Source: TC/ATV Space 1999 Publicity Book (1975), promotional photo distributed in the press kit for the series Space 1999
I might be a little behind the 8-ball, but one can’t keep up with everything, especially with two teenagers running around my house. Now, they’ll be the first to tell me that I know nothing – NOTHING! – but yet, I’ve been more ahead in trends than my 16-year-old daughter. Hey, I’m the one who tells her that my favorite bands don’t play on regular stations, and I fork out $$ for satellite radio just so I can hear some decent music.
So I was trolling the sci-fi web the other night, picking through my favorite sites and lo and behold, I tripped upon a website regarding Space 2099. Space 2099! Really? Eagerly I rifle through the pages, hoping a tiny tidbit of info would pop out and get me stoked.
I remember the old series, “Space: 1999” back in the seventies when I watched it with my mother. Ma got me hooked on sci-fi as a tiny tot; I can say that I remember watching the original “Star Trek” on its first run, and then on its multitude of reruns, as well as Dr. Who with Tom Baker (on PBS at the time, who also had the foresight to air “Monty Python”).
Look at their outfits: they were so 1970s, and yet had a practical sensibility about them. Designed for comfort and ease of movement, their stylish togs nodded to the fashion of the day (Bell bottoms? Why not!). And this is what impressed me: those costumes were unisex. No deep cleavage cuts and short hemlines for the ladies, no sir. How else can one chase around evil in dystopian universes when one has to spend a portion of one’s concentration on whether or not one’s secrets might be revealed? Besides, if a character’s outfit didn’t fit, he or she could exchange it with anyone, male or female. How practical is that? Certainly the folks back at WANDER looked to economize even then.
Barbara Bain and Martin Landau (who would go on to be an even greater character, Bela Lugosi) ran Moon City with a combination of authority, grace and structure. They didn’t even give a second thought to the fact that now the moon was its own ship steering through the stars and its (unlikely) departure from Earth’s influence might wreak final havoc on tides, coastlines and general principles of physics. They were busy folks, and who has time to worry about such things when there’s Dorcons to chase?
Regrettably, there were only two seasons and 48 action-packed episodes to enjoy. One might catch it in repeats here and there, but it generally disappeared from view. So when I caught the news that it was announced (back in 2012 – how did I miss that?!?!?) that there’d be a 2099, naturally I was intrigued. I’m certain that this incarnation’s going to have a lot more bells and whistles than the decidedly low-budget tactics that made the original so charming. But the sucker that I am, I’m sure I’ll be pulled into its vortex and grab all the episodes I can.
As they say, Stay Tuned!
Moon, Stars and Beyond 
My family used to watch it too back in the seventies…usually with homemade pizza on a Saturday night. It was good fun. It was a nice change from American Sci-Fi. I really liked the high tech props and special effects,etc. I bought the first series on Bluray and the second has been a long time coming. Thanks for the post!
I have to purchase that series too – I’d love to see it again! Sort of sad that it never took off and got the attention it deserved. Perhaps if the second go-around hits it off, we’ll see more action from that wayward satellite we call the moon…
I am a huge Space 1999 fan, but unfortunately over here in the UK you can only purchase the first season on Bluray. Season two is on DVD but has been deleted now, so copies are rare. I think the series would have gone on for at least a third season had it not been launched at the same time that the first Star Wars film was released. That kind of put the nails in the coffin for Space 1999 which was a great shame. I wonder what the people on Moon Base Alpha would now be up to and if the moon is still travelling though space?
Hey Hugh! My husband’s English too and he remembers watching it as well. Over here in the US, the series couldn’t find footing at a decent time.
Say, tell me: were you a bit disappointed that when the actual year of 1999 arrived, the moon was still here and all those people never got to Moon Base Alpha? What a shame…
But we all know really OF COURSE Moon Base Alpha is going on its merry way, defying all laws of physics and traipsing about the universe in search of rogues (both planetary and people) who need a dose of morals. I mean, what else do they have to do, anyway? They’re kind of rootless.
I like to consider this possibility when I hang my head in sorrow over not being able to see Space: 1999 any more: a moonless hostile planet in need of tidal regulation nabs them and makes them rise in their skies against their will. Then what?
I was indeed. I waited patiently for September 13th 1999 to come, looked up at the sky that night, and nothing! The following night the sky was clear and the moon was still there! Who knows, somebody may do a remake one day so we have a catch up on Commander Koenig and Dr Russell. After all, these retro programmes sometimes do make a come back, even if only briefly.
Over here in the UK when it was first launched, Space 1999 was shown at 7.30pm on a Friday evening. It was prime time viewing and did very well, until that is Season 2 came along and it was then demoted to Saturday mornings. Once Gerry and Sylvia Anderson left the programme, it lost its way.
You know, I think it was Saturday nights over here, but I don’t remember exactly. Mom was totally into it, Dad…not so much.
And yes, my heart fell a notch or two when I noticed the sky pretty much looked the way it did on September 12, 1999, too. So I chalked this up to the fact that I inhabited an alternate universe wherein the moon stayed put. After all, that was the only logical explanation I could think of, anyway…