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Space:1999 FAQ

Additions and Corrections should be sent to atd1999@tony-island.com
(this FAQ listing is current as of 08-Feb-2009)

  1. What is the premise of Space:1999?
  2. What is the significance of September 13,1999?
  3. Who are the stars of Space:1999?
  4. How many seasons did Space:1999 air?
  5. How many episodes are there?
  6. What is the production behind the series?
  7. What are some of the terms of Space:1999?
  8. Who are the main characters in Year 1?
  9. Who are the main characters in Year 2?
  10. What are the episode titles in Year 1?
  11. What are the episode titles in Year 2?
  12. Are any episodes available on video/DVD?
  13. Is there any other Space:1999 merchandise?
  14. What is the "Year" division in fandom?
  15. Is this the only Space:1999 web site?
  16. Is this the only Space:1999 FAQ?
  17. Are transcripts of the episodes available?
  18. Are there any discussion groups?
  19. Is there any fan analysis of the series?
  20. Was there a convention on Sept. 13, 1999?
  21. Are there any books covering the series?

1. What is the premise of Space:1999?

    By the year 1999, Moonbase Alpha had been built to serve as a scientific platform and nuclear waste monitoring post (nuclear waste from Earth is being shipped and stored on the moon). On September 13, 1999, the nuclear waste exploded causing the Moon to leave Earth's orbit and begin a fantastic journey of space exploration!

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2. What is the significance of September 13,1999?

    September 13, 1999 is the date that the moon is blown out of Earth orbit. That day is also Barbara Bain's birthday.

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3. Who are the stars of Space:1999?

    The series starred the then American husband and wife team of Martin Landau and Barbara Bain as Commander John Koenig and Doctor Helena Russell, respectively. The series also starred Barry Morse as Professor Victor Bergman (Year 1), Nick Tate as Captain Alan Carter (Years 1/2) Catherine Schell as Maya (Year 2) and Tony Anholt as Tony Verdeschi (Year 2).

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4. How many seasons did Space:1999 air?

    Space:1999 was a syndicated series. It ran for two seasons (1975-1977).

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5. How many episodes are there?

    There are 48 hour-long episodes, evenly divided over the two years the show was syndicated.

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6. What is the production behind the series?

    The series was produced in England by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson (first season) and Gerry Anderson and Fred Frieberger (second season). The series was filmed at Pinewood Studios while the special effects were filmed at Bray.

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7. What are some of the terms in Space:1999?

    The basic terms you will need to know to successfully navigate the Space:1999 universe are the following (not all inclusive):    

Moonbase Alpha the scientific and nuclear waste monitoring post that the Alphans live in.
Alphans inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha
Eagle            reusable spacecraft used to travel to various planets encountered
Travel Tube internal Moonbase Alpha transportation system; basically a horizontal elevator system connecting the entire complex
Stun Gun basic sidearm carried by authorized Alphans; can be set to stun or kill a target
Commlock portable communications device carried by all Alphans; contains a video screen for visual communications between users and for accessing data from Main Computer; also used to gain/restrict access to all sections of Alpha
Commpost a fixed structure running floor to ceiling in the corridors of Moonbase Alpha; contain video screens for communications; served as demarcation markers for various sections within Alpha
Main Computer the "mother" of all computer systems on Alpha; controlled, in general, from Main Mission (Command Center in Year 2)
Main Mission the hub of Alpha during Year 1; all section heads have a post here; the Commander's office is also here; all activity within the base is monitored from Main Mission
Command Center the underground version of Main Mission, though much smaller in size; for safety's sake, most operations and living quarters were moved underground during Year 2.

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8. Who are the main characters in Year 1?

Commander John Koenig Captain Alan Carter Dr. Bob Mathias
Dr. Helena Russell Controller Paul Morrow Data Analyst Sandra Benes
Professor Victor Bergman Computer Operator David Kano Tanya Alexander

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9. Who are the main characters in Year 2?

Commander John Koenig Captain Alan Carter Dr. Ben Vincent
Dr. Helena Russell Chief of Security Tony Verdeschi Yasko / Alibe Parsons
Science Officer Maya Data Analyst Sandra Benes Bill Fraser

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10. What are the episode titles in Year 1?

Year 1
  1. Breakaway1,3
  2. Matter of Life and Death2,3
  3. Black Sun1,3
  4. Ring Around the Moon1,3
  5. Earthbound1,2,3
  6. Another Time, Another Place3
  7. Missing Link2,4
  8. Guardian of Piri2,4
  9. Force of Life4
  10. Alpha Child1,4
  11. Last Sunset4
  12. Voyager's Return1,2,4
  1. Collision Course5
  2. Death's Other Dominion5
  3. Full Circle5
  4. End of Eternity1,5
  5. War Games5
  6. Last Enemy5
  7. Troubled Spirit6
  8. Space Brain1,6
  9. Infernal Machine6
  10. Mission of the Darians1,6
  11. Dragon's Domain6
  12. Testament of Arkadia6

1 Episode is available from Columbia House video
2 Episode was available from J2 video (check eBay for possible copies)
3 Episode is available on DVD Set 1
4 Episode is available on DVD Set 2
 5 Episode is available on DVD Set 3
6 Episode is available on DVD Set 4
(please note that ALL the above listed episodes were released on laserdisc by Image Entertainment - check eBay for used copies)

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11. What are the episode titles in Year 2?

Year 2
  1. Metamorph*
  2. Exiles*
  3. One Moment of Humanity*
  4. Journey to Where
  5. All That Glisters
  6. Taybor
  7. Mark of Archanon
  8. Rules of Luton
  9. New Adam, New Eve*
  10. Brian the Brain
  11. A B Chrysalis
  12. Catacombs of the Moon
  1. Seed of Destruction*
  2. Beta Cloud*
  3. Matter of Balance
  4. Space Warp*
  5. Bringers of Wonder, Pt 1
  6. Bringers of Wonder, Pt 2
  7. Dorzak*
  8. Lambda Factor
  9. Devil's Planet
  10. Seance Spectre
  11. Immunity Syndrome
  12. Dorcons*

* Episode is available from Columbia House video
Please note that Image Entertainment released all the above episodes on laserdisc - except episodes 17 and 18

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12. Are any episodes available on video?

    Yes! The episodes are available (in the United States) through a patchwork of various releases over the past 10 years.

  • Image Entertainment (1990) released 46 of the episodes on 23 laserdiscs 
    (the 2-part second season episode Bringers of Wonder was omitted)

  • J2 (1991?) released 4 episodes on VHS tape.

  • Columbia House (1997) released 20 episodes on VHS tape. 2 episodes from each Year were on each of the 10 volumes released. These tapes are currently available to U.S. and Canadian residents only.

  • A&E/New Video is releasing a set of DVDs and VHS tapes. As of July 31, 2001, all of Year 1 has been released (on DVD; the first 12 episodes on VHS). Year 2 is expected to start release in Fall, 2001.

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13.  Is there any other Space:1999 merchandise?

    Yes! There is a lot of new and old Space:1999 merchandise. (See my collection) I recommend checking out the Catacombs for some of the available merchandise.
    Also, check out eBay  - the online auction. There are at least 100 Space:1999 items on auction every day! Some hard to find and rare items, too!

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14. What is the "Year" division in fandom?

    When Fred Freiberger took over as producer for the second season, many elements of the series were changed, including the interior looks of Moonbase Alpha and the Eagles, the uniforms and the storylines. This sharp departure from the first season left a mark on many of the show's fans. Some liked the changes, some detested them, some did not care. Over the course of time, the two seasons came to be referred to as Year 1 and Year 2. There are diehard devotees of both Years and many discussions in Space:1999 fandom revolve around the differences and impact of the Year 2 changes.

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15.  Is this the only Space:1999 web site?

    No! By no means is this the only Space:1999 web site! Your tour of the many Space:1999 sites should start at Space1999.net. That Web site contains extensive information of other Space:1999 Web sites (all of them are much more better than my Space:1999 site!) Also, you can check out the Space:1999 Web Ring. Have fun!

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16.  Is this the only Space:1999 FAQ?

    No, this is not the only FAQ. I'm sure there are many others, but one that I have found is: http://www.brookes.ac.uk/~p0054463/space1999/1999.html

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17. Are transcripts of the episodes available?

    Yes. Martin J. Willey has made his personal set of episode transcripts available to fans. You can read his transcripts at: The Catacombs.

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18. Are there any Internet discussion groups?

    Yes! There are several various groups on the Internet that bring Space:1999 fans together to discuss the show.

  • Online Alpha - This mailing list group focuses exclusively on Space:1999. 
         To subscribe, simply send a blank e-mail to  onlinealpha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com You may receive an email in return to verify your subscription.
  • Gaybase Alpha - This mailing list is mainly for gay/bi fans of Space:1999. The chat covers Space:1999 and other issues of interest to members.
         To subscribe, simply send a blank e-mail to  gaybasealpha-subscribe@yahoogroups.com You may receive an email in return to verify your subscription.
  • News Group - This is a free-for-all Usenet group. You can read this group by pointing your news reader to hactar.space-1999. You can also use the http://groups.google.com Web site to read this newsgroup.

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19. Is there any fan analysis of the series?

    Yes! Martin J Willey has some great analysis on his web site (The Catacombs). Of course, the mailing lists (cited above) have ongoing analysis. And, I will eventually have some analysis right here.

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20. Will there be a convention on Sept. 13, 1999?

    Yes! There was a Convention on Sept. 13, 1999! There will be one in Tampa, July, 2001, too!

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21. Are there any books covering the series?

    So far, John Muir's book Exploring Space:1999 is one of the few hardcover books covering the series as a whole. With the DVD release, perhaps there will be more books coming out in the near future.

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