Episode Guide: Year One
Title: "Ring Around The Moon"
Within this page: Overview | Backplot | Plot Synopsis | Unanswered Questions | Analyses/Observations | Comments | Memorable Lines
Overview
The moon is snarled in an energy field by the inhabitants of the planet Triton -- and Dr. Russell's life hangs in the balance.
Production Number: 004 (Season One)
- filmed Wednesday, February 27 - Thursday, March 14, 1974
Original U.K. airing week: 15 January 1976 (ATV Midlands)
Original U.S. airing week: 20 February 1976 (syndication)
Written by Edward Di Lorenzo
Directed by Ray Austin
Backplot
- In the year 1999, lunar nuclear waste storage dumps have exploded, due to magnetic radiation, sending Earth's moon into interstellar space. The inhabitants of Moonbase Alpha, unable to escape, are seeking a new home.
Plot Synopsis
(From the original ITC Press Release.)
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The Moon becomes a prisoner of an alien planet as an eerie new menace grips Alpha in a ring of light and turns Dr. Helena Russell into an involuntary informer with death as her threatened reward.
The first indication that Moonbase Alpha is menaced by new and sinister forces comes with the remarkable behaviour of a maintenance engineer who, struck by a bright violet light from out of the sky, suddenly becomes a human computer and meets his death. At the same time, Alpha is hit by a tremendous shockwave. A little later, a huge sphere of red-orange light appears on the large screen in Mission Control, a ring of light encircles the moon, and Commander John Koenig (MARTIN LANDAU) realizes that they have become locked in the strange sphere's orbit. A mysterious voice confirms: "You are captives of the planet Triton."
The computer gives a reading that the sphere is composed of light, is hollow and has a zero temperature. An ominous watch is being kept on Alpha, and the next victim of the mysterious force is Dr. Helen (sic) Russell (BARBARA BAIN) She appears to glide into nothingness and then finds herself in the hovering sphere's void. A streak of light hits her forehead and settles against the base of her skull and when she finds herself back again on the moon it is clear to Dr. Bergman (BARRY MORSE) that her captors have learned the secret of decomposing atoms and reducing any object to its atomical components which can be transported through space and then reassembled.
Bergman also does planetry (sic) calculations which indicate that Triton has not been heard of for thousands of years and further calculations make it certain that it no longer exists. It blew up and disintegrated two million light years away. The sphere is a probe mission which is unaware of what has happened. What is it seeking? One thing is certain: it is trying to obtain information about Earth. Dr. Helena (sic) has been programmed - a human conductor connected to Alpha's computer which turns her into an informer transmitting classified information. Death can be her only reward when the Tritonians have gained everything they want.
Somehow, they have to be convinced that their efforts are being wasted because their planet no longer exists, and in undertaking this hazardous task, Koenig discovers that the Tritonians have been watching Earthmen for many Earth centuries to find means of preventing what they fear may one day be an invasion from Earth. But can they be convinced and, if so, in time to save Helena?
SCREENPLAY BY EDWARD DI LORENZO
DIRECTED BY RAY AUSTIN
with
PRENTIS HANCOCK as PAUL MORROW
CLIFTON JONES as DAVID KANO
ZIENIA MERTON as SANDRA BENES
ANTON PHILLIPS as DR. MATHIAS
NICK TATE as ALAN CARTER
MAX FAULKNER as TED CLIFFORD
Unanswered Questions
Analyses/Observations
Comments
- The "Main Mission: 2000" convention event (September 1-3, 2000 in New York, New York) heralded the first public showing of "Eye of Triton", a complete reworking of the episode by Space: 1999 fan, Eric Bernard. Ten minutes were removed, plus new editing and all-new CGI effects added. In this site owner's opinion, the episode was fully realized -- and extraordinary better than the original episode!
- Actor Max Faulkner (as Ted Clifford) only had one line:
CLIFFORD (pathetically): "Help...me..."
Memorable Lines
"Earthmen: Do not resist. You are the captives of the planet Triton." - voice from Triton
"Commander. Doctor Russell's been reactivated." - Paul Morrow
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