Space: 1999 "Live Warhead" Illustrated short story Space: 1999 Charlton Press mini-book Writer and artist unknown (Nicola Cuti?) 1976

A mountain-sized asteroid is on a collision course with the wayward Moon.

 

NOTES FROM THE SPACE: 1999 CHRONOLOGY

 

This story must take place sometime during Season 1 because the Alphans wear the Season 1 uniforms and Victor Bergman is also present. I have chosen to place it shortly after the Moon leaves the inner boundaries of our solar system because it makes a bit more sense for an asteroid to threaten the base if the Moon is still within the Oort cloud of asteroids and planetesimals that surround our star system's outer boundaries than if the Moon had just randomly encountered an asteroid in deep space that just happens to be on a direct collision course. Hence, I've placed the story just after "Operation Deliverance" in which the Moon passes planet Meta which itself was described as being on the outskirts of the solar system. 

 

DIDJA KNOW?

 

"Live Warhead" is an original illustrated short story published in the 1976 Space: 1999 mini-book published by Charlton Press.

 

CHARACTERS APPEARING OR MENTIONED IN THIS STORY

 

Victor Bergman

Commander Koenig

Dr. Russell

Captain Jeremy Benson

Greg Swift

Cuti

 

DIDJA NOTICE?

On page 1 of the story, Main Mission is called Central Control instead. Perhaps this scene is meant to take place in the underground Command Center (first seen on TV in Season 2), using an alternate name? This same designation is also used in the Charlton short stories "The Carrier", "Space Traitor", "Space Emperor", and "Doom Dust", and in the comic book story"Undisturbed".

On page 2 of the story, Alpha sends up both Eagles and Hawks to intercept the asteroid. However, Alpha itself is not known to have any Hawks (though a number of them are stored at the as-yet-undiscovered secret cache on the far side of the moon, as revealed by Admiral Walker in "Aftershock"). It might be best here as the reader to imagine that only Eagles are sent up to target the asteroid.

Page 3 of the story introduces Eagle 3 pilot Captain Jeremy Benson. Another Jeremy appeared in "Operation Deliverance" but died in that story.

Page 5 of the story introduces Hawk pilot Greg Swift. The illustration of the Hawk cockpit seems to show that it is a one-person fighter, but the Hawk entry at the Moonbase Alpha Wiki indicates it sits two.

On page 14, the second illustration, depicting the spacesuited rescuer who has been knocked to the ground by Benson, shows what appears to be the name "Cuti" on the helmet. This may indicate that the story was written by Nicola Cuti, a comic book writer who worked on Charlton Publications' Space: 1999 comic book and magazine. He may have also produced the illustrations here, though he was less well-known for his art.

Not long after Eagle 3 crashes on the moon, it is destroyed by the explosion of a damaged warhead it carried.

Commander Koenig promotes Captain Benson to the rank of major at the end of the story for his work that day and for risking his life to save Cuti from the warhead explosion.