Space: 1999

On 13 September 1999, an explosion at the Moon’s nuclear-waste areas tears it out of Earth’s orbit. The 311 people of Moonbase Alpha are carried into deep space, with no way to choose their destination. Their immediate problem is survival; their longer search is for somewhere to call home.

Space: 1999 places a recognisable working community inside an extraordinary situation. Commander John Koenig, Doctor Helena Russell, their colleagues and the Eagle pilots encounter new worlds, alien intelligence and phenomena that resist explanation. Each encounter offers both a possible future and a fresh danger.

The project grew out of plans for a second series of UFO, in which the Moon would have played a much larger role. As the idea developed, it became a separate production with its own characters, setting and purpose. Space: 1999 was created by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson and began production in 1973, before reaching television in 1975.

Martin Landau and Barbara Bain brought international recognition to the leading roles. Keith Wilson’s production design, Brian Johnson’s miniature effects and the carefully imagined equipment made Alpha feel like a place people could inhabit. The series’ visual language remains central to its appeal: clean interiors, complicated machines and a stark lunar landscape.

Read the history of the production.

The 48 episodes divide into two seasons of 24. Year One often explores uncertainty, isolation and questions without easy answers. Barry Morse’s Professor Victor Bergman is a key part of that atmosphere, offering scientific curiosity and friendship alongside Koenig and Russell.

Year Two, produced by Fred Freiberger, puts more emphasis on action, recurring relationships and encounters with alien life. Catherine Schell joins as Maya, a Psychon survivor with the ability to change form, while Tony Anholt plays Tony Verdeschi. The production also introduces new costumes, a different command centre and music by Derek Wadsworth.

The contrast is part of the series’ identity. Viewers can explore the contemplative science fiction of the first season and the more outwardly adventurous second season on their own terms. Our archive contains separate appreciations of Year One and Year Two.

The Eagle Transporter is Alpha’s essential link with the worlds it passes. Its modular structure supports reconnaissance, rescue, transport and scientific work. Chief pilot Alan Carter, played by Nick Tate, gives those missions a human focus: an Eagle is valuable equipment, but it is also how the crew hope to get home.

The original miniature work combines spectacle with a convincing sense of engineering. That combination has made the Eagle a lasting subject for model makers and collectors. The Year One Eagle mission and loss record is a detailed route into its on-screen history; it contains episode spoilers.

Start with Breakaway, which establishes the catastrophe and the Alphans’ new situation. Black Sun shows the reflective side of Year One, while Dragon’s Domain explores the series’ capacity for space horror. The Metamorph introduces Maya and the changed emphasis of Year Two.

Our Year One highlights and Year Two highlights offer further suggestions. These are editorial starting points, rather than a replacement for the complete series.

Fans mark 13 September as Breakaway Day, the fictional date of Alpha’s departure. The television series’ 50th anniversary fell in 2025; its influence continues through restored releases, books, models, comics, audio drama and the work of its fan community.

Those later forms do not all share one continuity. Original television, licensed continuations and reimagined audio adventures are best approached as distinct ways of exploring Alpha. The hub’s shop and archive routes make it easier to find the format that interests you.

Group Three / ITC / RAI. Two seasons; 48 episodes of approximately 50 minutes. First television broadcasts: 1975.

Year One principal credits

Executive Producer: Gerry Anderson
Producer: Sylvia Anderson
Directors: Lee H. Katzin, Charles Crichton, Ray Austin, David Tomblin & Bob Kellett
Director of Photography: Frank Watts BSC
Production Designer: Keith Wilson
Story Consultant: Christopher Penfold
Script Editor: Edward di Lorenzo & Johnny Byrne
Moon City Costumes Designed by Rudi Gernreich
Special Effects Supervisor: Brian Johnson
Special Effects Director: Nick Allder
Music by Barry Gray
Additional Music: Tomaso Albinoni, Jack Arel & Pierre Dutour, Giampiero Boneschi, Paul Bonneau & Serge Lancen,
Chuck Cassey, Frank Cordell, Vic Elms & Alan Willis, Robert Farnon, Beda Folten, Mike Hankinson,
Gustav Holst, Roger Roger, David Snell, Harry Sosnik, Jim Sullivan & Georges Teperino

Year Two

Executive producer: Gerry Anderson. Producer: Fred Freiberger. Music: Derek Wadsworth. Martin Landau, Barbara Bain and Nick Tate continue, joined by Catherine Schell and Tony Anholt.

Cast and featured performers

Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Barry Morse, Prentis Hancock, Nick Tate, Zienia Merton, Clifton Jones, Anton Phillips, Suzanne Roquette, Loftus Burton, Tony Allyn, Quentin Pierre, Andy Dempsey, Mike Stevens, Robert Phillips, Sarah Bullen, June Bolton, James Fagan, Raymond Harris, Annie Lambert, Binu Balini, Andrew Sutcliffe and Barbara Kelly.

Our Moonbase Alpha Technical Operations Manual guide compares the original and expanded editions, with interior previews and archived creator interviews.