"Guardian of Piri"



From:  South Central (Tamazunchale@webtv44.net)
Date:  Sun, 18 Jan 1998 11:03:08 -0800
Subj:  Space1999: Episode by Episode

Well! This enthusiasm is incredible. Will it last 48 weeks? I think so! It's lasted over 22 years, hasn't it?!

The episode up for examination and discussion for the week of January 19-25 is another one of my personal favorites: The Guardian of Piri.

Truly a weighty story and with an alien world that is truly awe-inspiring (like Missing Link before it). "Leave me with my pain; it reminds me I'm human." I remember seeing an article with a picture of Piri in TV Guide as the series was about to debut. It convinced me to watch.

Enjoy!

Mateo



From:  relax@videotron44.ca
Date:  Sun, 18 Jan 1998 16:05:14 -0500
Subj:  Space1999: Episode by episode THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI

Hi all!

If everything went ok during my personnal blackout, we should be talking about the GUARDIAN OF PIRI episode this coming week.

Before you all watch this episode, i want you to see a blooper in it, i saw that blooper a few months ago, after many years watching this episode without seeing it. At that time, i sent a note about it on this list, so i'm sending it again for those of you who want to see it.

At 28 min. 12 sec. from the beginning of the episode, something funny is happening. At this point John Koenig is leaving medical center and Bob Mathias who was offering a drink to the commander. John is walking in a corridor and you can see many persons packing stuff around him, then a women comes from left to right with a white case supported by a clear strap, then (now that's the blooper) the clear strap brokes and the case hits the floor doing some noise and this noise seems to disturb Martin Landau who is turning himself around to see what happened.

FYI : the white plastic case who hits the floor is in fact a 2 inches videotape reel case. I had many of them at my job years ago. Now today we are using 1 inch reels, they are much thinner and compact.

Andre Beauchamp



From:  "Petter Ogland" (petter.ogland@dnmi44.no)
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 08:22:16 +0000
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Episode by episode THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI

It's interesting to get production insights. As I see it, sometimes the story of the making of SPACE: 1999 can be as interesting as the series by itself.

Petter



From:  David Acheson (dkach@hotmail44.com)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 02:44:51 PST
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Creatures of the Moon:

A new week and time to rush in my review of GUARDIAN OF PIRI before I lose the chance at all. It took a Black Sun, a time warp and a few deep space adventures before the moon arrived at the first alien solar system (Zenno). But have you noticed how fast the moon got from Zenno to Piri?

Putting that aside,GUARDIAN OF PIRI remains a personal favourite of mine - definitely a top ten episode. I have not really rated them before so I can't say what number but its one of the tops for me. This is the first episode with my favourite combination of first year writer and director: Christopher Penfold and Charles Crichton. They seem to click more times than not.

The moral is an old tale so we are not venturing into new territory. Namely we are in the man versus machine debate. On Piri machine took over man quite easily by making man lazy. (Then again this was man's own doing!) But man has a last chance and that is with Koenig. Now I know what some may say. The Guardian has managed to take over the minds of 300 Alphans and yet Koenig has not been affected. Sure, this may make Koenig a superhero type but this is television. If he was taken over, end of episode and end of series.

We see, for the first time, the Alphans committing mutiny. And Koenig is not happy about it. His first reaction is anger. He slugs Alan in the Eagle on the way back to the moon and tears into the computer in Main Mission when the evacuation is under way. After they depart he sulks. Then the servant arrives and he gets mad again and will fight hell and high water to save his people. To me this switching of emotions make Koenig more believable because he is fallible. Not a cartoon-like figure such as Captain Kirk.

Barbara Bain shines in this episode as we see her do something more than be the cool robotic doctor. She shows a playful girlish side that we won't see again until year two. Even Barry Morse is allowed to goof off this time around which is nice to see when it is a rare event.

I wish more could have been done about Kano though. He was the star of the first 15 minutes. Being the computer nerd he is left to defend computer when things begin to go wrong on Alpha. Remember that immortal line: "When will they ever learn"? As soon as he is beamed down to Piri his importance to the storyline disappears. It would have been nice to have him fight Koenig or his own emotional attachment when the final confrontation took place on the planet. A minor point overall.

This episode is about the sexiest year one ever got. Hairy-chested Alphan males with their shirts off and our Sandra wearing nothing but a towel. And of course, the scantily-clad Catherine Schell. How deliciously sinful!

Funny but it took several years before I realized that Catherine Schell was the guest star in this episode. I never knew it the whole time year two originally ran. I mananged to catch a rerun of GUARDIAN OF PIRI one day a few years after the series was cancelled and I saw her name in the episode credits. What a shocker!

I believe this episode is the start of Keith Wilson's (the set designer) love of white plastic bubbles. See them appear in several later episodes including THE AB CHRYSALIS. The universe seems to be filled with these things. Overall, the bizarre, unique look of Piri (and most other 1999 worlds) is what makes it stand out from your standard TV sci-fi planet.

That's about all for now. Someone else's turn to talk about the episode.

David Acheson



From:  Jhon (jhon@pottsville.infi44.net)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 07:40:34 -0500
Subj:  Space1999: Piri

Perhaps, one of my favourite episodes, The Guardian of Piri spends half an episode not with the Guardian, but with the Guardian's helper. I guess a planet-sized machine couldn't fit on Alpha to heal Koenig's wounds. Anyway, that's one of my personal peeves; the other concerns Kano and his brain implant experiment.

First of all, why do we only hear of this experiment now? It's an interesting tool and could be used more than once.

Secondly, why does Dr. Russell explain the history of the experiment to a bunch of nurses aides and technicians? Does she feel the need to fill them with information? Are they going to be promoted to doctor? I feel that this scene could have been shortened to allow for more development of Kano on the planet. Kano could have become part of the force of the guardian, along with the servant of the guardian. He could have walked out of that circular portal with her.

The exodus seemed quite short. A typical exodus would take at least 24 hours. There are simply not enough eagles to carry 300 people. I didn't notice any eagles returning to Alpha, besides the one supposedly left for John. Maybe the Guardian transported the remaining Alphans to Piri and let everyone think that they were carried by eagle.

I really enjoy the music from this episode. Well, I shouldn't say music, but rather, interesting background sounds. They added to the mystery of Piri. Someone on the set designer crew really enjoys the color red; did you notice how many episodes use red as the primary color of the planet background or landscape? It does really make everything look vibrant.

The servant of the guardian is very convincing. Every Alphan save one was lured by her gentle cooing. I would have thought that at least one other Alphan would not be affected, particularly, Alan.

The final planet scene is both bizarre and excellent. The use of soap bubbles as the planet is coming back to life is so simple, yet it is used so well that it seems natural. Cool use of a cheap special effect. I really enjoy the shot of the moon moving out of orbit. Crowds of Alphans scurrying to the eagles is also quite different for S99. You can even see someone trip and twist her ankle. Very realistic in the sense of mass hysteria.

Where did they get the name Piri? If the planet was never before seen, how was this name decided upon and why did it agree with the name that the servant of the guardian used? We hear Victor use the name after his collapse, but the guardian had not directly contacted any Alphan yet. Was the name implanted into computer and her database by the Guardian? Did victor have a fascinating dream which revealed the true name of the planet? Had Kano connected himself to computer without Helena's knowledge? Questions, questions, questions!!! They need to be answered.

jhon



From:  QGMorrow (QGMorrow@aol44.com)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 13:03:35 EST
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Alphans,

"Guardian of Piri" is really a smashing episode. Without delving into all of the technical things that make this episode so grand, I would say only that the moral of the story is quite profound. Namely, that there is something intrinsically human about failure, pain, death, struggle and labor. Yes, Guardian of Piri is an indictment of the principial escapism of the drug culture. But more than that, it shows in high resolution that without the existential struggles of work, pain, death, etc., we humans are worthless.

Quintin



From:  South Central (Tamazunchale@webtv44.net)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 10:19:19 -0800
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

The travel time from Zenno to Piri is not stated in the episode. In the novelization they are in the same system or at least in the same system as the planet they were reconnoitering in the beginning of Missing Link.

Notice that the Eagle pilot says, "This one's a weirdy." This indicates that they've been to other worlds--WHAT other worlds? Terra Nova and that unknown planet in Missing Link (I don't think it is Zenno. I think Zenno is far away. The fact that they were investingating a planet when Raan interfered does not prove that that is Zenno, If I remember correctly, in the novelization it is NOT Zenno. This would mean that the pictures in the Cybrary--the full planet shots--are mislabeled,)? Earth? Meta (if not Terra Nova)? That's four, I guess it works.

Any comment?

Mateo (someone forward this to Robert)



From:  David Welle (dwelle@online.dct44.com)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 14:05:25
Subj:  Space1999: "Guardian of Piri" -- and Other Meanderings

Alphans:

I think my "Missing Link" analysis was short a few links worth of organization. Obviously, my analytical writing skills need more working out after several months of non-use. My apologies if it was an annoying read.

Anyway, even though I'll be rewatching and reviewing "Guardian of Piri" sometime later this week, I figured I'd point out a different piece I did on Piri, a short piece of speculative fiction on the possible background and history of Piri that I wrote nearly two years ago. It's currently at:

http://www.gbonline.com/~dwelle/s19piri.html [Editor's Update: now here with a different filename]

If you don't care to see lengthy 'historical' speculation on how the Pirians doomed themselves, and prefer the episode pretty much 'as is,' don't follow the link. :-)

BTW, I've noticed some discussion about the possible sequence of events and relative locations of planets such as Piri and Zenno to each other. I don't know if anyone else mentioned this, but I would encourage people to check out Kevin McCorry's "Space: 1999 Chronology," which is at my site. [Editor's Update: not anymore] Most germane to the particulars of these recent episodes is in Part 4. It's a very interesting and plausable interpretation.

I had never thought of Zenno & Piri being in the same star system before. I'll have to compare the appearance of the planets in these two episodes as well.

BTW, that reminds me that I'll be adding some more episode snapshots to the Chronology soon -- probably getting in lockstep with the current "Episode by Episode" order.

Later



From:  Tamazunchale@webtv44.net (South Central)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 12:39:40 -0800
Subj:  Re: Space1999: "Guardian of Piri" -- and Other Meanderings

Once again my VCR is broke (actually it is now in the trash--or rather was, I put it in the corner trash barrel and someone fished it out) so I can't watch the episodes again.

BUT I have always understood that the way the Guardian gave the Pirians the "Peace of Piri" was by "making them perfect" . This means by slowing and eventually stopping time for them. I have not seen this idea in the posts so far. I did not make this up. I either got it from the episode itself or from the novelization. I think it is in the dialogue spoken by the Servant. Koenig protests that this means death for humans.

Perfection = a single "perfect" state = no change = stopping of time.

As a kid of 11 I never understood this concept and this episode, until I paid real close attention.

Comments?

Once again I don't think the planet seen in Missing Link over the lunar horizon is Zenno.

Mateo



From:  judas@netmatters44.co.uk (B J Dowling)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 21:00:01 +0000
Subj:  Space1999: Videos and stuff

Hi folks,

I've finally gone and got myself a VCR and TV in my room. I'm almost self sufficient in here now! This immediately has two effects: firstly that I can sit in the comfort of my padded cell and watch Space:1999 episodes to contribute to the discussions, and secondly that the video capture thing I've been thinking about setting up is a distinct possibility.

I know I'm a bit late with Missing Link - sorry, it won't happen again - I'll put that in one post with Guardian Of Piri. I've been getting through The Key To Time (A whole season of Doctor Who with one theme going straight through) this last week. It's left me with a habit of calling any lasses I know Romana and anyone else K9...

Brian Dowling - Birmingham, England
Online Alphan #144



From:  djlerda@juno44.com
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 20:22:35 EST
Subj:  Re: Space1999: "Guardian of Piri" -- and Other Meanderings

On Mon, 19 Jan 1998 12:39:40 -0800 Tamazunchale@webtv.net (South Central) writes:

Once again I don't think the planet seen in Missing Link over the lunar horizon is Zenno.

Mateo,

I have to respectfully disagree. When Koenig first meets Raan he tells him that the Alphans computer reported that all the worlds in the solar system were dead. Raan replies that the computer read that way because he wanted it to . When Koenig looks in the Main Mission screen and when Raan shows him Zenno, the moon is hanging in the sky. Also in the experiment, Victor tells John that not all of the worlds in the system are dead, one is alive.

Now, why the Eagle went out of control and crashed is nevef really explained. Did Raan cause the crash? Surely this would be simple for him to do. With his powers he could make Alan and Koenig push the right buttons. But why? It wouldn't make any sense to risk his lab rat being killed in an Eagle crash. Unless he had to have a subject in a state of near-death in order to steal the subject's soul. Raan said he had waited a long time for an Earthman. Just a little grist for speculation.

The idea that Piri and Zenno are in the same solar system (Kryton, I believe) intrigues me. Piri has purple-ish hues in it. Perhaps the Pirians were descendents of the Zennites. They developed their machines to handle all of their physical labors to concentrate on their intellectual pursuits and then made the mistake of developing the Guardian to run the machines. The Zennites could have seen the results and decided to also develop their intellect but hold off on building machines to do their labor. Just a little speculative grist.

David J Lerda, djlerda@juno.com
"Just because we haven't experienced something
doesn't mean it doesn't exist" - John Koenig



From:  David Acheson (dkach@hotmail44.com)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 18:57:37 PST
Subj:  Space1999: Zenno and Piri

Has anyone ever thought of the obvious. If the Guardian had the power to stop the moon dead in its track and Piri was in the same system as Zenno then wouldn't the Guardian try to dominate the Zennites? I just don't buy the idea they are in the same solar system. Besides what would Raan gain from not warning Koenig that the moon was heading directly for Piri?

It works better for me if they were in two separate solar systems.

David



From:  South Central (Tamazunchale@webtv44.net)
Date:  Tue, 20 Jan 1998 01:22:54 -0800
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

As to Zenno's location, I stand corrected.

Thanks!

Mateo



From:  Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi44.no)
Date:  Tue, 20 Jan 1998 11:02:05 +0000
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Hi all,

David Acheson wrote:

A new week and time to rush in my review of GUARDIAN OF PIRI before I lose the chance at all. It took a Black Sun, a time warp and a few deep space adventures before the moon arrived at the first alien solar system (Zenno). But have you noticed how fast the moon got from Zenno to Piri?

Have you noticed how they speak about the Universe of Piri in that episode? The only time else I can remember the episodes being concerned with other Universes was in RING AROUND THE MOON. Perhaps Edward di Lorenzo had a greater influence on this episode than what can be read from the credits?

This is the first episode with my favourite combination of first year writer and director: Christopher Penfold and Charles Crichton. They seem to click more times than not.

I've read that Crichton was more engaged in the development of the scripts than any of the other directors. GUARDIAN OF PIRI was his first collaboration with Penfold as a scriptwriter, I understand. They later continued to collaborate on THE LAST SUNSET, WAR GAMES, SPACE BRAIN and DRAGON'S DOMAIN. Of this lot I find perhaps GUARDIAN OF PIRI and WAR GAMES the most interesting, but value all five efforts on the better half of first year of SPACE: 1999.

The moral is an old tale so we are not venturing into new territory. Namely we are in the man versus machine debate.

While man versus machine is not new territory in terms of science fiction, it seems to be a theme that does not seem less interesting overthe years. Working daily with computers I feel quite the contrary.

SPACE: 1999 manages to comment further on Kubrick's 2001 in this episode, I feel. In the sequence "18 months later" in 2001, HAL9000 seems friendly enough in the beginning, speaking of how he fulfills his needs by controling the airship. The astraunauts, on the other hand, are almost reduced to apathetic creatures, playing chess with a superior intelligence, having a sun bath like the Alphan's on Piri, eating or making pointless conversation.

By the way, reading John Kenneth Muir's "Exploring SPACE: 1999" I'm struck with how much time and space he uses to compare the series to STAR TREK. As I see it, STAR TREK seems only to have been a minor influence in year one, while 2001: A SPACE ODDYSEY seems to have been a rather major influence.

The metamorph into year two, of course, is heavily influenced by STAR STREK. This is also what the producers wanted, I suppose, engaging Freiberger to have such a important part in the development of the season for the better or worse. Well, more on this later, perhaps.

To me this switching of emotions make Koenig more believable because he is fallible. Not a cartoon-like figure such as Captain Kirk.

I agree. Sylvia Anderson wanted him even more fallible, I remember reading somewhere, but I think it works out fine the way it does.

To me it seems that Koenig is more in a state of shock than anger. I feel that he, like in MISSING LINK, seems to react as if he understands nothing of what is going on, and most of the things he does is out of desperation, perhaps not unlike the conflict with the aliens in WAR GAMES where he acts out of frustration, more or less irrationally, perhaps feeling it is better to do something than just to be an observer.

Come to think of it, it is most often Victor that is the sensible one, making plans and ideas, while John is the one who has to make the decisions, and often making them based on intuition rather than on fact. A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH is a fine example, I think.

Barbara Bain shines in this episode as we see her do something more than be the cool robotic doctor. She shows a playful girlish side that we won't see again until year two. Even Barry Morse is allowed to goof off this time around which is nice to see when it is a rare event.

Not being particulary enthusiastic about how the characters were redefined for the second year, I find Barabara Bain's performance in GUARDIAN OF PIRI, however, very charming. The way she talks and behaves she sometimes resembles a fourteen year old, I think. Incredibly silly! Barry Morse is really goofing off. Some of the lines he produces are delicious, like the one where he sits back to back with Helena on Piri mumbling on about "the true potensial of our brains" or something similar. I really enjoy the satirical parts of THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI.

Victor's unexplainable enthusiasm for Piri, at the early stages of the episode, and John's friendly reaction to this is also a highlight, I feel. Just like in many Monty Python sketches, it is sometimes more interesting to watch how people respond to strange behaviour than the strange behaviour in itself.

I wish more could have been done about Kano though. He was the star of the first 15 minutes. [....] As soon as he is beamed down to Piri his importance to the storyline disappears. It would have been nice to have him fight Koenig or his own emotional attachment when the final confrontation took place on the planet. A minor point overall.

Kano lineing up with the servant of the guardian would be an interesting idea, as Jhon pointed out.

This episode is about the sexiest year one ever got. Hairy-chested Alphan males with their shirts off and our Sandra wearing nothing but a towel. And of course, the scantily-clad Catherine Schell. How deliciously sinful!

I have been wondering what this is all about. Perhaps the lightly dressed Alphans are being used as a metaphor for the ecstacy of being under the influence of the Guardian. The way people behave, it also seems like a parallell to the drug culture of the late sixties, epitomized perhaps with the chaos at Woodstock with similiarily lightly dressed and druged people.

When they revolt against Koenig, however, the episode seems to draw more on religious fanaticism as Victor acts as a priest before the alter of the Guardian. The episode certainly says something about being careful about going into a non-thinking state and following authorities blindly, no matter how sensible this may seem.

Funny but it took several years before I realized that Catherine Schell was the guest star in this episode. I never knew it the whole time year two originally ran. I mananged to catch a rerun of GUARDIAN OF PIRI one day a few years after the series was cancelled and I saw her name in the episode credits. What a shocker!

Catherine Schell really looks smashing in this one. I can understand why she was chosen to take part in ON HER MAJESTY'S SECRET SERVICE (1970), but even more interesting, she is a remarkably capable actress. In an interview Muir did with her some years ago, reprinted in his book, she explains some of her ideas concerning how to play the servant, trying to add some kind of cold and robotic like character to it, and being terribly nervous about what director Charles Crichton would think of this, Crichton being a director of the military school from what I've understood.

Nevertheless, I think it turned out brilliantly. THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI seems to me to one of the more relaxed Crichton efforts, not having the actors jumping around so nervously that they almost have difficulty with acting naturally. Schell is absolutely wonderful, I think.

She has some of the same kind of presence as Helena, I think, delivering her lines very much in the same friendly, concerned, but still very controlled manner. Excellent. Really makes one think, doesn't it?

I believe this episode is the start of Keith Wilson's (the set designer) love of white plastic bubbles. See them appear in several later episodes including THE AB CHRYSALIS. The universe seems to be filled with these things.

In my opinion Wilson was overdoing it in THE AB CHRYSALIS, with those long sequences of bouncing balls that didn't seem to add too much to the drama except for puzzeling visuals, although THE AB CHRYSALIS was a fair enough episode as compared to other Year II epiodes, I think.

Did he use the plastic bubbles in other episodes?

More on GUARDIAN OF PIRI later,

Petter



From:  djlerda@juno44.com
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 22:27:23 EST
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Zenno and Piri

On Mon, 19 Jan 1998 18:57:37 PST David Acheson writes:

Has anyone ever thought of the obvious. If the Guardian had the power to stop the moon dead in its track and Piri was in the same system as Zenno then wouldn't the Guardian try to dominate the Zennites?

Couldn't there be a range limitation on the Guardian's power? Or the Zennite civilization could have arisen first and was sufficiently advanced to protect itself from the Guardian's designs. (I hear Martin Landau's voice in the distance shouting at me: "Knock it off! It was just a TV show! Move out of your parents' basement and get a life!" :-)

David J Lerda, djlerda@juno.com



From:  Riccardo Iommi (r.iommi@mailcity44.com)
Date:  	Tue, 20 Jan 1998 05:36:39 -0700
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

"THERE IS ONLY ONE MOTION AND THAT IS PERPETUAL MOTION" (Francis Picabia)

Hi Alphans,

here are some observations about The Guardian Of Piri:

This definitely is one of my top 5 of Y-1 (By the way, here they are: Black Sun, Breakaway, Guardian of Piri, Space Brain, Dragon's Domain)
Kano fighting for saving his own face is really great: everyone on Alpha is against him, but he insists protecting his computer (which he considers a sort of brother); at last, when he realizes that the machine is killing the humans, he chooses the extreme sacrifice. Look at the changing in his moods when he faces Koenig alone: good job, mr. Jones!
It's difficult to see Bergman happy like a child, and Koenig knows that well. But how about treating the Piri matter throwing off any scientific approach? Bergman, a Nobel Prize? In Koenig's clothes, I would've been a bit confused too!
Catherine Schell is really nice, although I recognized her as Maya only years after Piri aired for the first time!
Good work also by mr. Phillips with is nerve-broken reply to Helena: seeing Mathias angry is somewhat extraordinary!
Poor doctor Mathias gets stunned for the Nth time!
Mr. Landau would be awardable just for the solitude scenes: great!
How do you see Victor as the leader of the "enchanted"?
Good work from Mrs. Bain: in this episode she appears really charming, letting me envy mr. Landau!
The Alphans staring at the Guardian's light, in my opinion, has something in common with drug addiction or even some drug-based religion, just as the script would mean "only a man fighting and suffering for earning a life can be called a man": remember Koenig breaking the monitor with his hand. He refuses the easy way of leaning the wounds and prefers the pain, because "he is a man". Doesn't it look like the fight against the dark side of the Force in Star Wars?

Now come on with The Guardian of Piri!

Keep an eye on your orbit and thanks,

Riccardo



From:  South Central (Tamazunchale@webtv44.net)
Date:  Tue, 20 Jan 1998 14:54:08 -0800
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Zenno and Piri

Was Landau actually quoted as saying that? When and where?

Thanks,

Mateo



From:  djlerda@juno44.com
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 00:46:00 EST
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Zenno and Piri

No, he never said that. It was a joke. In 1987 (I think) William Shatner was the guest host of Saturday Night Live and they did a sketch of him appearing at a Star Trek Convention. A guy in the audience wearing rubber Spock ears and a T-shirt that said, "I Grok Spock" asked Shatner some inane trivia question. Shatner responded, "C'mon. It was just a TV show, etc., etc." Kind of Shatner's way of poking fun at the EXTREME Star Trek fans - you know the ones who just want to escape from reality and totally wrap themselves up in Star Trek and shut out the outside world. I thought it was hilarious but it apparently pissed off a lot of people. I am not aware of any instance of Landau ever saying anything negative about the fans. In fact, I am not aware of Landau saying much about the show, period.

David J Lerda, djlerda@juno.com
"Just because we haven't experienced something
doesn't mean it doesn't exist" - John Koenig



From:  Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi44.no)
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 09:51:14 +0000
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Hi all,

Quintin wrote:

the moral of the story is quite profound. Namely, that there is something intrinsically human about failure, pain, death, struggle and labor. Yes, Guardian of Piri is an indictment of the principial escapism of the drug culture. But more than that, it shows in high resolution that without the existential struggles of work, pain, death, etc., we humans are worthless.

I suspected you liked GUARDIAN OF PIRI, Quintin, lots of possibilities for theological and philosophical interpretations in this one.

From what I've heard Johnny Byrne is an Irish Catholic. This makes sense to me, watching episodes like ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER PLACE and THE TESTAMENT OF ARKADIA with people dressed like monks and shepards talking about hope and guilt.

I don't know much about Penfolds religious or philosophical preferances, but scripts like GUARDIAN OF PIRI, THE LAST SUNSET, WAR GAMES, SPACE BRAIN and DRAGON'S DOMAIN do seem to have some religious aspects to them. Many of the Penfold episodes seem to dwell on philosophical ideas.

The scenario of GUARDIAN OF PIRI is, as David Acheson has pointed out, not a terribly original concept in itself. When discussing man vs. machine, Mary Shelly's novel "Frankenstein" (1817) is often quoted. If not the first to deal with men, science and consequences of science running wild, creating a "monster", the novel was written during the early stages of the industrial revolution, and is as such an interesting comment on problems that have grown no less during the elapse of time.

The issue of Man vs. Machine seems to be quite prominent in SPACE: 1999. At times it is a rather central point with episodes like RING AROUND THE MOON, GUARDIAN OF PIRI, THE INFERNAL MACHINE perhaps in particular, but also more indirectly in episodes like BREAKAWAY ("human decision required"), BLACK SUN (Victor's comments to Computer while making mathematical formulae), EARTHBOUND (Zantor showing a not-too-impressed attitude towards human made computers), VOYAGER'S RETURN (human hybris and science with fatal consequences), WAR GAMES (the MISSING LINK like dialogue between the Landaus and the Aliens on the computer like planet with interior which resembles computer hardware), and SPACE BRAIN that draws a parallell between the universe and a computer or a biological organism.

For me GUARDIAN OF PIRI seems to be written as a warning against adapting too quickly to the technological advance without considering the change of values that a technological development may induce. In some ways it seems quite fit, I think, that Victor is the first to accept the ideas of the Guardian, being the one that embrases everything that might improve science and technology. Helena behaving like she is drunk, later on, is also a fine idea, I think, her being the most controlled, seemingly totally adapted to the "brave new world" style of life on Moonbase Alpha, that might easily evolve into apathy and death, like it does on Piri.

I don't know if Penfold's warning about computers taking over physical and mental work, drugging society, makes sense today. The world is certainly much more digitalised than it was in 1975, but it would be difficult to say whether people feel more or less alienated than they did then.

Quintin often quotes French existensialist philosopher Jean-Paul Sartre when discussing some of these episodes, emphasizing the necessety of be in control over ones own decisions. "We are doomed to choose", Sartre says in one of his plays, meaning, it seems, that we are nothing more than machines if we accept everything, or refuse to accept anything, without giving though to which direction our actions and believes may lead us.

The existensialim of Sartre, Beauvoir, Heidegger etc. was particulary resonent in the fifties and sixties, I believe, when people had time to reflect about what had caused the second world war, and how the military turned humans into machines, willingly letting others take control of their lives as they perceived this as the only possibility for collective survival.

Sometimes one wonders if techonolgy is building a Guardian of Piri today. Personally I believe, in fact, we do, but I don't think it is necessary that we suffer the same fate as the Pirians. Technological evolution so far has mostly illustrated that one problem solved means the introduction of two new ones.

I agree with the moral of the episode, however, human perception, human emotions and human thinking is the think that is important for humans as Koenig illustrates by crashing his hand through a monitor to remind himself that he is human. By respecting human values even Piri seems to be able to support human life, if too late for the Alphans perhaps not too late for us.

Petter



From:  jcg@vh44.net
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 12:02:56 -0500
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Not much on this one...either they're getting better, or I am getting tired of writing these reviews.

Two minutes into the episode and I already want to slap Kano silly. Last night my computer started going haywire. Did I go into denial about it? No. I started using every profane word and expression I could think of as I ripped the thing apart and found the problem and fixed it. It was supposed to be a cute personality quirk for Kano, but I don't think it works. I find Mr. Scott more believable who is just as obsessed with his engines, but is the first to tear into them when they are not working (and in one episode could feel something wrong with the ship before the technology could verify it.)

There are two points in this episode where we see something on the main screen that could not possibly be on the main screen. The first is where the eagle in the teaser is flying out of control above the surface and we see the ship itself on the main screen. The second time is when Koenig is investigating the planet, he's talking into his commlock, and we see him and the commlock on the big screen, when we should see only a closeup of his face, as being picked up from the commlock.

This sounds stupid even to me, but I have an easier time believing that all aliens in the Universe speak english, than that the Alphans call the planet by the same name as do the residents of that planet (or in this case the machines of the planet.)

It looked visually interesting, but I was surprised Alan would not have checked the eagle systems to see what was holding it up in the air, and if he could power it up and land it. I also wanted to see the thing crash at the end of the episode when time resumed.



From:  eagle1@mb.sympatico44.ca
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 13:59:56 -0400
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

There are two points in this episode where we see something on the main screen that could not possibly be on the main screen.

I know what you mean. This kind of thing is done all the time on all kinds of shows that involve the "viewscreen technology" idea, and it's kind of a pet peeve of mine. Where the heck do these cameras come from?

Also, on another note, I think this episode represents one of the best matchups between the full size stage sets with the actors and the miniature sets where the Eagles are playing around. VERY well done in this case.

I think the whole set concept of the white balloons and bubbles was very imaginative as, I guess, kind of tree like plants or whatever, and the way the bubbles blowing around at the end signified the life coming back to the dead planet. I think Piri has the best alien landscape created for the entire series! Very eerie and interesting indeed! I also really liked the kind of echoing ratchety sound we hear when referring to these landscapes!

All in all, despite it's flaws, a very enjoyable episode!

--
E. James Small eagle1@mb.sympatico.ca



From:  South Central (Tamazunchale@webtv44.net)
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 14:44:07 -0800
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

The name Piri was implanted in his mind by the Guardian, which was already exerting its influence on his mind.

You are right about the suspended Eagle.

Mateo



From:  jcg@vh44.net
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 18:26:14 -0500
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

But then why didn't Koenig or someone else go "Where did you get that name from?" the way he did about the name Terra Nova



From:  LKJ1999 (LKJ1999@aol44.com)
Date:  Wed, 21 Jan 1998 18:39:57 EST
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri.

Hi All...
I will have My comment's on G-of Piri. Later this week...

By the way. This episode is on My top.5. Favorite episode's from Y-1 1999...

Chas P. LKJ1999



From:  Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi44.no)
Date:  Thu, 22 Jan 1998 09:59:54 +0000
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Hi all,

Riccardo Iommi wrote:

1) This definitely is one of my top 5 of Y-1 (By the way, here they are: Black Sun, Breakaway, Guardian of Piri, Space Brain, Dragon's Domain)

The list is not too unlike the list posted by Mark, earlier on, is it? Interestingly, all the episodes on this list, except from BREAKAWAY and BLACK SUN that most people seem to agree is the epitome of SPACE: 1999, are written by Penfold.

From what I've understood, Penfold was quite pleased with GUARDIAN OF PIRI. SPACE BRAIN he regarded as more of a philosophical episode, more pleased with the sheer idea of it rather than how it turn out in production. Some people tend to get a bit distracted by the foam, it seems, others accept or ignore.

The St. George and the Dragon theme in DRAGON'S DOMAIN is an even older and probably even more worn out subject than the Man vs. Machine in GUARDINA OF PIRI, but the focus on the psychology of Cellini makes it quite interesting, I think. The excellent choice of music for this episode also made it turn out quite well, I feel.

It is remarkable how often the Penfold episodes turn up on the Top Five lists, and how seldom the Byrne episodes do. Mark had THE TESTAMENT OF ARKADIA on number six, however, but preferred Penfold's THE LAST SUNSET to Byrne's similar ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER PLACE.

My impression is that while Byrne's episodes seem to revolve around the same ideas over and over again, being sort of comments to ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER PLACE, Penfold is more diverse in his approach.

Tonight I'll probably be watching FORCE OF LIFE in order to prepare for next weeks discussions, and it will be interesting to note whether Edward di Lorenzo is still credited on this one. My impression is that di Lorezo had a rather strong impact on Penfold, but very much less so on Byrne. While there seems to be quite a few links between RING AROUND THE MOON, WAR GAMES and SPACE BRAIN, episodes like FORCE OF LIFE, END OF ETERNITY, THE TROUBLED SPIRIT etc. seem to be interesting in quite different things, still interesting things of course.

2) Kano fighting for saving his own face is really great: everyone on Alpha is against him, but he insists protecting his computer (which he considers a sort of brother); at last, when he realizes that the machine is killing the humans, he chooses the extreme sacrifice. Look at the changing in his moods when he faces Koenig alone: good job, mr. Jones!

I remembered when first watching the scenes where Kano faces Koenig, I felt it a bit stilted, as it seemed neither of the actors were being too sure of how to make the scene work, but on repeated viewing I find it better and better. Some of the stilted dialogue, empty gazes and feeling of people who are not totally commited to what they are doing seem to enhance the feeling of embarrasment over the situation.

While I still believe that the seemingly militant directorial style of Charles Crichton may have had an impact on the actors by making them more nervous than necessary, this is how it appears to me anyway, the nervousness and lack of total commitment, so apparent in many of the Austin episodes, does sometimes fit well with the intellectual aspects in the Penfold scripts, I feel.

Overall I feel GUARDIAN OF PIRI to be of Chrichton's better achievements, if not even perhaps his best, and a very good achievement by Penfold too.

3) It's difficult to see Bergman happy like a child, and Koenig knows that well. But how about treating the Piri matter throwing off any scientific approach? Bergman, a Nobel Prize? In Koenig's clothes, I would've been a bit confused too!

I like the scenes where Bergman shows his child like enthusiasm for Piri while all the other seem deeply worried. Koenig seems genuinely surprised by Bergman's attitudes, and though he would like to join in on Bergman's happy thoughs, but he can't figure out why Bergman is so enthusiastic about the computer reports when all know that Computer does not seem to be perfectly reliable in this matter.

Both Landau's and Morse's acting are outstanding in this sequence, I think.

4) Catherine Schell is really nice, although I recognized her as Maya only years after Piri aired for the first time!

I'm surprised that Catherine Schell hasn't been able to do more films than she has. While she is astonishingly beautiful, according to my taste anyway, she's obviously not "just another pretty face". In my opinion her acting abilities are remarkable, both in this episode and as Maya later on.

When casting for Maya, it has been said that they decided on Catherine Schell after watching her work in a PINK PANTHER film. How strange, when they had already casted her as the Servant of the Guardian, and therefore should have some experience with her as an actress.

On the other hand, the role of the Servant is one that almost makes for serious drama, while Year Two and Maya was much more tongue-in-cheek, I suppose, and perhaps they wanted to know if she was capable of acting ridicolously also.

7) Mr. Landau would be awardable just for the solitude scenes: great!

I agree about Martin Landau's performance. No matter how serious or how silly the plots were written, Landau seemed always to be in top form. Personally I like situations where he is able to bring out more of the human sides to Koenig, like how he is living on pills after the others have aborted the moon.

The Servant interacts with Koenig on three occasions during the episode. On the second occasion, when she appeares on Moonbase Alpha, the meeting between Catherine Schell and Landau generates magic, as I see it. She looks beautiful as ever, and deliver her arguments with thought, seeming to care for Koenig and convince him that life on Piri actually is the best way of life there is.

Koenig, on the other hand, is totally worn out, confused and desperate. Not being able to attack the Servant because of her fragile appearance and beutiful charms, he fists through a monitor.

Was there anything Koenig could have done in order to prevent the exodus from taking place? Was exodus after all such a bad thing? Perhaps the Alphans where happy on Piri? They certainly behave that way.

I believe this must have been some of the things he could have been reflecting on while eating pills and drinking water in solitary.

In Muir's book he draws parallells to Homer's "The Odyssey" where the crew, in one of the adventures, are being distracted by the singing of the beautiful Sirens. Beauty and charm may not always be what it appears to be. Shakespeare lets Hamlet say something like "A man may smile and smile and still be a villain" about his father-in-law, King Claudius.

Petter



From:  djlerda@juno44.com
Date:  Thu, 22 Jan 1998 14:16:58 EST
Subj:  Space1999: Zenno and Piri (ad nauseum)

In "The Space Guardians", the novelization of "Missing Link" and "Guardian of Piri", Zenno and Piri are located in two separte solar systems. Raan blocks the Alpha computers from detecting Zenno. In the novel, the Eagle was looking for mineral deposits located on the moon before it crashed. After the Zenno incident, the moon leaves the galaxy (which galaxy is not specified by the book's author, Brian Ball) and Piri is found in orbit around a star in the intergalactic gulf.

As for Victor knowing the name of the planet as Piri, in the novel John confronts him on this very point:

"Victor," said Koenig slowly, "how do you know the planet is called Piri?" "But what else should a planet like Piri be called? Piri is Pir - the planet of peace."

I wonder if these lines were in the original script and were cut out for whatever reason later.

David J Lerda, djlerda@juno.com



From:  LKJ1999 (LKJ1999@aol44.com)
Date:  Thu, 22 Jan 1998 20:12:48 EST
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian Of Piri

My comment's on Guardian Of Piri...

This episode is NO.5. Of My best liked episode's from Y-1...
NO. of times the word Eagle was said... (5)...
NO. of landing's (3)...
NO. of liftoff's (12)... I like that !!!

Blopper's
When John and Alan. Land on Piri. For the first time.
There are two Eagle's already on Piri !
But when they lift off the Eagle's are not there. Where did they go???

Also when John and Alan land on Alpha. When Alpha is having a party.
They land in a different kind of Eagle !!!
This is the frist time We see this kind of Eagle. In Y-1

My favorite scene. At the end. When all the Eagle's are lifting off.
And all the little white ball's are blowing up...
Well all I have to say is. I love this episode !!!

Chas P. LKJ1999



From:  Jhon (jhon@pottsville.infi44.net)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 07:40:34 -0500
Subj:  Space1999: Piri

First of all, why do we only hear of this experiment now? It's an interesting tool and could be used more than once.

The servant of the guardian is very convincing. Every Alphan save one was lured by her gentle cooing. I would have thought that at least one other Alphan would not be affected, particularly, Alan.

jhon



From:  David Acheson (dkach@hotmail44.com)
Date:  Mon, 19 Jan 1998 02:44:51 PST
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Creatures of the Moon:

That's about all for now. Someone else's turn to talk about the episode.

David Acheson



From:  David Welle (dwelle@online.dct44.com)
Date:  Sat, 24 Jan 1998 13:21:16
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Okay, are Zenno and Piri in the same star system? Frankly, before reading Kevin McCorry's "Space: 1999 Chronology," and hearing other comments, it would have never occured to me, and I guess I'm still not sure about it. It was pointed out to me that Raan not warning Koenig about Piri need not be a problem, because as indicated in the Chronology, Piri came before Zenno, so maybe it's not an issue.

First sign the computer is having trouble is being selective about what it does, for it fails to collate the planetary data, while yet still overseeing the flight of the Eagle.

Paul: "Check the figures, Kano."
Kano: "When will they ever learn?"

"Hey, this one's a weirdy, Ed."

Kano: "They're just doing fine by computer."

Alan and Sandra knows there's something wrong, yet Kano nonchalantly accepts whatever Computer says.

Nit: one of Omniscient Main Screen shots, where it presents a perspective it couldn't have access to, this time from the planet's surface as the first Eagle goes wild.

What a surface! The scene on the mesa is totally bizarre and incredible, and ranks as the single most unusual alien scene in my memory!

The Alphans are slowly discovering that the computer is being taken over, and reporting false information. It is interesting to see who puts more trust in it, and for how long.

Alan: "Kano, you can't have gotten this thing more about face!"
Kano: "But computer does not make that kind of mistake."
....
Kano: "But so far they've found not the smallest malfunction."

Kano is an interesting case. One has to wonder about him. While his dedication is certainly admirable and important to Alpha, he seems to have no understanding of the limitations and vulnerabilities ofthe system, and this can be a liability. This aspect is certainly not overlooked, in this episode and others.

Kano, Alan, and John argue over this, and eventually Alan is instructed to fly the Eagle manually. Koenig is not unaware that the pilots ignored instructions from Alpha as well, and orders Alan to obey any order made by Alpha. This whole conversation was excellently scripted and acted.

The planet seems to be drawing them in as well. Then Victor collapses, and Helena discovers Computer isn't running life support well either.

Later, he mentions it by name: Piri. There's another nit. Though, given later events, I can accept that he might have already been under the earliest influences of the planet, with the name "Piri" whispered somewhere in his mind, it really bothers me Koenig and the others don't react questioningly to that.

John: "... ridiculous. We can't put all our services on manual. We don't have enough personnel."

A woman under the care of a medical computer dies.

Helena: "Doctor! How could you possibly allow this to happen!"
Mathias: "I can't control everything! I am NOT a computer!"

Great anger on both sides, directed at each other and the computer.

Computer is a tool, which can do a lot of things but is not infallible.

Alan: "They haven't crashed! They're alright, just... hanging there... motionless."

Wow, that's different. It certainly makes the scene even more surreal for the recognizable Eagle hanging there, as if trapped by an invisible web, over the utterly strange surface of Piri.

Alan's "Marie Celeste" line, in an uncut version, is only spoken once from one location in the motionless Eagle, as it should be, rather the twice as in the Sci-Fi Channel version, which seems to have poor editing.

The computer is "fouling" up plenty of systems, and Koenig states "we're in desperate trouble." Kano keeps defending Computer, but more and more weakly, and finally whispers in a humbled voice, "accidents. There have been accidents." Koenig has seen the small signs, and knows they are leading up to big problems, and points the blame at the planet, though he's not sure what the connection is. There's only one way to tell, and Kano reluctantly agrees to hook himself directly to the computer, through some "fiber sensors" surgically implanted in his brain some years before.

One annoyance: Helena speaks a little too glowingly about being converted to a program she was once opposed to , when only one of four people survived with his mind intact. I guess this is one of the kinds of things that has left me annoyed about her character over the years. She shows shock and confusion when Kano vanishes. No one even tries to speculate what happened.

Victor seems far too pleased about being in Pirian orbit, and gets progressively more cheerful as John and Alan head to the planet, where John starts exploring.

In the midst of all the strange mounted and hanging balls on the mesa on Piri, there's this perfect little exchange:

John: "... I'll call you if I see unusual."
Sandra: "Anything unusual?"

Then sees the Eagle just hanging in the air. There's perfectly creepy, grinding sounds. He spots the three missing people, standing around in a drugged-like, nearly catatonic state, whispering of how perfect Piri is.

Then the bizarre-looking form appears, from which appears a very attractive female, who we latter find out is called the "Servant of the Guardian." She walks directly towards him, and he backs up a few steps before unholstering his stun gun. She puts her hands up in a gesture of peace, then makes another gesture, kissing him! Then she welcomes him to Piri, and says, "I have come like this in human form... so that you may understand my presence." This establishes that whatever life there may have been, it was definitely NOT human. It also sounds messianic, which continues in greater degrees throughout the episode.

I could quote the entire scene that follows, for it is pivotal and quite profound, but I'll cover aspects of it in pieces throughout the rest of this analysis.

The Servant pounds away at Koenig with her words, constantly pointing out how useless it is to resist what she obviously considers a state of perfection. The Guardian even seems to try overtaking his will, but John manages, in his already increasingly stubborn state, to resist.

When John first tries to contact Alan over the commlock, the Servant even appears on it and laughs in a musical yet chilling way. (Yes, they really had an excellent actress in all ways in Catherine Schell to act this role.)

Already, Alan is under the Guardian's influence, and when John gets aboard and they start leaving, Alan flies the Eagle like a madman, forcing John to fight and subdue him to gain control, and return to Alpha.

His cries for help falls on ears deafened by a party celebrating Piri. They show considerable energy, though their fate on Piri would be to slip into catatonia and eventually death. The Guardian still plays things in human terms in other ways, having Computer instructing in great detail what amounts to operation Exodus. They even talk in terms about being able to return to Alpha if someone needs an operation, and people are even carrying equipment and supplies to the Eagle, as if they'll be doing something on Piri! The truth of what will happen is known to Koenig, however, and he attempts to stop it, but the Computer says his instructions are in conflict with the orders of the Guardian. It is now in full control of everyone and everything except John.

It is apparent that the already suspicious John, upon sight of everything on Piri, and hearing the words of the Servant, only hardens -- instead of weakens -- his resolve. He manages to resist the Guardian's direct attack, which only immunizes him more. "Immunizes" is an appropriate phrase, I think, and this is certainly one case where Koenig's resistance is very believable, both as a specific case and as an arguement for his general stubborness that seems to bring him through other situations. Maybe surviving Piri is what strengthened him for future battles. Isn't there a saying, "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger?" Even the Servant knows he is strong-willed.

He has been left behind by the Alphans, who have "removed" to Piri. The Servant reappears, and, showing him the catatonic Alphans, says "if only you would choose the Pirian way." She says it with the perfect calm of total belief, as if it's something that is really wanted. The Servant heals John's broken arm, pointing out how Helena has not had to lift a finger, continuing to point out how the Alphans are approaching perfection! It is, of course, recognizable to John as being perfectly lazy.

John: "No! Leave me with my pain. It reminds me that I'm human."
....
Servant: "Perfection is absolute. You must be made perfect."

It is so simple to the Servant and her Guardian, so stubbornly -- and mechanically -- carried out. John returns to the planet, and breaks Helena out of her trance with another machine (lucky he didn't fry her brain -- how does he know to run this device). They finally realize there are no Pirian people left at all, and the implications for human life are even clearer: death.

The Servant rouses the Alphans against John. Even Victor is cheering along, a further mouthpiece for the Peace of Piri. He's been reduced to mindless suplicance, a servant to the Servant of the Guardian of Piri. John and Helena have to defend themselves, and finally goes on the offense against the Servant, and she is silent on the accusation the Guardian's own people no longer exist. Even the Servant is found to be a robot when she is destroyed, which destroys the Guardian as well, freeing the Moon from artificially mantained orbit, and as later discovered, allows life to spring back into existence on Piri, although too late for Alpha.

In some ways, there's both contrasts and parallels to "2001: A Space Odyssey." In S19, unlike "2001," the computer has had some limits imposed on it, such as when it says "human decision required," yet within that limit, the people of Alpha still rely a great deal on their system.

Of course, humanity has learned other things about computers since "2001" and S19 were produced. "Garbage In Garbage Out," for example. Computers are actually very stupid, doing what they are programmed to do, right or wrong. And there's the thing: right or wrong. It's up to humanity to "do the right thing," as it were, with what it creates. Curiously, I think S19 did a better job of pointing that out than "2001" did, for the Alphans, though relying on the computer, do question it... eventually (though Kano far less than anyone else).

Also, there's the intelligence factor. I'm not really sure, but weren't both "2001" and S19 produced during the height of AI hype, when many people believed AI would play a major role within a few years? (Artificial Intelligence, not meaning actual sentience, but rather the resemblance of intelligent decisions by a computer.) HAL even has artificial vision which has since been found to be an extraordinarily difficult thing to create. In the Eighties, we started realizing it would take a lot longer to develop what AI was first thought to promise. Only now is "Deep Blue" competing at Grand Master level in chess, and that is just in this one, extremely specialized, highly studied system.

But a discussion of AI is far beyond the scope of this post. However, despite all this, SF is still a study of possible futures, and dangers. The Alphans at least have and put limits on their technology and how much they trust them; that they are tools that can be both used and misused, but that they shouldn't get the better of them. HAL did get the better of several people. The Alphan computer, being used by the Guardian, became a liability as well.

Yet it is the Guardian that is the ultimate computer run amok. Indeed, the Guardian was made so powerful, with so few limits, that it annihilated an entire world's people, and nearly did the same to three hundred humans as well. HAL was small beans by comparison. (I'm not degrading the classic and timeless "2001" by any means, just making a few interesting comparisons.)

Curiously, while Kano is the ultimate technophile (except for how he hates to actually be plugged directly into the system), there seems to be an element of technophobia about S19 at times. Yet overall, I always liked how most of the Alphans generally used technology as it is: a *TOOL*, which again, can both be used and misused, and can both do remarkable things yet have glaring limits and vulnerabilities -- that we should stay in control, something the Pirians utterly and completely failed in, building a system, the Guardian, that ultimately overcame them.

Of course, machine overcoming man is a very old theme, yet the Guardian is interesting because its ends weren't even malevolent, and were actually meant to be peaceful -- the Peace of Piri. Yet it's idea of peace was so utterly extreme that it proved deadly. The ends went too far, and so did the means, and it was the Pirians' fault.

Yet the Guardian still acts like a machine -- stubbornly carrying out its prime directives, not even considering what it did, continuing on with apparent blindness. I doubt it's malevolent, that it ever had an actual goal of eliminating or repressing life, but is obviously one technology that "got away" from its creators, eventually destroying them. To it, "absolute perfection lasts forever, so the Guardian has suspended time," as spoken by the Servant. The Guardian believes in its form of "Peace," while Koenig protests it's the "peace of death."

Of course, there's the "Peace of Piri." What is it? Certainly seductive, certainly deadly. The Pirians were evidently seduced by their idea of peace, eventually built a system that could provide it, failing to think of possible dangers. I talk more of that in the "Brief History" that's at http://www.dct.com/~dwelle/s19piri.html, so I won't go repeating all that here. Yet the Servant earlier spoke of their being many forms of life, with John protesting that they like the form they have, so it makes me wonder whether the Pirians are gone, or if they still exist in spirit, still taken care of by the Guardian. Yet given everything we see and hear suggests that even there, the Pirians would still be in a timeless, mindless state at best, and I still think the episode makes it pretty clear they are altogether lost to the Guardian, though the Guardian refuses to reason that out, and keeps carrying out its Prime Directive, the Peace of Piri.

The only missed opportunity is that we really didn't get to hear any thoughts from Kano at the end. Would have been interesting to hear what he thought about machine intelligences after experiencing the mind-numbing, potentially lethal influence of the Guardian.

Then there is, of course, the "Servant." I have a few more things to say about her/it, and in general, but I better break here.

1.400 cents, 0.599 more in a moment.

----David



From:  David Welle (dwelle@online.dct44.com)
Date:  Sat, 24 Jan 1998 13:32:51
Subj:  Space1999: Servant of the Guardian of Piri

(Cont'd.... A corollary post to match the "Servant" being the corollary to the "Guardian of Piri"? :-)

The Guardian made up a non-biological device in the form of the new intruders (i.e. made to look human), to interact with them. It was the mouthpiece for the Guardian all the way through the episode. Except for the Guardian's enimagic (dis)appearances and occasional subdued lights and sounds, it does little that is visually obvious, though its influence is obviously powerful. Yet it creates the "Servant" which is, in a sense, an extension created to interact directly at a human level, rather than the Guardian, which acts more from a "distance," in powerful yet generalized ways.

The servant was giving a human-appearing form, and this was not only for simple communication purposes, I think, but to add to the seductiveness of the "Peace of Piri." The Guardian didn't materialize some random creature, or the extinct biological Pirians' original form (whatever that might have been), to which the humans might put up more mental resistance towards. Imagine if the Pirians' original form was something like the energy-needing creatures in "Bringers of Wonder," and the Guardian picked that appearance for its "Servant" to use around the humans? More than Koenig might have resisted then. But besides its direct yet apparently incomplete influence on minds and machines, the Guardian maximized its advantage through indirect means as well, creating a Servant that would be most attractive in form to the humans, at least to the male half (which begs the question, was there any reason to pick a female form for its Servant, over a male form?)

So it made something that not only looked human, but would be considered attractive or even beautiful, appealingly dressed besides. The Guardian was not above finding ways to use physical appearance to further its goals, it seems. Whatever means to ensure the continuation and/or expansion of the Peace of Piri.

The Servant's behavior was another thing. She moved, spoke, and even smiled in human ways; yet at the same time, could not escape a somewhat "robotic" manner, hinting at the machine nature of both the Servant and the Guardian. Perhaps that is part of what kept Koenig immune to her appearance: that besides his initial resistence, these behavior hints kept reminding him that there was something robotic about her, and thus the Guardian and Piri as a whole.

I've always found it remarkable how Catherine Schell manage to meld the two sides of the Servant in her behavior: the human and the robotic. It always seemed that she portrayed the Servant in a consistent manner with the episode: that of a machine nature given a human-appearing form that strived to look and act human, but was still a machine in form, in nature, and in the way it was commanded by -- or part of the greater whole -- of the Guardian.

That begs another question. When the Servant was destroyed, the entire Guardian exploded, along with a lot of the big white bubbles. The Alphans didn't try to think of an explanation. The Servant seemed to be only partially a separate entity, really more a part of the whole of the Guardian, an extension of the Guardian, like an amoeba stretching forth part of its protoplasm. When the Servant was destroyed, part of the Guardian was destroyed, and the damage was so great that the rest of the Guardian soon followed, it seems.

Not only did the Servant's attempt to convince Koenig of the Peace of Piri only end up innoculating him further against it, but the Guardian exposed too much of itself to attack. Yet, it's only defense seemed to be its offense, taking over Alphan computers and minds, "slowing time," in some ways, for when it failed in the case of John, the Servant roused the Alphans to defense of Piri against John's attack! Even if the Servant had retreated into the body of the Guardian, perhaps the Guardian itself was fragile. It could have probably retreated and simply disappeared to protect itself, except for one final, in this case dooming, restraint: the Prime Directive, which it still had to carry out: The Peace of Piri, which Koenig's active presence was interfering with, and which had to be dealt with.

Catherine portrayed the calm yet fierce madness of this planet so perfectly, and through that excellent performance, her character did indeed became the embodiment of the Guardian and Piri as a whole, just as the "Servant" would be. Wonderful acting!

Which brings me to Catherine herself. Though Piri and its "being" was one of the few things I remembered from Y1 in the 16-some years when I didn't see the series, I -- like many others apparently -- forgot it was Catherine Schell, the same woman who played Maya in the second season. Funny thing was, in 1992, when I finally saw the series again, I still didn't know who it was who played the Maya I remembered, while I watched Y1 for the first time in over a decade, so I overlooked the credit, and didn't make the connection until the Sci-Fi Channel ran through the rest of Y1, all of Y2, and cycled back through Y2. It was a pleasant surprise to see her in a role other than Maya -- and strange to her that same voice coming from a rather different face, even if I could see the obvious resemblance! :-)

BTW, just just what is it about Catherine Schell playing robots, and having her robotic versions' faces blown off both times? Does someone not like her or something?!?! :)

.. Breakdown Ratings ..

Plot:
    Excellent/A; sorry, no breakdown here.  Just seems to be well
           written and executed, with only a couple tiny nits at
           most, unless I missed some stuff.

Character Development / Acting:
    John:  excellent/A+; one of the best episodes for him
    Helena:  excellent/A-; one of her best as well, except for a
           horrible line I mentioned earlier (about Kano's implants)
    The Servant:  excellent/A+; one of the finest 'guest' characters,
           both in terms of writing and acting.
    Kano:  excellent/A-; consistent with his earlier, shorter
           appearances, but with deeper exploration.  Finally,
           showed his love of the computer wasn't absolute -- that he
           could eventually admit to its failures, and the hate side
           of that "relationship" (being hooked up).  Missed one
           opportunity, though, as mentioned a few paragraphs ago.
    Victor:  excellent/A-; chilling portrayal of a reasonable man
           seduced by unreasonable forces.

Other:
    Art:   Incredible/A+; certainly one of the most unique worlds ever
           dreamed up, anywhere.
    Cinematography:  excellent/A; even showed tilt within the Eagle
           hanging in the air, though I think there was a little
           inconsistency, if you look carefully.  The Pirian world
           was shown brilliantly.
    Special Effects:  excellent/A+; totally convincing, given such a
           strange place.
    Music:  excellent/A
    Makeup:
    Clothes: not sure why I introduced this category in the first place,
           for the last episode analysis, but I certainly did like
           Catherine's outfit here  ;-)

Miscellaneous Details:
    Eagle Crashes:  one, sort of.  Was that Eagle ever flown away again?
    Destroyed:  the Guardian and its Servant
    Deaths:  Sarah Graham (sp?), from a failing medical computer
    "Lifes":  the destruction of the Guardian brings the otherwise
           dormant planet back to life.  Definitely different.
    Injuries:  Victor's heart trouble, Koenig and Alan in their fight,
           and Koenig punching his hand through a viewscreen.
    Quarters:  forgot to observe, but Koenig's certainly, right?

.. In Summary ..

Overall rating: excellent/A/4.0

Though this episode has been described by some as "trippy," a style I've never liked elsewhere, and I've heard a few people wonder if someone was on LSD when writing this one, it is startling and attractively done, and packs some profound statements about humanity and some of its hidden needs. This, as I have said before, is one of the most powerful portrayals of the phrase "dying of boredom," taken to its literal and even lethal extreme. Being perfectly lazy is not perfection, and people have to find a balance, not an extreme, it seems -- the difference between have some free time to do something else versus having a short eternity of doing nothing. Nobody really likes boredom, but it was something the Guardian enforced and made seem pleasant, with its Prime Directive.

Somebody, some Pirian -- or all of them -- weren't really thinking everything through before they gave the Guardian so much power, so distorted a Prime Directive (yes, the Servant used that phrase), and still failed to give it any interpretive abilities. So much for artificial intelligence. It seems Christopher Penfold, the writer, had some excellent science fictional writing here (his best writing of the series, in my opinion), hitting on both the power, the dangers, and -- even in a system portrayed as extremely advanced and powerful -- the outright flaws of AI, when used so carelessly.

----David

P.S. Any mistakes or whatnot, I'd apologize for and chalk up to whipping this up in just a few hours, without further proofreading. I have to leave to work some overtime, unfortunately, so I have to get this out now! Have a pleasant day.



From:  djlerda@juno44.com
Date:  Sat, 24 Jan 1998 17:13:03 EST
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Servant of the Guardian of Piri

On Sat, 24 Jan 1998 13:32:51 David Welle writes:

the Guardian maximized its advantage through indirect means as well, creating a Servant that would be most attractive in form to the humans, at least to the male half (which begs the question, was there any reason to pick a female form for its Servant, over a male form?)

Perhaps the Guardian chose a female form because Alpha's commander was a male. Since Koenig is the most important Alphan (at least from the Guardian's perspective) it would make sense to send a projection that would most appeal to him. If Alpha had a female commander, the Guardian would no doubt have sent a servant in male form also programmed to make the commander more amenable to its influence.



From:  David Welle (dwelle@online.dct44.com)
Date:  Sat, 24 Jan 1998 18:56:13
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Servant of the Guardian of Piri

David,

That makes plenty of sense. Guess I didn't think of this because in the end, the Servant failed so utterly with the Commander, which proved to be her/its undoing, as well as the Guardian's and their vaunted "Peace of Piri." Instead of dragging Koenig into her / the Guardian's influence, her attempts to argue the Peace of Piri did little more than to further harden his suspicions and immunize him to her influence, eventually to the point she had to rouse the Alphans from the beginning of the "Peace," in an attempt to destroy Koenig, ironic because the Alphans were rapidly heading towards the catatonia of the Guardian's "Peace," but the Servant (undoubted instructed or used by the Guardian) had to temporarily reverse that long enough to get Koenig. The Alphans were willing to use violence to recapture the peace they'd been enjoying so far.

Plus, when the Servant first appeared out of the Guardian, she almost immediately kissed him. Makes me wonder if she shouldn't have tried continuing on that course instead of arguing with Koenig, but I doubt Koenig would have been receptive. "Missing Link", OTOH, showed him supposedly failing in love with Vana during another situation where he was on the defensive -- though again, I found the "love" part unconvincingly acted. With the Servant, however, Koenig didn't seem to encourage or discourage the immediate kiss, but likely didn't seem receptive enough for the Servant to try anything more. So the Servant probably rethought that idea, and instead argued with him, believing he'd see how "right" the Peace of Piri was. Deluded individuals rarely realize their delusions, instead believing their perceptions or desires are absolutely correct, and that any sensible person would see their way, and anyone who does not is a fool.

Your statement makes sense for another reason. Except for the end, the Servant wasn't seen by anyone other than the commander (except for Kano, when Koenig and the Servant were arguing, but Kano was already catatonic). Apparently, the Servant was created specifically to convince the already suspicious and stubborn Koenig, not to deal with the Alphans as a whole, except at the end, when she "roused the rabble," as it were -- and I doubt the Guardian expected to have to resort to that action.

So, she likely was created specifically for Koenig. Does this suggest, at all, that his mind was read for that purpose? Probably, considering how the Guardian could also eventually influence human minds so thoroughly. If so, that means the Servant's form amounted to be Koenig's "type" of woman. This is curiously ironic, because I remember stories that Barbara Bain, when the character of Maya was being cast, apparently stipulated that Catherine Schell always be in Psychon makeup, because Barbara felt Catherine was too much like herself, but younger, and would, in effect, be "competing" with Barbara on camera, appearance-wise. Furthermore, Martin and Barbara were married in real life, and in the series, were falling in love, so science fiction and real life seem to dovetail into a curious twist, in that the Guardian did indeed seem to create a form that was Koenig's type of interest in a woman!

Regardless, he was not at all receptive to the Servant, regardless her form, dress, and initially forward behavior (and might have even been a bit more suspicious for those), and her arguments are what really seemed to continue innoculating him further (on top of his existing suspicions) to the Guardian's influence. The Guardian wasn't the first or last to underestimate the tenacity of John Koenig.

----David (can you tell I really like to write about this episode? :)

P.S. No offense, Barbara Bain fans, but I think Catherine Schell wins, hands down ;-)

P.P.S. GO GREEN BAY PACKERS! #4, going for Superbowl win #4, in Super Bowl XXXII!

[EDITOR'S NOTE: Alas, the Packers lost. Oh well, there's next year.]



From:  djlerda@juno44.com
Date:  Sat, 24 Jan 1998 21:34:17 EST
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Servant of the Guardian of Piri

On Sat, 24 Jan 1998 18:56:13 David Welle writes:

Plus, when the Servant first appeared out of the Guardian, she almost immediately kissed him. Makes me wonder if she shouldn't have tried continuing on that course instead of arguing with Koenig, but I doubt Koenig would have been receptive.

Not to mention the fact that Helena would have blasted the Servant with a stun-gun at the first opportunity and we would have had the first 30 minute episode in Space: 1999's history. :-)



From:  Patricia Embury (Patriemb@sprintmail44.com)
Date:  Sat, 24 Jan 1998 20:41:03 -0500
Subj:  Space1999: Guardian of Piri

I've enjoyed reading everyone's comments about this episode. I enjoyed it, and share many of the same things others have mentioned, so I won't repeat them. I thought Victor was taken under the Guardian's spell during his period of unconciousness. "I've been having some fantasies.." speech.

I do, however, have a question/nit to pick. Why wasn't Carter "taken over" by the Guardian on his first mission? I know they explain it to having flown on manual, but I don't really buy it. Granted, it served the story line, by having Carter and Koenig return to Piri. I liked the way they built up the realization thating that the Alphans were being taken over. All of the actors were wonderful under the spell of the Guardian. The novelization is quite different from the actual episode. Carter goes to the planet first, and is lost with a co-pilot, then Kano goes to the planet in an Eagle with Koenig.

Another question/?nit/?blooper: I could swear on my copy, Carter had a bruise on his left cheek. I noticed it in the Command Conference sequence. Did anyone else see it? Also, When Victor brought John the photos, what was Martin Landau looking at? He looked as though he was looking at someone offstage, past Barbara Bain. Did anyone notice that also?



From:  LKJ1999@aol44.com
Date:  Sun, 25 Jan 1998 08:25:00 EST
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

When Victor said. It seem's we shall have more time with planet PIRI than Computer Thought...
John just stops dead in his tracks!! As if to say. Where did Victor get the name PIRI from???

Also I did not see a bruise on Alan's face...

Chas P. LKJ1999



From:  "Ellen C. Lindow" (sfdxb@scfn.thpl44.lib.fl.us)
Date:  Sun, 25 Jan 1998 11:23:44 -0500 (EST)
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Good morning all. David Welle has done an extremely eloquent job of commenting on Piri. There are a few things I wanted to add before we move on.

David wrote:

It is apparent that the already suspicious John, upon sight of everything on Piri, and hearing the words of the Servant, only hardens -- instead of weakens -- his resolve. He manages to resist the Guardian's direct attack, which only immunizes him more.

There was a complete dearth of material about why _only_ Koenig was so resistand to Piri. Even after Victor succumbed and David disappeared, Helena was still on Koenig's side, but by the time Koenig returned from the planet, she was fully in the Guardian's control.

I don't like the episode "Missing Link", and followed the axiom I learned from the Disney movie, "Bambi"-- if you can't say anything nice, don't say anything at all. But in the novels, there was _one_ thing I liked about Missing Link. The novel described the encounter with the planet Piri occuring withing a few days after John's return from Zenno. It speaks of him learning things from Vanna regarding reality and how to tell the difference. The novel was pretty specific that this knowledge was what gave Koenig a kind of immunity to the Guardian's siren song. It could also be that Koenig was able to use this knowledge that he gained from Vanna to fool both her and Raan, thus securing his release from Zenno, although that's not the way the book plays it, describing him as heart-broken and distant from the others, and trying to come to terms with his feelings for Vanna, with confusion about his feelings for Helena. This does help make John's reaction to the Guardian, _and_ the Guardian's choice of an attractive female Servant more believable.

David also mentioned:

Of course, there's the "Peace of Piri." What is it? Certainly seductive, certainly deadly. The Pirians were evidently seduced by their idea of peace, eventually built a system that could provide it, failing to think of possible dangers.

Somehow I've always associated the "Peace of Piri" with entropy. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that I was taking high school physics when I first saw this episode, or the voluminous amout of hard science fiction I was reading in the seventies. It seemed to me that the guardian was trying to reach an ideal equilibrium. Things moving fast needed to be slowed down. Things moving slow needed to be speeded up. Hot things would cool, cool things would increase to an optimum temperature. Every thing would stop. And Koenig's explanation that the Alphans couldn't survive that fell on deaf ears. Survival was not the Guardian's optimum goal. Equilibrium was.



From:  judas@netmatters44.co.uk (B J Dowling)
Date:  Sun, 25 Jan 1998 21:30:20 +0000
Subj:  Space1999: Long post: Guardian Of Piri

Hi folks,

Before I start my comments on the episodes I've missed, this whole exercise of watching and discussing one episode a week has really worked for me. Ideas and opinions on the work of Ray Austin, David Tomblin, Charles Crichton et al has had me delving through my numerous videotapes to look at their other work in series like The Prisoner and The Avengers. In fact, I can't help but wonder if I'm starting to show signs of overdosing on "cult tv"...

Just a few comments on Missing Link - good story, top acting from pretty much everyone and nice cinematography - very reminiscent of some "Avengers" stories.

It was good to see it again, especially the performances of Martin Landau, Barry Morse and Peter Cushing, all of whom were outstanding. Joanna Dunham didn't do a lot for me in this story (did she do anything else of note after 1999?). Loved the scenes with the empty Alpha, but I've got a thing about deserted bases, cities, et al.

Two questions stand out for me - Koenig falling in love with someone else when he's developing something with Helena? It's all a bit too quick for my liking (that's usually my department...) and doesn't work too well for me.

Why does Koenig part on good terms with Raan after he's been manipulated and experimented on like a lab rat? That I'm not sure I understand.

On to Guardian of Piri. This is one of my favourite stories, and could have been the starting point for stories dealing with the past of Kano and Dr Russell.

Kano's attitude of "When will they ever learn?" is understandable when one considers just how reliant the Alphans have become on Computer. It is almost all-seeing, all-controlling and all-knowing and it is Kano who is the link between Alphans and Computer. One of the novelisations has a scene which equates Kano to the position of HIgh Priest of the god Computer.

And as a "techie" I think I ought to say a word or two in defence of this attitude - some users do have a habit of blaming the tools they have at their disposal rather than put their hands up and say "Yes, I had my head up my rear, it is my fault, not the computer's". It doesn't happen here, Computer does mess up, but initially Kano feels quite justified in saying that it's user error rather than Computer error.

Great scenery as the Eagle goes headlong towards Piri. That red checkerboard effect and those white spheres everywhere look so cool!

As the Guardian is exerting its influence over Alpha's Computer, I'm at a loss to explain why it would screw up the Eagle's readings, then allow Victor and then Sarah Graham to suffer and die respectively. Surely the Guradian would want everything to be as normal as possible before their arrival to ensure that as many Alphans as possible were available to it?

As it is, Computer is unreliable, and I can't help but sympathise with Kano when he tells Koenig "but we can find no fault". When Koenig says that there's one way he knows to find out how, Kano's reaction is almost that of a condemned man.

Here is a plot line which (for me) demands further exploration. Perhaps this scene shows as much as any other in the series the time this was made when Dr Russell gives the nursing staff the briefing of what Kano took part in earlier:

"... the intention was to link the enormous memory and calculating ability of the computer with the unique thinking ability of the human brain"

I recall reading something during my brief studies of AI which said that the human brain can "remember" (store might be a better word) everything which has happened to its owner during its life, even if the owner cannot recall particular incidents. That would require some pretty hefty storage capacity, more than even today's supercomputers have. Better alculation and recall would be the computer's advantages rather than memory, methinks.

So Kano's strapped to this bench while Dr Russell tells everyone else that he's the only one of four who were experimented on who's survived in any coherent state. And whilst against the experiments at the outset, Kano's "success" convinced her of the validity of the program. Her line that "Yours was the undeniable success story" doesn't convince him and it sure doesn't convince me. Kano's "Let's get on with it" parallels with Peter Davison's similar line in the Doctor Who story Mawdryn Undead (which was on tv this morning) - a man who's accepted his condemned fate.

What are the scientific ethics on this? A 25 per cent success rate where the failures are reduced to mindless vegetables doesn't strike me as ethical. Earth's own "revered ones", to borrow from Death''s Other Dominion. That Kano isn't hooked up to the computer at all before and after this story suggests that the program was halted and not taken any further.

It would make wonderful material for a story involving Kano, perhaps best told in the style of Dragon's Domain or Testament of Arkadia. Plenty of material to get to grips with, and would have been good to see more of what makes Kano the way he is, as well as seeing just how the experiments ended up and Dr Russell's involvement with the whole thing. With the plugging leads into people, we could be looking at a parallel to Frankenstein...

Back to the story... Kano swore he would never go through the process again, and ends up with what looks like a 5 pin DIN plug in his skull. I dread to think what he was expecting when the thing was started, bearing in mind his (and the three others') previous experiences. The cries of pain don't come as a surprise, but to see Dr Russell and Koenig smile when Kano's face takes on the look of a Moonie is a little worrying. Hey folks, when did you last smile like that?

Kano vanishes and now Dr Russell is having a rough few episodes. After disintegrating a Kaldorian and nearly losing Koenig, she's really put a spanner in Alpha's Y2K strategy by getting rid of Kano...

Victor's enthusiasm for Piri makes me wonder just what controls his artificial heart. He passed out through lack of oxygen because the Computer hadn't altered his heart to compensate for this when the Guardian started meddling with Alpha, I recall from the novel. Indeed, Victor's artifical heart and the effects of having one could be a whole debate in itself...

Either way, Victor is behaving a bit out of character.

Shades of Rover, the weather balloon with attitude, when we see the spheres up close for the first time. Pete, Ed and Kano are well Moonified, and with that Eagle "just hanging there", something weird is going on.

Cue the Guardian's servant and what does Koenig use for his aftershave? This gorgeous lass wearing a very fetching costume (which etched itself into my memory very quickly) walks up to him and kisses him. Just like that. Then they're walking arm in arm, and then she offers him happiness. I must be doing something wrong...

When Koenig gets back to the Eagle, Carter also has that Moonified look about him. Reminds me a little of Invasion Of The Body Snatchers, especially when Koenig continues his struggle against the changes everyone else is going through. Somehow the Guardian has spread its influence throughout all of Alpha.

I've got to wonder about Bob Mathias, happily drinking the medicine he offers to Koenig... The command conference he runs into is a nice comic touch. Commlock spelt such on the comm screen in Koenig's quarters. Lab module Eagle seen on launchpad (first time in the series?). As Koenig walks around the empty Main Mission, it shows just how good Maurizio's Quake level is. I want a moving desk just like Kano.

Computer has relocated to Piri - does this mean that virtually all of it can be moved from Alpha to the chosen Planet? That would mean that a complete Op Exodus would have to move all power generators, solar batteries and everything...

The Servant appears again, and that dress is wonderful! And it's all silly grins on the planet below. Koenig punches out a monitor. He didn't do it properly - if he had then it wouldn't have hurt. I know he wanted to hurt himself, but if you do it properly there's not too much to worry about (apart from the reactions of everyone else in the computer room with you!).

There are a few good impressions of people who are stoned down on that planet. Hmm... at this point I should say that I have punched out a couple of VDUs in my time, but I haven't touched illicit drugs.

Now Koenig's trying to shock Helena out of her daze. If that's the same kit used to plug Kano into the computer, I wouldn't expect it to bring her round. Maybe he knows something we don't...

Is Koenig left or right handed - it's no mean feat to be as good a shot with one hand as well as the other, though I suppose it's easier with a gun that doesn't have a kick. Either way, it's usual Koenig stuff and kill the baddie. Everyone rushes back to the Eagles, and there's enough room for everyone. And there's Gareth Hunt putting on an accent as well.

I recall posting something about that when this story was run on Bravo - the teletext feature on this story said something about him being cast in a role, but losing it when he had a row with the director. Anyone shed any further light on this?

Their destroying the Guradian turned out to be a good thing, but they only found this after they had returned to the Moon. They weren't to know the consequences of their actions.

I find that throughout this schedule, I'm almost constantly reviewing my favourite episodes. Force Of Life comes next, and whilst it isn't my all time favourite, the bit where Alan shoots Zoref and recharges him (I did expect the recharging bit) chilled me visibly when the charred remains of Zoref got up and openedits eyes. More on that soon.

Brian Dowling - Birmingham, England
Online Alphan #144



From:  David Welle (dwelle@online.dct44.com)
Date:  Sun, 25 Jan 1998 16:43:58
Subj:  Re: Space1999: Guardian of Piri

Okay, I can't resist one more response about Piri...

At 11:23 AM 01/25/98 -0500, Ellen C. Lindow wrote:

There was a complete dearth of material about why _only_ Koenig was so resistand to Piri. Even after Victor succumbed and David disappeared, Helena was still on Koenig's side, but by the time Koenig returned from the planet, she was fully in the Guardian's control.

True. I guess having seen the series a couple times over now, I've become fairly well convinced of the commander's will and stubborness (though it's certainly not infallable, and can be its own trap, as in "Seed of Destruction"). Ellen has a point, though.

I think there are possible explanations, though I might be stretching it.

One curious thing with Helena is her statement earlier of how she was "converted" in regards to Kano's direct fiber link -- and one success against three or four terrible failures isn't that good. So maybe she converts from doubt to belief just a little too easily.

Victor is fairly open-minded. This is something that can be beneficial otherwise, but perhaps is one "in" to his mind here. Also, he was medically waylaid, and we did hear that the Guardian got into his dreams during that time. A moment of vulnerability.

David was attacked directly through the mind-computer link -- the computer was already (being?) taken over. Seeing as how he's so accepting of what the computer says, in general, may have left him more vulnerable to its influence. Remember the smile? First, there was pain, but then he started smiling; was it just because he got in sync with the computer, or because the Guardian was already influencing him? Sure, he was suspicious this time, but unlike Koenig who's always suspicious, Kano's suspicions of computer were only very recent and superficial.

(Why'd he disappear, though? That was curious. Sure, the Servant shows the ability, but why did an Alphan vanish? Maybe, he'd give too much away while linked, even (or especially?) if he was put under its influence.)

John left Alan behind in the Eagle, and he likely did very little, just lounging around -- not very distant for what the Guardian does to people, so he was left vulnerable then.

Beyond the command staff and several others, most Alphans likely didn't know much about the problems, and could easily be taken by unawares by the Guardian's influence.

John had a moment of vulnerability later, when left alone on Alpha, and was slipping into apathy himself. The Servant reappeared; the Guardian probably figured Koenig was most vulnerable -- and he probably was -- except the Servant only proceeded to remind him of why he was fighting, reenergizing him again.

Then again, I might be "stretching" possibilities too far with these ideas, however.

What you mentioned about the book drawing connections between Zenno and Piri is interesting too. I think Koenig was already good at picking reality from falsity, but what you mentioned about Zenno certainly could have improved his perception. Did the novelization mention anything about how long he was on Zenno?

Ellen also mentioned:

Somehow I've always associated the "Peace of Piri" with entropy.

Good comparison, one I hadn't considered before. The Guardian remains, however, so that's a form of persistent order, but the order it enforces on life forms amounts to rapid entropy. Life forms are usually the objects increasing order within themselves, while adding a touch more entropy outside of them -- which maintains the overall average increase of entropy). The Guardian has not only outdone life in terms of maintaining order, but increased entropy within the life forms it "Guards." The Guardian has advanced its immediate "universe" (its sphere of influence, I always figured it meant) to a taste of what the universe as a whole might look like in a few tens of billions of years.

Okay, I'm done with Piri, I think. :-)

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