The worlds of Gerry Anderson are full of commanding figures who lead their respective secret organisations or rescue services in saving the day whenever disaster strikes. As the leaders, they're often the protagonists of their various series and capture the heroic ethos and spirit of adventure that are so synonymous with Gerry Anderson series. 

Two of these most noteworthy characters come from two of Gerry's most celebrated live action series - UFO's Commander Ed Straker, portrayed by Ed Bishop, and Space: 1999's Commander John Koenig, portrayed by Martin Landau. Given that Space: 1999 evolved out of UFO, it's not surprising that these characters bear some close similarities. But just how far do they reflect each other? How different are they in their commanding styles? Is one better than the other? Let's investigate!

Overbearing Politics

Commander Ed Straker leads the Supreme Headquarters Alien Defence Organisation against an ongoing alien invasion that's nearly impossible to predict. Commander John Koenig's charge of Moonbase Alpha takes renewed meaning when the Moon is accidentally blasted out of orbit, necessitating Koenig to become a reassuring leader in Moonbase Alpha's newfound mission of finding a new home to settle on amidst a never-ending barrage of cosmic phenomena. 

Two quite different premises prompt two quite different characterisations, even if Space: 1999 was initially designed to be a follow-up to UFO and set in that series' timeline. Surviving evidence suggests none of UFO's original cast would have been brought back, suggesting that a different leader of SHADO would have been situated for this new take on the format, something that provided a springboard for Koenig's own formation. 

Koenig may have evolved out of Straker, but there's the case to be made that Straker in turn has his roots in Jason Webb, the uncompromising director of EUROSEC from 1969's Doppelganger, Gerry and Sylvia's sole foray into live action science fiction cinema, and the film that's regularly cited as introducing the bleak tonal standard which UFO would extrapolate further. Indeed, Webb and Straker share distinctly similar characterisation - they tolerate their leadership duties at the expense of permanently tense relationships with higher political powers who fund their existence. In Webb's case it's NASA, whereas with Straker, it's the International Astrophysical Commission. It's these combative relationships that drive the drama of both UFO and Doppelganger - and is something noticeably absent from the majority of Space: 1999.

By Space: 1999's very nature, Koenig doesn't have these sorts of pressures hanging over him. Or rather, he's freed from these restrictions one the Moon is unmoored from the Earth. Commissioner Simmonds is the third and last in this connective thread of commanders forced to balance their leadership with intrusive, bureaucratic influences. Continuing the relationship between Straker and the IAC's General Henderson, Koenig and Simmonds' moral juxtaposition throughout the events of Breakaway and Earthbound make for compelling drama. Simmonds' self-destructive desire to escape Alpha and return to Earth marks the boiling point of this character dynamic and a totally untransparent acknowledgement of how redundant these hierarchies of power are once the Earth is plunged into deep space. 

Once Simmonds is (horrifically) removed from the equation, we're left with two distinct commanders. Straker's leadership is defined by human interference which can prove just as devastating to SHADO as a UFO invasion. Koenig's leadership is defined by the teetering survival of Moonbase Alpha as they're forced to regularly grapple with cosmic forces beyond their understanding.

Tragic Backstories

Over the course of both series, we come to know different aspects and characteristics of both leaders, aided by varying degrees of backstories, and consequently, how those backstories come to impact their personalities and leadership styles. It's undeniable that we know far more about Ed Straker's history than we do John Koenig's. It's therefore not entirely surprising that we're gifted with a compelling picture of how his tragic backstory influences his aggressive command of SHADO.

Confetti Check A-O.K. and A Question of Priorities prize open the consequences of SHADO's stranglehold on Straker. His devotion to establishing and commanding SHADO comes at the cost of his initially harmonious domestic life. A defining element of becoming a member of SHADO is becoming cut off your former life and that's depressingly apparent in Ed Straker. With those two episodes in mind, we're kept fully in the loop as to why Straker maintains an ice-cold ruthlessness over those who work under him. It's not just the pressures of warding off an alien invasion that makes Straker dislikeable. 

Where SHADO operates as a law unto itself, dictated by Straker's iron fist, the same can't really be said for Koenig's control of Moonbase Alpha. Indeed, the idea of Alpha functioning similarly to SHADO, with its resolute stance against antagonistic characters like Henderson, becomes redundant as Moonbase Alpha's continuing adventures reveal just how small humanity is within the endless scope of the universe. Nevertheless, Koenig maintains a steady yet likeable hand in maintaining a peaceable existence on Alpha. Koenig's relative warmth elicits an approachable attitude from him. It's a noticeable difference between the two commanders that where Straker mostly sticks to referring to his workforce by their surnames, Koenig prefers to use people's first names. The formal versus the personable.

Koenig may be a more pleasant character than Straker, but is he, and Space: 1999 overall, lacking because of that absence of tangible backstory that makes Straker such an engrossing character to see in action? Can Space: 1999 claim to have its equivalents of A Question of Priorities or Confetti Check A-O.K.?

Some details as to Koenig's life are to be found throughout Space: 1999 - sometimes in episodes that never made it to screen. The much derived Rules of Luton may not be a fan favourite, but it does at least reveal that Koenig was once married, but eventually lost his wife in an undisclosed war on Earth. This throwaway line is a stunning leap forward in provoking sympathy from the audience. However, a much earlier episode could have painted a similarly dark picture for Koenig. 

Art Wallace's sole contribution to Space: 1999 was the Year 1 episode A Matter of Life and Death, a script that was hastily rewritten by Johnny Byrne to suit the series' eventually realised format and production schedule, following director Lee H. Katzin's prolonged and controversial handling of Breakaway. Wallace's earlier draft, Siren Planet, featured scenes involving Koenig encountering an apparition of his estranged father and revealed that Koenig had been forced to place his ill father in a nursing home for his own safety, something which would prove to haunt Koenig. 

These two scenarios, one from an episode fans would rather forget, the other from an earlier incarnation of another episode that had to be redone, capture an isolated image of Koenig not unsimilar to Straker. When you're the leader, it's lonely at the top.

A Tale of Two Leaders

It's not by accident that Space: 1999 places far less emphasis on the personality and history of its protagonist compared to UFO's treatment of Ed Straker. The more emotionally devastating episodes of UFO, while popular with fans and arguably more evergreen in their storytelling qualities, didn't go down well with ITC America. By no small coincidence, Gerry Anderson secured the greenlight for Space: 1999 on the basis that it was to be a series that prioritised spectacular special effects and enthralling science fiction adventure. Engaging character dynamics, while not absent from the series, weren't a priority, although Martin Landau and Barbara Bain would heavily campaign for increased characterisations for their performances during the series' production.

It's tricky to justify Straker or Koenig as the better commander when their leadership is defined by such wildly different circumstances. Any further instances of backstory and personality for Koenig would surely have been a welcome feature, yet the characters we see in action make perfect sense within the confines of their respective series. Whether it's the unshakable sternness of Ed Straker or the empathetic appeal of John Koenig, both the leaders of UFO and Space: 1999 bear impossibly tough responsibilities that enliven these series with welcoming character drama.

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