Destination: Moonbase Alpha

Most people reading this will be aware of the Space 1999 fan website "Catacombs of the Moon." Prob. the best Space 1999 fan-based website out there. Over the years, the creator of that site has done a magnificent job of breaking down the myriad aspects & elements of the show. This book is a near-ideal companion to that site. Most fans will know much about the behind the scenes aspects of the show, although Wood's research closes a lot of gaps in S1999 fandom.You get the definitive version behind Barry Morse's (Victor Bergman) departure from the series. A very good section on how the show was promoted to the local TV markets - in the context of the fall 1975 TV season; as well as an assessment of why there was no year three.Expect some rather frank recollections from the interviewed cast members. Merton, Phillips, Schell, Tate, Hancock and Anholt (esp. Merton) do not pull any punches. Although you shouldn't expect any 'dirt.' They just tell it like is regarding their time on the show. Tate's assessment of what REALLY killed the show may (or may not) come as a surprise to fans, but he mentions (in the chapter on 'Dragon's Domain') that it is something he has sat on for years. Also look for a quick, insightful tidbit from Christopher Lee ('Earthbound'), although - surprisingly - no interviews with Clifton Jones.Year Two gets a fair-minded (re)appraisal. Hardcore fans (and S1999 purists) may be surprised by how well Fred Freiberger comes out. Also, the book -interestingly- highlights some of creator / producer Gerry Anderson's shortcomings, esp. with regard to Year 2 - and his overall approach to the series.The book doesn't compare as favorably to something like "The Complete Mission: Impossible Dossier," or "The Deep Space Nine Companion." Wood's writing isn't as engaging, fun, or snappy, but as far as a near-exhaustive retrospective of the series, true S1999 fans, and purists, will not want to pass this up.

For such a short book--420 pages--this book is amazingly detailed and well organized. It includes everything from recollections of the actors to reviews of each episode to behind-the-scene stories from writers, producers, model makers and almost everyone connected with the show. Wood writes with a fan's love for detail but remains objective in his assessment of the shows strengths and weaknesses. I learned to look at certain episodes in a new light. It's taken me weeks to get through the book because I was watching the episodes and then reading the reviews. What a ride! Photos would have helped, but they are not necessary.

This book far exceeded my expectations. I knew Robert Wood had access to Bary Morse's diaries, so he had some at-the-time observations by a major participant of Space:1999, but I was not prepared for the amazing array of quotes he has come up with from all of the major players from both years of the show. I felt he dealt fairly with both seasons, which is something you don't often see. I was a little worried when I saw long drawn out analysis of each first year episode, but was relieved when I saw he did the same with the second year episodes. This book is a highly recommended, balanced history of the show, detailing how each season came to be and honestly discussing the strengths and weakness of the 48 episodes produced from late 1973 to the end of 1976.

I was a fan of Space: 1999 when it first aired in the USA. This book gives you some perspective on how the show was developed and reached the air waves. You do get the feeling that the author is pushing an agenda, which is that the show was fine in the first season and then tanked in the second season because most of the second tier cast was dumped and an American producer was brought in. Those may be true elements of the demise of the show, but what really is not addressed very much is that the Season one stories and scripts were fairly awful, which caused the show to be critically savaged. This is a bit glossed over in the narrative, but Barry Morse nails it pretty much wherever he's quoted. There are some REALLY good examinations of the changes between the two seasons, especially as it involves changing the cast without explanation.

Quite a detailed look into the series, including back-story and accounts of every episode filmed (along with interviews with actors and crew).If you wanted a quick overview, this might be too detailed for you. If you really want insights into how everything ticked and how those involved felt about their work, this is pretty good. I'm impressed by the depth of research.I've recently started watching series one on DVD, having been a fan when I was a kid. The stories, characters, and production quality stand up very well. Matches very well to the treatment given in the book.

Filled to the brim with info and comments by the cast & crew. A bit of behind the scenes fights and power trips. A little too much with the cast members saying they all got along well and enjoyed the family feel on the set. Reviews of every episode are the highlight. Does a good job making a case for Year Two. Info about later spin offs, novels, merchandise, etc. Makes the case for a great show that was unfairly drubbed by critics.

Lots of great info about the show and in depth episode reviews. A must for fans. I took off a star because there are no pictures of the cast.

Great behind the scenes look at one of my favorite science fiction series. From the mysterious and compelling first series to the infamous second series meltdown this book gives a good overview of the motivations of actors and producers during the making of a TV program.

Destination: Moonbase Alpha brings together a huge amount of detail on the TV series, Space 1999, with commentary from many of the cast, summaries of the plots, as well as further observations and analysis by the author, Robert E. Wood. So far, it’s a pretty good read alongside watching Space 1999, which I’m currently doing. My only gripe is that the kindle edition I purchased doesn’t contain a hyperlinked TOC, making the book very difficult to navigate. This is why I have dropped a star in my rating.I hope you find my review helpful.

Lots of interesting information and "behind-the-scenes" stuff and I read it almost all in one go! I have the Kindle version and there aren't any photos (probably understandably) which is a shame. I think on reflection an actual book would be the best format to buy it in, simply so you can find individual episodes and so forth more easily, but that's no reflection whatsoever on what is a very interesting book I enjoyed immensely.

Space:1999 was a fairly popular tv-series in it's day but it does not enjoy the widespread mainstream recognition that it's sci-fi contemporaries, Star Trek and Star Wars, receive today. Space:1999 is very much of cult status in the modern world and, as is often the case when shows are at this lower level of recognition, information tends to be scattered and hard to come by even with the presence of the internet. So we, as fans of the show, are fortunate indeed to have a tome like this available to us. The material is largely concerned with the production of the shows rather than any technical aspects and also offers an extended critique of individual episodes as well as each of the two seasons and the show as a whole. The interesting thing is that a lot of this critique is from the people who actually worked on the show - writers, directors, producers, actors etc. which makes it particularly pertinent. This book is full of information and opinion, commentary and juicy inside information that would be virtually impossible to find anywhere else.On the whole I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it has given a whole new level to watching the show again with all the background knowledge and opinion for each episode. If I had to make any criticism it would be the lack of photos - Ironically, the only photos included are model shots (i.e. technical stuff) rather than of any of the people involved. I understand why this is, there are licensing and permission issues when featuring pictures of people and this is an "unathourised" biography of the show. It's a shame as there are probably all sorts of candid, behind-the-scenes photos in the possession of those involved in the show and this would be the perfect place for them.The only other criticism is more of a personal one regarding the omission in the appendix dealing with merchandise and release formats of the laserdisc releases of both series. Laserdisc is a wonderfully retro format for a vintage series like Space:1999 and is my preferred viewing format.That aside, I think Robert E. Wood deserves a round of applause from all Space:1999 fans for the mammoth effort he obviously put into producing this book, it's unlikely that a more definitive work on the show will ever be available.

Whilst I didn't always agree with some of the episode ratings. This is is a comprehensive book on a great TV show.It is a great appreciation of the show.

Having devoured all Space 1999 related publications I wasn't sure that I would find anything interesting or new in this book - I was wrong!! It is full of good anecdotes from the cast members, the episode reviews are insightful and thought provoking and it is clear that the author has a love of the subject matter but his critiques are balanced and well judged. Overall, worthy of the 5 star rating.