturday and Sundays, 15:50. Press article
• 1997: SAT1 and for a while simultaneously on the SF Channel ("SF der science fiction kanal")
• 2000: tm3, 8 August- 26 December
• 2009: Tele 5 showed the compilation movie Alien Attack twice in November
• 2013-2015: RTL Nitro, first series episodes in high definition; second series episodes in SD then HD from September 2015.

Merchandising:

• Airfix Eagle model kit
• Gaf viewmaster reel
• Panini stickers & albums (both series)
• Mattel figures (Koenig, Russell, Bergman)
• Novelisations- 2 books from Breitschupf (translations of year 1 novels)
• 12 books from Bastei (6 translations of year 2 novels, 6 original novels)
• 2 books from Koralle (original adaptations, illustrated)
• Comic strip adaptations and original stories appeared in "Zack" magazine and four "Zack" books.
• In the 1990s, video tapes from Arcade, CBS-Fox and Polygram
• In 2004, E.M.S. began releasing DVDs in Germany. The original voice artists recorded dialogue for previously cut scenes and all 18 unbroadcast episodes.
• In 2011, Crest re-released DVDs and Blu-Rays; Laser Paradise released the four compilation movies.
• In 2016, Fernsehjuwelen released Blu-rays and DVDs.

Press

Voice Artists

These actors returned in 2004 to record dialogue for cut scenes and un-broadcast episodes.

John Koenig	Manfred Schott
Helena Russell	Renate Pichler
Victor Bergman	Wolf Rahtjen
Maya	Katrin Schaake
Tony Verdeschi	Volker Brandt
Alan Carter	Joachim Richert
Sandra Benes	Heidi Berndt
Dr. Mathias	Wolfgang Kaven
David Kano	Henry König
Paul Morrow	Peter Kirchberger
Simmonds	Horst Stark

Num	Prod Num	Date	German Title	Translation	Original Title	German Version	Theme music
1	1	7 Aug 1977 6:15pm	Die Katastrophe	The Disaster	Breakaway	John Pauls-Harding	Barry Gray
2	21	21 Aug 1977 6:15pm	Die Teufelmaschine	The Devil Machine	The Infernal Machine	K. E. Ludwig	Barry Gray
3	18	4 Sep 1977 6:15pm	Zwischen 2 Planeten	Between 2 Planets	The Last Enemy	John Pauls-Harding	Barry Gray
4	13	18 Sep 1977 6:15pm	Auf gefährlichem Kurs	On Dangerous Course	Collision Course	John Pauls-Harding	Barry Gray
5	20	2 Oct 1977 6:15pm	Wer programmiest Kelly?	Who Programmes Kelly?	Space Brain	K. E. Ludwig	Barry Gray
6	17	16 Oct 1977 6:15pm	Angriff aus dem Weltall	Attack From Space	War Games	K. E. Ludwig	Barry Gray
7	15	30 Oct 1977 6:15pm	Die Steinzeit-Falle	The Stone Age Trap	The Full Circle	K. E. Ludwig	Barry Gray
8	12	13 Nov 1977 6:15pm	Der Mann, der seinen Namen änderte	The Man Who Changed His Name	Voyager's Return	K. E. Ludwig	Barry Gray
9	11	27 Nov 1977 6:15pm	Die Verwandlung	The Change	The Last Sunset	John Pauls-Harding	Barry Gray
10	9	18 Dec 1977 6:15pm	Das blaue Licht	The Blue Light	Force Of Life	K. E. Ludwig	Barry Gray
11	7	15 Jan 1978 6:15pm	Koenig: 2	Koenig: 2	Missing Link	K. E. Ludwig	Barry Gray
12	8	29 Jan 1978 6:15pm	Das Glück der Träumenden	The Happiness Of Dreaming	Guardian Of Piri	John Pauls-Harding	Barry Gray
13	6	12 Feb 1978 6:15pm	Fast weider daheim	Almost Back Again	Another Time, Another Place	John Pauls-Harding	Barry Gray
14	2	26 Feb 1978 6:15pm	Rückkehr der Toten	Return Of The Dead	Matter Of Life And Death	John Pauls-Harding	Meco/John Williams
15	5	12 Mar 1978 6:15pm	Captain Zantor	Captain Zantor	Earthbound	Wolfgang Schick	Jean Michel Jarre
16	4	26 Mar 1978 6:15pm	Ein Ring von Licht	A Ring Of Light	Ring Around The Moon	Wolfgang Schick	Jean Michel Jarre
17	3	9 Apr 1978 6:15pm	Die schwarze Sonne	The Black Sun	The Black Sun	Wolfgang Schick	Jean Michel Jarre
18	25	23 Apr 1978 6:15pm	Die Metamorphose	The Metamorph	The Metamorph		Jean Michel Jarre
19	26	7 May 1978 6:15pm	Die Verstoßenen	The Outcasts	The Exiles		Jean Michel Jarre
20	28	21 May 1978 6:15pm	Der entscheidende Stoff	The Decisive Material	All That Glisters		Jean Michel Jarre
21	29	4 Jun 1978 6:15pm	Schottische Geschichten	Scottish Stories	Journey To Where		Jean Michel Jarre
22	39	18 Jun 1978 6:15pm	Die andese Seite	The Other Side	A Matter Of Balance		Jean Michel Jarre
23	31	9 Jul 1978 6:15pm	Rühr nicht die Pflanze an!	Don't touch the Plant!	The Rules Of Luton		Jean Michel Jarre
24	38	23 Jul 1978 6:15pm	Die Feuerwolke	The Fire Cloud	The Beta Cloud		Jean Michel Jarre
25	37	6 Aug 1978 6:15pm	Das Spiegelwunder	The Mirror Wonder	Seed Of Destruction		Jean Michel Jarre
26	44	20 Aug 1978 6:15pm	Die Meuterei	The Mutiny	Seance Spectre		Jean Michel Jarre
27	36	3 Sep 1978 6:15pm	Gegen die Zeit	Against Time	Catacombs Of The Moon		Jean Michel Jarre
28	35	17 Sep 1978 6:15pm	Planet der Wastenden	Planet Of Waiting	The A B Chrysalis		Jean Michel Jarre
29	40	1 Oct 1978 6:15pm	Der böse Zauber	The Wicked Magic	Space Warp		Jean Michel Jarre
30	47	15 Oct 1978 6:15pm	Zoran's Schicksal	Zoran's Fate	The Immunity Syndrome		Jean Michel Jarre
	10	DVD only	Das Alpha Kind	Alpha Child	Alpha Child
	14	DVD only	Ultima Thule	Ultima Thule	Death's Other Dominion
	16	DVD only	Unsterblich		End Of Eternity
	19	DVD only	Wütender Geist	Furious Spirit	The Troubled Spirit
	22	DVD only	Das Notsignal	The distress signal	Mission of the Darians
	23	DVD only	Wächter des Todes	Guard of Death	Dragon's Domain
	24	DVD only	Das Vermächtnis der Arkadianer	The legacy of the Arkadians	The Testament Of Arkadia
	27	DVD only	Das Androidenvolk	The Android People	One Moment of Humanity
	30	DVD only	Der Händler	The Dealer	The Taybor
	32	DVD only	Die Aussätzigen von Achanon		The Mark of Archanon
	33	DVD only	Der Roboter	The Robot	Brian the Brain
	34	DVD only	Der Schöpfer	The Creator	New Adam, New Eve
	41	DVD only	Besuch von der Erde - Teil 1	Appearance From The Earth	The Bringers of Wonder Part 1
	42	DVD only	Besuch von der Erde - Teil 2	Appearance From The Earth	The Bringers of Wonder Part 2
	43	DVD only	Tödliche Strahlung	Deadly radiation	The Lambda Factor
	45	DVD only	Gestaltenwandler	Shape Changer	Dorzak
	46	DVD only	Jagdspiele	Hunt Games	Devil's Planet
	48	DVD only	Die Letzte ihrer Art	The Last One of its Kind	The Dorcons

Repeat runs