About the Site
From the webmaster:
I can still recall the sunset setting in 1975 when the first Space:
1999 episode, "Breakaway" aired. The sun was casting a radiant
orange-red hue across the skyscape. And my family was gathering to head home from
a pool party. The time was 6:45pm--just enough time to make it for the 7:00pm
Sunday night airing. And my anxious childhood self was counting the seconds.
Space: 1999 was a unique show to me. My third grader's mind was enthralled, in particular, by viewings of Star Trek re-runs and Saturday morning animated Star Trek airings. And with NASA astronauts as personal heroes, every conceivable National Geographic astronomy map on my bedroom walls, and a keen interest of space/astrophysics, Space:1999 was a welcome addition.
Here was a space-based show--science fiction--which combined potentially real science with fantasy adventures. I had peered into the future two years earlier with the rescreening of 2001: A Space Odyssey. I was ready for space-suited heroes, high-flying transport craft, and realistic-looking space habitats a la NASA to fill my world.
Space: 1999 succeeded with me as much as it failed. I was particularly enthralled with the space environment. Realistic-looking space machinery and equipment filled the screen (shades of 2001). But the stories were grim, generally negative and moody. The upbeat optimism of the future, as portrayed in Star Trek, didn't exist. Instead, the Alphans were doomed to an endless journey to the outer reaches of deep space.
Characters, like Commander Koenig (Martin Landau), Tony Verdeschi (Tony Anholt), Maya (Catherine Schell) and particularly Alan Carter (Nick Tate) were appealing. They didn't capture the same essence/fulfillment as other sci-fi heroes, like Star Trek's Kirk, Spock and McCoy. However they were unique. And they rocked my world.
My biggest issue was the science--or lack thereof. Even as a child, I still wrestled with the believability of the moon being hurled into intergalactic space. And the impossible feat of the moon traveling to other star systems (in some cases, managing to orbit distant worlds) then moving on to other adventures. I actually formulated an interesting scenario which could have made Space: 1999 more believable, keeping the premise intact. I'll share that in another forum.
For now, enjoy the web site. It is a monument to the memory of the show. But, more than a time capsule, it is a reminder that it may be worth reviving the production. In 1999, Johnny Byrne (series writer) and Zienia (Sandra "Sahn" Benes) Merton were part of a seven minute production, "Message from Moonbase Alpha" which was shown at the Breakaway Convention (13 September 1999) in Los Angeles, CA. It added a heartfelt, brilliant piece of closure to the series, twenty five years since it went off the air. And it opened the doors to the prospects of something new.
The adventures of Moonbase Alpha--and the Alphans--are far from over.
Michael A. Faries 
Site Manager/Editor-in-Chief
Space1999.org
About the Space1999.org Web Site
Brought online in late 1999, www.Space1999.org was established:
- as a fan-based endeavor to promote the Space: 1999 property with news, information and fan materials;
- to provide dedicated Space: 1999-based resources, such as the CGI meshes/models within our Gallery section;
- to bolster support within the Space: 1999 web community, including the promotion of the then-newly announced Main Mission 2000 convention;
- to pay homage to a series which was an important part of the site owner's childhood;
- and to simply have fun!
Web Site Redesign
This site was re-designed during July 2003 and relaunched August 2003. A post-launch article from the Space1999.org webmaster describes some of the work.
Copyright 1999-2003 www.Space1999.org. All Rights Reserved. Legal
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