Thread: Favorite Episode?

Yeah, I would probably also have to go for the "Dragon's Domain" standard.

Having said that, I also love some of these other stories, for reasons that I hope can be incorporated into the new series:

"Collision Course" - as others have mentioned, this is an interesting story about conflict between science and faith, and whether a group of scientists can overcome the hard fact of imminent collision and put faith in their commander that everything will be OK.

"Mission of the Darians" - how far do you go to survive in space? Do you resort to cannibalism? This episode also gets my hearty thumb's up for its absolutely magnificent sets and matte paintings that made the Daria ship seem so immense. The atmosphere and mood drips out of this one!

"Guardian of Piri" - actually not one of my personal favourites, but like "Collision Course" this is a good examination of allowing technology to take over everything. I find this episode especially topical these days... the sight of Alphans mindlessly in thrall to the Guardian on Piri reminds me of a subway ride where everyone is glued to their iPhones, iPods, BlackBerries, etc.

Man vs. technology and Science vs. faith are definitely two areas I would love to see explored in the new series.

Tough, tough, tough call!!! Just ONE?! LOL!!

Well, my favorites are War Games, Dragons Domain, The Last Enemy, and Infernal Machine...

Picking just one, I'd have to say Infernal Machine because that episode had it all -- great writing and characters, warmth, humanity...and great FX sequences! It's just a great all-around episode.

Black Sun for me.
In Italian this episode is called Sole Nero.

Oh, why choose just one?? Now, that's tough! If I choose one, I wouldn't do justice to some other trully excellent episodes!

Ok, here goes: My vote goes to Dragon's Domain!!

Why?

It has this marvelous nail-bitting sense from the start. The acting is just top-notch all around, the use of flashbacks brilliant, we get to see the back story many of the characters in great detail. And I just love that it realistically describes the realities of the political whealing-dealing, that is basically the source of space exploration. I don't know, it just brings everything to life!

The story basicaly deals with human psychology, and I'm just a sucker for good human drama and good dialogue!

The script is solid, no weak moments, it has humor, adventure, tension, romance, horror, everything. And the most important thing: every element of the above is being used just right in the script, and it just pushes the story forward! No forced humor, no lame jokes, no theatrics just for the heck of it, no two-dimensional ludicrous-looking vilains, nothing!

Oh, and I love seeing John and Helena arguing like real human beings and then kissing, like real human beings. Year 2 would later make them look like smacks.

Well, I hope that does it!

That man is but a part of a vast universe that isn't completely within the grasp
of our limited comprehension.

That just because 'man' or an individual may seem insignificant, we all have a
part to play, our 'role' in the grand scheme of things.

Mankind will endure - learn - not just survive, but adapt and continue no matter
what adversity is thrown at him.

If Space: 2099 can rekindle that wonder again, that sense that the universe is a
huge and daunting place but that man is anything but an insignicant biological
footnote in its pages, then I will be in awe of what they will have accomplished.

Yes, entertain us, as the first season did, but instill within us that sense of
wonder once more.

Couldn't say it better! Man, this is the very essence of Space:1999! I'm eating my nails in anticipation, that Space:2099 will be like this! And being the not so patient person I am, I just CAN'T WAIT! Space:1999 just doesn't deserve any lower a re-make than that!

For me its always been between "Testament of Arkadia" and "Missing Link". I think I would actualy settle on "Missing Link" however. Maybe its partly because this episode doesn't get the recognition of others - and so needs to be championed.

I believe this is the first episode of 1999 I ever saw:- One Saturday Morning in the London region of the UK me and my brother bravely turned the knob on the family Sony Trinitron TV over from BBC1 to ITV. Daring stuff - and then my mind was proceeded to be blown with what we saw. Can't say I understood the episode very clearly - I thought Koenig was trapped in part of the base trying to get back to everyone else in the other part - but the visuals drew me in. I believed in this place, this atmosphere - these strange adult visions I was seeing on Saturday morning TV. Wow!

Seeing the episode again when it came out on Video some years later (I'd some how avoided it on any repeats in the interim) I was fearful it would be weak and show up my younger self's poor judgement. But no, Its eerie trawl round the deserted base, and themes of vivisection and the ultimate and tangible get out of - I'd rather you didn't mess with my daughter, the episode still works - but now on a different level. I'm still unsure if Koenig really did completely fall for Vana or whether he was playing Rahn; and Peter Cushing as a guest star too: Wow!

In my opinion, most Space:1999 episodes are fairly average. My personal favorite is ANOTHER TIME ANOTHER PLACE, which is visually impressive ... I found it really scary as a 9-year-old back in 1976 (=the deserted Moonbase, Regina's mental problems and death after seeing her dead "doppelganger"). The runner up slot goes to MISSION OF THE DARIANS. Johnny Byrne was justifiably proud of the script and the SS Daria interiors and SFX model are good as well.

Year 2 was fairly mediocre for the most part. Fred Freiberger's formula really worked in one episode only: THE BRINGERS OF WONDER -- ridiculous evil monsters, fistfights & explosions, jokes and finally some impressive Moonbase sets thanks to economies of scale (=the two-part episode had a larger budget).

MARCU$

...and here is the score so far, for Year 1:

====================================
Dragon's Domain..............6 votes
War Games....................3 votes
The Infernal Machine.........3 votes
Black Sun....................2 votes
The Testament of Arkadia.....1 vote
Death's Other Dominion.......1 vote
Another Time, Another Place..1 vote
Missing Link.................1 vote
Collision Course.............1 vote
===================================

It seems professional sci-fi TV reviewers regard Dragon's Domain and War Games as the best Year 1 episodes too [ Space: 1999 Catacombs: The Episode Critics ].

MARCU$

Very very difficult question. I'm torn between Black Sun and Tastement of Arcadia. Well since i have to choose one let it be Black Sun. It was an episode that could serve as an example of what "sense of wonder" means.

While 'Breakaway', 'Black Sun', and 'Testament of Arcadia' are among my favorites, I would have to place 'Dragon's Domain' at the top of the list.

This episode contained elements that I felt represented the best of Space: 1999: A character driven story. A terrific premise. A story that takes place on Earth, Moonbase Alpha, an alien spaceship, and the Ultra Probe, giving it an epic feel. A glimpse into the back story of our main characters. A terrifying monster. A look at more of the Eagle's capabilities. A lot of cool ships and model work. Great music.

As a young Star Trek fan growing up in the 70's, this was one of the first episodes of Space: 1999 I had ever seen. It was everything I thought was missing from Star Trek. A monster that was just that: A creature that would consume you alive and spit out your bones. No motivations attributed to its actions, it was simply terrifying. And unlike Star Trek, this episode SHOWED YOU what was going on visually, not through lengthy exposition or from a limited visual point of view. I believe it was one of the best episodes of science fiction television ever produced for these reasons.