Space: 1999 Set #1 Volume 2

Space 1999 30th Anniversary Edition Megaset

Average customer rating:

A series that never really lived up to its potential...
The question that needs to be asked...
Entertaining, But Show Suffered from Unbelievable Physics, Insufficiently Developed Characters & Poor Writing
Great price
Great Show, but a questionable rerelease

Space 1999 30th Anniversary Edition Megaset
Director: Kevin Connor , Val Guest , Bob Brooks (III) , and Robert Lynn (II)
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Babylon 5 - The Lost Tales
Mission: Impossible - The Second TV Season
Stargate SG-1 - Season 10
Voyagers! - The Complete Series
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea - Season 3, Vol. 1

ASIN: B000P6R5TI
Release Date: 2007-07-31

Description

All 48 episodes of this acclaimed space adventure are contained in this complete collection, digitally remastered from the original 35mm film, plus bonus footage, featured extras, and much more! With its progressive plotlines, an outstanding cast, and astonishing special effects from Oscar® winner Brian Johnson (Alien, The Empire Strikes Back), SPACE: 1999 has secured its place as one of the most thought-provoking series of the 21st century—and beyond.

Customer Reviews:

A series that never really lived up to its potential..........2007-07-03

Speaking on the behalf of all sci-fi fans who watched Space 1999 on its initial broadcast run, Gerry Anderson deserves our respect. With "Supermarination" like "Captain Scarlet," "Secret Service" and the "Thunderbirds," he raised the caliber of Saturday morning TV fare above the usual, two-dimensional animated cartoon.

With "Space 1999" he initiated a new renaissance in science fiction making it respectable with a broad appeal to audiences young and old alike. Not since "Star Trek" which made its debut in 1966, has there been another science fiction series on TV that has made a significant impact or has been more widely recognized.

To compare the two series would be unfair with Star Trek now having now reached the proportions of "epic" on par with the Illiad and the Odyssey in the realm of science fiction let alone the franchises the series has spawned. What detracts from the quality of Space 1999 is not the SFX (expertly orchestrated by Brian Johnson) or the quality of the acting from the leads, but rather, the implausibility of the plots. One tries very hard to enjoy Space 1999 like I have, but I like my science fiction with large dollops of science, and we live in an age where audiences have even a rudimentary understanding of physics and space travel. Sadly, this is the Achilles Heel of Space 1999; ridiculous plots at times matched with dull scripts with empty plots that approximate the size of a black hole.

The first season is generally considered the stronger of the two: the second noted for the addition of Maya (called a "Mr. Spock rip-off" by fans of Roddenberry), a resident of Moonbase Alpha and an alien that can morph into any living organism--an interesting, if wild stopgap to save the sagging ratings of the series at the time. Not surprisingly, many people are divided about Space 1999: people either hate it or love it.

This set, as a whole is wonderfully done and the 16 mm transfers to dvd are clean with a minimum of surface dirt and scratches. Included are interviews, some outtakes, commercials, etc. All in all, Space 1999 was significant because it illustrated the true potential that lay in science fiction paving the way for "Star Wars" and other epics that would follow.

Those interested in learning more about Space 1999, should pick up a copy of John Kenneth Muir's book-length study of the series, "Exploring Space 1999"--a fascinating read if you wish to know more about the series, its impact, and eventual demise.

The question that needs to be asked..........2007-06-23

...is does this release contain season 1 episodes derived from the 2005 high-definition digital restoration? Or is it simply a repackaging of the previous Region 1 releases that claimed to be a remaster put pale in comparison. One way to tell is if Martin Landau's credit shot has him standing against a pristine clean & pure white background. Or does the quality of that shot vary between episodes and is generally soft, yellowish and covered in dirt & grain? If it's the latter the these are old versions.

For more information, just type "space 1999 hd" into Google.

Entertaining, But Show Suffered from Unbelievable Physics, Insufficiently Developed Characters & Poor Writing.......2007-06-08

"Space 1999" was a mid-1970's sci-fi television series that lasted for two seasons with a 1-year hiatus in between the two. The brainchild of Gerry & Sylvia Anderson, "Space 1999" was their second live-action TV series that followed their earlier live-action TV series "UFO" (1969-1970) and several TV series that used marionettes, including the very popular show "The Thunderbirds".

The primary fictional plot of "Space: 1999" was unusual to say the least: following years of mankind using Earth's moon as an off-world storage facility for nuclear waste, a massive explosion occurs at one of the waste facilities that supposedly provides sufficient force to cause the moon to escape not only the Earth's gravity, but the Sun's gravity as well, and head into deep space at an extreme speed so that over the course of the series, the moon can travel through an assortment of star systems with inhabitable planets and alien life. To monitor & manage the nuclear waste sites and carry out scientific experiments, a manned lunar base was created called "Moonbase Alpha" with a population of slightly over 300 personnel, including Commander John Keonig (Martin Landau) and Doctor Helena Russell (Barbara Bain). In the show's premiere episode in which the massive explosion occurs, Commander Keonig makes the decision that rather than try to evacuate Moonbase Aphla and return to Earth (which is rapidly getting farther away), that the occupants of Moonbase Alpha should remain on the moon for an unknown fate in deep space.

Naturally, there are several basic problems with this plot. Before proceeding, let us consider the physics involved in reaching escape velocity. In order for an object in orbit around a more massive object to reach escape velocity, it must have a sufficient increase in energy. Earth's moon orbits the Earth at approximately 2286 mph relative to the Earth; but the Earth orbits the sun at roughly 66,542 mph. If the moon left Earth orbit, it would need an escape velocity equivalent to 3233 mph relative to the Earth (an increase in speed of 947 mph); but this would only place the moon into a new orbit around the Sun. So, to leave the Solar System entirely, the moon would need to reach a speed of roughly 94,105 mph, or an increase in speed of roughly 27,563 mph. So, the amount of energy that would be required to increase the moon's speed from an average of 66,542 mph to 94,105 mph relative to the sun would be roughly equivalent to 7,783,000,000,000,000 megatons of TNT, which is considerably more than the combined yield of every nuclear bomb currently on the Earth being detonated at the same time. Alternatively, if the moon ejected part of its mass, it would also have an increase in velocity. To reach an escape speed of 94,105 mph relative to the sun, it would need to loose approximately 29% of its current mass. Of course, either the explosion or mass ejection would need to occur at a precise location of the moon relative to the Earth & Sun and in a relative direction to both.

So, taking the above physics into account, if a massive explosion occurred with sufficient force to allow the moon to escape not only the Earth's gravity, but the Sun's as well, such an explosion would either probably destroy the moon in the process, or, at the very least, would leave a massive crater since the nuclear waste stockpiles were below ground. However, in "Space 1999", all views of the moon following the explosion never show a massive crater, nor do they indicate that the Earth was ever bombarded with ejected lunar material following the explosion.

Next, let's consider the moon's velocity. If the moon left the Earth and Solar System at a speed of roughly 94,105 mph, it would take the moon thousands of years before it reached the next nearest star (Alpha Centauri), which is roughly 4.5 lightyears away. So, in order for the moon to periodically visit planets orbiting other stars (within weeks or months of each visit), the moon would have to be traveling at a speed approaching the speed of light (approximately 186,000 miles per second) between visits (so that time dilation causes the moon's inhabitants to see little time passage), but then slow way down to give the moon's inhabitants time to visit the alien planets. Or, perhaps the moon is traveling through multiple wormholes conveniently positioned so that the entrance & exit points always occur near inhabited alien planets.

So, in order for the moon in "Space: 1999" to leave Earth's orbit completely intact after a massive explosion and regularly visit inhabited alien planets orbitting distant stars within weeks & months of each other, some very unbelievable physics would have to occur. Next, given the moon's inhabitants only number around 311 individuals and given that 1 or 2 people usually get killed in each episode, the moon's population after two seasons (48 episodes) would be closer to 230 people; but this decrease in population is never discussed during the show. Next, there are the spacecraft used by the moon's inhabitants. Called "Eagles", the spaceships are not particularly stable in design as they are held together only by a long metal grid along the top of each craft. Amazingly, when the middle passenger compartment is released, the ship remains completely stable even though it's just a long metal grid holding the cockpit on one end and the main engines on the other. If this ship was actually constructed, it is not likely to survive traveling through a planet's atmosphere, especially during re-entry. Further, if the moon is traveling near the speed of light in order to travel between stars light years apart in a matter of weeks or months, the Eagles would need to be faster-than-light vehicles; but since they appear to use chemical propellant, faster-than-light travel with such small fuel tanks appears highly unlikely. Again, unbelievable physics comes into play.

As a child, I enjoyed watching "Space: 1999"; but given that it was only on for two seasons (with very different casts between seasons), it's obvious that not many people were interested in watching the show. In comparison with the original "Star Trek" series which also had some rather remarkable physics occurring, the extraordinary physics in "Star Trek" is far more explainable than what was being shown in "Space: 1999". So, given that "Space: 1999" was not particularly believable from a scientific perspective, did it make up for poor physics with strong character development or excellent writing? Sadly, the answer to both of these questions is generally "no". Commander Keonig was not particularly approachable and Doctor Russell was often quite strange. The most interesting character was during the show's first season (1975-1976): the aging scientist Prof. Victor Bergman (Barry Morse). Unfortunately, he was replaced with the shape-shifting alien character Maya (Catherine Schell) during the second season (1977-1978) following its one-year hiatus. Sadly, the majority of minor cast characters that added depth to the show during its first season did not return for the second season. One of the few minor characters that did return was Eagle pilot Alan Carter (Nick Tate). Minor character Sandra Benes (Zienia Merton) appeared in some second season episodes, but was in virtually every first-season episode. Because the second season had fewer regular characters than the first, it's writing was geared primarily around the few regular characters, which included Subcommander Tony Verdeschi (Tony Anholt), who became romantically involved with Maya. The love interest between Keonig & RUssell was often downplayed during the first season, but became more apparent in the second season. The cast's uniforms & overall appearance of Moonbase Alpha were quite different from the first season with a lot more color. Where they found the time & resources on Moonbase Alpha to make such improvements was never explained during the second season.

As an interesting side note, what many "Space: 1999" viewers never knew was that Moonbase Alpha was originally intended to be an improved moonbase for the planned second season of the Andersons' earlier live-action show "UFO". However, the Anderson's decided to abandon the more interesting plotline & characters in "UFO" for the less believable "Space: 1999" plot line. For those unfamiliar with "UFO", it was about a fictitious secret agency named SHADO whose purpose was to defend Earth & humanity from mysterious aliens bent on kidnapping humans and using them either as robotic slaves or spare parts. SHADO defended Earth from a small moonbase with several armed spaceships, as well as specialized submarines, ground assault vehicles & aircraft on Earth itself. In my opinion, character development in "UFO" was greatly superior to that of "Space: 1999" and the individual episodes were also far more interesting & entertaining.

That being said, the most notable first season episodes in "Space: 1999" were "Breakaway", "War Games", "Voyager's Return", "Alpha Child", "Dragon's Domain", "Mission of the Darians", "Black Sun", "The Guardian of Piri", "End of Eternity", "Earthbound", "Another Time, Another Place", "The Infernal Machine", "Ring Around the Moon", "The Last Sunset", "The Testament of Arcadia" and "The Last Enemy". The most notable second season episodes were "The Exiles", "AB Chysalis", "The Bringers of Wonder Parts 1 & 2" and "The Immunity Syndrome". As this list of episodes implies, the second season was far less interesting than the first.

Picture and sound quality on the "Space: 1999" DVD's has been very good. Some longer scenes that were not originally aired in the U.S. don't always maintain the same high picture & sound quality. If you are considering purchase of this repackaged set of "Space: 1999", then this would be the set to purchase given it's much lower price. Overall, I give the "Space: 1999" TV series 3 out of 5 stars.

Great price.......2007-05-27

I've been meaning to buy the Space 1999 Megaset for over a year now, but priced at $179.99, it was never in my budget. I'm glad to see that they've lowered that price, considerably. I ordered it in a heartbeat. And believe it or not, I've never seen a single episode of Space 1999 before. But being a Star Trek/Star Wars fan, I've always been sure that I'd enjoy this show too. Having never seen the show before, I never new whether it was a half-hour or hour-long show. Amazon confused matters for me too, because they list the running time as 999 minutes on the "old" megaset, which led me to believe that each episode was a half-hour. That also contributed to my unwillingness to spend $179.99 on the collection. For this 30th anniversary set they list the running time at 2496 minutes, so I guess it's an hour-long show. What a bargain. I can't wait to explore the world of Space 1999.

Great Show, but a questionable rerelease.......2007-05-19

I'm always happy to see 1999 get a release, but I do question the "digitally remastered" claim on the box. The first season released by A&E was very badly done, with some real glitches. A few episodes didn't seem remastered at all and the volume on the sound of the episodes varies. Some eps are soft while others are nice and loud. However, the complete second season looks and sounds stunning.

The UK DVD company, Network, released a first season set overseas and those prints WERE remastered and they look fantastic. Now, if A&E put those on the discs, then fine. But since the extras are identical to the prior release, this seems to be nothing more than a repackaging.

4 stars for the show, no stars for the "remastering"...if they're the same prints.

Average customer rating:

Star Trek: Generation X
the journey begins here!
Space 1999, Set 1
BRILLIANT SF SERIES.
Fond Childhood Memories

Space 1999, Set 1
Director: Bob Brooks (III) , Kevin Connor , Robert Lynn (II) , and Val Guest
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Space 1999, Set 2
Space 1999, Set 3
Space 1999, Set 4
Space 1999, Set 5
Space 1999, Set 6

ASIN: B0000524FE
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Product Description

When Earth s moon is blasted out of orbit by a spectacular series of nuclear explosions, the men and women on Moonbase Alpha embark on the greatest adventure of their lives. In each episode they mus fight to survive amid bizarre life forms, undreamed-of civilizations, hostile environments and mystic phenomena. With storylines that are both adventurous and cerebral, Space: 1999 has a worldwide following that multiplies with each new showing.Premiering after Star Trek and before Star Wars, Space: 1999 offered TV audiences cinema style special effects, grand set design (by Academy Award® winner Brian Johnson, Alien, The Empire Strikes Back), and sleek, ultra-modern costumes (by Rudi Gernreich - world-famous fashion designer). DVD SET 1(Disk One)Episode One: BREAKAWAYEpisode Two: MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATHEpisode Three: BLACK SUN(Disk Two)Episode Four: RING AROUND THE MOONEpisode Five: EARTHBOUNDEpisode Six: ANOTHER TIME, ANOTHER PLACE

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

When it was first broadcast in 1975, there had never been a more lavishly produced science fiction TV series than Space: 1999, a British production whose budget for the first of its two seasons ran an astounding 3.25 million pounds. What keeps us fans enthralled after all these years has only partly to due with the first-rate production values, the plausibly constructed spaceship models, and expert special effects. The tone of the show is one of scientific dispassion, setting it apart from its TV sci-fi predecessors such as Star Trek, whose mood was more convivial. Our heroes here are in dire circumstances that require cool heads as a survival trait. Those circumstances: the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha experience a cataclysm that causes the moon to break away from Earth's orbit and travel endlessly through space, turning our heroes into unintentional explorers. No TV series has created a more palpable feel of hard science fiction than this. Of course the show is not without its detractors; it has been soundly lambasted for its many scientific errors. No less august a figure than Isaac Asimov criticized the show for its premise in the opening episode, "Breakaway," which had nuclear explosions on the "dark side of the moon" somehow propelling it out of Earth's orbit and flying through space without regard to any physical laws. In "Earthbound" (included in this set), aliens traveling to Earth state it will take them 75 years to reach their destination, making one wonder why it didn't take the moon that long to encounter the aliens. While these are serious complaints, fans tend to remember the scientific seriousness of the series and the sense of awe created by the many strange creatures and phenomena that the crew members encounter on their journey through the galaxy. In addition to "Breakaway" and "Earthbound," this set includes "Matter of Life and Death," "Black Sun," "Ring Around the Moon," and "Another Time, Another Place." --Jim Gay

Customer Reviews:

Star Trek: Generation X.......2006-07-23

The scientific inaccuracies of this show isn't one of details, it is in the very premise! Yes, the acting was sometimes wooden, and it had more than its share of episodes where nothing ever seems to happen. That being said, it is still visually magnificent, has an air of wonder, the soundtrack by Barry Gray is perhaps the classiest ever written for a TV show, the better episodes are great (and often chilling), it obviously heavily influenced the newer Star Trek shows, introduced the public to Black Holes, and its spectacular space battles primed audiences for Star Wars. I do notice, though, that not all the episodes seem to be remastered.

I've read that originally, it was supposed to be "UFO: 1999", in which the moon is purposefully driven out of Earth's orbit to act as a roving weapons platform for SHADO as it heads towards the alien's homeworld. It was written by some famous sci-fi author who removed his name from it when it was reworked into a totally new show instead of UFO's second season. It would be interesting to read how the moon was originally supposed to be launched into space.

the journey begins here!.......2006-02-03

Space 1999 was a diverse series that had it all and then some. It was fun like Doctor Who, as abstract as the Prisoner, as explorational as Star Trek, as light as Lost In Space, as philosophical as 2001, as dark and claustophobic as the most entertaining horror movies and disaster films, as funny as Plan 9, and it even featured pre-Star Wars space battles that were truly a blast. On it's own merit it was also quite a unique series. It was never locked down into just one pattern so it never got sterile. There are episodes for every mood and mindset. One can enjoy the serious episodes or the just plain fun escapism. The setting of 1999 only adds to the fun and the out of control moon idea was certainly original. Many episodes allow the viewer to come to one's own conclusions and there's little clear continuity after the first episode which also allows creativity on the part of the veiwer. It's a very expansive and wonderous universe that's explored in different ways. The diversity of styles and ideas are it's greatest strength. It's always a wild ride.

Space 1999, Set 1.......2005-09-13

This series was one of my favorites as a teenager, and just being able to get the set was awesome. I thoroughly enjoyed viewing it again: real vintage TV. Barry Morse as Professor Bergman was my favorite then, and now, as I have had the priviledge to meet him in real life, and we became close friends. A must for all science fiction buffs!

BRILLIANT SF SERIES........2005-01-28

What a tragedy that this series has been so missunderstood by critics and brutalised upon its premiere all those years ago. What a blessing that so many of us first saw it through the non-judgemental eyes of childhood and can see past the stupidity of critics.
The supposedly wooden acting, lifeless or sterile atmosphere, etc, are actually essential to what makes the series SO GOOD. The whole thing feels utterly real, a cold, isolated and distant-feeling future environment in which to be trapped, with cautious, thoughtful, emotionally-controlled but intelligent heroes who treat every thing they encounter with the tredidation and curiosity of real scientists and space explorers.
Martin Landau is simply brilliant as Commander John Koenig, a man whose dogged and passionate dedication to the space program has him appointed to Moonbase Alpha by a self serving politician (whom he despises!) to get a troubled space probe project underway. But Koening's greatest consideration is the well being of the people he's responsible for and devotes himself to investing a series of mysterious deaths. When the Moon is hurled into deep space, he always consistently refuses to be sold on any option for his people unless he has absolute proof it is right. Joining him is the fatherly mentor of Professor Bergman, whom Koening confides in, and Helena Russell, his love interest, who is utterly real in her work as the base doctor, long before Dayna Scully.
This feels like real SF, cool headed and serious in the face of the total unknown. There's a major question which draws the most ruthless critical attacks, however: why does the Moon get blown from its orbit and manage to travel across the Universe to encounter endless alien planets?
Again, the fact that this flies in the face of science is actually the point. Several episodes suggest this apparently impossible journey has been planned and orchestrated in some way by some cosmic intelligence, and it is the Alphan's hinted destiny to colonise the cosmos and spread man's lineage to the stars. The series in this way has a central absurdity which its cool and realistic scientists are attemting to understand and rationalise.
Breakaway sets the Moon on its way into space.
Earthbound rids Alpha of the corrupt politician.
Black Sun, should be watched next as it shows how a trip through a Black Hole, and out a white Hole, it seems, (apparently aided by an enigmatic intelligence!) sends the Moon a million light years accross the cosmos. Much character development occurs here, too!
Episodes that also demand attention include Dragon's Domain, which fill us in further as to why Koenig is so passionate about the space program and show us some back story to the series situation. And it has a cool monster!
Another Time, Another Place is genuinely disturbing SF.
Force of Life, End of Eternity and The Troubled Spirit all feature sinister atmosphere and tense, edgey plots.
Wargames and The Last Enemy boast stunning space FX and action and deal with the theme of war and peace.
Finally, Collision Course and Testament of Arkadia confront the Alphans with their destiny and hint at the intelligent purpose behind their seemingly inexplicable space journey.
The series is really a cold, hard, intelligent and thoughtful work of high concept Science Fiction which has realistic scientists becoming the crew of a latter day Noah's Ark, their destiny in the hands of God, and attempt to understand and cope with it in a realistic scientific and rationally-minded manner. It should be noted that the proposed final ever episode, written by Johnny Byrne but never produced, despite Gerry Anderson saying it was the best thing he'd ever read, was called Children of the Gods and featured the Alphans meeting their distant descendants in the far future, in a colony on a planet where they are remembered as Gods.
Despite the massive missunderstandings of critics (one book even named it as the worst SF Series of all time!)Space: 1999 is really an example of TV SF at its brilliant best, in many ways far superior to anything else there's ever been on the small screen.

Fond Childhood Memories.......2004-12-29

After Star Trek was off the air and before Star Wars their was very limited SciFi on T.V. This all changed when producer Jerry Anderson (THUNDERBIRDS) created facinating tale of life on the moon. This series is one of intelligent scripts, innovative sets, original special-effects, and detailed sets.

The moon is sent spinning out of orbit in the year 1999, and hundreds of citizens from the Moonbase Alpha lunar base are thrown into perilous danger. Join Oscar winner Martin Landau and Emmy winner Barbara Bain on their journey through space, encountering strange beings and mysterious phenomena along the way.

Average customer rating:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha
Space 1999 right on time!!!
Underrated SF classic
silly, but fun TV
highly enjoyable

Space 1999, Set 6
Director: Bob Brooks (III) , Kevin Connor , Robert Lynn (II) , and Val Guest
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Space 1999, Set 5
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ASIN: B00005UW78
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Product Description

A&E Home Video proudly presents world-renowned producer Gerry Anderson's seminal 1970's sci-fi adventure series...SPACE: 1999. Set 6 invites you to ESCAPE INTO WORLDS BEYOND BELIEF with the lost men and women trapped on Earth's Moon when it was blasted from Earth orbit in the year 1999. This is their story, and your one-way ticket to adventure.Witness the excitement of SPACE: 1999 as never before: Digitally remastered for a superior DVD presentation from the original 35mm elements UNCUT, with as much as 12 minutes of additional footage not seen in areas of the U.S. during original broadcast release! Combining elements of Science Fiction Adventure and Fantasy SPACE: 1999 has claimed a worldwide following finding a life beyond its titled date, securing its place in the 21st century and beyond.This international cast includes Martin Landau (Academy Award® Winner, Ed Wood) and Barbara Bain (3 time Emmy® Winner, Mission Impossible), Catherine Schell (007 On Her Majesty's Secret Service) and European guests Guy Rolfe (Nicholas and Alexandra) and Sarah Douglas (Superman I & II). With cinema styled special effects by Brian Johnson (Academy Award® winner, Alien, The Empire Strikes Back) SPACE: 1999 premiered to TV audiences after STAR TREK and before STAR WARS influencing future series of the genre.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Amazon.com

Fans of Space: 1999 (and there are many of them) are lavish in their praise for British producer Gerry Anderson's mid-'70s sci-fi series. They rhapsodize about provocative, seriously scientific story lines, expensive production values, the presence of star (and future Oscar ^® winner) Martin Landau, and more. But there are others who look at the series' glacial pace, loopy costumes and makeup, cheesy sets, primitive special effects, stilted dialogue, and self-serious tone and wonder what planet those rabid fans are from.

Set 6 of the digitally remastered series, containing six episodes (numbers 31 to 36) on two discs, offers plenty of evidence to support both arguments. On the one hand, there are some intriguing ideas, weighty themes, and good writing here, as in "New Adam, New Eve" (episode 34), in which Koenig (Landau) and company confront the very existence of God himself, or "The Rules of Luton" (episode 31), in which Koenig and Maya (Catherine Schell) find themselves in deep trouble on a planet where plants are the dominant life form. But too often those virtues are hamstrung by poor execution, as in "Luton," where our heroes must battle three absurd-looking and -acting aliens. Smart sensibility, silly look and feel: this is the Space: 1999 paradox. And the truth is that nowadays, when advanced film technology is making even the early Star Wars films look dated, many of these episodes seem positively quaint.

DVD bonus features include a three-minute "making of" featurette (on the first disc), a gallery of production stills (on both discs), and interactive menus. Some material that was not seen in the original U.S. broadcasts has been restored. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha.......2006-02-03

Space 1999 right on time!!!.......2005-09-02

For me this was one of the better season two sets. Maya changing into "other creatures" gets a little formulaic but this set seemed to do a better job fitting it all together. But, after saying this, I'm a still a fan of all the episodes of Space 1999. Is it "science-based" fiction? No, but it's great fun. And for me, you can keep your computers, I like the presence of manmade effects and characters.

Underrated SF classic.......2004-06-04

Ironically, the first season gets the respect and this is regarded as silly nonsense. But good SF is all about the script and check out the writers. Three episodes by Terrance Feely (The Prisoner, UFO, The Avengers, Thriller) three episodes by Johnny Bryne (Dr.Who) Three episodes by Donald James (UFO, The Champions, etc)two episodes by Tony Barwick (UFO, Captain Scarlet, oft regarded as Gerry Anderson's finest writer)and contributions from Terrance Dicks (Dr.Who) and Pip and Jane Baker (Dr.Who). There's even a bona fide SF author named Thom Keyes who contributes an episode. Not bad! The series seems to be remembered soley for the three episodes written by Producer Fred Freiberger under the pen name Charles Woodpecker or something equally silly! Mind you, Rules of Luton is an adequate rip off of the classic SF tale The Arena, which had been done before Star Trek (on The Outer Limits) and would be done again (on Blakes 7, for a start!). So, despite Freidberger;s bad habit of doing his own script editing and adding cheesy joke scenes, and despite his even worse habit of penning the occasional episode (Space Warp is the worst!)the series is actually very good! Barwick excells with AB Chrysalis, a suspenseful and thoughtful story, Feely is brilliant with New Adam, New Eve, and even more fun with Bringers of Wonder, while James delivers a classic with Journey to Where and gems like Seed of Destruction, The Immunity Syndrome (with its brilliant tale of a dealy but misunderstood alien intelligence) and Devil's Planet, all coming out of left feild as well.
What it lacks in atmosphere, it makes up for with good plots and good scripting. A vastly underrated series. Scrape off the cheese and enjoy!

silly, but fun TV.......2004-03-09

Space 1999 set 6 contains many of my favorite episodes:
Rules Of Luton involves talking trees and some weird looking aliens, Brian The Brain features a "cute" robot who turns out to be a nasty mutha, and New Adam, New Evil is a fun episode guest starring God, ape people, giant lizards, and a really awful looking mutant! Loved this set!

highly enjoyable.......2004-01-08

Im a big fan of both the first and second series of Space 1999. I remembered it being an unusual mix of 2001 and Saturday Matinee/Flash Gordon styled Sci Fi and that perspective really helped me to enjoy the show on DVD. Some of it is brilliant and some of it is just entertainingly wacky and that's what I love about it! Many of the episodes in the second series were aimed at the show's kid audience, but I watched those episodes accepting them for what they are and had a blast! The Rules of Luton is just too much fun! I think that both seriese were entertaining and all of the Space 1999 DVD sets make for highly enjoyable viewing.

Average customer rating:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha
Not legendary but still above average TV
Space 1999 - Set #8
mindless fun
thrilling,cheesy, and really wonderful entertainment

Space 1999, Set 8
Director: Bob Brooks (III) , Kevin Connor , Robert Lynn (II) , and Val Guest
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Science Fiction & Fantasy | Genres | DVD | Video

General | Television | Genres | DVD | Video

Sci-Fi & Fantasy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

Television | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( S ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
Similar Items:

Space 1999, Set 7
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Space 1999, Set 5
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ASIN: B000067IVR
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Product Description

A&E Home Video proudly presents the space-spanning conclusion of world-renowned producer Gerry Anderson's seminal 1970's sci-fi adventure series...SPACE: 1999. This collection of the final 6 episodes from the series' second season continues the journey of 311 men and women trapped on Earth's moon when blasted out of Earth orbit.Witness the excitement of SPACE: 1999 as never before! DIGITALLY REMASTERED for a superior DVD presentation from the original 35mm elements! UNCUT, with 12 minutes of additional footage not seen in areas of the U.S. during original broadcast release! Combining elements of science-fiction, adventure and fantasy, SPACE: 1999 has claimed a worldwide following-finding a life beyond its titled date and securing its place in the 21st century and beyond.

FEATURES INCLUDED
Rare Vintage Interviews with Cast and Crew Including Gerry Anderson, Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Catherine Schell, and Fred Freiberger, and Brian Johnson; Special Effects Featurette with Brian Johnson; Rare Blackpool Space City Exhibit Film; Photo Galleries of Production Stills; Interactive Menus; Scene Selection

System Requirements:

Running Time 312 Min

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha.......2006-02-03

Not legendary but still above average TV.......2005-11-02

If you're gonna quibble over which season is best, then Shatner's right - GET A LIFE!

I also saw this great series as a kid - in the 70s, before Star Wars, all we had was this, reruns of Trek, the Avengers & the Prisoner. Notice how most sci-fi needs at least 1 Brit (or at least a European) to give it some class - just a side thought...

As a kid, I liked the 2nd season - as an adult I like them both. The 1st season is a little darker in tone but I don't agree it was more 'adult' - just darker and less action-packed. As an adult, I see that it was more existential in tone, usually pitting Koenig against his crew. As a kid, this was a bit disturbing seeing how easily his crew turned against him, but as an adult, this does make the 1st season seem more realistic. However, the show's plotlines owe a lot to Star Trek. I can pick any episode from either season and find elements already worked in Trek.

However, the Trek-remakes owe a lot to this show. Trek TNG, DS9, and Voyager were basically a collective Space 1999 redo - the commander/doctor dynamic, the lost castaway feel, etc.

I still love the set design, the Eagles, and the space backgrounds. Because of the 2001:Space Odyssey underpinnings, the show still visually holds up. I like Koenig's (note the prevalence of J & K in scifi leader names) beseiged attitude and the mix of old & young characters in the cast.

Great show

Space 1999 - Set #8.......2005-09-15

The last set in the Space 1999 collection. This 2-DVD set contains the last 6 episodes of the ground-breaking 70's-era sci-fi series. If you are a Space 1999 fan (like I am) this is a must-have to complete your collection. The special effects aren't up to today's standards, but 30 years ago they were mind-boggling -- especially for a 10 year old! The bonus features (interviews with the actors, etc.) are a nice finishing touch...

mindless fun.......2004-03-05

What can I say? The cast is great, the rubber monsters make me laugh and this set are a must for fans of mindless fun!
Serious Sci-Fi fans may or may not like this set, but if you're looking for a flight of fancy to entertain the heck out of you on a rainy Saturday afternoon this is for you.

thrilling,cheesy, and really wonderful entertainment.......2004-01-15

I never saw the program when it was on tv so it was a gamble picking up this set, but once I did I was hooked. My friends and I love this show now. This is fantastic stuff for it's time since so many programs from the 70's don't hold up as well and even when things are less than stellar in this show it still entertains greatly since it's a weird mix of good elements and ultra cheesy stuff! I don't want to compare this to Trek, but this show delivers major entertainment value and I'd rather watch Space 1999. What's wrong with being terribly entertained?

Average customer rating:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha
Journey's end . . . for season one.
Top of the line
Ahhh, the good old days... Vintage Sci Fi ...
Space 1999 - Great SciFi series

Space 1999, Set 4
Director: Bob Brooks (III) , Kevin Connor , Robert Lynn (II) , and Val Guest
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Space 1999, Set 3
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Space 1999, Set 6
Space 1999, Set 1

ASIN: B00005KH49
Release Date: 2001-07-31

Amazon.com

Isaac Asimov reportedly described Space: 1999 as "scientifically preposterous." That hasn't stopped Thunderbirds creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1975 British series from gaining a devoted cult following. Still, after watching the six episodes included on this two-disc set, one has to concede that (entertaining though they are) Isaac may have been on to something. In "The Troubled Spirit" Moonbase Alpha Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau) resorts to a little "bell, book, and candle" to exorcise a crew member's destructive spirit. "Space Brain"--or, as it is known to series aficionados, the one with all the foam--finds the Alphans desperately seeking a way to communicate with a cosmic intelligence. As Professor Bergman (Barry Morse) observes, "This is either a practical joke or something very interesting." You be the judge. Leo McKern (Rumpole of the Bailey) guest-stars in "The Infernal Machine" as the aged companion to Gwent, an odd-looking plundering spacecraft. In the "can't we all just get along" episode, "Mission of the Darians," guest star Joan Collins looks good for a 900-something alien, one of 14 who survived a mammoth ship's nuclear-reactor explosion. The same can't be said for the other onboard savages whom the Darians use for transplants. "Dragon's Domain" puts new life into the ancient myth about St. George, as crewman Tony Cellini is reunited with a real-life nightmare in the form of a tentacled beast. In "Testament of Arkadia," which closed out Space: 1999's first season, crew members Luke and Anna are determined to live as a futuristic Adam and Eve and "make fertile" a barren planet. As for Moonbase Alpha, it would drift through the universe for just one more season. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Academy Award winner Martin Landau and Emmy winner Barbara Bain star in one of science fiction's lost masterpieces. Premiering after Star Trek and before Star Wars - Space: 1999 offered TV audiences cinema styled special affects, grand expansive set design, and sleek ultra-modern costumes. Combining storylines both adventurous and cerebral, Space: 1999 has claimed a worldwide following - finding life beyond its titled date and securing its place in the 21st century and beyond.

Customer Reviews:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha.......2006-02-03

Journey's end . . . for season one........2005-06-26

The breakdown: due to storing too much volatile nuclear material on the moon, and a freak increase of magnetic activity (to the point where beams of lightning get shot across the moonscape) the nuclear waste is ignited and the subsequent massive explosion shoots the moon out of orbit and on an uncharted journey through the far reaches of space. If you can get past this "scientifically impossible" (as Asimov called it) premise, then Space: 1999 is the show for you. Now in the fourth set, some of the finest episodes of the series. Without a doubt, "The Troubled Spirit" represents some of the creepiest and finest writing of this or any series pre-X-Files. Although on the surface a seeming attempt to cash in on the Exorcist hoopla still going strong at the time, this episode raises the bar considerably with the idea of a spirit coming back in time to haunt the present for a crime not committed yet. The opening musical score for the episode is just plain fantastic! "Space Brain" is the notorious episode with all the foam and bubbles. The title pretty much explains the plot. The effects of the brain itself are pretty creative (and minimalist!) and Barry Gray's special score for this episode is particularly engaging. The "Infernal Machine" is a bit more pedestrian with the alien visiting the moonbase. Two unusuals for this episode: the always excellent Leo McKern and the very nice set design inside of Gwent's spaceship. "Mission of the Darians" (with guest Joan Collins) is another notorious episode (with another great set design!) that took its cue from the Soylent Green movie-`nuff said on that. "Dragon's Domain" is the one episode that everyone remembers from when they watched this series as young children. It is still a truly frightening episode to behold. Also, one of the problems that dogged this series, plot and continuity problems, is evident here unfortunately. "Testament of Arkadia" was the final episode for the first season. As the story unwinds slowly, you will see why this was a great way to end the season. Again, the music is very engaging. There would be a second season of Space: 1999 with many drastic changes, most notably the departure of three major characters and the addition of two more.

Top of the line.......2003-02-09

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.

Ahhh, the good old days... Vintage Sci Fi ..........2002-08-17

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.

Space 1999 - Great SciFi series.......2002-08-12

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.

Average customer rating:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha
Two really good episodes, four not-so-good episodes
Great fun with human puppets!!
Space: 1999 at its best
This DVD set has some good episodes

Space 1999, Set 2
Director: Bob Brooks (III) , Kevin Connor , Robert Lynn (II) , and Val Guest
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Space 1999, Set 1
Space 1999, Set 3
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Space 1999, Set 6

ASIN: B0000524FF
Release Date: 2001-01-30

Amazon.com

Description

Episode 7, "Missing Link": Commander Koenig's soul is captured after his eagle crashes and is scrutinized by an alien on the planet Zenno, where humans appear to be their missing link. Guest star: Peter Cushing.

Episode 8, "The Guardian of Piri": The planet Piri is discovered to be hospitable to humans, promising a potential home for the wandering Alphans. But there's a catch: on Piri, humans are lured by the promise of eternal, zombie-like happiness, and only Koenig knows how to rescue his crew from their hypnotic captivity. Guest star Catherine Schell would later join the regular cast as Maya.

Episode 9, "Force of Life": Technician Anton Zoref becomes possessed by an energy being that feeds on heat, making everyone on Alpha a target to its icy touch of death. As the body count rises, Koenig must order that Zoref be killed... But will his orders be carried out in time to save Alpha?

Episode 10, "Alpha Child": Unto Alpha a child is born, but soon joy will change to fear as every Alphan must bend to the will of its newest resident. The newborn swiftly transforms into something totally unexpected...the leader of an alien invasion.

Episode 11, "The Last Sunset": A miracle has happened: the moon has an atmosphere, which has been emitted by a satellite from the nearby planet Ariel. It seems as though Alpha will become a permanently habitable home for its human occupants--but will this surprising gift signal the final days of Moonbase Alpha?

Episode 12, "Voyager's Return": Sent from Earth years ago, the Voyager One probe is returning to Earth propelled by its innovative "Queller Drive." The probe's memory banks provide valuable data for Moonbase Alpha, but a fleet of alien ships arrives to condemn all of humanity for unleashing the "Queller Drive" as a destructive force in the galaxy.

Customer Reviews:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha.......2006-02-03

Two really good episodes, four not-so-good episodes.......2004-11-25

Missing Link - I didn't care for this one at all. Koenig is captured by some aliens that think humans are the "missing link" in their evolutionary chain. There's a whole lot of standing around talking in cheap acid-trip looking sets. The premise isn't interesting or believable. The ending is really dumb.

The Guardian of Piri - The moonbase crew goes to the planet Piri and lays around acting really stoned. Only Koenig seems immune to the powerful LSD trip that affects everyone else. Kind of like Woodstock if you dressed everyone up in Moonbase uniforms and didn't have any bands playing. Pretty stupid overall. The worst part was watching the Moonbase crew having a party before they left Alpha, like a bunch of 9 year olds at a birthday party looking forward to watching the clown show.

Force of Life - A truly excellent episode. A man who works in one of the reactor rooms is taken over by an alien spirit and starts killing people and consuming Alpha's power. Some great nightmarish sequences and marvelous sets. One of my favorites of the whole series.

Alpha Child - Not very good. Alpha's first child is born and grows up rapidly. A lot of scenes of the Alphans giddily playing with the kid, rather neauseating. The ending was somewhat good, but ultimately unsatisfying.

The Last Sunset - Another great episode. Alpha gets an atmosphere, and Barbara Bain is stranded when her Eagle crashes. Another of my favorites of the series.

Voyager's Return - I didn't like this one at all. The Voyager space probe was launched from earth, but something went wrong with it's drive system and it ended up killing a bunch of people. Now it returns with angry aliens in hot persuit. The doctor who built it just happens to be on Alpha, but everyone hates him because of the previous accident. There are a lot of Nazi overtones in this for some reason (the doctor has a heavy German accent and is treated as some sort of horrible criminal). Doesn't really make sense - do the family memebers of the victims of the space shuttle disasters hate and want to beat up the people who work at NASA? It was an accident for pete's sake. Everyone acts very out of character and I found the whole thing rather painful to sit through.

Overall, a real mixed bag. I give it 4 stars on the strength of the two good episodes, which is being very charitable.

Great fun with human puppets!!.......2003-12-09

Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, responsible for Thunderbirds, turned their attention of using the same principals of their puppet-shows, but use live actors instead of the puppets, and the result was UFO. Okay the series has some flaws, but die-hard fans loved it. Their next entry was Space 1999. Again, maybe not high brow, and some special effects were low brow..lol, but it was still great fun.

This is the second set of episodes of the Earthlings trapped on the moon now travelling through space due to an accident. With the Oscar winning Martin Landau and this then wife, Barbara Bain, heading the cast they were well acted and rather nifty tales.

This set has Missing Link, where Landau is captured on planet Zenno, where humans appear to the be missing link; The Guardian of Piri, another planet where the Alphans try to land, but run into the Guardian, and once you gaze into its lights you are lost. Force of Life, (starring the wonderful Ian McShane) as a technician that is invaded by a heat-seeking life form; Alpha Child - the first child is born on Alpha Moonbase, but soon the joy turns to fear as the child shows strange powers; The Last Sunset - Suddenly the Moon has atmosphere...but how did this happen?; Voyager's Return. A space probe launched from Earth to acquire information comes back to moonbase with terrible repercussions.

So pop a bunch of popcorn and have a fun evening!

Space: 1999 at its best.......2003-06-13

In this set are some of the most complex and chilling episodes of the series. One of my favorites is the "Force of Life" episode, because it is so heavy on concept and doesn't rely on the gratuitous actions sequences that would come to be the norm in the second season. "Guardian of Piri" asks and answers the age old question, wherein lies the ideal life? "Missing Link" features an excellent performance by Peter Cushing and examines the extremes of human nature-can these extremes be bridged somehow? The second disc contains more action oriented episodes. "Alpha Child" concerns and outside menace brought onto Moonbase Alpha. "The Last Sunset" transforms the moon into a breathable planet. "Voyager's Return" is a fable about the hubris that often goes with the quest for knowledge, and the consequences that must be paid when you allow that quest to become unstoppable. These are all very solid episodes from a series that should've been so much greater than it ended up being.

This DVD set has some good episodes.......2002-07-27

One of the best episodes of Space: 1999 that I remember seeing as a child was The Last Sunset, which I did not see again for more than 25 years. I liked this episode as a kid, and I enjoyed watching it again on this DVD set. I thought that the story of having the moon develop an atmosphere like earth's was very interesting. Another episode that I remember as a kid was Alpha Child. I think that the most interesting part of the story was that the first child of Moonbase Alpha grew up and became an adult at an unusually fast rate, and was temporarily deaf and was incapable of speech for part of the episode. There was a certain sense of awe and wonder about this episode, the child was very enigmatic, and so was the story.

Average customer rating:

A childhood favorite
Nostalgic visit to the 70s
more fun with Moon Base Alpha
a forgotten classic
good escapist TV

Space 1999, Set 5
Director: Bob Brooks (III) , Kevin Connor , Robert Lynn (II) , and Val Guest
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Similar Items:

Space 1999, Set 6
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ASIN: B00005UW77
Release Date: 2002-02-26

Amazon.com

Fans of Space: 1999 (and there are many of them) are lavish in their praise for British producer Gerry Anderson's mid-'70s sci-fi series. They rhapsodize about provocative, seriously scientific story lines, expensive production values, the presence of star (and future Oscar® winner) Martin Landau, and more. But there are others who look at the series' glacial pace, loopy costumes and makeup, cheesy sets, primitive special effects, stilted dialogue, and self-serious tone and wonder what planet those rabid fans are from.

This two-disc set includes the first six episodes of the show's second season. Episode 25, "Metamorph," introduces Maya (Catherine Schell), a shape-changer and scientific wiz who, after witnessing her nutty dad's dastardly deeds, defects to join our Moonbase Alpha heroes. "Journey to Where" (Episode 29) finds Koenig (Landau) and Helena (costar Barbara Bain) returning to Earth--specifically, and bizarrely, 14th-century Scotland--while "One Moment of Humanity" (Episode 27) sees the evil Zamara (Billie Whitelaw) and her android cronies trying to learn the violent ways of humans. Intriguing ideas, occasionally rather lame execution. In other words, there's plenty here to justify the points of view of the show's adherents and its detractors.

DVD bonus features include production stills, TV promotional spots, and interactive menus. All episodes have been digitally remastered, and some material that was not seen in the original U.S. broadcasts has been restored. --Sam Graham

Customer Reviews:

A childhood favorite.......2007-02-28

I remember i couldn't wait for Saturday night to come along so i could watch my 2 favorite SCI FI shows UFO & SPACE 1999. The acting was nothing to write home about but the imagination, the idea that the moon could be blown out of its orbit, fly through space, the inhabitants would survive and meet other life forms with hopes of finding that perfect planet to settle down on is far fetched. However its still a classic in the classic form. Barbara & Martin make the show.

Nostalgic visit to the 70s.......2006-11-04

Space 1999, with all of its quirks, is still one of my all time favorite science fiction television series! It premiered in 1976, 30 years ago on a local station here in Arkansas, as the most expensive sci-fi series ever produced. As a 19 year old, I missed very few episodes from the first season (working night shifts, I missed some). Now, as a 49 year old, I have cried with joy as I watched the DVD episodes, some that I had never seen before! This is mind-candy for me!! Times were simpler then for me and for everyone. Viet Nam was a bitter memory, gas shortages were a thing of the past, space shuttles were the wave of the future. Thanks for giving me this chance to view something I thought that I would never see again and to walk down a memory lane when I didn't know what stress was!

more fun with Moon Base Alpha.......2006-02-03

a forgotten classic.......2004-10-01

I'm a junkie of Sci Fi, Horror and Fantasy and I'd never heard of this show when I came across it. When I read the tagline about it being an "adventure beyond space" I had to get it. I bought set 3 and set 5. The episodes in set 3 are not unlike Kubrick's 2001. Set 5 is more like Dr Who. I enjoyed them both. This is classic stuff. Landau is especially good. The Eagle space crafts are cool. Catherine Schell is lovely. There's a good mix of action and horror and space elements. Why haven't more people heard about this show?

good escapist TV.......2004-03-10

I've always thought that the start of both seasons of Space 1999 weren't as much fun as the episodes that came after them. Set 5 has some good episodes and some good moments, but sets 6,7, and 8 are much more fun. As the start of season two, this set has both it's share of draw-backs and it's fun moments.

I wont waste space reviewing every episode, but I will say that The Metamorph is one of my faves! Catherine Schell is introduced as Maya in this one. New theme music, cast members, costumes, and sets are introduced as well. Dr Bergman is gone, and the main control center has now been moved underground. Maya helps to fill the void left by Bergman, and after episodes like War Games the new location of the control center makes good sense. Smart move Koenig.

Amazon.com

Set 3 of Space: 1999 contains six more first-season episodes from Thunderbirds creators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1975 British series. The castaways on Moonbase Alpha, led by Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau), continue their drift through the universe, where they encounter fantastic planets, oddball races, and cataclysmic perils. In "Collision Course," Koenig must rely on "a thing called faith" when the moon seems headed for a too-close encounter with a massive planet. Unfortunately, the faith of his crew, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Helena Russell (Landau's Mission: Impossible costar and then wife Barbara Bain) and Professor Victor Bergman (Barry Morse, who relentlessly pursued David Janssen on The Fugitive) is lacking, and they mutiny. In "Death's Other Dominion," the Alphans arrive at an ice-encrusted "lost paradise" planet, on which survivors of "the Uranus expedition of 1986" seek the secret of eternal life, and dissidents rise up to stop them. "The Full Circle" explores the nature of man when the Alphans encounter a race of cave dwellers. In "End of Eternity," the Alphans learn not to "interfere with other people's justice" when they unwittingly free an evil and quite unstoppable alien (Peter Bowles, much more civilized as Penelope Keith's friendly nemesis in the popular Britcom To the Manor Born. The cautionary "War Games" might better be called "Mind Games," as Commander Koenig considers whether to launch an attack against alien spaceships. One of Landau's favorite episodes, "The Last Enemy," is a Middle East allegory that finds the Alphans literally caught between two perpetually warring planets. Space: 1999's then state-of-the-art special effects hold up well, less so the deliberate pacing. But these fan-favorite episodes are a must for all earthbound Alpha devotees. --Donald Liebenson

Description

Customer Reviews:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha.......2006-02-03

A good solid continuation of the first season.......2005-06-26

The breakdown: due to storing too much volatile nuclear material on the moon, and a freak increase of magnetic activity (to the point where beams of lightning get shot across the moonscape) the nuclear waste is ignited and the subsequent massive explosion shoots the moon out of orbit and on an uncharted journey through the far reaches of space. If you can get past this "scientifically impossible" (as Asimov called it) premise, then Space: 1999 is the show for you. In Set 3 the six-episode run begins with "Collision Course", a vague episode about a new life or evolution that is supposed to happen when the moon kisses (ever so lightly collides with) another planet. "Death's Other Dominion" is suitably unsettling-any title with death in it should be a dead give away that some kind of creepiness will ensue. Brian Blessed, of course, is a treat to watch here. "The Full Circle" is the cavemen episode that is supposed to explore the darker more primitive sides of the human condition. It does anticipate "Quest For Fire" by quite a few years, however. "End of Eternity" is the standard alien pays a visit vein. What is catching is the way parts of the episode are filmed, like the silent fight between Baltar and the moonbase security, or the way the pictures are referenced in parts of the episode. The last two episodes are disaster episodes with Moonbase Alpha under attack from a hostile alien force. In "War Games" the enemy is unseen and supposed. In "The Last Enemy", it is a gorgeous starship captain who lands her ship on the moonbase to launch a preemptive attack on the enemy planet her race has been at war with since time remembered.

The weakest DVD set of the first season.......2002-07-27

I would not recommend this DVD set of Space: 1999, because it has some of the silliest episodes of the first season. Most notably is the episode, The Full Circle, which I thought was similar to watching an episode of Gilligan's Island. The crew of Moonbase Alpha go down to yet another planet, walk though the mist, and become cave people. The last bad episode worth mentioning is The Last Enemy. On the one side of the battle that Moonbase Alpha gets caught up in are military women who look like they've just come from the hairdresser, or are backup singers for the Swedish group ABBA, and the other faction consists of an old man with his eyes closed. This was a bad episode, I mean REALLY bad, like Mystery Science Theater 3000 bad.

One halfway decent episode, which is why I give this DVD set a rating of two stars, instead of one, is War Games, which has the greatest number of explosions and destruction since the first episode, Breakaway.

Eagle One Come in!.......2002-06-12

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!

Pure Enjoyment! Space 1999.......2001-12-08

With every episode of Space 1999 you become swept away with the storyline and plot. Now that it has arrived on DVD! it is even better than I remember, especially with the added footage and color enhancement. It's like watching it for the first time all over again. I recommend this DVD along with all the other sets to fully appreciate the incredible imagination and creativity of Space 1999. A marvel of its time!

Average customer rating:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha
hugely underrated series, brilliant stuff!
very entertaining 70's tv
so enjoyable it hurts
fantastic fun

Space 1999, Set 7
Director: Bob Brooks (III) , Kevin Connor , Robert Lynn (II) , and Val Guest
Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Space 1999, Set 8
Space 1999, Set 6
Space 1999, Set 5
Space 1999, Set 4
Space 1999, Set 3

ASIN: B000067IVQ
Release Date: 2002-06-25

Product Description

A&E Home Video proudly presents the continuation of the second season of world-renowned producer Gerry Anderson's seminal 1970's sci-fi adventure series...SPACE: 1999.JOURNEY INTO WORLDS BEYOND BELIEF with the continuing journey of 311 men and women trapped on Earth's moon after blasted from Earth's orbit. Boasting more sets, more special effects, Year Two was proclaimed: BIGGER, BETTER, MORE EXCITING THAN EVER!Witness the excitement of SPACE: 1999 as never before! DIGITALLY REMASTERED for a superior DVD presentation from the original 35mm elements! UNCUT, with 12 minutes of additional footage not seen in areas of the U.S. during original broadcast release! Combining elements of science-fiction, adventure, and fantasy, SPACE: 1999 has claimed a worldwide following--finding a life beyond its titled date and securing its place in the 21st century and beyond.

Format: DVD MOVIE

Customer Reviews:

more fun with Moon Base Alpha.......2006-02-03

hugely underrated series, brilliant stuff!.......2004-05-27

Gerry Anderson's two seasons of Space:1999, and the prequel series UFO, seem to me to be three separate eras in one long story, rather like the eras of three different Dr.Whos, or perhaps different spin offs of Star Trek.
If that's the case, UFO is the equivalent of the Tom Baker era or the original Star Trek, it's the one that gets all the respect. Season 1 of 1999 is like the Davison era or perhaps Next Generation of Trek. Season Two of Space:1999 is like the Colin Baker era of Who, or Deep Space Nine in Trek. Yes, it is the one no one wants to admit they like, but if given closer examination with an open mind, it actually has much to offer and much to enjoy. This little lot contains some superb contributions by great writers. Terrance Feely (UFO, The Prisoner) delivers the goods in the excellent Bringers of Wonder, while Pip and Jane Baker (Dr.Who) write the low key but good A Matter of Balance. And then there's the superb Seed of Destruction, a compelling doppelganger story with an evil Koenig taking his place on Alpha. Space Warp, on the other hand, is written by Fred Freiberger and unlike the fun Beta Cloud, it sucks. Not to worry, though, the rest of the series is so much fun and so well produced that it is still totally entertaining and enjoyable. These characters are not as dark as the ones from the previous seasons, but they are fun and likeable enough to care about and enjoy their adventures. An underrated gem of a series!

very entertaining 70's tv.......2004-04-20

What a great show this was and is. Set 7 includes Bringers Of Wonder in which really gross and goopy aliens take over the base by appearing to be the loved ones of the people on the base, but Koenig can see them for the slimy creatures they really are. Landau gives a wonderful performance of reacting to their true disgusting forms. This is not serious science fiction, but Landau is excellent, and the other cast members give it their best too. The goopy monsters are amusing and also pretty darn disgusting and creepy. The glops of slime oozing down the eyes of the aliens is a great touch.

so enjoyable it hurts.......2004-02-03

The second season of Space 1999 was very different from season one. Monsters and humor abound in season two. Most of the episodes are ridiculous, but filled with guilty pleasures.
Every episode in set 7 is a real hoot!

"Seed of Destruction" is about an evil mirror image of Koenig who takes over Alpha. Evil Koenig is a mean S.O.B.! The only thing better than an evil Koenig is when Koenig freaks-out in "Bringers of Wonder". Classic!

"The Beta Cloud" involves a nasty cloud that sends a wild bug-eyed monster to steal the entire life support system of Alpha. The creature runs amok on the moon base for the entire episode
while the cloud tries to persuade the Alphans that it's a non-violent cloud and they should just give up the life support system and die, but the Alphan's just wont listen. They are a stubborn lot.

"A Matter of Balance" features the lovely Lynn Frederick! There's also a bald translucent anti-matter spirit, a bug-eyed samurai creature, and Maya turns into a monkey! Tony makes more bad beer in this one too, and he makes Lynn drink it and then makes her cry! Who in their right mind would make the lovely Lynn cry?! Damn that Tony! First he get's Maya and now this!

"Space Warp" is about Maya going bananas and transforming into various dangerous forms that attack the base, but the absolute best is that she turns into the bug-eyed monster from the "Beta Cloud"! It's back and running amok and attacking Alpha again, BUT this time it's wearing a wild wig that looks like dread-locks! Plus, Barabara Bain and Nick Tate chase it around the moon's surface in a moon buggy! Keep plenty of oxygen on hand for this one!

"Bringers of Wonder" is a two part episode with slimy aliens that only Koenig can see. There's nothing like a talented actor freaking-out with slimy aliens. This one includes the classic Koenig line: "I haven't had this much fun since I burned grand ma's wig"! Nobody freaks-out like Koenig!

Set 7 is filled with addictive gems such as these. Ed Wood would be proud of these episodes. This is one of the best DVD purchases I've ever made.

fantastic fun.......2004-01-13

I just watched this set with some friends and had a blast! The monsters are cheesy, but oddly enough there's fine acting in the episodes and some really engaging moments along with all the cheese. The one consistent factor is that this is a very entertaining set of discs.

Average customer rating:

Space: 1999 Set #1 Volume 2

Manufacturer: A&E Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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