Hmmmm. I thought this was Space: 1999, not Space: 2001.

Does anyone else feel that 1999 should have been placed a little further into the future? Seems to have been quite alot of interplanetary missions going on.

"...alot of interplanetary missions going on" ...and why is it that Koenig & Co. don't remember this one? Koenig was supposedly deeply involved in the space community, and yet he can't recall a mission that took off 3 years earlier?

Things get even better with Bringers of Wonder and its Superswift. They recognise a design that was never built, yet they don't recognise the Swift mission? And if one assumes Year One and Year Two take place in the same universe is it really likely that two major manned deep space missions would be happening in 1996, as the Ultra Probe was launched that year? Of course there is also the question of how the space program in the series managed to keep going given the number of disasters that plagued it, ie the loss of the Uranus probe in 1986, the Voyager Two accident, the Venus mission that sees Koenig's friends die of a plague, the loss of Astro 7 with Lee Russell and crew, the Ultra Probe failure, and the Swift mission disappearance. In our world if NASA had that kind of failure rate the organisation would be scattered to the four winds and its personnel lynched.

I have to say in my opinion this is by far the worst episode of Y2. A pathetically camp sounding robot, which moved like a supermarket trolley and had a face that looked as if it was constructed by 'Blue Peter'. "Here's one we prepared earlier" sort of thing! The Swift scenes look great I'll agree, but the rest of it...........more toxic than an Eagle Freighter's cargo section! DEADLY......

There's alot to hate about this episode -- the talking computer made out of an old Maytag dishwasher box, Yasko looking like she was spitting her gum out while trying to giggle, the lamer dialogue ("your brain works like a computer so you're jealous of that other computer"...Oh man, giving Will Shakespeare a run for his money with that one!) But it's not all bad, for what it's worth. I liked the Koenig and Russell characterizations in this one, especially the hug after the Love Test, and Russell getting bitchy with the box, snapping "Let him decompress properly", the kiss after Koenig enters with the fuel core. Nicely done. Too bad the rest of the story was such implausible ••••.

Thank Christ they didn't keep the box on as an additional cast member.

"Thank Christ they didn't keep the box on as an additional cast member."

...They didn't want it to upstage Yasko ;)

Nobody could upstage Yasko, honey. When you're that bad, you're always the center of attention. I particularly like her wonderful work in "Journey to Where", i.e., "Ready fo instwucshuns fo billin' de transference DUHohmmm." "Hew meen d'eyll NEBBER get back?" "Id wadder take my chances in SPACE." She always manages somehow to emphasize the totally wrong word. Brings a tear to my eye (and last nights dinner to my throat)...

And in Archanon, we get.......

'What kint of mudder can doo dat too er son' followed by a sort of 'Oh well' look and she wanders off.

When Koenig meets Tony and Maya on the Brain's mothership, he sees the body of the Brain's creator (Bernard Cribbins) and recognises him straight away. Now, WE know who it is, because the Brain has shown Helena some pictures on a screen, but Koenig wasn't there, so how does Koenig know?

I just got this episode on tape and there's one scene toward the end when everybody is all chummy in command center deciding what to do with Brian. When Maya sits down to check the direction of the moon (uhmmm..FORWARD?) Martin Landau actually PICKS HIS NOSE. EEEK! Couldn't he clean the pipes BEFORE the shoot?

Hey, give the guy a break. He's just been through an extremely stressful situation and this is the first chance he's had to attend to matters of personal hygene!

I wonder if Yasko is related to Jar-Jar Binks in any way.

Well I sort of assumed the booger-pickin' wasn't part of the script, Todd!

I wonder if Brian is related in any way to Red Dwarf's Talkie Toaster, they seem to have the same kind of annoying voice.

Personally, I thought they should have scrapped Brian & kept the Swift,as it might have been useful ! I also thought that Alpha should have tried to salvage the other Swift's from the Mothership. Surely it wouldn't have been too hard to ferry pilots, to the Mothership to try to salvage them, or did Koenig decide they were the equivalent of "War Graves" ?

Despite all this episode's faults, it did have one thing particularly memorable to me. It contains one of my favorite effects shots from the entire series; the shot where the Swift pulls to a stop in a dense field of stars...Stunning!

The opening segment has a claustraphobic feeling as it depends on too many close-ups...later, the director eases up on the close-ups.

I am really tired of the sappy romantic endings already! Is it just me or do they all feel forced?

Yes, I thought that back then, and I agree now. They looked like they were going to make out right tyere and then.
In the words of the great Yasko;

"Get a woom!"

At least Brian wasn't a horny robot like Twiki in Buck Rogers. This ep could have been worse!

Biddi,Biddi,Biddi...
"What are you saying about me....?".
"Mind you, I blame Buck for corrupting me with his wild 20th Century ways...Biddi, Biddi, Biddi....!".

Wait a minute, I forgot. Brian did flirt with that blond operative in Command Centre. He even encouraged her to touch him. She obliged by tickling him on the 'chin'. Yasko giggled in amusement. Brian's a hit with the ladies! (Of course, Brian also mentioned that he wasn't seriously interested in that Command Centre trolley with the "yellow plastic wheels").

I recently bought a set of Swift blueprints off eBay (along with a set of Meta Probe blueprints). I'll discuss them in greater detail on the Sink 1999 board, but thought I'd mention it here since it relates to this episode.

Best. Ep. Evah.

Now I have seen the whole series, and am convinced that it was written for children and idiots. So much potential for a series, but what a waste...

Having recently gotten hold of a DVD with this episode on it, I can honestly say that bar the superb modelwork on the Swift, this episode was a waste.

Like so many Year 2 stories the basic potential was there for something decent, but it was done too badly.

I tink BtB is the worst episode of S1999. From the nice mood on S1 to this trash is a huge fall.

However, as I say, the potential was there for a half decent, if not great episode, if it had been handled in a less kiddy way.

At least we saw more of Brian Johnstons fine model work in the Swift, but that's the only thing that redeems this episode.

Journey To Where established that more than a hundred years had passed since Alpha left Earth (due to the Moon's trips through space warps, which meant only a couple of years had passed for the Alphans). Bearing that in mind, this episode raises some questions.

1. Brian says that he stayed in orbit around Planet D when the crew of the mother ship died (after he killed them by fouling up their computer). So, does this mean that Brian orbited Planet D for more than a century?

2. How come no one on Alpha wondered how someone from the 1990's could still be alive after so long (meaning when Brian first contacted them, at that point, they didn't know he was a robot).

3. The bodies of Brian's creator and his crew look very well preserved for people who have been dead for over a century. Wouldn't they just be skeletons by now?

The only answer would have to be that Brian's ship, and the others in the expedition, also went through a space warp. However, Brian never mentions this.

I liked Bill Fraser's comments when he called Brian a slot machine! Too bad they didn't give Bill more episodes, I liked his character.

In a way, this episode was ahead of its time. Brian, a computer, uses a malignant program to foul up another computer. Science fiction in the 1970's, but sadly real today!

I liked it, Brianthebraindeadguy in love with YASKO (NO WAIT -THE TROLLEY!)

1999 had as many failed explorations as did Trek, tng and Voyager!

So, what happened to Brian The Brain. Did Koenig and Co. install a copy of the Three Laws Of Robotics into him and send him on his merry way?

Tim- Its on his way to Earth with Hal 9000.

Something's gonna happen!

I'm surprised that nobody here has mentioned that this is 1999's version of Star Trek's 'The Changeling'. A robot from the past causes trouble for the main characters. Although Brian's forced humor is light years from Nomad's stoic deadliness.
Markvthomas raises an excellent question; the cast is discussing what to do with Brian, and yet not a word about the Swift! It's 20 times more valuable than a clunky robot that would only be useful if it's completely reprogrammed.

yet not a word about the Swift!

Yeah, they could have put it to good use. It's much faster than the Eagles.

Continuity is a sore spot in season two.

The just deceased Bernard Cribbins provided the voice of Brian The Brain. He also played Brian's creator, Captain Michael, in this episode.

Many people rag on this ep, but I have a soft spot for it, maybe b/c it was a fave when i was a kid.

I don't mind it, aside from the continuity issue.