Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 14:04:29 -0700 From: David Washke (daw9857@evt.fse.ca.boeing4tag.com) Subject: The End of Eternity I just watched "The End of Eternity" and found the ending to be a big disappointment! How did Balor end up drifting through space after being sucked out of an airlock? There's no way he was moving fast enough to reach escape velocity! In past episodes, when someone is sucked outside, they end up in a heap on the surface, just outside the airlock/window. A good example is "War Games", when Bob Mathias is trying to repair the Med Center window, which shatters, and he does a dive out onto the surface. Couldn't they come up with a better method of getting rid of Balor? Maybe lure him into a reactor or something? I'd love to watch Koeing try to peel off those huge "DANGER - RADIATION" stickers or camouflage that huge steel vault-like door!
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 20:42:06 -0700 From: Levi@spirit4tag.com.au (Graham Levi and Cecilia Levi) Hi Everyone!! Dear David, I asked Johnny Bryne about this same problem with Balor. We had a very interesting discussion about what was to happen to Balor and the significance of the actual mythic being - Bal, the devil. This creature appears in both Phoenician and Celtic culture as one of the evil ones. The ending was meant to be this way, as Balor was suppose to return to punish the Alphans for their rebellion against him. He can not die. The creature of Balor is immortal. He was to return to terrorise the Alphans, but the episode was never made. I wrote at great length to Johnny Byrne about this episode as I am a Scot and very interested in my culture and its history. Balor is one of the Gods that turns up to interfere in human development. It was fitting that a being like that could happen upon our wondering Alphans and cause them much grief. The ending where Helena says that we just have to learn not to interfere in other peoples justice - is an important part of Celtic learning for us humans. The ending isn't a disappointment - if you know where it was to go, eventually. It would have made a great episode to link the travels of the first to second season of Space 1999. It was unfortunate that it was never made. I don't think the American producer of Season two liked the story or the idea - to intellectual!! It was a great shame. Yours, Cecilia.
Date: Fri, 12 Apr 1996 11:39:23 -0700 From: David Washke (daw9857@evt.fse.ca.boeing4tag.com) Subject: Re: The End of Eternity Thanks for the clarification on this, Cecilia! I do think that it was an interesting problem (i.e. how do you kill someone who can't be killed?) that Koenig faced. I also agree that it would have made an interesting episode to have him come back in Season 2 to get some revenge on the Alphans. ("Balor's back -- and boy, is he PISSED!") Unfortunately, this isn't the kind of episode that Freddie Freiberger would have gone for. Unless, of course, Balor returned and brought an army of killer mutant vegetables with him! ("and now Koeing, unless you follow my wishes, you'll feel the wrath of my giant kumquats!")
Date: Wed, 10 Apr 1996 19:53:40 -0700 From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com Subject: Re: The End of Eternity >Couldn't they come up with a better method of getting rid of Balor? Sorry Dave, Maya wasn't there yet to turn into a bee and fly into his ear! I'd rather watch an airlock ejection any day! :)
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 08:24:20 -0700 From: jquimby@utmmg.med.uth.tmc4tag.edu (Jeanette Quimby) Subject: Balor vs Beta Amardeep stated: >Well, unless the cloud creature was using Eveready Energizers (tm) I > would say that Balor would win! Another train of thought though, if the creature were either powered like the atomic clock (which only looses a few second every ?? years) - it might be a close tie! The clock is nearly immortal itself in a mechanical sense - so if the creature were using the same energy source, well....
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 07:42:31 -0700 From: Sfcafeguy@aol4tag.com Subject: Re: I'm sorry, I can't resist! Amardeep writes: >Well, unless the cloud creature was using Eveready Energizers (tm) I > would say that Balor would win! Sorry, Amardeep, but I have to disagree. With those mega "Achilles" heels on Balor's shoes it would be WAY EASY for the Beta Cloud's robot to topple him! :) Stride goeth before a fall. Robert
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 11:11:33 -0700 From: Amardeep_Chana@xn.xerox4tag.com (Chana,Amardeep) Hi Jeanette, I think Balor would still come out on top. Eventually the mechanisms in the robot would begin to wear and become less reliable. Balor would get his share of injuries (some from the creature, some from tripping on those heels...) but he would recuperate and continue chipping away at the creature, which can't necessarily repair itself. That's the beauty of a plot device like 'immortality'. There is no scientific basis for it so we can't measure its extent. Where did Balor get his energy from? Did he have to eat? Did he tire? Did he have to sleep? The highlander had an endpoint in that you could decapitate him and that was that. If Balor was like the rock his asteroid was made from then you could literally tear him apart cell by cell and he would reintegrate. Wow! As an aside, I don't think atomic clocks are nuclear powered. They use the resonant properties of a cesium isotope at the atomic level to sync the clock count but are usually powered by whatever electric energy is available. Amardeep
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 10:33:25 -0700 From: "Stephen M. Arenburg" (arenburg@phobos.astro.uwo4tag.ca) Atomic clocks are NOT anything like nuclear batteries (or reactors). The "atomic" part of the clock is a small amount of Cesium-133 that emits a precice frequency of 9 192 631 770 Hz. This radiation comes from an electron transition between two hyperfine levels in the ground state. It has nothing to do with radioactive decay which emits more powerful radiation (ie. useful for a power source), as a radio-isotope fades over time.
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 12:53:33 -0700 From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu) Subject: Balor vs. Beta Cloud Creature OK, Here's a real contest to consider: Who would win: Someone who violated the 2nd law of thermodynamics, or someone who violated the law of conservation of mass and energy? Ronald # 122, Self Destruct System Engineer
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 13:05:11 -0700 From: Van A Plexico (plexiva@mail.auburn4tag.edu) Subject: Re: The End of Eternity I always wanted a scene at the very end of End of Eternity, with Balor jumping up and down, grasping for the reconstituted asteroid as it sails away empty, mouthing the words, "Wait! Wait for baby!!" (I suppose if you've heard Bugs Bunny say that line, it's funnier.) --Van #107
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 13:11:49 -0700 From: Van A Plexico (plexiva@mail.auburn4tag.edu) Subject: Balor vs Beta Cloud creature Balor would whup ass! Oh, sorry, my Alabama background is showing. Balor would prevail in such a mythic and titanic confrontation. (Hey, they can say it on network tv now! ;) Beta creature only represents a fraternity, while Balor represents an entire Texas university! Ok, maybe I'm pushing it. I'm gone! --Van
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 13:50:30 -0700 From: jquimby@utmmg.med.uth.tmc4tag.edu (Jeanette Quimby) Subject: RE: Balor vs Beta More philosphical thinking (and sci fi comparison) - but if the creature from the Beta cloud was made similar to the cyborg in T2, who basically could be frozen, shot at, run over, mash his parts, etc. - he might be able to repair himself as he is constantly attacked. But as Amerdeep mentions, where is Balor's resource for regeneration. What is his energy source - because if he were to be constantly battled by a machine that would be able to regenerate itself (T2), he would at some point tire and need to reenergize himself also. We could then look at immortality of a "mortal" person such as in the "fictional" movie "Death Becomes Her". Part of the plot was that the actresses were immortal - yet in the end, they degenerated over time because they lacked the "materials" to keep them as "ageless" beauties. And as highlander mentioned regarding beheading - they did and somehow kept on ticking. So, just as a machine might gradually break down - no matter how well made - would Balor also have gradually "worn" down without some form of an energy revitalizer and even then to what degree do we term immortality. We looked at his youth - who is to say that even by living forever - he would not gradually slow down or "age" and turn into a living mummy. This is a pretty good discussion, as the winner will depend on how each of us would view immortality, as well as to how we each individuall expand a 45 minute episode into more a story with a beginning and a ending, as well as more background and definition. (it's like driving by the accident scene, you see the police, ambulance, wreck, people - but what happened prior to the accident and in the end, who was really at fault). I think if we reverse the beheading (Balor beheads the Beta device), Balor would definitely win (no regeneration like the salamander for a machine unless he's T2) - but didn't the alphans attempt to dismember the beast (lasers, etc.) and it was basically indestructible. But then Balor could be the salamander and regenerate a head, if he were beheaded. No right answer and no wrong answer to this one - just fun philosphical debate. Jeanette
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 16:16:22 -0700 From: gwr@easy44net.co.uk (Gareth Randall) Subject: Re: The End of Eternity >In past episodes, when someone >is sucked outside, they end up in a heap on the surface, just >outside the airlock/window. A good example is "War Games", when >Bob Mathias is trying to repair the Med Center window, which >shatters, and he does a dive out onto the surface. I'd always put that effect down to the fact that it would have cost too much money and taken too much time to orient the set vertically so that the stuntman would fall through the window and maintain his distance from the surface. Gareth
Date: Thu, 11 Apr 1996 13:41:19 -0700 From: Ronald Dudley (dudleyrd@expert.cc.purdue4tag.edu) Subject: Ten contests I would like too see. Contest #1 Commissioner Simmons versus Commissioner Dixon Which bureaucrat/politician can screw things up more for Koenig? Contest #2 Balor versus the Ultra Probeship Monster in a bare handed fight. (no unfair knives or axes allowed) Could the Ultra Monster actually eat an Immortal? Would Balor be an infinite supply of food for it? Eat Balor, spit out the remains, the remains ressurect, eat Balor again,,,,, Contest #3 Mentor of Psychon and Dr. Rowland of Ultima Thule have a contest to turn eachother into zombies. Is a winner possible? Contest #4 Jarak against Dorzak. They use their psi-powers to manipulate Koenig versus his evil reversed twin from Kalthon. Contest #5 Energy hungry Anton Zoref versus energy hungry seed of Kalthon. Winner takes on the space firestorm from "Catacombs of the moon" Contest #6 Intelligent plants of Luton versus the Living Rocks from "Glisters". Winner takes on the animal kingdom. Contest #7 The Queller Drive versus the crushing Foam of the Space Brain. Contest #8 The Dorcons and Gwent have a contest to see who can trash alpha faster. Contest #9 Neman and Magus have a contest to see who's better at pretending to be God. Contest #10 Mighty Mouse vs. Superman Cite any arguments except those used in the movie "Stand By Me" Ronald # 122, Self Destruct System Engineer