Destination: Moonbase Alpha (30 page)

‘War Games’ jumps directly into the action with a sudden (apparent) alien attack. However, while the alien ships are approaching in a threatening manner, the Alphans – out of fear of being attacked – actually fire first. The Alphans’ own thoughts and fears lead to each subsequent escalation of the war. After the initial three Hawks are destroyed, Carter expresses his opinion, ‘It was too easy.’ This belief that there must be more to the alien threat leads to the next contact – another wave of Hawks.

The fan-favourite Mark IX Hawks are Earth ships similar in some ways to the Eagle, but designed as fighters. They are sleek and visually dynamic, and it would have been very interesting if Moonbase Alpha had been equipped with a small Hawk fleet for defensive purposes. As it is, they appear within the alien-induced dream that constitutes this episode, drawn from the fears and memories of the Alphans themselves. As the aliens eventually state, ‘Our only defense was to make your fears appear real.’

The shots of Alphans being sucked out into space through heavily damaged corridors by explosive decompression are incredibly effective. The vast destruction of Moonbase Alpha is, certainly by this point in science fiction television history, an unparalleled defeat for the heroes of a show. As a pre-
Star Wars
example of a production presenting extensive spaceship battles and model work, ‘War Games’ is a visual champion, featuring the most spectacular collection of effects in all 48 episodes of
Space: 1999
.

The death of series regular Bob Mathias is dramatic and heroic. If this were to have been the end of his character, it certainly would have been noble. However, as fans of sci-fi know, there are very few deaths that can’t be reversed.

At the Command Conference following the Alphans’ defeat, Helena states the grim fact that there are 128 dead. Kano reports that they are running off solar batteries, and that on minimum requirements they’ll be exhausted in eight days. The least badly damaged Nuclear Generating Area will take a minimum of four weeks to repair. Many anti-gravity units are smashed beyond repair. Sandra states that the food production and recycling plants are very badly damaged; the water is heavily contaminated. It will take nine weeks minimum to fix the food production problems, and another two more months before crops can be harvested.

At this point, in short, Alpha is virtually dead, and her people know their situation can get no worse, so the attack stops. Again, this development is tied in with their minds and their perception of the situation. When they think there is no point in the attack continuing, it stops. As they are virtually destroyed, the only course of action they can take is to go down to the planet. John and Helena encounter the Male and Female Aliens in their tactile, translucent surroundings. There are many wonderful science fiction concepts addressed throughout their encounter, one of which arises from
Helena’s line, ‘The lights, the colours … maybe they’re part of their language.’ It’s an intriguing idea.

The aliens themselves are cold and emotionless, with domed bald heads. On one view this is a sci-fi cliché, but on another these are among the most purely alien humanoid species Alpha encounters. Their world is deeply enriched by the script. It is made up of a series of ‘brains’, which control and perfect their society. This is along the lines of the macro-brain concept Christopher Penfold also worked at exploring in ‘Space Brain’. These aliens are understandable and three-dimensional, despite their emotionless demeanor, and consider the Alphans to be a ‘plague of fear,’ no more than a virus waiting to contaminate their world. This raises questions worth considering. Do humans belong out in space? Can we comprehend the implications our being out there might have for the life forms we encounter?

Koenig’s use of minor physical violence on the planet (striking out at some fragile-looking equipment) leads to his and Helena’s fear of retaliation – which, of course, causes the aliens to appear with laser guns and kill the Commander. Helena, left alone, fears many things, and the result is her indoctrination into the alien brain, an experience that ends in her coming close to understanding their world. With her fears gone, Helena is able to share in the alien powers, allowing her to bring John back to life. Having conquered her fear, Helena is at peace, takes on alien traits, and achieves greater understanding. Koenig, however, immediately returns to the war-like ways inherent in much of humanity. He plans to take the planet by force. It shows that the Alphans are still Earth people, still flawed and imperfect. And in those flaws, oddly enough, lies a certain kind of beauty; as Helena says, ‘We are what we are.’

Victor Bergman’s goodbye speech to the Alphans’ Moon home provides Barry Morse with the opportunity and material to deliver one of his finest, most emotional and subtle performances in the series. His speech encapsulates the essence of
Space: 1999
; that, although mankind has learned many things we still have much to learn. As the remaining command crew exit Main Mission for what they believe to be the last time, comforting each other, viewers are shown a society of comrades and friends, not just the co-workers introduced in ‘Breakaway’.

Koenig and Carter head towards the planet, intent on attacking, and are met with an opposite force – a defence field. Of course they encounter defences from the planet – they expect them! By expecting them, and being afraid of them, John and Alan actually bring these defences into being. If they had no fear, there would have been no force field. As they plow through it in their Eagle, Carter is clearly afraid. He says, ‘We can’t do it. She’ll break up.’ And that is exactly what happens. Carter’s death is, like that of Mathias, a clue that there is more to this plot than first meets the eye.

Helena begins to learn the truth of what is happening to them in the following dialogue exchange:

Helena:
‘And you defend them with bombers and Hawks like those of the planet Earth.’

Female Alien:
‘We have no fighting machines of our own. Why should we? We have no fear.’

Helena
:
‘You do. You used them to destroy Alpha. Didn’t you?’

Male Alien:
‘Mankind is full of fear.’

But then, as she is beginning to understand fully, Helena thinks of John and becomes aware that he is in danger of dying, adrift in space, with only his limited spacesuit oxygen supply keeping him alive. (Consider Koenig’s freefall through space is a tribute by Christopher Penfold to
2001: A Space Odyssey
. In that movie, the character Frank Poole drifts slowly through the void, his breathing symbolic of man in space being a ‘fish out of water’.) Koenig’s plight awakens Helena’s human emotions. Her fear of death wells up and breaks the indoctrinating influences of the aliens, and she returns to her normal self:

Helena:
‘John. Come back.’

Female Alien:
‘He has faced death. He has conquered his fear.’

Helena
:
‘I want him back – as he was. I want him here. I am afraid of death. I don’t want your world.’

Male Alien:
‘If you bring him back he will have to face the agony of his own fear.’

Helena
:
‘I want him as he was, with all his faults and fears.’

Female Alien:
‘He would destroy us all.’

Helena
:
‘We are what we are!’

That segment displays some of Barbara Bain’s finest acting in the series. Her performance is absolutely gripping as she portrays Helena acknowledging her fears and essentially pleading for John Koenig to live. This scene also shows that the Alphans are unable to sustain themselves for long in the alien world without their emotions and fears rising up again. It’s notable that Helena saves Koenig here, as she does in ‘Matter of Life and Death’, by wishing it.

But note what the Male Alien stated: ‘If you bring him back he will have to face the agony of his own fear.’ What does John Koenig fear? He fears losing
Helena, and he fears that there could be no future for his people…

Koenig’s arrival on the planet is quickly followed by his use of a Stun Gun. He aims at the Male Alien (who sits with an expression of almost solemn sadness at the act he knows is about to take place), and fires. This kind of intense violence – the firing of a gun with the intent to kill – is the result of fear. Fear for what the aliens may do to
Helena. Fear for all their futures. And such an intense unleashing of violence (which has not happened on the planet before – remember, the aliens have no weapons and therefore never actually fired upon or killed Koenig) results in a massive chain reaction, almost destroying the entire world. His grief is the fear of Helena being killed, and she nearly is. As the Male Alien foretold, if Helena brought Koenig back he would have to confront the agony of his own fear. Together they sit out the monstrous destruction they have caused. The final culmination of destruction on the alien planet is portrayed through the use of stock footage of a real nuclear explosion. The use of this stock footage serves to strike at a conscious or unconscious fear instilled in people since the 1950s, essentially restating (even if unintentionally) Christopher Penfold’s dislike of nuclear technology and continues the anti-nuclear undertones present in the series since ‘Breakaway’.

Now, with no hope for life on Alpha or on the planet, Koenig orders the evacuating Eagles back to their base, where his people will all die. It is Koenig’s ultimate fear come true. And this is the point at which the story returns to its beginning moments, in Main Mission, shortly before Koenig orders the destruction of the first flight of Hawks. This time, he orders his Eagles to hold their fire. Koenig and Helena remember portions of the collective dream they have just experienced, and know that they are not threatened by this alien world. They have no fear, and the alien threat vanishes.

The aliens had no weapons or ships of their own, and now they trust that the Alphans will stay away, and pass by their world without interference – interference that could mean the death of them all. This has been a shared dream in the minds of the Alphans, taking place in a single moment of time, with all of their fears influencing the course of their demise. Fear is the root of failure. Fear is the cause of war and destruction. And their own fear is what defeated the Alphans.

‘War Games’ is an immensely detailed episode and touches on a wealth of complex concepts. The Mysterious Unknown Force is referenced when Koenig expresses to the aliens his belief that someone or something is looking after them, and they will survive. The direction from Charles Crichton is possibly his finest work in the series, and ‘War Games’ is the culmination of his collaborations with Christopher Penfold. The sets of the alien world are beautiful. The performances are captivating and deliver an intense depth of emotion, while some of the characterisations advance notably, such as with the background revelation that Koenig is Alpha’s ninth Commander. As well, the relationship between Koenig and Helena is fleshed out further, and Sandra shows she is a significant and dependable part of the command staff – no fainting here!

If this successful combination of dynamic action-adventure with philosophical underpinnings and strong characterisation were to have been carried over into additional episodes (possibly replacing some of the weaker segments, such as the upcoming ‘The Last Enemy’), there would certainly have been no reason for the production team to make substantial changes for Year Two.

‘War Games’ is Christopher Penfold’s magnum opus. It is a potent anti-war statement and a consummately structured, profoundly interesting and ultimately demanding experience for the Alphans, and the viewer.

Rating:
9.5/10

1.18

THE LAST ENEMY

Screenplay by Bob Kellett

Directed by Bob Kellett

Selected Broadcast Dates:

UK
              LWT:

             
Date: 28 February 1976.               Time: 11.30 am

             
Granada:

             
Date: 19 March 1976.               Time: 6.35 pm

US
              KRON (San Francisco):

             
Date: 10 January 1976.               Time: 7.00 pm

Credited Cast: Martin Landau
(John Koenig),
Barbara Bain
(Helena Russell),
Barry Morse
(Victor Bergman),
Prentis Hancock
(Paul Morrow),
Clifton Jones
(David Kano),
Zienia Merton
(Sandra Benes),
Nick Tate
(Alan Carter),
Maxine Audley
(Theia),
Kevin Stoney
(Talos),
Carolyn Courage
(First Girl)

Guest Artist: Caroline Mortimer
(Dione)

Uncredited Cast: Suzanne Roquette
(Tanya Alexander),
Sarah Bullen
(Operative Kate),
Loftus Burton
(Operative Lee),
John Lee-Barber
(Eagle 5 Pilot),
Shane Rimmer
(Voice of Eagle 2 Pilot),
Laurie Davis
,
Andrew Dempsey
,
Claire Lutter
,
Andrew Sutcliffe
,
Maggie Wright
(Main Mission Operatives),
Tony Allyn
(Security Guard Tony Allan),
Quentin Pierre
(Security Guard Pierce Quinton),
Robert Case
(Security Guard),
Uffe Neumann
(Astronaut in Corridor),
Linda Hooks
(Second Girl),
Tara Faraday
(Third Girl),
Alan Bennion
(Male Alien – cut from final print)