So too was a young Jeffrey Morris, a man whose passion for science fiction and spaceflight eventually led him into becoming a filmmaker (whose work includes the forthcoming Persephone, the short film Oceanus, and the animated Parallel Man: Infinite Pursuit). Fascinated with not just the Eagle but the obsession so many others seem to have for it as well, Jeffrey decided to make a documentary to explore how the Eagle, Space: 1999, and science fiction in general has influenced the lives of so many individuals. Among those he interviewed for the project are NASA astronaut and Apollo 16 moonwalker Charlie Duke, SpaceX/Inspiration4 astronaut Sian Proctor, VFX artist (and creator of the Eagle) Brian Johnson, Space: 1999 actors Barbara Bain and Nick Tate, legendary Star Trek actor William Shatner, Jamie Anderson (the son of series creator Gerry Anderson), Star Trek graphic designer Michael Okuda, Hollywood VFX supervisor Bill George (Blade Runner, Star Trek II), science fiction author Kevin J. Anderson (whose work includes—with co-author Brian Herbert—many of the Dune prequel novels), science journalist and author Piers Bizony, and Space: 1999 superfan Jan Wenneberg.
Now… it’s certainly fair to call this sort of interest in Space: 1999 and the Eagle Transporter a very particular niche. But if you share it, there’s a special kind of thrill in watching as Morris—a stand-in for all of us—helps Wenneberg to assemble the 1/4 scale (25-foot) Eagle replica he’s built in a Denmark garage, or to see him working with Hollywood VFX artists to recreate the series’ acclaimed visual effects. Not only does Morris meet with Barbara Bain and Nick Tate, he commissions a production team at England’s Pinewood Studios to reconstruct the Eagle cockpit set from the series and invites Tate (who played Eagle pilot Alan Carter all those years ago) to revisit it. But beyond this one series, the interviews with Shatner (on the Enterprise bridge set recreation in Ticonderoga, New York) and Kevin J. Anderson will certainly appeal to anyone interested in science fiction in general. Morris also talks with Duke, Proctor, and others about their experiences with humanity’s real spaceflight achievements. And in one of my favorite threads in the documentary, Morris visits a class of 5th grade school children to talk about how Space: 1999 inspired him as a boy, and their own nascent fascination is both genuine and heartening.
So for sci-fi and spaceflight enthusiasts, there’s a little something for everyone here. But more than anything else, Jeffrey Morris’ The Eagle Obsession is a testament to the kind of passion and curiosity that can carry a person from childhood fandom to a lifelong career… even a calling. And it’s a wonderful tribute to both a classic TV series that continues to inspire passion five decades later, and the uplifting ripples of creativity that result from it.
The film was produced in part through a successful crowdfunding campaign. Morris’ goal is to premiere it later this year, in conjunction with the 50th anniversary of Space: 1999, and eventually to make it available for purchase via Digital and physical media. Rest assured that we’ll do a more in-depth review of a Blu-ray or 4K Ultra HD version here at The Bits when one becomes available. In the meantime, you can learn more about the project at eagledocumentary.com. And you can watch a 12-minute preview of it on YouTube below.
- Bill Hunt
(You can follow Bill on social media on Twitter, BlueSky, and Facebook, and also here on Patreon)