An Arctorial Moment

"This is not the end. This is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning."

--Winston Churchill

"You have learned something. That always feels at first as if you had lost something."

--H.G. Wells

Our story takes place in a parallel universe. Instead of withdrawing following the success of the Apollo Eleven Moon landing in 1969, humanity continued to take greater strides; bolder steps in the advancement of technology, if not wisdom. In the year 1999 AD, humankind's continual dumping of nuclear waste on the far side of the Moon creates a disaster which hurls the satellite out of its ancient orbit, thereby marooning the 311 men, and women of Moonbase Alpha.

-The year is 5 AB (after Breakaway)

-In the universe of "Space: 1999 The Classic Adventures," an apocalyptic war was fought on Earth in years 1987-1991. World War Terminus (or WWT) was prosecuted by two warring coalitions. The Allied Block (The United States, Britain, Australia and Russia, among others), and The Tri-Continent (France, The United Arabian Peninsula and China, among others). The war was as much a nuclear exchange, as it was conventional. It was speculated that it began as the result of social, and political pressures that had gone unrelieved in the aftermath of World War II. Korea, Vietnam -these were all but symptoms of the mestasticizing carcinoma. The war was also fought in low Earth orbit. Hawk warships were launched from UN Star Forts (orbitting spacestations), and space platforms controlled by Tri-Continental Forces. Though armed with Titan II Missile silos, Moonbase Alpha was respected as a neutral zone until the last two months of the war. The area of the facility referred to now as the "Old Base," was bombed extensively by Tri-Con gunships. The Old Base is located in the crater Tycho.

-Regrettably, and regardless of the Global Armistice in 1991, the old tensions seemed to be arising again with the proliferation of terrorist groups as Earth approached the new millenium.

-There have been nine commanders of Moonbase Alpha. Only two have been Americans. Dr. John Robert Koenig, a reknowned physicist, has been the leader of the base since the Moon broke away in 1999. Anton Gorksi, a professor of astronomy, and of Polish descent, was the last commander of the base, prior to the catastrophe at Nuclear Disposal Area Two. A complete list of Alpha commanders is as follows:

1) Irina Kovovich (Old Base)

2) Nolan Danzig (Old Base)

3) Aubrey Teuton (Old Base)

4) Kwasi Amadi (New Base)

5) Arthur Strange (New Base)

6) Kathleen O'Leary (New Base)

7) Nu Da-Xia (New Base)

8) Anton Gorski (New Base)

9) John Koenig (New Base)

-Though it is not known, it is generally believed that the surface of the Earth was laid waste by the Breakaway Syndrome. Quite probably, life has ceased to exist there.

- MUF : MUF stands for "Mysterious Unknown Force" which is believed to guide the Alphans in their journey....God or whatever supernatural entity would be a good analogy. Examples of the MUF occuring in the series were most notably the unknown female voice in the episode "The Black Sun" and Arra in the episode "Collision Course". In the Space:1999 The Classic Adventures, The Woman in White and the Mantis, first mentioned in "The Architect of Horror" are also regarded as part of the MUF.

-In Space:1999 The Classic Adventures, the ending to "Alpha Child" was somewhat different. Jarak and Rena left the bodies of Sue and Jackie Crawford. However, Jackie Crawford did not become an infant again. Instead, the outcome was that he was physically a 5 year old but mentally a newborn. Sue Crawford, with the help of other Alphans, has worked diligently to help Jackie catch up mentally to his physical age. Currently, he is physically a 9 year old with the mental ability of a 6 year old. He may also suffer from an emotional disorder. We believe this ending would have made more sense and added a tragic twist to Alpha's first mother and child.

-In "Space: 1999 The Classic Adventures," the events which occurred in the episode "War Games" took place later in the story. What happened WAS NOT a dream. Moonbase Alpha was annihilated, and over 125 people were killed. In the months since this holocaust, the surviving alphans have joined together in a courageous attempt to reconstruct the base from extant blueprints. The two mile core area appears much the same, though many of the systems have been redesigned to accomodate the available materials. The collossal, Alphearan spacer from the episode "Architect Of Horror" was reverse engineered, and cannibalized greatly in this endeavour--most of the nuclear generation system, and miles of blasted shell plating were re-upped using alien technology.

-The EM Defense Mainframe, a holographic memory circuit designed for war time use, was reconfigured to assume many of the duties performed by erstwhile, deceased alphans.

-The Alphearan wreck is uninhabitable. The derelict is located in the Oceanus Procellarum (aka The Sea Of Storms).

-There is rumored to be another alien spacecraft in this vicinity which the Alphearans were attempting to extract. Though the exact size, and the location of this vessell is unknown, it is believed to be buried beneath the Gethsemane Wall in the Oceanus Procellarum. Thus far, no attempt has been made to locate, and reconnoitre this second ship. Seismic disturbances on the lunar surface resulted in cave-ins that obliterated the Alphearan deep shaft mining network. So, the secrets remain secrets.

-Writers, resist the urge to spoon feed answers to certain, theoretical--blank of mind--constant readers. Put away those analogous napkins, and leave the literary Gerber's on thier chins. Remind yourselves that we're writing for precocious adults, and not first graders. If you look at season one of "Space: 1999," you'll notice that they really weren't inclined to explain every, last toggel switch, and redundant character motivation. Stories become bogged down from facilities like this. There will be stories in the SIM that are pretty cut, and dried (e.g. "The Architect Of Horror"). But there will also be narratives that require something from the reader (e.g. "Deus Irae"). Why did the aliens on the planet attack our heroes; how did thier culture segue into industrial nightmare, a runaway; what day were they born on; name the day, and hour of thier demise, and the ballistics of same; what color was thier underwear? Doesn't matter. Doesn't matter. Only the MUF knows, and they aren't telling. Now, there are some who will see something meanspirited in this witholding of information. They will fume over getting only half a Twinkie, at the unrecommended, unprofessionality of trusting readers to think for themselves. Sorry. We at "Space: 1999 The Classic Adventures" are bad about that. Guilty, as charged. However, it is far better to mount to the popularity guillotine for the crime of letting the audience use thier imagination, than to permit an endless dummying down of the stories to accomodate Reader-As-Gomer Pyle.

-This is "Space: 1999 The Classic Adventures." This is not "Star Trek." Repeat that mantra to yourselves, over, and over again--often, and as necessary.

-Abscond from paying endless homages to the series. Put away those notions of idiotic, demented crossover episodes, unless it is a crossover to an earlier, or future epoch in the season one storyline. No encounters with the Battlestar Galactica; no tag team effort with the Jupiter II from "Lost In Space;" no contretemps with the Borg, or the Cardassians, or any of the other paper, black hats from other television shows. I assert that these efforts are totally preposterous, and unbelievable. They are unthematic, and do little to propitiate the willing suspension of disbelief for the moment. Plus, if I may be so bold: many of you are excellent writers, and frankly, you know better.

- A word on romance: We, of the Space:1999 The Classic Adventures, believe that the best romance is the subtle, understated romance of year 1. A glance...a gentle touch...a kiss when no one is around. Sexual implications are permitted but they are not described in full color, "X" rated detail. First, we are part of the Space:1999.net site and pornography is not permitted by the web master. Second, sexual scenes can be written tastefully without graphic imagery; let the adult reader use his or her imagination. Third, the scenes should generally be written in the context of the stories.

Keep in mind two guidelines. First, imagine that on MBA not everyone would have "someone". Sophmoric, giddy scenes of teenage romance and affection would certainly be insensitive to those without a partner. For this reason, intimate scenes or exchanges of affection should be written in private or in a reserved manner when others are present in the scene. Second, remember that the writing is plot driven, not character driven.

The romance of y1 can be difficult to write; but it can also be quite rewarding. The exception to the above is the parodies. As long as the no pornography rule is observed, anything goes in these "tributes" to year 2!

-The human condition: In the world of Space:1999 The Classic Adventures, there are no perfect Alphans. Like the characters of y1, the people of MBA have flaws and some of the characters can be downright evil. Not all of the Alphans are "united" for the common good of the community. Not all Alphans are self sacrificing and working toward their survival as a colony. It is our belief, if Space:1999 continued into a second year, that some of these "imperfect" characters would have been introduced and further developed as time passed in the series. Feel free to develop these types of characters in the SIM (ie, Ed Malcom, Klaus Rotstein, William Gregory Harms III, etc).

-Alien encounters are a consequence of living in the furthest reaches of space. Be that as it may, we respectfully discourage writers from trying to include extraterrestrials in the alphan population. Humans, and aliens, living, and working together is a splendid notion...but for another television series. Our story concerns human beings--Earth people, like you, and I--fighting to survive against forces beyond their understanding. To include the equivalent of a Mr. Spock, or a Lieutenant Worf would be counterproductive, giving the races that we do encounter a mundane, domestic feel that robs them of the very thing that makes them unique.

Story Projections, And Other Notions

(Feel free to offer suggestions on these, as they are in less than Chrysalis, and undeveloped.)

Tentative Title

A) "The Dream of Mythraea" SEASON 3 PREMIERE EPISODE!!: A fugitive's flight from justice leads to the demolition of time itself. John Koenig, and Victor Bergman must travel back into the past to save Moonbase Alpha from certain destruction in the future.

B) "Fire In The Night:" The explosion of a nearby planet has catastrophic effects on the lunar surface. Desperate attempts are made by the Alphans to rescue personel who are trapped in the catacombs below.

C) "The Rapture Corridor:" The Moon encounters the theoretical folds of space, which transport it a hundred light years away in a matter of seconds. Paul Morrow, and Alan Carter are left stranded in an Eagle, with alien technology as thier only hope of reconnoitering Moonbase Alpha.

NOTE: The revamp of "Space Warp."

A) "Children Of The Gods"

B) "The Biological Soul"