List of Space: 1999 vehicles
This is a list of spacecraft and other vehicles that appear in Space: 1999, a 1970s British science-fiction television series.
Alien bomber[edit]
| Alien bomber | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Alpha Child" |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | Incorporean aliens |
| Combat vehicles |
|
| Auxiliary vehicles |
|
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Bomber |
| Maximum speed | Unknown, but very high |
An unidentified spaceship based on the Discovery One from 2001: A Space Odyssey called Guardal Canal (a misspelling of "Guadalcanal") was designed (along with its auxiliary craft) and built as a model by a sixteen-year-old Martin Bower just after he saw that film. Around a decade later, he reused it for the series.
In "Alpha Child" the bomber is used to destroy the ships belonging to the fugitive alien Jarak (which are the auxiliary craft designed by the sixteen Bower).
In "War Games" the aliens cause the bomber to appear, perhaps using as sources the Alphan memories, to destroy Moonbase Alpha.
In "Dragon's Domain" the Guardal Canal model is in the spaceship graveyard above Ultra.
In "The Metamorph" the Guardal Canal model is in the spaceship graveyard on Psychon.
A modified version of the bomber is also featured as the Deltan battleship in "The Last Enemy" which appears (often with a command module attached and a command module separated) in both the spaceship graveyards, too.
Eagle Transporter[edit]
The Eagle Transporter is Moonbase Alpha's primary reconnaissance, supply and defence spacecraft.
Mark IX Hawk[edit]
| Mark IX Hawk | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "War Games" |
| Information | |
| Affiliation |
|
| Launched | 1997 |
| Decommissioned | 13 September 1999 (fleet destroyed) |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Lifeboat (detachable command module) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Space fighter |
| Armaments |
|
| Maximum speed | 0.22 c, 22% speed of light (40,982 mps, 65,954 km/s) |
| Propulsion | Compressed hydrogen |
| Power | 2 nuclear power packs |
| Length | 18.75 metres (61.5 ft) |
| Width | 5.95 metres (19.5 ft) |
| Height | 2.2 metres (7 ft 3 in) |
The Mark IX Hawk is a warship featured in the first series episode "War Games". Highly manoeuvrable and well-armed, it was designed specifically to counter extraterrestrial threats against Earth and its colonies. In the episode, a Hawk fleet launched from an alien planet attacks Moonbase Alpha, obliterating the Eagle squadron and inflicting serious damage on the base.
Commissioned in 1997 by the Global Defence Command, the original Hawk fleet is based at Space Dock until the Moon's catastrophic departure from Earth orbit on 13 September 1999. Since the most recent UFO incursions had occurred nearly 20 years previously, plans to build a Hawk base on the Moon were abandoned earlier that year.[1]
Like the Eagle Transporter, the Mark IX Hawk is modular, comprising a command module, service module, and engines. It incorporates a two-person cockpit (pilot and gunner) and a life support system mounted on a single fusion engine. Its booster rockets produce a maximum acceleration of 20 g and its forward wings can be fitted with additional weapons as required. In an emergency, the weapons pods and engines can be jettisoned and the command module used as a lifeboat.[1]
According to The Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook, the World Space Commission organised a test lunar "battle" between Eagle Transporters and Mark IX Hawks on 8 September 1996.
In the 2012 second issue of Space: 1999: Aftershock, set in the Mojave Desert Military Recycling Annex (California, USA), when specifications about the spacecraft are asked, a Global Defence Command soldier answers: "Mark IX Hawk space fighter. Crew of 3-- pilot, weapons officer, and tactical commander-- though remote piloting capable as well. Speed 14.2 of light.", "Armaments: two belt fed automatic rail cannons: 500,000 rounds each. One chin mouted recessed gatling gun, 200,000 rounds ammunition. 2 micro missile launchers, full complement of 32 projectiles each, 2 retractable LBS laser cannons.", "Defenses: electrostatic ray defective hull plating, meteor screens." and "Total battalion strength: 8 flights plus the 3 ‘scrapped’ flights already hidden on the Moon makes 11—for a total of 33 armed, loaded, and fueled fightercraft.". Dialogue implies that the Defence Command, shortly before the breakaway with the Moon, was planning to use the Hawks to organise a coup d'état against "the World government".
The Hawk was originally designed being completely white but around the windows, which were surrounded by black panels. To avoid confusion with Eagles, some orange parts were added, the area around the windows was made white and the command module was slightly redimensioned. After filming, the area around the windows returned black, as it is in most of the merchandising media.[2]
The fan film Malice 1999, presented at the Alpha 2012 convention, features three Hawks shooting at drone targets clearly based on the alien craft from UFO and a Hawk docking with the Meta Probe.
Meta Probe[edit]
| Meta Probe | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Breakaway" |
| Information | |
| Affiliation | World Space Commission |
| Launched | September 1999 (planned) |
| Decommissioned | 13 September 1999 (lost) |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Lifeboat (detachable command module) |
| General characteristics | |
| Power | 3 nuclear fusion rocket engines |
| Length | 50 metres (160 ft) |
The Meta Probe is an investigative space probe featured in the pilot episode of the series, "Breakaway". Designed to transport a two-person crew to an uncharted planet, "Meta", which is passing through the outskirts of the Solar System and is thought to harbour intelligent extraterrestrial life, it is due to be launched from Space Dock in September 1999.[3]
The mission to Meta is postponed when the crew seemingly contract a virus, later dying on Moonbase Alpha (although the cause of death is subsequently revealed to be "magnetic radiation" emanating from nuclear waste disposal areas on the Moon's far side). With the arrival of a back-up crew, preparations for launch resume, but both Meta Probe and Space Dock are lost when the disposal sites detonate and the resulting chain reaction forces the Moon from its orbit. Meta Probe is hurled into interplanetary space.[3]
The centre section comprises four cylindrical propellant tanks in addition to two solar panel-like structures. The forward section consists of a standard two-person Eagle Transporter command module attached to a cylindrical module measuring 4.5 metres (15 ft).
The fan film Malice: 1999 features the surviving Meta Probe and the last Hawk (seemingly docking-compatible) trying to reach the breaking-away Moon.
In the Italian dubbing, all the probes to Meta are called "sonde B-9" ("B-9 probes).
Moon Buggy[edit]
The Moon Buggy is used for both short- and long-range travel on the lunar surface.
Space Dock[edit]
| Space Dock | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Breakaway" |
| Information | |
| Affiliation |
|
| Launched | 19 June 1982 |
| Decommissioned | 13 September 1999 (destroyed) |
| Combat vehicles | Mark IX Hawk |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Eagle Transporter |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Space station |
Space Dock is a space station in orbit of the Moon. It is introduced in "Breakaway", in which it is also called Meta Probe Launch Platform. In "Dragon's Domain", it is referred to as Interplanetary Space Station, while The Moonbase Alpha Technical Manual (1977) uses the name Centauri Space Station.
Space Dock is used for launching interplanetary missions, including Ultra Probe (in 1996)[4] and Meta Probe (in 1999),[3] as well as providing a stop-over point for travellers to and from the Moon. Modular in construction, it comprises a cylindrical core, with two sets of "arms" projecting outwards from both ends. Re-fuelling and maintenance facilities are available, as are accommodation and dining. In "Dragon's Domain", an Eagle Transporter landing platform is also seen. Although not explicitly stated in the series itself, a fleet of Mark IX Hawk, as seen in "War Games", is probably stationed at Space Dock.[1]
Under the supervision of the International Lunar Finance Commission, the building of Space Dock commenced on 2 July 1981 and was completed by 19 June 1982, enabling the space station to preside over the construction of Moonbase Alpha, which commenced on 3 February 1983.[5] When the Moon leaves Earth orbit on 13 September 1999, Space Dock is destroyed by gravitational stress; however, a news report states that, like the Moon, the space station was simply thrown out of orbit.[3]
According to Space: 1999 Catacombs, the Space Dock was designed to look like a wet workshop.[6]
Starcruiser[edit]
| Starcruiser | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | Alien Attack |
| Information | |
| Affiliation |
|
This Swift-like spacecraft is seen as a desk model in the 1979 Alien Attack compilation movie on the desk in The International Lunar Commission facility, with a Saturn V scale model.
Alien Attack is a sort of non-canonical movie, in fact, is set in 2100, not 1999; Simmonds is dead during the breakaway and not on the Kaldorian spacecraft from "Earthbound".
The Starcruiser is probably based on the SHADO Interceptor from Anderson's UFO, but it is made using various Swift parts.
Swift[edit]
| Swift | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Brian the Brain" |
| Information | |
| Affiliation |
|
| Launched | 1996 |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Lifeboat (detachable command module) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Space probe |
| Propulsion | 7 nuclear fusion rockets |
This ship, in "Brian the Brain", is a probe and along with Mothership and other Swifts is launched for the 1996 Star Mission, but is found by the Alphans with only the evil robot Brian as part of the crew.
Super Swift[edit]
| Super Swift | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "The Bringers of Wonder", Part One |
| Information | |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Swift Pilot Ship |
| Maximum speed | Faster-than-light |
The Super Swift is featured in the second series episode "The Bringers of Wonder", Parts One and Two. Modelled by special effects technician Brian Johnson, its design was influenced by the Stanley Kubrick film 2001: A Space Odyssey (1968) and was a re-working of that of the Swift spacecraft that appears in the earlier second series episode "Brian the Brain".
In "The Bringers of Wonder", the Super Swift is stated to have been in the initial stages of development when the Moon was blasted out of Earth orbit. Designed to incorporate an un-invented faster-than-light drive, work on the Super Swift stalled when the propulsion system could not be realised.[7] The eponymous "Bringers of Wonder" later exploit the Moonbase Alpha crew's memories of the design to create an illusion of the Super Swift while approaching the Moon in their own spacecraft. The Super Swift includes a three-person "pilot ship", a small scoutcraft also capable of faster-than-light speeds.
Ultra Probe[edit]
| Ultra Probe | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Dragon's Domain" |
| Information | |
| Launched | 6 June 1996 |
| Decommissioned | 6 February 1997 (crew killed) February 2002 (found adrift) |
| Auxiliary vehicles | Lifeboat (detachable command module) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Space probe |
| Propulsion | Nuclear fusion rockets |
Ultra Probe is a long-range exploratory spacecraft, launched in 1996, which is featured in the first series episode "Dragon's Domain". Commanded by Captain Tony Cellini, it carries three science officers: Dr Darwin King (astrophysicist), Professor Juliet Mackie (radiation expert) and Dr Monique Fouchere (medical officer). That Cellini is able to dock an Eagle Transporter nose cone where the command module is originally positioned indicates that the technologies of the Eagle and Ultra Probe are broadly compatible.[8]
Ultra Probe is designed to travel to, and land on, the planet Ultra (discovered by Professor Victor Bergman in 1994). Launched from Space Dock, the probe arrives at Ultra in February 1997. On arrival, the crew discover a group of derelict alien spacecraft orbiting the planet.[9] During an attempted boarding, a tentacled alien lifeform enters Ultra Probe through the airlock. Capable of mind control and hypnosis, the creature seizes three of the crew and devours them, regurgitating their carcasses. Cellini escapes by detaching the command module lifeboat from the rest of the probe and is rescued six months later.[9]
Since neither the creature nor the abandoned spacecraft appear in the Ultra Probe space-flight records, the Earth authorities reject Cellini's account of the disaster, ruling that his colleagues died when he opened the airlock prematurely. Commander John Koenig believes Cellini and publicly defends him, securing a position for him on Moonbase Alpha. Following the Moon's departure from Earth orbit, the Alphans encounter the now-drifting Ultra Probe. Cellini steals an Eagle Transporter and returns to the vessel by detaching the command module with himself in and docking it in the place of the probeship's command module (which was different from the Eagle's one). After a struggle with the alien, he suffers the same fate as his shipmates. Koenig docks in a second Eagle and manages to kill the creature.
Voyager One/Voyager Two[edit]
| Voyager One Voyager Two | |
|---|---|
| First appearance | "Voyager's Return" |
| Information | |
| Launched | 1985 |
| Decommissioned | 1985 (Two destroyed) Around 1999 (One destroyed as a bomb) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Unmanned explorative robotic space probes |
| Armaments | None, but the Queller Drive and the self-destruction system are used as a bomb against Sidon warships |
| Propulsion |
|
The Voyager space probes were two unmanned craft launched in 1985. Intended for remote exploration, they were fitted with two forms of propulsion: the powerful but poisonous Queller Drive intended to fire only in deep space, and traditional rocket engines for safe use when near inhabited worlds or vehicles. Voyager 1 launched successfully on traditional rockets, activating its Queller Drive only when it reached a safe distance from Earth. Tragically, Voyager 2 activated its Queller Drive almost immediately after launch, killing everyone and everything within several hundred miles of the launch pad. Any plans for further Queller ships were scrapped.
Fourteen years later, in the episode "Voyager's Return", Earth's moon finds itself in the path of Voyager 1, which is now being followed by several warships from worlds devastated by its faulty Queller Drive.
The Voyager One's landing legs are the same as the Airfix Lunar Module.
Solar system vehicles[edit]
Astro-class spaceship[edit]
| Astro-class spaceship | |
|---|---|
| Information | |
| Launched | 1994-10 July 1995 |
| Decommissioned | Unknown date (Russell goes on Terra Nova) |
| General characteristics | |
| Class | Space probe |
In "Matter of Life and Death" Lee Russell is mentioned as an astronaut deceased in the Astro 7 mission to Jupiter, in 1994 (10 July 1995, according with The Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook), using an Astro-class ship.
Later is known that the Astro-class craft's route was influenced by a gravity-like force and Russell was shipwrecked on Terra Nova, evolving into a sort of anti-matter life form.
Phoenix (formerly known as "Uranus Probe")[edit]
In "Death's Other Dominion", the probe sent to Uranus in 1986, after a partial rebuilding, is conserved by the Thulians on a rail, under Ultima Thule's surface. The Phoenix craft is a clear reference to the spacecraft featured in When Worlds Collide.[10]
Venus space station[edit]
In "The Exiles" and "The Lambda Factor" there are mentions of a manned space station sent in the 1990s to Venus, though it does never appear. It is unknown if its designed resembled the Space Dock's.
References[edit]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 Starlog Magazine, Mark IX Hawk Plans, March 1980, p. 52–53.
- ↑ http://catacombs.space1999.net/main/models/w2mhawk1.html
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Space: 1999 episode "Breakaway".
- ↑ Space: 1999 episode "Dragon's Domain".
- ↑ Moonbase Alpha Technical Notebook Archived 5 August 2012 at Archive.today.
- ↑ "Space 1999 Catacombs Space Dock". catacombs.space1999.net. Retrieved 2019-07-10.
- ↑ Two-part Space: 1999 episode "The Bringers of Wonder".
- ↑ Ultra Probe Specifications at space1999.net.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Ultra Probe Mission at space1999.net.
- ↑ Phoenix on space1999.net
External links[edit]
- Martin Bower's Model World—official website of Martin Bower, miniature model maker on Space: 1999
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