The Bringers of Wonder, Part One
Encyclopedia
"The Bringers of Wonder, Part One" is the seventeenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999
(and the forty-first overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Terence Feely
; the director was Tom Clegg
. The final shooting script is dated 23 June 1976. Live-action filming took place Wednesday 25 August 1976 through Tuesday 28 September 1976 (with a two-day interruption on 21 and 22 September to film additional material for 'The Beta Cloud'). A day of second-unit filming was completed on Tuesday 30 November 1976 This was the series' only two-part episode.
had been out on a reconnaissance flight to investigate a localised increase in the neutron
count. Now, he is behaving like a drunken adolescent out for a joyride, taking Eagle Ten through a series of dare-devil manoeuvres. Loops and barrel-rolls soon give way to death-defying dives on the Alpha complex.
Bored with this game, the manic Koenig takes off across the lunar surface to begin buzzing the three nuclear-waste domes (Moonbase's atomic-waste repository). Alan Carter
tries to establish a remote link with the ship and discovers its controls are set on manual. Tony Verdeschi
is worried an impact could cause a nuclear explosion, but Maya
informs him that only the introduction of atomic fuel could instigate such an act. Nevertheless, a crash is inevitable and he orders Carter to take nuclear physicists Jack Bartlett and Joe Ehrlich with him on the rescue Eagle.
Koenig pilots the ship in a crash-dive down into the nearest dome. As alarms sound, he comes out of his euphoric state, but not in time to avoid a collision. Trying to level out, he clips a dome with a fuel pod and the Eagle ploughs out of control across the Moon
's surface. Koenig manages to put on his space helmet and seal his suit before losing consciousness. Fuel from the ruptured tank ignites and an inferno rages inside the ship.
Carter lands at the crash site and rescue workers board the burning Eagle. As the physicists confirm there is no radiation leak from the damaged dome, Koenig is rushed back to Alpha and conveyed to Medical straight away. He has severe concussion; Doctor Helena Russell
feels his condition is serious enough to warrant using the Ellendorf quadrographic brain complex, an instrument which takes brain impulses, modifies them electronically and feeds them back into the brain—in essence, a cerebral 'massage'. The device is experimental, but in her professional judgment it is Koenig's only chance of not slipping into deep coma
. If all goes well, he should be conscious by treatment's end.
Long-range sensors pick up an approaching space vessel. Verdeschi wants to confer with Koenig, but is told the treatment will not be complete for another fifteen minutes. Being over 90 million miles distant, Maya states that, even moving at the speed of light
, the ship could not arrive before then. However, instruments show it is exceeding the speed of light and is upon them in minutes. Verdeschi calls for a visual; the ship is an impressive—and familiar—design. It is a Superswift
, an Earth ship designed for interstellar travel. The project was shelved by the World Space Commission as no one could devise a practical faster-than-light
propulsion system—at least as of September 1999
. Tracked by Alpha's laser batteries, the ship comes in for a landing. Contact is made and the visual of its captain shocks Verdeschi—it is his older brother, Guido.
The staff gathers at the travel-tube reception area to greet their rescuers. In addition to the Verdeschi brothers' reunion, Helena embraces Doctor Shaw, her mentor from medical school. Carter welcomes his best mate, astronaut Ken Burdett, while Sandra Benes
rushes into the arms of her fiancé, pilot Peter Rockwell. Ehrlich trades golf
handicaps with his cousin Henry and Bartlett greets his friendly rival, physicist Professor Hunter. As Diana Morris, an old flame of Koenig's (and notorious man-eater) searches the crowd for the Commander, Carter tries to chat up Louisa, who turns out to be Doctor Ben Vincent's fiancée.
The guests put off the Alphans' questions until later and a proper party ensues. Verdeschi introduces Maya to Guido and the brothers engage in a game of verbal one-upmanship. Englishman Bartlett swells with pride when he hears the transluminal drive was developed by researchers at Cambridge—but is disappointed when Hunter the American smugly reveals it was Cambridge
, Massachusetts
. A development of the ion rocket, it can make loops in the space-time continuum; travel time back to Earth, subjectively, is a matter of hours. Guido tells them the Superswift is the advance party; Earth will dispatch proper transport ships to evacuate Moonbase Alpha
. At this, Maya withdraws, uncomfortable at the thought of becoming an outsider among Earth's billions.
Hunter and Rockwell slip away from the party and proceed to the Medical Section. They encounter an orderly, Sandstrom, who suddenly stops in his tracks as if mesmerised by their stares. The man proceeds to the care unit and approaches the brain complex. As he alters its settings, the unconscious Koenig squirms in discomfort.
At the party, Helena is trapped into a conversation with the haughty Diana, who opens with a series of catty remarks. When the topic turns to the doctor's relationship with Koenig, Helena gives as good as she gets. Across the room, Vincent is showing Louisa one of the remote medical relays which allow them to monitor patients from anywhere on the base. He observes Koenig's obvious distress, but Louisa stares into his eyes and he, in a trance-like state, switches off the monitor. When the girl is swept away by Carter, Vincent's head clears. Reactivating the screen, he observes Koenig's condition and dashes from the room.
Koenig is convulsing by the time Vincent reaches Medical. He throws the orderly away from the brain complex, but the man attacks him with manic intensity. A brawl ensues, and the madman is rendered unconscious with a choke-hold. Helena enters in time to sedate the murderous Sandstrom as he recovers and lunges for the helpless patient. The two doctors examine Koenig; fortunately, the treatment cycle had ended and there is no sign of complications. After a few moments, Koenig regains consciousness. Remembering nothing of his wild ride, he questions the cause of the crash and is dismayed to learn it was pilot error.
As he frets over his bout of irrational behaviour, Helena consoles him by relating the arrival of the Superswift. Koenig first thinks she is joking, especially at the mention of the space programme's resident barracuda, Diana Morris. He soon realises she is serious and jumps up and kisses her in celebration. They stroll arm in arm to join the party, but when Koenig catches sight of the Earth visitors, he reacts violently, perceiving them as grotesque alien monsters. The men try to restrain him, but he resists and Helena is forced to stun him into submission.
Koenig is taken back to the care unit and placed in restraints. He is agitated, muttering, trying to formulate a plan of action even though unconscious. When he comes to, Helena and Verdeschi try to convince him that what he sees as aliens are really people from Earth. Helena has brought Shaw to consult on the case, but as he approaches, Koenig psychotically screams for them to get 'that thing' away from him. The more Koenig pleads to be released, the more agitated he becomes and Helena sedates him. Verdeschi wonders if the Ellendorf apparatus could have aggravated his earlier mental instability.
Shaw returns to Command Centre and upbraids Louisa; if she had not lost control of Vincent, Koenig would be dead. She asks why fear him when they could just arrange to control him. Shaw states that, besides Koenig being a strong leader, something has interfered with their ability to control his mind. He is then summoned to the records office. Guido stands outside a glass partition, watching records clerk Clive Kander; the man's mind is resisting him and he requires help. Kander is reviewing recordings of recent events, and when he plays the video of the Earth party's arrival, he reacts with horror...then slips under the mental control of the 'Earth men'. Mesmerised, he locks and jams the door, turns the emergency oxygen
supply full on, and wrecks the video player.
A passing woman also witnesses this act and calls in the emergency. By the time the senior staff are present, Kander is a raving lunatic and tearing the room apart. The rescue team can neither unjam the door nor blast it open with lasers without igniting the oxygen. Maya transforms into a beetle
, crawls through the air-vent, and enters the room. Reverting to normal, the metamorph tries to open the lock, but is attacked by Kander. In self-defence, she changes into an alien animal. Kander recoils and smashes into the commlock panel, shorting it out; the sparks ignite the oxygen and the room is engulfed in flame. Maya escapes unharmed, but Kander is set ablaze and dies from the burns...the secret of what he saw dying with him.
As emergency teams fight the fire, Shaw and Guido take Verdeschi aside. The matter of their return home must be addressed; the Moon's errant trajectory will soon carry them out of range. A three-man pilot ship (also equipped with the light-speed drive) will fly back to Earth and they ask Verdeschi to select an Alphan crew. He draws names at random, but under Guido's influence, he believes Carter, Bartlett and Ehrlich's are those chosen. As preparations for the flight proceed, Koenig comes around. At first, he appears rational to Helena and Verdeschi. He then tries to convince them their Earth friends are hostile, hideous aliens. He fails, every suspicion or inconsistency he raises being blithely dismissed, and he becomes agitated. The announcement of the pilot ship's readiness to launch leads to a more aggressive outburst, and Helena once again sedates him.
The three ecstatic selectees depart and, within a few hours, are in sight of Earth. All Alpha celebrates the end of their incarceration on the runaway Moon. Verdeschi and Maya take a recording of the pilot ship's broadcasts to convince Koenig of the true situation, but are ambushed by Sandstrom (who had been freed earlier by Professor Hunter). As Verdeschi goes down, Maya transforms into a Kendo
warrior and beats the madman into submission with a bamboo shinai
.
During this, the being known as 'Doctor Shaw' enters the care unit. Helena has asked him to examine the unconscious Koenig and see what he can make of his perplexing condition. As he approaches, Koenig awakens and, as before, sees the alien in its true form squelching across the floor—a seven-foot-tall, slime-covered, pulsating heap of protoplasm resembling a Portuguese man o' war
standing erect on its tentacles. He struggles against the restraints as the alien flops across his body and begins to smother the life out of him...
and draws primarily from the scores of 'The Metamorph
' and 'Space Warp
'.
, published in 1977. The author would make the jelly aliens the psychically-synthesised minions of a massive non-corporeal space amoeba (which was also the unseen antagonist in the previous segment 'The Lambda Factor
'). The sentient amoeba was dying and required a massive influx of radiation to rejuvenate itself. It would manipulate the Alphans with the lambda-wave effect to provide the explosion that would be its salvation.
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 forty-first overall episode of the programme). The screenplay was written by Terence Feely
Terence Feely
Terence Feely was a British screenwriter, playwright and author. Though his work has spanned five decades, he is perhaps best remembered as the creator of the groundbreaking ITV drama series The Gentle Touch ....
; the director was Tom Clegg
Tom Clegg (director)
Tom Clegg is a British television and film director. He was born in Lancashire in 1934.-Selected filmography:Television* Special Branch * The Sweeney * A Captain's Tale * Sharpe ...
. The final shooting script is dated 23 June 1976. Live-action filming took place Wednesday 25 August 1976 through Tuesday 28 September 1976 (with a two-day interruption on 21 and 22 September to film additional material for 'The Beta Cloud'). A day of second-unit filming was completed on Tuesday 30 November 1976 This was the series' only two-part episode.
Story
It is 1912 days after leaving Earth orbit, and the routine in Command Centre is suddenly interrupted by a series of whoops and exclamations from the speakers. 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:...
had been out on a reconnaissance flight to investigate a localised increase in the neutron
Neutron
The neutron is a subatomic hadron particle which has the symbol or , no net electric charge and a mass slightly larger than that of a proton. With the exception of hydrogen, nuclei of atoms consist of protons and neutrons, which are therefore collectively referred to as nucleons. The number of...
count. Now, he is behaving like a drunken adolescent out for a joyride, taking Eagle Ten through a series of dare-devil manoeuvres. Loops and barrel-rolls soon give way to death-defying dives on the Alpha complex.
Bored with this game, the manic Koenig takes off across the lunar surface to begin buzzing the three nuclear-waste domes (Moonbase's atomic-waste repository). 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:...
tries to establish a remote link with the ship and discovers its controls are set on manual. 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....
is worried an impact could cause a nuclear explosion, but 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'...
informs him that only the introduction of atomic fuel could instigate such an act. Nevertheless, a crash is inevitable and he orders Carter to take nuclear physicists Jack Bartlett and Joe Ehrlich with him on the rescue Eagle.
Koenig pilots the ship in a crash-dive down into the nearest dome. As alarms sound, he comes out of his euphoric state, but not in time to avoid a collision. Trying to level out, he clips a dome with a fuel pod and the Eagle ploughs out of control across the Moon
Moon
The Moon is Earth's only known natural satellite,There are a number of near-Earth asteroids including 3753 Cruithne that are co-orbital with Earth: their orbits bring them close to Earth for periods of time but then alter in the long term . These are quasi-satellites and not true moons. For more...
's surface. Koenig manages to put on his space helmet and seal his suit before losing consciousness. Fuel from the ruptured tank ignites and an inferno rages inside the ship.
Carter lands at the crash site and rescue workers board the burning Eagle. As the physicists confirm there is no radiation leak from the damaged dome, Koenig is rushed back to Alpha and conveyed to Medical straight away. He has severe concussion; Doctor 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....
feels his condition is serious enough to warrant using the Ellendorf quadrographic brain complex, an instrument which takes brain impulses, modifies them electronically and feeds them back into the brain—in essence, a cerebral 'massage'. The device is experimental, but in her professional judgment it is Koenig's only chance of not slipping into deep coma
Coma
In medicine, a coma is a state of unconsciousness, lasting more than 6 hours in which a person cannot be awakened, fails to respond normally to painful stimuli, light or sound, lacks a normal sleep-wake cycle and does not initiate voluntary actions. A person in a state of coma is described as...
. If all goes well, he should be conscious by treatment's end.
Long-range sensors pick up an approaching space vessel. Verdeschi wants to confer with Koenig, but is told the treatment will not be complete for another fifteen minutes. Being over 90 million miles distant, Maya states that, even moving at the speed of light
Speed of light
The speed of light in vacuum, usually denoted by c, is a physical constant important in many areas of physics. Its value is 299,792,458 metres per second, a figure that is exact since the length of the metre is defined from this constant and the international standard for time...
, the ship could not arrive before then. However, instruments show it is exceeding the speed of light and is upon them in minutes. Verdeschi calls for a visual; the ship is an impressive—and familiar—design. It is a Superswift
Super swift
The Super Swift is a fictional spacecraft in the Space: 1999 TV series. Brian Johnson's design is clearly influenced by 2001: A Space Odyssey; in turn, it influenced Star Wars and later science fiction.-Spacecraft Background:...
, an Earth ship designed for interstellar travel. The project was shelved by the World Space Commission as no one could devise a practical faster-than-light
Faster-than-light
Faster-than-light communications and travel refer to the propagation of information or matter faster than the speed of light....
propulsion system—at least as of September 1999
Breakaway (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...
. Tracked by Alpha's laser batteries, the ship comes in for a landing. Contact is made and the visual of its captain shocks Verdeschi—it is his older brother, Guido.
The staff gathers at the travel-tube reception area to greet their rescuers. In addition to the Verdeschi brothers' reunion, Helena embraces Doctor Shaw, her mentor from medical school. Carter welcomes his best mate, astronaut Ken Burdett, while Sandra Benes
Sandra Benes
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.-Character Biography:...
rushes into the arms of her fiancé, pilot Peter Rockwell. Ehrlich trades golf
Golf
Golf is a precision club and ball sport, in which competing players use many types of clubs to hit balls into a series of holes on a golf course using the fewest number of strokes....
handicaps with his cousin Henry and Bartlett greets his friendly rival, physicist Professor Hunter. As Diana Morris, an old flame of Koenig's (and notorious man-eater) searches the crowd for the Commander, Carter tries to chat up Louisa, who turns out to be Doctor Ben Vincent's fiancée.
The guests put off the Alphans' questions until later and a proper party ensues. Verdeschi introduces Maya to Guido and the brothers engage in a game of verbal one-upmanship. Englishman Bartlett swells with pride when he hears the transluminal drive was developed by researchers at Cambridge—but is disappointed when Hunter the American smugly reveals it was Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. A development of the ion rocket, it can make loops in the space-time continuum; travel time back to Earth, subjectively, is a matter of hours. Guido tells them the Superswift is the advance party; Earth will dispatch proper transport ships to evacuate Moonbase Alpha
Moonbase 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...
. At this, Maya withdraws, uncomfortable at the thought of becoming an outsider among Earth's billions.
Hunter and Rockwell slip away from the party and proceed to the Medical Section. They encounter an orderly, Sandstrom, who suddenly stops in his tracks as if mesmerised by their stares. The man proceeds to the care unit and approaches the brain complex. As he alters its settings, the unconscious Koenig squirms in discomfort.
At the party, Helena is trapped into a conversation with the haughty Diana, who opens with a series of catty remarks. When the topic turns to the doctor's relationship with Koenig, Helena gives as good as she gets. Across the room, Vincent is showing Louisa one of the remote medical relays which allow them to monitor patients from anywhere on the base. He observes Koenig's obvious distress, but Louisa stares into his eyes and he, in a trance-like state, switches off the monitor. When the girl is swept away by Carter, Vincent's head clears. Reactivating the screen, he observes Koenig's condition and dashes from the room.
Koenig is convulsing by the time Vincent reaches Medical. He throws the orderly away from the brain complex, but the man attacks him with manic intensity. A brawl ensues, and the madman is rendered unconscious with a choke-hold. Helena enters in time to sedate the murderous Sandstrom as he recovers and lunges for the helpless patient. The two doctors examine Koenig; fortunately, the treatment cycle had ended and there is no sign of complications. After a few moments, Koenig regains consciousness. Remembering nothing of his wild ride, he questions the cause of the crash and is dismayed to learn it was pilot error.
As he frets over his bout of irrational behaviour, Helena consoles him by relating the arrival of the Superswift. Koenig first thinks she is joking, especially at the mention of the space programme's resident barracuda, Diana Morris. He soon realises she is serious and jumps up and kisses her in celebration. They stroll arm in arm to join the party, but when Koenig catches sight of the Earth visitors, he reacts violently, perceiving them as grotesque alien monsters. The men try to restrain him, but he resists and Helena is forced to stun him into submission.
Koenig is taken back to the care unit and placed in restraints. He is agitated, muttering, trying to formulate a plan of action even though unconscious. When he comes to, Helena and Verdeschi try to convince him that what he sees as aliens are really people from Earth. Helena has brought Shaw to consult on the case, but as he approaches, Koenig psychotically screams for them to get 'that thing' away from him. The more Koenig pleads to be released, the more agitated he becomes and Helena sedates him. Verdeschi wonders if the Ellendorf apparatus could have aggravated his earlier mental instability.
Shaw returns to Command Centre and upbraids Louisa; if she had not lost control of Vincent, Koenig would be dead. She asks why fear him when they could just arrange to control him. Shaw states that, besides Koenig being a strong leader, something has interfered with their ability to control his mind. He is then summoned to the records office. Guido stands outside a glass partition, watching records clerk Clive Kander; the man's mind is resisting him and he requires help. Kander is reviewing recordings of recent events, and when he plays the video of the Earth party's arrival, he reacts with horror...then slips under the mental control of the 'Earth men'. Mesmerised, he locks and jams the door, turns the emergency oxygen
Oxygen
Oxygen is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O. Its name derives from the Greek roots ὀξύς and -γενής , because at the time of naming, it was mistakenly thought that all acids required oxygen in their composition...
supply full on, and wrecks the video player.
A passing woman also witnesses this act and calls in the emergency. By the time the senior staff are present, Kander is a raving lunatic and tearing the room apart. The rescue team can neither unjam the door nor blast it open with lasers without igniting the oxygen. Maya transforms into a beetle
Beetle
Coleoptera is an order of insects commonly called beetles. The word "coleoptera" is from the Greek , koleos, "sheath"; and , pteron, "wing", thus "sheathed wing". Coleoptera contains more species than any other order, constituting almost 25% of all known life-forms...
, crawls through the air-vent, and enters the room. Reverting to normal, the metamorph tries to open the lock, but is attacked by Kander. In self-defence, she changes into an alien animal. Kander recoils and smashes into the commlock panel, shorting it out; the sparks ignite the oxygen and the room is engulfed in flame. Maya escapes unharmed, but Kander is set ablaze and dies from the burns...the secret of what he saw dying with him.
As emergency teams fight the fire, Shaw and Guido take Verdeschi aside. The matter of their return home must be addressed; the Moon's errant trajectory will soon carry them out of range. A three-man pilot ship (also equipped with the light-speed drive) will fly back to Earth and they ask Verdeschi to select an Alphan crew. He draws names at random, but under Guido's influence, he believes Carter, Bartlett and Ehrlich's are those chosen. As preparations for the flight proceed, Koenig comes around. At first, he appears rational to Helena and Verdeschi. He then tries to convince them their Earth friends are hostile, hideous aliens. He fails, every suspicion or inconsistency he raises being blithely dismissed, and he becomes agitated. The announcement of the pilot ship's readiness to launch leads to a more aggressive outburst, and Helena once again sedates him.
The three ecstatic selectees depart and, within a few hours, are in sight of Earth. All Alpha celebrates the end of their incarceration on the runaway Moon. Verdeschi and Maya take a recording of the pilot ship's broadcasts to convince Koenig of the true situation, but are ambushed by Sandstrom (who had been freed earlier by Professor Hunter). As Verdeschi goes down, Maya transforms into a Kendo
Kendo
, meaning "Way of The Sword", is a modern Japanese martial art of sword-fighting based on traditional Japanese swordsmanship, or kenjutsu.Kendo is a physically and mentally challenging activity that combines strong martial arts values with sport-like physical elements.-Practitioners:Practitioners...
warrior and beats the madman into submission with a bamboo shinai
Shinai
is a weapon used for practice and competition in kendo representing a Japanese sword. Shinai are also used in other martial arts, but may be styled differently from kendo shinai, and represented with different characters....
.
During this, the being known as 'Doctor Shaw' enters the care unit. Helena has asked him to examine the unconscious Koenig and see what he can make of his perplexing condition. As he approaches, Koenig awakens and, as before, sees the alien in its true form squelching across the floor—a seven-foot-tall, slime-covered, pulsating heap of protoplasm resembling a Portuguese man o' war
Portuguese Man o' War
The Portuguese Man o' War , also known as the Portuguese man-of-war, man-of-war, or bluebottle, is a jelly-like marine invertebrate of the family Physaliidae...
standing erect on its tentacles. He struggles against the restraints as the alien flops across his body and begins to smother the life out of him...
Starring
- Martin LandauMartin LandauMartin Landau is an American film and television actor. Landau began his career in the 1950s. His early films include a supporting role in Alfred Hitchcock's North by Northwest . He played continuing roles in the television series Mission: Impossible and Space:1999...
— Commander John KoenigJohn KoenigJohn Koenig is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. He was played by Martin Landau. He is American, apparently in his early forties.-Character Biography:... - Barbara BainBarbara BainMillicent Fogel , known professionally as Barbara Bain, is an American actress.-Early life:Bain was born in Chicago. She graduated from the University of Illinois with a bachelor's degree in sociology. She moved to New York City, where she was a dancer and high fashion model. Bain studied with...
— Doctor Helena RussellHelena RussellHelena Russell is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. She was played by Barbara Bain. She is American and apparently in her mid-thirties....
Featuring
- Tony AnholtTony AnholtAnthony "Tony" Anholt was a British actor best known for his roles as Security Chief Tony Verdeschi in the second season of Gerry Anderson's television series Space: 1999 , Paul Buchet in The Protectors and as Charles Frere in the highly-successful BBC drama series Howards' Way .Anholt was...
— Tony VerdeschiTony VerdeschiTony Verdeschi is a fictional character who first appeared in the second series of the science fiction television series Space: 1999. He is in his early thirties.... - Nick TateNick TateNicholas John "Nick" Tate is an Australian actor best known for his role as Eagle pilot Alan Carter in both seasons of the 1970s science fiction television series Space: 1999, as well as for playing the role of Gordon Hamilton's errant brother James in the 1980's soap opera "Sons and...
— Captain Alan CarterAlan Carter (Space 1999)Alan Carter is a fictional character from the television series Space: 1999. He was played by Nick Tate. He is of Australian origin and is in his early thirties.-Character biography:... - 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:... - Jeffery Kissoon — Doctor Ben Vincent
Guest stars
- Toby RobinsToby RobinsToby Robins was a Canadian actress of film, stage and television.Toby Robins starred in hundreds of radio and stage productions in Canada from the late 1940s through the 1960s, working with such stars as Jane Mallett, Barry Morse, John Drainie, Ruth Springford, James Doohan, and many others...
— Diana Morris - Stuart DamonStuart DamonStuart Damon is an American actor. He is known for thirty years of portraying the character Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera General Hospital, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999....
— Captain Guido Verdeschi - Jeremy YoungJeremy YoungJeremy Young is a British actor, born in 1934.He has numerous television credits, including Doctor Who , No Hiding Place, Adam Adamant Lives!, The Avengers, The Saint, Department S, Randall and Hopkirk , Dixon of Dock Green, Z-Cars, Softly,...
— Jack Bartlett - Drewe HenleyDrewe HenleyDrewe Henley is a British actor. He had a variety of roles in film, television and theatre including as Red X-Wing Squadron Leader Garven Dreis in Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope. He retired from acting due to manic depression, from which he has since recovered...
— Joe Ehrlich - Patrick Westwood — Doctor Shaw
- Cher Cameron — Louisa
Also featuring
- Al Lampert — Ken Burdett
- Billy J. Mitchell — Professor Hunter
- Earl Robinson — Sandstrom
- Robert Sheedy — Peter Rockwell
- Albin Pahernik — Maya/Lizard Animal (Command Centre)
Uncredited artists
- Nick Hobbs — Clive Kander
- Glenda Allen — Female Operative
- Robert Reeves — Peter
- Okimitsu Fujii — Maya/Kendo Warrior
- Roy Scammell — Maya/Alien Animal (Records Lab)
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 'Space Warp
Space Warp
Space Warp is a fixed shooter arcade game released by Century in 1983.-Gameplay:The game begin with one single shot ship and by destroying various enemy, it is possible to dock with other ships , until a maximum of 3 docked ships obtaining improved fire ratio....
'.
Production notes
- On the strength of his first script, 'New Adam, New EveNew 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...
', 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"....
and Fred FreibergerFred FreibergerFred Freiberger was an American film and television screenwriter and television producer, with a career spanning four decades including The Beast from 20,000 Fathoms, Star Trek, and Space: 1999...
commissioned a second submission from writer Terence FeelyTerence FeelyTerence Feely was a British screenwriter, playwright and author. Though his work has spanned five decades, he is perhaps best remembered as the creator of the groundbreaking ITV drama series The Gentle Touch ....
. Pleased with his treatment (entitled 'The Globs'), the decision was made to expand the story into a two-part episode. Freiberger planned these episodes to have the same grand scale achieved by the first series on his limited budget. Amortizing costs over two segments allowed for a large guest cast and more expansive sets. During live-action shooting, Feely went away on holiday for a month. On his return, he was unhappy to learn that Freiberger had heavily re-written his scripts. The change he most objected to involved the early revelation of the aliens. In his version, he had hidden their true appearance until the final scenes of part one, when the 'Doctor Shaw' jelly being moves in to kill Koenig. He had wanted the audience to believe Koenig really might be insane.
- A character moment for Helena was cut for time in which she reminisces with Doctor Shaw how the first patient she lost was her father, who had died of a massive heart attackMyocardial infarctionMyocardial infarction or acute myocardial infarction , commonly known as a heart attack, results from the interruption of blood supply to a part of the heart, causing heart cells to die...
in their home while she was still in medical school. The epilogue scene where Maya and Verdeschi were attacked by Sandstrom was altered for budgetary and logistical reasons. In the 23 June 1976 draft, Maya would transform into a python to subdue the crazed orderly; by 24 August 1976, amendments had Maya changing into a Kendo warrior instead.
- Attentive viewers will recognise actor Stuart DamonStuart DamonStuart Damon is an American actor. He is known for thirty years of portraying the character Dr. Alan Quartermaine on the American soap opera General Hospital, for which he won an Emmy Award in 1999....
from his previous appearance in the first-series episode 'Matter of Life and DeathMatter of Life and Death (Space: 1999)"Matter of Life and Death" is the second episode of the first series of Space: 1999. The screenplay was written by Art Wallace and Johnny Byrne; the director was Charles Crichton. The original title was 'Siren Planet'. The final shooting script is dated 8 January 1974...
', where he played Parks, the unfortunate survey-mission pilot. Costumes, props and sets re-used in this episode include: (1) The blue lizard animal Maya transforms into when angered by Diana Morris was a re-painted version of the Kreno animal, previously seen in 'The AB Chrysalis' and 'The Beta CloudThe 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...
'; (2) The Ellendorf brain-complex prop was a re-vamped version of the Dorfman artificial-heart test machine from 'Catacombs of the MoonCatacombs 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...
'; (3) The nuclear-waste domes were cannibalised from the spherical towers seen in 'The AB Chrysalis'; (4) The interior of the pilot ship was originally seen in the earlier Gerry and Sylvia AndersonSylvia AndersonSylvia 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....
production UFOUFO (TV series)UFO is a 1970-1971 British television science fiction series about an alien invasion of Earth, created by Gerry Anderson and Sylvia Anderson with Reg Hill, and produced by the Andersons and Lew Grade's Century 21 Productions for Grade's ITC Entertainment company.UFO first aired in the UK and Canada...
as various ShadAir transport planes.
Novelisation
The episode was adapted in the fourth Year Two Space: 1999 novel The Psychomorph by Michael ButterworthMichael Butterworth
Michael Butterworth is a British author and publisher who has written many novels and short stories, particularly in the genre of science fiction...
, published in 1977. The author would make the jelly aliens the psychically-synthesised minions of a massive non-corporeal space amoeba (which was also the unseen antagonist in the previous segment 'The Lambda Factor
The Lambda Factor
"The Lambda Factor" is the nineteenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Terrance Dicks; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script is dated 6 August 1976, with amendments dated 2 September, 15 September, 27 September, 28 September, 29...
'). The sentient amoeba was dying and required a massive influx of radiation to rejuvenate itself. It would manipulate the Alphans with the lambda-wave effect to provide the explosion that would be its salvation.
External links
- Space: 1999 - 'The Bringers of Wonder, Part One' - The Catacombs episode guide
- Space: 1999 - 'The Bringers of Wonder, Part One' - Moonbase Alpha's Space: 1999 page
| Last produced: "A Matter of Balance" |
List of Space: 1999 episodes | Next produced: "The Bringers of Wonder, Part Two The Bringers of Wonder, Part Two "The Bringers of Wonder, Part Two" is the eighteenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Terence Feely; the director was Tom Clegg. The final shooting script is dated 23 June 1976... " |
| Last transmitted: "The Lambda Factor The Lambda Factor "The Lambda Factor" is the nineteenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Terrance Dicks; the director was Charles Crichton. The final shooting script is dated 6 August 1976, with amendments dated 2 September, 15 September, 27 September, 28 September, 29... " |
Next transmitted: "The Bringers of Wonder, Part Two The Bringers of Wonder, Part Two "The Bringers of Wonder, Part Two" is the eighteenth episode of the second series of Space: 1999 . The screenplay was written by Terence Feely; the director was Tom Clegg. The final shooting script is dated 23 June 1976... " |