In recognition of Space: 1999's 50th anniversary, we recently felt compelled to blast off to the defence Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's space-age adventure drama from its harshest critics. From its perceived dry characterisations to laughably impossible scientific accuracy, Space: 1999's first series has weathered not entirely unjustified criticism for daring to provide audiences with an awe-struck take on what the mysteries of the universe may hold.

However, there's one aspect of Space: 1999 that even its die-hard fans often struggle to enjoy. That aspect being... Space: 1999's second series! There's precious few other examples in science fiction television of a series undergoing such a wildly drastic reinvention between its two series. Space: 1999's second series was greenlit only after the uncertain critical and commercial performance of Year 1 demanded a vast number of changes. The metaphysical qualities of the first series were abruptly swapped out for emphasis on action, humour and monsters. 

If Year 1 had treated scientific legitimacy with some flexibility, then all too often, Year 2 feels decidedly anti-science. The emphasis on swiftly-paced adventure and overly comical character dynamics above all else undeniably makes Year 2 appear as a lesser beast than Year 1. But is Year 2 all that bad? In celebration of Space: 1999's 50th anniversary, let's don our brightly coloured jackets, congregate in the annoyingly scaled down Main Mission set, and come to the defence of Space: 1999's second series.

Science vs. Adventure

It's undeniably hard to defend the approach that Space: 1999's second series took in presenting its scientific legitimacy. The relatively careful and thoughtful attitude which Year 1 took to balancing scientific credibility with narrative and character-driven drama is mostly shaken off for Year 2. The alien characters which Moonbase Alpha meet are far wilder in style and the cosmic phenomena entirely in service to implausible yet fast-paced adventure. However, is there actually that much separation between the two seasons?

Rather similar to Year 1's embracement of the narrative freedoms presented by the hauntingly unknowable qualities of deep space and the metaphysical phenomena encountered by the Alphans, Year 2 still manages to pursue a similar direction. Year 1 regularly framed the Alphans' cosmic experiences through a philosophical lens, whereas Year 2 frames those experiences through a prioritisation of action and adventure. It's a separate destination, but the journey is much the same. After all, is the mist-drenched, time displacement environment of The Full Circle any less ridiculous that talkative and judgemental plant life of The Rules of Luton?

The gulf between Year 1 and Year 2 isn't as far-reaching as we may naturally assume. Spectral phenomena (The Troubled Spirit, The Séance Spectre), indestructible creatures (End of Eternity, The Beta Cloud), and antimatter (A Matter of Life and Death, A Matter of Balance) are all shared story premises between the two series.

Year 2 certainly feels a swifter-moving beast than Year 1, content to propel audiences along with relatively surface-level space adventure which, more often than not, proves hooky in its level of gung-ho entertainment. The glacial moroseness of Year 1 is mostly exhumed. In doing so, Space: 1999 suddenly feels livelier and oddly appealing within its refreshed state. You can't deny that, on those terms, Space: 1999's reinvention wasn't successful.

The interminable struggle to search for a new home is greatly toned down, and the Alphans' perilous existence is swapped out for regular stopping points with other aliens. Space: 1999's universe simultaneously becomes far more lived-in and far less engrossingly mysterious. The Exiles is a rare case of Moonbase Alpha's tight-rope existence coming into focus when a wandering race of alien refugees ask for shelter on Moonbase Alpha, but the base's limited resources forces Commander Koenig to make an impossible decision. Sure enough, The Exiles was originally written in the Y1 format.

If Year 1 trades in scientific authenticity for the wonders of the universe, as if the two are complimentary to each other, then Year 2 similarly trades that legitimacy in for fun-first space action hokum. There's little in Year 2 that's as seriously minded as Year 1, but there's therefore nothing that risks slipping into pretentious territory. Year 2 revels in its sense of upbeat adventure in which most stories end not on a downbeat note of metaphysical philosophising, but comical character interplay. Year 2 becomes all the more electrifying to experience when quality episode do emerge that finely balance the humour and action with darker and intelligent edges - New Adam New Eve, The Séance Spectre, Devil's Planet, Seed of Destruction and The Immunity Syndrome are just some of the highlights from a series all too quickly disregarded for not being as compelling as Year 1.

Smiling in 1999

When Gerry Anderson hired American producer Fred Freiberger to realign Space: 1999 into a more successful trajectory, he composed an in-depth report on evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of Year 1 - albeit only by watching a mere eight episodes of Year 1's 24-episode run. When determining the series' characters, this was his response:

The production values are superb. I have seen nothing in the States that is comparable. I cannot praise your efforts on that score too highly. But after your production values… what? Everything goes downhill. The format people are one-dimensional without any clearly defined characters. They motivate nothing in terms of the action. They stand around talking instead of doing. Therefore, the episodes are mild instead of dynamic, driving, searing. The relationships are plastic and meaningless, And a major fault with the series is a lack of humour. Doesn’t anybody know how to smile in 1999? We, the viewers, have got to care about our format people. We don’t give a damn about people we don’t know, and we certainly don’t know anybody on Moonbase Alpha.

When read in such unfiltered starkness, Fred Freiberger's unflinching quotes about Year 1's approach to characterisation has a slight yet undeniable truth to them. Year 1 often smothers character potential in favour of awe-provoking space adventure. Freiberger clearly wasn't taken with the sombre thoughtfulness of Year 1's players, deducing that they slowed down the adventurous potential he saw in the series. Freiberger's early plans had been to cull much of the regular cast except for Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Some core players survived, but in their place came a pair of newer faces - Catherine Schell and Tony Anholt. 

After witnessing the coolly underplayed romance of Koenig and Russell, suddenly thrusting them into a far more flirtatiously provocative and humorous relationship feels so out-of-sync. Is it too controversial to suggest that a key reason why the humour of Year 2 struggled to land is because Landau and Bain aren't the most easily comedic actors?

On the other hand, new faces Schell and Anholt feel much more at home within Year 2's fast-paced environment. Their own flirtatious romance ripples with warm affection for each other. Schell in particular is much more at home with the comedic material - her supporting role in Return of the Pink Panther surely helped. This foursome make for an effective group to lead Year 2, even if the ensemble nature of Year 1 feels greatly missed.

Scratch the surface of Year 2 and its character-driven focus yields some fresh delights - the melodramatically playful romances of New Adam, New Eve, Martin Landau's masterfully intense performance of an evil clone of Koenig in Seed of Destruction and Catherine Schell's pained desperation in The Dorcons at are dramatically powerful instalments that are worth savouring. 

Where Year 2 arguably betters Year 1 is its handling of character arcs - or at least, something resembling them. Compared to the episodic nature of Year 1, Maya and Koenig have several strands of character development that are subtly engrossing. The lingering trauma Maya experiences from being the last living Psychon in the universe following the destruction of her home planet in her debut episode informs dramatic qualities of several episodes; The Dorcons, Dorzak, The Rules of Luton, and Space Warp.

Commander Koenig has his own demons to grapple with throughout Year 2. Between The Exiles and The Séance Spectre (a remarkable distance of episodes), Koenig is forced to confront his lingering guilt of being the only survivor of a disastrous pre-Alpha mission to Venus in which the crew under his command were horridly infected. Tellingly, neither of these arcs involve Freiberger's insistence of characters smiling. Year 2 is therefore capable of more dramatic nuances than many Space: 1999 fans may give the series credit for. 

Philosophical action

Year 2 of Space: 1999 is a tricky package to unravel. From uncomfortable comedy to outlandish space monsters, so much of the second series insists on being a far cry from the dizzying metaphysical robustness of Year 1. However, when viewed through a forgiving lens, Year 2 proves a deceptive beast which offers a heady mixture of action, drama, horror, romance and comedy in a surprisingly equal mixture that rewards sustained viewing.

How fortunate are Space: 1999 fans, then, that the series offers two wildly varying flavours to appeal to varying appetites? If it's introspective cosmic philosophising you're after, Year 1 is highly recommended. If it's propulsive space adventure with more than a hint of ridiculousness, you'll find much to enjoy in Year 2.

Celebrate Space: 1999's 50th anniversary with our spectacular range of events and releases! Shop our Breakaway 2025 Collection for a superb range of Space: 1999 books, Blu-rays, models and more. Check out the brand new celebratory documentary Space: 1999: 50 Years Out of Orbit on ITVX. You can also discover the sprawling history of Space: 1999's merchandise at the Museum of Brand's Gerry Anderson exhibition: Thunderbirds and Space: 1999: A Celebration of Toys and Collectables!