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.

more fun with Moon Base Alpha

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 right on time!!!

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

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!