The "dark side of the moon" (more accurately called "the far side of the moon", i.e. the side facing away from Earth, which receives periods of darkness and light just as the near side and Earth itself does). as seen here is not cratered enough to accurately represent our moon's far side.
Far side of Moon on Space: 1999	Actual far side of Moon

The collar pieces of the spacesuits are made of padded fabric in this pilot episode whereas, in later episodes, the collars are made of a ribbed rubber. However, one of the ribbed collars does show up worn by Alan Carter as he pilots the Commissioner's Eagle for an orbital view of the work being done in Nuclear Waste Area 2 at 39:29 on the Blu-ray.

It is interesting to note that the Space Dock appears to be in orbit around the Moon, not Earth.

As Nordstrom is checking the radiation levels of the silos in Nuclear Waste Area 2, he sticks into the silo what appears to be nothing else so much as an automobile engine oil dipstick!

Dr. Russell is in a monitoring depot communicating to Eagle 14 while monitoring the radiation check occurring at Nuclear Waste Area 2. 

This episode is filled with monitors following the progress or health of various Alpha team members as they perform tasks or are treated for health issues. Each monitor in question has a label affixed at the bottom to indicate the person being monitored (Nordstrom, Steiner, etc.). It seems kind of excessive to have to affix and remove labels constantly to identify team members being monitored! Couldn't a computer add the person's name to the bottom of the readout instead?

The uniforms worn by the Moonbase Alpha personnel are similar to the ones worn by the personnel of SHADO headquarters in the earlier Gerry and Sylvia Anderson TV series UFO. Sylvia, a fashion designer, designed the costumes on UFO and would certainly have been an influence on Space: 1999's costume designer, Rudi Gernreich. (SHADO uniform at left, Space: 1999 uniform at right.)

Commander Koenig arrives at Moonbase Alpha from Earth aboard Eagle 2.

When the attendant on Eagle 2 brings Koenig coffee on a tray, the cup is a Melitta Schott Mainz Jena glass cup with white plastic holder.

Commissioner Simmonds is not given a first name in the TV series, but it is said to be Gerald in the novelette adaptation of this episode.

    From Commissioner Simmonds' remarks during his communication with Koenig on Eagle 2, we learn that Koenig is just arriving to take command of Moonbase Alpha from Commander Anton Gorski. It is implied that Gorski is not being replaced of his own accord, but he handles the passing of the baton with aplomb. It is not directly stated why Gorski is being replaced, but it is likely due to his failure to resolve the "infections" being suffered by astronauts working at Alpha.

    The novelization reveals that Koenig and Gorski have an unpleasant history with each other, with their first mission together ending with the deaths of two of Koenig's dearest friends.

    Gorski is portrayed by Philip Madoc, who also played the new husband of Ed Straker's ex-wife in UFO.

At 2:44 on the Blu-ray we get our only glimpse of the planet Meta in a photo taken by the unmanned Earth probe Spacefarer 9. The probe also received a strange signal from the planet, suggesting it may have intelligent life. One of Koenig's main responsibilities as commander of Alpha at this time is to launch a manned two-person Meta Probe to the planet to investigate.    In the novelization, Simmonds explains on a newscast that the planet seems to be a rogue one that has somehow broken away from some distant star and now finds itself on the edge of Earth's solar system.    Meta is a Greek word for "beyond".

The Alpha communications emblem is seen at 3:16 on the Blu-ray. Variations of this emblem are seen on Alpha's communications monitors throughout the series.

The Eagle transporters look much like a more sophisticated version of the moon mobiles (or moonhoppers) seen in UFO.
Eagle transporter	Moon mobile from UFO.

At 3:33 on the Blu-ray, we see video of the Meta Probe launch platform with the Meta Probe itself coming in for docking. Notice that the head of the probe appears to be an Eagle command module!

At about 4:33 in the episode, Nordstrom's visor flips open and shut while he's hefting Steiner into the air!

At 4:42 on the Blu-ray, notice that one of Nordstrom's eyes has glazed over after he is compromised by the mysterious ailment.

The two security men whom Bergman sends out to bring Nordstrom in are named in the novelization as Pierce Quinton and Tony Allan. These men appear in many later stories. The character names were derived from the actors' names of Quentin Pierre and Tony Allyn.

    At 9:33 on the Blu-ray, notice that Dr. Russell has what appears to be a Visible Man model on the windowsill behind her. The Visible Man is an educational toy/model. The companion model, the Visible Woman, is seen at 10:05. Both of these are seen repeatedly in Medical Center in numerous other episodes. The novelization of "Force of Light" reveals that Dr. Russell uses them to help explain diagnoses to patients.

    In this shot, Dr. Russell is looking at a thermographic plate of the head of astronaut Frank Warren (the name can be seen in mirror-reverse in the bottom right corner). In the novelization, she is looking at Eric Sparkman's plate instead.

    When he first meets Dr. Russell, Koenig recognizes an old model microscope on a display stand in her office, saying, "Donnelmyer, 1887. As used by Louis Pasteur and Madame Curie, right?" She confirms it, saying it is a replica she received as a college prize. As far as I can tell, "Donnelmyer" is a fictitious manufacturer of microscopes. Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a French microbiologist known for his principles of vaccination and pasteurization. Madame (Marie) Curie (1867-1934) was a Polish-French chemist and physicist known for her work with radiation.

   The Catacombs site dedicated to Space: 1999 points out that the table the microscope sits on is a Demetrio 45 stacking table made by Artemide, a model that appears numerous times on the series.

   This episode is the only time Dr. Russell's office is seen in the TV series. When she needs a desk in every other televised situation, she uses a desk in the medical center.

Dr. Russell goes on and on about how she believes the "infected" astronauts were actually victims of some kind of radiation exposure, pointing to a malignancy in the brain and "immediate disorientation of the kind that's classic in radiation attacks." But radiation exposure is not typically associated with causing mental problems (other than the usual fear and anxiety one might suffer knowing they've been exposed). It is interesting to note that she uses the phrase "radiation attacks", which may suggest she is referring to radiation from some kind of targeted beam weapon she is familiar with in the more advanced alternate timeline of the Space: 1999 Earth.

Koenig remarks that the Area 1 nuclear waste site was used before they had synthecrete covers. Synthecrete is a fictitious building material, though the term has been used in other science-fiction media besides that of Space: 1999.

The man named Jackson who checks the radiation count in Nuclear Waste Area 2 may be the same Jackson who later appears in Survival.

When Collins goes mad inside the monitoring depot at Nuclear Waste Area 2, he begins bashing his spacesuit helmet against the window looking out to the moon's surface and the window begins to crack. But shouldn't the windows of an outpost in an atmosphere-free environment like the Moon be made of sterner stuff than a material that one man could break with his own strength? In "Awe", Bergman addresses this by noting that whatever had driven Collins mad also supplied him with superhuman strength.

If you freeze the screen at 21:58 on the Blu-ray, you can see that the stun beam fired from Koenig's stun gun is not coming from the barrel!

Judging from the novelization and the original teleplay, the big screen in Main Mission is unofficially called...the Big Screen.

Technically, the lightning seen charging upward from Waste Area One should not be able to do so, as the moon being without atmosphere, there is no medium to carry charge. In "Awe", Bergman mentions this very thing in his journal and observing, "This phenomenon has no business on the surface of the moon."

Artificial gravity is used within Moonbase Alpha and outlying structures. Later episodes suggest this is generated by antigravity towers around the base and structures.

At 33:13 on the Blu-ray, we see Morrow piloting an Eagle over Nuclear Waste Area 2 with an official Eagle Remote Control Unit.

At 33:21 on the Blu-ray, a label on the computer in Main Mission seems to identify it as the X5 computer.

At 37:33 on the Blu-ray, we see that Commander Koenig has rearranged his office from the way Commander Gorski had it earlier in the episode, particularly the location of the desk.

Occasionally, the wires holding the Eagle models as they fly through space can be seen, such as at 40:54 on the Blu-ray. Notice a wire above and below (look above and below the right-most thruster bell in the image).

The news broadcast Moonbase Alpha is briefly able to pick up from Earth appears to be from a network called GTV. This appears to be a fictitious network, though there is a television station by those call letters as part of the Australian Nine Network.

The news broadcaster mentions very serious repercussions on Earth, particularly earthquakes, due to the moon's tear out of Earth orbit. The accompanying disaster on Earth is revealed further in "Aftershock" and touched on in "Journey to Where".

The news broadcaster remarks that the 311 men and women of Moonbase Alpha are presumed lost. It's hard to say if the 311 figure already accounts for the deaths of 9 pilots from the "infection" mentioned by Dr. Russell earlier, plus the deaths of Warren and Sparkman in this episode. Since Commissioner Simmonds indicates to Commander Koenig numerous times that all troubles regarding the Meta Probe are being kept quiet, it seems likely the newscaster has an inaccurate number. Not to mention that at least a couple of Eagles were destroyed in the nuclear explosion, each presumably with a pilot and co-pilot (if not additional crew). This would seem to make the number of Alphans at the end of the episode less than 300, though Simmonds is stuck there now as a +1.

The broadcaster says the space dock was also blown out of orbit, but we actually see it destroyed.

The episode ends with Alpha losing contact with Earth, but picking up the signal from Meta. Commander Koenig suggests that perhaps their future lies there. But Meta is not mentioned again in any televised episodes! However, this is cleared up in Powys Media's short story "Operation Deliverance" in the Space: 1999 Year One omnibus. Meta is also dealt with (non-canonically), in the adaptation of "Matter of Life and Death" in the book Space: 1999 - Breakaway, a merged novelization of the episodes "Breakaway", "Matter of Life and Death", "Ring Around The Moon" and "Black Sun", first published by Pocket Books in 1975.

NOTES FROM THE AUDIO COMMENTARY BY GERRY ANDERSON

Black-and-white monitor screens were used throughout Moonbase Alpha because it was found that the color screens first used did not show brightly enough on film. 

MEMORABLE DIALOG

appointment as commander of Moonbase Alpha.mp3

computer sounds.mp3

a stumble in the dark.mp3

I didn't know you cared.mp3

responsible.mp3

the biggest bomb man's ever made.mp3

the moon is going out of the Earth's orbit.mp3

human decision required.mp3

attention all sections Alpha.mp3

maybe there.mp3 

NOTES FROM THE INTERNATIONAL LUNAR COMMISSION SCENES OF THE TV MOVIE ALIEN ATTACK   1979 Watch the International Lunar Commission scenes of Alien Attack at YouTube (Thanks to ChrisDalek for posting this video!)

CHARACTERS APPEARING OR MENTIONED IN THE ALIEN ATTACK VIDEO, NOT IN THE TELEVISED EPISODE

DIDJA KNOW?

Alien Attack was a 1979 TV movie that combined the Space: 1999 episodes "Breakaway" and "War Games", which stated in its opening narration that it takes place in the year 2100 (the movie never refers to itself as Space: 1999). Some additional footage of meetings of the International Lunar Commission on Earth were shot just for this film. These additional scenes still make sense within Space: 1999 continuity for the most part, so I'm making some observations on them here.

DIDJA NOTICE?

A chart of the proposed course of the Meta Probe is seen at 0:22 in the Lunar Commission scenes video on YouTube.

    At 0:28 in the video, a model of a U.S. Space Shuttle is seen on a table in the meeting. Seconds later, a model of a Saturn V rocket is seen in the background and a Starcruiser model is seen on the meeting table. The Starcruiser was a model designed for a potential Gerry Anderson children's TV series called Starcruiser that never got off the ground. Despite this, Airfix made a stand-alone model kit of the ship from 1978-1984 and the ship also appeared in comic strips in Look-In magazine from 1977-1979.

    At 3:15, the Starcruiser model on the meeting table has been replaced with an Eagle model. At 4:46, both models are present on the table!

Here, the chairman claims that they've received word that Commissioner Simmonds did not survive the destruction wrought by the explosion on the moon. In "Breakaway", he did survive and is seen again in "Earthbound".

After the moon has been hurled out of Earth orbit, it is indicated that the Earth's axis has changed.

At 6:10 in the video, a second space shuttle model is now present along with the first.

MEMORABLE DIALOG

the greatest probe into space that man has ever known.mp3 

NOTES FROM THE NOVELIZATION OF "BREAKAWAY" BY E.C. TUBB, AS IT APPEARS IN THE SPACE: 1999 YEAR ONE OMNIBUS PUBLISHED BY POWYS MEDIA   Pages 1-33 adapt "Breakaway" There will also be notes (as appropriate) from the original adaptation of "Breakaway" by Tubb as it appeared in the book Space: 1999 - Breakaway, a merged novelization of the episodes "Breakaway", "Matter of Life and Death", "Ring Around The Moon" and "Black Sun", first published by Pocket Books in 1975. (Roughly speaking, chapters 1-4 cover the events of "Breakaway").

CHARACTERS APPEARING OR MENTIONED IN THE NOVELIZATION, NOT IN THE TELEVISED EPISODE

Robert Gundlach

David Kano

Dr. Lee Russell (mentioned only, Dr. Helena Russell's lost husband)

Parks (mentioned only)

Bannion (mentioned only)

DIDJA NOTICE?

The story begins with an entry from Victor Bergman's journal on September 9, 1999, where he comments that he returned to Moonbase Alpha 30 days ago. Why was he gone in the first place? Vacation?

On page 2, Bergman speaks to Robert Gundlach about the time it takes to complete a nuclear waste delivery to the moon site. Possibly, the character is named for the real world physicist Robert Gundlach who was also a prominent developer of the photo copier.

Page 2 states that Moonbase Alpha lies on the edge of Tycho crater. This is an actual crater named for astronomer Tycho Brahe (1546–1601). However, the informational/behind-the-scenes booklet from the Network Blu-ray release of Season One states that the base lies in a large crater plateau north of the Sea of Showers. And most other Space: 1999 sources (including most other Powys references) mention Plato Crater, which is just north of the Sea of Showers as the location of Alpha.

On page 3, Commissioner Simmonds is referred to as Luna Commissioner Simmonds.

Page 3 reveals that Paul Morrow had been the right-hand man to the previous three commanders of Moonbase Alpha as he would be to Commander Koenig. Koenig wonders if the man has no aspirations to command rank himself.

    Page 4 reveals that Koenig had been in command years ago while Moonbase Alpha was under construction. "Awe" (see notes further down this page) indicate he was a command cadet at the time. He had worked with Bergman on the design of the base. It was expected that Koenig would be assigned as the first commander of the completed base, but the ILFC installed a series of politically charged appointees instead. The ILFC is the International Lunar Finance Commission in the Space: 1999 universe. "War Games" reveals that Koenig is the ninth commander of the Moonbase overall.

    Page 5 suggests that Koenig's command is meant to be temporary, for the purpose of seeing the Meta Probe off without further delay. It is also implied that the "failure" of the Ultra Probe (as depicted in flashback in "Dragon's Domain") is what prevented Koenig from being placed in command of Alpha after the base's construction was complete.

Page 6 reveals that Bergman has a mechanical heart, a fact not revealed in the TV series until "Black Sun".

Page 8 reveals that Dr. Russell had been married, but her husband died five years ago. On the TV series, this is not revealed until "Matter of Life and Death". In that episode, her husband is said to have disappeared along with the rest of the crew of the Astro 7 mission to Jupiter in 1994.

On page 11, Koenig thinks of Simmonds as a Judas fattening up a sacrifice. This is a reference to the betrayal of Jesus by Judas Iscariot in the New Testament of the Bible. Here, Koenig feels that he himself is being made the sacrifice should the Meta Probe fail.

David Kano appears as Ouma's night relief here. He does not appear in the TV series until "Earthbound".

A scene cut from the episode is found here on pages 16-17 in which the departing Commander Gorski tries to give Koenig some parting advice about his situation. This scene established that Gorski is flying back to Earth "tomorrow", so he is gone by the time of the moon's breakaway on September 13; in the televised episode, this is not clear. In the original version Breakaway novelization of 1975, a scene of Koenig and Dr. Russell discussing their radiation theory of the affected astronauts appears instead, a scene also not in the televised episode.

On page 19, Dr. Russell tells Koenig that Commander Gorski had expressed "interest" in her early on during her assignment to the moonbase and possibly her lack of reciprocation may have influenced him against her appraisal of the "infection" situation.

Page 21 gives the names of two craters on the moon, Copernicus and Kepler. These are actual Moon craters, named for astronomers Nicolaus Copernicus (1473–1543) and Johannes Kepler (1571–1630).

Page 21 mentions that Parks and Bannion are the unofficial backup crew for the Meta Probe. They are not seen in the televised episode, but Parks appears in "Matter of Life and Death" and is mentioned in "Ring Around the Moon". Bannion's voice is heard in "Matter of Life and Death".

Page 22 reveals that when he took the Eagle over Area 2, Koenig had a specially-made box constructed by Bergman on the seat next to him to scan for magnetic radiation.

On page 25, Bergman reminds Koenig that Area 1 had been chosen as a nuclear waste storage area because of the mass of ferrous-bearing lunite there, a good barrier to atomic particle emission. And Area 2, also having a mass of lunite, held almost 150-times the amount of waste, which could lead to a much larger detonation than just occurred at Area 1. Lunite appears to be a fictitious compound, but presumably is a composition of lunar rock.

Permanganate and glycerin is combustible when mixed, just as Koenig remarks to Dr. Russell on page 25.

   In the original version Breakaway novelization of 1975, it is revealed that Bergman was once engaged to be married. It is implied that it was after he received his artificial heart that his lady love left him. Both versions of the novelization explain (in different ways) that his artificial heart responds differently or more slowly to emotional stimuli, so he does not have the same adrenalin-induced anger, hatred, fear, passion, or love that most humans do. Possibly this is why the woman left him.

    Regarding Koenig, it is revealed that he was orphaned in his teens. This comes up briefly in the episode "The Rules of Luton".

    On page 30, after the nuclear explosion, Carter radios to Alpha that Mare Orientale and the Aitken Basin are gone. These are actual areas of the moon, on the far side, but bordering the near side.

    In the original version Breakaway novelization of 1975, Carter doesn't mention Mare Orientale or Aitken Basin, but does say that Mare Cantabrium, the Great Lunar Sea, and the Sura Mountains are gone. These are all fictitious landforms.

In the original version Breakaway novelization of 1975, Simmonds is found to be dead in Main Mission after the shockwave. He survives in the episode and appears in "Earthbound".

NOTES FROM "AWE" IN THE GRAPHIC NOVEL SPACE: 1999 - AFTERSHOCK AND AWE BY BLAM! VENTURES Story adaptation by Andrew E.C. Gaska Visuals by Gray Morrow & Miki Cover by David Hueso 2012

CHARACTERS APPEARING OR MENTIONED IN THE ADAPTATION, NOT IN THE TELEVISED EPISODE

Junior Security Officer Tony Verdeschi

Technician David Kano

Operations Specialist Kate S. Bullen

Tony Cellini

Shermeen Williams

Diane Williams (dies in this story)

Art Williams (Shermeen's father, mentioned only, named in "Aftershock")

Cecilia (Shermeen's teacher, dies in this story)

Dan Mateo

Marcia Gilcrest (mentioned only)

Dr. Lee Russell (mentioned only, Dr. Helena Russell's lost husband)

Kateryn Koenig (mentioned only, deceased)

Dropper (Shermeen's dog, mentioned only, named in "Aftershock")

Giovi (on radio from the launch station, dies in this story)

DIDJA KNOW?

    "Awe" is a comic book adaptation of "Breakaway" that makes use of art by Gray Morrow originally appearing in the 5-page adaptation of "Breakaway" (titled "The Last Moonrise") that appeared in issue #1 of Space: 1999 magazine, from Charlton Publications. Other panels are borrowed from the Power Records comic book adaptation (see notes further below) by an uncredited artist; it does not look like Gray Morrow art to my comic book trained eye. Most of the art for Power Records comics was provided by Continuity Associates, a commercial art studio founded by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano that existed from 1971-2022.

    Modern assists in the art are provided by the artist known as Miki.

    Notes from the original "The Last Moonrise" adaptation of "Breakaway" follow the "Awe" notes below.

DIDJA NOTICE?

The adaptation opens with the poem "The Moon" by Henry David Thoreau. It was first published in 1895.

Chapter 1: Turning Point

After a prelude, the story begins with Chapter 1, titled "Turning Point", an early title of the pilot script of the episode that became known as "Breakaway".

    The opening pages of the story are narrated via entries from the personal journal of Victor Bergman from September 9, 1999. None of the entries seen here include the brief Bergman journal entry seen at the beginning of the revised "Breakaway" short story adaptation in in the Space: 1999 Year One omnibus from Powys Media.

    The narration of the story goes back and forth between Bergman's and Koenig's personal journal entries. 

John Koenig studied under Bergman in the past and that's when they began to develop their deep respect for each other.

Tony Verdeschi is introduced here as Junior Security Officer. In the TV series, he did not appear until the second season, at which time he is Chief of Security. He makes a number of retroactive season one appearances in stories published by Powys Media and BLAM! Ventures.

Sandra Benes is said to have the title Lead Data Coordinator.

Operations Specialist Kate Bullen is given the middle initial "S" in Victor's introduction of her to Koenig. In season one episodes, the character's name is never mentioned. In season two, her ID badge reads "S. Bullen" (the actress was Sarah Bullen), but in two of those episodes ("The Taybor" and "The AB Chrysalis") she was called Kate.

    Shermeen Williams appears here for the first time. In the TV series, she is only seen in "A Matter of Balance". She goes on to appear in a few stories from BLAM! Ventures. Oddly, she is said to be 10 years old at this time, yet she seems to be around 20 in "A Matter of Balance". She, along with her mother and 3rd grade teacher, was at Moonbase Alpha for a 3-week visit, having won the World Science Fair, but has now been there 6 weeks due to the unforeseen "viral infection" affecting Alpha pilots. They get stuck there for good when the moon is blown out of Earth orbit at the end of the story. Bergman was the lead scientific judge of the fair and he has taken responsibility for them.

    There are a number of real world science fairs that are sometimes referred to as "a" or "the" World Science Fair, but the one mentioned here may be fictitious.

Bergman notes that Shermeen has used her experimental hydroponic nutrient to produce flowers of Phalaenopsis amabilis in the base's hydroponics lab. Presumably, the hydroponic nutrient is what won her the trip. Phalaenopsis amabilis is a flowering plant commonly known as a moon orchid.

It is implied that Shermeen and her family lived in a flat overlooking the Thames on Earth. This is the River Thames, which flows through London.

Shermeen seems to be unable to pronounce "Bergman", calling Victor "Professor Birdman." Bergman speculates she may have a mild form of autism. Autism is a developmental disorder that can result in difficulty engaging in various types of social interaction and communication, and by repetitive behavior.

Starting on page 13, the story is narrated via entries through page 23 from John Koenig's personal journal beginning on September 10, 1999.

    Koenig remarks in his journal that he feels revitalized being placed in command of Moonbase Alpha after having been grounded for the past four years (due to the Ultra Probe debacle).

    Koenig goes on to comment "Marcia couldn't possibly understand." He had been seeing a woman named Marcia Gilcrest on Earth. Aftershock reveals that Marcia is a wealthy socialite who split with Koenig when he accepted the command posting at Moonbase Alpha.

The scene of Commander Gorski giving Koenig some advice in the revised "Breakaway" short story adaptation in the Space: 1999 Year One omnibus (a scene that had been cut from the televised episode) is also found here, but as an Alphacom communication instead of in person.

Gorski tells Koenig about Dr. Russell's lost husband, Lee Russell, of the "Saturn mission". In all other references it is said to have been a Jupiter mission, the Astro 7 mission. Possibly, Gorkski is misremembering.

Gorski returns to Earth on Eagle 5.

On page 14, Gorski says, "Bozhe moi." This is Russian for "my god".

Eric Sparkman's first name is spelled "Erik" here.

On pages 17-18, Koenig's journal entry reveals he served in the Peace Corps during World War III and that his wife was in Switzerland when an atomic bomb went off there.

On page 18, the milk white eyes of the "infected" astronauts convince Koenig that Dr. Russell is correct about radiation damage. He saw similar eyes among the exposed during WWIII.

Koenig refers to his dead wife as Kateryn. The Powys books give her the name of Jean instead ("Black Sun" and Resurrection). She is mentioned in the TV episode "The Rules of Luton", but not by name.

During Koenig and Bergman's flyover of nuclear waste areas 1 and 2, Koenig is sitting in the pilot's seat of the Eagle's cockpit, with Collins in the co-pilot's. Bergman is sitting in a seat directly behind them and all are wearing spacesuits. In the episode, Koenig and Bergman are seated in the passenger pod and are dressed in their normal uniforms.

On page 20, Koenig remarks in his journal that the first recorded signals from the SETI program were thought to be generated by alien life, but it turned out to be the gamma ray burst of a dying star. SETI stands for "search for extraterrestrial intelligence" and is generally associated with the scientific program to monitor the heavens for signals that may come from extraterrestrial civilizations. I've been unable to confirm whether the first "false alarm" from SETI was due to such a gamma burst.

On page 25, Koenig, in his journal, remarks on Neil Armstrong's statement about the first moon landing: "One small step for man--one giant leap for mankind." This was the actual statement made by astronaut Armstrong when he made the first human step on the moon in 1969.

Page 26 states that Kano is Ouma's assistant in maintaining Alpha's computers.

On page 27, Sandra receives a communication from the International Space Station which has registered a thermal spike from the moon's Waste Disposal Area 1. In the alternate timeline of the Space: 1999 universe, this is not the same International Space Station that has orbited our Earth in various configurations since 1998; Aftershock indicates such a station was built much earlier than in our own. This scene is duplicated, from the perspective of the space station personnel, in Aftershock.

On page 28, the poem "Lightnings May Flicker Round My Head" is by Richard Le Gallienne (1866-1947).

In his journal entry on page 28, Bergman mentions that Koenig has served on the supply run from Alpha to the space station in orbit around Venus.

On page 30, Koenig quotes Steinbeck as saying, "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry." However, John Steinbeck (1902-1968) did not say this. He based the title of his 1937 novella Of Mice and Men on a line from Robert Burns' 1785 poem "To a Mouse", "The best-laid schemes of mice and men, Go oft awry."

Chapter 2: Breakaway!

The chapter two title comes from the actual title of the TV episode (plus an exclamation point).

On page 38, Koenig explains to Bergman the reason for his calling Earth with Emergency Code Alpha One. The code is a distress call that broadcasts on both secure and public channels. Since the Lunar Commission has been keeping the problems plaguing the launch of the Meta Probe secret, this public call is likely to bring Commissioner Simmonds back to Alpha from Earth, which is just what Koenig wants.

Page 38 indicates that Bergman is already aware of an attraction developing between Koenig and Dr. Russell before they have even become aware of it themselves.

On page 40, Bergman explains to Simmonds that the waste disposal areas mix waste from uranium-392 and cesium. Uranium-392 would be an extremely large isotope of uranium, one which does not exist in real life. The dialog is paraphrased from an early version of the "Breakaway" script. I suppose the script writer may have wanted to explain how this strange magnetic radiation was having effects that have never been seen in science before, so he invented a more exotic version nuclear fuel, uranium-392, to cause the reaction.

Tony Cellini gets stuck at Moonbase Alpha when he pilots Commissioner Simmonds' Eagle there. Cellini appears again in "Dragon's Domain".

After the nuclear explosion of Waste Area 2, Carter reports Mare Cantabrium and the Great Lunar Sea are gone, just as in the original version Breakaway novelization of 1975. These are fictitious areas of the moon. Instead of the fictitious Sura Mountains of the novelization being wiped out, Carter reports the same of the Alta Mountains, also fictitious.

    On page 52, Koenig records in his journal that they would later realize that the moon, after being blown out of Earth orbit, entered a phenomenon they would come to call a space warp. The warp advanced the moon hundreds of astronomical units outside the solar system; a journey that would normally take years was accomplished in seconds. They don't know why it happened, and it left Bergman scratching his head. Koenig remarks, "Call it an act of God, if you will--but science doesn't seem to have the answer."

    An astronomical unit is 150 million kilometers (~93 million miles).

On page 57, Dr. Russell reports that, in all, 37 lives were lost in the cataclysm. With Shermeen and Simmonds added to Alpha membership, the population is at 311. On page 58, Morrow reports that they've been making status transmissions to Earth since the accident, but have received no indication they've been received. Since the GTV news broadcast mentions the 311 number, at least some of their transmissions must have been received.

With the deaths of Shermeen's mother and teacher during the breakaway, Bergman decides to take responsibility for the girl's welfare.

Page 57 indicates that the GTV news broadcast received from Earth was relayed through the Mars station.

NOTES FROM "THE LAST MOONRISE" ADAPTATION OF "BREAKAWAY" Space: 1999 #1 B&W comic magazine published by Charlton Publications Story: Nicola Cuti Art: Gray Morrow November 1975

Read the brief story summary of "The Last Moonrise" at Dark Worlds Quarterly

"The Last Moonrise" is a 5-page black-and-white comic book adaptation of "Breakaway".

DIDJA NOTICE?

The entire story takes place on September 13, 1999 instead of from September 9-13. The same is true of Charlton's other "Breakaway" adaptation "Moonless Night" in the Space: 1999 #1 comic book.

The character of Jim Nordstrom is Bob Wildman instead! He is referred to as Bob by Steiner and his space helmet has WILDMAN printed on it as the last name. George Wildman was the editor of Space: 1999 magazine.

The character of Paul Morrow is drawn to look like Commissioner Simmonds! Simmonds himself does not appear at all.

The planet Meta and Meta Probe are not mentioned at all.

The operation to spread out the nuclear waste to prevent combustion is referred to as Operation Break-Up (in the color adaptation below, it is referred to as Project Break-Up). Also, it seems that Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 1 is the only disposal area, acting as both the source of the magnetic radiation and the massive explosion that sends the moon hurtling out of Earth orbit.

NOTES FROM "MOONLESS NIGHT" ADAPTATION OF "BREAKAWAY" Space: 1999 #1 Comic book published by Charlton Publications Script: Nicola Cuti Art: Joe Staton Coloring: Wendy Fiore November 1975

Read the brief story summary of "Moonless Night" at Dark Worlds Quarterly

"The Last Moonrise" is a 5-page color comic book adaptation of "Breakaway".

DIDJA NOTICE?

This adaptation is written by the same writer as the black-and-white "The Last Moonrise" adaptation above and it shares many of the same inconsistencies as compared to the TV episode: the entire story takes place on September 13, 1999 instead of from September 9-13; a flight of Eagles is referred to as a flock; the operation to spread out the nuclear waste to prevent combustion is referred to as Project Break-Up (Operation Break-Up in "The Last Moonrise"); Nuclear Waste Disposal Area 1 is the only disposal area, acting as both the source of the magnetic radiation and the massive explosion that sends the moon hurtling out of Earth orbit; the planet Meta and Meta Probe are not mentioned at all.

NOTES FROM "DESTINATION EARTH" ADAPTATION OF "BREAKAWAY"   German comic strip Zack #20 Koralle-Verlag GmbH (Pages 3-6) Text: Farinas Art: Cardona September 27, 1977

CHARACTERS APPEARING OR MENTIONED IN THE ADAPTATION, NOT IN THE TELEVISED EPISODE

Technician David Kano  

DIDJA KNOW?

Zack was a German comic magazine, 17 issues of which featured a Space: 1999 strip. Many of the strips were original stories, others adaptations of the televised episodes. All were written by Farinas and drawn by Cardona (Spanish artist José Maria Cardona Blasi).

"Destination Earth" is a combined adaptation of "Breakaway" and "Earthbound". The first four pages cover "Breakaway" and that is what will be covered here. See PopApostle's study of "Earthbound" for notes on that portion of "Destination Earth".

DIDJA NOTICE?

This version of "Breakaway" opens as the nuclear explosion of Waste Area 2 occurs.

Ouma is portrayed as a white man, not black.

Koenig does not make the decision about whether to attempt an evacuation to Earth on his own. He calls a meeting of the section heads of Alpha to discuss the possibilities. Commissioner Simmonds suggests they initiate a second explosion that might guide the moon back into an Earth orbit, but Kano reports that the computer calculations suggest that another such explosion would tear the moon into pieces. The vote of the section heads is to not attempt a return to Earth and to try to survive within Alpha until they can find a planet with similar living conditions as that of Earth.

Hydroponics is rebuilt with the capacity to feed the entire base within a week. (This actually works in nicely with the damage to the hydroponics section seen in "Awe".)

The Alphans use the remnants of destroyed Eagles to build a new generator for Alpha. 

NOTES FROM "BREAKAWAY" SHORT STORY IN SPACE: 1999 ANNUAL 1975   World Distributors Ltd. Written by Angus P. Allen 1975

Space: 1999 Annual 1975 has a 3-page text story of "Breakaway". 

DIDJA NOTICE?

Instead of Meta and Meta Probe, Moonbase Alpha is tracking a wandering asteroid and has been preparing long-range Eagles for investigation.

With no evidence of radiation leakage at the waste storage areas, the mysterious brain damage being suffered by astronauts at Alpha is being blamed by some, including Commander Koenig, on possible intelligent life forms on the asteroid who want to stop Alpha's preparations for investigation of the wandering body.

The story describes that the nuclear explosion blows away a huge portion of the moon, leaving only a partial moon to go hurtling out of Earth orbit into the depths of space.

The story draws a parallel between the now-wandering moon and the large, wandering asteroid they had been tracking. This taps into my own thoughts regarding the TV episode about the coincidence of the rogue planet Meta showing up at the fringes of the solar system shortly before the moon gets sent on a journey across the universe. Are Meta and the errant moon both the result of some plan by the same unknown intelligence? In "Operation Deliverance", Professor Bergman's extensive analysis of Eagle 1 geophysical scans of Meta show that the rogue planet Meta is actually Earth's moon itself. Metallic ruins of a city, from which the Meta signal originates, show that it is Moonbase Alpha.

NOTES FROM "BREAKAWAY" BOOK AND RECORD   Power Records Written by 1976

Power Records produced a 45 rpm record audio adventure for kids based on "Breakaway". It was accompanied by its own comic book adaptation meant to be read along with the playing record.

The art in the comic book is pretty good, with most of the characters bearing the likenesses of the actors on TV. One exception is Commissioner Simmonds, who does not resemble actor Roy Dotrice at all, perhaps because he was a guest star and his likeness may not have been part of any licensing agreements. However, this doesn't explain why Paul Morrow does not look like the regular actor Prentis Hancock. The art is uncredited but most of the art for Power Records comics was provided by Continuity Associates, a commercial art studio founded by Neal Adams and Dick Giordano that existed from 1971-2022.

The voice actors on the record are not the actors from the TV show. They sound nothing like the TV actors at all! 

DIDJA NOTICE?

In this adaptation, the unmanned Spacefarer 9 probe that took photos of Meta is called Spacebearer 9.

On page 18 of the comic, Ouma is drawn and colored as Caucasian. 

NOTES FROM THE INFORMATIONAL/BEHIND-THE-SCENES BOOKLET FROM THE NETWORK BLU-RAY RELEASE OF SEASON ONE

Commander John Koenig's middle name is Robert.

Moonbase Alpha spans 2.5 miles on the surface and up to 2/3 mile below the surface.

Moonbase Alpha is powered by three nuclear reactors and solar power.