From: David Acheson Date: [unknown] Subj: [unknown]
Alphans:
In my opinion only, WAR GAMES is the definitive SPACE: 1999 episode - the one classic that towers over the rest. BREAKAWAY - and maybe BLACK SUN - is probably the only other one that rivals it. There are several other excellent episodes but these are not of this status. This for me is what CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER is to STAR TREK fans and NIGHTMARE AT 40,000 FEET is to THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
My fondness for this episode began as a child who watched the series during its first run in the 1975-1976 season. On two separate occasions when I first introduced friends and/or relatives to the series it was this particular episode that was aired. I myself started with BREAKAWAY but it was WAR GAMES that helped me find new fans.
Why do I still like it today? It is probably the only episode that lived up to two reputations the series was trying to earn during its run - cerebral like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (the Anderson's wish I guess) and an action/adventure series (ITC's hope to capture the American market). Christopher Penfold scripted a delicate balance of the two and Charles Chrichton (who has a knack for Penfold's scripts in the first place) gave us some of his best directorial effort (only matched by the exotic GUARDIAN OF PIRI).
The episode is a grand showcase for the stars of the show: Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Although it does bother me today when I think about Koenig's irrational behaviour throughout the episode. Why did Koenig jump into war mode so hastily when three Hawks appeared? Hawks may be deadly war vessels but there were only three at the beginning - Alpha had a whole fleet of Eagles! Being cautious is one thing but.....Why did he accuse the aliens of firing first when it was Koenig who ordered the first shots? Why would Koenig evacuate Alpha and fight to settle on the planet when it was painfully obvious they weren't welcome and that they would be eradicated? Aliens 1 Humans 0. Koenig's irrational behaviour is part of our human nature and I believe that this was just one of many things the aliens were afraid of infecting their world.
Ms. Bain's best scenes were in medical centre under crisis mode. Here Helena was the dedicated take-charge professional. She was the one who wanted to run to Mathias' aid when he was shot out the window as it broke. Koenig had to stop her. She was in danger of becoming the stereotyped female-captive once her and Koenig landed on the planet. However, Helena showed an amazing ability to rationalize and negotiate even as a hostage as opposed to Koenig's macho man act.
It is safe to say that by this episode their relationship had blossomed. Koenig's willingness to bring the Alphans down to the planet and fight to the death for a footing on the world was most likely a male reaction to his woman being captured. Not rational at all but Helena was his. (This brings up the way they acted as cave-people in THE FULL CIRCLE as discussed two weeks ago. Has mankind really changed?) Helena was moaning away for John herself when he was floating off in space and she was still a hostage on the planet. She wanted him back with all his faults and fears as she yells out to the aliens. This had gone way further than the googly eyes and familiar smiles of the earlier episodes. Even if the episode was nothing more than a dream sequence, as we later learned, the experience would stick with John and Helena thereafter.
I rather like the idea of the planet and its inhabitants being linked as chains in a larger collective. Predates the STAR TREK Borgs by 10 years. The Borgs, however, conquer and absorb all outside influences. These aliens are isolationists. They resist all outside influences. Much more could have been said about this society. For example, why the marvellous city if the aliens sit around in glass boxes and appear to have the power of instantaneous transportation? Did the boxes only act as something ceremonial much like the thrones of a king and queen? Why the need for ceremonial symbols in a collective? Was this more for the Alphan's sake? They were out of the boxes when they fired upon Koenig so the boxes don't appear to be necessary to maintain their life. I guess an hour was not much time.
It was rather neat seeing a planet with two suns - the first and only time out of the 48 episode run of the series. Yet this aspect of the planet was downplayed. We saw the two suns but the Alphans made no mention of it.
Memorable moments (in no particular order):
1) The wonderful war music played during the battle sequences. Matched only by the more wonderful "Mars, the Bringer or War" used in SPACE BRAIN. I believe this was the piece known as "The Astronauts" composed by Mike Hankinson as listed on my Music of 1999 web page (and mentioned in the past on this list by various members). Not to be outdone, Barry Gray's own scores for the series were put to good use in the episode.
2) The destruction of the alien bomber. Alan's heroic last shot capped off a long battle with a blinding explosion comparable to the Breakaway event.
3) John floating freefall in space and speech to self near end of episode. Best freefall sequence since Frank Poole's death in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. What a sad and lonely way to wait for the end to come.
4) Sandra in two scenes. One was giving directions to the Alphans to get back from the underground after the attack was over. Minor scene but it shows that she too was a competent officer. Not just a scream-o-meter for the base. She was also fairly composed earlier when John comes into Main Mission and the bomber was on the Main Screen.
5) The nuclear explosion at the end Act IV. Some may criticize the use of such stock footage of a real nuclear explosion - especially one tinted red to match the planet's atmosphere. I loved the 1950's look of this scene- the representation of ultimate annihilation. Nothing scares one more than a mushroom cloud.
6) The best for last. Victor's now famous come-and-seek-us-out speech and the command crew's departure from Main Mission. Victor's speech represents a bit of hope for mankind and goes against the flow of the rest of the episode. One can now imagine a sequel movie where aliens find an abandoned Alpha and listen to the speech. HMMMMMMM! Its easy to get teary eyed watching the cast walk out with arms around each other. Its definitely a family losing a home. We tended to forget how they started off as strangers and ended up as a community.
But alas, do not despair. It was only a dream. The proceedings of the hour was only a seconds-long image implanted in the Alphans heads.
From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 12:09:03 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
David Acheson wrote:
In my opinion only, WAR GAMES is the definitive SPACE: 1999 episode - the one classic that towers over the rest. BREAKAWAY - and maybe BLACK SUN - is probably the only other one that rivals it. There are several other excellent episodes but these are not of this status. This for me is what CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER is to STAR TREK fans and NIGHTMARE AT 40,000 FEET is to THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
While you have stated this quite firmly on your "Return to Moonbase Alpha" site, it's interesting to read a more thorough analysis of why you regard this particular episode so highly.
Why do I still like it today? It is probably the only episode that lived up to two reputations the series was trying to earn during its run - cerebral like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (the Anderson's wish I guess) and an action/adventure series (ITC's hope to capture the American market). Christopher Penfold scripted a delicate balance of the two and Charles Chrichton (who has a knack for Penfold's scripts in the first place) gave us some of his best directorial effort (only matched by the exotic GUARDIAN OF PIRI).
Interesting that you say this. While not the best directed episode in the series as I see it, I have it attached to BREAKAWAY on the UK ITC/polygram video (vol 21), and it suffers a bit from this, I feel. On the other hand, perhaps not less well directed than BREAKAWAY, but certainly very different. When Katzin and Austin get emotional, Tomblin and Crichton get intellectual. There seems to be a difference in character there, both styles quite fascinating depending on which aspects one focuses on.
Compared to other works by Crichton, I feel he is close to his best on WAR GAMES, he manage to conjure up some of the same desperate feeling that makes MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, GUARDIAN OF PIRI and THE LAST SUNSET, work so well, all these being episodes I remember quite vividly from childhood.
I like your points about Penfold and Crichton, David. While there are other directors I feel are better for fleshing out the psychological aspects of the stories than Crichton, his academic style fits very well with the Penfold scripts, and many of these scripts are very good indeed. WAR GAMES, his anti-war statement as he has called it, is perhaps a clue for understanding Penfold as a writer.
The episode is a grand showcase for the stars of the show: Martin Landau and Barbara Bain. Although it does bother me today when I think about Koenig's irrational behaviour throughout the episode. [....] Koenig's irrational behaviour is part of our human nature and I believe that this was just one of many things the aliens were afraid of infecting their world.
In this episode I believe Penfold uses the Alphans to illustrate how irrational and stupid humans sometimes may be. There is a lot of social critisism along the trail of Space:1999, like Terpiloff/Crichton making comments on our belief in computers and digitalization of the world through the words of Zantor in EARTHBOUND, and perhaps even more so in THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI, the sceptisim of human endevour reaches a climax in WAR GAMES were we are compared to a virus in the universe.
Many similar thoughts are dwelled upon in THE LAST SUNSET and SPACE BRAIN.
My impression is, however, that much of Penfolds ideas may have evolved from the ideas of Edward di Lorenzo, or perhaps in parallell with his.
Watching WAR GAMES and SPACE BRAIN, I often get a RING AROUND THE MOON deja vu, RING AROUND THE MOON being the fourth episode in the series, and perhaps the first episode to state questions about the computerization of the world. Although I have not been able to confirm that di Lorenzo had anything to do with THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI, I have a strong feeling that THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI was in fact his last and third contribution to Space: 1999, not ALPHA CHILD, as have been stated in some sources.
Johnny Byrne wrote a letter to this group some time ago, explaining that ALPHA CHILD was actually based on an idea of Ray Austin, di Lorenzo not having anything to do with this as far as he could remember. In the credits to GUARDIAN OF PIRI, on the other hand, Penfold is only adressed as script editor, so it seems likely that there also was a script writer. THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI shares much of the philosophy of RING AROUND THE MOON and MISSING LINK, and it even makes the same odd comment on different galaxies and different universes as in di Lorenzo's RING AROUND THE MOON ("This is the Universe of Triton") by talking about the "Universe of Piri".
Ms. Bain's best scenes were in medical centre under crisis mode. Here Helena was the dedicated take-charge professional. She was the one who wanted to run to Mathias' aid when he was shot out the window as it broke. Koenig had to stop her. She was in danger of becoming the stereotyped female-captive once her and Koenig landed on the planet. However, Helena showed an amazing ability to rationalize and negotiate even as a hostage as opposed to Koenig's macho man act.
Indeed. While it is not uncommon to have the male represent the rational and the females the emotional aspects of being human, Space:1999 sometimes manages to turn the tables quite nicely, giving John Koenig absurd lines and directives while Helena Russell is calm, rational and controlled.
Perhaps this is one of the reasons I like the series so much. Apart from WAR GAMES, this pattern is quite evident in RING AROUND THE MOON and COLLISION COURSE, I think.
It is safe to say that by this episode their relationship had blossomed. Koenig's willingness to bring the Alphans down to the planet and fight to the death for a footing on the world was most likely a male reaction to his woman being captured. Not rational at all but Helena was his.
He-he. I really enjoy reading this!
(This brings up the way they acted as cave-people in THE FULL CIRCLE as discussed two weeks ago. Has mankind really changed?) Helena was moaning away for John herself when he was floating off in space and she was still a hostage on the planet. She wanted him back with all his faults and fears as she yells out to the aliens. This had gone way further than the googly eyes and familiar smiles of the earlier episodes. Even if the episode was nothing more than a dream sequence, as we later learned, the experience would stick with John and Helena thereafter.
I don't feel like stressing the "nothing more than a dream sequence" bit too much. Just like in MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, the devastating things happening to the Alphans are real enough when they happen, but obviously there wouldn't be much of a series if they killed off most of the regular characters and made the moon explode in episode two. As MATTER OF LIFE easily could have ended with the death of John Koenig and Helena walking hopelessly out into the bushes, if it were made as a feature film and not as a series, the epilogue of WAR GAMES does not either seem to have much to do with the episode in itself. Were it not that there were still seven episodes to be made, the evacuation of Alpha with Victor's emotional speach and the death of Alan would have made this an interesting pivotal episode that could have changed a lot of the premises for future episodes.
If Space:1999 had not been limited by the concept of the moon thrown through the universe, but only used this as an opening premise, perhaps it could have lived longer and focused more on year one type drama for more seasons with making the drastic changes that were made for Year Two.
I rather like the idea of the planet and its inhabitants being linked as chains in a larger collective. Predates the STAR TREK Borgs by 10 years. The Borgs, however, conquer and absorb all outside influences. These aliens are isolationists. They resist all outside influences. Much more could have been said about this society. For example, why the marvellous city if the aliens sit around in glass boxes and appear to have the power of instantaneous transportation?
David is in top form this week, I see. Commenting on ones favourite episode certainly makes interesting reading. I hope the fans of THE TROUBLED SPIRIT, THE INFERNAL MACHINE and DRAGON'S DOMAIN plan for long incisive letters like this.
1) The wonderful war music played during the battle sequences.
I couldn't agree more here. A marvellous piece of music, sinister and very appropriate for the war sequences. Is it really Hankinson's "The Astronauts"? I though it might be something unientified and that Hankinson's piece was something during the death of Alan, but I suppose David is correct about this.
I wish someone would make a CD out of library music used on Space:1999.
3) John floating freefall in space and speech to self near end of episode. Best freefall sequence since Frank Poole's death in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. What a sad and lonely way to wait for the end to come.
Wonderful, absolutely wonderful.
4) Sandra in two scenes. One was giving directions to the Alphans to get back from the underground after the attack was over. Minor scene but it shows that she too was a competent officer. Not just a scream-o-meter for the base.
He-he.
5) The nuclear explosion at the end Act IV. Some may criticize the use of such stock footage of a real nuclear explosion - especially one tinted red to match the planet's atmosphere. I loved the 1950's look of this scene- the representation of ultimate annihilation. Nothing scares one more than a mushroom cloud.
It makes one think. Very fitting, I would say, and makes Penfold's anti-war message trancend almost Kubrick's DR. STRANGELOVE proporsions.
6) The best for last. Victor's now famous come-and-seek-us-out speech and the command crew's departure from Main Mission. Victor's speech represents a bit of hope for mankind and goes against the flow of the rest of the episode. One can now imagine a sequel movie where aliens find an abandoned Alpha and listen to the speech. HMMMMMMM! Its easy to get teary eyed watching the cast walk out with arms around each other. Its definitely a family losing a home. We tended to forget how they started off as strangers and ended up as a community.
Almost antithetical to BLACK SUN, it seems.
You almost make me readjust my ranking of episodes, David, an extremely well written comment on WAR GAMES this is. While I have found Crichton's style of direction a bit too militant to bring out extraordinary performances of pshycological insight, there is nevertheless something about his style that is a vital part of the SPACE:1999 concept, perhaps the general feeling of terror and angst of the Alphans.
The scenes with Anthony Valantine are especially efficient, I feel, the rational coldness of the aliens against Koenig's desperate efforts and Helena's pleas are must viewing.
WAR GAMES is an episode very different from RING AROUND THE MOON, MISSING LINK and GUARDIAN OF PIRI, and a very good episode in very different ways than these, I feel. From my point of view it represents some of the best writing of Penfold, more profound and interesting than THE LAST SUNSET and SPACE BRAIN, two other quite personal and philosophical episodes, I feel, and a nice touch of excellent chemestry between writer and director. When writing this I feel very much like watching LAST SUNSET, SPACE BRAIN and DRAGON'S DOMAIN, but I suppose it least the latter two have to still wait for a few weeks.
Petter
From: Mark Meskin (plastic.gravity@newrock4tag.com) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 07:42:22 -0600 Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
In my opinion only, WAR GAMES is the definitive SPACE: 1999 episode - the one classic that towers over the rest. BREAKAWAY - and maybe BLACK SUN - is probably the only other one that rivals it. There are several other excellent episodes but these are not of this status. This for me is what CITY ON THE EDGE OF FOREVER is to STAR TREK fans and NIGHTMARE AT 40,000 FEET is to THE TWILIGHT ZONE.
Yup. You hit the nail right on the head.
Why did Koenig jump into war mode so hastily when three Hawks appeared? Hawks may be deadly war vessels but there were only three at the beginning - Alpha had a whole fleet of Eagles!
As a warship, the eagle is vastly inferior to the Hawk, Hawks are smaller, faster, more manueverable, and have more firepower. Also, not all of the eagles can fight. I count 7 laser equiped eagles, flight #1 of 3 ships, flight #2 of 3 ships(all destroyed on the pads), and the attack eagle that Carter flies at the end of the episode.
The thing that always irked me was how they handled the approach of the ships, it didn't convey to the veiwer very well that the Hawks were bad news.
Why did he accuse the aliens of firing first when it was Koenig who ordered the first shots?
The Hawks were sent to attack Alpha, they have NO other use, they are not science ships :-)
Why would Koenig evacuate Alpha and fight to settle on the planet when it was painfully obvious they weren't welcome and that they would be eradicated?
They were doomed on Alpha anyway, might as well fight for a foothold on the planet. How they were planning to fight is another question, maybe the other eagles had lasers added before launch. Otherwise they would just be fodder for the Hawks that were sent to intercept them.
Koenig's willingness to bring the Alphans down to the planet and fight to the death for a footing on the world was most likely a male reaction to his woman being captured.
No, quite rational, and I don't think it had anything to do with Helena. As Koenig and others stated in this epiosode, Alpha was dead, there only hope was a place on this planet. I wish they had taken it all the way, with the eagles invading and the alphans trying to disembark under fire.
I rather like the idea of the planet and its inhabitants being linked as chains in a larger collective. Predates the STAR TREK Borgs by 10 years. The Borgs, however, conquer and absorb all outside influences. These aliens are isolationists. They resist all outside influences.
Yeah, Space:1999 was certainly original.
It was rather neat seeing a planet with two suns - the first and only time out of the 48 episode run of the series. Yet this aspect of the planet was downplayed. We saw the two suns but the Alphans made no mention of it.
Hey, you see one sun, youve seen em all! :-)
3) John floating freefall in space and speech to self near end of episode. Best freefall sequence since Frank Poole's death in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. What a sad and lonely way to wait for the end to come.
Better than 2001, Frank Poole never had time to ponder what was going to happen to him, to me thats even more haunting. Ironically, Frank Poole fufilled Koenigs prediction of being some archeological mystery in the novel 3001:final odessey. I wonder if A. Clarke got the idea from WarGames?
Mark
From: South Central (Tamazunchale@webtv4tag.net) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 07:24:53 -0800 Subj: Space1999: Episode by Episode
As you already probably know, today begins discussion on War Games (very cool!) and discussion on this episode will last from Monday, March 23 to Sunday, March 29 (at least as part of the E x E thread). Discussion can take place on any episode by anyone at anytime, of course. (Wouldn't want to give the new arrivals the wrong idea!) :-)
Mateo
From: South Central (Tamazunchale@webtv4tag.net) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 07:26:38 -0800 Subj: Space1999: E x E
In case you are wondering I am in Los Angeles, so it may seem that my messages regarding E x E are REALLY late. Hey it's only 7:30 am here! :-)
Mateo
From: Patricia Embury (Patriemb@sprintmail4tag.com) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 14:52:53 -0500 Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
David Acheson wrote:
Why do I still like it today? It is probably the only episode that lived up to two reputations the series was trying to earn during its run - cerebral like 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY (the Anderson's wish I guess) and an action/adventure series (ITC's hope to capture the American market). Christopher Penfold scripted a delicate balance of the two and Charles Chrichton (who has a knack for Penfold's scripts in the first place) gave us some of his best directorial effort (only matched by the exotic GUARDIAN OF PIRI).
Yep, I agree. This is one of my top 5 episodes. I think if they had kept this up throughout the series, the most radical changes made for season 2 may not have been necessary.
Why did he accuse the aliens of firing first when it was Koenig who ordered the first shots?
Koenig shot first and asked questions later. Although I think he should have waited until they fired, he knew that the Hawks were meant for war, not peace, that Alpha was outgunned and couldn't defend itself, so he went with his first response: Eliminate the enemy before they eliminate you. Since he saw only one wave of ships, I don't think he felt there would be reinforcements so soon.. Don't forget, Alpha only had a few laser- equipped Eagles which were slow vessels meant for research and cargo flight. I don't think they had well developed ground defenses or sheilds besides their anti-meteorite screens. Koenig ignored/ seemed to ignore Carter's statement of it being too easy. While all in main mission are rejoicing over their victory, Carter isn't.
The evacuation was brought out of the need for survival/fear of death. The entire episode illustrated the Aliens point about the Alphan's fear. They attacked because of the fear of being attacked, they went to the planet uninvited because Koenig was afraid of the entire base dying slowly. People act irrationaly when their level of fear is extremely high. They may become phobic, or murder out of fear. Landau and Bain acted these emotions and situations superbly.
Indeed. While it is not uncommon to have the male represent the rational and the females the emotional aspects of being human, Space:1999 sometimes manages to turn the tables quite nicely, giving John Koenig absurd lines and directives while Helena Russell is calm, rational and controlled.
This reminded me of Matter of Life and Death, when Helena, again, saves John from death through her levelheaded action. This was a nice touch for a show made in the 1970s.
David wrote:
It is safe to say that by this episode their relationship had blossomed. Koenig's willingness to bring the Alphans down to the planet and fight to the death for a footing on the world was most likely a male reaction to his woman being captured. Not rational at all but Helena was his.
Yep, illustrating his fear of losing the woman he loved, and having everything he cared about, fought for taken away from him by Aliens who thought he was nothing more than a virus.
Petter wrote:
the devastating things happening to the Alphans are real enough when they happen, but obviously there wouldn't be much of a series if they killed off most of the regular characters and made the moon explode in episode two.
It would have made a nice finale, with the possibility of a sequal left open. I wouldn't like to see Carter killed, though, I'd rather see someone else bumped off.
David wrote:
2) The destruction of the alien bomber. Alan's heroic last shot capped off a long battle with a blinding explosion comparable to the Breakaway event.
Nice shot. I guess I was surprised at the dogfight. Carter was an experienced fighter pilot, probably one of only a few on the base. I would think that he would know enough not to engage an enemy head on. It's a nice way to get killed. He could have veered off and approached from the side. Nick Tate performed well. Carter, with fighter experience, knew that there was a strong possibility that he'd end up dead, but was calm and collected, almost eager to get it over with. It seemed, though, from the opening dialogue, that he didn't know about the Hawks, or didn't recognize them. "they're war machines, and that's enough for me" I would think he would have been familiar with them, maybe even flown them.
3) John floating freefall in space and speech to self near end of episode. Best freefall sequence since Frank Poole's death in 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY. What a sad and lonely way to wait for the end to come.
One of the best dialogue pieces in the entire series.
4) Sandra in two scenes. One was giving directions to the Alphans to get back from the underground after the attack was over. Minor scene but it shows that she too was a competent officer. Not just a scream-o-meter for the base.
She never shed a tear. They let her inner strength shine through.
Petter wrote:
It makes one think. Very fitting, I would say, and makes Penfold's anti-war message trancend almost Kubrick's DR. STRANGELOVE proporsions.
Especially when they did it in red, to reflect the planet's atmosphere
[David wrote:]
6) The best for last. Victor's now famous come-and-seek-us-out speech and the command crew's departure from Main Mission. Victor's speech represents a bit of hope for mankind [....] Its easy to get teary eyed watching the cast walk out with arms around each other. Its definitely a family losing a home. We tended to forget how they started off as strangers and ended up as a community.
Again, one if not the best pieces of writing in the series.
Petter wrote:
scenes with Anthony Valantine are especially efficient, I feel, the rational coldness of the aliens against Koenig's desperate efforts and Helena's pleas are must viewing.
Ilsa Blair only seems slightly soothing, calmer. She is still cold, but plays off Bain very well.
My only other nit: It was pretty obvious that the last Eagle destroyed was a paper cut-out. I thought I saw the top of it curl before it exploded. My copy of the tape is somewhat dark: I know the episode is dark on purpose, but the scene where Alan dies is especially dark. I can't see the crack in his helmet that well, is his face viewable?
From: Patricia Embury (Patriemb@sprintmail4tag.com) Date: Mon, 23 Mar 1998 14:59:49 -0500 Subj: Space1999: War Games
Hmmm, twin suns....fear, agression leading to dark action.... makes me think of another movie series..... (I know, Star Wars was undergoing development at this time, but hey, the similarites are striking!)
From: "Petter Ogland" (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 09:52:51 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
Pat wrote, commenting on David's letter:
This reminded me of Matter of Life and Death, when Helena, again, saves John from death through her levelheaded action. This was a nice touch for a show made in the 1970s.
While the emphasis of Helena as the calm and rational and Koenig as impationed and nervous is perhaps stronger in WAR GAMES and MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH, I feel this is rather basic psychological premises for the series that were present during most of Year One.
While it seems like a nice touch in 1998, my impression is that some (American?) critics found it hard to accept Helena in 1975, finding a female lead calm and rational. I've always felt, quite to the contrary, that Barbara Bain's portrayal of Dr. Helena Russell was one of the critical ingrediences making the first year of SPACE:1999 worthwhile.
On the other hand, Helena is not a feminist, she is no Ripley. The way Barbara Bain balances off the calm, authoritative with the subdued is quite facinating, I feel. While she is fun being off character in THE GUARDIAN OF PIRI and FULL CIRCLE, she was really excellent in the first eight episodes or so, and in WAR GAMES she manages to capture some of the similar bravado.
Robert once said that she had a tendency for having her lines bitten off by other characters, especially in the Penfold written scripts. This was used to a great effect giving nerve to her character in SPACE BRAIN, I remember, but I didn't think of my previous watching of WAR GAMES. Perhaps I should have a go at it again to enjoy more of the character play.
WAR GAMES is very fine episode from my point of view.
Petter
From: "Ellen C. Lindow" (sfdxb@scfn.thpl.lib4tag.fl.us) Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 22:25:25 -0500 (EST) Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
I too love this episode. It has occurred to me that perhaps some of the more odd behavior of the Alphans at the beginning of the episode may have to do with influence from the planet. They are, after all, manipulating this dream. The beginning of this episode if very abrupt, much like the start of a dream. And John and Victor's reactions to the appearance of the Hawks may be part of the "pre-programming" of the dream on the part of the aliens.
One minor scene I liked was at the command conference. When they are all preparing for the conference, picking up chairs and dusting them off, Victor walks by Helena and grabs her hand and squeezes it as a gesture of comfort. It's very touching, he obviously knows that she hates losing patients and is in need of comfort.
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Tue, 24 Mar 1998 23:08:43 -0600 Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
War Games, while not the best episode in my opinion, was certainly exciting.
It did have a dream-like quality throughout. Victor's speech near the end encapsulated the series's raison d'etre.
The compassion expressed between characters was real and human. The tactics of battle were devastating in their seriousness. The insanity of being on war-footing provided the subtle subtext of conflict.
I too, chuckled at the stock mushroom cloud images. But considering the real budgetary problems in the production, each transition "clicked" clearly and cleanly.
The landing pads inspired me in their impractical existance. They were hardly functional, but like Star Trek's transporters, they got the job done.
Dr. Russell's range of emotion, almost mimish, broke through the normal human barriers of solitude. It was like a contemporary dance: in short, art.
Cmdr. Koenig's brutality provided a realistic glimpse of the world's problems. We are fighting animals, who given the chance, will kill, maim, and destroy, to entrench our security. Once secure... we go blissfully and ignorantly on, as if we were no trouble at all.
Small wonder the ancienct world wanted nothing to do with us.
Hmm, a curious thought: consider the ancient planet to be based on Plato's Republic: an ideal but unrealist dream of humanity. To be tasted, but never made home.
Chris Hlady chlady@escape.ca
http://www.escape.ca/~chlady
From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 09:59:41 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
In some ways WAR GAMES does not seem all that different from FULL CIRCLE with it's rather grim view that humans are fighting animals, or even worse, like a virus. Koenig running bersek, smashing the aliens equipment, nicely illustrates the difference between the animals and the platonic philosophers in their glass cages.
Bringing the ideas of Plato into this was not something that had occured to me before Chris pointed it out, but a very curious and interesting thought it is indeed. While my impression of Plato is that while he had utopian and idealistic views on society, he was a thinker of the sophisic school with high regards for conversation, using Socrates as a hero, and although platonism has been adapted as a philosophy of mathematics, Plato and his followers would be very different from the aliens in WAR GAMES.
If one were to look for parallels in the history of western thought, perhaps Descartes would be a better choice, but I assume the logical positivism of Bertrand Russell and friends is more representative of the world that Penfold illustrates in this story.
Nevertheless, Alfred North Whitehead, Russell's companion in writing his most well known mathematical works, exclaimed that all of science and philosophy is footnotes to Plato, and the logical positivistic view on Plato would perhaps be a fitting description of agenda on the WAR GAMES planet.
Petter
From: Chris Hlady (chlady@escape4tag.ca) Date: Wed, 25 Mar 1998 21:42:21 -0600 Subj: Space1999: War Games
Thanks Petter, for your feedback. I was thinking more about the ideal community Plato had Socrates paint in the Republic, rather than dialogue amongst Plato's contemporaries.
I've recently been exposed to the idea that Plato's Replublic was a satire on the impracticality of the communal society. It reads nicely that way ... and is quite amusing.
Although, I'm not very familiar with Bertrand Russell, I saw a movie on Wittgenstein that was marvelous. The world of ideas is very seductive.
It's this world of ideas, I believe, that War Games situates in conflict with the world of humanity. Victor's appeal to humanity's incompleteness (i.e. he hopes that other worlds can teach us a thing a two) suggests to me that we should never accept a utopian/distopian world. Altogether, War Games is a brilliant script by Penfold, full of wonderful debateable concepts.
Chris Hlady
From: Petter Ogland (petter.ogland@dnmi4tag.no) Date: Thu, 26 Mar 1998 09:25:02 +0000 Subj: Re: Space1999: War Games
I've recently been exposed to the idea that Plato's Replublic was a satire on the impracticality of the communal society. It reads nicely that way ... and is quite amusing.
I believe I've read that he actually tried to implement the republic on one of the Mediteranian islands three times, all times failing disasterously, one time being thrown off the island and sold as a slave, if I remember it right.
The Republic could have been written as a satire nevertheless, perhaps reflecting on his bitter experience from real life.
Although, I'm not very familiar with Bertrand Russell, I saw a movie on Wittgenstein that was marvelous. The world of ideas is very seductive.
Wittgenstein was a protege of Russell in his earlier years, and Russell held the first part of Wittgensteins philosophical work in high esteem exclaiming he was the greatest thinker ever, I seem to remember.
Although a brilliant mind and mentally tortured man, my impression of Wittgenstein is not too unlike Anthony Valentine portrayal of the alien in WAR GAMES. He held a rather bleak view on the world, and the focus on control and logic as opposed to irrationality and emotions running wild. This was not a too uncommon view of the philosophers of the post Word War I area, I suppose, wondering if the civilized world was coming to an end.
It's this world of ideas, I believe, that War Games situates in conflict with the world of humanity. Victor's appeal to humanity's incompleteness (i.e. he hopes that other worlds can teach us a thing a two) suggests to me that we should never accept a utopian/distopian world. Altogether, War Games is a brilliant script by Penfold, full of wonderful debateable concepts.
I'm curious what interesting thoughts you will bring up for SPACE BRAIN, the next Penfold effort. We should perhaps wait for that until THE LAST ENEMY and THE TROUBLED SPIRIT have been thoroughly discussed though. I would be highly surprised if anyone would find Plato or Aristotle in THE LAST ENEMY plot, but who knows?
Petter
From: JSchill824 (JSchill824@aol4tag.com) Date: Fri, 27 Mar 1998 11:16:13 EST Subj: Space1999: War Games & Hawks
Hi All,
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the Hawks in this episode are the greatest! I only wished they'd found away to keep one on Alpha for later episodes. I also liked the bomber. These are great models and the special effect filming was superb. Such as the way they filmed the bomber with tiny hawks flying beside which gave the illusion of a gigantic ship. Remember this was all done pre-Star Wars, hats off for Bower and Johnson!
Besides great effects War Games also gives us an opportunity to see our famous trio once again all give wonderful performances. From Victor's memorable speech to John and Helena's dual dialogue about fear and death makes this episode captivating and intriguing.
Lastly, one shouldn't overlook the unique filming style done with the scenes dealing with the aliens, Koenig and Russell. The overlapping of images such as colored light, alien equipment, and flames over the character faces is beautifully done and gives an interesting effect to the alien world.
Ok,War Games isn't on my top 10, but it is a good episode!
Janet
From: jcg@vh4tag.net Date: Sat, 28 Mar 1998 17:55:06 -0500 Subj: Space1999: War Games
And the little boy woke up from his dream.
Related Threads (in typical Thread Pages format):
Return to Episode by Episode
or to Space: 1999 Metaforms