Episode Guide: Year One
Title: "Guardian of Piri"
Within this page: Overview | Backplot | Plot Synopsis | Unanswered Questions | Analyses/Observations | Comments | Memorable Lines
Overview
The Alphans are influenced to abandon the moon for a nearby world. But what is the price for paradise?
Production Number: 008 (Season One)
- filmed Friday, May 10 - Tuesday, May 28, 1974
Original U.K. airing week: 13 November 1975 (ATV Midlands)
Original U.S. airing week: 26 December 1975 (syndication)
Written by Christopher Penfold; story by David Weir
Directed by Charles Crichton
Backplot
- In the year 1999, lunar nuclear waste storage dumps have exploded, due to magnetic radiation, sending Earth's moon into interstellar space. The inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, unable to escape, are seeking a new home.
Plot Synopsis
(From the original ITC Press Release.)
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A mysterious power from an alien planet takes control of the moon, luring its inhabitants to a paradise of eternal peace, but living death. Only one man has the will to resist - Commander Koenig.
False information from the Computer lures two astronauts Peter Irving (MICHAEL CULVER) and Ed Davis (JOHN LEE-BARBER), into danger when sent on a reconnaissance flight to study a planet, which they discover has the name Piri. Contact is lost and it is assumed they have crashed.
It is the first of a series of worrying events for Commander John Koenig (MARTIN LANDAU), Dr. Helena Russell (BARBARA BAIN) and Professor Bergman (BARRY MORSE). The Computer is certainly behaving oddly. While testing it, David Kano (CLIFTON JONES) disappears into thin air. And when astronauts Alan Carter (NICK TATE) and Ken Johnson (JAMES FAGAN) are sent on a further recce (recon), with instructions to stick to manual control and ignore information from the Computer, they find Pete Irving's command module poised motionless above Piri's surface. But there is no one in it.
Bergman works out that the planet can sustain life and Koenig, with Carter piloting him, risks a landing on the multi-coloured Piri, breathtakingly beautiful with its almost uniform pinnacles topped with clusters of white spheres, but what appears to be vegetation is completely lifeless. Then, to his amazement, he finds Irving, Barker and Kano in statuesque states of trance, smiles on their faces but their unflinching gazes showing no signs of awareness of his presence.
A brilliant light radiates from a hill and from it steps and (sic) incredibly lovely woman who explains that she is the servant of the Guardian: "We found your moon floating helplessly through our universe and we have brought you here - to relieve you of your human pain."
She tells Koenig how the planet had been peopled by Pirians of great technical skill. They built a world of machines so they could enjoy their pleasure. Then they created the Guardian to control their machines. Their life was perfect and the Guardian was directed to maintain it. Time was suspended. Now this blissful paradise is extended to Koenig and his companions, and back on the moon everyone is dancing and celebrating, drinking toasts to the evacuation that will give them a new existence on the planet. The Computer is issuing instructions. It has usurped Koenig, who fights in vain to prevent the evacuation.
The final battle is when all are on Piri, accepting the eternal peace that would be living death. But apart from the Alphans and the Pirian Girl, there are no people. Nothing moves. But there is still the Guardian. The Pirian girl is acting for him, telling the Alphans that there is one who threatens their happiness. Commander Koenig must be destroyed. Koenig's only chance is to destroy the Pirian Girl. In doing so, he will destroy the Guardian. Time will be restored.
The grim task has a terrifying outcome...
SCREENPLAY BY CHRISTOPHER PENFOLD
DIRECTED BY CHARLES CRICHTON
Guest Artist
CATHERINE SCHELL
with
PRENTIS HANCOCK as PAUL MORROW
CLIFTON JONES as DAVID KANO
ZIENIA MERTON as SANDRA BENES
ANTON PHILLIPS as DR. MATHIAS
NICK TATE as ALAN CARTER
MICHAEL CULVER as PETE IRVING
Unanswered Questions
Analyses/Observations
Comments
- Catherine Schell, who portrayed the Pirian Girl, would return to star in Space: 1999's second season (Year Two) as Maya.
Memorable Lines
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