From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 18:29:26 -0500 Subj: Space1999: Brian the Brain
For you who haven't seen this episode in a while, I've entered some notes (by no means complete) from this episode.
How shall we discuss this episode? Will there be the usual "it sucks routine" or can we ignore the crap and focus on what we can glean from it in the here and now. The comparisons to the Infernal Machine are obvious, and don't really require attention.
Anyway, with that I'm looking forward to what you all write about Brian.
Chris
Space: 1999; Series 2; Episode 9; Brian the Brain.
Written by Jack Ronder Directed by Kevin ConnorNotes of episode dialogue:
Our computer is fully engaged and some of our non-scientific personnel and some of our non-scientific personnel are enjoying some time off.
Maya, what's pulling us?
Yasko, find something on the screen.
Cancel review (memory tracks)Could be a black dwarf?
Collison course with a black dwarf.
Prepare to evacuate.
Evacuate.Focus and magnify.
Intercept.Brian:
Is that or is that not the dear old mooney moon moon.
Can I come down and have lunch with you?Targetting incoming vessel, an old Swift from Earth.
No sign of anyone sir.
Okay fellows, heavily armed, I see.
What's your name?
Oh lady, what a question. I haven't got a name.
(what happened to your crew) They just died.Brian:
Ah, don't step on my antennae. Gives me the heebie jeebies.
Peekaboo. Will you take a look at that trolly...yellow wheels.Being a doctor, maybe you could throw some light on the death of my crew, not to mention my captain.
What do you make of that?
What do you mean by alive?
That sure made my day.Maya:
Tony, I've got a bad feeling about that machine.Open a channel.
We've been cut off.
Where are they?
No wait, this is where we're going.
Planet D.
Sit down or I'll spit you out.
Put your gun on the shelf, near the airlock panel.You blinded them?
They can't communicate.
We'll go after them with a whole squadron of EaglesBrian:
You know what those crew are showing? Loyalty.
Watch me while I damage them.We're being looked after. We're safe.
Acknowledge command.Brian:
You know Koenig, what you've shown is leadership.Tony:
I want to be on Planet D waiting when that thing gets here.Brian
I'm offering you all the time in the world.
Don't you love each other.
Get into the airlock.
There's just something I've got to know about you two.
Do you see the black one (button).
You can't communicate with one another. No way folks. You're running out of time folks.
Wowie. Simultaneous.
You can have all your air back.
You know, having you two hostage gives me an 18k crunch on the other.
What are you after?
I want you to get aborad the mother ship and get me enough fuel to live forever.Now that's better.
Visual communication is not too good on planet D.My master Captain Michael made me.
He taught me to speak and other things.
The mothership is blind.
That's why Catain Michael was left alone with no means of life support.How do we get at its mind?
By breaking it.
How do we get you on board?
I could fit in your pocket.That Koenig is taking his time.
Is this Koenig reliable?Have you got it all?
You got it. That's beautiful.
C'mon. C'mon.
My father.
Quit fooling Koenig.
Gently. Carefully.
Oh boy, do I feel good. That fuel.
I'm free. Free to live forever.Stand by for take-off.
What's that?
A mouse. There are no mice on Planet D.
He's got a message from Captain Michael.
What message?
Revenge.
I did not kill Captain Michael.
You killed your father.
He was working on an advanced brain.
He told me "Brain, Brain, I want to talk to you.
Out you go.Come along side and pick us up.
Take my memory.
Take everything.
Take it all.Reprogramming of memory core complete.
I was looking forward to talking about that love test.
It's a test we failed.
I thought we passed it.
Chris Hlady
From: LKJ1999@aol4tag.com Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 19:20:29 EDT Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Well chris, you could have used Your notes for trivia questions! I bet i can get e'm all RIGHT!!!
Chas P.
From: Paul Apprich (psapp@terra.cnct4tag.com) Date: Sun, 9 Aug 1998 23:57:21 -0400 (EDT) Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Here's some stuff I remember about the episode:
Brian on MBA Command Centre:Brian: Ferranti Mark Ten Holographic Programming--Hey, We're Compatible! (trouble from the get-go, I tell you!)
Approacing the Swift:
How can anyone forget this line (horn section blasting that familiar motif)?
Koenig: Any abnormal gravity from that spaceship?pilot: No sir, gravity is normal.
Swift in flight:
Brian: You know something Koening, I can't let one out without the other. If you go out, she goes.
Swift on the planet:
Helena: Fuel? You have enough fuel here.
Brian: Enough?
Koenig: Enough for a thousand years...
Brian: What's a thousand years to me? There's enough fuel on that mother ship to last me a billion years. I wanna live forever. And it's ok, I'll keep the lady safe for you. I know how you feel. So nooOOO MONKey tricks or You'll KnOW WHAT YOU'LL fINd WHEN you come BA-ACK! (turn on halogen headlight w/ nasty techno-buzz)
((Helena gets all bent out of shape here, screaming as she gets beamed))
Koenig: TURN IT OFF, NOW TURN OFF THAT LIGHT! (like a true air raid warden)
((light goes off with a loud click))
Brian: That's better...
((wa-wa-WAH WAhhh Wuhhhh Wuuuuhhhhh goes the tuba on the soundtrack leading to a moogy bridge and then the *KOOL* vocalise part, where Koening steps onthe the planet surface, then is looking at the result of Brian's 'self-preservation' scattered across the surface.))
Note the mention of 'core' as in RAM. DATED! :)
Back on MBA:Koenig: Give it the Ten Commandments.
Tony: Program it to self-destruct if it harbours any evil thoughts again.
I see stuff for a third season: droid on the base plus some needed long-range spacecraft (four swifts and a mothership). We'd have to call it
COSMIC SALVAGE YARD : 1999
I haven't seen that episode in almost thirteen years, so I may be rusty on the dialogue.
PA -
From: Brian Dowling (brian@hellion.prestel4tag.co.uk) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 07:27:30 +0100 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
*Gets knives out and sharpens them, grinning evilly.* This is one turkey I'm really going to enjoy carving! *twitch*
From: Mark Meskin (plastic.gravity@new44rock.com) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 18:09:48 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
How shall we discuss this episode? Will there be the usual "it sucks routine" or can we ignore the crap and focus on what we can glean from it in the here and now.
I have to take issue with this Comment, Chris. I don't recall anyone posting "It sucks..move on". Are we under obligation to like these episodes? If we don't have only nicey fawning comments shall we just sit quietly? I post my comments honestly, not as a support group for year 2 enthusiasts. I myself have voiced on several occasions there are many things I like about year 2...but those are the parts..not the whole. Year 2 is definately not the sum of its parts. I think the discussion is progressing nicely. As Petter pointed out, we are getting more discussion than any of us ever expected for the Year 2 episodes...sometimes more than some Year 1 episodes. State your opinions and stand your ground. If you think Year 2 is swell, that's great.....now *show* us why you like it, instead chastising us for not seeing those things you do!
Incidetally, Zoltan's screensaver always reminds my of this episode! No one at work has been able to figure out what its doing when the screensaver is running :-)
Mark
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 21:05:55 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Mark, factoring you into the dialogue gives me a headache. And I will stand my ground on that comment. To be fair, I'll also apologize, pre-accusation, for giving anyone on this list a headache.
That said, I do like some sober thoughts about Brian the Brian.
That's it for now. But beware, I have 50 megs of ammunition ready to retaliate towards any silly or obnoxious pot-shots.
Go ahead. Make my day.
Chris
From: Mark Meskin (plastic.gravity@new44rock.com) Date: Mon, 10 Aug 1998 22:20:24 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Mark, factoring you into the dialogue gives me a headache. And I will stand my ground on that comment.
If you wish to trade potshots, that is your business.
To be fair, I'll also apologize, pre-accusation, for giving anyone on this list a headache.
???
I picked up this episode a few years ago, before getting the entire set a year and a half ago. It was on the same tape as Rules of Cabbage..er Luton. Real fine combination.
Starting at the beginning of this episode I have problems with the hokey computer memory "rewind", what the hell are they trying at here? The being pulled of course bit is weary also, because A) the moon is a runaway, and therefore has NO course. if they had said "current trajectory" I'd have bought off on it. B)This brings me to a favorite bitch of mine...the writers on both Series have big trouble with Astronomical Terminology and the physical realities of the Universe. The big problems they have with terms like star system, galaxy, universe, gravity pull, and so on. It would be like being a writer on a medical drama and having no grasp of what a syringe is, or what the bones in the body are. Awful technical editing of the script.
Moving on......Brian is an ugly little spud isn't he? I can't get too much excited about this episode other than the Swift itself..which further establishes the visual distinctiveness of all of the earth tech vessels...the Eagle, the Hawk, Metaprobe, Ultra Probe, and now the Swift. Nice work. Nice visuals throughout this whole episode actually. The set for the Planet D landscape is surreal, and very convincing. Nice work with camera makes Koenig look like he's bounding along on a Mars type world(albiet with a much thicker atmosphere) in reduced gravity. I wish they would have showed the mother ship, although I think I would have been dissapointed. Not that the model work would have been bad, but the whole idea that in the 1999 universe the ILC would be able to justify sending 6 swifts(very expensive craft by themselves)along with a special mother ship thousands of lightyears to explore a remote star system. And at the same time, the Planets of our own system are not fully explored and trips to them take weeks at least. Now all of sudden we find out that ILC have been holding out on us, and have some sort of faster than light star drive? Phoooeey! More of the trekking of Space:1999 that is turning them into star hopping Spacemen. Lets get real, for 1996, this is WAY too advanced.
I think a more plausible way to get people from earth( or wacked out robots for that matter) would be to make them from a mission that left AFTER, much later in fact(given the time dialation)the moon was blown out of earth orbit. Opens up a lot of new possiblities, doesn't it?
THe ending with Maya driving the Brain insane was OK, and Tony seems a little brighter than normal in this episode.
The desire of Brian to live forever.
This is standard fare in SciFi plotlines.
The spoiled child is always an interesting subject, whether it be "forever kids" or "brian, my idiot brother." Brian's little games about satisfying his curiousity also reflect this spoiled, insecure aspect of the human personality. Again, his motive for killing Captain Michael - to prevent a newer better model from replacing him - reinforce the adolescent, immature mind-frame.
Sounds a lot like Lore and Data, doesn't it?
Maya and Tony meeting Koenig on Michael's ship. It was very nicely done. The characters of Maya and Tony were shown as dutiful, suspicious, and responsible - everything Brian wasn't.
Yeah...nice touch, for once Tony is ahead of the ball and has earned his pay for the week.
Mark
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 12:14:33 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
If you wish to trade potshots, that is your business.
Mark, what does that have to do with my comment? Preparation for combat, while distracting and costly, does help to ease potential problems.
To be fair, I'll also apologize, pre-accusation, for giving anyone on this list a headache.
Some people aren't as considerate;-)
[....]
Good comments. Particularly of Planet D, and the Swift, and the world of 1996. I agree regarding the time dialation. Continuity was not given much consideration in the series, but it is just a TV series, not a scientific treatise.
Sounds a lot like Lore and Data, doesn't it?
Hmm. The subject of Lore and Data could cover an encyclopedia. Did they consciously echo this theme? I mean, the story goes back to Cain and Abel. It's filled with jealousy and selfishness.
Comparisons of Brian to Cain could be interesting. The madness of isolation and regret, etc.
Yeah...nice touch, for once Tony is ahead of the ball and has earned his pay for the week.
Thanks Mark, for the positive comments. Let's build on this.
Chris
From: MCK067@aol4tag.com Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 11:04:46 EDT Subj: Space1999: Brian the Brain
I think Brian the Brain is just another example of the "Freiberger-ization" of Y2. Cute, lightweight, full of jokes, a couple of tense scenes, a little romance, and that's about it. An enjoyable romp. I liked the banter between Koenig and Russell in the opening and closing scenes, and the "love test" was fairly tense moment. This episode also does an excellent job of show-casing the interaction between Koenig and Russell. Their relationship seems very natural and relaxed (Koenig seems downright cheerful for a guy who's not gettin' any for over a month) ;) The planet was well-done, the fog made for a creepy atmosphere, and watching it the first time as I kid I recall getting the shivers watching Koenig come upon the dead bodies.
This episode is also classic Yasko -- I just about lose it every time I see that scene where Brian starts joking with the Command Center staff, and then we cut to Yasko laughing. The woman gets 1/2 second of screen time to show her stuff, and she can't even emote a decent giggle. I love the way she puts her hand up to her mouth like she's about to spit out her dentures. Priceless...
A few nitpicks: How does Maya know what Captain Michael sounded like? And the souped-up cardboard box on wheels that they passed off as the robot. Hello? Can you say, "budget slashing?" Did somebody on the set have a washing machine delivered that week, and decided to make use of the box? Kind of hard to feel menaced by a talking Maytatg. The voice-over was cute, but the construction of this thing was so lame it made that sparkly green Kreno tinsel critter look good.
The episode, IMHO, is an hour of sci-fi fluff, entertaining and watchable, but not too deep. I suppose there's a precedent here for twisted, power-mad, kidnapping machinery -- Gwent. I don't want to get into a Brian/Gwent comparison (mainly because I haven't seen the Infernal Machine since it originally aired, and the details of it are fuzzy at best). But I recall feeling sorry for it -- a lonely presence, maniacal and power-hungry but with deeply unmet needs for companionship and understanding. There was a bit of that in Brian, but unlike the flawed yet ultimately pathetic Gwent, I felt no sympathy at the end. There was so much of the "cute robot" that whatever philosophy was supposed to be conveyed got lost in the shuffle. I was glad to see the little smart-a** get his comeuppance...
...Just my 99 cents...
MCK
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 12:15:19 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
I think Brian the Brain is just another example of the "Freiberger-ization" of Y2. Cute, lightweight, full of jokes, a couple of tense scenes, a little romance, and that's about it. An enjoyable romp.
Brian was a bit of a sadist.
I liked the banter between Koenig and Russell in the opening and closing scenes, and the "love test" was fairly tense moment.
Put feuding couples into a can't win situation, and they'll chose death every time.;-)
The planet was well-done, the fog made for a creepy atmosphere, and watching it the first time as I kid I recall getting the shivers watching Koenig come upon the dead bodies.
Yeah, I felt that way about Dragon's Domain.
This episode is also classic Yasko -- I just about lose it every time I see that scene where Brian starts joking with the Command Center staff, and then we cut to Yasko laughing. The woman gets 1/2 second of screen time to show her stuff, and she can't even emote a decent giggle.
I think Yasko and the other lady were there to give Sonia a break, in episodes that didn't need someone who could act.
the construction of this thing was so lame it made that sparkly green Kreno tinsel critter look good.
Yeah, I know, but YELLOW WHEELS! Whooeee.;-)
Re: Gwent & Brian: you hit it square on. I think the idea of having a robot in the episode was its primary reason for being. Developing the character of a robot is by no means a simple exercise. With Gwent, at least he had the companions personality to draw on. I wonder what the programming of Brian's algorithms would be like? Who programmed the humour (prizes for the best answer) of Brian?
Chris
From: "Simon Morris" (simes01@global44net.co.uk) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 18:28:09 +0100 Subj: Space1999: Brian The Brain
G'day all
If I had to sum up "Brian The Brain",I'd say it was an unremarkable lightweight adventure story...and little else. To be frank,I had more fun watching "Rules of Luton"! That said,this story - like all Y2 stories - is never a complete waste of time. There are three instances in the script of incredibly dumb dialogue which are some of the worst in the series,an amusing but eventually irritating robot,and some terrible acting(eg Yasko and her toothy grin,and that awful blonde extra who gives Brian a pat in Command Center).
A painful start is made by Helena and Koenig in the opening minutes, as per the lines she says to him:
"Well,maybe the computer'll pick out some memories of us together....then we can,um,learn from the past"
-And Koenig's witless reply: " I'd rather get back to the present!" Good Grief.....
Bernard Cribbins has always been one of the most well known tv artistes in England. He has also been in feature films and radio,and variety/light entertainment revues. His persona is best described as "light comedy". His vocalisation of Brian I personally thought was quite successful though it began to grate on my nerves after a while. I don't think Cribbins is a name that I would think of for the role of "King Lear",but he was right for this particular show! As Brian,he was initially amusing whilst later becoming quite effectively menacing in the segments of the episode set aboard the Swift. I don't go along with the thought that he looks like a washing machine......well,I *sort*of do,except that I thought it was still quite effective.I also likes the way he was designed to meld into the surrounding panels and equipment in the Swift pilot section. I'm not sure what constitutes an original robot design...with Brian I think they were after a vaguely boxy shape which would enhance Brian's charm(at least in the beginning). I'm not sure the Alphans initial reaction to him would have been the same if he had looked like Gort from "The Day the Earth Stood Still"(or whatever is was). Maya's reaction to the Brain was interesting in that when he briefly "bleeped" the Alpha computer you could *see* just by looking at her face that she knew something was wrong,without her telling Verdeschi that she "Had a bad feeling" about it...
But maybe she actually meant that she had a bad feeling about the SCRIPT, witness this crappy line spoken by Verdeschi to Maya: "You know what your problem is? Your brain works like a computer so you're jealous of that other computer..." Phew,with penetrating analysis like that I can understand why the Alpha selection boards decided Verdeschi would be better in Security than in Psychology.....:-)
I think the "Love Test" devised by Brian was suitably devious and quite menacing,and to be fair I suppose the juxtaposition of this evil side of him against his initially humourous(if irritating)persona was quite well done.
Not much else to say about the episode. The scenes aboard the Swift were quite well done though a little boring(as were the scenes on Planet D). Maya saves the day by transforming into Captain Michael. I'd liked to have seen them get out of the situation without relying on her abilities for a change. The episode ends with possibly the worst Y2 dialogue(at least for me) from Tony:
"Hey Maya:now our computer has the Brain's memory you'd better not transform yourself into a yellow wheeled trolley or this console will get up and chase you...!" Absolutely appalling.
Jack Ronder wrote other tv series(such as for the Terry Nation-conceived BBC series "Survivors")and he certainly was not new to television writing. I have always liked the basic idea behind "Brian The Brain" but think that some of the dialogue is the worst I have ever heard. Pity about that.......
Simon Morris
From: MCK067@aol4tag.com Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 14:48:37 EDT Subj: Space1999: Brian the Brain, one mo' time...
Brian was a bit of a sadist.
Apparently so was Freiberger ;)
Put feuding couples into a can't win situation, and they'll chose death every time.;-)
Landau and Bain should have thought about that before they signed up for "The Harlem Globetrotters on Gilligan's Island!"
Yeah, I felt that way about Dragon's Domain.
Oh, no doubt! That entire episode gave me the heebie jeebies
I think Yasko and the other lady were there to give Sonia a break, in episodes that didn't need someone who could act.
Actually I thought the woman who played Alibe did a passable job...but that Yasko! Somebody put her out of her misery...
Re: Gwent & Brian: you hit it square on. I think the idea of having a robot in the episode was its primary reason for being.
I can see Freiberger rubbing his well-manicured hands together, saying, "Hmmmm....let's have a robot. Not just any robot, a talking robot! Only we can't spend alot of money, so somebody run down to Handy Andy and get us a cardboard box and a can of yellow spraypaint..."
Who programmed the humour (prizes for the best answer) of Brian?
My vote goes to those wacky folks who came up with that timeless TV classic, "Pink Lady & Jeff"
From: Paul Apprich (psapp@terra.cnct4tag.com) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 17:18:09 -0400 (EDT) Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Who programmed the humour (prizes for the best answer) of Brian?
From the dialogue we are told that he was not programmed to cry, however, we learn differently when Brian is ejected from the Swift. There were some still shots of Capt. Michael that Brian had shown Koenig and Helena, some having humourous facials.
PA
From: Paul Apprich (psapp@terra.cnct4tag.com) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 17:56:54 -0400 (EDT) Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
On Tue, 11 Aug 1998, Atomic Possum wrote:
Yes, but Maya had already told us that Brian was a 'self-programming' computer, so I imgaine he had programmed himself.....
"self-monitoring, too."
PA
From: Paul Apprich (psapp@terra.cnct4tag.com) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 17:52:25 -0400 (EDT) Subj: Space1999: Brian the Brain
I have a problem with the Planet D set. If this planet has 'no more mass the we have' as Maya commenting on the moon, How could it have supported a DENSE atmosphere with such small mass? Some may cite Titan in our own solar system which approximates th moon's mass. However, by the fact that the dead crew on the surface were not wearing winter gear presupposes the fact that the air there was a LOT warmer than the -190 centigrade mean surface temperature of Titan. Titan is about 860 million miles from our sun (it orbits Saturn). We know that something with the moon's mass at a distance from a star to warm its surface to terrestrial norms cannot hold an atmosphere.
Perhaps a mixture of carbon dioxide, nitrogen/oxygen and xenon could hold onto the surface if it were cold enough. I can deal with the moon being blasted from Earth orbit (dramatic necessity); I can deal with the 'technology' of the spacecraft (it could be used in a sequel series). However, the the physics of planet D 'went out of its way' to stick in my craw as I had thought about it. However, 'going in circles round each other' is what could have happened between two bodies of equal mass. That was a redeeming point.
The robot was cute I confess. I owe that to the Cribbins dubbing more than anything else. I thought the extrapolation of technology (Ferranti Mark Ten) was astute. Other than that, it was the 'crazy hijacking slot machine' that the Eagle pilot said it was. Perhaps it would be fitting to drag it out for a sequel, however, I don't think that Bernie Cribbins is still with us to do it.
PA
From: "Simon Morris" (simes01@global44net.co.uk) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 22:55:47 +0100 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
I just replayed my ITC Video Tape of bit of the episode where Brian talks about the computer and he calls is a Mark 10 Holographic or something. Where did this reference to Ferranti come from? I recall seeing it in an earlier post from somebody but as far as I can tell there is no such reference in the episode.
Also,Bernard Cribbins ain't dead(though he probably wishes he was when he sees this episode :-).He's 70 this year. And Michael Sharvill Martin was the chap inside the robot. He used to appear in supporting/walk on roles in BBC Light Entertainment shows in the seventies and early eighties. Cribbins did the voice and also played Captain Michael.
Simon
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 18:11:43 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Simon.
Awesome post. That Cribbins was Cpt. Michael and the voice of Brian is news to me. Thanks. If true, and if MSM was inside the robot, that answers a few questions I had concerning the episode. Excellent. I'm curious what other work Cribbins has done?
Chris
From: Paul Apprich (psapp@terra.cnct.com) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 22:37:29 -0400 (EDT) Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
the computer and he calls is a Mark 10 Holographic or something. Where did this reference to Ferranti come from? I recall seeing it in an earlier post from somebody but as far as I can tell there is no such reference in the episode.
Brian: Ferranti Mark Ten Holographic programming--Hey, We're Compatible!
Check an uncut video for this. Perhaps I mad a false insertion concerning Ferranti. I remember something about Ferranti Mark Five being an actual machine.
PA
From: "Simon Morris" (simes01@global44net.co.uk) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 11:58:57 +0100 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Actually Paul it was me that posed the above,and indeed you're right as to most of what Brian says,but he *doesnt* say "Ferranti". I have seen this episode in 3 different versions and never heard Ferranti mentioned!
Best Wishes
Simon Morris
From: Paul Apprich (psapp@terra.cnct4tag.com) Date: Tue, 11 Aug 1998 17:58:42 -0400 (EDT) Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
On Tue, 11 Aug 1998, Atomic Possum wrote:
BRIAN THE BRAIN. Oy.The voice--Bernard Cribbins is (was?) a good performer, but he generally
Was it Michael SHavell Martin?
PA
From: Simon Morris (simes01@global44net.co.uk) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 12:27:29 +0100 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
Awesome post. That Cribbins was Cpt. Michael and the voice of Brian is news to me. Thanks. If true, and if MSM was inside the robot, that answers a few questions I had concerning the episode. Excellent. I'm curious what other work Cribbins has done?
Well yes indeed Chris. Not only did Cribbins provide the voice for Brian,but he also played Capt Michael,while Michael Sharvill-Martin was the chap inside the robot. I don't think the average Englishman would know MSM is they fell over him(though they'd probably seen him in the background on a lot of shows)whereas there aren't many who don't know Cribbins! He's been in loads of feature films(mainly British ones in the sixties and seventies): DUNKIRK,THE WORLD OF SOZIE WONG,CARRY ON SPYING,DALEKS-INVASION EARTH:2150AD,CASINO ROYALE,THE RAILWAY CHILDREN,SHE,etc.
On tv,he had his own series "Cribbins",and played dozens of different roles in series like FAWLTY TOWERS(a BBC Comedy Classic),THE AVENGERS, SHILLINGBURY TALES(as Cuffy the Tinker,and also in the spin-off show CUFFY). He also did a number of performances on THE GOOD OLD DAYS,a BBC old fashioned music hall review(extremely popular and long running,but only proving to me that if Variety is dead,its because it deserves to be...:-)
Cribbins voice was as well known as his face. He narrated the childrens series THE WOMBLES,read stories for children in the long-running BBC show JACKANORY,did voice-overs for commercials,and in particular was the voice of Buzby,the chatty bird which for a long time was the face of British Telecom on its tv adverts.
Personally I enjoyed Cribbins contribution to BRIAN THE BRAIN....
Simon
From: "Jeff Doyle" (jdoyle@computer44land.net) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 11:23:46 -0700 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
I have a problem with the Planet D set. If this planet has 'no more mass the we have' as Maya commenting on the moon, How could it have supported a DENSE atmosphere with such small mass? Some may cite Titan in
I too noticed this anomaly, and have come up with several ad hoc/end runs around this contingency. 1. Planet D could have very active vulcanism which would continually replenish the atmosphere. Also the large amounts of Co2 released would encourage a green house effect. 2. The landing site was at the equator, and at extremely low elevation. 3. The star that Planet D circles could go through great variation in light/heat output - as indeed most stars do (Sol is unusual in it's stability). Hence the landings could have been during the star's up cycle of output - before much of the atmosphere was striped away. It could be normal for Planet D to go through a period of warmth and still dense atmosphere, during the steller "up" cycle.
The worst flaw, to me, was the crews unnecessary demise. If the atmosphere was instantly deadly - then not all would have died, since they would have seen their friends drop going out the hatch. If the atmosphere were slowly fatal, then they would have felt awfull and at least somebody would have thought to return to the ship. Of course Brian could have locked the doors on them, but then they would (or should) have died trying to get back in, and so, would be piled up near the airlocks, rather than scattered around. Also, wouldn't it make sense to investigate the planet in teams, rather than all of them just rushing out at once. The only solution I can come up with (and it's a poor one, at that) is for the atmosphere to have euphoric qualities that makes them refuse to try to get back on the ship.
From: South Central (Tamazunchale@web44tv.net) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 11:48:18 -0700 (PDT) Subj: Space1999: Planet name in BtB
And what about that planet name? SOMEBODY's imagination was running on an fumes that day. PLANET D. Give me a break. What happened to Piri, Ultima Thule, Ultra, etc.
Planet D for...
Mateo
From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 09:46:10 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: Planet name in BtB
Very strange, I agree. Personally I have been wondering if also the Swifts had something to do with GULLIVER'S TRAVELS by Jonathan Swift, but although there were four Swifts and four travels I can't find all that many other possible references in this episode to support this, although Gulliver's third travel where he meets the mathematicians is perhaps a sort of technology and science critisism similar to the basic concept of BRAIN THE BRAIN.
More likely perhaps the name "Swift" was adopted as a nice name for a space ship used for rapid long distance travelling.
Concerning the name "D", I have no idea what Ronder might have had in mind when he chose this. If he had called it planet "P" it would perhaps have supported the suggestion put forward by someone on this list that BRIAN THE BRAIN was a first draft script, but "D" seems rather mysterious by me.
Petter
From: djlerda@juno4tag.com Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 13:31:23 EDT Subj: Space1999: Planet name
How's this for an explanation for the name of Planet D: it's the fourth planet in orbit about its sun. I think the origininal Star Trek did this in a couple of episodes. They didn't actually name the planet but called it something like "planet 4, solar system 842."
David J Lerda
From: Atomic Possum (atomicpossum@toast4tag.net) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 11:32:18 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Planet name in BtB
Very strange, I agree. Personally I have been wondering if also the Swifts had something to do with GULLIVER'S TRAVELS by Jonathan Swift,
Petter, once again you look so deeply into a puddle that you look past the bottom.
More likely perhaps the name "Swift" was adopted as a nice name for a space ship used for rapid long distance travelling.
A swift is a bird. The Eagle is a bird. The Hawk is a bird. The spaceship classes in 1999 tend to be named after birds. Understand?
'D.' The fourth planet in the system, perhaps? Such as referring to Earth as 'Sol C?' 'D' may be bland, but if you were doing a survey, the first thing you would do is refer to the planet by a number (or in this case, letter). Remember, they didn't have any time on the planet to find out what it was like, much less come up with a meaningful name. What should they have called it--'Roger?'
Jon "Mr. Wonderful" Stadter
From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 09:25:08 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: Planet name in BtB
I like the survey as an interpretation. By looking at it from this perspective 'D' does not seem to be an allegory about Earth as was the theme with the Earth-like planet Retha in FULL CIRCLE, it would better correspond to Mars.
Wasn't the Viking 1 sending pictures of Mars in 1976? Perhaps Mars was the inspiration Ronder drew from when writing this tale, thinking of the red planet, unable to support life and being explored by machines, as a metaphore for the dangers of a technological world going out of control?
One nice thing about Brian, I think, is that much like Taybor he is not described as a vicious creature. In the same manner as Taybor might perhaps be seen as of symbolising alienantion due to the materialistic philosophy underpinning our economical system, Brian could then perhaps be seen as a simliar omenous symbol of technology becoming autonomous and hence a potential or even actual danger to our world, the technocrat's dream of paradise turning into a nightmare so to say. On the other hand, of course, the survival of mankind is based on science and technology and Alpha adopting Brian in the end seem like a reasonable ending, I feel.
The focus on the dangers of technology is fairly outspoken, I think, far more in episodes like THE INFERNAL MACHINE which turns out to be about something quite differently by the end. In fact, the more focus on Brian as a comical character then more potentially dangerous he seems. In this aspect I feel the episode is somewhat related to THE BRINGERS OF WONDER where we have a short but brilliant moment of confusion as an astronaut believes he is adjusting his hi-fi while he is actually preparing to blow up the nuclear waste deposit. Magnificent scene, by the way, the highlight of BRINGERS OF WONDER PART 2 as I see it.
BRIAN THE BRAIN is not a bad episode in Year Two terms, I think, personally finding this more satisfying in the same manner as THE TAYBOR. Under any circumstances I find it significantly more entertaining than THE RULES OF LUTON and THE MARK OF ARCHANON which I consider the low points so far.
Come to think of it, there could of cause have been elements of Freud in THE MARK OF ARCHANON which would have given it more meaning if we examined in more closely, but for the moment I'm more go for NEW ADAM/NEW EVE than going back to re-examine this. Perhaps it will come more in focus when we study some of the other more psychologically oriented episodes such as DEVIL'S PLANET.
Petter
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 21:39:29 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Planet name in BtB
Hi Petter,
I like your "Swift" comparison. Considering the "misanthropic" tone of Swift's character Gulliver, Brian is an interesting point of contention. There's a term paper here for someone.;-)
Chris
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Fri, 14 Aug 1998 21:47:18 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Planet name in BtB
Hey Jon...Mr. Wonderful if I may:
Ease up on Petter. He makes good points. Besides, Y2 is not something that can bear the scrutiny of its surface. It's the "undering" that matters.
Chris
From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Mon, 17 Aug 1998 10:17:45 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: Planet name in BtB
Hi Chris,
Thanks for commenting on the Jonathan Swift idea. Whether there might have been some intended link to Gulliver or not in SPACE:1999, I think the early 18th century scepticism against mechanisation of the world parallell with the termendous development in engineering and industrial mathematics mirrors our time to a certain extent.
I like your "Swift" comparison. Considering the "misanthropic" tone of Swift's character Gulliver, Brian is an interesting point of contention.
I caught Kenneth Branagh's FRANKENSTEIN (1996) on TV last night, a revolting film in many ways I think, but, nevertheless, the 1817 novel still manages to say a few things about the reductionists view of sciences and how "the road to hell is paved with the best intentions" as Johnny Byrne put it.
Although BRIAN THE BRAIN seem to focus on light comedy, the ideas and consequences put forward by Ronder seem firmly put in the technology critisism of Swift, Defoe, Voltaire etc. as I see it, although on a lesser scale perhaps.
Ease up on Petter. He makes good points. Besides, Y2 is not something that can bear the scrutiny of its surface. It's the "undering" that matters.
Thanks Chris.
By the way, although I don't get the impression that Jon is very keen on looking for any deeper meaning in episodes like BRIAN THE BRAIN, some of his ideas seem on the other hand to spark off ideas from the rest of us. I like Jon actually. Nice guy.
Petter
From: jcg@vh4tag.net Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 17:32:06 -0400 Subj: Space1999: Brian The Brain
I would think that Koenig would know the swift's mission, or at least have a vague knowledge of it's history, and certainly of it's unknown fate.
Leave Yasko alone.
How does the eagle get to Planet D before the swift, and without swift's scanners seeing them get there?
A viewer's side note: I lived in New Jersey in 1976 and watched the show on WPIX-TV. They cut the show from the very first showings, and for this episode, the simply cut the enitre love test. If you hadn't read the novel, you had no idea what they were talking about in the tag. I didn't see the love test until 1989 on an Albany PBS station. I figured there was about four hours of the show I had never seen if you multiplied five minutes cut by 48 episodes (and I've never checked to see if they were cutting five minutes or even more.)
Brian says he can't go out on the surface of Planet D because of the rough terrain and he's on wheels. How about another reason is he's on wheels and to reach the ground you have to go down a ladder?
People have been commenting that Brian is a cheap put-together costuem/prop. I would remind you out there that's what he is supposed to look like. He wasn't part of the original equipment that was manufactured on Earth for the mission (in which case there would be a record of him in Alpha's data banks,) but rather he states himself that Captain Michael made him...which means it was a bailing wire and spare parts job, since I doubt the mother ship had the same manufacturing facilities that, say, Alpha has.
I too have a problem with the Swift crew simply going outside because the computer is blind, and going so far from the ship with such a poisionous atmosphere, and going out all at once.
Maya, who has a time limit on her held shapes, transforms into a mouse, and then Koenig starts looking for the fuel cell?
Once they put their own morality into Brian (shame Michael didn't read Asimov) they would simply send the ship and functioning robot on it's merry way? Waste of a good ship. For that matter, could they get back to the mother ship and get it going and fly it back to the moon before they were out of range? Maya could always navigate until they got the computer fixed. (The real life answer is that they would not want to add anything to the show that would cause conflicts with any other episodes run in any order.) Also, they refer to swifts (plural.) Where are the other smaller ships? Were they kept on the mother ship, in which case how did such a large ship land on the planet...there's no mention of it crashing (this is still 20th century technology and not 24th century Star Fleet technology), or are we to think we had several ships traveling together... a mother ship and smaller shuttle-like ships?
If the blinded mother ship could not generate life support (so that's how Captain Michael died) then how can our heros be on the ship without their helmets on?
I don't find this episode as light-hearted as people are making it out to be, or as silly. The Tabor has more of those qualities. The fact that Brian is voiced as light hearted and is performed by comedian Bernard Cribbins could be argued as a counterpoint to the danger that is faced, rather than an indictment to it's quality.
From: LKJ1999@aol4tag.com Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 17:37:33 EDT Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian The Brain
I agree! I really like Yasko!!!
Chas P.
From: "Mark Meskin" (plastic.gravity@new44rock.com) Date: Wed, 12 Aug 1998 20:00:25 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian the Brain
I have a problem with the Planet D set.
I like the set for Planet D, its different, convincing, and erie looking. But I think you are refering to more "schlock science" in the script.
If this planet has 'no more mass the we have' as Maya commenting on the moon, How could it have supported a DENSE atmosphere with such small mass? Some may cite Titan in our own solar system which approximates th moon's mass.
A planets mass is irrelevant to the atmosphere, its the gravity(which is a funtion of diameter in relation to its mass) that keeps the atmosphere. For instance, Planet D could be very small and dense, with say 1/2 of the diameter of the moon, but the same relative mass, this would give a surface gravity much higher than the moon. Other factors affect this- temperature, magnetic fields, outgassing, etc....so its not a clear cut formula. Incedentally, Titan is MUCH larger than the moon, but the mass is about the same. Titans density isn't much more than water...its the deep freeze on Titan that keeps it from escaping. Another anomoly is Venus, which has only 0.8 as much mass as the earth, is nearer the sun and MUCH hotter than us, but its atmosphere is a hundred times thicker than our own. The lack of oceans is thought to be responsible for the super dense atmosphere, our own oceans removed lot of the carbon dioxide in our own early atmosphere and interned it in the rocks at the bottom of the ocean.
However, by the fact that the dead crew on the surface were not wearing winter gear presupposes the fact that the air there was a LOT warmer than the -190 centigrade mean surface temperature of Titan. Titan is about 860 million miles from our sun (it orbits Saturn). We know that something with the moon's mass at a distance from a star to warm its surface to terrestrial norms cannot hold an atmosphere.
Again, we know very little of the Planet D enviroment, other than that brief piece. Planet D's atmosphere may be transient, an atmosphere does't escape over night. Or if its far away from the star, the crew may have been led into the airlock by Brian thinking the planet is much warmer than it was. It certainly looks cold. The color leads me to believe a lot of dust and methane were meant to be present.
Perhaps a mixture of carbon dioxide, nitrogen/oxygen and xenon could hold onto the surface if it were cold enough. I can deal with the moon being blasted from Earth orbit (dramatic necessity); I can deal with the 'technology' of the spacecraft (it could be used in a sequel series).
I like the technology of most of the show. However, the fact that the Swifts and Mothership got so far from earth in so little time is not only inconsistent with the technology of the show, its highly unlikely that earther's would reach for a star far from earth when so much in their own star system remains unexplored.
However, the the physics of planet D 'went out of its way' to stick in my craw as I had thought about it. However, 'going in circles round each other' is what could have happened between two bodies of equal mass. That was a redeeming point.
That they would circle each other was correct in a sense, but the moon would NEVER be captured by such a small body as it passed at near relativistic speeds through the star system.
Other than that, it was the 'crazy hijacking slot machine' that the Eagle pilot said it was.
I liked that line, still makes me chuckle.
Mark
From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 10:26:06 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian The Brain like
I think there are interesting bits in all the SPACE:1999 robot episodes, THE INFERNAL MACHINE, ONE MOMENT OF HUMANITY and BRAIN THE BRAIN. Perhaps even the robot aspect of THE BETA CLOUD is one of the best path to investigate in order to find out what that episode may be all about.
ONE MOMENT OF HUMANITY could perhaps be read as something having to do with our emotional lives in a technological environment, perhaps one of the major threads of Year One being revitalised in this Year Two episode.
Far more than THE INFERNAL MACHINE I feel BRIAN THE BRAIN also deal with similar types of psychological concepts. Even though we know that Brian is a machine, he is clearly designed in a manner to be interacted with emotionally.
From my point of view BRIAN THE BRAIN seem to be written as a comedy about the dangers of a technological world that is becoming more and more like a living entity abandoning our previous understanding of machines as tools or something we control. The machines are becoming alive in a sense very close if not inseperable from our notion of biological life in general.
It is difficult to say if this is good or bad, but I assume it is quite natural and rather necessary as the world is growing more and more complex by the day making it impossible to run manually.
If we leave the world to the machines, what are the consequences then? I got the impression that Brian of BRIAN THE BRAIN was mainly designed as a cybernetic device running and controlling the Swift space ships by giving him an instinct for survival in order to make the Swift more likely to survive hazardous travels.
Well, emphasising the survival of machinery seems fine enough as long as the machines are harmony with the people such as the machine Gwent being an extension of the original person Gwent. Much of the secret of being a good driver, I suppose, have to do with feeling the car being an extension of oneself, supporting the knowledge of driving with instincts and feeling. Putting intelligence into cars seem to be a reasonable thing to do, although it may end up making the drivers less intelligent.
Brian can perhaps be read as a similar extension of Captain Michael, his alter ego turning into his nemesis just like Victor Frankenstein was killed by his creation in Mary Shelly's insights on the less pleasant sides of the industrial revolution that is still with us.
It seems to be split opinions on BRIAN THE BRAIN. Personally I think it is not all bad for a Year Two episode. In fact, I rather liked THE TAYBOR too which also uses comedy or a comical character as a main idea in the plot.
Simon Morris wrote:
Jack Ronder wrote other tv series(such as for the Terry Nation-conceived BBC series "Survivors")and he certainly was not new to television writing. I have always liked the basic idea behind "Brian The Brain" [...]
I'm constantly being impressed by Simon's uncomparable knowledge of BBC series; actors, writers, directors etc. I wish I knew more about what the "Survivors" was all about. Perhaps this could give some more insight to BRIAN THE BRAIN.
Petter
[EDITOR'S NOTE: The above triggers a thread on Jack Ronder, The Survivors.]
From: Jeff Doyle (jdoyle@computer44land.net) Date: Thu, 13 Aug 1998 07:59:28 -0700 Subj: Re: Space1999: Brian The Brain
Leave Yasko alone.
Yes, I too am sick of the Yasko bashing. Granted her performance was never steller, but others even Morse and Bain had their weak moments.
How does the eagle get to Planet D before the swift, and without swift's scanners seeing them get there?
Good point - a tough on to reconcile. Perhap's the Brain's arrogance and it's overwelming desire to test John and Helena's love, etc. blinded it.
on WPIX-TV. They cut the show from the very first showings, and for this episode, the simply cut the enitre love test. If you hadn't read the novel, you had no idea what they were talking about in the tag.
Interestingly the Sci-fi channel's broadcast did include the "love test." This demonstrates that their is no one definitive edited version, unlike the origional Trek.
People have been commenting that Brian is a cheap put-together costuem/prop. I would remind you out there that's what he is supposed to look like. [....]
Well put, I agree Brian was supposed to look like a pile of spare parts. Simply because this concept was easy on the budget is no reason to denigrate the episode.
Once they put their own morality into Brian (shame Michael didn't read Asimov) they would simply send the ship and functioning robot on it's merry way? Waste of a good ship.
Agreed, the Swift would have made a great contribution to Alpha's resourses. And taking it would have been just recompense for the evil that the Brain did.
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