So did the aliens in this episode ever reach Earth? The Earth of "Journey to Where" is 121 years in the future wheras Zantor and his people were supposed to reach the planet after 75, but the people of Earth in "Journey to Where" don't mention anything about their arrival.

At the end of the episode Simmons looks at the time readout on his commlock and sees that only a few hours have passed. This is how he figures out his suspended animation didn't work. But assuming the commlock still functioned throughout seventy-five years, it would still display some lunar time. Since no years or days readout appears on the display, how does Simmons know that seventy-five years haven't passed just by looking at it?

You mean the entire life support system of the base is contained in one tiny piece of machinery that has no back-up?

So you've just overthrown a moonbase and taken an alien hostage. Now you're going on a 75 year ride with this alien, who no doubt will remember what a slime-ball you are when y'all wake up. So before you get into the glass snooze chamber, you PUT YOUR STUN GUN ON THE SHELF???? Hello? You stoooooo-pid! (And check out the aliens behind Simmonds when he freaks out -- one of them sits up and the other turns to look at him. And these are the folks in suspended animation...yearite!)....I know, minor nits. This is actually one of my favorite episodes.

Also something that always cracked me up...when the alien snooze chamber goes up in smoke after Helena tries to open it, and Koenig grabs her and pulls her away, Martin Landau inadvertently (I guess) grabs his wife right by the uhmmm... how shall I put it? The "chest" section of her space suit. Tsk tsk...shame on you Marty, feeling up Babs on national TV! No wonder my parents wouldn't let me sit up and watch this show when I was a kid! :)

The reason that this episode didn't appear in the novelizations was that in the "Breakaway" novelization it was mentioned that Simmonds was killed during the breakaway.

It was mentioned that Simmonds was killed in the 'Alien Attack' compilation tapes as well. Wonder why that was done.

Tonight on Fox! When Aliens Attack! Sorry, couldn't resist that one

To take BarbF's point about the life support being in one tiny piece of machinery. We've discussed before the idea that Alpha beefed up its defenses for the second season (laser cannon, more armed eagles, etc), but how come they never corrected this one flaw.

Verdeschi needed the parts for his still, so he could perfect his home-made beer.

Simmonds was probably "killed" in Alien Attack because the editor/producer/whoever realized the character didn't appear in "War Games" (the second half of Alien Attack) and didn't want first-time viewers wondering where he went.

What a waste of parts, considering he never perfected his beer. Maybe Alan used it as Eagle fuel, then it would at least serve some useful purpose.

So what is Simmonds position in the chain of command? In Breakaway it is hinted that he has a superior or at the very least equal rank on Alpha to Koenig.

I think basically he's a nobody since the Moon broke out of orbit. While they were in orbit, he was Koenig's superior, but as he says in the episode now he "has no place on Alpha, no function." Obviously that lack of authority is a bug in his butt, since he takes every opportunity to annoy Koenig. I like the way Koenig puts him in his place in this episode.

So you mean its basically the same as some part of the government ordering the armed forces. He has no 'rank' as such, but has the authority, but when the moon was blown out of orbit, the body to which Simmonds was answerable to had no means of cimmunication, so therefore he had no real authority.

Has anyone considered the effect on the
series if Alpha had thwarted Simmond's
efforts in ths episode and kept him around as
a recurring guest star? If he could be
something more than just 1999's version of
Dr. Smith, there mainly to get in trouble and
monkey-wrench the Alphan's plans, it might've
been nice to have Roy Dotrice as an
occasional player.

This is the only episode in the series where the aliens are entirely benevolent and take no violent action against the Alphans. Even the otherwise friendly aliens in "Dorzak" stun Maya when they first see her.

Note how the two Eagles initially sent out to intercept the ship both have the striped pods of a Rescue Eagle. Most odd.

Simmonds' Machiavellian character is totally summed up with his "I didn't get this far by doing what was right, but what was necessary" line. Its a continuation of his attitude in "Breakaway," where its obvious that he has no real concern for the crew of Alpha, only getting the Meta Probe launched.

I wonder where Alpha's arms locker is? Obviously Simmonds would have no trouble getting into it with Koenig's commlock, but several later episodes seem to indicate its not very well locked, as several times troublemakers get their hands on sidearms.

It would be interesting to know who decided that all the aliens should be tall. This and the simple costumes and makeup work very well at making Zantor and his crew look alien without resorting to cheap rubber appliances. It must have made for interesting casting tho'.

I couldn't help but smirk when Zantor hits on Helena. He may be an alien but he also apparently has an eye for the ladies.

The music that plays during the last shot of the alien ship flying off is too positive sounding given what happens to Simmonds. Apparently this was scored before Barry Gray wrote the haunting "Flowers For Helena" that ends "Another Time, Another Place," and which became the standard "tragic/sad ending music" for year one.

I forgot a nit. At the beginning Simmonds is badgering Koenig about finding a way to return to Earth. You'd think that someone would point out to Simmonds that due to going thru the "Black Sun" they are untold light years from Earth and don't have the technology to get back.

I should also note that, intentional or not, the episode presents a subtle argument against xenophobia. After its not "those foreigners with their strange ways and customs" that threaten Alpha, its one of their own.

At the end of the episode, when Simmonds is thrashing about in his glass tomb, isn't there a gap between the top of the cubicle and the side walls?

In response to MD, Hartlepool...

Maybe someone decided having an actual airtight chamber would be a LITTLE uncomfortable for the actor inside, even though it would have made the asphyxiation scene even more realistic than it was! (Just kidding!)

Its interesting to contrast the spaceflight technologies used by the various aliens in the series. The aliens in this episode seem to be rather close to Earth in spacecraft technology, as their space journey will take another 75 years. On the other hand the Sidons in "Voyager's Return" must have some sort of hyperspace drive or similar technology, as they intend to blow up Alpha and then attack Earth in short order. And the Darians in "Mission of the Darians" have been in flight for almost a thousand years.

I must admit, that even though the effects and sets are fairly basic inside Zantors ship, the sheer effect given over as Koenig realises what has happened to Simmonds is still convincing. You can't help but feel a tiny bit of pity for him.

Simmonds made his ruthless intentions for the Kaldorian ship quite clear to Cmdr. Koenig, and this doesn't tip him off enough to put a leash or at least a guard on Simmonds? And why must the final descision on who goes be left to the computer? This is the defenition of a no-brainer.
The obvious descision is for Koenig to stuff Simmonds in a mailsack and send him on his way!

I would imagine decision is left to the computer so that there can be no accusation of bias.
However, data inputted to computer could alter the chance of him being picked.
I had to love the ironic ending.

I love the scene in this episode where Koenig finds out Russell has been put in the sleep chamber. He acts like he's going to rip someone's head off, then depressed when he returns to the base. Then when she wakes up, the tenderness written on his face. I don't know why they didn't develop the relationship more in Season I instead of having them suddenly become romantically involved in Season II.

It is hard to reconcile the flight of the alien ship with the Black Sun episode. It's taken them 350 years to reach the Moon, yet they catch up with it shortly after Black Sun sent the Moon to the other side of the Universe. Now it will take only 75 years to cross the Universe back to Earth.

The only way I can make this work is if the alien ship followed the Moon through the Black Sun, and somehow plans to retrace its path back through the space warp.

Earlier there was the question of how Simmonds knows that only a few hours have passed, when his commlock doesn't show the date. I have a theory.

Maybe the commlock receives the current time by radio. (My VCR receives the time from the TV signal, so I don't need to adjust it.) The fact that the display says "Lunar Time" (rather than "Local Time" or "Earth Time") may tell Simmonds that he is still in range of Alpha's time signal.

Lunar time: Good one, Sophie!

I feel bad for Koenig in the middle of this ep.

When he leaves the spaceship and lets Helena begin her tests on the stasis chamber, we see him wander all the way back to Main Mission.

Then Victor comes on, and has him come all the way back to the spaceship to see Helena. Then, once he's seen her and realised theres nothing he can do, he heads back to Main Mission.

And what happens? As soon as he gets there, Mathias calls him straight back to the spaceship!

An oddity for me is why Alan left the Eagle pod attached to the alien ship. Why did he have to leave? He's stranding Koenig, Helena and Victor with unknown aliens.
And speaking of Victor, poor Barry Morse; he's present in so many scenes, but he has virtually no lines.
I guess the prducers felt that they had to deal with Simmonds quickly; comparisons with Dr.Smith wanting to get back to Earth, too, would have been too obvious week in and week out.
It's too bad the Kaldorian ship flies and lands the way it does. It looks too much like a model on a single string, tossed this way and that.
When the aliens awaken and confront Koenig and crew, why did Koenig and the others just stare and say nothing? Not even a 'We come in peace' from any of them. Amazing that Zantor and the others didn't mistrust them.
Loved the way that Simmonds tosses his valuable present (the egg) in his hands, not giving a krap how special it is to the Kaldorians. He tosses it from hand to hand like a worthless baseball destined for the garbage can.

Supposedly Roy Dotrice asked for Commissioner Simmonds to be written out, not wanting to play the character again.

I liked the writer's take on suspended animation. He shows an awareness of the fact that freezing isn't a viable technique for suspended animation ( it causes significant cellular damage) and presents an alternative. Most other shows ignore this fact.

Based on an idea by Curious on the Sink 1999 2 board, here's my list of improved effects for "Earthbound"... there really aren't a whole lot of effects that need it in this ep!
The Kaldoran Sleeper Ship changes spin direction from one shot to the next; I'd make the spin consistent, flopping (reversing) one of the two shots.
I really like the look of the Rescue Eagle's extendable docking tube, with its vacuum seal on the end. Too bad later eps didn't use the same type of tube. As for where it extends from (since the inside of the module doesn't allow for it), perhaps a minor CGI enhancement could make it look like it telescopes outward, like old style hand telescopes whose segments retract into each other. This assumes that the tube (retracted or not) is affixed to the exterior of the Eagle module; any in-flight shots of that side of the Eagle would have to show the retracted tube in position.
After Carter departs without the module, a long-distance shot shows that the docking tube doesn't line up with the Sleeper Ship hatch.
Simmonds' commlock clock should show a date as well as Lunar time, but I suspect it doesn't in the actual ep to allow for ITC's "show episodes in any order" edict.
The two Kaldorans that move just at the end of Simmonds' demise need to be fixed; I wouldn't cut the scene shorter, though, as the music and Simmonds' voice would be noticeably chopped off.
That's all I've got for this one.

About that extendable docking tube; it should have been used again in "Gaurdian of Piri". The retractable (rubber?) tube in "Earthbound" was much more believable than the 'metallic' looking one in "Gaurdian of Piri".
Ken Scott points out in his ep guide for Earthbound that the Eagle pod is too low to properly dock with the Caldorian ship. The legs on the Eagle pod should have extended upward.

The interior set for both tubes looks too substantial, as if it was a permanent connection back on Alpha.

Saw the episode last night. Pretty good.

As MD, Hartlepool mentioned, yes there was a gap in Simmonds glass casing. Simmonds got what he deserved.

Also, the effects were a little low budget. My wife and I laughed when we watched the alien ship take off at the end. It looks a little jerky, like someone pulled on the string wrong. And my wife said as they went into the alien ship for the first time "Look, a ship full of plastic sheets." She never saw the series growing up, so she is seeing the episodes for the first time. I'm trying to show her how cool the show was.

I forgot about the Eagles being able to drop off their modules and leave. Very cool. I had the metal toy model of the Eagle and it could remove the modules, but I forgot this this was shown in the show.

Helena can actually smile! Wow,

Simmonds wasn't much different from Mr. Lantz, the guy who negotiated Earth's peace treaty with the Centauri on Babylon 5. So it looks like Simmonds got back to Earth and changed his name. (I know, same actor).

The effects looked a little cheap when the alien ship landed on the moon also. It wobbled a bit and the wires supporting it were visible.

Any production quibbles aside, this is an intelligently written episode and Christopher Lee is superb in it. Although it isn't a sophisticated effect, I always thought the scenes where Helena was in suspension with that glowing halo above her had an eerie quality to them...maybe, it was the sound effects that gave it that otherworldly quality!

The "tent" drapery ceiling on Zantor's ship looked oddly out of place on a space ship. I guess it was a cheap solution to providing a ceiling to the ship. In "The Dorcons" a ceiling is very obviously missing. Couldn't they have brought back that drapery one more time (Taybor's ship, the Emporium, also has a drapery ceiling).

Keith Wilson's designs for the Alphan sets and costumes were just right for the series but his alien designs always seemed lacking to me, too many drapes, glittery fabrics and makeup, lit through rotating colored gels.

Missing ceilings are more common than not in television production. It allows for much easier rigging of lights.

Pretty cool that both Hammer stars, Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing guest starred on 1999 (Mr. Cushing appeared in the episode Missing Link). Mr. Lee was excellent in his role as Captain Zantor in this episode. Didn't 1999 film at the old Hammer Studios as well?

Man, that Simmonds was a real prick, I tried to feel sorry for him at the end, but I couldn't. The guy got his just desserts. He wanted to get back to Earth, and he didn't care who got hurt, as long as he got what he wanted. As Paul Morrow said, Alpha is better off without him.

Loved the scene when Simmonds woke up, and thinking he was near Earth, opened his com and said: "Hello Earth, this is Commissioner Simmonds, returning home after 75 years!" It sounds like he's expecting them to throw a party or something to welcome him home. More likely, the reply from Earth would be: "Who??"

Obvious, Zantor knew that Simmonds was not properly prepared. So, Zantor won the day after all.

Imagine what Simmonds is going to look like 75 years hence, when they get to Earth. Ick!

He would be long dead, I guess!

Christopher Lee was great in this episode as the alien captain, Zantor.

We've lost a great actor with his death this week. He'll be missed.

Todd Pence - "So did the aliens in this episode ever reach Earth? The Earth of "Journey to Where" is 121 years in the future wheras Zantor and his people were supposed to reach the planet after 75, but the people of Earth in "Journey to Where" don't mention anything about their arrival."

It would have been such a cool bit of continuity if we'd seen even just one Kaldorian in the background in the control room. What a missed opportunity!

Peter Stoller - "it might've been nice to have Roy Dotrice as an occasional player."

I totally agree. Not in every other episode, but every five or six. It would have been great to see him inserted into other situations. What impact would he have had in 'Collision Course', or 'Full Circle' or 'The Guardian of Piri'?

I can't help but know that Moonbase Alpha would be incredibly suspicious and paranoid of the Kaldorians if this episode took place in Season 2. They seemed to like to shoot first and ask questions later.

Alan is sent to pilot an Eagle from Main Mission, he leaves, the scene continues, and seemingly, in a matter of 2 minutes Alan is on board an Eagle and in a spacesuit!

Weird spot with the arrival of the Kaldorian spaceship-- sound effects are used for the retro rockets as it lands, but there isn't even a soft 'thump' as it touches down on the Moon. No wonder everyone thinks it looks like a toy model on a string.

Todd Pence - "So did the aliens in this episode ever reach Earth? The Earth of "Journey to Where" is 121 years in the future wheras Zantor and his people were supposed to reach the planet after 75, but the people of Earth in "Journey to Where" don't mention anything about their arrival."

It would have been such a cool bit of continuity if we'd seen even just one Kaldorian in the background in the control room. What a missed opportunity!

Except Season Two pretended that Season One never existed.


Peter Stoller - "it might've been nice to have Roy Dotrice as an occasional player."

I totally agree. Not in every other episode, but every five or six. It would have been great to see him inserted into other situations. What impact would he have had in 'Collision Course', or 'Full Circle' or 'The Guardian of Piri'?


If Commissioner Simmonds had stayed, and acted like he did in this episode... Well, one has to wonder how long before the Alphans chucked him out the airlock!

I have read from other sources that Roy Dotrice only agreed to do this episode if he were 'killed off'.

I think that was a terrible shame. He was such a good 'villain', a perfect foil for Koenig, there was such tension between them in this episode, that to not have him for the rest of the series was a terrible loss.

They made the right call. We didn't need a "Dr. Smith" character.