Mission X-41
Encyclopedia
"Mission X-41" is the 27th episode
of the Supermarionation
television series Joe 90
. It was the 24th episode to be produced. Its original UK
air date was March 30, 1969 on ATV Midlands
. It was written
by Pat Dunlop and directed
by Ken Turner
.
Alliance develop a virus
capable of breaking down matter
, a top virologist
is assigned to produce an antibody
to defend the West
. However, when the expert is taken ill, it is up to Joe to steal the required formula
from within hostile territory…
, Dr Chang is presenting his latest achievement – a virus
called X-41 – to General Kwan. Helijets drop cylinders of the virus onto a demonstration building, and Kwan is amazed to see the X-41 disintegrate
the entire construction. Chang says that the virus will break down the molecular structure
of virtually any matter
and will increase in its lethality the longer it is exposed to air
. After the X-41 is neutralised with its antibody
, Kwan congratulates Chang for providing the Eastern
Alliance with the means of power to strike fear into the rest of the world.
Unknown to the two men, WIN Agent 84 has secretly photographed the whole demonstration. At WIN Headquarters London
, Sam Loover and Shane Weston view 84's findings, realising that any day the West
may be attacked with the X-41 virus. A top virologist
, Professor Baxter, has been hired to formulate the antibody, but collapses at his laboratory
and is rushed unconscious to hospital.
A desperate Sam visits the McClaines' cottage, reporting that Baxter is seriously ill and is in no position to continue his work. The conclusion is that the antibody formula
must be stolen from General Kwan's military base, deep inside Eastern Alliance territory. Because Agent 84 would not recognise the formula, Joe must carry out the mission using Baxter's brain pattern. However, 84 will be on hand to assist during the mission. With the aid of an inconspicuous aerial
attached to his briefcase
, Sam attains the brain pattern during a visit to the inert professor in hospital. Baxter's impulses, along with those of a top WIN Agent, are then transferred to Joe on the BIG RAT.
After a briefing at WIN Headquarters, Joe and Sam are flown out to the Far East in an Air Force
jet
. Joe, wearing his special glasses
, is ejected over Kwan's base in a specialised canister. On the ground, Agent 84 watches Joe's descent as the base personnel detect the pod on their radar
. As the forest surrounding the complex is filled with troops, Joe and 84 establish radio
contact. 84 has planned a diversion with explosives
, but Joe orders his colleague to wait, saying that he will infiltrate the base by allowing the guards to find him. The soldiers discover Joe and the boy surrenders.
Joe is escorted to Kwan's office, but the general cannot believe that a child came down in the canister and orders his men to seek out the real spy. Refusing to take Joe seriously, Kwan is happy to give details of a new model of fighter
sitting on the base's runway
: their increased range and fuel capacity enables them to fly to England
on one fuel payload.
As time passes, Kwan's soldiers continue to search the woods and Joe is sealed in a room at the base. However, using his adopted knowledge, the boy burns out the lock and begins to search the complex for the laboratory, where the X-41 antibody formula must be kept. Locating his target, Joe enters the room and uses a secret camera to photograph the chemical structure from documentation.
Meanwhile, the troops have found that Joe's canister could not fit a grown man, having obviously been adapted for a child. Realising that Joe is the enemy spy after all, Kwan orders his men to bring the boy to his office.
Moments later, as an alarm resounds throughout the complex to announce his escape, Joe commands Agent 84 to start his diversion. The fellow operative covertly cuts his way through the perimeter fence and hurls a grenade
at a storage tank
. The explosion
distracts the guards, who rush to scene of the blast to fight the fire
. Joe advises 84 to clear the area, but says that he will not rendezvous at the specified pick-up area – there is another way to get back to England. As Kwan watches the blaze from his office, he is speechless to see Joe take off in one of the fighters. In the cockpit, Joe contacts Mac and Sam, who are standing by at the cottage, to report mission accomplished.
A few days later, the West has managed to produce the X-41 antibody using Joe's camera shots. Professor Baxter, who had been affected by the virus, has been injected
with the remedy and made a full recovery. However, while Sam is happy to give this information at the McClaines' cottage, an ill Mac wonders if Baxter can now do a favour for him – find a cure for the common cold
.
Episode
An episode is a part of a dramatic work such as a serial television or radio program. An episode is a part of a sequence of a body of work, akin to a chapter of a book. The term sometimes applies to works based on other forms of mass media as well, as in Star Wars...
of the Supermarionation
Supermarionation
Supermarionation is a puppetry technique devised in the 1960s by British production company AP Films. It was used extensively in the company's numerous Gerry and Sylvia Anderson-produced action-adventure series, the most famous of which was Thunderbirds...
television series Joe 90
Joe 90
Joe 90 is a late-1960s British science-fiction television series documenting the exploits of a nine-year-old boy, Joe McClaine, who embarks on a double life as a schoolboy turned spy when his scientist father invents a pioneering machine capable of duplicating and transferring expert knowledge and...
. It was the 24th episode to be produced. Its original UK
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
air date was March 30, 1969 on ATV Midlands
Associated TeleVision
Associated Television, often referred to as ATV, was a British television company, holder of various licences to broadcast on the ITV network from 24 September 1955 until 00:34 on 1 January 1982...
. It was written
Screenwriter
Screenwriters or scriptwriters or scenario writers are people who write/create the short or feature-length screenplays from which mass media such as films, television programs, Comics or video games are based.-Profession:...
by Pat Dunlop and directed
Television director
A television director directs the activities involved in making a television program and is part of a television crew.-Duties:The duties of a television director vary depending on whether the production is live or recorded to video tape or video server .In both types of productions, the...
by Ken Turner
Ken Turner
Ken Turner may refer to:*Ken Turner , British television and film director and screenwriter*Ken Turner , former Australian rules footballer...
.
Synopsis
When the EasternEastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
Alliance develop a virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
capable of breaking down matter
Matter
Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume...
, a top virologist
Virology
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
is assigned to produce an antibody
Antibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
to defend the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
. However, when the expert is taken ill, it is up to Joe to steal the required formula
Chemical formula
A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
from within hostile territory…
Plot
In the Far EastFar East
The Far East is an English term mostly describing East Asia and Southeast Asia, with South Asia sometimes also included for economic and cultural reasons.The term came into use in European geopolitical discourse in the 19th century,...
, Dr Chang is presenting his latest achievement – a virus
Virus
A virus is a small infectious agent that can replicate only inside the living cells of organisms. Viruses infect all types of organisms, from animals and plants to bacteria and archaea...
called X-41 – to General Kwan. Helijets drop cylinders of the virus onto a demonstration building, and Kwan is amazed to see the X-41 disintegrate
Disintegration (disambiguation)
Disintegration or disintegrate may refer to:-Music:* Disintegrate is an album by Zyklon* Disintegration , a 1989 album by The Cure; also the name of a song featured on the album* Disintegration...
the entire construction. Chang says that the virus will break down the molecular structure
Molecular geometry
Molecular geometry or molecular structure is the three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms that constitute a molecule. It determines several properties of a substance including its reactivity, polarity, phase of matter, color, magnetism, and biological activity.- Molecular geometry determination...
of virtually any matter
Matter
Matter is a general term for the substance of which all physical objects consist. Typically, matter includes atoms and other particles which have mass. A common way of defining matter is as anything that has mass and occupies volume...
and will increase in its lethality the longer it is exposed to air
Earth's atmosphere
The atmosphere of Earth is a layer of gases surrounding the planet Earth that is retained by Earth's gravity. The atmosphere protects life on Earth by absorbing ultraviolet solar radiation, warming the surface through heat retention , and reducing temperature extremes between day and night...
. After the X-41 is neutralised with its antibody
Antibody
An antibody, also known as an immunoglobulin, is a large Y-shaped protein used by the immune system to identify and neutralize foreign objects such as bacteria and viruses. The antibody recognizes a unique part of the foreign target, termed an antigen...
, Kwan congratulates Chang for providing the Eastern
Eastern world
__FORCETOC__The term Eastern world refers very broadly to the various cultures or social structures and philosophical systems of Eastern Asia or geographically the Eastern Culture...
Alliance with the means of power to strike fear into the rest of the world.
Unknown to the two men, WIN Agent 84 has secretly photographed the whole demonstration. At WIN Headquarters London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
, Sam Loover and Shane Weston view 84's findings, realising that any day the West
Western world
The Western world, also known as the West and the Occident , is a term referring to the countries of Western Europe , the countries of the Americas, as well all countries of Northern and Central Europe, Australia and New Zealand...
may be attacked with the X-41 virus. A top virologist
Virology
Virology is the study of viruses and virus-like agents: their structure, classification and evolution, their ways to infect and exploit cells for virus reproduction, the diseases they cause, the techniques to isolate and culture them, and their use in research and therapy...
, Professor Baxter, has been hired to formulate the antibody, but collapses at his laboratory
Laboratory
A laboratory is a facility that provides controlled conditions in which scientific research, experiments, and measurement may be performed. The title of laboratory is also used for certain other facilities where the processes or equipment used are similar to those in scientific laboratories...
and is rushed unconscious to hospital.
A desperate Sam visits the McClaines' cottage, reporting that Baxter is seriously ill and is in no position to continue his work. The conclusion is that the antibody formula
Chemical formula
A chemical formula or molecular formula is a way of expressing information about the atoms that constitute a particular chemical compound....
must be stolen from General Kwan's military base, deep inside Eastern Alliance territory. Because Agent 84 would not recognise the formula, Joe must carry out the mission using Baxter's brain pattern. However, 84 will be on hand to assist during the mission. With the aid of an inconspicuous aerial
Antenna (radio)
An antenna is an electrical device which converts electric currents into radio waves, and vice versa. It is usually used with a radio transmitter or radio receiver...
attached to his briefcase
Briefcase
A briefcase is a narrow box-shaped bag or case used mainly for carrying papers and other documents and equipped with a handle. Lawyers commonly use briefcases to carry briefs to present to a court, hence the name...
, Sam attains the brain pattern during a visit to the inert professor in hospital. Baxter's impulses, along with those of a top WIN Agent, are then transferred to Joe on the BIG RAT.
After a briefing at WIN Headquarters, Joe and Sam are flown out to the Far East in an Air Force
Air force
An air force, also known in some countries as an air army, is in the broadest sense, the national military organization that primarily conducts aerial warfare. More specifically, it is the branch of a nation's armed services that is responsible for aerial warfare as distinct from an army, navy or...
jet
Jet aircraft
A jet aircraft is an aircraft propelled by jet engines. Jet aircraft generally fly much faster than propeller-powered aircraft and at higher altitudes – as high as . At these altitudes, jet engines achieve maximum efficiency over long distances. The engines in propeller-powered aircraft...
. Joe, wearing his special glasses
Glasses
Glasses, also known as eyeglasses , spectacles or simply specs , are frames bearing lenses worn in front of the eyes. They are normally used for vision correction or eye protection. Safety glasses are a kind of eye protection against flying debris or against visible and near visible light or...
, is ejected over Kwan's base in a specialised canister. On the ground, Agent 84 watches Joe's descent as the base personnel detect the pod on their radar
Radar
Radar is an object-detection system which uses radio waves to determine the range, altitude, direction, or speed of objects. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, weather formations, and terrain. The radar dish or antenna transmits pulses of radio...
. As the forest surrounding the complex is filled with troops, Joe and 84 establish radio
Radio
Radio is the transmission of signals through free space by modulation of electromagnetic waves with frequencies below those of visible light. Electromagnetic radiation travels by means of oscillating electromagnetic fields that pass through the air and the vacuum of space...
contact. 84 has planned a diversion with explosives
Explosive material
An explosive material, also called an explosive, is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure...
, but Joe orders his colleague to wait, saying that he will infiltrate the base by allowing the guards to find him. The soldiers discover Joe and the boy surrenders.
Joe is escorted to Kwan's office, but the general cannot believe that a child came down in the canister and orders his men to seek out the real spy. Refusing to take Joe seriously, Kwan is happy to give details of a new model of fighter
Fighter aircraft
A fighter aircraft is a military aircraft designed primarily for air-to-air combat with other aircraft, as opposed to a bomber, which is designed primarily to attack ground targets...
sitting on the base's runway
Runway
According to ICAO a runway is a "defined rectangular area on a land aerodrome prepared for the landing and take-off of aircraft." Runways may be a man-made surface or a natural surface .- Orientation and dimensions :Runways are named by a number between 01 and 36, which is generally one tenth...
: their increased range and fuel capacity enables them to fly to England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
on one fuel payload.
As time passes, Kwan's soldiers continue to search the woods and Joe is sealed in a room at the base. However, using his adopted knowledge, the boy burns out the lock and begins to search the complex for the laboratory, where the X-41 antibody formula must be kept. Locating his target, Joe enters the room and uses a secret camera to photograph the chemical structure from documentation.
Meanwhile, the troops have found that Joe's canister could not fit a grown man, having obviously been adapted for a child. Realising that Joe is the enemy spy after all, Kwan orders his men to bring the boy to his office.
Moments later, as an alarm resounds throughout the complex to announce his escape, Joe commands Agent 84 to start his diversion. The fellow operative covertly cuts his way through the perimeter fence and hurls a grenade
Hand grenade
A hand grenade is any small bomb that can be thrown by hand. Hand grenades are classified into three categories, explosive grenades, chemical and gas grenades. Explosive grenades are the most commonly used in modern warfare, and are designed to detonate after impact or after a set amount of time...
at a storage tank
Storage tank
A storage tank is a container, usually for holding liquids, sometimes for compressed gases . The term can be used for reservoirs , and for manufactured containers. The usage of the word tank for reservoirs is common or universal in Indian English, American English and moderately common in British...
. The explosion
Explosion
An explosion is a rapid increase in volume and release of energy in an extreme manner, usually with the generation of high temperatures and the release of gases. An explosion creates a shock wave. If the shock wave is a supersonic detonation, then the source of the blast is called a "high explosive"...
distracts the guards, who rush to scene of the blast to fight the fire
Fire
Fire is the rapid oxidation of a material in the chemical process of combustion, releasing heat, light, and various reaction products. Slower oxidative processes like rusting or digestion are not included by this definition....
. Joe advises 84 to clear the area, but says that he will not rendezvous at the specified pick-up area – there is another way to get back to England. As Kwan watches the blaze from his office, he is speechless to see Joe take off in one of the fighters. In the cockpit, Joe contacts Mac and Sam, who are standing by at the cottage, to report mission accomplished.
A few days later, the West has managed to produce the X-41 antibody using Joe's camera shots. Professor Baxter, who had been affected by the virus, has been injected
Injection (medicine)
An injection is an infusion method of putting fluid into the body, usually with a hollow needle and a syringe which is pierced through the skin to a sufficient depth for the material to be forced into the body...
with the remedy and made a full recovery. However, while Sam is happy to give this information at the McClaines' cottage, an ill Mac wonders if Baxter can now do a favour for him – find a cure for the common cold
Common cold
The common cold is a viral infectious disease of the upper respiratory system, caused primarily by rhinoviruses and coronaviruses. Common symptoms include a cough, sore throat, runny nose, and fever...
.
Regular voice cast
- Joe McClaine — Len JonesLen JonesLen Jones was a British actor and voice actor of the 1960s and 70s.In his youth, Jones featured in television series such as Z-Cars , Adam Adamant Lives! , Dixon of Dock Green , Softly, Softly and The Adventures of Black Beauty...
- Professor Ian "Mac" McClaine — Rupert DaviesRupert DaviesRupert Davies was a British actor. He remains best known for playing the title role in the BBC's 1960s television adaptation of Maigret, based on the Maigret novels written by Georges Simenon....
- Sam Loover — Keith AlexanderKeith Alexander (actor)Keith Alexander is a British actor and voice actor.Alexander's television credits include Softly, Softly , The New Avengers , Minder and The Day of the Triffids...
- Shane Weston — David HealyDavid Healy (actor)David Healy was an American-born actor who starred in many British and American television shows. His credits include voices for the Supermarionation series Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons, Joe 90 and The Secret Service, as well as parts in UFO, The Troubleshooters, Randall and Hopkirk , Space...
Guest voice cast
In speaking order:- Dr Chang — Gary FilesGary FilesGary Files was born in Melbourne, Australia and is an Australian-Canadian actor, writer and director who has resided in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. He has lived in Australia since 1976.-Early life:...
- General Kwan — Jeremy WilkinJeremy WilkinJeremy Wilkin is a British actor, possibly best known for his contributions to the television productions of Gerry Anderson....
- Professor Baxter — Gary Files
- Hawkins — Keith Alexander
- Doctor — Jeremy Wilkin
- Pilot (voice) — David Healy
- Agent 84 — Gary Files
- 1st Guard — David Healy
- 2nd Guard — David Healy / Keith Alexander