Ring Around The Moon
Encyclopedia
"Ring Around the Moon" was the fourth episode of the first season of Space: 1999
. The screenplay was written by Edward di Lorenzo
; the director was Ray Austin
. The shooting script is dated 14 December 1973 with green page amendments dated 17 January 1974; the final shooting script is dated 8 February 1974. Live-action filming took place Wednesday, 27 February 1974 through Thursday, 14 March 1974.
-like, he crosses Main Mission and begins to operate an input terminal on Main Computer with incredible speed. A man possessed, he fends off all attempts to drag him away from the keypad with super-human strength.
Suddenly, Clifford backs away from the computer bank. He whimpers ‘Help me’, collapses and dies. Before anyone can react, the Main Mission staff are knocked off their feet by a tremendous jolt—a beam of orange light has reached out from the sphere and enveloped the Moon
. Tracking sensors reveal the sphere to be stationary but, from their perspective, it is still getting closer to the Moon's surface; John Koenig
realises that the Moon has been trapped in an orbit around the sphere. An audio signal is received and a sibilant voice announces that they are prisoners of the planet Triton.
The staff reviews the damage caused by the Moon's sudden deceleration. The fact that all but four Eagles
are non-operational and the main generators show no sign of damage but are only putting out minimum power indicates that the sphere's occupants have purposefully compromised Alpha's defences. David Kano
reveals that Clifford had accessed and scanned classified information during his mad session with Computer. With no information on Triton available, Koenig feels a reconnaissance flight is in order. Victor Bergman
comments that he thinks the aliens will not be surprised; he has a nasty feeling they are now being watched.
Koenig receives a report on Ted Clifford's autopsy from Doctors Helena Russell
and Bob Mathias
—a ball of orange light was briefly visible at the base of his brain, with most of the surrounding brain tissue appearing to have melted. Also, his optic nerve
had been reconfigured to function like a high-speed camera and the processing speed of his neuronal system having been increased a thousandfold. The conclusion reached is that Clifford's physiology was re-structured by the aliens to function as a computer. During this, Bergman's suspicions are confirmed as the viewer is taken into the sphere where unseen entities reside in a black void, surrounded by swirling coloured light and melodic sound. They observe the goings-on in the Alpha Medical Centre...and seem especially interested in Helena.
Alan Carter
and co-pilot Jim Donovan lift-off in Eagle Three—also under alien observation—to reconnoitre the sphere. On approach, the ship is deflected by a force-beam of orange light. Both astronauts are rendered unconscious, and the Eagle is sent tumbling out of control back towards the Moon. With controls set to manual, Paul Morrow
cannot use his remote link to establish control and bring them back safely. Eagle Three crash-lands seven hundred metres from the Moonbase perimeter. With no other means available, Koenig decides to lead a rescue team on foot. Halfway to the downed Eagle, Koenig's party is ambushed; a ball of orange light approaches and Helena is compelled to walk into it. Koenig attempts to prevent her abduction, but is thrust back and rendered unconscious. The light, with Helena, disappears.
Back at Alpha, Koenig regains consciousness and learns of Helena's abduction and the death of Carter's co-pilot. Bergman reckons the crash was nothing more than a lure to get Helena out on the surface and unprotected for unknown reasons. Koenig wants to make another attempt to penetrate the sphere; he proposes to Bergman that in order to defeat the Tritonian force-field effect, they need to radically increase the strength of their Eagles' standard anti-gravity screens.
Helena materialises in the black void, clad in gossamer robes. She converses with her unseen captors, telling them the Alphans mean them no harm and that they need their help. The Tritonian voice says that it is she that will help them; they are the eyes of Triton and everything that was, is, and will be is recorded by them. A frenetic light-show ensues as Helena is unknowingly processed by the Tritonians.
The modified Eagle is ready and Koenig and Carter take-off to rendezvous with the sphere. The strengthened anti-gravity screens effectively thwart the power of the projected force-beam. The aliens then reverse the field and the Eagle is suddenly dragged forward at incredible velocity. Before being rendered unconscious by the mounting g-force
s, Koenig manages to switch the instruments to automatic and Morrow brings them safely back to Alpha. During this activity, a ball of light drops down to the Moon's surface and, at an Alpha airlock station, deposits a smiling Helena.
Helena is taken to Medical for a comprehensive work-up. All the tests come back fine, except one—despite all evidence to the contrary, the results of her eye exam indicate she should be blind. Faced with this physiological contradiction, the only logical conclusion is that she has undergone the same processing procedure used on Ted Clifford. Moving to Bergman's quarters, the professor finds a possible reference to the Tritonians as the ‘Eyes of Heaven’ in the Pyramid Texts
of the Old Kingdom
of Ancient Egypt
, revealing their long-term observation of Mankind.
Helena recalls that she was not wearing her spacesuit, indicating the sphere contains a breathable atmosphere. With that, Bergman speculates the Tritonians may have a recognisable humanoid form. This brainstorming session is interrupted by the Tritonians' activation of Helena. In a trance-like state, she moves through Alpha, dematerialising at will to avoid all obstacles. She reaches Main Mission and approaches the Main Computer terminal. There, she begins the same hyperactive operation of Computer as Clifford had done.
Kano reviews the accessed memory cells; he reports one of the first cells scanned and transmitted through Helena stored the complete schematics of the Moonbase life-support system. At the rate of her current activity, Bergman surmises that they have 132 hours until Helena exhausts Computer's memory store. Mathias, though, reports that she will be dead long before that. Bergman and Koenig meet to discuss the Triton entities, figuring they must have some physical limitation that prevents them from leaving their sphere.
Each brings some important information to the table. Bergman has determined from his galaxy charts that the planet Triton no longer exists. Koenig forwards a report from Kano that the malfunction of a computer memory cell disabled the Triton force-field for the thirty-two seconds required for the system to correct the error. They realise that there must be a circuit from the sphere, to the force-field around the Moon, to Helena, to Computer, and back to the sphere. With all the other components controlled by the Triton probe, Computer is only exploitable link in the chain.
A plan is formulated to intentionally jam twenty-five key memory circuits in Computer, negating the force-field for the thirteen minutes required to fly to the sphere. During this time, Kano will 'hard-wire' the astronomical data proving Triton's destruction into Computer so that it can be the only information transmitted by Helena. Koenig hopes to persuade the Triton probe that, with the death of its home world, its function is obsolete, and to release Helena and the Moon.
The plan is carried out. With the force-field down, Koenig and a squad of Security men travel to the sphere and enter it unobstructed. They disembark and, while searching the black void, Koenig is isolated and makes first-hand contact with the Tritonians. They appear as floating spheres of striated brain-tissue embedded with a single huge eye. They reveal to Koenig that their purpose is to gather information on Earthmen in preparation for a potential invasion of Triton. Furthermore, they have permitted Koenig's plan to succeed with the intent of delivering him to their domain—he, too, will be processed and become Helena's replacement after her death.
By this time, Computer has cleared the affected memory cells. The force-field returns and Helena is reactivated. She transmits the data on Triton to the sphere, where Koenig forces the entities to acknowledge the demise of their home planet. Faced with the fact of a purposeless existence, the Tritonians opt to self-destruct. Koenig and company scramble back to the Eagle and take off as the sphere disintegrates around them. As Bergman and Helena watch on the big screen, their ship emerges, barely escaping the final explosion.
Later, Helena is given a clean bill of health by Mathias and shows no lasting effects of her abduction. Bergman is pensive, noting that even with their immense body of knowledge, the Tritonians could not endure. He muses that ‘Perhaps knowledge isn't the answer.’ Koenig then counters: ‘Then what is?’
's son-in-law) thought he could improvise a score with the musicians the day of recording, as he could neither read nor write music. To avoid a walkout, Willis stepped in, hurriedly set some of Elms's themes down on paper, and conducted the musicians himself. Barry Gray
wanted the music to be in the style of Maurice Revel
; Elms and Willis's final product is more reminiscent of the rock idioms of the day of the bands Deep Purple
, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
and Yes
.
, which in this narrative, had gone missing some few years before 1999. Bergman also creates the anti-gravity shield specifically for the purpose of penetrating the Triton ship's forcefield, having gained the knowledge required to perfect the technique from the atomic-waste explosion earlier in the novel. Having been convinced of the demise of its home, the probe chooses to self-destruct—though not before warning the Alphans of their impending encounter with a black sun.
and Solaris
.
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...
. The screenplay was written by Edward di Lorenzo
Edward di Lorenzo
Edward di Lorenzo is a screenwriter with a cult following among fans of Gerry Anderson's science fiction TV series Space: 1999.He also wrote for series Miami Vice and The Wild Wild West...
; the director was Ray Austin
Ray Austin
Ray Austin, formally known as Raymond Austin or Baron DeVere-Austin of Delvin, is a British television director...
. The shooting script is dated 14 December 1973 with green page amendments dated 17 January 1974; the final shooting script is dated 8 February 1974. Live-action filming took place Wednesday, 27 February 1974 through Thursday, 14 March 1974.
Story
Technician Ted Clifford enters Main Mission to perform a minor maintenance task. As he unpacks his tool kit at an access panel near one of the windows, he fails to notice a sphere of orange light materialising above the lunar horizon. The sphere pulsates and Clifford stiffens as an aura of orange light surrounds his head. ZombieZombie
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, he crosses Main Mission and begins to operate an input terminal on Main Computer with incredible speed. A man possessed, he fends off all attempts to drag him away from the keypad with super-human strength.
Suddenly, Clifford backs away from the computer bank. He whimpers ‘Help me’, collapses and dies. Before anyone can react, the Main Mission staff are knocked off their feet by a tremendous jolt—a beam of orange light has reached out from the sphere and enveloped 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...
. Tracking sensors reveal the sphere to be stationary but, from their perspective, it is still getting closer to the Moon's 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:...
realises that the Moon has been trapped in an orbit around the sphere. An audio signal is received and a sibilant voice announces that they are prisoners of the planet Triton.
The staff reviews the damage caused by the Moon's sudden deceleration. The fact that all but four 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...
are non-operational and the main generators show no sign of damage but are only putting out minimum power indicates that the sphere's occupants have purposefully compromised Alpha's defences. David Kano
David Kano (Space 1999)
David Kano is a fictional character who regularly appeared during the first season of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is of Jamaican origin and in his mid-thirties. He was played by actor Clifton Jones.-Character biography:...
reveals that Clifford had accessed and scanned classified information during his mad session with Computer. With no information on Triton available, Koenig feels a reconnaissance flight is in order. Victor Bergman
Victor Bergman
Professor Victor Bergman is the name of a recurring character on the UK science fiction television series Space: 1999. The role was portrayed by actor Barry Morse.-Character Biography:...
comments that he thinks the aliens will not be surprised; he has a nasty feeling they are now being watched.
Koenig receives a report on Ted Clifford's autopsy from Doctors 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....
and Bob Mathias
Bob Mathias
Robert Bruce "Bob" Mathias was an American decathlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist, actor and United States Congressman representing the state of California.-Early life and athletic career:...
—a ball of orange light was briefly visible at the base of his brain, with most of the surrounding brain tissue appearing to have melted. Also, his optic nerve
Optic nerve
The optic nerve, also called cranial nerve 2, transmits visual information from the retina to the brain. Derived from the embryonic retinal ganglion cell, a diverticulum located in the diencephalon, the optic nerve doesn't regenerate after transection.-Anatomy:The optic nerve is the second of...
had been reconfigured to function like a high-speed camera and the processing speed of his neuronal system having been increased a thousandfold. The conclusion reached is that Clifford's physiology was re-structured by the aliens to function as a computer. During this, Bergman's suspicions are confirmed as the viewer is taken into the sphere where unseen entities reside in a black void, surrounded by swirling coloured light and melodic sound. They observe the goings-on in the Alpha Medical Centre...and seem especially interested in Helena.
Alan Carter
Alan 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:...
and co-pilot Jim Donovan lift-off in Eagle Three—also under alien observation—to reconnoitre the sphere. On approach, the ship is deflected by a force-beam of orange light. Both astronauts are rendered unconscious, and the Eagle is sent tumbling out of control back towards the Moon. With controls set to manual, Paul Morrow
Paul Morrow
Paul Morrow is a fictional character who first appeared in 'Breakaway', the premiere episode of the science fiction television show Space: 1999, and was portrayed by Prentis Hancock. He is a British national who appears to be in his early thirties....
cannot use his remote link to establish control and bring them back safely. Eagle Three crash-lands seven hundred metres from the Moonbase perimeter. With no other means available, Koenig decides to lead a rescue team on foot. Halfway to the downed Eagle, Koenig's party is ambushed; a ball of orange light approaches and Helena is compelled to walk into it. Koenig attempts to prevent her abduction, but is thrust back and rendered unconscious. The light, with Helena, disappears.
Back at Alpha, Koenig regains consciousness and learns of Helena's abduction and the death of Carter's co-pilot. Bergman reckons the crash was nothing more than a lure to get Helena out on the surface and unprotected for unknown reasons. Koenig wants to make another attempt to penetrate the sphere; he proposes to Bergman that in order to defeat the Tritonian force-field effect, they need to radically increase the strength of their Eagles' standard anti-gravity screens.
Helena materialises in the black void, clad in gossamer robes. She converses with her unseen captors, telling them the Alphans mean them no harm and that they need their help. The Tritonian voice says that it is she that will help them; they are the eyes of Triton and everything that was, is, and will be is recorded by them. A frenetic light-show ensues as Helena is unknowingly processed by the Tritonians.
The modified Eagle is ready and Koenig and Carter take-off to rendezvous with the sphere. The strengthened anti-gravity screens effectively thwart the power of the projected force-beam. The aliens then reverse the field and the Eagle is suddenly dragged forward at incredible velocity. Before being rendered unconscious by the mounting g-force
G-force
The g-force associated with an object is its acceleration relative to free-fall. This acceleration experienced by an object is due to the vector sum of non-gravitational forces acting on an object free to move. The accelerations that are not produced by gravity are termed proper accelerations, and...
s, Koenig manages to switch the instruments to automatic and Morrow brings them safely back to Alpha. During this activity, a ball of light drops down to the Moon's surface and, at an Alpha airlock station, deposits a smiling Helena.
Helena is taken to Medical for a comprehensive work-up. All the tests come back fine, except one—despite all evidence to the contrary, the results of her eye exam indicate she should be blind. Faced with this physiological contradiction, the only logical conclusion is that she has undergone the same processing procedure used on Ted Clifford. Moving to Bergman's quarters, the professor finds a possible reference to the Tritonians as the ‘Eyes of Heaven’ in the Pyramid Texts
Pyramid Texts
The Pyramid Texts are a collection of ancient Egyptian religious texts from the time of the Old Kingdom. The pyramid texts are possibly the oldest known religious texts in the world. Written in Old Egyptian, the pyramid texts were carved on the walls and sarcophagi of the pyramids at Saqqara during...
of the Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom
Old Kingdom is the name given to the period in the 3rd millennium BC when Egypt attained its first continuous peak of civilization in complexity and achievement – the first of three so-called "Kingdom" periods, which mark the high points of civilization in the lower Nile Valley .The term itself was...
of Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt
Ancient Egypt was an ancient civilization of Northeastern Africa, concentrated along the lower reaches of the Nile River in what is now the modern country of Egypt. Egyptian civilization coalesced around 3150 BC with the political unification of Upper and Lower Egypt under the first pharaoh...
, revealing their long-term observation of Mankind.
Helena recalls that she was not wearing her spacesuit, indicating the sphere contains a breathable atmosphere. With that, Bergman speculates the Tritonians may have a recognisable humanoid form. This brainstorming session is interrupted by the Tritonians' activation of Helena. In a trance-like state, she moves through Alpha, dematerialising at will to avoid all obstacles. She reaches Main Mission and approaches the Main Computer terminal. There, she begins the same hyperactive operation of Computer as Clifford had done.
Kano reviews the accessed memory cells; he reports one of the first cells scanned and transmitted through Helena stored the complete schematics of the Moonbase life-support system. At the rate of her current activity, Bergman surmises that they have 132 hours until Helena exhausts Computer's memory store. Mathias, though, reports that she will be dead long before that. Bergman and Koenig meet to discuss the Triton entities, figuring they must have some physical limitation that prevents them from leaving their sphere.
Each brings some important information to the table. Bergman has determined from his galaxy charts that the planet Triton no longer exists. Koenig forwards a report from Kano that the malfunction of a computer memory cell disabled the Triton force-field for the thirty-two seconds required for the system to correct the error. They realise that there must be a circuit from the sphere, to the force-field around the Moon, to Helena, to Computer, and back to the sphere. With all the other components controlled by the Triton probe, Computer is only exploitable link in the chain.
A plan is formulated to intentionally jam twenty-five key memory circuits in Computer, negating the force-field for the thirteen minutes required to fly to the sphere. During this time, Kano will 'hard-wire' the astronomical data proving Triton's destruction into Computer so that it can be the only information transmitted by Helena. Koenig hopes to persuade the Triton probe that, with the death of its home world, its function is obsolete, and to release Helena and the Moon.
The plan is carried out. With the force-field down, Koenig and a squad of Security men travel to the sphere and enter it unobstructed. They disembark and, while searching the black void, Koenig is isolated and makes first-hand contact with the Tritonians. They appear as floating spheres of striated brain-tissue embedded with a single huge eye. They reveal to Koenig that their purpose is to gather information on Earthmen in preparation for a potential invasion of Triton. Furthermore, they have permitted Koenig's plan to succeed with the intent of delivering him to their domain—he, too, will be processed and become Helena's replacement after her death.
By this time, Computer has cleared the affected memory cells. The force-field returns and Helena is reactivated. She transmits the data on Triton to the sphere, where Koenig forces the entities to acknowledge the demise of their home planet. Faced with the fact of a purposeless existence, the Tritonians opt to self-destruct. Koenig and company scramble back to the Eagle and take off as the sphere disintegrates around them. As Bergman and Helena watch on the big screen, their ship emerges, barely escaping the final explosion.
Later, Helena is given a clean bill of health by Mathias and shows no lasting effects of her abduction. Bergman is pensive, noting that even with their immense body of knowledge, the Tritonians could not endure. He muses that ‘Perhaps knowledge isn't the answer.’ Koenig then counters: ‘Then what is?’
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
- Prentis HancockPrentis HancockPrentis Hancock is a British actor, best known for his television roles.He was a regular cast member of the first season of science fiction series Space: 1999 as Paul Morrow, and also appeared in a number of Doctor Who stories throughout the 1970s - Spearhead from Space and Planet of the Daleks...
— Controller Paul MorrowPaul MorrowPaul Morrow is a fictional character who first appeared in 'Breakaway', the premiere episode of the science fiction television show Space: 1999, and was portrayed by Prentis Hancock. He is a British national who appears to be in his early thirties.... - Clifton JonesClifton JonesClifton Jones is an actor, mostly known for his roles on British television.His most prominent role is probably that of David Kano during the first season of the science fiction series Space: 1999....
— David KanoDavid Kano (Space 1999)David Kano is a fictional character who regularly appeared during the first season of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is of Jamaican origin and in his mid-thirties. He was played by actor Clifton Jones.-Character biography:... - Zienia MertonZienia MertonZienia Merton is a British actress born in Burma. Her mother was Burmese, and her father half English, half French. She was raised in Singapore, Borneo, Portugal, and England....
— Sandra BenesSandra BenesSandra Benes is a recurring character in the British science-fiction television series Space: 1999. She is of Western European/Burmese origin and is in her late twenties. Her role was played by actress Zienia Merton.-Character Biography:... - Anton PhillipsAnton PhillipsAnton Phillips is an actor who found success appearing in British television. He remains best known for his role as Dr. Bob Mathias in the science fiction series Space 1999.-Early life and education:...
— Doctor Bob MathiasBob MathiasRobert Bruce "Bob" Mathias was an American decathlete, two-time Olympic gold medalist, actor and United States Congressman representing the state of California.-Early life and athletic career:... - 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:... - Max Faulkner — Ted Clifford
Uncredited Artists
- Suzanne RoquetteSuzanne RoquetteSuzanne Roquette is an actress, who remains best known for her role as Tanya Alexander in the science fiction television series Space 1999....
— TanyaTanya AlexanderTanya Alexander is the name of a semi-recurring character on the UK science fiction television series Space: 1999. The role was portrayed by German actress Suzanne Roquette.-Character Biography:... - Michael Stevens — Man in Corridor
- Chai LeeChai LeeChai Lee is an actress, born in Canton, China.She is best known for her appearances in British films and television, particularly her uncredited role as a Moonbase Alpha operative in the science fiction series Space 1999 and her performance in the crime drama Gangsters as Lily Li Tang.Her other TV...
— Anna Wong (removed from final cut) - Prentis HancockPrentis HancockPrentis Hancock is a British actor, best known for his television roles.He was a regular cast member of the first season of science fiction series Space: 1999 as Paul Morrow, and also appeared in a number of Doctor Who stories throughout the 1970s - Spearhead from Space and Planet of the Daleks...
— Triton Probe Voice
Music
An original score was composed for this episode by Vic Elms and music editor Alan Willis. Against expectations, Elms (who was producer Sylvia AndersonSylvia Anderson
Sylvia Anderson , born 25 March 1937, is a British voice artist and film producer, most notable for collaborations with Gerry Anderson, to whom she was married from 1962 to 1975....
's son-in-law) thought he could improvise a score with the musicians the day of recording, as he could neither read nor write music. To avoid a walkout, Willis stepped in, hurriedly set some of Elms's themes down on paper, and conducted the musicians himself. Barry Gray
Barry Gray
Barry Gray was a British musician and composer who is best known for his work for Gerry Anderson.-Life:...
wanted the music to be in the style of Maurice Revel
Revel
- Places :* Revel, Haute-Garonne, a commune of the Haute-Garonne department in south-western France* Revel, Isère, a commune in the Isère department in south-eastern France* Revel-Tourdan, in the Isère département...
; Elms and Willis's final product is more reminiscent of the rock idioms of the day of the bands Deep Purple
Deep Purple
Deep Purple are an English rock band formed in Hertford in 1968. Along with Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath, they are considered to be among the pioneers of heavy metal and modern hard rock, although some band members believe that their music cannot be categorised as belonging to any one genre...
, Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer
Emerson, Lake & Palmer, also known as ELP, are an English progressive rock supergroup. They found success in the 1970s and sold over forty million albums and headlined large stadium concerts. The band consists of Keith Emerson , Greg Lake and Carl Palmer...
and Yes
Yes (band)
Yes are an English rock band who achieved worldwide success with their progressive, art, and symphonic style of rock music. Regarded as one of the pioneers of the progressive genre, Yes are known for their lengthy songs, mystical lyrics, elaborate album art, and live stage sets...
.
Production Notes
- The original concept for this episode, involving UFOs and alien abduction, was one of ten episodes outlines devised for the writers' guide prior to production of 'BreakawayBreakaway (Space: 1999)"Breakaway" is the first episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by George Bellak ; the director was Lee H. Katzin. Previous titles include 'Zero-G', 'The Void Ahead' and 'Turning Point'. The final shooting script is dated 22 November 1973...
'. Whether this original concept was conceived by script editor Edward di LorenzoEdward di LorenzoEdward di Lorenzo is a screenwriter with a cult following among fans of Gerry Anderson's science fiction TV series Space: 1999.He also wrote for series Miami Vice and The Wild Wild West...
or whether he adapted the idea is unclear. The ideas presented in the production bear striking resemblances to di Lorenzo's script writing for Mel WellesMel WellesMel Welles was an American film actor. His best-remembered role may be that of hapless flower shop owner Gravis Mushnik in the 1960 low-budget Roger Corman dark comedy, The Little Shop of Horrors....
' Lady FrankensteinLady FrankensteinLady Frankenstein is a 1971 Italian horror film directed by Mel Welles. It stars Joseph Cotten, Rosalba Neri , Mickey Hargitay and Paul Müller...
, an 1972 attempt to update the FrankensteinFrankensteinFrankenstein; or, The Modern Prometheus is a novel about a failed experiment that produced a monster, written by Mary Shelley, with inserts of poems by Percy Bysshe Shelley. Shelley started writing the story when she was eighteen, and the novel was published when she was twenty-one. The first...
myth by adding issues related to gender, ecology and power/knowledge. (Many themes from this movie were reworked into 'Ring Around The Moon' and his subsequent stories for the series 'Missing LinkMissing Link (Space: 1999)"Missing Link" is the seventh episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Edward di Lorenzo; the director was Ray Austin. The final shooting script is dated 5 April 1974...
' and 'Alpha Child'.)
- In the original script, the planet name was Uralt (German for 'ancient'), not Triton. As the theme of the episode is the foundation of science and whether the human condition can be understood from the point of rationality alone, it seems somewhat unclear why they changed from Uralt to Triton. In early drafts, Chief Engineer Smith (or Smitty, as introduced in 'Black Sun') is a minor character. He does not appear in the final shooting script, although there is a reference to a Chief Engineer Anderson, which may be an internal joke referring to 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"....
's obsession with technical issues.
- In general, the story seems to be about the relationship between power and knowledge, and, to a large extent, appears to be a visualization of some of Michel FoucaultMichel FoucaultMichel Foucault , born Paul-Michel Foucault , was a French philosopher, social theorist and historian of ideas...
's main writings. The story has a strong visual style with vivid colour and abstract light effects. Some have compared the visual style to the German Expressionist cinema, others have found parallels in the French and Eastern European Theatre of the AbsurdTheatre of the AbsurdThe Theatre of the Absurd is a designation for particular plays of absurdist fiction, written by a number of primarily European playwrights in the late 1940s, 1950s, and 1960s, as well as to the style of theatre which has evolved from their work...
. A preproduction painting by Keith Wilson shows a strong 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
influence. From a visual point of view, the episode could perhaps be seen as a paraphrase over the final third of 2001, consisting of the psychedelic "journey through time" sequence and the study of the astronauts M. C. EscherM. C. EscherMaurits Cornelis Escher , usually referred to as M. C. Escher , was a Dutch graphic artist. He is known for his often mathematically inspired woodcuts, lithographs, and mezzotints...
-like reflections on his own self-image.
- Ray Austin made his debut as a director on Space: 1999 with this episode. Probably due to having been a stuntman and stunt coordinator before taking up direction, his approach on this particular episode and all later episodes of Space: 1999 has a very clear physical presence. The episode is extremely visual with a lot of movement, contrapunctual to the philosophical and cerebral contents of the story. Austin's style of direction has sometimes been compared to that of Alfred HitchcockAlfred HitchcockSir Alfred Joseph Hitchcock, KBE was a British film director and producer. He pioneered many techniques in the suspense and psychological thriller genres. After a successful career in British cinema in both silent films and early talkies, Hitchcock moved to Hollywood...
, and throughout Space: 1999 there are a number of quotes to the master. This particular entry has from time to time been compared with RopeRope (film)Rope is a 1948 American thriller film based on the play Rope by Patrick Hamilton and adapted by Hume Cronyn and Arthur Laurents, directed by Alfred Hitchcock and produced by Sidney Bernstein and Hitchcock as the first of their Transatlantic Pictures productions...
(1948).
Novelisation
The episode was adapted in the first Year One Space: 1999 novel Breakaway by E.C. Tubb, published in 1975. As with most of his work for the series, Tubb took many liberties with the details of this teleplay. The probe's home of Triton was no longer a planet two million light-years from Earth, but the moon of NeptuneNeptune
Neptune is the eighth and farthest planet from the Sun in the Solar System. Named for the Roman god of the sea, it is the fourth-largest planet by diameter and the third largest by mass. Neptune is 17 times the mass of Earth and is slightly more massive than its near-twin Uranus, which is 15 times...
, which in this narrative, had gone missing some few years before 1999. Bergman also creates the anti-gravity shield specifically for the purpose of penetrating the Triton ship's forcefield, having gained the knowledge required to perfect the technique from the atomic-waste explosion earlier in the novel. Having been convinced of the demise of its home, the probe chooses to self-destruct—though not before warning the Alphans of their impending encounter with a black sun.
Response
'Ring Around the Moon' appears to split fans. According to some, 'it is generally regarded as one of the lesser first season episodes'.http://www.space1999.net/~moonbase99/ring.htm Others, however, see it as the ultimate experience in science fiction, similar to Alphaville, 2001: A Space Odyssey2001: A Space Odyssey (film)
2001: A Space Odyssey is a 1968 epic science fiction film produced and directed by Stanley Kubrick, and co-written by Kubrick and Arthur C. Clarke, partially inspired by Clarke's short story The Sentinel...
and Solaris
Solaris (1972 film)
Solaris is a 1972 film adaptation of the novel Solaris , directed by Andrei Tarkovsky. The film is a meditative psychological drama occurring mostly aboard a space station orbiting the fictional planet Solaris. The scientific mission has stalled, because the scientist crew have fallen to...
.
External links
- Space: 1999 - 'Ring Around the Moon' - The Catacombs episode guide
- Space: 1999 - 'Ring Around the Moon' - Moonbase Alpha's Space: 1999 page
- Discussion Group
- "Ring Around The Moon" Episode Review at Andersonic.co.uk
| Last produced: "Black Sun" |
List of Space: 1999 episodes | Next produced: "Earthbound Earthbound (Space: 1999) "Earthbound" is the fifth episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Anthony Terpiloff; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script is undated... " |
| Last transmitted: "The Infernal Machine The Infernal Machine (Space: 1999) "The Infernal Machine" is the twenty-first episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Anthony Terpiloff and Elizabeth Barrows; the director was David Tomblin. The final shooting script is dated 11 December 1974... " |
Next transmitted: "Missing Link Missing Link (Space: 1999) "Missing Link" is the seventh episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Edward di Lorenzo; the director was Ray Austin. The final shooting script is dated 5 April 1974... " |