Exploring Space: 1999: An Episode Guide and Complete History of the Mid-1970s Science Fiction Television Series

by John Kenneth Muir

Starring internationally renowned actors Martin Landau, Barbara Bain, Barry Morse and Catherine Schell, the British-made 1999 was the only truly original space adventure of the mid-1970s. Sandwiched between the demise of the original Star Trek and the opening of the Stars Wars series on the big screen, 1999 featured a richly-visualized world where space was terrifying and mysterious, where not all problems were solvable by technology and the space travelers were very human.From the science fiction show's conception in 1973 to its cancellation in 1977, this reference work covers each of the 48 episodes in depth, including a full plot synopsis, writer, director, guest star credits, and critical commentary that examines both the episode and other shows that have used similar plotlines. The popularity of 1999 memorabilia and its many fan clubs are fully discussed, along with the possibility of a future movie or reunion show that would tie up the loose ends caused by the show's abrupt cancellation.

Genres: Science Fiction

222 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1997

About the author

John Kenneth Muir (born 1969) is an American literary critic. He has written as of 2023 thirty two books, many in the fields of film and television, with a particular accent on the horror and science fiction genres. He has been described as one of the horror genre's "most widely read critics", and as an "accomplished film journalist". He is the creator of the 2023 audio drama Enter the House Between, as well as the new novellas based on the series.

Reviews

[Trekscribbler · Rating 4 out of 5]

As I’ve mentioned in another review recently, I missed the whole SPACE: 1999 phenomenon of the late 70’s. Basically, I grew up in a small town in a time unlike today that one didn’t have a billion entertainment choices on the TV dial, nor could one have a vast library of video upon which to fall back on in time of performance drought. In the US, SPACE: 1999 played entirely in syndication, so – if it wasn’t on in your market – then you were out of luck. Sure, you had what the trade magazines told you of it in the day, but that couldn’t make up for failing to see it on a TV set near you.

Now that I’m older and wiser and have a bit more income to invest in choices, I’ve been able to pick up a handful of episodes from the first season (the one I’ve been told, by far, is the best) and screen them on my Kindle. Dare I say I probably would’ve loved this show had I seen it in my relative youth? I don’t know where it’s heading in its second season – well, other than what I’ve read – but I definitely would’ve been a believer back then, as I’m finding I am today. Why this thing hasn’t been rebooted is a mystery, and I hope someone sometime somewhere does mankind a service and re-engages this tale of a moon gone awry, drifting on a course into deep, dark space.

Having watched a half-dozen episodes and being suitably impressed, I picked up a digital copy of John Kenneth Muir’s EXPLORING SPACE 1999: AN EPISODE GUIDE AND COMPLETE HISTORY OF THE MID-1970S SCIENCE FICTION TELEVISION SERIES to read. Mostly, I wanted to know more about the show, something a bit more in-depth than the passing Starlog article I could find online. Where did the show come from? How did it originate? Who were the main players? And – most of all – why didn’t it catch a more enduring foothold in the popular culture of the time?

Well, Muir might argue that it did get a pretty solid foothold, but he’d probably agree that the show’s oft-maligned reputation wasn’t exactly of the show’s own earning. In fact, from what I learned in his book, SPACE: 1999 went largely ignored, probably in no small part due to the fact that so many Star Trek fans of that generation didn’t exactly want another franchise bumping the Gene Roddenberry vehicle off of their cultural radar. When 1999 premiered in the mid-70’s, Trekkies had finally been modestly assured that Star Trek was coming back: rumor had it that a second television show was in the offing, and it was going to serve as the cornerstone to a whole new network from Paramount itself! So even though there was definitely room for another universe, sci-fi fans appeared reticent to sign aboard anything new. And why should they? What did their allegiance earn them? Four decades later, and Trekkies are still the butt of jokes across the entertainment spectrum!

Granted, there were other factors contributing to SPACE: 1999’s shelf-life, not the least of which was being sold directly to syndication in the U.S. (meaning it really wouldn’t have the backing of a major network and, instead, competed against them); but you get the point. It didn’t catch on, certainly not the way it could’ve, and the rest is history.

Thankfully, Muir’s book goes to respectable lengths to document the phenomenon it was as well as the various finer points one would expect with any compendium. EXPLORING SPACE 1999 does a good job looking back on the show’s era; positioning the program within the social context; and recounting the good, the bad, and the potentially ugly episodes of its two seasons. Muir even manages to peel back some of the show’s charm to show you how the politics behind-the-scenes (specifically, a failed marriage) may’ve clipped 1999’s wings before they ever really go to soar.

Those who knew the show will probably be charmed by Muir’s critical take on each installment. Those who’ve only since discovered the sci-fi adventure in reruns on Syfy will appreciate the man’s attention to detail. Heck, even those just getting to know Commander Koenig and his crew for the first time – knuckleheads like myself – will likely cherish this accounting of minutiae big and small as the writer takes his audience back to the future (as promised) when our sole satellite was blasted from its gravitational perch on September 13, 1999!

HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.

[Gary Peterson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Number Two and Trying Harder

Last weekend I completed my watch-through of all 48 episodes of Space: 1999, and along for the ride was this insightful book by John Kenneth Muir. I credit Muir for heightening my appreciation for the series. I looked forward after watching each episode to reading his commentary and invariably took away something interesting I had overlooked.

That said, ultimately Muir failed to sell me on the book's primary premise, which Muir himself stated succinctly:

While it is true that it did not feature Star Trek's wonderful sunshine philosophy of life, it did possess a point-of-view just as powerful, if less popular. For that reason, Space: 1999 is Star Trek's equal in quality, if not longevity. (p. 163)

Wait, what? "Space: 1999 is Star Trek's equal in quality"? Nope. Not even close. At best, Space: 1999 is like Avis, number two and trying harder. And it's a far distant second.

Muir dedicates several thoughtful pages to the "Space:1999/Star Trek Feud" in his excellent Summary of Critical Commentary section (which itself justifies the price of the book). The "feud" was more a skirmish between high-profile fans lobbing attacks in the pages of their fanzines. I remember The Monster Times and Starlog dedicating a lot of column inches to Space: 1999 and welcoming the then-new kid on the block. Scorn was usually reserved for everybody's scapegoat, Lost in Space.

I was born in 1967 and have only vague memories of being a kid and catching a couple first-run Space: 1999 episodes. I was a teenager when WPIX/11 in NYC put its midnight screenings of Star Trek in drydock and reran Space: 1999 in its place. That is when I first watched most or all of them (didn't have IMDb or a checklist in the early/mid '80s). I remember thinking the show was okay... but it wasn't as good as Star Trek. I liken Star Trek to the Beatles as a phenomenon special and unique, the likes of which will never occur again. Hey, that doesn't mean I can't really like Badfinger or ELO or Space: 1999.

So what feud? I remember being 15 or 16, circa 1983, lingering in the comic shop listening to the older fans discuss movies and TV, soaking up all I could in those pre-Internet days. Space: 1999 just wasn't on the radar screen post-Star Wars and especially after the Trek movies began reliably rolling out every couple years. That was the "feud" I remember: the Star Wars vs. Star Trek sagas, despite everybody watching and enjoying them both (and Indiana Jones, to boot). Everyone's kicking boy then was Doctor Who, lagging hopelessly behind in those days when eye-popping SFX too often trumped story and characters.

That said, and while I was not converted by Muir, I did admire his unflagging loyalty and sincere zeal for Space: 1999. I wouldn't want to read a book written by a fan of a rival show. Sitting in the presence of an unabashed and unrepentant fan made my Space: 1999 watch-through many times more enjoyable (coupled with watching the episodes on bluray, which really served this series well, making many episodes cinematic in appearance).

If I had any complaint against the book it would be Muir's tendency to tear down the other guy to make his look better, a strategy that rarely succeeds, especially when he steps on the toes of fans who have soft spots for old series that maybe weren't great but nonetheless found a place in our hearts. For example, when writing about Space: 1999 being declared the worst sci-fi series he lashes out and derisively brands a wide swath of shows as "classic stinkers." Is there one or more whose inclusion in Muir's rogues' gallery makes you bristle?

In 1987 it was voted the worst science-fiction show of "all time" by both mainstream television and science-fiction critics alike in John Javna's book The Best of Science Fiction Television. To attain this dubious honor, Space: 1999 beat out such classic stinkers as Lost in Space, The Starlost, Galactica 1980, Misfits of Science, Manimal and Automan. (p. 155)

Ouch! I happen to love Lost in Space, so was grimacing to see it listed in such dubious company (I mean, couldn't he have listed The Powers of Matthew Star instead?). I do agree that Space: 1999 is not the worst show ever... but c'mon, it's far from the best.

This book was published in 1997 and a plethora of genre shows have come and gone in the decades since. The book isn't dated as much as it's a time capsule of the late twentieth century. In his commentaries Muir often draws connections to episodes of other science-fiction series, most frequently Star Trek: The Next Generation. I was never a fan of that show or its spinoffs, but anyone who is will appreciate Muir's comprehensive knowledge of the series and his ability to draw connections between them, both obvious in plot points and subtle in nuances of character. In fact, on page 172 Muir makes a compelling and undoubtedly controversial argument that ST:TNG is strikingly similar in premise to Space: 1999.

I enjoyed the book for the history of the show's creation and for the thinking behind the drastic format change between seasons. Surprisingly, Muir doesn't join the dogpile on Freddy "show killer" Freiberger, even crediting him with producing episodes that stand on their own against Year One shows and for the admittedly awesome addition of Maya (though I just wish it weren't at the cost of Victor!).

I skimmed the chapter on collectibles, which is comprehensive in scope. I most appreciated his detailing the paperback adaptations, a few of which I've read and found to be much better than what James Blish phoned in for Star Trek and sometimes even transcending the episodes themselves (Brian Ball's "Missing Link" and "Guardian of Piri" being two that spring to mind).

The summary of critical commentary is the dessert to be savored after the meat n' potatoes of the episode guide and commentaries. Muir corralled an impressive number of critiques pro and con, and even scored the full text of Isaac Asimov's review of the series in The New York Times. His interaction with the knocks and boosts the show received made for fun and insightful reading. I daresay Muir kayoed Asimov, demonstrating conclusively and convincingly how science and science-fiction work together to create something greater.

Exploring Space:1999 is highly recommended reading. I am confident even seasoned fans will find much here to be learned and appreciated.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nice to read a different perspective on this underrated series!

[Thom · Rating 2 out of 5]

Kudos to Mr Muir for his work on keeping 1999 alive but this was useless if your already a fan. If your not a fan I woud say it was rather good.