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'Space' fills 'Trek' vacuum

'Space' fills 'Trek' vacuum

Unknown paper, possibly Nashville TN, USA.

By Dwight Manning, Cougar Staff

Are you suffering from Star Trek reruns? Do you feel pangs of pain at the lack of semi-intelligent science fiction in the media today? Fear not, ye of the faith, for there is help on the way from England and Pinewood Studios thereof in the form of Space: 1999, which will run on Channel 2 sometime soon.

This presentation of the Independent Television Corporation (ITC) has been postulated as a partial cure for the absence of the long-defunct Star-Trek. ITC has enlisted heavyweight actors Martin Landau, (as Comdr. John Koenig) his wife Barbara Bain (as Dr.Helena Russell) and Barry Morse (as Prof. Bergman). In addition, guest stars such as Peter Cushing and Christopher Lee will occasionally grace the show.

Most of you remember Fireball XL5, Stingray or Thunderbirds, those zap-pow sci-fi puppetry epics of "Super-marionation" that have hit us now and then. In other words, junk. (Which I loved.)

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, who produced those special-effects rich, story-thin gems, are taking another turn with Space: 1999. As with their recent UFO. they will use live actors (no other kind would do, y'know) to lend a heretofore unseen credibility to their work.

The special effects will be done by Brian Johnson, a gentleman who was part of Douglas Trumbull's super team in the making of 2001. The first episode alone demands no less than 130 effects; the pictures in the preview package I received say the $275,000 per-episode budget insures Mr. Johnson's best.

The story premise goes thusly: in the year 1999. nuclear waste are stored in a special installation the moon, directly opposite the side where Moonbase Alpha resides as the focal point of the show. In the initial episode, called "Breakaway." the nuclear garbage dump, ah, EXPLODES. It's an accident, but aren't they all?

With the disruptive effect of the moon being thrown away by this nasty boom, Earth is destroyed by tidal waves and earthquake. Moonbase Alpha, obeying Newton nicely, is flung off into the opposing depths, a now independent spacecraft of its own.

Thus, the stage is set for the first 311 humans to survive on a rampaging piece of their moon, while bumping into alien races and various cosmic altercations along the way. The holy Star Trek principle is observed: Thou shalt not insult the intelligence of thy fans - be practical!

Space: 1999 seems to be another attempt at the acceptance of science fiction as a part of creativity, with thought directed at thought, through writing and visuals, and for the individuals who will be the meat and potatoes of the 1999 to come.

I don't want to make promises I can't keep, but as a decade-old fan, I believe ones of the vacuums Mother Nature abhors so greatly is about to be filled with Space: 1999

And besides, there are going to be a lot of good looking females in it who will not wear much, so if you can't or won't become intellectually involved, at least you can come away feeling warm and friendly, you sexist you.