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Scene from 'Force of Life'  

Episode Guide: Year One

Title: "Force of Life"

Within this page: Overview | Backplot | Plot Synopsis | Unanswered Questions | Analyses/Observations | Comments | Memorable Lines



Overview

A mysterious alien force possesses one of the Alphans -- with murderous results.

Production Number: 009 (Season One)
    - filmed Wednesday, May 29 - Friday, June 7, 1974; Monday, July 1 - Friday, July 5, 1974

Original U.K. airing week: 11 September 1975 (ATV Midlands)
Original U.S. airing week: 24 October 1975 (syndication)
Written by Johnny Byrne
Directed by David Tomblin

Backplot

Plot Synopsis

(From the original ITC Press Release.)

From 'Force of Life'
From 'Force of Life'
From 'Force of Life'
From 'Force of Life'
From 'Force of Life'

View additional images
from the episode,
"Force of Life."

A terrifying force from Outer Space brings freezing death to Alpha personnel. One man has been chosen as the instrument of destruction.

A strange ball of blue light appears in the space sky, coming towards Moonbase Alpha. Technician Anton Zoref (IAN McSHANE) shivers with cold although his pretty young wife Eva (GAY HAMILTON) complains of feeling hot. And when Zoref approaches Main Mission, Commander Koenig (MARTIN LANDAU), Dr. Helena Russell (Barbara Bain) and other personnel are suddenly frozen still like statues. Zoref enters the generating area. A blue light zooms towards him. He clutches his head, screams and collapses.

The others come to life again; Zoref is still un-conscious. And when Helena takes him to the medical monitoring system, it fails through what Professor Bergman (BARRY MORSE) later explains as being through it's receiving a massive discharge of energy.

Whatever has happened, Zoref appear to have recovered, but from now onwards he is a man possessed with a terrifying need for heat. Whatever alien force it is that has gripped him, it is consuming heat and he will withdraw heat from any source, human or otherwise. Everything he touches freezes instantly. A lamp turns to solid ice. Two of his colleagues are frozen to death. He is like a rampaging animal and no one dare get near him.

Koenig orders power supplies to be cut from the reactors, even though this will endanger patients in the medical section dependent of machines. Only by taking away any source of light and warmth can the man who has become a human instrument of destruction be himself destroyed.

His wife's love for him is so great that she rushes towards him, and it is only because of the appearance and quick action on the part of astronaut Carter (NICK TATE) that she is saved. He forces her back and Zoref staggers after them in his urgent need for heat.

He is weakening through the lack of power. Despairingly, he tries to reach the generating room but finds he has got to force his way past Koenig. Summoning his last reserves of energy, he hurls himself at the Commander, who is also saved by Carter when he fires his laser gun and sees Zoref topple forward, charred to the bone.

Then Zoref's blackened, burned-out body begins to pulsate with light. The laser has re-generated him. With colossal strength, for forces open the doors to the generating area and as Koenig orders power to be restored, the wreck of a man moves into the white light. As he does so, it intensifies. A massive fission explosion occurs... and from the top of the explosion emerges a swirling comet of blue light which heads out into the space sky.

SCREENPLAY BY JOHNNY BYRNE

DIRECTED BY DAVID TOMBLIN

Guest Star
IAN McSHANE

Guest Artist
GAY HAMILTON

with
PRENTIS HANCOCK as PAUL MORROW
CLIFTON JONES as DAVID KANO
ZIENIA MERTON as SANDRA BENES
ANTON PHILLIPS as DR. MATHIAS

Unanswered Questions

Analyses/Observations

Comments

Memorable Lines

 

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Moonbase Alpha
Commander John Koenig
Dr. Helena Russell
Professor Victor Bergman
Alan Carter
Controller Paul Morrow