All That Glisters (Space: 1999)
Encyclopedia
"All That Glisters" is the fourth episode of the second series of Space: 1999
(and the twenty-eighth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Keith Miles
; the director was Ray Austin. The final shooting script is dated 9 March 1976. Live-action filming took place Thursday 18 March 1976 through Wednesday 31 March 1976.
. Its mission is to locate and procure a quantity of milgonite. Two days previously, spectroscopic analysis indicated the presence of the rare mineral in a distant solar system. The ore—a vital component of the Moonbase life-support system—is detected on one planet. As they will have little operating time on the surface; John Koenig
orders the excursion Eagle fitted with a specialised laboratory module equipped to handle a variety of scientific duties. During the long journey, Maya
and mission specialist
Dave Reilly work together assessing the planet.
Reilly, an exploration geologist
, has a career spanning from wildcat oil wells to uranium mining
. Though born and raised an Irishman, he considers the State of Texas home and affects the persona of an American cowboy
—Stetson
ten-gallon hat, cowboy boots and frequent use of Western colloquialisms (which contrast with his thick brogue
). To the chagrin of Tony Verdeschi
, the geologist also loves the ladies and is brashly chatting up Maya. The naïve Psychon girl is oblivious to Reilly's interest, as she fancies Verdeschi.
The planet is an ecological oddity. Despite long-term geologic evidence of liquid water existing on the surface, it is one vast desert. There is no sign of recent (or future) rainfall, despite the dense cloud formations. The instruments also detect a minimal but unidentifiable form of life. Unconcerned, the team sets down close to what sensors read is a major milgonite deposit. Due to the Moon
's extreme distance and velocity, the entire mining operation must be completed within a three-hour period of time. As a precaution, the on-board computer is programmed to relay a verbal countdown in fifteen-minute increments.
Leaving Verdeschi and Helena Russell
with the Eagle
, Koenig and party disembark. Traversing the terrain, Reilly's instincts lead the four into a gully
containing a large luminescent rock formation. Noting the distinctive yellow glow, the geologist rejoices at finding milgonite lying exposed on the surface...until his instruments state it is not milgonite. Stubborn by nature, he is determined to analyse the substance. After blasting off a sizable fragment with his stun-gun, he is perplexed by an odd liquid leaking from both the parent and sample rocks where the laser struck.
Returning to the Eagle, the computer analysis of the bizarre rock is negative. Equally puzzling, Maya discovers the earlier life-form reading is gone. During the discussion, Verdeschi tries to observe the sample with a petroscope
—suddenly collapsing when struck with an orange beam emitted by the rock. Helena shocks the team when she pronounces him dead. Further examination yields baffling results—there is brain activity and, apart from the heart
, all Verdeschi's internal organs are functioning normally. When Helena's attempts to resuscitate the security chief fail, Koenig angrily orders the rock removed. A distraught Maya argues if there is a cure, it must lie in the rock.
Reilly leaves the ship, stating his job is to find milgonite. Assisted by Alan Carter, he returns the parent rock. His geophysical assessment confirms it is not milgonite, but an amalgam of several other minerals. As Koenig and Maya arrive, Reilly intends to inspect a smear of the rock fluid under a portable microscope
. Koenig protests, but Maya insists research is necessary to save Verdeschi. The fluid is found to contain structures similar to blood corpuscles—the rock is a living organism.
On the Eagle, Helena is puzzled by signs of elevated brain activity in Verdeschi. When the rock suddenly hits him with a yellow ray, he rises zombie
-like from the examination table and exits the craft. Helena calls Koenig with the news, speculating the rock is controlling their dead friend. As the team searches the desert, Verdeschi mindlessly plods into the gully and shoots off another rock fragment. He carries it back to the Eagle and places it next to the first. While Verdeschi lies back down on the table, the two rocks glow furiously and, with energy arcing between them, fuse into a larger, single body.
Terminating the mission, Koenig orders an immediate lift-off—but all flight systems are dead and radio contact with Alpha severed. With the rock now in control of the Eagle (and the departure countdown at one hour forty-five minutes), Koenig moves to throw it outside. In response, the rock's glow turns blue. When struck by a beam of the same colour, Koenig is briefly transfixed by an agonising paralysis. When released, he retreats and the rock reverts to yellow; the Commander wonders which colour will kill.
Before this latest assault, Reilly and Maya had left the ship: he to prospect for milgonite, she to study the mystery rock. Koenig and Carter join them, relating the rock's recent behaviour. To Reilly's amusement, the others speculate that the rock—an intelligent life-form—somehow presented a false milgonite reading to Computer to lure the Alphans to its planet. It enslaved Verdeschi to bring it reinforcements. It has energy, intelligence and purpose—and its ultimate goal remains a mystery. Maya reckons that if it is alive and intelligent, she could open a dialogue. Using her power of molecular transformation, the Psychon woman transforms into an identical rock. After a short interlude, she returns to normal, frustrated by the rock's refusal to communicate.
They are interrupted by a call from Helena, telling them the rock is glowing green. Fearing this could be the death colour, Koenig orders her to vacate immediately. She is obstructed by beams of green energy, which herd her into a corner. Helena watches as another ray plays over their supplies, as if searching for a specific item. She makes a break for the exit, but is caught by the green light. Koenig implores her to open the hatch, but she slips to the floor, conscious but paralysed by an all-pervading numbness. Hurrying back to the Eagle, the team discover none of their commlocks will activate the hatch controls.
As Helena remains helplessly pinned, another beam resumes probing the cargo area. Alighting on the water tank, it intensifies. Pulled through the tank's walls, a jet of water streams across the module to be absorbed by the rock. After draining the container, the rock's pulsing glow strengthens. Helena relays these facts via the open commlock channel. Outside, Koenig and company realise the rock-forms need water to survive. Some meteorological event in the past stopped the rain cycle; over time, the rocks drained this planet dry. Many of the surrounding ‘normal’ rocks are probably deceased members of the species.
With any doubt as to the rock's true nature dispelled, Reilly is fascinated by the idea of a sentient ‘petro-form’—and the professional paper he could author. Maya grimly reminds the team that the human body is mostly water...and Helena is still trapped inside. The doctor finds herself released when the rock reverts to yellow and begins probing the command-module instruments with its light-rays. As she tries and fails to open the hatch, the rock activates the ship's engines. While Koenig and company helplessly watch, the Eagle ascends into the sky...only to return a moment later. The team comes to the disturbing conclusion the rock was testing its ability to pilot the ship.
As the others discuss their chances of freeing Helena and escaping with their lives, Reilly is scorned for obsessing over the rock (having expressed more concern for the loss of the amazing rock than Helena or the Eagle during the aborted hijacking). Aboard the ship, the rock engages the on-board computer and screens the star charts, searching for a planet with water. Since it obviously cannot leave the rest of itself behind, Koenig correctly predicts Verdeschi will be sent to fetch further specimens.
They lay an ambush at the gully. When the security chief arrives, Koenig and Carter each hit him with a stun-blast, hoping the energy will overcome the rock's influence. They are amazed as Verdeschi dematerialises in a burst of light—leaving his commlock and stun-gun behind. Helena calls with the news that Verdeschi has reappeared aboard the Eagle. To her relief, the plan was successful; his heart is beating and he is slowly regaining consciousness.
During this, Reilly surreptitiously appropriates the commlock. Hoping to redeem himself by freeing the hostages, he dashes back to the Eagle. After opening the hatch, he shoves both doctor and patient to safety outside, then confronts the rock with his drawn weapon. In self-defence, the rock immobilises the geologist in the green ray. It then hits him with the orange beam, and he crumples to the floor in cardiac arrest
.
Outside, Maya is put to work adjusting a stun-gun. By quadrupling the laser discharge, Koenig hopes to weaken the rock. Knowing Reilly will soon be activated to gather another rock segment, Koenig plans on creating a diversion to sneak aboard and shoot it with the modified laser. The diversion will be Maya. Disguised as a rock, she is placed in the path between the Eagle and the parent rock's gully. Reilly is reanimated and retrieves the Maya/Rock from the desert. Brought aboard the Eagle, she placed beside to the real rock.
Koenig and Carter dash through the still-open hatch. Before the Commander is able to fire the gun, they are both immobilised in the pain-generating blue light. The rock also begins to draw the Maya/Rock toward itself. While trying to resist the fusion process, the Psychon girl cannot revert to normal. Manifesting a voice, she tells them to fight the paralysing beam; the rock is concentrating most of its energy on assimilating her. After they manage to break away, the rock glows with a red light—the death colour, Maya exclaims.
Dodging the lethal red rays, Carter draws the rock's attention, giving Koenig the opportunity for a clean shot. He fires and the rock goes dark, killed by the intense dehydrating effect of the quadruple laser blast. After summoning the others, Koenig heaves its carcass out into the desert. With the countdown at a critical fifteen minutes, the team hustles aboard and Carter takes the ship up in a crash lift-off.
Safe and well, the Alphans regard the rock more sympathetically. They realise its actions were the result of desperation, not malice. After her terrifyingly close encounter with the petro-form, Maya knows the parent rock will die in a matter of hours unless it receives water. She and Reilly simultaneously come to the conclusion that if they seed the clouds with nucleoid-active crystals
, the rain cycle may re-start in time to save it. Making a pass over the gully area, the crew carries out its rain-making mission of mercy. As they depart, storm clouds gather and a hard rain begins to fall...
and draws primarily from the scores of 'The Metamorph
' and 'The Exiles
'.
, published in 1977. This novel was not released in the United Kingdom and only as a limited edition in the United States and Germany. In this adaptation, taking place after 25 December 2005, the Moon is on the brink of leaving the galaxy and the panicked Alphans are taking every opportunity to stockpile raw materials to survive as long as possible in the intergalactic void. The search for milgonite on this planet was part of this hoarding exercise.
In the 2003 novel The Forsaken by John Kenneth Muir
, it is stated the events of this episode were one of the consequences of the death of the eponymous intelligence depicted in 'Space Brain'. The Brain controlled the planet's climate to provide an endless supply of water for the silicon-based life forms; after its death, the drought began and the beings would become desperate in their search for the life-giving fluid.
Space: 1999
Space: 1999 is a British science-fiction television series that ran for two seasons and originally aired from 1975 to 1977. In the opening episode, nuclear waste from Earth stored on the Moon's far side explodes in a catastrophic accident on 13 September 1999, knocking the Moon out of orbit and...
(and the twenty-eighth overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Keith Miles
Keith Miles
Keith Miles is a writer of historical fiction and mystery novels. He has also written children's books, radio and television dramas and stage plays. He is best known under the pseudonym Edward Marston, and has also written as Martin Inigo and Conrad Allen.-Career:Miles was born and educated in...
; the director was Ray Austin. The final shooting script is dated 9 March 1976. Live-action filming took place Thursday 18 March 1976 through Wednesday 31 March 1976.
Story
It is 565 days after leaving Earth orbit, and Eagle Four is outward bound from Moonbase AlphaMoonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha is a fictional moon base and the main setting in the science fiction television series Space: 1999.-Moonbase Alpha:Located in the Moon crater Plato and constructed out of quarried rock and ores, Moonbase Alpha is four kilometres in diameter and extends up to one kilometre in areas...
. Its mission is to locate and procure a quantity of milgonite. Two days previously, spectroscopic analysis indicated the presence of the rare mineral in a distant solar system. The ore—a vital component of the Moonbase life-support system—is detected on one planet. As they will have little operating time on the surface; John Koenig
John Koenig
John Koenig is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. He was played by Martin Landau. He is American, apparently in his early forties.-Character Biography:...
orders the excursion Eagle fitted with a specialised laboratory module equipped to handle a variety of scientific duties. During the long journey, Maya
Maya (Space: 1999)
Maya is a fictional character who appeared in the second series of the science fiction television program Space: 1999. Played by actress Catherine Schell , Maya was introduced in the second series opener 'The Metamorph'...
and mission specialist
Mission Specialist
A Mission Specialist is a position held by certain NASA astronauts during Space Shuttle missions. A Mission Specialist is assigned to a limited field of the mission, such as for medical experiments or technical quests....
Dave Reilly work together assessing the planet.
Reilly, an exploration geologist
Geologist
A geologist is a scientist who studies the solid and liquid matter that constitutes the Earth as well as the processes and history that has shaped it. Geologists usually engage in studying geology. Geologists, studying more of an applied science than a theoretical one, must approach Geology using...
, has a career spanning from wildcat oil wells to uranium mining
Uranium mining
Uranium mining is the process of extraction of uranium ore from the ground. The worldwide production of uranium in 2009 amounted to 50,572 tonnes, of which 27% was mined in Kazakhstan. Kazakhstan, Canada, and Australia are the top three producers and together account for 63% of world uranium...
. Though born and raised an Irishman, he considers the State of Texas home and affects the persona of an American cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
—Stetson
Stetson
Stetsons are the brand of hat manufactured by the John B. Stetson Company of St. Joseph, Missouri.Stetson eventually became the world’s largest hat maker, producing over 3.3 million hats a year in a factory spread over . Today Stetson remains a family-owned concern...
ten-gallon hat, cowboy boots and frequent use of Western colloquialisms (which contrast with his thick brogue
Brogue
A brogue is a strong accent, notably in Irish dialects of English. For example, in the folksong "Finnegan's Wake", the character of the song, Tim Finnegan, was said to have a "beautiful brogue so rich and sweet"....
). To the chagrin of Tony Verdeschi
Tony Verdeschi
Tony Verdeschi is a fictional character who first appeared in the second series of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is in his early thirties....
, the geologist also loves the ladies and is brashly chatting up Maya. The naïve Psychon girl is oblivious to Reilly's interest, as she fancies Verdeschi.
The planet is an ecological oddity. Despite long-term geologic evidence of liquid water existing on the surface, it is one vast desert. There is no sign of recent (or future) rainfall, despite the dense cloud formations. The instruments also detect a minimal but unidentifiable form of life. Unconcerned, the team sets down close to what sensors read is a major milgonite deposit. Due to the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
's extreme distance and velocity, the entire mining operation must be completed within a three-hour period of time. As a precaution, the on-board computer is programmed to relay a verbal countdown in fifteen-minute increments.
Leaving Verdeschi and Helena Russell
Helena Russell
Helena Russell is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. She was played by Barbara Bain. She is American and apparently in her mid-thirties....
with the Eagle
Eagle (Space: 1999)
The Eagle Transporter is a fictional spacecraft and the iconic image of the 1970s television series Space: 1999. The Eagles serve as the primary spacecraft of Moonbase Alpha, which has a fleet of them. The Eagles are primarily used to explore alien planets, defend Moonbase Alpha from attack, and to...
, Koenig and party disembark. Traversing the terrain, Reilly's instincts lead the four into a gully
Gully
A gully is a landform created by running water, eroding sharply into soil, typically on a hillside. Gullies resemble large ditches or small valleys, but are metres to tens of metres in depth and width...
containing a large luminescent rock formation. Noting the distinctive yellow glow, the geologist rejoices at finding milgonite lying exposed on the surface...until his instruments state it is not milgonite. Stubborn by nature, he is determined to analyse the substance. After blasting off a sizable fragment with his stun-gun, he is perplexed by an odd liquid leaking from both the parent and sample rocks where the laser struck.
Returning to the Eagle, the computer analysis of the bizarre rock is negative. Equally puzzling, Maya discovers the earlier life-form reading is gone. During the discussion, Verdeschi tries to observe the sample with a petroscope
Petrographic microscope
A petrographic microscope is a type of optical microscope used in petrology and optical mineralogy to identify rocks and minerals in thin sections. The microscope is used in optical mineralogy and petrography, a branch of petrology which focuses on detailed descriptions of rocks...
—suddenly collapsing when struck with an orange beam emitted by the rock. Helena shocks the team when she pronounces him dead. Further examination yields baffling results—there is brain activity and, apart from the heart
Heart
The heart is a myogenic muscular organ found in all animals with a circulatory system , that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
, all Verdeschi's internal organs are functioning normally. When Helena's attempts to resuscitate the security chief fail, Koenig angrily orders the rock removed. A distraught Maya argues if there is a cure, it must lie in the rock.
Reilly leaves the ship, stating his job is to find milgonite. Assisted by Alan Carter, he returns the parent rock. His geophysical assessment confirms it is not milgonite, but an amalgam of several other minerals. As Koenig and Maya arrive, Reilly intends to inspect a smear of the rock fluid under a portable microscope
Microscope
A microscope is an instrument used to see objects that are too small for the naked eye. The science of investigating small objects using such an instrument is called microscopy...
. Koenig protests, but Maya insists research is necessary to save Verdeschi. The fluid is found to contain structures similar to blood corpuscles—the rock is a living organism.
On the Eagle, Helena is puzzled by signs of elevated brain activity in Verdeschi. When the rock suddenly hits him with a yellow ray, he rises zombie
Zombie
Zombie is a term used to denote an animated corpse brought back to life by mystical means such as witchcraft. The term is often figuratively applied to describe a hypnotized person bereft of consciousness and self-awareness, yet ambulant and able to respond to surrounding stimuli...
-like from the examination table and exits the craft. Helena calls Koenig with the news, speculating the rock is controlling their dead friend. As the team searches the desert, Verdeschi mindlessly plods into the gully and shoots off another rock fragment. He carries it back to the Eagle and places it next to the first. While Verdeschi lies back down on the table, the two rocks glow furiously and, with energy arcing between them, fuse into a larger, single body.
Terminating the mission, Koenig orders an immediate lift-off—but all flight systems are dead and radio contact with Alpha severed. With the rock now in control of the Eagle (and the departure countdown at one hour forty-five minutes), Koenig moves to throw it outside. In response, the rock's glow turns blue. When struck by a beam of the same colour, Koenig is briefly transfixed by an agonising paralysis. When released, he retreats and the rock reverts to yellow; the Commander wonders which colour will kill.
Before this latest assault, Reilly and Maya had left the ship: he to prospect for milgonite, she to study the mystery rock. Koenig and Carter join them, relating the rock's recent behaviour. To Reilly's amusement, the others speculate that the rock—an intelligent life-form—somehow presented a false milgonite reading to Computer to lure the Alphans to its planet. It enslaved Verdeschi to bring it reinforcements. It has energy, intelligence and purpose—and its ultimate goal remains a mystery. Maya reckons that if it is alive and intelligent, she could open a dialogue. Using her power of molecular transformation, the Psychon woman transforms into an identical rock. After a short interlude, she returns to normal, frustrated by the rock's refusal to communicate.
They are interrupted by a call from Helena, telling them the rock is glowing green. Fearing this could be the death colour, Koenig orders her to vacate immediately. She is obstructed by beams of green energy, which herd her into a corner. Helena watches as another ray plays over their supplies, as if searching for a specific item. She makes a break for the exit, but is caught by the green light. Koenig implores her to open the hatch, but she slips to the floor, conscious but paralysed by an all-pervading numbness. Hurrying back to the Eagle, the team discover none of their commlocks will activate the hatch controls.
As Helena remains helplessly pinned, another beam resumes probing the cargo area. Alighting on the water tank, it intensifies. Pulled through the tank's walls, a jet of water streams across the module to be absorbed by the rock. After draining the container, the rock's pulsing glow strengthens. Helena relays these facts via the open commlock channel. Outside, Koenig and company realise the rock-forms need water to survive. Some meteorological event in the past stopped the rain cycle; over time, the rocks drained this planet dry. Many of the surrounding ‘normal’ rocks are probably deceased members of the species.
With any doubt as to the rock's true nature dispelled, Reilly is fascinated by the idea of a sentient ‘petro-form’—and the professional paper he could author. Maya grimly reminds the team that the human body is mostly water...and Helena is still trapped inside. The doctor finds herself released when the rock reverts to yellow and begins probing the command-module instruments with its light-rays. As she tries and fails to open the hatch, the rock activates the ship's engines. While Koenig and company helplessly watch, the Eagle ascends into the sky...only to return a moment later. The team comes to the disturbing conclusion the rock was testing its ability to pilot the ship.
As the others discuss their chances of freeing Helena and escaping with their lives, Reilly is scorned for obsessing over the rock (having expressed more concern for the loss of the amazing rock than Helena or the Eagle during the aborted hijacking). Aboard the ship, the rock engages the on-board computer and screens the star charts, searching for a planet with water. Since it obviously cannot leave the rest of itself behind, Koenig correctly predicts Verdeschi will be sent to fetch further specimens.
They lay an ambush at the gully. When the security chief arrives, Koenig and Carter each hit him with a stun-blast, hoping the energy will overcome the rock's influence. They are amazed as Verdeschi dematerialises in a burst of light—leaving his commlock and stun-gun behind. Helena calls with the news that Verdeschi has reappeared aboard the Eagle. To her relief, the plan was successful; his heart is beating and he is slowly regaining consciousness.
During this, Reilly surreptitiously appropriates the commlock. Hoping to redeem himself by freeing the hostages, he dashes back to the Eagle. After opening the hatch, he shoves both doctor and patient to safety outside, then confronts the rock with his drawn weapon. In self-defence, the rock immobilises the geologist in the green ray. It then hits him with the orange beam, and he crumples to the floor in cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest
Cardiac arrest, is the cessation of normal circulation of the blood due to failure of the heart to contract effectively...
.
Outside, Maya is put to work adjusting a stun-gun. By quadrupling the laser discharge, Koenig hopes to weaken the rock. Knowing Reilly will soon be activated to gather another rock segment, Koenig plans on creating a diversion to sneak aboard and shoot it with the modified laser. The diversion will be Maya. Disguised as a rock, she is placed in the path between the Eagle and the parent rock's gully. Reilly is reanimated and retrieves the Maya/Rock from the desert. Brought aboard the Eagle, she placed beside to the real rock.
Koenig and Carter dash through the still-open hatch. Before the Commander is able to fire the gun, they are both immobilised in the pain-generating blue light. The rock also begins to draw the Maya/Rock toward itself. While trying to resist the fusion process, the Psychon girl cannot revert to normal. Manifesting a voice, she tells them to fight the paralysing beam; the rock is concentrating most of its energy on assimilating her. After they manage to break away, the rock glows with a red light—the death colour, Maya exclaims.
Dodging the lethal red rays, Carter draws the rock's attention, giving Koenig the opportunity for a clean shot. He fires and the rock goes dark, killed by the intense dehydrating effect of the quadruple laser blast. After summoning the others, Koenig heaves its carcass out into the desert. With the countdown at a critical fifteen minutes, the team hustles aboard and Carter takes the ship up in a crash lift-off.
Safe and well, the Alphans regard the rock more sympathetically. They realise its actions were the result of desperation, not malice. After her terrifyingly close encounter with the petro-form, Maya knows the parent rock will die in a matter of hours unless it receives water. She and Reilly simultaneously come to the conclusion that if they seed the clouds with nucleoid-active crystals
Silver iodide
Silver iodide is a yellow, inorganic, photosensitive iodide of silver used in photography, in medicine as an antiseptic, and in rainmaking for cloud seeding.-Crystal structure:...
, the rain cycle may re-start in time to save it. Making a pass over the gully area, the crew carries out its rain-making mission of mercy. As they depart, storm clouds gather and a hard rain begins to fall...
Starring
- Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
— Commander John KoenigJohn KoenigJohn Koenig is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. He was played by Martin Landau. He is American, apparently in his early forties.-Character Biography:... - Barbara BainBarbara BainMillicent Fogel , known professionally as Barbara Bain, is an American actress.-Early life:Bain was born in Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She moved to New York City, where she was a dancer and high fashion model. Bain studied with...
— Doctor Helena RussellHelena RussellHelena Russell is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. She was played by Barbara Bain. She is American and apparently in her mid-thirties....
Featuring
- Tony AnholtTony AnholtAnthony "Tony" Anholt was a British actor best known for his roles as Security Chief Tony Verdeschi in the second season of Gerry Anderson's television series Space: 1999 , Paul Buchet in The Protectors and as Charles Frere in the highly-successful BBC drama series Howards' Way .Anholt was...
— Tony VerdeschiTony VerdeschiTony Verdeschi is a fictional character who first appeared in the second series of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is in his early thirties.... - Nick TateNick TateNicholas John "Nick" Tate is an Australian actor best known for his role as Eagle pilot Alan Carter in both seasons of the 1970s science fiction television series Space: 1999, as well as for playing the role of Gordon Hamilton's errant brother James in the 1980's soap opera "Sons and...
— Captain Alan CarterAlan Carter (Space 1999)Alan Carter is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. He was played by Nick Tate. He is of Australian origin and is in his early thirties.-Character biography:...
Music
The score was re-edited from previous Space: 1999 incidental music tracks composed for the second series by Derek WadsworthDerek Wadsworth
Derek Wadsworth was a British jazz trombonist, session musician, composer and arranger....
and draws primarily from the scores of 'The Metamorph
The Metamorph
"The Metamorph" is the first episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Johnny Byrne; the director was Charles Crichton. Previous titles were 'The Biological Soul' and 'The Biological Computer'. The final shooting script is dated 19 January 1976...
' and 'The Exiles
The Exiles
"The Exiles" is a science fiction short story by Ray Bradbury. It was originally published as "The Mad Wizards of Mars" in Maclean's on 15 September 1949 and was reprinted the following year by Fantasy Fiction, Inc...
'.
Production Notes
- It has been well documented that ‘All That Glisters’ was greatly disliked by both director Ray Austin and the cast alike. Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
was known for doodling and writing frank comments on his copy of each episode's script; the notes for this episode were especially contentious: ‘All the credibility we're building up is totally forsaken...story is told poorly! Characters go out the window...the character of Koenig takes a terrible beating in this script—we're all shmucks!’ Exasperated with shooting a leading character that was a lump of papier-mâchéPapier-mâchéPapier-mâché , alternatively, paper-mache, is a composite material consisting of paper pieces or pulp, sometimes reinforced with textiles, bound with an adhesive, such as glue, starch, or wallpaper paste....
, Austin purportedly delivered a large rock the size of a cannonballCannonballA cannonball is round shot ammunition for a cannon.By analogy, cannonball is also the name or nickname of:* A diving technique in swimming; unlike competitive diving techniques, however, its purpose is to maximize, rather than minimize, splash upon water entry.People* Cannonball Adderley, jazz alto...
to producer Fred FreibergerFred FreibergerFred Freiberger was an American film and television screenwriter and television producer, with a career spanning four decades including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Star Trek, and Space: 1999...
's office one morning with the attached note: ‘I name this rock Freiberger’. On completing this episode, Austin ended his association with the programme; after directing one episode of The New Avengers, he would relocate to America.
- Landau had enjoyed considerable creative input throughout the first series; that ended when Freiberger became show runnerShow runnerShowrunner is a term of art originating in the United States and Canadian television industry referring to the person who is responsible for the day-to-day operation of a television seriesalthough such persons generally are credited as an executive producer...
. Years later, Tony AnholtTony AnholtAnthony "Tony" Anholt was a British actor best known for his roles as Security Chief Tony Verdeschi in the second season of Gerry Anderson's television series Space: 1999 , Paul Buchet in The Protectors and as Charles Frere in the highly-successful BBC drama series Howards' Way .Anholt was...
would comment: ‘Martin was desperately unhappy about the whole script; he thought it was absolute rubbish. We all did. Freddie, once he saw the opposition, just became utterly entrenched and would give nothing at all—that was "the greatest episode of the series, it was the most sci-fi type of story." It was going to stay, and he was going to prove his point.’ Though tempted to walk off the set, Landau and his fellow castmates ultimately refused to sabotage the production and played the episode as written. (Viewers will note that Landau's mood bled through into his performance: Koenig appears especially irritable and short-tempered in this installment.)
- This episode would feature the smallest cast in the programme′s history: five regulars and one guest artist (not including the uncredited dialogue of the Eagle computer). No scenes took place on Moonbase Alpha; the only standing sets used were the Eagle command module and an expanded passenger module-cum-laboratory. Material trimmed from the final cut includes a sequence where Reilly speculated that the rock was the fall-out of a cosmic storm and had been on the planet for fifty thousand years. This would have appeared during his second examination of the rock with Maya.
Novelisation
The episode was adapted in the sixth Year Two Space: 1999 novel The Edge of the Infinite by Michael ButterworthMichael Butterworth
Michael Butterworth is a British author and publisher who has written many novels and short stories, particularly in the genre of science fiction...
, published in 1977. This novel was not released in the United Kingdom and only as a limited edition in the United States and Germany. In this adaptation, taking place after 25 December 2005, the Moon is on the brink of leaving the galaxy and the panicked Alphans are taking every opportunity to stockpile raw materials to survive as long as possible in the intergalactic void. The search for milgonite on this planet was part of this hoarding exercise.
In the 2003 novel The Forsaken by John Kenneth Muir
John Kenneth Muir
John Kenneth Muir is an American literary critic. He has written twenty-one reference books in the fields of film and television, with a particular accent on the horror and science fiction genres....
, it is stated the events of this episode were one of the consequences of the death of the eponymous intelligence depicted in 'Space Brain'. The Brain controlled the planet's climate to provide an endless supply of water for the silicon-based life forms; after its death, the drought began and the beings would become desperate in their search for the life-giving fluid.
External links
- Space: 1999 - 'All That Glisters' - The Catacombs episode guide
- Space: 1999 - 'All That Glisters' - Moonbase Alpha's Space: 1999 page
| Last produced: "One Moment of Humanity One Moment of Humanity "One Moment of Humanity" is the third episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Tony Barwick; the director was Charles Crichton. The original title was 'One Second of Humanity'. The final shooting script is dated 12 February 1976... " |
List of Space: 1999 episodes | Next produced: "Journey to Where Journey to Where "Journey to Where" is the fifth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Donald James; the director was Tom Clegg. The final shooting script is dated 18 February 1976, with amendments dated 2 March, 4 March, 11 March, 17 March, 18 March, 22 March and 25 March 1976... " |
| Last transmitted: "The Rules of Luton" |
Next transmitted: "The Taybor" |