DVD extra: Return to Moonbase Alpha with 'Space: 1999'

By Steve Jones USA TOAY

Back in 1975, the original moon landing was fresh enough in people's mind that they liked to speculate about the possibility of lunar living by the end of the 20th century. But by the time that momentous occasion actually arrived, people were either sweating the Y2K computer virus or trying to finagle an invite to wherever Prince was partying.
As it turned out, those far-off fantasies were a whole lot more fun than the ultimate reality. The seven-disc Space: 1999: The Complete Season One (2010, A&E Home Entertainment, not rated, $100), which arrives for the first time on Blu-ray this week, is a case in point. It coincides with the 35th anniversary of the cult classic by British TV producer Gerry Anderson, the man behind those 1960's marionette adventure series Fireball XL5, Thunderbirds and Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons

The 24 Space: 1999 episodes are uncut and have been digitally restored in high definition with newly recorded surround sound mixes. Oscar winner Martin Landau and three-time Emmy winner Barbara Bain star as Commander John Koenig and Dr. Helena Russell in this drama about the marooned 311-member colony of Moonbase Alpha.

They voyage across the stars on what's left of the moon after a thermonuclear explosion at a waste dump blasts the orb out of Earth's orbit. Landau and Bain, who were married from 1957-1993 had also starred together on Mission: Impossible as master of disguise Rollin Hand and femme fatale Cinnamon Carter. They also paired up in the 1981 made-for-TV film, The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island.

Space: 1999 shared its overarching meet-the-aliens plot with other shows like Lost in Spaceand Star Trek, but it was much more serious in tone. Anderson was greatly influenced by Stanley Kubrik's 2001: A Space Odyssey and it showed in the high production values. Special effects director Brian Johnson would later do visual effects on Ridley Scott's Aliens and George Lucas's Star Wars: Episode V —The Empire Strikes Back. The show also was praised for its progressive social and metaphysical themes, though critics — including sci-fi writer Isaac Asimov, who reviewed the show in 1975 for The New York Times— questioned the scientific plausibility and possibility of some aspects of the show. Not that it really mattered much to avid followers.

What will matter to fans aside from the pristine quality of the Blu-ray set, is that it is organized sequentially, so that the story unfolds logically. When the show originally aired in syndication during the '70s and '80s, episodes often were shown sporadically or in random order. The new set's bountiful extras include commentary by Anderson on the pilot episode, Breakaway, and also Dragon's Domain, HD image galleries of rare stills, and gum and cigarette cards, an interview with his co-producer and wife, Sylvia Anderson, and alternative opening and closing titles.