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Space: 1999 is innovative

Space: 1999 is innovative

By Don Freeman
US syndicated news report in Bulletin, Anaheim, California, 18 October 1976

By Don Freeman Copley News Service

HOLLYWOOD - For the sci-fi buffs, Space: 1999 might be considered a substitute until the return of Star Trek, whenever that blessed day occurs. To keep the Trekkies and the other fans in tow, the producers of Space: 1999 have brought in any number of innovations to keep us tuned to the box.

I quote in that regard from a press communique which sums up some of these innovations in the calm, measured prose that P. T. Barnum might have envied, as follows:

"New incredible sci-characters of the most exciting, enchanting and fabulous dimensions.

"New, fabulous, sci-fi high fashion costumes, for the many beautiful women in the cast, with the accent under-scoring femininity and glamour, designed by Keith Wilson.

"Human emotions of love, hate, tenderness, jealousy, humour, among the complete range of other emotions, are vital elements of the stories and characters in Year Two."

There is more of the same, including the announcement that Martin Landau and his wife, Barbara Bain, will be abetted in the series by a well-known European actress, Catherine Schell. "In a competitive field of international stars," the press communique goes on with the same gentle restraint, "beautiful Catherine Schell was selected to play the coveted role of the resident alien Maya, a new, incredibly exciting and enchanting character."

Catherine Schell herself is more down to earth, if that's the phrase I'm groping for here. "This character I play was simply brought in to add a bit of fun," Catherine observed when I asked if she were, in truth, "incredibly exciting and enchanting."

"Just a touch of fun, a new dimension is what the character offers," she says. "She's also an alien, you see, from the planet Psychon. Maya, that being her name, possesses the power of molecular transformation."

"You get transformed into tiny molecules?"

"Into objects made up of molecules," she corrected. "Maya can become anything she wants to a lion or a lioness, a tiger or a tigress, a dove, a dolphin, anything that's a form of life. Plant, vegetable, human being, animal, fish, insect whatever, she can become one in a given situation.

"She is also very, very smart. Her brain might be compared to a computer, it being so fantastic that it baffles and defies all scientific explanation."

"Has she ever met a fellow named Spock?" I inquired. Surely, on The Dating Game, Maya from the planet Psychon would be attracted immediately to Mr. Spock of the spaceship Enterprise, half-earthling, half- Vulcan and all cool and imperturbable logic.

"Spock?" she said. "Well, Maya is alien, yes, and there lies something of a similarity in the characters. But Spock is known for having no emotions whatsoever whereas Psychon is a planet of deep and intense emotions. The Psychons are totally emotional, which therefore gives one more scope as an actress. I didn't, after all, want to be just a robot on the screen. It is interesting to work on this type of series because one looks forward to different scripts and circumstances."

It was a guest spot in Space: 1999 last year that led to her present role of Maya from Psychon, which must be the high IQ capital of outer space.

"Actually," she says, "the computer-type brain thing will be played down because it can get a bit boring. All the same, Maya does compute faster than a computer. The truth is that I never have been a science-fiction fan so that I would go out and buy science-fiction novels. The dialogue I'm given does of necessity have quite a bit of science-fiction jargon in it, things about the apparatus and space ships and the like. I really don't know what I'm saying when it comes to the technical talk. I merely say the words as one is supposed to and remain in character.

"Maya," she says, "is a woman of humour. She likes to laugh. It's not exactly Noel Coward dialogue we have here but there is some wit. People haven't changed that much that they don't enjoy a bit of laughter. It is, after all, only 1999."