Space1999.org - Homage to the "Space: 1999" science fiction series

Episode Guide: Year Two

Title: "All That Glisters"

Overview

As members of a Moonbase Alpha landing team seek a rare mineral for their life support systems, indigenous lifeforms take desperate measures to ensure their own survival...

Production Number: 004 (Season Two)
Original U.K. airing week: 28 October 1976 (ATV Midlands)
Original U.S. airing week: 29 October 1976 (syndication)
Written by Keith Miles
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.
The Alphans have finished their encounter with the planet Vega in the previous episode, "One Moment of Humanity." The Moon is now orbiting a new star system.

Plot Synopsis

(From the original ITC Press Release.)

A battle for life with rock that pulsates with power, energy, intelligence and purpose... a rock fighting desperately for its own preservation, seeking water that it can obtain only from the Alphans.

The fantastic sight of rock formations glowing vividly with weird colours soon brings terror in its wake when visited after scanners have indicated the presence of a rare mineral, Milgonite, which is vital to Alpha's life support system.

The journey to the planet is made in an Eagle with a specially adapted laboratory by a team consisting of John Koenig (MARTIN LANDAU), Helena Russell (BARBARA BAIN), Maya (CATHERINE SCHELL), Tony Verdeschi (TONY ANHOLT), Alan Carter (NICK TATE) and geologist Dave O'Reilly (PATRICK MOWER). They estimate that they have only three hours before Alpha is out of range.

Although the planet has a thick layer of cloud, the surface is bone dry. The significance of this is not to become clear until later... until after a piece of rock has been taken back to the Eagle's laboratory, Tony has apparently been killed by a vivid flash of colour and tests have revealed that the rock is a living, and lethal, organism.

Without warning, Tony suddenly comes to life again, leaving the Eagle before he can be stopped and moving as though under hypnotic control. He returns with another piece of rock which he places next to the original. The two pieces immediately fuse together, their glow becomes even brighter, and Tony again collapses. A few minutes later, all communication with Alpha ceases and the Eagle is immobilized.

Other incidents gradually bring about the realization that the rock has power, energy, intelligence and purpose. It needs further pieces of rock to give it strength, but is in desperate need of something. Its strange activities provide the answer. To survive, the rock must have water. Over the centuries, the planet has been drained dry. This is why the Alphans have been lured there, under false indications of Milgonite. To the horror of this companions, Dave O'Reilly reminds them that the human body is mostly water...

The rock is facing a deadline. So are the Alphans. There is little time left before the moon is out of range. The situation is desperate, but the way out comes when Dave, like Tony, is overpowered by the rock's light ray and finds himself seeking further rock to increase the power of the piece taken to the Eagle.

Maya's ability to transform herself into any living organism comes into play. She changes into the rock Dave has gone to fetch, but when she is taken back to the laboratory, it seems as though she will be unable to resist the sample rock which is trying to absorb her.

Koenig is driven into desperate, chance-in-a-million action...

"SPACE 1999" - SERIES II
CAST LIST

EPISODE NO. 5 - "ALL THAT GLISTERS"
DIRECTOR: RAY AUSTIN

KOENIG - MARTIN LANDAU
HELENA - BARBARA BAIN
MAYA - CATHERINE SCHELL
TONY VERDESCHI - TONY ANHOLT
ALAN CARTER - NICK TATE
DAVE O'REILLY - PATRICK MOWER

Unanswered Questions

Analyses/Observations

Comments

Catherine Schell commented at the MainMission: 2000 convention (September 1-3, 2000 in New York, New York in her first convention appearance) that everyone (in the cast) thought this episode was absurd. She recanted how director Ray Austin was upset by her uncontrollable giggling during the shooting. (And she wasn't alone...)

Executive Producer Freddie Freiberger wrote the episode under the name "Charles Woodgrove." This would be the first of a handful of scripts by him under a pseudonym.

In the Space1999.org webmaster's opinion, the first ten minutes (or less) of "All That Glisters" comes across as solid storytelling with a potentially intriguing premise, then quickly slips into poor plot devices, silly dialogue and utterly embarassing ridiculousness for the actors -- and the viewers.

Major kudos to the actors, who were able to maintain good acting onscreen despite the horrid script.

The display screens within Eagle 4 display U.S. measure units, such as "580,000 miles" instead of kilometers. While the episode was written by a U.S. citizen, hence the bias, it is unfortunate that metric standards weren't used.

Memorable Lines

"Look, I had it on stun. I wouldn't try to kill it. Well, damn it, it's a geological marvel!" - Reilly (after firing on a rock)

"Commander! Help me!" - Maya "Maya! Get out of there!" - John Koenig "I can't! It's pulling me towards it! But you can break it's grip! It's using most of it's power to fuse me! Break away now! Break away now!" - Maya

"The rock's turned red!" - Alan Carter "Red is death! Red is death!" - Maya

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