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Space: 1999
1975 · TV series · 2 seasons
Created by Sylvia Anderson, Gerry Anderson
The crew of Moonbase Alpha must struggle to survive when a massive explosion throws the Moon from orbit into deep space.
8 positive4 negative7 mixed20 neutralfrom 39 commenters
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42 comments on Hacker News
Domingo Gonsales is flown to the moon by tying himself to wild swans, and meets Lunar Christians - The Man in the Moone by Francis Godwin (1601)
Manned mission to the Moon by giant gun - Jules Verne (1865 ish).
Manned trip around Saturn by comet - Jules Verne (1877).
Time traveller sets off to the future - H.G. Wells (1894)
Martian invasion of Earth - War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (1905)
Global telephone network reaches as many connections as a human brain and wakes up - Dial 'F' for Frankenstein, Arthur C Clarke (December 1, 1975)
Birth of Dr Susan Calvin, founding of US Robotics & Mechanical Men, development of 'Positronic Brain' - Asimov's robot stories (1982 and after)
British space station under construction - The Outward Urge by John Wyndham (1994)
Portal to parallel universes - Sliders (1994)
Doctor Samuel Beckett steps into the Quantum Leap Accelerator and vanishes - Quantum Leap (1995)
Skynet becomes self-aware - Terminator 2 Judgement Day (August 29, 1997. at 02:14 am Eastern Time)
HAL 9000 AI computer operational (1997), first human voyage to Jupiter system (2001), first landing on Europa and alien life discovered (2010) - Arthur C. Clarke's 2001 A Space Odyssey
Moon leaves Earth Orbit after nuclear waste explosion, taking human-occupied Lunar colony with it - Space:1999 (13 September 1999)
Efficient international flight, using Zeppelins and blimps - Rudyard Kipling (2000)
Global climate disaster - The Day After Tomorrow (2004)
Replicants - Bladerunner (2016)
Keanu Reeves smuggles digital information in his brain - Johnny Mnemonic (2021)
Arnold Schwarzenegger kills to survive in a typical American TV show - The Running Man (2025)
Woman relifed into robot, rich people discover workers' rights - Fritz Lang's Metropolis (2026)
First colony mission to Mars, 100 colonists on the largest spaceship ever built - Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars (2026)
Tibetan monks finish listing all the names of God, stars start going out - The Nine Billion Names of God, Arthur C. Clarke (when computers were rentable and could print 1000 names per second)
and many more: https://scifi.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_fictional_future_events
I have a Sony TV8-301 in my retro collection, just waiting for me to build it a suitable power supply, give it a service, and wire it up to be used as a terminal for something powerful.
https://www.radiomuseum.org/r/sony_8_301_w8_301.html
The aesthetic of these old designs is really appealing. If you’re not familiar with the TV8-301, its been used as a prop in countless games and sci-fi movies .. and hasn’t the Sinclair Microvision also shown up in films in places? I want to say Bladerunner or Alien, but I’m pretty sure they just copied the aesthetic… Perhaps Space 1999 or The Tomorrow People or something like that?
In any case, its somewhat amusing to recollect just how fantastic it seemed, way back then, to have a portable television/video device to watch things on .. I used to lust after the toys in the Sinclair ads back in the day, it was a precursor to computing fever that hit me - and a lot of the rest of the world - on the cusp of the 80’s .. and it seems proper to notice that Sinclairs’ desire to give everyone the things that were being dreamed up by sci-fi authors seems to have been somewhat prescient.
We all have a TV in our pockets now, there’s no escaping it .. and what a world it has become, with literally everyone on the planet capable of starting their own channels, if they want to ..
I’ve been rewatching it recently and thought the first season was awful. The plots specifically, the aesthetics and theme music are awesome and worth watching for that alone. Haven’t gotten to the second season yet but was really hoping it improved…
Biggest disappointment was reading up on it and finding that the Anderson’s had originally intended to do a second season of UFO then changed it up to make Space 1999 instead.
UFO was amazingly good
Interesting, and in a way I can see a tiny bit of Space 1999 in some of Lucus's works.
I really liked the first season, but season 2 seemed to a been a bit worse, too bad the series ended too soon.
Yes, I should have specified that, as that's what I meant.
I'm not sure of the point in sending a human there and back without a colony, but that wouldn't stop us if we find an emotional reason. The poor astronaut will die young after their return, of course, but that's true for many occupations already.
Not surprised at the downvotes I got. "We're going to live out there! Soon!" is baked into us by every TV show, movie, and book around us, it seems. But it is nowhere as easy as "2001: A Space Odyssey" promised. Not even as easy as "Space 1999".
Moonbase Alpha was the location where the TV show “Space: 1999” was set.
First episode saw the moon permanently leave Earth orbit.
Bah, thought this was related to the classic UK TV series Space:1999.
The US broadcast syndication market is really only set up to sell shows that have more than 100 episodes. I think UFO, Space:1999, and the 1955 Robin Hood were among the few shows seen on regular non-PBS stations. The Disney Show would sometimes run UK-filmed material. (Scarecrow, Thomasina) Partly it's because Americans can't understand the words when they hear many UK dialect accents, so they tune out those shows and that tanks the ratings. Even if you give a station a free tv show they lose money if no one watches it. We do better at remaking shows like All in the Family, Sanford and Son, Skins, and Being Human.
Mad Max, obviously, Night of the Comet, The Quiet Earth, A boy and his dog. I think the early 80s was a good time for the genre.
Planet of the Apes, Soylent Green, and that other Charleton Heston movie with zombies that I can’t remember (not a huge fan of zombies)
The Road is a fairly recent movie that fits.
British TV had Space 1999, lots of early Doctor Who and an attempt at the Tripods series by John Christopher. By far my favorite was “Survivors” written by Terry Nation - who needs zombies when you’ve got actual problems to deal with!
He is mentioned in the article but they left off Silent Running (1972) as one of his credits. Perhaps they think it is lesser known?
Also mentioned, Brian Johnson — but they leave off that he was The Special Effects Guy behind the TV series Space 1999.
Brian's comment in the article about "blimping" the projectors to cut down the noise is an interesting throw-back to when they would wrap a camera or projector in some kind of throw-together enclosure to try to block the noise it made. I believe in addition to using padding to dampen the sound, they sometimes used thin lead sheets to build the enclosure with as well.
How you vent a blimped projector that is probably running a 1000 Watt bulb to keep it from overheating and melting the film is something of a wonder.
> personally I'm er much against disproportionately high penalties as a deterrent because it's comes at the cost of justice to the individual.
Likewise.
I think that as we've already developed the technological capacity for mere organised crime to build a surveillance system that would make the actual literal Stasi jealous, it's important for the legal system to catch up, and move to the combination (because neither would work in isolation) of (1) penalties that are much much smaller and directly match the offence with (2) so much surveillance that basically everything is caught.
Now, is there a way for this to avoid falling into a horrific dystopian nightmare? Because it's one thing for an internet pirate getting an illicit copy of one episode of Space 1999 getting dinged for $0.99, and quite another if the same capabilities are used to interfere with or supress political opponents a-la the Watergate scandal.
> That isn't deterring anything, not remotely, so it just seems like revenge
I know what you mean, I think that's also part of it, and that kind of attitude in parts of the legal system also interfere with the thing I've just suggested.
You're talking about the generation that grew up with Monty Python and The Goodies.
We were also familiar with the latex puppets because of Spitting Image and the Genesis "Land of Confusion" video.
And the idea of a ball-shaped droid with a Cockney accent just seemed like a big miscalculation, unworthy of the Anderson legacy.
But to be fair, if you go back and watch Space: 1999, most of the episodes aged poorly in retrospect except for one or two of them (e.g., Dragon's Domain still holds up).
Most of the Gerry Anderson shows are available to stream on ITVX in the UK. The Re-imaginings of Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlett in 3D are there too.
Fireball XL-5, Supercar, Joe 90, Space Precinct (sub needed), UFO, Terrahawks, Space:1999, The Secret Service, Stingray, Gerry Anderson's New Captain Scarlet (3D), Captain Scarlet, Thunderbirds the Anniversary Episodes, Thunderbirds Are Go (3D), Thunderbirds.
Interesting; this is reminiscent of the TV show "Space: 1999" about the Moon being blasted out of orbit and across the galaxy. While the premise was ridiculous, the show's first season was very quirky and quite enjoyable and explored some interesting themes. The second season, not so much.
> high-resolution nostalgia goggles.
Mine work in reverse, I guess.
I loved Space: 1999, when it was still being released.
I had occasion to revisit a syndicated episode, awhile back.
I stopped it after ten minutes.
I haven't tried Plex, and use Jellyfin, but I have to say, the UI on Jellyfin is absolutely atrocious.
I wish there was simply a way to make it show me the files I have available, for instance. There seems to be no way to do that. Instead, it insists on auto-detecting everything and then showing some preview image for that, along with some info scraped from the internet somewhere. It sounds nice, but instead when I want to watch "Space: 1999", it tells me I only have episodes of "Space Jam" or some other show I've never heard of. Or, it tells me I have no shows at all, but the shows are instead in the "Movies" section, or somewhere else entirely in the UI. It's bizarre.
I can see why a lot of people would get frustrated with it.
I watched the trailer and couldn't help but thinking this guy has some amazing talent. I'm curious where he goes after getting his "Space 1999" documentary in the can.
I have mixed feelings about the show. As with pretty much all Gerry Anderson efforts the hardware and effects were top-notch. But the premise is too far fetched for adult me to allow for....
Obviously Brian Johnson and his work were a huge inspiration to the Star Wars model shop and concept artists (and then Brian joining them later, of course).
That the Millennium Falcon and Blockade Runner from Star Wars have radar dishes shows the degree to which everyone involved still had one foot in the "2001" and "Space 1999" modality. (And never mind that Eagle-esque engine cluster in the rear of the Blockade Runner).
You can watch "Space: 1999" episodes for free (with ads) on the Roku Channel (website or Roku app) or Amazon Prime.
https://therokuchannel.roku.com/details/36be634b1d4e51098a75faa525fc5e6f
Ah Space: 1999... The British answer to Star Trek that once took its own shape, went thru "redesign" only to end abruptly. Such a shame nobody ever pick this series ever again.
A small trivia: there was this educational tv series in Poland created in the early 80s and aired in the end of that decade called "Przybysze z Matplanety" (Visitors from Matplanet). The series explored mathematics for grade and high school. The main characters named Pi and Sigma were traveling in Eagle Transporter - at least that's how their ship look on the outside. A slightly repainted model is seen in the intro and few times in the show: https://youtu.be/CnJcZv9DnAA?t=87
"Join the exploration of a fascinating cultural phenomenon. The legacy of the Eagle Transporter from Space:1999 reflects the dreams of a generation. It also embodies a nostalgia for a future that never occurred, yet still resonates today.
"THE EAGLE OBSESSION is a visually stunning feature-length documentary that follows sci-fi creator Jeffrey Morris as he investigates the origins of the iconic vessel and the ongoing global impact of a unique moment in human history—when people walked on the Moon."
The documentary will include interviews with Barbara Bain, Nick Tate (Captain Alan Carter) and special effects supervisor Brian Johnson.
> update some of the CGI
There was no CGI used in Space: 1999, it's all practical model and optical effects. And as far as I can tell, it was all done on film, even though it was a TV show, so all of the effects shots could be rescanned for HD, or possibly even 4K.
I didn't really understand much of Star Trek or the series of that time, like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, The Time Tunnel or Mission: Impossible. I loved the imagery, the diving or space scenes and the gadgets, but the plots were impenetrable.
Space: 1999 appeared a few years later and I not only understood what was going on, but had devoured a fat Astronomy book so I also had a decent idea of the distances involved.
The episode with Ian McShane was great anyway.
The initial premise, as ridiculous as it was, wasn't really more ridiculous than other sci-fi of the time. There's lots of sci-fi movies and TV shows in the 60s and 70s with hilariously bad depictions of basic physics.
Don't forget, the 70s were the time when typical American cop dramas showed cars exploding into fireballs whenever their wheels left the ground.
Some bits of tech seem a little silly though, such as the remote-control doors and the computers that spit out paper receipts and don't have proper screens. Almost a decade previously, Star Trek at least got those correct, and computers in the 70s already had screens, so I'm not sure why they screwed that up so badly. The sets on Space:1999 look fantastic (esp. in HD), but they don't really make that much sense.
Space 1999 was a ridiculous show but there has never been a better TV show as far as production design does. The sets look cool and appear functional in a way that other shows (even modern star treks) can only aspire to.
Pity about the plots.
>In a world where there are infinite possibilities and infinite attempts, all possibilities are an eventuality, including floating brains in space.
There's an absolutely hilarious episode of "Space: 1999" about this.
Funny discovery of the day. While doing a small walk down memory lane and reading up on Space 1999 (aka. Mondbasis Alpha 1 in Germany) I discovered that the German version of the series used a disco version of the Star Wars Theme by Mech in one of their episodes.
Playing the music on my desktop on Spotify I couldn't stop smiling when I saw that the progress indicator had turned into a light saber that was even modulating its glow when I moved the mouse over it. That's a easter egg built into Spotify obviously by someone who is a Star Wars fan. Ah - and by the way, while the disco version of the Star Wars theme is certainly a nice 70s disco dance floor piece, the "Other Galactic Funk" is less cheesy a bit more hard core funky stuff...
Reminds me of the first episode of Space 1999 where nuclear explosions on the moon push it out of orbit (not implying there will be explosions, just a nostaligic memory brought up by this news)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y6BXaGEuqxo&t=2314s
"2010: The Year We Make Contact" is a much more accessible movie that holds up pretty well. It also feels like a payoff after investing so much time being confused/bored by 2001.
I was 11 when "Logan's Run" came out. Yes it's kinda loaded with 70's sex tropes for the first act, but it's also equal parts goofy and a really good film.
The original "The Day The Earth Stood Still" holds up.
"A Boy and His Dog" is a bit crude here and there, but might resonate with a 12yo.
"Quatermass and the Pit" (aka "Five Million Years to Earth") is both intense and fairly tame.
A lot of old TV series hold up - Twilight Zone, Outer Limits, UFO, Space 1999, Star Trek TOS, etc all have some excellent episodes.
I absolutely love "Dark City" and "12 Monkeys" but I'm not sure they'd have held my interest at 12.
Doctor Who, both old and new are excellent. Though I'm partial to the Tom Baker era.
The Stargate franchise is pretty good.
"Moon" (2009) is a bit cerebral but a good SF story.
Since they retconned basically everything in the old universe out of existence, ... no. It's not the same universe.
The old show was about professional people working together to do their job, the new show is about a team of people acting like a bunch of immature teenagers, completely driven by whatever emotion happens to come over them this episode, always acting short sighted and having arguments and panic attacks. It's exactly the sort of junk psychology that made Space: 1999 such an awful show. Like, how are these people allowed aboard a space ship. Wouldn't calm-under-pressure be the first thing you look in when you recruit someone for a position like that?
Sorry. Can't do that. Public opinion would go mad because of that:
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television programme that ran for two series from 1975 to 1977.[1] In the opening episode, set in the year 1999, nuclear waste stored on the Moon's far side explodes, knocking the Moon out of orbit and sending it, as well as the 311 inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, hurtling uncontrollably into space.
[1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space%3A_1999
Seriously!1!!
that's an interesting thought, ST:TNG without woo.
Without Whoopi and the Counselor and their magic episodes it'd cut the library down like 20 or 30 percent I bet.
Personally I think the ST woo started way before TNG -- but I do think that it was presented and turned into viable story the best in TNG. That said, pseudoscience/magic/woo was around and plentiful around the world during the production of the original ST too, maybe that content was also prompted by the popularity.
Speaking of space-magic, if anyone reading is into space+scifi/fantasy and you enjoy Star Trek, check out UFO and Space:1999, or really any Gerry Anderson. Lots of similar topics, and its fun to determine which series did which subplot first.
Space 1999 was a little like that. The premise was that the moon was blasted out of the Solar system into interstellar space. Somehow, the doughty denizens of Moonbase Alpha managed to encounter a new planet with intelligent life in nearly every episode. That would have required the stars to be pretty close.
I remember about a Space 1999 episode in which they find a planet where the animals have gone extinct. They eventually figure out the last group of animals tried to stand out the plants but failed.
Maybe it is related to that episode you mention?
Sounds like the backstory of a particular episode of the long forgotten show Space:1999 where the protagonists are put on trial by trees for murdering a flower. If you're a nostalgia buff you can watch it on youtube [0].
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dhp6ttslQJY
"Space 1999" was one of my favourite TV series when growing up. I looked up at the moon for a long while on September 13th 1999 and wondered what the earth would be like if it was missing on the 14th...
Adddendum: I enjoyed the fact that the props used were not traditionally sleek and glossy like most other sci-fi series. The Eagle Transporters were utilitarian and multi purpose. The moon buggies they used similarly so. The space suits seemed to be more modern, yet, true representations of those used by the first moon walkers. etc.
I challenge you to sit through the Space:1999 "Dragons Domain" episode and not come away impressed!
And then, afterwards, calm down with a little retro fun:
http://www.defence-force.org/index.php?page=games&game=space1999
Space:1999 is Great! It's a perfect piece of 1970s silly Sci-Fi. None of the stories hold up in a science/physics sort of way, but they ARE fun to watch.
If you can't bring yourself to watch it properly, at least hunt down a good copy of the opening episode (It's been released on Blu-ray I think) and watch that. I promise you'll fall in love with the 'Eagle' spaceships.
Also, it's a Gerry Anderson production, so if you liked any of his puppetry shows (Thunderbirds, Fireball XL5, Captain Scarlet etc.) you'll probably enjoy Space:1999.
Sci-fi has covered pretty much "everything", so it's not a surprise that there was a TV series in the 1970's that had this exact premise:
In the opening episode, set in the year 1999, nuclear waste stored on the Moon's far side explodes, knocking the Moon out of orbit and sending it, as well as the 311 inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, hurtling uncontrollably into space.
I never could bring myself to watch it, because the premise was just too absurd.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space:_1999
I don't recall that quip, but I do recall an episode of "Space 1999" decades ago titled "The Catacombs of the Moon" where they discover a vast underground cave system, (which turns out to be the hibernation place for a civilisation of aliens, IIRC)... The episode always had me intrigued as to whether the moon actually could have a large cave system that could be hermetically sealed and inhabited by humans to save on shipping tons of building materials out there.
That's true; but Space: 1999 did it every episode. Most transportation in UFO via. that futuristic car, which they had a full-scale working example of.
I'm sure they showed the moon shuttle a few times, and of course they did lots of effects for the fighter jets and submarines blowing UFOs up, but it wasn't ubiquitous like in Space: 1999.
"Saltzberg says he became a scientist partly because of popular culture, such as Isaac Asimov's science fiction and the '70s TV show Space: 1999. He believes the rigor and passion for science he brings to The Big Bang Theory might inspire kids in the audience to one day become scientists, too."
Could be right there. When I searched Instagram for #bbt once, I found a couple of posts like 'I wish my friends were this smart' or 'I want to be a nerd too' with pics from the series. I think the series may give science a good image.
lol, no, we would not have considered it magical. Based on television shows like Space:1999 we fully expected to have a large moon base and ray guns by 1999. My 1985 self would have looked at the iPad and said "That's all? The battery only lasts for a few hours, it's only two-dimensional, and I can't roll it. What happened, was there a nuclear war initiated dark age?"