Space 1999, Set 3
Set 3 ofSpace: 1999contains six more first-season episodes fromThunderbirdscreators Gerry and Sylvia Anderson's 1975 British series. The castaways on Moonbase Alpha, led by Commander John Koenig (Martin Landau), continue their drift through the universe, where they encounter fantastic planets, oddball races, and cataclysmic perils. In "Collision Course," Koenig must rely on "a thing called faith" when the moon seems headed for a too-close encounter with a massive planet. Unfortunately, the faith of his crew, including Chief Medical Officer Dr. Helena Russell (Landau'sMission: Impossiblecostar and then wife Barbara Bain) and Professor Victor Bergman (Barry Morse, who relentlessly pursued David Janssen onThe Fugitive) is lacking, and they mutiny. In "Death's Other Dominion," the Alphans arrive at an ice-encrusted "lost paradise" planet, on which survivors of "the Uranus expedition of 1986" seek the secret of eternal life, and dissidents rise up to stop them. "The Full Circle" explores the nature of man when the Alphans encounter a race of cave dwellers. In "End of Eternity," the Alphans learn not to "interfere with other people's justice" when they unwittingly free an evil and quite unstoppable alien  (Peter Bowles, much more civilized as Penelope Keith's friendly nemesis in the popular BritcomTo the Manor Born. The cautionary "War Games" might better be called "Mind Games," as Commander Koenig considers whether to launch an attack against alien spaceships. One of Landau's favorite episodes, "The Last Enemy," is a Middle East allegory that finds the Alphans literally caught between two perpetually warring planets.Space: 1999's then state-of-the-art special effects hold up well, less so the deliberate pacing. But these fan-favorite episodes are a must for all earthbound Alpha devotees.--Donald  Liebenson