A Fan's Memories of Space: 1999

By David M. Welle

1975 - 1977, First Exposure
1975 At the age of six, began watching Space: 1999. I'm almost certain, however, that I missed the pilot episode, 'Breakaway.' Another thing I am almost certain of is that this was my first science fiction. I remember starting to watch Star Trek reruns after S19 went off the air, and wouldn't start reading SF for a couple more years, at least. I don't remember finding the first season people, except Victor, all that likable, and the stories often baffled me, but I liked them well enough, and loved the action and spaceship effects that it had, that I had fun.
12/25/75 One present my parents (or was it 'Santa'? :-) gave was me a big (3'?) model Eagle, moonbuggy, and board game. We (my friends, younger sister, and I) played Space: 1999 on and off for a couple years, until the moonbuggy was eventually broken, and the Eagle and game sold at rummage.
1976 'Year Two' started airing. Much better in my mind, I loved this season, and especially liked Maya. I was now permanently 'hooked.' If not for the second season, I'd have probably entirely forgotten about the series, and come 1992, when re-aired on the Sci-Fi Channel, would not have made an effort to see it (poor time slot for me).
12/25/76 Received the Charleton comic issue based on 'The Metamorph.' This too wore out, but surprisingly enough, I discovered, many years later, that there was a second copy of that particular issue. I'm not sure how this happened, but it is most likely that in 1977 or '78, having only a tattered copy, managed to get my parents to buy another, which they eventually stored away, along with some Star Wars comics, when I lost interest in them. In any case, this single comic would 'survive' on as the only piece of Space: 1999 merchandise kept from childhood, though I would not realize it until sometime in late 1992, I think.
1977 The last episodes of the series were aired, and except possibly for a few months of reruns on the local station, that seemed the end of that.
1978 - 1991, The 'Drought'
1978-87 Space: 1999, no longer on the air, slowly faded in my memory. I missed it, but lacking any material, and not having any inkling there was such a thing as 'fandom' in science fiction, all I could do was hope it would be reaired at some point in the future, though later, after a decade of waiting, I no longer expected it to happen.
1988 It finally did happen, though it didn't help much. It was sometime this year, I think, that a PBS station aired some Space: 1999 episodes. It was at college, and I discovered this late, and had only a single television, shared by two dorm floors' worth of people, to see it on, so I scarcely saw more than three or four episodes.
1989-90 In one of the university's libraries, found a few books that refered to Space: 1999, but only in brief. I revert to hoping it will air sometime again or that, with the surging popularity of videotapes, might get released on VHS.
Late '91 I think this was about the time that I started reading about rustlings that a possible all science-fiction cable channel may be created. I, of course, wondered if it would air Space: 1999. By now, I scarcely remembered a single episode of Space: 1999 — except for few fuzzy flashes of scenes — or what the characters, even Maya, looked like.
1992
Mid '92 Discover that the Sci-Fi Channel, when it starts broadcasting, intends to air Space: 1999! By now, however, being 23 years old, I am wondering if I am really going to enjoy the series as much now as when I was a child.
09/25/92 The Sci-Fi Channel, on its second or third day of broadcast existence, starts airing Space: 1999 episodes. Finally, for the first time in my life (I'm almost certain I missed it as a child), I saw 'Breakaway' — and was impressed. It was a poor time slot (5:30 - 6:30 p.m.) for me, since I was working overtime, and this eventually drove me to renting a VCR to tape the episodes.
10/23/92 The SFC airs 'The Metamorph,' which instantly becomes my favorite episode of the series — a spot it will likely hold for the rest of my life. This pretty much ended any lingering fear I had that I wouldn't enjoy Space: 1999 as an adult. It was as enjoyable to watch as ever, and I even saw a lot more in it than I ever did as a child.
Oct. '92 Sometime around now, I start wondering if there was/is a fandom for the series, and start searching. I even write a few science fiction (newstand) magazines in hope they know something, but they can't help.
12/29/92 Start jotting down paragraphs of a story about Maya's first months on Alpha. Later set aside, then resumed as what will probably become the third S19 fan story that I will release, Bridge Two. At the time I set it aside, it was likely due to not being sure I wanted to bother writing a story that no one would read, for at the time, I still hadn't found a fandom; the book even lists a pair of contact addresses.
1993
06/12/93 After having to cancel travel plans at short notice, I instead spend my vacation day on a bicycle ride to another city, where I stop at a library. In purusing one book on science fiction media, I am surprised to discover that there is a Space: 1999 fandom.
06/13/93 Write letters to the two clubs whose addresses were listed in that book. Later, one (the International Space: 1999 Alliance) turns out to be defunct, but Terry Bowers is still active, and provides me with the 'in' to fandom. I start getting excited about the possibility of writing some of the Space: 1999 ideas that have been percolating in my mind over the years and especially since SFC's re-airing the episodes.
08/02/93 Begin writing The Law of Indirection. Though the second story I start writing, this will eventually become the first fan fiction I release.
12/02/93 Begin writing a third story, which will eventually be the second fan fiction I release, The Transfer.
1994
1994 Though busy in fandom and concurrently writing two stories, I can't seem to find record of any one particular event that stands out.
1995
07/10/95 After two years of work, delays, and even a time when I set the story aside, thinking it was a crummy story, I completed The Law of Indirection, in time for...
07/22/95 Command Conference '95, where I actually met, for the first time, a whole group of real enthusiasts for the series. Nick Tate was the guest of honor, there was tons of merchandise on display (though I could buy very little of it!). For the first time in my life, I sold (at cost) a story, or more accurately, sold four copies of it (all I could pack for the flight to L.A.). I also heard about an Internet-based mailing list dedicated to the series. I'm excited by that idea, but don't yet have access, though over the next few months, the idea of joining this discussion drives me online faster than I might otherwise have. It was an enjoyable con, and though not the thousand attendee hooplas of Creation's Star Trek conventions, was all the more intimate and enjoyable for it.
Aug. '95 Started selling more copies of The Law of Indirection through the mail, and even received some complimentary replies from people who have already read the stories. That was a pleasant surprise, considering I hadn't been perfectly pleased with the story. Guess I fit the old saying of an author being his own worst critic.
09/15/95 Went online with CompuServe. Started finding a few Space: 1999 pictures. It was a non-Internet work account, so I could not join the list.
10/0?/95 Went online at home through a locally-based ISP. Unsuccessfully attempted to join the mailing list at quack.kfu.com
10/16/95 Tried again and succeeded at joining mailing list.
11/01/95 My first postings to the list. I remember being off sick from work that day, and spending the hours that I wasn't sleeping just writing one note after another, mostly in (sometimes long) reply to existing threads.
1996
01/07/96 Created first my first webpage, called 'Some Space: 1999 Information.'
09/17/96 Posted my first MetaMovie, of Maya morphing from herself into a dog.
12/10/96 Began posting Thread Pages.
1997
01/13/97 Renamed my site MetaForms, Ltd. and broke up the burgeoning main page into multiple pages.
02/20/97 Became co-administrator of new mailing list at buffnet.net
05/15/97 Uploaded The Law of Indirection to my website.
09/10/97 Complete The Transfer, the second fan story to be released.
Oct. '97 For The Dominion's scifi.con 2.0, wrote alien character studies and HTMLized The Transfer.
1998
02/28/98 Posted my third MetaMovie, a stunning one of Maya morphing into Helena. These are fun to do, but can be very tricky, especially in finding and trimming frames so the 'before' and 'after' positions and angles look just right. For the first two, it still didn't work out particularly well (but they're still interesting to look at), but this one went much better.
07/29/98 Won an award for MetaForms.
08/01/98 Wrote this summary.