One problem regarding Maya's shapechanging that they never got into: when morphing into something smaller than she was, for instance a caterpillar, what did she do with the extra molecules? Did they shrink? Also, a lot of people have commented that the laws of physics demand that the weight remain the same. This was obviously not the case with Maya (Or Odo, for that matter.)

I always wondered what happenened to Maya's clothes when she transmorphed...

I just got a tape of this episode (after many, MANY years), and one thing struck me: when the Koenig's Eagle is taking off to go to Psychon, when the motors fire and a cloud of moondust goes up, you can clearly see the string that's lifting the Eagle model. Sloppy editing, there...
I love the music from that scene, though...I wonder why it was never used in the series again?

How does Maya transform into animals she has never seen and are native to Earth. A lion, gorilla etc.

Perhaps similar animals are native to Psychon as well?

I don't think that this episode is that bad. Although the question must be asked, how do Maya and Mentor stay alive?? There is no sign of a food supply, although I suppose there could be a hydroponics area.

I hereby nominate Anoushka Hempel (Annette Fraser)
for best performance by a raccoon in a science fiction series.

I watched this episode yesterday (13th September) for the first time in ages. I had just got the 'Cosmic Princess' tape back from a friend after many moons, no pun intended.
Any, my points. When Torens is dumped into the pits, doesn't it look like his uniform has suddenly shrunk. Also, either it's very dirty (why???), or he's had a major accident in his trousers. Mind you, had I been in his position, I suppose that would have been understandable.
Another thing, they know Pyschon technology, what the Alphans see of it is advanced. So when 'Directive 4' comes through, Tony and Petrov in the weapons section are discussing it on transmission. Apart from providing a bit of dramatics regarding Annette Fraser, this seems rather silly. I mean Mentor could be monitoring all Alphan transmissions. He doesn't strike me as the type who easily trusts anyone. He could pair up well with Mulder in that respect.
Another point that I can see is that Pysche is a biological computer that needs a lot of energy, doesn't Mentor seem rather free and easy with using it. I assume as he does so, it does deplete, or am I wrong??

Like Breakaway, this episode had plenty of non-stop action and drama. In many ways, it was almost
like a Shakespearean tragedy. With Mentor as the
tragic figure. Martin Landau, Barbara Bain,
Catherine Schell, Brian Blessed, and the rest of
the cast did a remarkable job and turned in fine performances. Even the scenes involving Maya
discovering the truth and the explosive conclusion
were powerful. I honestly don't know why science
fiction earns any Emmy Awards or Oscars for fine
acting. This one deserved an award. For all the
actors involved.

So am I alone in thinking Bain had a tummy tuck in between Seasons 1 and 2? That darling little pooch that was so obvious in those skin-tight pants doesn't show up in Season 2. Or maybe the costuming department decided she was looking fat and camouflaged it really well...

I think the pooch is still there, but she slings that comlock around from side to side to cover it. That and she always got her arm up over her gut. She still looks good in Y2, though...much better hair and makeup than in Y1.

Here's a good nitpick for y'all: Metamorph
starts with the Alphan's quest for titanium. Why
are they looking on some other planet when
they can mine all the titanium they could want
right at home on the moon? (Total disregard
of scientific facts was a hallmark of Space:
1999.) By the episode's end Psychon's been
destroyed and the Alphans have obtained no
titanium, but no further mention of it or their
faulty life-support system that needed some.

Titanium is never mentioned again, but later episodes mention the need for tiranium, a fictional material. Perhaps someone on staff caught the titanium goof and prevented it from being used in later episodes.

I'd sure love to know what was in that robot Eagle for explosives. Tony and Petrov expected it to blow the whole planet to bits! You could fit a pretty big nuclear charge into an Eagle, but not that big of one.

I wondered that too! I also noted that when Mentor blew it up, the resulting explosion did not look as if it had enough force to destroy a planet - nowhere near! If it had, wouldn't its relative distance from Alpha have caused some damage to the moon or perhaps a shockwave like that observed in the AB Chrysalis.

"By the episode's end Psychon's been
destroyed and the Alphans have obtained no
titanium, but no further mention of it or their
faulty life-support system that needed some."

Actually there's a scene where she and Lew are following behind Koenig as they wander through the caves, and she basically just picks some big rocks of titanium up and says, "A few more hunks like this are all we need." I assume she was talking about the rocks...I could use a hunk or two myself, but I don't think any of those men in the pits qualified ;)

The first and only time I saw this episode was as a kid a year or so after Series 1 ended. The only exposure I had to Series 2 at the time were the Charlton comic adaptations and a few photos from Starlog. When I finally saw the ep (in other words, when a local station decided to show the series), I was a little disappointed by the loss of so many Series 1 characters, but hooked by the action & pacing. I also thought Koenig's red exploration jacket was cool.
Unfortunately, the local station showed the following episodes in random order, and sporadically at that. I still liked the show, but it never grew on me the way Series 1 did. They were like two separate series, as several people have mentioned in the past.
Years later as an adult, I've had a chance to see a couple of eps I missed as a kid. Sadly, they were not the best in the series (in fact, pretty close to the worst) and reinforced what I felt about each series' disparity, and Series 1's overall superiority to Series 2 (though it certainly had its bad moments). On the other hand, viewing each series as completely separate from each other does help make Series 2 more enjoyable...
As for The Metamorph in particular, one of my biggest nits is Mentor's mining methods...he has biological computers, spacecraft, very high-tech communications gear but uses slaves with pick axes to mine. I guess when you're focused on a plan, all else falls to the wayside. Talk about obsessed!

""By the episode's end Psychon's been
destroyed and the Alphans have obtained no
titanium, but no further mention of it or their
faulty life-support system that needed some."

Actually there's a scene where she and Lew are following behind Koenig as they wander through the caves, and she basically just picks some big rocks of titanium up and says, "A few more hunks like this are all we need." I assume she was talking about the rocks...I could use a hunk or two myself, but I don't think any of those men in the pits qualified ;) "

The only problem with that, is when the 'ball of light' captures them, you can see that the satchel for the titanium (wasn't it tiranium in the 1st season?) is left on the cave floor.

The problem with DVD is that the picture is clear, so Bain's aging shows up here more readily despite the deliberate soft focus on some shots. Now I can retire my old 'Cosmic Princess' tape and I see it was missing a few scenes as well.

There's no mention in year one of the Alphans looking for any exotic materials.

Really? I'm sure a metal called tiranium is mentioned somewhere, it might have been in the novels.

Tiranium shows up several times in year 2, presumably introduced after someone pointed out that titanium would be a rather common element on the Moon.

Ah that might be it tim. Thanks. It's been a while since I've seen some of the year 2 episodes, I'm more of a Year 1 fan myself.

When Koenig's Eagle meets Mentor's ship in space, and Tony informs him that the ship is empty, how come the Eagle's instruments didn't detect it? And why do Helena and Picard come to the Eagle cockpit? Surely they must know that if it's a trap, Koenig and Carter are going to do some fancy evasive tactics and thusly throw the eagle about a bit?

And then, at the end of the episode, when the planet's falling apart and Koenig brings Maya onto the Eagle, Koenig tells Carter and Fraser to take off. He, Helena and Maya then take a seat in the passenger section. But Koenig usually flies the Eagles in situations like this. Or perhaps the "We're all aliens" speech wouldn't have looked right from one of the supporting cast.

The only problem with that, is when the 'ball of light' captures them, you can see that the satchel for the titanium (wasn't it tiranium in the 1st season?) is left on the cave floor.

I wonder why only the satchel ends up on the floor? I mean, if a satchel wouldn't de-materialize, then why would thier clothes, coats, shoes, etc.? Not that I'd want to see a nudie Space 1999...

Titanium is only mentioned in "The Metamorph," and from then on the series uses the fictional tiranium. Perhaps someone pointed out that titanium wouldn't be all that uncommon on the Moon, hence the invention of tiranium for later episodes. Its not mentioned at all in year one, for the obvious reason that it hadn't been written into existence yet.

I don't think anyone has mentioned this, but I've always found that weird smock or vest that Koenig wore at the beginning of the episode, when he talks about there being life on the planet, was one of the silliest costumes devised and I'm glad it never made a reappearance. Of course, I'm one of those people that thought the original costumes, minus the jackets, looked best. I could picture Landau saying to the costumers and Freddie, "Okay, I'll wear this crazy thing ONCE, just so you don't waste your money sewing the thing, but after that I get to use it to wash my car!"

I liked koenig's vest; it's sort of a funky attempt at 70's chic.Just kidding. Did anyone ever mention that they enjoyed this episode more because it was kept out of syndication for so long(because of its inclusion in "Cosmic Princess"). I mean that I was able to see a brand new episode in 2001, almost (I hadn't seen it since 1981), when I got it on tape from Columbia House. It was like seeing a fresh new show. It was particularly enjoyable because I had such fond memories of it from childhood. Watching it at twelve years of age, it seemed as if it was the most spectacular show ever! Space:1999 had such a greater scope than any earlier science fiction shows. What other show would depict a planet of volcanoes, or a graveyard of space ships, and on and on? .Seeing it as an adult was still hugely enjoyable. Not just nostalgia. Its still a very good episode;fun, well-paced and spectacular. My only nit, though, is that on DVD the wires supporting the Eagles are very visible...almost every time an Eaqgle is shown in a planet's atmosphere the wires are painfully obvious. In "The Metamorph" it's not too distracting but in other episodes it is. The climax of "The Gaurdian of Piri" ground to a halt for me, because it was like watching a forrest of black wires yanking up Eagle models. When I was a kid, other kids would accuse my beloved show of having cheap-looking special effects. Now, I kinda understand why they said so. One would never see such cheesiness on "Battlestar:Galactica" (another show touted as being an expensive special effects showcase).

why two space ship grave yards? even some of the ships from the one in dragon's domain in series one appeared in the metamorph's vehicle dump! come on koenig, get some sodium pentathol and the observers book of space craft!

The graveyard did contain one nifty new model- the large scale version of an Eagle leg (which was never used again). The Metamorph also has the worst "ball of light" special effect in the entire series. It occurs when Koenig,Helena, and Alan are running in the cave away from Mentor. A green ball of light envelops them. When this ball of light comes up close, it is revealed to be nothing more than a green stagelight superimposed over the scene. This visual treat comes a few minutes after Koenig communicates with Mentor through a hole in the wall. The "hole in the wall" viewscreens (most numerous in 'The Dorcon's') represent one of the most pathetic drops in production quality compared to year one...I can't think of any other show that stooped to that tacky "effect". The series use of "hole in the wall" viewscreens were the inspiration for a gag in the film "Airplane II"(in a scene with William Shatner on a viewscreen;it's revealed to be just a window on a door! In the film, Shatner is commander of Alpha-Beta moonbase...how appropriate!)

LOL! I forgot about the Airplane 2! viewscreen gag (), and haven't seen "The Metamorph" since it was new, so I really forgot about the same "effect" being used there... it's a pity its use in "The Metamorph was serious.

I mean, down here there are literally hundreds and thousands of blinking, beeping, and flashing lights, blinking and beeping and flashing - they're *flashing* and they're *beeping*. I can't stand it anymore! They're *blinking* and *beeping* and *flashing*! Why doesn't somebody pull the plug!

I may be alone,but I prefer Command Center to Main Mission. I think that just about everything about it is more credible...In Main Mission,just about the only instruments at each work station were a few flashing lights-and Sandra and Paul were supposed to be able to gain information from that?...nice comfortable white plastic patio chairs too!...in Command Center, each person was given a desk with a tv monitor and keypad (except for Yasko,she had an alternating row of black and white digital clocks), when Maya claimed to be reading off information at least she had a plausible monitor to read it off from...and everyone recieved a more comfortable upolstered chair... Main Mission was grand ,but, sometimes all that empty space gave it the look of being a big ,white,plastic barn...The rows of computer panels(on the walls) looked better in Command Center too. The worst part of the panels in Main Mission were the little green squares with graph lines on them. They didn't look like real monitors displaying readings.They looked like phoney cartoon-like artwork...I think the colorful computer panels in Command Center were some of the most attractive design work Keith Wilson has come up with (even if they were cribbed from Into Infinity). Up close,they're beautifully detailed (no wonder they were featured in the opening credits of every year two episode)... One thing I did miss from Main Mission was the balcony and windows; it allowed the characters to look out on the planet they had just visited and pause for a moment of thought .

I'll always prefer to roomy Main Mission, rather than Command Centre, also for the balcony and windows, but also the connection to Koenig's office. Command Centre was a small, insignificant
room that looked like a school room (Koenig as the teacher with his students facing a black board/ big screen. I seem to recall people bumping or being thrown into a control panel in Command Centre and the controls explode-- pretty scarey place to work with those live connections balanced so precariously you could electricute yourself!

I often felt Command Centre was more believable for an installation like Alpha, especially where (I always felt anyway) the base should be as inconspicuous and compact as possible. As lavish and grand as Main Mission was, I never felt entirely convinced about those high ceilings and wide open spaces. It all looked so vulnerable and exposed to whatever was out there; regardless of whether the Moon was in Earth's Orbit or galavanting through deep space! One meteor strike and the chances are all the Command personnel are wiped out - Command Centre on the other hand with it's covert, underground design lessened the chance of this to a considerable extent and let's not forget that this is why it was built in the first place.

I also found Main Mission somehow very dreary and depressing, though this undoubtedly fits the metaphysics of S1 perfectly, just as the compact, colourful atmosphere of CC sets the scene for the close knit action of S2. I agree about the technical detailing in Command Centre as well. I felt it was more convincing and you really got the impression it was the pumping nerve centre of the Alpha of S2. The background sets of MM were somehow devoid of life and one was left wondering what all that computer equipment was for - it just seemed a little bereft of function as far as I was concerned. In CC you could read little detailing on the background panelwork when the camera panned (mainly noticeable now after digital remastering), or glimpse a technician taking readings or calibrating the computers and satellites. Somehow, it all gave more of a sense of purpose!

I fully realize this thread is reflecting personal preferences, so no one is right or wrong, but I rather prefer MM, too. The point about big spaces being vulnerable is valid, but I also think that psychologically, one would need a few big, open spaces while stationed on the moon. (I'm talking even in pre-Breakaway terms, incidentally... the need would be even greater after Breakaway.) I'm not sure if vital areas like MM or the generating areas are the ones that should be big, and the move to a more protected CC was indeed wise (on the part of the Alphans & the series writers). A real moonbase, btw, would likely be built underground (or covered with regolith) to protect the inhabitants from radiation & micrometeorites. But Alpha sure looks cool!
I do wish the Commander's office were still seperate, though, and that CC was just a little less cramped-looking. With almost all Season 2 sets, there was a sense of claustrophobia about the base. (Even the Eagle lost its connecting module between the command & passenger modules!) If the Alphans of Season 2 were adjusting to their predicament of being lost in space, it seems it was because they could hide away from the universe in underground, windowless rooms.
As for the computer wall in MM, there were occasions when personnel were working at one of the eight banks there; it just would have been nice to see those banks defined better & used consistently.
I think this is almost becoming a Sink 1999 thread; should the Moderator move it there?

Sounds like a Season 1 vs. Season 2 thread. I'll probably move it sometime soon.

I don't think it's necessary to do that; the new sets and costumes are a valid topic of conversation for this episode, as it was the first time we saw S99's new look.
We'll agree to disgree on some points and get back to the story itself.
Like how an Eagle could be packed with so much explosive that it could destroy a planet. First, just how did the creators expect us to believe that? An Eagle is a minisule object compared to a planet, let alone something huge like a lake compared to a planet. In Star Trek a starship could supposedly lay waste to a planet, but their technology is centuries ahead of 1999, and would probably be directed against power stations and unstable land masses and arctic poles. I just don't see a single Eagle, loaded with anything other than anti-matter or some such highly-volatile substance) doing the job.

I always wondered that - even more so when considering the relatively miniscule explosion the Eagle went up with when Mentor destroyed it! It didn't look like anything out of the ordinary and certainly didn't look like a planet destroying blast......

That's a problem in general. Compared to anything human built, planets are big. Really big. Bigger than Priceline.com, even :0!

We were discussing this over on some other board (45kg item at 0.6c = ~200-250Megatons). The energy necessary to make a planet buster is so friggin' huge that we essentially can't visualize/display it.

I could see destroying a city-sized area with a nuke-laden Eagle, such as the one we saw loaded with nukes in Season 1's "Space Brain," but taking out a whole planet is a bit of a stretch.
Of course, maybe the Alphans were banking on Psychon's instability to amplify the effects of whatever explosion they could have set off. That doesn't explain why the Eagle explosion was so small, unless the charges didn't go off when the Eagle was destroyed. Isn't that how a real warhead works (or doesn't work)? Just shooting it won't actually detonate it...

That's correct, CR. Generally, the subcritical masses need to be imploded or shot into each other (depending on design) in a specific way. Otherwise you get a chain reaction, but not an explosion.

Something else; wouldn't the Eagle have to enter the atmosphere at a low speed, then speed up for impact several miles above ground? Wouldn't friction against the atmosphere simply cause it to melt and break apart? The real-life space shuttle Columbia disintegrated upon re-entry, and the fictional Enterprise broke apart over planet Genesis in Star Trek III; Eagle technology would be somewhere between either one of those and shouldn't be able to endure such re-entry, either.

the fictional Enterprise broke apart over planet Genesis in Star Trek III

That's because Kirk blew it up.

I was always surprised when they landed an Eagle on a planet with an atmosphere. Those things looked like they were designed for space to space operation. (Kind of like the Apollo LM, but more rugged).

It's also hard to imagine any sort of heat shielding which could protect such an non-aerodynamic craft (the stresses and heat build up on the exposed landing gear would be so great as to cause the landing gear to be torn apart). I read,somewhere,that the landing gear were originally designed to retract into the pods. It would be interesting to see how (or how badly) an Eagle model would perform in a wind tunnel....One nit about the episode; When Fraser communicates to Alpha "Entering the atmosphere,now" the Eagle is shown flying into a bank of clouds. By then,shouldn't he have been already more than half way through the atmosphere- and not just entering it( Devil's Planet was a more accurate depiction,and also showed the heat build-up on the front section of an Eagle).

Wasn't there a discussion about Eagle aerodynamics on the Alpha Technical Section board? Or one of the Sinks? I'm for continuing (or maybe starting, if it isn't already there) such a topic over on Alpha Tech Section, if anyone's interested...

Let's face it though, most series are guilty of this at one point. The Colonial Vipers in Galactica don't seem to suffer any flight problems in varying armospheres, nor do the Star Trek shuttlecraft, which if you look at them, no matter how streamlined, most are still glorified boxes.

The only time I can remember seeing smaller spacecraft that it is specifically stated can't enter an atmosphere is the original B5 Starfury.

Saying all that though, this also brings up the point of just how powerful Eagle engines are to achieve escape velocity from any planetary body with gravity.

ScottN; Kirk blew up about a third of the Enterprise; she still had half of her saucer and her secondary hull and nacelles attached when she entered Genesis's atmosphere. Without shields and all those blown-open bulkheads, the friction did the rest of the job, as the crew watched it trail across the sky.
But you're correct in that I didn't word my example properly, neglecting to mention the partial self-destruct scene.

Trek's Galileo shuttlecraft...a flying brick!

Just a note. The Space Shuttle has been referred to as a flying brick.

Isn't that more to do with the tiles on the underside though than anything else?

No, it's the aerodynamics.

...Or we could just keep going right here!

Read an article in my local paper Tuesday about a meeting Bush had with scientists to learn about the feasibility of a base on the moon - seems even the most optimistic chances for the most rudimentary lunar base would be several decades away....I guess,from the perspective of 2004,a base the size of Alpha would probably have to wait until at least the next century to be built. Perhaps,the video movies (Alien Attack,Cosmic Princess etc.) weren't so far off in placing the action in the year 2100! ....

I think it's more a problem with money & desire, rather than technology...

Well, China wants to put a man on the moon...

An earlier message noted the missing Eagle section (connecting the command and passenger modules). The Metamorph did introduce one definate improvement to the Eagle sets - the twin screen tv pod in the command module. Not only did it create a more substantial look to the "dashboard", it eliminated the need for an awkward camera pan (from the "dashboard" to the face of the pilot). In several first season episodes, the camera pan from the front tv screens towards the actors reveals the obvious lack of a set piece for the windows ( it's most noticable in "Another Time,Another Place)....

The second series did introduce a number of eagle variants which us model fanatics can always be thankful for. We have a credible docking eagle, the booster unit modification, the additional mission pods, and the refuelling eagles.

...the docking Eagle appeared in year one in "The Gaurdian of Piri", not on the planet but on an Alphan launch pad...

...and a couple of them appeared in "The Last Enemy," also on launch pads...

One sequence I particularly enjoyed was Mentor's ship pulling the booster Eagle down to Pyschon. It featured close-ups and unusual angles of the Eagle (one of my favourite spaceship designs from the series).....I don't think the concept of Maya was well thought out. I don't accept the premise of one being able to change one's shape through willpower alone (at least Odo was a 'gelatinous' form to start with, even if it was an uninspired rip-off of Terminator 2's villain).....and then mention must be made of Mentor's method of rebuilding Pyschon - waiting for passing aliens' brain power to supply energy for his biological computer. This is probably the most inefficient plan imaginable ( as well as the most time-consuming, he would have to wait for an eternity for a sufficient number of alien "visitors"). Brains, in any sense, just don't contain enough energy to rebuild a planet.

Its not hard to imagine that Mentor's plan is entirely unworkable, and the product of a mind that has slipped across the line into insanity.

Maybe Mentor tested his biological computer on himself first. An irrational mind was the result?

The colorful sets for Phsyche were some of the most attractive alien sets in the series. Too bad the same level of quality wasn't kept up in the rest of year two.

The bubbling tubes of colored water were an inspired idea for the set design. I also liked the columns in the Grove which looked like branches (even though they look like they might have been recycled from the Gaurdian of Piri).

I remember this episode mainly because it introduced Maya. Years later in my Star Trek fan club, a couple of members detested that character. They thought she was a bad Spock ripoff, but I still enjoyed this pre-Odo shapeshifter.

One nit about this episode.
At the end, two functioning Eagles are on the surface of Psychon. Why didn't the Commander order Alan to save the other Eagle ( Koenig could pilot Helena and Maya to safety).
Eagles are almost too valuable to lose. Shouldn't Koenig, at least, have made an effort to save the other Eagle?

Mark, doesn't Mentor say that Fraser and Toren's Eagle is damaged beyond repair?

Whether he was telling the truth or not is another thing though.

That Mentor is deceptive is already shown in the ep.

Mentor, with his fancy brain machine, was about as deceptive as Dr. Tristan Adams (with HIS fancy brain machine!) from the Classic Trek episode Dagger of the Mind's Eye. Maybe Curious was right on Feb 15 04 when he postulated Mentor tested it on himself...

I'm glad Mentor wasn't overtly depicted as being "mad". Too often, "mad" characters are convenient excuses to cover up bad writing; don't question their behavior because they're mad. Though Brian Blessed is often criticised for overacting, I think he gives a fine performance here. His performance suggests a man who is inwardly tormented by the things he has to resort to save his beloved Psychon. There is also a warm chemistry between him and Catherine Schell. If there was a third season, it would have been nice to see a flashback episode about Maya's life on Psychon.

The Metamorph also introduced a recurring problem in the second season. The more frequent use of the lab pod Eagle resulted in continuity problems in every episode it was shown in. Full scale sets corresponding to the model were never built. In the climax, the Alphans head back into a full- scale standard pod Eagle. Also,upon landing, an effects shot shows a standard square Eagle door opening to reveal a view of the Psychon cave (the lab pod Eagle had a slanting door similar to the shuttle in 2001).

Was Mentors plan just to restore the planet Pyschon itself to a habitable state? If that had happened, what then? From the impression you get from later on, the Pyschons are a very rare people and what use would there be in restoring the planet if there was noone to return to it.

Some critics of S99 complain that only two people from every alien planet are usually shown. Aren't most older sci-fi shows like that. Newer shows depict more exteriors of alien cities with crowds of (CGI) people.

The surface of Psychon contained no cities. Is everything below ground like in "The Mole People"? I never got the impression that Mentor and his people were descendants of a subterrainian people.

Which wouldn't be true anyway in the Pyschon's case, you have Maya and Mentor in this episode as well as Dorzak in a later episode.

OK, I saw the episode a few days ago after many years. Man, what a difference between Seasons 1 and 2.

Interesting to note that there is a Picard on the moon as well. Jean-Luc never mentioned him....

Question for everyone - not having read the episode novelizations, are there any reasons given for the change from Main Mission to the Command Center, and for the lack of Paul, Kano, and Bergman?

What's up wih the ID badges? And the new jackets? Does anyone know what LSRO and SRT stood for on the jackets?

The comm locks are no longer needed to open the doors either.

I also noticed that the credits say "Based on a format by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson." Were they no longer involved in the show during the second season?

The music was better in the first season as well.

"We're all aliens until we get to know one another." What kind of garbage is this?

A number of answers....


I don't believe Paul and Kano's absence is ever explained, Bergman gets a mention in the novelisations as well as one or two of the annuals as having died due to a faulty spacesuit.

There was a 'technical manual' of sorts made by a fan that was quite well researched which could answer the questions about uniforms and other differences. I think its called the Space:1999 Continuity Guide

http://www.space1999.net/~catacombs/main/cguide/uc.html

Gerry Anderson continued as executive producer for year 2. However near the end of the filming of year one his marriage to Sylvia imploded. The resulting divorce was so nasty that to this day they won't have anything to do with each other.

All the changes left me stunned when the show was first broadcast. With little of the saturation publicity of today, one Saturday I tuned in expecting another rerun from year one. The familiar ITC logo and the title assured me it was Space:1999, but I sat amazed by the new 'improvements'. First, the new opening titles seemed fast paced and exciting (that nebula and the orange and blue planets zooming toward the camera seemed spectacular). As Ms. Bain walked through the Command Centre doors, I thought she looked much more beautiful in her new 'do and clothes. The computer panels (shown in the titles) looked great too.

I sat glued to the screen for the next hour. The show sure was different, but for a kid the changes made it far more exciting. The new warmth of the characters, especially Helena, made them far more appealing. From reactions I read in magazines later, many viewers at that time found the changes to be very enjoyable too. Of course, as a kid then, fast-paced action, likeable characters, monsters, catchy music, and special effects were irresistably entertaining. Freddie Frieberger sure succeeded in making the show more entertaining to kids! At that time, when I read letters in magazines by people expressing a preference for the first season, I thought they were nuts. How could they not prefer this more exciting season (I thought the first season was a bit dull then).

Of course, as one becomes an adult, one's tastes change.. I now prefer the more serious approach of the first season. I'm not caught up by the excitement of action or monsters. Now, I rather miss Bergman in the second season. I also miss the format of the first season where each episode began with a teaser (Y2 starts dirctly with the opening titles). Why couldn't Helena's opening log entry have at least included a mention of Bergman's absense or the move to Command Centre?

Overall, I think "The Metamorph" was a fine beginning to the second season. Unfortunately, many clunkers and disappointments would lie ahead (Rules of Luton, Catacombs of the Moon).

Thanks for the link, Tim.

A small nit:
After Bill Fraser and his Eagle have been captured and left on Psychon, an Eagle is shown being raised on an Alphan launch pad with Fraser announcing "Combat Eagle 6 in position".

Mention was made of Bergman in this episode, but the scene where Verdeschi and Sandra discuss Bergman's death was edited out. Without this scene, the Alphans come off as a bit callous. How could they forget such an important friend?

As was done for the first series, here are some nits, observations, and some suggestions for the sfx of the second series, starting with The Metamorph:

Overall, the effects for this episode are ambitious and fun, if not entirely successful.

The show opens with a new title sequence which sets an exciting and colorful tone. The nebula shown is actually an air brushed painting reused from INTO INFINITY (although it's been turned upside down here). The Earth is shown breaking out of a system with a dense cluster of stars behind it. Not very accurate, to say the least. The red warp effect (also introduced in INTO INFINITY) is impressive.

The surface of Psychon is obviously a miniature landscape. The flames on the volcanos (particularly in the opening ep credits) give away the scale. There's an old axiom in special effects; flames and water are impossible to miniaturise. It's evident here. The volcanos also don't appear to be mountainous. They look more like large mounds or vents. The effects are impressive when one considers that the landscape was constructed in only a few hours (ST:DSP took 6 weeks to construct the miniature planet landscape in its pilot).

Unfortunately, this ep introduces the "hole in the wall" viewscreen effect (also seen in The Taybor and most awfully in The Dorcons). This is a lowpoint for the series. It lowers the show (supposedly high-budget) to the level of schlock. I've never seen another show resort to such a cheesy effect. Perhaps, one day it could be digitally corrected by adding a background behind Koenig.

One nit everyone seems to notice is the very visible wires lifting Koenig's Eagle off the launch pad. It's a pity that the shot wasn't redone. It strikes a sour note in a very enjoyable sequence ( the taking off of the Eagle accompanied by some wonderful Derek Wadsworth music). It would be nice if some people could be digitally inserted into that round building's windows (the one with the rotating antenna on it).

It would be more interesting if the "brain drain" scenes could be spruced up, digitally, with effects suggesting a transfer of energy from the Alphans to Psyche. As is, without effects. it's a bit like mime. Also, the superimposed stage light (for the ball of energy) overtaking the Alphans in the cave should be improved.


When Mentor blows up the explosives laden robot Eagle, there is a jump cut from an Eagle to a too small explosion.A continuity problem with the booster pod Eagle; on Psychon, Koenig and Maya clearly return to an Eagle with a standard pod (full-scale set for the door).

Small nits, fine effects for the most part.

The "hole in the wall" viewscreen effect reminds of a scene (done on purpose) featuring William Shatner in the comedy spoof Airplane 2: The Sequel.

The sharpness of the images is quite striking. The multiple exposure space scenes didn't show any loss in picture quality from the live action shots (as in classic Trek and Battlestar: Galactica with their processed optical effects). It would be nice if some narration could be added in the beginning (by Koenig) explaining the loss of Bergman and the change from Main Mission to Command Center.

Some digital improvements:
Maybe some sort of morphing effects could be added to Maya's rapid transformation at the eps end. Digitally pasting a cool alien creature over that cheesy gorilla suit would be an improvement too.
It would also be nice if an elaborate digital explosion could be done showing the Eagle explode into many different pieces (with pods and Command Module blown off and apart, as with the exploding ships in the new Trek shows).

It's fun how, after all these years, one may still occasionally spot something new. In this case, after Mentor's ship had turned into a ball of light and enveloped Koenig's eagle, the scenes inside the eagle look as if they were tinted green to match the light. But the thing I noticed the other night was when it first happened, Barbara Bain, in the eagle doorway, looked at her hands, as if noticing the effect of the light. Nice touch.

Once again the Classic Trek Ensign Deadmeat symdrome arises. Koenig, Helena, and Alan, series regulars, go to Psychon. Along for the ride is Picard, a guest character. ZAP! He's toast.

Mentor sure looks a lot like the late Dr. Cabot Rowland of the Uranus Probe. Even sounds like him (I know, same actor, different character, but we nitpickers don't deal in reality). However, Koenig and Co. never comment on this.

Although Bill Fraser appears in a few more episodes, we never see or hear of his wife, Annette, again. What happened? Did the marraige fail? Did she die?

Ask Fry-burger. Oh wait, you can't.

Not unless you got a Ouija Board handy.

When we first see Maya, she's in the form of a lion. How can that be? Maya can only turn into creatures she has seen and knows about. How does she know what a lion is at this point? She knew nothing about Earth before meeting the Alphans, so how can she turn into an Earth animal?

When Koenig agrees to rendezvous with Mentor in space, there's a weird, off-camera creak that the sound editor never erased. It's like a loud, squeaky chair in the background. ("Tony, stop spinning around in that creaky chair and get somebody to oil it!")

The actor playing the Weapons Section officer pronounced the word "wea pons', as if it were 2 words.

You know, I like women that wear eyeliner-- my wife still does. But on the wrong actress, it can look really bad. Annette (Anouska Hempel) was one such woman that should NOT wear it. Her eyes are already very, very large, showing a greater amount of white than the normal lady, and the huge eyeliner circles around her eyes is not in the least attractive. Even worse, is her photo that Fraser checks out in the end of the episode, where these googly, Sesame Street muppet-type eyes just stare out, blankly at him. It's just creepy.

Why should Helena refer to the ships as a 'graveyard of spaceships'? She's correct, as the story will show, but why couldn't it be a spaceport, or a meeting of living aliens visiting Psychon? Would she consider an airport a 'graveyard of airliners', just because they're gathered in one spot?

And I think Koenig's 'vest' might have worked a little better if it was shorter. It was so long it was like a cafeteria worker's smock, and not a vest.

You know, I like women that wear eyeliner-- my wife still does. But on the wrong actress, it can look really bad. Annette (Anouska Hempel) was one such woman that should NOT wear it. Her eyes are already very, very large, showing a greater amount of white than the normal lady, and the huge eyeliner circles around her eyes is not in the least attractive. Even worse, is her photo that Fraser checks out in the end of the episode, where these googly, Sesame Street muppet-type eyes just stare out, blankly at him. It's just creepy

Although Bill Fraser made more appearences, Annette didn't. What happened to her!?

Maybe Helena had her reassigned to a different section-- somewhere that when she fainted she wouldn't (A) hit her head on a sharp console edge and (B) didn't steer attention back to herself during a crisis when the crew needed to do something more important like, oh, defend Alpha!

Either that or Moonbase Alpha ran out of eyeliner and Annette didn't dare let the other Alphans see her without makeup!

{iEither that or Moonbase Alpha ran out of eyeliner and Annette didn't dare let the other Alphans see her without makeup!}

Bill: Honey, please come out.

Annette: No,I'm not leaving our quarters without make up. Can you get me more?

Bill: Sorry, we're all out. Maybe I'll ask the next alien who happens by if they have any!

Brian Blessed's Mentor is Maya's (Catherine Schell) father. But, in real life, he's only eight years older. (Blessed was born in 1936, Schell in 1944. As I write this, they're both still with us.)

Maya and Mentor seemed to be the only ones left on the planet.

So Maya is not the last of her kind.

This is the only episode I remember anything of, even though I watched the series regularly. I remember Maya turning into a mouse and crawling out of some ropes. That's it and I'm not sure how accurate that is.

Well, there's an episode where she does turn into a mouse and crawls on what looks like and electric cable, but I don'T think she did something like that in this episode.

Without researching it, I think the 'mouse' episode was 'Brian the Brain' (-less).

In this episode, she turns into a lion.

Which is amazing, since she would have never even seen a lion at this point.

She also turns into an eagle or hawk to attack Koenig, as Mentor begs him to save her-- another animal, even given similarities of life on Earth and Psychon, that was probably extinct by then, anyway.

On a personal note, I still remember my utter shock, dismay, and outrage that the show had changed so drastically since I last saw it. No Bergman, no Morrow, no Kano, no Main Mission control room, and...and...GASP! THEY CHANGED ONE OF THE BEST THEME SONGS OF ALL TIME!!!!!! OUTRAGEOUS!!!!! How DARRRE they!!!!!
Needless to say Maya took me YEARS to catch onto, but I think I accepted Tony as the season went on.

Maya could only turn into animals that she knew about.

So, unless Psychon had lions and eagles on it...