Sandra Benes
Encyclopedia
Sandra 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
.
, and Moonbase scientist Professor Victor Bergman
. She was also responsible for monitoring telemetry transmitted from the Eagles' on-board computer during survey missions, working in conjunction with Technical Section head David Kano
in data assimilation and assessment duties. In Series Two, her responsibilies were seen to include operation of the Moonbase communications system. The fan-produced Moonbase Alpha Technical Journal would state that Sandra's research-engineer father had invented and perfected a communications device capable of transmitting at 'interstellar-strength'. The use of the interstellar frequency on Alpha is mentioned in first series' episodes 'Collision Course
', 'Death's Other Dominion' and 'Space Brain'
She was portrayed as a capable young woman, sensitive and somewhat shy. In a crisis or stressful situation, cast, crew and fans refer to the Sandra Benes character as the series' 'emotional barometer'; she was the character seen ear-piercingly screaming and even fainting on various occasions.
, Sandra was engaged to be married to Peter Rockwell, a pilot. After the Moon's catastrophic departure from Earth orbit, she was seen in a relationship with an astronaut named Mike Ryan. After his death, she became romantically involved with Main Mission Controller Paul Morrow
. Sandra and Morrow were even seen to be married with two children in an alternative future where the Alphans had returned to settle on a devastated Earth. His unexplained death between Series One and Two affected her greatly, as she does not become involved with another Alphan in Series Two and as seen in the featurette 'Message From Moonbase Alpha'.
The character was originally intended to be of Italian origin (as Gerry Anderson
had agreed with RAI, an Italian production company which provided partial funding for the first series, to feature Italian actors in prominent roles) and would have been named Sandra Sabatini. Merton's subsequent hiring caused American director Lee Katzin to decide that her elfin appearance and exotic accent did not suit the character concept and rechristen the character 'Benes' (after a delicatessen he frequented in the States).
Mid-series, she was persuaded to return by Barbara Bain, who was concerned that upcoming episodes (written to be produced concurrently by dividing the regular cast between them) would not feature any actors from series one. She was also promised an increased role in all subsequent episodes.
The character returned in 'Catacombs of the Moon
' and was now exclusively known as 'Sahn'. (Even her security badge listed her as only 'Sahn'.) The use of the diminutive 'Sahn' caused confusion in some of the episode novelizations, where the authors erroneously made her character male due to misinterpreting this name change as a different character. (An examination of the script for the fifth episode 'Journey to Where
' reveals amended script pages using 'Sahn', indicating the name change had been planned to start in this story had the actress appeared in the episode.)
In the latter episodes of the second series, Sahn was featured more centrally—and demonstrated a never before seen expertise in electronics. In 'The Beta Cloud
', she instructed astronaut Bill Fraser how to construct a high-voltage cable barrier to defend Alpha's Life Support Center against an alien adversary. She also conducted a systems analysis of Alpha's main computer hardware during 'The Seance Spectre
' when searching for a suspected malfunction.
Sahn again disappeared without explanation at the end of Series Two when Zienia Merton departed the series after receiving the offer of a film role and made the (correct) assumption there would be no future for Space: 1999. American actress Alibe Parsons would appear as Sahn's replacement/substitute for the final three episodes playing a Command Center operative named Alibe.
In 1999, Zienia Merton reprised her role of Sandra Benes in a short film entitled "Message From Moonbase Alpha" which premiered on Sept 13th, 1999 (the date of the moon's departure from Earth) at the Space: 1999 Breakaway Convention in Los Angeles; in it she told of how the moonbase's life-support systems were failing after over two decades in interstellar space, and that Moonbase Alpha's personnel had decided to move to a nearby planet, Terra Alpha, and colonize it. The film was intended to provide a final "goodbye" to fans of the series 25 years after it was originally aired.
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...
. She is of Western European/Burmese origin and is in her late twenties. Her role was played by actress Zienia Merton
Zienia Merton
Zienia 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....
.
Character Biography
Sandra Benes' assignment on Moonbase Alpha was that of a senior data analyst attached to the Service Section with a post in Main Mission. Often appearing at command conferences, her role was to assemble and summarize relevant data for the senior staff. In several episodes she summarized the findings of scientific surveys of alien planets for Moonbase Commander John KoenigJohn 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:...
, and Moonbase scientist Professor 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:...
. She was also responsible for monitoring telemetry transmitted from the Eagles' on-board computer during survey missions, working in conjunction with Technical Section head 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:...
in data assimilation and assessment duties. In Series Two, her responsibilies were seen to include operation of the Moonbase communications system. The fan-produced Moonbase Alpha Technical Journal would state that Sandra's research-engineer father had invented and perfected a communications device capable of transmitting at 'interstellar-strength'. The use of the interstellar frequency on Alpha is mentioned in first series' episodes 'Collision Course
Collision Course (Space: 1999)
"Collision Course" is the thirteenth episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Anthony Terpiloff; the director was Ray Austin. The final shooting script is dated 13 August 1974...
', 'Death's Other Dominion' and 'Space Brain'
She was portrayed as a capable young woman, sensitive and somewhat shy. In a crisis or stressful situation, cast, crew and fans refer to the Sandra Benes character as the series' 'emotional barometer'; she was the character seen ear-piercingly screaming and even fainting on various occasions.
Series one
Prior to her tour of duty on Moonbase AlphaMoonbase Alpha
Moonbase Alpha is a fictional moon base and the main setting in the science fiction television series Space: 1999.-Moonbase Alpha:Located in the Moon crater Plato and constructed out of quarried rock and ores, Moonbase Alpha is four kilometres in diameter and extends up to one kilometre in areas...
, Sandra was engaged to be married to Peter Rockwell, a pilot. After the Moon's catastrophic departure from Earth orbit, she was seen in a relationship with an astronaut named Mike Ryan. After his death, she became romantically involved with Main Mission Controller 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....
. Sandra and Morrow were even seen to be married with two children in an alternative future where the Alphans had returned to settle on a devastated Earth. His unexplained death between Series One and Two affected her greatly, as she does not become involved with another Alphan in Series Two and as seen in the featurette 'Message From Moonbase Alpha'.
The character was originally intended to be of Italian origin (as Gerry Anderson
Gerry Anderson
Gerry 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"....
had agreed with RAI, an Italian production company which provided partial funding for the first series, to feature Italian actors in prominent roles) and would have been named Sandra Sabatini. Merton's subsequent hiring caused American director Lee Katzin to decide that her elfin appearance and exotic accent did not suit the character concept and rechristen the character 'Benes' (after a delicatessen he frequented in the States).
Series two
One of few featured characters carried over to the second series, Sandra's character was downgraded in the show and appeared in only half the episodes. In an interview, Zienia Merton revealed that the producers elected to not offer her a contract for the second series. After three episodes, unhappy with her new 'day player' status and reduced participation, she left the show to pursue other interests. For the next several episodes, she was replaced by a new character named Yasko (Japanese actress Yasuko Nagazumi) without explanation.Mid-series, she was persuaded to return by Barbara Bain, who was concerned that upcoming episodes (written to be produced concurrently by dividing the regular cast between them) would not feature any actors from series one. She was also promised an increased role in all subsequent episodes.
The character returned in 'Catacombs of the Moon
Catacombs of the Moon
"Catacombs of the Moon" is the eleventh episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Anthony Terpiloff; the director was Robert Lynn. The original title was 'The Catacombs of the Moon'. The final shooting script is dated 18 May 1976, with amendments dated 26 May, 9...
' and was now exclusively known as 'Sahn'. (Even her security badge listed her as only 'Sahn'.) The use of the diminutive 'Sahn' caused confusion in some of the episode novelizations, where the authors erroneously made her character male due to misinterpreting this name change as a different character. (An examination of the script for the fifth episode 'Journey to Where
Journey to Where
"Journey to Where" is the fifth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Donald James; the director was Tom Clegg. The final shooting script is dated 18 February 1976, with amendments dated 2 March, 4 March, 11 March, 17 March, 18 March, 22 March and 25 March 1976...
' reveals amended script pages using 'Sahn', indicating the name change had been planned to start in this story had the actress appeared in the episode.)
In the latter episodes of the second series, Sahn was featured more centrally—and demonstrated a never before seen expertise in electronics. In 'The Beta Cloud
The Beta Cloud
"The Beta Cloud" is the fourteenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Charles Woodgrove ; the director was Robert Lynn. The final shooting script is dated 11 June 1976...
', she instructed astronaut Bill Fraser how to construct a high-voltage cable barrier to defend Alpha's Life Support Center against an alien adversary. She also conducted a systems analysis of Alpha's main computer hardware during 'The Seance Spectre
The Seance Spectre
"The Seance Spectre" is the twentieth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Donald James; the director was Peter Medak. The original title was 'The Mutiny'. The final shooting script is dated 16 September 1976...
' when searching for a suspected malfunction.
Sahn again disappeared without explanation at the end of Series Two when Zienia Merton departed the series after receiving the offer of a film role and made the (correct) assumption there would be no future for Space: 1999. American actress Alibe Parsons would appear as Sahn's replacement/substitute for the final three episodes playing a Command Center operative named Alibe.
Reprising Sandra
External links
- Space 1999 Cybermuseum - Moonbase Alpha Technical Manual Bio Sandra Benes
- Space 1999 Catacombs - Character Profile Sandra Benes