the big problems with space:1999

I have now watched about half of the first season of Space: 1999. When I have watched the entire series I will post a long entry that includes a review of each episode. Yes, I'm watching crap so you don't have to.

At any rate, there are a few major consistent flaws in the series that I'd like to address.

First, the episodes seem to often have good ideas at their core, but they're executed poorly. Silly concepts that ruin the good ideas. And the technobabble they use is nowhere near the quality we see in Star Trek. A case in point is the episode "Matter of Life and Death." The Alphans are checking out a planet that they're passing by, All looks great, and they're getting geared up to relocate to it. Until everything goes bad. It's a good idea -- actually, an obvious idea. But they had to ruin it with the stupid subplot about Dr. Russell's husband, the way things go bad (which defies any semblance of logic), and the final wrap up which also makes no sense. It would have worked better if there were some kind of spirit that's tasked with protecting the planet. The spirit could be purposely making things go wrong. Then it could have undone its damage on the condition that they leave. Easy Peasy.

But the bigger issue is just that the personalities are all wrong. I don't know if it's bad acting, bad directing or bad writing. Maybe it's a combination of all three. But, first, there's an odd lack of emotion. Barbara Bain is absolutely wooden. In one early episode she has to deliver the news that 128 people have died. She sighs a little. I'm not really familiar with the rest of Bain's career, so I don't know if it's her or the lines.

Martin Landau is ill-suited to be Commander. He's not a swashbuckling leader type, and he's not the cerebral intellectual. He's more of a constantly-annoyed uncle with heartburn. And it just doesn't work.

Aside from those two specific miscast characters is the fact that there's no real chemistry between the characters. In Star Trek you had the witty banter and interesting personal dynamics between Kirk Spock and McCoy. Spock and McCoy are each fiercely loyal to Kirk, and jealou of the other's relationship with him. But, despite the friction between them, they have a grudging respect for each other, and they do like each other. S99 seems to be trying to imitate that dynamic -- or at least the structure. The Commander Koenig, Professor Bergman and Sr. Russell are the core triumverate. But their interaction is cold, and there's just no "them" to them. And that lack of relationship, writ large, is a big problem with the whole cast. There's very little dialog, and so very little in the way of interpersonal dynamics. Alpha could be manned by robots and little would be lost.

As a housekeeping item, let me apologize that this entry isn't accompanied by any clips. I would love to include clips illustrating what I mean. Unfortunately, I can;t seem to find any. When I search Youtube, all I get are complete episodes and tribute videos, wherein the sound is entirely replaced by music. Neither of those tyoes of Youtube videos is suitable.