Imagining Outer Space by Alexander C.T. Geppert

Author:Alexander C.T. Geppert
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Palgrave Macmillan UK, London

‘Space: 1999 occupies a unique and not altogether happy position in the Valhalla of televised space adventures. It is the program that Star Trek fans love to hate, even 20 years after its debut. When it is not being ridiculed or attacked, 1999 is often forgotten or overlooked by science-fiction historians and television critics, probably because it was a British-made product that never aired on the major American television networks. Perhaps Space: 1999’s biggest problem is simply that it appeared at the wrong time. It stands sandwiched between Star Trek (1966–69) and Star Wars (1977), two milestones of the genre,’ John Kenneth Muir wrote in the introduction to his book Exploring ‘Space: 1999 ,’ published in 1997. 1

Indeed, Space: 1999 does occupy a ‘not altogether happy position’ between other TV science-fiction series . Although the show earned a certain amount of praise, is still acknowledged by some critics, and continues to enjoy an ever-increasing international fan cult status due to the fact that it was sold to more than 100 countries, the series, originally conceived and produced by Gerry (1929–2012) and Sylvia Anderson (1927–2016), mostly faced severe criticism . 2 This was partly directed against the atmosphere of the series , which was accused of being somber, dull and obscure, and partly because of the way the stories were told. Critics described the plots of the stories as slow, lifeless and heavy-handed. The direction of the main characters and their stiff, formal and sometimes seemingly sedated and wooden acting skills were also criticized. Maliciously referring to the fact that the Andersons had made their first success on British television with children’s puppet series like Thunderbirds, and with Space: 1999 aimed at live-action science fiction for adults, one critic wrote about the new series and the two American leading actors, Martin Landau and Barbara Bain : ‘Gerry and Sylvia Anderson used to make the space stuff with puppets. With Martin Landau and Barbara Bain, I swear, you won’t tell the difference.’ 3

But in order to fully understand the originality of Space: 1999 and the reasons for its mixed reception, it is necessary to consider the historical context in which the series was produced. Space: 1999 was not only ‘sandwiched between Star Trek and Star Wars,’ as Muir stated, but also bridged two different times and their changing cultural, economic as well as social and scientific conditions, all of which had an impact on the series . 4

Thus, despite the fact that the first season of the series was produced and shot between 1973 and 1975, and was supposed to show the reality of the then distant year 1999, the viewer continuously encounters examples of typical 1960s design , primarily conceived by Italian and international fashion designers: A ‘Mezzatessera’ round table conceived in 1966 by Vico Magistretti stands in the Commander’s office (Figure 10.1) together with the so-called ‘Selene’ chair by the same designer. Completing this set of 1960s furniture, the audience sees two ‘Throwaway’ sofas, designed by the Italian Willie Landels

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