Customer Reviews

Space 1999 Set 3:V5 & 6

5 star:		(23)
4 star:		(12)
3 star:		(7)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

As you can see from the other reviews here these stories are great. In the third edition they even include some rare behind the scnes looks at the production in the stills section.

The production value is high and Martin Landau and Barabara Bain (then husband and wife) have a unique chemistry together.

The models and ships are quite small, but very detailed. Techinically (except for sound in space) the show is accurate to real science.

If you bought the first two..you've got to have this one!

This DVD completes the 24 episodes which made up the first season of "Space 1999", the much-underrated sci-fi classic which was produced in England and which aired on American television in the mid-seventies. If you're already a fan of "Space 1999" you don't need to be "sold" on this show, but if you're a sci-fi fan who's never seen this series, but who has grown tired of the bland fare that's being offered on most sci-fi shows these days, then you'll find "Space 1999" to be a delightfully different and creative show. This DVD set contains three rather mediocre episodes, two superior episodes, and one episode which ranks as one of the best (and most memorable) episodes shown on any sci-fi series. The two superior episodes are "The Troubled Spirit", a truly frightening story in which one of Moonbase Alpha's scientists conducts an experiment that goes horribly wrong. In effect, the scientist creates a ghastly-looking "ghost" of himself which goes around murdering other crewmen. Eventually the scientist must track down his own "ghost" and destroy it. Like many of "Space 1999's" episodes, "The Troubled Spirit" draws as much from the horror genre as sci-fi, and the episode uses vivid lighting and colors to create a creepy, moody feel that's not unlike the "X-Files". In the "Infernal Machine" a huge spaceship lands near Moonbase Alpha. When Commander Koenig and Dr. Helena Russell go out to investigate, they find that the ship is actually a powerful, psychotic computer which is desperate for human companionship - and is willing to destroy Moonbase Alpha unless it's demands are met. The interior set of the spaceship is impressively done (as is typical on "Space 1999" - a fortune was spent on large, elaborate sets), and the computer is both sinister and sympathetic at the same time - not unlike the "HAL 9000" computer on "2001: A Space Odyssey". The best episode, however, is "Dragon's Domain", and for many people my age it caused some serious nightmares when we saw this episode as kids. One of Commander Koenig's best friends - a former astronaut on deep-space missions - is behaving strangely. He keeps having nightmares of a disastrous deep-space mission he led years earlier. He was the mission's only survivor, and no one except Koenig believed his story of what happened. To wit: he claimed that his ship found a "space graveyard" of seemingly empty alien spaceships. When he docked with one of these ships and boarded it, his entire crew was eaten alive by a horrific space monster which was immune to fire from his laser pistol. He barely escaped with his life. Now he's convinced that Moonbase Alpha is coming close to the graveyard of dead alien ships, and when the "graveyard" does in fact appear, he steals an Eagle spacecraft and returns to his ship, determined to kill the "monster" which has been giving him nightmares since his crew was lost. The actor who portrays the stricken astronaut does a superb job, and although the monster costume may look fake today, it was enough to scare the wits out of many younger sci-fi fans and make this episode one of the most memorable in sci-fi history. All in all, this fourth DVD set is not the best (I believe the first and third DVD sets contain more "superior" episodes), but for any fan of classic sci-fi this is still one DVD set that you don't need to be without. As with the other "Space 1999" DVD sets, these episodes (and especially "Dragon's Domain") will bring back many fond childhood memories of a series that remains unique - a cross between Star Trek, The X-Files, and The Twilight Zone.

Disk 1: vol 4

: THE TROUBLED SPIRIT

: SPACE BRAIN

: THE INFERNAL MACHINE

 Disk 2: vol 4

: MISSION OF THE DARIANS

: DRAGON'S DOMAIN

: TESTAMENT OF ARKADI

This set of three episodes from the show's first season captures that season's ernest side with mixed results. It still seems hard to believe that "Space 1999" only lasted two seasons (mindful that the second season was stretched out over two years in the UK) and that the entire tone of the show was revamped in season two - more exotic aliens, a younger heroic figure in place of staid and sage Barry Morse and even Catherine Schell as the lovely (when she wasn't shape-shifting) alien, Maya.

SERIES BACKGROUND: The show follows the adventures of the Alphans, unlucky inhabitants of a human base on the moon. In "Breakaway", nuclear waste stored on the moon spontaneously explodes, blasting the moon out of orbit and into a wider cosmos.

On This tape:
In "Alpha Child", the Alphan's worries are briefly allayed by the birth of the first native lunar-born human. Joy is tempered when the child begins exhibiting strange signs....of something. This started as one of the serious episodes though with Julian Glover running around the base in what looks like a toga, it looks more like a season-2 episode. The mystery and resolution are way too pat and unsatisfying, and this is the low point of the tape.

"Last Sunset" is a more sensitive episode, briefly liberating the Alphans from the confines of their base. When Alpha appears to near orbit of another alien world, the planet sends a fleet of small probes to give the moon an atmosphere. The effects on our heroes of their new-found freedom seem poignant, especially when you know it won't last - even the closing shots seem wonderfully fleshed out, as the sun sets on the moon one last time.

"Voyager's Return" has the Alphan's sharing an unwelcome reunion with the Queller probe, a huge, unmanned spaceship powered by a revolutionary engine that destroys anything it comes in contact with. Getting past the implausibility of the premise (the dangers of the engine were realized before it was launched; you'd think that with the research and money spent, they would have realized its destructive potential before it was given a chance to endanger anybody), this was a pretty compelling idea. Confronting the despised Professor Queller (who, luckily enough, was staying on Alpha at "Breakaway" under an assumed name), the Alphans learn to forgive him for the destruction he unwittingly caused with his engine, and narrowly avert extinction when the probe nears the moon. Unfortunately for our heroes, theirs is not the only cross Queller has to bear, and the probe itself is not alone when it passes near the moon.

This is my favorite set of the entire series. Volume seven is good, but volume eight has some of the best episodes of the series. I love the first season, but I always wished the characters could have evolved more. It always seemed like we would have an episode where characters would show some life, but then that life would gone in the next episode. Here is my breakdown of the episodes on this set.
The troubled spirit- Another one of those episodes about some kind of possession that causes an Alphan to go off or at least a part of them goes off and terrorizes the base. This is one of those gothic horrors set in space that Space 1999 could do so very well. This episode is predictable, but well paced and interesting.
Space brain- Yeah, I know, everyone is walking through soap suds pretending they are being attacked by an alien entity. If you can look past the suds then it really is a fair episode.
Infernal machine- An immensely powerful machine loses it's companion and now it needs another. A bit slow at first, but it eventually develops into a very strong episode.
Now we come to the final three episodes of season one and all three of these would be in my top five favorite episodes of the entire show.
Mission of the Darians- The Alphans discover a huge spaceship and we discover cannibalism, sacrifices, false gods and two entirely different societies living on the same ship. Joan Collins is perfect as Kara, an arrogant member of the dominating society of the ship. This episode is solid from start to finish. Not entirely original, but a fine story with some good performances. This episode is maybe more of a standard Space 1999 episode than the last two and I love some of the sets in this episode.
Dragon's domain- Often considered to be the best episode of the series, and I believe that title should go to either this episode or Black sun. That may be a bit hard to believe when you consider the main character is not a regular and that the bulk of the story is told through flashbacks. Tony Cellini swears a monster killed the rest of the crew of a mission he was on and now he feels the monster has returned and he must confront it. Great story, very grim at times with solid performances from all involved.
Testement of arkadia- The first season comes to a close with an episode that like Dragon's domain seems very different from the rest of the season, but it is still one of the best. Alpha is drawn to a planet and the base is losing power. On the planet, they discover links that indicate that humans may have come from this planet and two crewmembers believe this is where they should settle. We have an episode where crewmembers are creating a problem, but becuase they felt it is their fate rather than the usual plot where we crewmembers are driven by possession of alien force. We have the absense of any tangible alien force, some different music and even some voice over by Koenig all of these things give this episode very different, but almost stylish feel. It's much more a thinking episode than a visual episode.
And so the first season comes to an end and makes me wish we could have had a second season that picked where this one ended and then season two may have been great. Instead ratings were not good enough and the Andersons got divorced. The only way to get a second season was to hand the reins over to Fred Freiberger and he had to promise a number of changes that he thought could help the ratings. Paul, Kano and Victor (my favorite) were all gone (without explanation) and they were replaced my Maya and Tony. Uniforms, the theme an main mission were changed. Helena and Koenig's relationship jumped ahead several notches and the whole feel of the show changed. Sandra only appeared ina few episodes, Alan was never quite the same and most of the other secondary characters would change every couple of episodes. It did have it's share of good episodes, but season one ruled.

Wasn't this a fun show to watch, especially as a kid? I remember being fascinated by the Eagles and always wishing I could fly one to school! Yes, this show could get a little heavy into the cheese, but who cares, it was great fodder for a young imagination. And now, it is a great stroll down memory lane, which sometimes takes a turn down escapism street.

The episode in this set that effected me most, even out of the whole series, was "Dragon's Domain". Oh man, that tentacled monster blob oneeyed thing caused me more nightmares than I care to remember. But, I had to watch it everytime it came on. I love that one. It is such a creepy episode and really quite horrifying, having to deal with the fact that yes, we are not always on top of the food chain.

The other episodes in this set are pretty good also. What a kick to see Rumpole of the Bailey!

This is a timeless and cool scifi show. Way ahead of its time in many aspects. Funny how it hasn't really been matched by the shows of today.

I still think Carter was the coolest charachter on that show.

I remember this series as a child. Two major stars from the "Mission Impossible" tv series went after Star Trek--"Holy Shatner!" and gave Star Trek a good run for their money. Good series. If you like SciFi, you will love this series of dvd's.

For someone who has never seen Space: 1999, I'd recommend this set because the episodes aren't too bad, in fact, they are kind of fun to watch, and the production quality seems to be somewhat better than the earlier episodes.

The Troubled Spirit: This was a really dark and sinister episode, and was worth watching.

Space Brain: I remember as a kid, an episode where soap suds filled up the base, and the people of Moonbase Alpha were wandering around though the soap suds in their spacesuits. Kind of silly, but fun to watch.

The Infernal Machine: This was a worthwhile episode worth watching. Although the inside of the spaceship that Koenig, Dr. Russell and Professor Bergman are taken aboard looks like a 1970's art museum.

Mission Of The Darians: Another dark and sinister episode. The people who weren't the Joan Collins type looked like they were from a house of freaks, scary and really bizarre. Joan Collins guest stars in this episode.

Dragon's Domain: A good episode that I hadn't seen until seeing this DVD set. This story is somewhat similar to the 1979 movie, Alien.

Testament Of Arkadia: This last episode of the first season probably was the most cerebral episode of Space: 1999 made for either season. The discovery of Sanskrit writings in a cave lead the people of Moonbase Alpha to believe that this planet that they are visting may contain the origins of their own civilization.

Set 4 of the Space:1999 rounds out the final 6 episodes from the first season. There are some memorable stories, such as Space Brain and fan favorite Dragon's Domain. The stories still have a pedestrian pace, the dialogue is atrocious and some of the acting questionable. But the production and special effects are top notch.
Though, I have to question about the actual prints. Overall, they look great, but episodes like the Testament of Arkadia has a very dark look to it, almost if the transfer from film to DVD wasn't done properly. Or was it always this dark? Also, very few extras. It's a shame really, as Space:1999 DVDs released in the UK and Japan have far more extras, and the selection screens far more creative. France has just released the entire series on one huge boxset with loads of extras, including an episode of UFO. Still, without A&E's release of this program, I probably wouldn't have been drawn back into it. It's stills loads of mindless fun...

Okay, you bought set 1, 2, and 3 - you've got to have number 4!

The eagles alone are worth watching and in this set you can see Joan Collins in a not so pretty light. Yes Joan Collins of Dynasty. She did the original Star Trek and Space:1999.

Barry Greys theme and accompaning score are wonderful. The old animated laser blasts are kind of funny, but much more sophisticated than the sparks and wires we saw in the original Flash Gordon serials.

Get this one too!