Destination: Moonbase Alpha (72 page)

‘I think ‘The Immunity Syndrome’ is the saddest story of all, in the sense that it is all about communication and the lack of it, and an essentially benign, wonderful creature. I conceived it first of all, the planet, as a body that had been invaded by a foreign virus, which was the Alphans. And the immediate response would be, like in a body, to create antibodies and to repel it. That theme is still very much in it. The planet’s a living organism, and as soon as they arrive it sets up its defence mechanisms, which turn the food poisonous and the water poisonous, and whatever. Also, [there was] the creature … hoping to [communicate] and [discover] that it is not alone. The
act
of trying to communicate destroys the creature. Getting no response, it sort of finishes off the process, as it were. That was the theme, and every time I see that sequence where the creature makes contact with Koenig, I feel that it’s one that really belongs in the first series. It’s not one that belongs in the second. It has that feeling of humanity, even though it’s a truly alien creature; it desperately wants to communicate, and it’s desperately sad, and it has also a slight sense of the ridiculous in the humour. When it is picking up on language it’s repeating what Koenig is saying.

‘It is a desperately lonely entity. All it has ever wanted throughout its ageless existence is the company of another sort of being or some kind of presence that it could communicate with, but the irony is that in the act of communicating with likely prospects that have appeared, it actually kills them, and then having killed them, it expels them. So all of these things are happening, and Koenig discovers all of this, and he has this remarkable encounter – which to me is one of the most touching things that I think I’ve written in the series – where he dons this protective covering, confronts this presence and starts talking to it. It reveals itself to be vulnerable, very human and very destructive, but unknowingly so.

‘I found this deeply touching, and to me it expressed very much the essence of
Space: 1999
– that villains were not necessarily villains and that disasters were usually the result of cock-ups more than deliberate intent. This echoes all of the real things in life. Where we did bring in deliberate megalomaniacs and psychopaths, they tended to be less interesting stories. If you just compare episodes like “Force of Life” and “The Immunity Syndrome” with, say, “End of Eternity”, I think you’ll find that they’re much better stories.

‘I liked “The Immunity Syndrome” very much indeed, and I worked very hard on making it work as well as it did. If I was to point to something and say what I would have done with series two, it would have been to give it the kind of pace and immediacy of Freddy’s image of it, and the heart of the first series. To me that’s infinitely more interesting than forcing Koenig to have a gladiatorial duel with a creature on a planet … There was a certain kind of shallowness of purpose about some of the stories that you are forced to do in science fiction, where you concentrate so much on the science fiction that you forget about everything else.

‘“The Immunity Syndrome” was the most difficult to get right, or suitable. It was a half hangover I’d considered doing for the first season. I had a hard time getting that right, because I was working closely with Freddy and he was a very demanding guy. It says a lot, you know, that I actually turned out something I could say was recognisably Johnny Byrne and hold onto it.’

Observations:
The interior set of the alien structure on the planet is a revision of other Year Two sets, dating back to the start of the season.

This marks the second appearance of the functional Commlock screen in Year Two. (The colour screen was previously featured in ‘The Rules of Luton’.)

Review:
‘The Immunity Syndrome’ is exciting, dramatic and insightful. It is one of the finest episodes of Year Two and is Johnny Byrne’s richest contribution to the second season. The direction by Bob Brooks allows all of the best aspects of the series to shine through and is equally successful in conveying both dramatic characterisation and captivating action.

Perhaps the most interesting thing about the plot is the undeniable similarities it shares with ‘Matter of Life and Death’, Byrne’s first script for
Space: 1999
. While that was the second episode of the series, this is the second-to-last, and in both cases a reconnaissance party discovers an alien world that initially appears perfect for the Alphans but quickly degenerates as the very nature and fabric of the planet turns against them. Instruments and equipment corrode, and Commlocks explode.

The cast are in top form, with Tony Anholt delivering his strongest performance of the series. Barbara Bain and Catherine Schell are both excellent, and it is a delight to see Helena and Maya working together and accomplishing what seems to be impossible. The most interesting feature of Maya’s portrayal in this episode is that she doesn’t make a single transformation throughout. The supporting characters – Alibe, Ed Spencer and Bill Fraser – are all used remarkably well by the script and are well portrayed by the actors. Fraser, in particular, seems especially likeable toward the end of the season.

The large-scale planetary exploration is well presented, with a significant number of Alphans actually seen on the surface. This is a very believable planetary set of an Earth-type world (as in ‘Devil’s Planet’), instead of a location shoot or the more otherworldly alien planet designs Keith Wilson often created for the series. Great attention is paid to detail throughout the episode, and the special effects are excellent. Especially notable are the Eagle crash and the sequence in which Helena’s and Maya’s glider – a sleek new non-powered plastic craft making its debut appearance – is struck by lightning.

Year One, particularly in the scripts of Christopher Penfold, occasionally depicted mankind as being little more than an invading organism or a virus in the universe. This perspective is explored in ‘The Immunity Syndrome’ as the arrival of the Alphans triggers the alien world’s intrinsic defence mechanisms. The planet is linked with the alien that inhabits it, and its response to the presence of the Alphans is purely a biological and involuntary one. Maya states, “The planet … it’s an ecological disaster. The computer registers a massive build-up in poisonous elements.” The concern expressed over the ecology of the planet as it turns from life-supporting to hostile is certainly one of the more overt environmental statements made in
Space: 1999
.

The alien character, which calls itself ‘I’, is a marvellous creation: a being unaware of any other life apart from itself, and therefore oblivious to the deaths it has caused. It is a naïve being, and it’s a tribute to Johnny Byrne’s talent that this entity – even after it has inadvertently killed the entire previous alien expedition and nearly killed Tony – comes across as sad, sympathetic and lonely. Viewers are also left with questions to consider. Where did ‘I’ come from? How long has it been on the planet?

The only flaw with this script is the eventual arrival on the planet (or, in Alan’s case, nearby in an Eagle) of every significant cast member, which leaves Moonbase Alpha without a command presence. The stated expectation of Helena and Maya is that they will probably not be able to return from their mission to the planet, so for the two of them to abandon those left on the base to a future without a strong leader seems highly self-centred. Certainly, their loved ones – John and Tony – are trapped and potentially about to die on the alien world, and naturally Helena and Maya would want to do all they could to help, but they also have a duty to everyone else on the base. Unless someone like Paul Morrow was brought back from his exile in the catacombs, who could possibly be in command? Yasko?

The final irony of the episode is almost tragic: having made contact and achieved a level of ‘friendship’ with the entity (which now knows it is not alone in the universe), the Alphans are left without the time to actually relocate to the planet (which is now once more as close to perfect as any world they’ve visited), and must leave the lonely being on its own again. Is ‘I’ destined to spend the rest of its existence alone, even though it is now aware that other life exists?

Once again, communication is the key to survival, and it seems fitting to recall Johnny Byrne’s statement from ‘The Metamorph’: ‘We’re all aliens – until we get to know one another.’

Space: 1999
’s penultimate episode, ‘The Immunity Syndrome’ is filled with stellar moments and is one of the most sensitive and largest-scale productions undertaken by the series. Many of the latter episodes of Year Two are among its best, and this one goes a long way towards living up to its motto, ‘Bigger, Better and More Exciting Than Ever!’

Rating:
9/10

2.24

THE DORCONS

Screenplay by Johnny Byrne

Directed by Tom Clegg

Selected Broadcast Dates:

UK
              LWT:

             
Date: 12 November 1977.               Time: 11.00 am

             
Granada:

             
Date: 30 October 1977.               Time: 1:15 pm

US
              KRON (San Francisco):

             
Date: 2 April 1977.               Time: 7.00 pm

Credited Cast: Martin Landau
(John Koenig),
Barbara Bain
(Helena Russell),
Catherine Schell
(Maya),
Tony Anholt
(Tony Verdeschi),
Nick Tate
(Alan Carter),
Alibe Parsons
(Alibe),
Laurence Harrington
(Stewart),
Kevin Sheehan
(First Dorcon Operative),
Michael Halsey
(First Dorcon Soldier),
Hamish Patrick
(Command Centre Alphan),
Hazel McBride
(Female Dorcon Medical Officer)

Guest Stars: Patrick Troughton
(Archon),
Ann Firbank
(Consul Varda),
Gerry Sundquist
(Malic)

Uncredited Cast: Jenny Cresswell
(Maya transformation Alphan),
Quentin Pierre
(Security Guard Pierce Quinton),
John Clifford
(Security Guard),
Peter Brayham
(Security Guard / Stunt Arranger),
Frank Henson
(Security Guard / Stunts),
Cliff Diggins
(Alphan / Stunts),
Harry Fielder
(Medic),
Roy Scammell
(Maya Creature),
Del Baker
(Second Dorcon Soldier),
Les White
(Third Dorcon Soldier)

Previously Titled:
‘The Return of the Dorcons’.

Plot:
The Dorcons hunt Psychons to steal their brain stems, which once implanted make them immortal. Now the Dorcons have found Maya and want her brain stem to save their elderly Imperial leader, the Archon.

Quotes:

• Maya:
  ‘Helena, kill me – please!’
  
• Archon:
  ‘I dream an old man’s dream of death, and find you here to arrange my immortality.’
  
• Archon:
  ‘I know what is in your mind, Malic. Your advice is rejected.’
  
• Malic:
  ‘Immortality is wasted on the old, isn’t it?’
  
• Varda:
  ‘Koenig, the security of an empire is at stake. An empire that controls thousands of inhabited worlds. What is the life of one Psychon compared with that?’
  
• Tony:
  ‘Is there anything else in your Psychon past we ought to know about?’
  

On-screen Date:
2,409 days since leaving Earth orbit.

Filming Dates:
Tuesday 7 December – Thursday 23 December 1976

Commentary:

Alibe Parsons:
‘One of the reasons that I took the job was that if the series had gone to a third season then I would have been in it and my character would have been developed more. I was very sad when we were told that there wouldn’t be a third series, first of all because I was enjoying it and I was just getting into knowing everybody and knowing the routine, but secondly because I think that the show was getting so much better and would have been even more so in a third series – and not just because I would have been in it! We finished the last episode, “The Dorcons”, just before Christmas, which gave us the opportunity to have a great big Christmas party, but it was a bit bittersweet, because we all had a good time with Father Christmas, but it was a bit sad to think that it was also one of the last times that we were all going to see one another.’

Johnny Byrne:
‘Because Freddy had rejected “Children of the Gods”, to complete my assignment I wrote something called “Return of the Dorcons”, which ended up as just “The Dorcons” … By that time I think I’d simply given up and wanted to finish my commitment precisely to the requirements of Freddy: that type of story. So I wrote “The Dorcons” as a kind of Freddy Freiberger-Johnny Byrne story. All the rest, it was me struggling to hold onto what I felt was good and what I felt could’ve been better about the second series. “The Dorcons” was on a par, I should imagine, with the rest of the stories of that season. It had no particular take on anything, no real psychological depth or spiritual dimension. It was just me trying to feed Freddy the kind of story that would get him off my back, so that I could go home and say goodbye to it all. I liked Freddy and I think that most people liked Freddy and found him wonderful – he was great company. I think he was an appalling disaster for
Space: 1999
, but that’s just my opinion. So, it all ended in an anti-climax. Had we known then that it was going to be the end of the series … Well, we might have guessed it, given Freddy’s past record.