Pretty good episode, if you can overlook the goofy bouncing-ball aliens (probably inspired either by The Prisoner's "Rover" or the Jovian "rollers" from "Arena".
I thought the bouncing balls were a nice touch. This happens to be my favorite Year 2 episode (perhaps because Tony is not in it, so no lousy beer jokes or Tony/Maya scenes), although the whole saving-Alan scene with the goofy-looking chlorine-breathing alien could have been edited out.
It's been a long time since I last saw this episode, but didn't this one end with some of the cast still on this disintegrating planet? And as for Koenig's 'heart-felt' speech to disuade the Chrysalis from letting them die, all I can say is he's no James Kirk.
The only cast left on the planet was the guest-cast. One improvement to this episode would have been short haircuts for A and B.
Now, now...you know perfectly well if they'd had short hair, they also would have had a lot more fog.
This is a pretty good episode, I like the character interaction, especially back on the base. Helena makes a pretty good commander. I really like the last scene when Fraser turns around to look at her and she smiles at him through her fear. And her moment with Koenig when "I know, me too" conveys a world of love. Very nice. But I could have done without the bouncing balls, they were a little annoying.
I love 'Blast procedure'! Its soooooooooooo ineffective!
"The explosions are travelling one way only. Outward."
Now, I'm no scientist, but I assumed that all explosions 'travel outward.' Surely if they were to travel 'inward', that would count as an implosion?
"The explosions are travelling one way only. Outward."
I always thought that line meant "They're travelling one way - TOWARD US." As opposed to a general explosion where stuff blows all different directions.
Wow, maybe I should have been a physicist??? (NOT!) )
it had nude chicks
I watched this episode last night for the first time in ages - though I feel it's one of the better S2 shows I do have one major nitpick (apart from Maya changing into a Kreno creature; which as usual lets the side down flawlessly)
I find it incomprehensible that they could manage to land the Eagle on precisley the location of an underground access platform. They must of been on some kind of automated landing sequence controlled from the planet - yet this is not made clear.
Lets the side down? I've heard that expression but I never figured out what it meant. Could you explain for those of us in the States (the uneducated ones like me, that is)?
'Let's the side down'. An English expression (seemingly) that means something (an act, omission, silly decision or whatever) that fails something else. In this case Maya changing into silly rubber suited monster's let's down a show that had good special effects, cast and characters etc. Maya was always best when she was 'Maya'! In essence the decision to make Maya a metamorph, rather than just a beautiful, sexy and intelligent (alien or not) Science Officer 'let the side down' (Season 2) flawlessly...
The effects were a bit disappointing in the beginning of the episode. One scene simply needed better editing - the pan of the moonbase (from The Exiles);the pan continues beyond the end of the lunar hills backdrop. The edge of the moonbase model is in front of a blank background.... The wires supporting the Eagle, returning to the launch pad, are overly obvious. Again, a bit of better editing would have helped.... The shots of the Eagle fleet behind the moon are impressive...Speaking of effects, the sequence involving the energy bolts hitting the Eagle (as it sits among the spheres) has always been one of my favorite sequences from the entire series!
I found the Krenno creature's gasping for breathable air to be strangely moving. It was similar in impact to watching an injured warthog in one of those African wildlife programs. The sad look on the creature's face added to the pathos.
The lift pad for the Eagle on the planet appears to be the same lift pad used for the damaged Eagle on Alpha in "The Seance Spectre".
Not too bad except for the bad rubber suited alien scene.
Was is just me or did Maya's makeup look different? Her ears weren't dark in this episode.
Koenig is not a diplomat! Kirk would have handled things much better.
One last thing - Enough with the stupid cheesy forced romantic endings already!
Catherine Schell's makeup was simplified (ears not 'browned') to save time and make it easier. This only improved her appearance: she looks prettier without those brown ears!
Koenig's speech at the end was a bit heavy-handed: of course "creation is better than destruction"" and "hope is better than despair".! Still, this is one of the more visually impressive Year Two eps.
Harvey Kitzman said...
"Koenig is not a diplomat! Kirk would have handled things much better."
Well Kirk would have slept with the two alien women, chlorine or not, until at least one of them said "What is this human thing you call love".
naked chiks were kewl
Does anyone else think Yasko might have been dubbed over by another actress? Her pronunciation seemed a lot better than usual.
Its lucky that the alien computer system chose English once it realised they were from Earth. It could just as easily have chosen Russian or French. Apparently the aliens knew enough about Earth to know English is the common language of international communication in the modern era. And perhaps their knowledge of Earth explains why two of the three were so reluctant to take Koenig's plea at face value. They know Earth has a history of warfare that has continued into the modern era.
I suspect the balls bouncing onto the pedestals sequences were actually created by filming the balls being pulled off the pedestals or what have you and then playing the film backwards when the final cut was edited together.
Take out the Maya transformation scene and this could have easily been done with the year 1 cast
"Koenig is not a diplomat! Kirk would have handled things much better."
Yes, but Kirk was trained in diplomacy. As a Starfleet captain in deep space, he was more or less representing the Federation in any first contact situation. It was expected of him.
On the other hand, there would be no need for Koenig to have such training. The thought that he'd end up in deep space never crossed anyone's mind. He was just supposed to command a base, nothing more.
Sarah Douglas, who played one of the naked ladies, went on to play the Phantom Zone criminal, Ursa, in Superman I and II.
I mentioned waaay back in 1999 that I thought this episode ended with some of the cast still on a disintegrating planet as the credits rolled, but that's another episode.
Luckily for Koenig that when the ball zaps his sensor device, burning it to a crisp, that the electrical charge didn't short out power to his space suit.
I loved the Eagle landing in a massive cloud of dust when it returned to the Moon, following a blast that caused a sand storm on the surface. The retro jets blowing up the sand and dust of the Moon is exactly what woudl happen, since the surface is supposed to be composed of regolith, a very fine dust much like flour.
That Alpha Log Recorder must have been built by the same guys that built Betamax videotape recorders! The thing is sooo big and clunky for what is just a glorified tape recorder!
And I'll never understand why, other than to give Barabara Bain lines, why she's making Alpha status reports, when she's not even commander or controller or even part of the main operations of the base. She's commenting on events and details that have nothing to do with the medical profession or department.
Man, that Chrysalis Guy had BIG '70's hair!
Helena practically whispered her order to medical to evacuate. If anybody was standing more than 10 feet away from an intercom they would have turned around, thinking they'd heard voices, and ignored her order.
And other than being the star of a tv show in the real world, why the heck is Helena in command later on? She doesn't have military training or knowledge of base operations. Forgive me for saying, but even YASKO has more Command Center knowledge and should be in command before a doctor!
Also,
Koenig begins to draw a diagram of our solar system to tell the ball where they come from. He draws, and says out loud, "Sun, Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars." and draws an arrow at Earth, so the ball says that they are from Earth. Really? I guess the main clue was when Koenig said EARTH! Why not just draw the Earth? Why draw just four planets and leave out Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune, and Pluto? Our system has 9 planets (at least in 1999, it did), not 4.
And I'll never understand why, other than to give Barabara Bain lines, why she's making Alpha status reports, when she's not even commander or controller or even part of the main operations of the base. She's commenting on events and details that have nothing to do with the medical profession or department.
This was when Frieberger was trying to turn 1999 into a Star Trek clone. Since Trek always opened with Kirk doing a Captain's Log, Frieberger decided that 1999 should open with something similar. I guess he chose Helena instead of Koenig so he couldn't be accused of copying Star Trek directly.
Copying Star Trek? Really? I never noticed the similarity between it and 1999, despite having log voice-overs, laser pistols, visiting a new planet almost evety week, and an alien science officer. 
Yeah, I know. I like Maya, but I wonder what Frieberger was thinking: "If Roddenberry can do it, I can do it!" Surely he must have known that people would say Maya is just 1999's answer to Spock.
At least he didn't have Helena yelling at Maya all the time!
Alan would never have survived his exposure to chlorine gas. Even if, by some miracle, he was still alive when Maya pulled him out of the room, his lungs would have been so damaged that he would never have survived without pretty aggressive medical intervention.
Alan is clearly tougher than he lets on.