Displaying items by tag: Barbara Bain

In September of 1975, a new science-fiction series appeared on British television. Created and produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson, Space: 1999 followed the trials and tribulations of the inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, after the Moon is accidentally blown out of Earth’s orbit and sent hurtling out into interstellar space. Though the series only ran for two seasons, it picked up a loyal following thanks to a strong cast led by Martin Landau and Barbara Bain (Mission: Impossible), as well as compelling and high-concept storytelling. But one of the show’s greatest strengths was a production design aesthetic that seemed far more plausible and realistic than those of other sci-fi franchises. And no design from Space: 1999 exemplifies this more clearly than the show’s iconic spacecraft, the Eagle Transporter.

Science fiction has certainly shown us other examples of compelling spacecraft on TV and the big screen, including Star Trek’s USS Enterprise and the Millennium Falcon of Star Wars fame. But for anyone interested in spaceflight at the time, the Eagle Transporter—used by the Alphans to shuttle between the Earth and Moon, to travel around the surface, and visit alien planets—seemed like a vehicle that could actually be built, flown, and perform as depicted. That’s because its design has much more in common with NASA’s Lunar Excursion Module (LEM)—which in reality delivered astronauts to the lunar surface six times between 1969 and 1972—than the Enterprise, the Falcon, or any other spacecraft that sci-fi enthusiasts had seen before or since. It’s only natural then that the Eagle has gained a legion of fans over the years. In fact, the author of this review is one of them. [Read on here...]

Today’s Retro Release Day title here at The Bits ties into the Blu-ray news we announced earlier (see our post here). It’s A&E Home Video’s Space: 1999 – 30th Anniversary Edition box set, released on DVD on July 31, 2007.

Licensed from Network/ITV in the UK, the series was first released on DVD both in the US and UK beginning in 2001 – by A&E/New Video in the States and by Network in the UK. The US release was initially done via 8 2-disc sets (4 per season). In 2002, all 8 volumes were packaged together in a “Megaset” with an exclusive DVD bonus disc that includes the short follow-on video A Message from Moonbase Alpha.

The set you see at left and below is a repackaging of that same Megaset from 2002, re-issued in 2007 for the show’s anniversary. All 17 discs carried over, along with the bonus disc, simply packaged in ultra-thin DVD slim cases. [Read on here...]

About a year ago, and after years of reporting on this title, we reported here at The Bits that Shout! Factory had quietly obtained the rights to release Network/ITV’s classic 1970s British TV series Space: 1999 and UFO, produced by Gerry and Sylvia Anderson.

As many of you know, both series were released on DVD here in the States, and on Blu-ray in the UK and elsewhere, but only Season One of Space: 1999 ever appeared here in the States on the HD format.

Well, that changes now. On 7/16, our friends at Shout! Factory will release Space: 1999 – The Complete Series on Blu-ray Disc as 13 disc set including all 48 episodes in production order and special features (which are still TBA). The package will also include a booklet of photos and liner notes. [Read on here...]