Brian the Brain
Encyclopedia
"Brian the Brain" is the ninth episode of the second series of Space: 1999
(and the thirty-third episode overall of the programme). The screenplay was written by Jack Ronder; the director was Kevin Connor
. The final shooting script is dated 5 May 1976, with amendments dated 11 May 1976. Live action filming took place Tuesday, 18 May 1976 through Wednesday, 2 June 1976.
′s trajectory.
The data review is cancelled as the staff addresses this new development. Sensors cannot locate a gravity source
and a 360-degree visual scan reveals no visible objects in range. Despite the lack of evidence, Computer insists the rate of change is accelerating—they are closing with whatever is pulling them. A horrifying question is raised: could the Moon be on a collision course with a black dwarf
? With time apparently running out, John Koenig
orders an immediate evacuation. Transporter Eagles
rise on the launch pads and flee as quickly as they are loaded.
While coordinating the exodus, the Command Centre staff notices a celestial body at extreme range. After Computer sluggishly offers vague estimates regarding its identity, Maya
calcuates the object must be a small planet with a gravity pull approximating the Moon's. She questions Computer's reliability, wondering whether the course change is real...or false data resulting from a malfunction. Before they can investigate this possibility, the staff is distracted by the sight of a spacecraft streaking across the screen. Small and sleek, it is identified as a Swift, an Earth vessel which pre-dates the Eagle.
Eagles One and Two are dispatched from the evacuation fleet to intercept the mystery craft. After determining that the Swift is not the abnormal gravity source, they approach. When audio contact is established, the Swift′s pilot hoots and hollers at the sight of the Eagles. Witty and irreverent, he is thrilled to have run across other expatriates from planet Earth. The Alphans are shocked when he identifies himself as a member of the lost Star Mission of 1996.
When Maya goes to verify this, Computer responds efficiently for the first time during this crisis. Under the command of Captain Michael, she reads, a mother ship and four Swifts left Earth in 1996 on an interstellar voyage of discovery. Their fate is a mystery due to a sudden break in communications. Her history lesson is interrupted by the pilot asking permission to visit Moonbase and have lunch with them. In spite of the emergency, the Alphans are intrigued by the off-beat pilot. Koenig clears the Swift for landing. He and Helena Russell
go to meet the visitor...but find the ship empty.
Suddenly, a segment of the flight console rolls outward to greet them. The pilot is a robot
. Though primitive in appearance—a large, square cabinet topped by a cubical ‘head’, its ‘face’ nothing more than two camera lens ‘eyes’ over a row of flashing LED
s serving as a ‘mouth’—it is actually an advanced cybernetic intelligence. Self-aware and self-programming, it is a mobile electronic brain, connected to the Swift′s on-board computer by the antenna cable trailing behind it. Years ago, the Star Mission landed on the nearby planet—designated ‘Planet D’—where the entire crew died.
When asked its name, the robot admits it has none; however, when first activated it mispronounced ‘brain’ as ‘Brian’, which the Alphans readily adopt. The staff is amused by Brian's antics, especially when it tries to chat up a comely equipment trolley with yellow plastic wheels. While the others are charmed, Maya is concerned when the robot engages in an electronic dialogue with Computer. When learning of the Moon's course change, Brian offers to investigate; in return, it asks if Helena could help identify what killed its captain and crew. Koenig and the doctor return with it to the Swift.
Suspicious of the glib machine, Maya tries to monitor the goings on aboard ship. She is shocked to discover all communications are down. Unseen by Alpha, the Swift unexpectedly lifts off, josting Koenig and Helena with its erratic manoeuvres. Brian stabilises their flight, its formerly friendly demeanour turning obnoxious. It smugly announces their destination is Planet D. Koenig tries to adjust the manual controls, but all functions are channeled through the devious robot. Brian then threatens to open the airlocks and blow the pair out into space unless the Commander surrenders his stun-gun. Koenig reluctantly complies and the robot disposes of the weapon.
On Moonbase, all systems are non-responsive. Tony Verdeschi
determines their entire computer network has been disabled. Maya speculates that Brian has either blocked every link to Computer or downloaded the operating system
to its memory core
on the Swift before erasing theirs. Either way, Moonbase Alpha is effectively blind. Upon learning the Eagles′ on-board computers are operating normally, Verdeschi takes up a squadron to rescue the abductees.
Koenig presses Brian for information on the Moon's course. It announces the Moon and Planet D are now circling one another—and will continue to do so forever. As the captives digest this revelation, the Swift decelerates, allowing the Eagle posse
to catch up. Fearing the mercurial Brian may blind the four ships out of spite, the Commander contacts Verdeschi on Eagle One, ordering him to break off the pursuit. While Koenig assures the security chief that he and Helena are unharmed, the co-pilot insults Brian, referring to it as a ‘crazy hijacking slot machine
’.
Watching the robot rant and rave over that comment, Koenig orders the pursuit ships and all evacuees to return to Alpha immediately. The Eagles withdraw, and the Swift resumes course for Planet D. Once calm, Brian tries to make friends with Koenig and Helena; as lovers, he says, they should appreciate this private time together. Not trusting the robot, they deny having feelings for each other. To determine the truth, Brian devises a practical ‘love test’. It begins by forcing Koenig and Helena to enter one of the ship′s two airlocks alone, blasting them with beams of concentrated ultraviolet
when they refuse.
Once they are sealed inside their respective airlocks, Brian begins siphoning out the air. At any time, he tells them, one may press a button to channel the remaining air into the other airlock—saving its occupant from suffocation. The air thins gradually and, at first, the pair resist. In the end, gasping and floundering, they each hit their buttons simultaneously. Brian is estatic, having proven they are a couple in love. The robot releases them, knowing that threatening one lover guarantees control over the other. It childishly whistles ‘Here Comes the Bride
’ as it prepares to land on Planet D.
The Swift sets down close to the mother ship. Though the atmosphere reads breathable, the surface is blanketed in a mist which Brian admits may be poisonous. Here, the true purpose of the abduction is revealed—unable to navigate the rough terrain outside, it needs Koenig to board the larger ship and retrieve the fuel core. Obviously insane, the machine believes it is immortal; its goal is to roam the universe forever. The mother ship carries enough nuclear fuel
to last a billion years. Helena will remain aboard Swift to insure Koenig's cooperation.
Clad in space gear, the Commander walks toward the other craft, encountering the corpses of the Star Mission crew as he proceeds. When he circles around to the far side of the ship, the already poor communications are severed. The longer Koenig is out of contact, the more agitated Brian becomes; hoping to distract the machine, Helena engages it in conversation. Brian relates how it was designed, constructed and educated by Captain Michael. Displaying candid photos of the man it calls ‘Father’, it demonstrates affection for the captain as a child would for a parent.
Boarding the mother ship, Koenig is pleasantly surprised to find Verdeschi and Maya waiting for him. While the other Eagles returned to base, theirs travelled to Planet D at full thrust, arriving before the Swift. On the command deck, they come across Captain Michael sitting at his desk, dead. A test of the ship's computer reveals it, too, has been blinded. This explains how the crew willingly disembarked into a toxic atmosphere and why Captain Michael was left without life-support. Not only is Brian mad, but a homicidal maniac as well.
On an adjacent work bench, they spy a half-assembled construct that bears a striking resemblance to Brian. With this final piece of the puzzle revealed, Koenig now knows how to defeat Brian—by breaking its mind. For this psychological assault, he will need Maya′s assistance; as a mouse
, the metamorph will be smuggled aboard the Swift in Koenig's pocket. On returning to the other ship, an impatient Brian insists the Commander insert the core into the fuel store immediately. When the transfer is complete, the robot giddily celebrates. As Koenig removes Maya from his jacket, the Swift lifts off.
The revelry ends when Brian feels the Maya/Mouse biting its antenna. Koenig states the mouse has come bearing a message from Captain Michael: ‘Revenge.’ After an angry Brian threatens to blow the Alphans into space, Koenig asks why it killed its master. When the robot denies the allegation, Koenig reveals the truth: Brian blinded the mother ship and killed its beloved father to prevent a new electronic brain from being built. He saw Brian′s replacement sitting on a work bench. Though flustered, the robot continues to lie—until confronted by Maya in the form of Captain Michael.
At the appearance of its dead father, Brian blows several circuits out of panic. Koenig and company continue to verbally batter the hysterical robot with repeated accusations. Like a guilty child, Brian tries to hide, ending up in an airlock. Koenig ejects the machine into space, but its antenna is trapped when the outer door cycles closed. The Alphans must tread lightly as Brian is the only working computer available to them. Despite threats that it will wipe its memory, Koenig orders the robot set adrift by cutting the antenna. Begging for mercy, Brian breaks down, sobbing as it offers to give the Alphans anything they want.
Later, Main Computer is restored using Brian's memory core. The first operation performed is to verify the Moon's present trajectory. The data confirms their course remains unchanged; apparently Brian the Brain was manipulating Computer from the very beginning. Regarding the robot, the Alphans elect to give it a second chance. The memory core will be returned to Brian—once programmed with a proper sense of morality. Afterward, Koenig and Helena make a date to discuss the results of the love test...
and draws primarily from the scores of 'The Metamorph
' and 'The Taybor'.
and J. Jeff Jones published in 1977. The deleted sequences noted above were included in the manuscript.
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 thirty-third episode overall of the programme). The screenplay was written by Jack Ronder; the director was Kevin Connor
Kevin Connor (director)
Kevin Connor is an English film and television director currently based in Hollywood.Connor was born in London on the 24 of September 1937 and grew up during the 2nd World War...
. The final shooting script is dated 5 May 1976, with amendments dated 11 May 1976. Live action filming took place Tuesday, 18 May 1976 through Wednesday, 2 June 1976.
Story
It is 1150 days after leaving Earth orbit, and Moonbase Alpha is in the midst of a major project. Throughout their captive journey through space, the various scientific departments have each acquired tremendous quantities of data. This data is now being reviewed and uploaded to the Main Computer memory banks. While the Research Section concentrates on this endeavour, the non-scientific personnel are enjoying a bit of a rest. The relaxed atmosphere in Command Centre is interrupted, however, when Computer begins displaying new data indicating a gradual but increasing change in the MoonMoon
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 trajectory.
The data review is cancelled as the staff addresses this new development. Sensors cannot locate a gravity source
Gravity well
A gravity well or gravitational well is a conceptual model of the gravitational field surrounding a body in space. The more massive the body the deeper and more extensive the gravity well associated with it. The Sun has a far-reaching and deep gravity well. Asteroids and small moons have much...
and a 360-degree visual scan reveals no visible objects in range. Despite the lack of evidence, Computer insists the rate of change is accelerating—they are closing with whatever is pulling them. A horrifying question is raised: could the Moon be on a collision course with a black dwarf
Brown dwarf
Brown dwarfs are sub-stellar objects which are too low in mass to sustain hydrogen-1 fusion reactions in their cores, which is characteristic of stars on the main sequence. Brown dwarfs have fully convective surfaces and interiors, with no chemical differentiation by depth...
? With time apparently running out, 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 an immediate evacuation. Transporter Eagles
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...
rise on the launch pads and flee as quickly as they are loaded.
While coordinating the exodus, the Command Centre staff notices a celestial body at extreme range. After Computer sluggishly offers vague estimates regarding its identity, 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'...
calcuates the object must be a small planet with a gravity pull approximating the Moon's. She questions Computer's reliability, wondering whether the course change is real...or false data resulting from a malfunction. Before they can investigate this possibility, the staff is distracted by the sight of a spacecraft streaking across the screen. Small and sleek, it is identified as a Swift, an Earth vessel which pre-dates the Eagle.
Eagles One and Two are dispatched from the evacuation fleet to intercept the mystery craft. After determining that the Swift is not the abnormal gravity source, they approach. When audio contact is established, the Swift′s pilot hoots and hollers at the sight of the Eagles. Witty and irreverent, he is thrilled to have run across other expatriates from planet Earth. The Alphans are shocked when he identifies himself as a member of the lost Star Mission of 1996.
When Maya goes to verify this, Computer responds efficiently for the first time during this crisis. Under the command of Captain Michael, she reads, a mother ship and four Swifts left Earth in 1996 on an interstellar voyage of discovery. Their fate is a mystery due to a sudden break in communications. Her history lesson is interrupted by the pilot asking permission to visit Moonbase and have lunch with them. In spite of the emergency, the Alphans are intrigued by the off-beat pilot. Koenig clears the Swift for landing. He 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....
go to meet the visitor...but find the ship empty.
Suddenly, a segment of the flight console rolls outward to greet them. The pilot is a robot
Robot
A robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
. Though primitive in appearance—a large, square cabinet topped by a cubical ‘head’, its ‘face’ nothing more than two camera lens ‘eyes’ over a row of flashing LED
LEd
LEd is a TeX/LaTeX editing software working under Microsoft Windows. It is a freeware product....
s serving as a ‘mouth’—it is actually an advanced cybernetic intelligence. Self-aware and self-programming, it is a mobile electronic brain, connected to the Swift′s on-board computer by the antenna cable trailing behind it. Years ago, the Star Mission landed on the nearby planet—designated ‘Planet D’—where the entire crew died.
When asked its name, the robot admits it has none; however, when first activated it mispronounced ‘brain’ as ‘Brian’, which the Alphans readily adopt. The staff is amused by Brian's antics, especially when it tries to chat up a comely equipment trolley with yellow plastic wheels. While the others are charmed, Maya is concerned when the robot engages in an electronic dialogue with Computer. When learning of the Moon's course change, Brian offers to investigate; in return, it asks if Helena could help identify what killed its captain and crew. Koenig and the doctor return with it to the Swift.
Suspicious of the glib machine, Maya tries to monitor the goings on aboard ship. She is shocked to discover all communications are down. Unseen by Alpha, the Swift unexpectedly lifts off, josting Koenig and Helena with its erratic manoeuvres. Brian stabilises their flight, its formerly friendly demeanour turning obnoxious. It smugly announces their destination is Planet D. Koenig tries to adjust the manual controls, but all functions are channeled through the devious robot. Brian then threatens to open the airlocks and blow the pair out into space unless the Commander surrenders his stun-gun. Koenig reluctantly complies and the robot disposes of the weapon.
On Moonbase, all systems are non-responsive. 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....
determines their entire computer network has been disabled. Maya speculates that Brian has either blocked every link to Computer or downloaded the operating system
Operating system
An operating system is a set of programs that manage computer hardware resources and provide common services for application software. The operating system is the most important type of system software in a computer system...
to its memory core
Computer memory
In computing, memory refers to the physical devices used to store programs or data on a temporary or permanent basis for use in a computer or other digital electronic device. The term primary memory is used for the information in physical systems which are fast In computing, memory refers to the...
on the Swift before erasing theirs. Either way, Moonbase Alpha is effectively blind. Upon learning the Eagles′ on-board computers are operating normally, Verdeschi takes up a squadron to rescue the abductees.
Koenig presses Brian for information on the Moon's course. It announces the Moon and Planet D are now circling one another—and will continue to do so forever. As the captives digest this revelation, the Swift decelerates, allowing the Eagle posse
Posse
Posse may refer to:* Posse comitatus , a group of men assembled to assist in law enforcement* Posse , starring Kirk Douglas* Posse , starring Mario van Peebles...
to catch up. Fearing the mercurial Brian may blind the four ships out of spite, the Commander contacts Verdeschi on Eagle One, ordering him to break off the pursuit. While Koenig assures the security chief that he and Helena are unharmed, the co-pilot insults Brian, referring to it as a ‘crazy hijacking slot machine
Slot machine
A slot machine , informally fruit machine , the slots , poker machine or "pokies" or simply slot is a casino gambling machine with three or more reels which spin when a button is pushed...
’.
Watching the robot rant and rave over that comment, Koenig orders the pursuit ships and all evacuees to return to Alpha immediately. The Eagles withdraw, and the Swift resumes course for Planet D. Once calm, Brian tries to make friends with Koenig and Helena; as lovers, he says, they should appreciate this private time together. Not trusting the robot, they deny having feelings for each other. To determine the truth, Brian devises a practical ‘love test’. It begins by forcing Koenig and Helena to enter one of the ship′s two airlocks alone, blasting them with beams of concentrated ultraviolet
Ultraviolet
Ultraviolet light is electromagnetic radiation with a wavelength shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays, in the range 10 nm to 400 nm, and energies from 3 eV to 124 eV...
when they refuse.
Once they are sealed inside their respective airlocks, Brian begins siphoning out the air. At any time, he tells them, one may press a button to channel the remaining air into the other airlock—saving its occupant from suffocation. The air thins gradually and, at first, the pair resist. In the end, gasping and floundering, they each hit their buttons simultaneously. Brian is estatic, having proven they are a couple in love. The robot releases them, knowing that threatening one lover guarantees control over the other. It childishly whistles ‘Here Comes the Bride
Bridal Chorus
The "Bridal Chorus" "Treulich geführt", from the 1850 opera Lohengrin, by German composer Richard Wagner, is a march played for the bride's entrance at many formal weddings throughout the Western world...
’ as it prepares to land on Planet D.
The Swift sets down close to the mother ship. Though the atmosphere reads breathable, the surface is blanketed in a mist which Brian admits may be poisonous. Here, the true purpose of the abduction is revealed—unable to navigate the rough terrain outside, it needs Koenig to board the larger ship and retrieve the fuel core. Obviously insane, the machine believes it is immortal; its goal is to roam the universe forever. The mother ship carries enough nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel
Nuclear fuel is a material that can be 'consumed' by fission or fusion to derive nuclear energy. Nuclear fuels are the most dense sources of energy available...
to last a billion years. Helena will remain aboard Swift to insure Koenig's cooperation.
Clad in space gear, the Commander walks toward the other craft, encountering the corpses of the Star Mission crew as he proceeds. When he circles around to the far side of the ship, the already poor communications are severed. The longer Koenig is out of contact, the more agitated Brian becomes; hoping to distract the machine, Helena engages it in conversation. Brian relates how it was designed, constructed and educated by Captain Michael. Displaying candid photos of the man it calls ‘Father’, it demonstrates affection for the captain as a child would for a parent.
Boarding the mother ship, Koenig is pleasantly surprised to find Verdeschi and Maya waiting for him. While the other Eagles returned to base, theirs travelled to Planet D at full thrust, arriving before the Swift. On the command deck, they come across Captain Michael sitting at his desk, dead. A test of the ship's computer reveals it, too, has been blinded. This explains how the crew willingly disembarked into a toxic atmosphere and why Captain Michael was left without life-support. Not only is Brian mad, but a homicidal maniac as well.
On an adjacent work bench, they spy a half-assembled construct that bears a striking resemblance to Brian. With this final piece of the puzzle revealed, Koenig now knows how to defeat Brian—by breaking its mind. For this psychological assault, he will need Maya′s assistance; as a mouse
Mouse
A mouse is a small mammal belonging to the order of rodents. The best known mouse species is the common house mouse . It is also a popular pet. In some places, certain kinds of field mice are also common. This rodent is eaten by large birds such as hawks and eagles...
, the metamorph will be smuggled aboard the Swift in Koenig's pocket. On returning to the other ship, an impatient Brian insists the Commander insert the core into the fuel store immediately. When the transfer is complete, the robot giddily celebrates. As Koenig removes Maya from his jacket, the Swift lifts off.
The revelry ends when Brian feels the Maya/Mouse biting its antenna. Koenig states the mouse has come bearing a message from Captain Michael: ‘Revenge.’ After an angry Brian threatens to blow the Alphans into space, Koenig asks why it killed its master. When the robot denies the allegation, Koenig reveals the truth: Brian blinded the mother ship and killed its beloved father to prevent a new electronic brain from being built. He saw Brian′s replacement sitting on a work bench. Though flustered, the robot continues to lie—until confronted by Maya in the form of Captain Michael.
At the appearance of its dead father, Brian blows several circuits out of panic. Koenig and company continue to verbally batter the hysterical robot with repeated accusations. Like a guilty child, Brian tries to hide, ending up in an airlock. Koenig ejects the machine into space, but its antenna is trapped when the outer door cycles closed. The Alphans must tread lightly as Brian is the only working computer available to them. Despite threats that it will wipe its memory, Koenig orders the robot set adrift by cutting the antenna. Begging for mercy, Brian breaks down, sobbing as it offers to give the Alphans anything they want.
Later, Main Computer is restored using Brian's memory core. The first operation performed is to verify the Moon's present trajectory. The data confirms their course remains unchanged; apparently Brian the Brain was manipulating Computer from the very beginning. Regarding the robot, the Alphans elect to give it a second chance. The memory core will be returned to Brian—once programmed with a proper sense of morality. Afterward, Koenig and Helena make a date to discuss the results of the love test...
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....
Also Featuring
- John Hug — Astronaut Bill Fraser
- Marc ZuberMarc ZuberMarc Zuber was an actor.Film appearances include: The Satanic Rites of Dracula, The Wind and the Lion, The Sea Wolves, Shirley Valentine and Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves.Television credits include: The Onedin Line, Doomwatch, The Regiment, The Changes, Space: 1999,...
— Security Lieutenant - Michael Sharvell-MartinMichael Sharvell-MartinMichael Sharvell-Martin was a British television and stage actor.-Early life:He was born as Michael Ernest Martin in Herne Bay, Kent, and trained in stage management at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His acting debut was in 1965 at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham...
— Robot 'Brian' - Annie LambertAnnie LambertAnnie Lambert is a British actress, best known to fans of the science fiction television series Doctor Who for her role as Enlightenment in the 1982 serial Four to Doomsday....
— Command Centre Operative - Yasuko NagazumiYasuko Nagazumiis a producer and manager in Hollywood responsible for print advertising campaigns for clients such as Armani, Donna Karan, Guess?, Pirelli, Vogue Magazine and working with photographers Peter Lindbergh, Herb Ritts, Helmut Newton and others....
— Yasko
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 Taybor'.
Production Notes
- The scene where the Alphans begin their psychological attack on Brian was scripted to have Maya first resume her normal form. As the robot became agitated, the three Alphans would comment that it required maintenance and would bombard Brian with pleas to be the one to perform the task. At this point, Maya would appear as Captain Michael to further confound the Brain. This sequence was deleted from the final cut. Also removed was a line where Brian commented that Computer was incapable of speech (in direct contravention of numerous earlier episodes where the Computer voice was performed by Barbara KellyBarbara KellyBarbara Kelly was a Canadian-born actress, possibly best-known for her television roles in the United Kingdom opposite her husband Bernard Braden in the 1950s and 1960s and for many appearances as a panelist on the British version of What's My Line?.-Early years:Barbara Kelly was born in...
).
- Cast in the dual role of the late Captain Michael and the voice of his mad robotRobotA robot is a mechanical or virtual intelligent agent that can perform tasks automatically or with guidance, typically by remote control. In practice a robot is usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by computer and electronic programming. Robots can be autonomous, semi-autonomous or...
ic creation, ‘Brian’, was British actor and musical comedian Bernard CribbinsBernard CribbinsBernard Cribbins, OBE is an English character actor, voice-over artist and musical comedian with a career spanning over half a century who came to prominence in films in the 1960s, has been in work consistently since his professional debut in the mid 1950s, and as of 2010 is still an active...
. Cribbins is well known for voicing all the characters in the BBCBBCThe British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
children's programme The WomblesThe Wombles (TV series)The Wombles is a stop motion animated British television series made in 1973–1975. Further animated episodes were made in 1996–1997.After the first Wombles book, published in 1968, was featured on the BBC children's television programme Jackanory....
and as a celebrity story-reader on JackanoryJackanoryJackanory is a long-running BBC children's television series that was designed to stimulate an interest in reading. The show was first transmitted on 13 December 1965, the first story being the fairy-tale Cap o' Rushes read by Lee Montague. Jackanory continued to be broadcast until 24 March 1996,...
. More recently, Cribbins played Wilfred MottWilfred MottWilfred "Wilf" Mott is a recurring fictional character in the British science fiction television series Doctor Who, played by Bernard Cribbins. He is the maternal grandfather of the Tenth Doctor's companion Donna Noble, and father of character Sylvia Noble...
, the grandfather of Doctor WhoDoctor WhoDoctor Who is a British science fiction television programme produced by the BBC. The programme depicts the adventures of a time-travelling humanoid alien known as the Doctor who explores the universe in a sentient time machine called the TARDIS that flies through time and space, whose exterior...
companion Donna NobleDonna NobleDonna Noble is a fictional character played by Catherine Tate in the long-running British science fiction television series Doctor Who. A secretary from Chiswick, London, she is a companion of the Tenth Doctor, appearing in one scene at the end of the final episode of the 2006 series,...
; the Mott character then went on to become the Tenth DoctorTenth DoctorThe Tenth Doctor is the tenth incarnation of the protagonist of the long-running BBC television science-fiction series Doctor Who. He is played by David Tennant, who appears in three series, as well as eight specials...
's final companion in David TennantDavid TennantDavid Tennant is a Scottish actor. In addition to his work in theatre, including a widely praised Hamlet, Tennant is best known for his role as the tenth incarnation of the Doctor in Doctor Who, along with the title role in the 2005 TV serial Casanova and as Barty Crouch, Jr...
's two-part farewell story, 'The End of TimeThe End of TimeThe End of Time: The Next Revolution in Our Understanding of the Universe, also sold with the alternate subtitle The Next Revolution in Physics, is a 1999 science book in which the author Julian Barbour argues that time exists merely as an illusion.-Auto-biography:The book begins by describing how...
'.
- To allow for a natural rapport to develop between the actors and ‘Brian’, Cribbins performed the voice during the live-action filming (which was then altered in post-production to give it a metallic quality). The robot prop was operated by Michael Sharvell-MartinMichael Sharvell-MartinMichael Sharvell-Martin was a British television and stage actor.-Early life:He was born as Michael Ernest Martin in Herne Bay, Kent, and trained in stage management at the Bristol Old Vic Theatre School. His acting debut was in 1965 at the Everyman Theatre, Cheltenham...
, a well-known British actor and beloved pantomime damePantomime dameA pantomime dame is a traditional character in British pantomime. It is a continuation of en travesti portrayal of female characters by male actors in drag. They are often played either in an extremely camp style, or else by men acting 'butch' in women's clothing...
best remembered for his supporting roles in The Benny Hill ShowThe Benny Hill ShowThe Benny Hill Show is a British comedy television show starring Benny Hill.There were various incarnations of the show between 1951 and 1991, and it aired in over 140 countries. The show is generally sketch-based with heavy use of slapstick, mime, parody and double-entendre...
and No Place Like Home.
- This would be the final episode where viewers would see the original version of Maya's Pyschon make-up. ITCITC EntertainmentThe Incorporated Television Company was a British television company largely involved in production and distribution. It was founded by Lew Grade.-History:...
executives felt Catherine SchellCatherine SchellKatherina Freiin Schell von Bauschlott is an Hungarian-born actress best known for her work on British televison.Schell rose to fame in various British film and television productions in the 1960s and 1970s...
's vision with the brown-pigmented ears read on screen as 'dirty'. After this, her ears would be left natural and the 'sideburn' cheekbone pigment would become less prominent.
- The Swift miniature was designed by Ron BurtonRon BurtonRonald E. "Ron" Burton became a college All-American running back at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois, a member of the Northwestern Hall of Fame, and a member of the College Football Hall of Fame....
as a landing craft for the Gerry AndersonGerry AndersonGerry Anderson MBE is a British publisher, producer, director and writer, famous for his futuristic television programmes, particularly those involving specially modified marionettes, a process called "Supermarionation"....
production The Day After TomorrowThe Day After Tomorrow (TV special)The Day After Tomorrow is a 1975 British science-fiction television drama produced by Gerry Anderson between the two series of Space: 1999. Written by Johnny Byrne and directed by Charles Crichton, it stars Brian Blessed, Joanna Dunham and Nick Tate, and is narrated by Ed Bishop...
. Built by model builder Martin BowerMartin BowerMartin Bower is a model maker and designer of special effects miniatures for both film and television. His credits include the television series Space: 1999 and the films Alien , Flash Gordon and Outland...
, the Bray StudiosBray Studios (UK)Bray Studios is a film and television facility at Bray, near Windsor, Berkshire, England. The films Alien and The Rocky Horror Picture Show were shot there...
effects team added the two large upper tanks to contain the freon gas used to simulate the ship's rocket thrust.
Novelisation
The episode was adapted in the second Year Two Space: 1999 novel Mind-Breaks of Space 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...
and J. Jeff Jones published in 1977. The deleted sequences noted above were included in the manuscript.
External links
- Space: 1999 - 'Brian the Brain' - The Catacombs episode guide
- Space: 1999 - 'Brian the Brain' - Moonbase Alpha's Space: 1999 Page
| Last produced: "The Rules of Luton" |
List of Space: 1999 episodes | Next produced: "New Adam, New Eve New Adam, New Eve "New Adam, New Eve" is the tenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Terence Feely; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script is dated 29 April 1976... " |
| Last transmitted: "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... " |
Next transmitted: "New Adam, New Eve New Adam, New Eve "New Adam, New Eve" is the tenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Terence Feely; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script is dated 29 April 1976... " |