IT’S OOPS PARTY OVER OUT OF TIME FOR MOONBASE ALPHA

BY ALAN BIEGEL

On September 13, 1999, the 311 crew members of Moonbase Alpha began a wildly unexpected journey when a stockpile of nuclear waste exploded, hurling the moon out of its orbit and into the far reaches of space. Stranded and unable to return to Earth, the reluctant astro-inhabitants must try to survive as they search the cosmos for a new home.

Airing first-run 1975-1977, this British sci-fi television series ran for two action-packed seasons. A product of Sylvia and Gerry Anderson (Supercar, FireballXL, Thunderbirds), the live-action SPACE: 1999 drew inspiration from another Anderson show, UFO. SPACE: 1999 starred American real-life husband and wife, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, both of Mission Impossible. The series also featured Barry Morse, better known as relentless police lieutenant, Philip Girard, on The Fugitive. A plethora of guest stars included such genre notables as Christopher Lee, Peter Cushing and David Prowse.