Alpha Child Episode Guide- Space: 1999 Catacombs

Background
Cast/Sets
SFX
Music
Science
Continuity
Errors
Observations
Links
Transcript
Images

Alpha Child

Year 1 - Episode 10

Screenplay by	Christopher Penfold
Directed by	Ray Austin
Guest Artists	Julian Glover, Cyd Hayman

Belgium (Flemish)	Het kind van Alpha
Denmark	Et Rumbarn	Space Child
France/Canada	L'enfant d'Alpha	The Child Of Alpha
Italy	Fiocco azzuro su Alpha	Blue Band On Alpha
Japan	Bizarre! A Birth of Space Child
Netherlands	De basisbaby	The Base Baby
Poland	Dziecko w Alfie
Portugal	A Criança de Alfa	Alpha Child
Spain	El niño de Alfa	The Alfa Child
South Africa	Alpha Kind	Alpha Child

The first baby is born on the moon...but terrifying events follow with an outer space battle between spaceships deciding the fates of hundreds.

Background

The original idea was from Gerry Anderson, in discussions with Christopher Penfold. The original story concept was by Edward di Lorenzo. It was rewritten by Christopher Penfold who receives sole credit.
Shooting script 19th June 1974. Blue page amendments 1st July. Filmed 8th July - 19th July 1974.
Barry Morse took time off during filming the episode and is only in a few scenes.

Cast

Commander John Koenig	Martin Landau
Doctor Helena Russell	Barbara Bain
Professor Victor Bergman	Barry Morse
Jarak	Julian Glover
Sue Crawford/ Rena	Cyd Hayman
Paul Morrow	Prentis Hancock
Alan Carter	Nick Tate
Sandra Benes	Zienia Merton
David Kano	Clifton Jones
Doctor Bob Mathias	Anton Phillips
Jackie Crawford	Wayne Brooks
Tanya Aleksandr	Suzanne Roquette
Operative Kate	Sarah Bullen
Main Mission Operative	Raymond Harris
Main Mission Operative	Maureen Tan
Main Mission Operative	Robert Phillips
Main Mission Operative	Mike Stevens
Main Mission Operative	Andy Dempsey
Main Mission Operative (Lee Oswald)	Loftus Burton
Baby Crawford
Joan Conway	Rula Lenska
Technician (Generating Area)
Copilot	James Fagan
Medic	Vincent Wong
2 nurses
Security Guard (Tony Allan)	Tony Allyn
Security Guard (Pierce Quinton)	Quentin Pierre
Security Guard	Gerry Crampton

Sets

Int. Main Mission
Int. Command Office
Int. Nuclear Generating Area
Int. Victor's Quarters
Int. Medical
Int. Alpha Corridor
Int. Eagle Pilot Section
Int. Airlock
Ext. Moon Surface

Main Mission appears for the first time with green illuminated panels. Previously they had been white. It will remain this way for 15 episodes until it changes in End Of Eternity.

The Nuclear Generating Area is a reused set from Force Of Life.

SFX

This is the first episode that Martin Bower provided models for. This was only the second episode to feature alien ships (after Earthbound); subsequent episodes relied heavily on new spaceships.
Jarak's ships were in two scales, 1.83m and 0.9m long, made of hardboard steamed over a frame. They were both made in 10 days. The smaller one was sold at Christies in 1995 for £1700.
The pursuer's spaceship was an older model by Martin Bower, partially inspired by 2001. It was extended with a central radar dish (made of a Star Trek Enterprise saucer) and landing pads on the sides (on which Jarak's saucers could land).

Martin Bower design sketch

Music

Library track: Secret Service "Last Train to Bufflers Halt" by Barry Gray

Science

According to the label, the incubator is a Vickers "Five-Nine". It maintains temperature, humidity and oxygen for premature babies (the name refers to the assumption that babies under 5 pounds 9 ounces were premature- Jackie is 7 pounds, 11 ounces). Putting a newborn across the room from the mother is strikingly old-fashioned.

Continuity

Alpha Personnel:

0 fatalities, but we learn of Jack Crawford's death some time previously. There is one new Alphan: Jackie Crawford

Alpha Technology:

The nuclear generating area was also seen in Force Of Life.
Jackie wears the Commander's black sleeve- which will shortly be apt.
The laser blaster ("hand held armour piercing laser") is seen. It is also used in The Last Sunset and is often seen on Eagle weapons racks.

Eagles:

There is a flight of 3 Eagles, unnumbered

When Alan's Eagle drops down to the lunar surface, the passenger pod has grey stripes - it is a repainted Rescue pod. In subsequent episodes the model was weathered so the painted over stripes were less visible.

Planets:

None.

Aliens:

Jarak's people. They do not have human form.

Footage:

Footage of the Eagles firing lasers is repeated in War Games

Errors

In Medical, Jackie plays with a hyperdermic needle (or the Alphan equivalent).

Observations

Julian Glover remembers "Alpha Child was totally ridiculous, but it was good fun to do. I mean, how often do you get the chance to run around in a silver skirt?" (Starlog 52, p40).
The idea is derived from Wyndham's Midwich Cuckoos (plus possibly the film The Omen, being filmed at Pinewood at the same time), and older myths of a changeling/devil-child. The beguiling, innocent, vulnerable child is in fact evil.
The title is a triple pun- Alpha in the sense of Moonbase Alpha, in the sense of first (the first child on Alpha), and in the sense of dominant individual ("alpha male" in biology).

Merchandise:

Novelised in Moon Odyssey by John Rankine published by Orbit (UK paperback), Dobson (UK hardback), Pocket Books (US), Breitschupf (Germany).
Novelised in I Pirati Delle Galassie by Gianni Padoan (AMZ).
A comic strip version is in Zack 1978-3 (German) and Il Fumetto A Colori Di Spazio 1999 supplemento (Italian).
UK video: ITC volume 7 (1992)
US video: Columbia House volume 6 (1997)
US laserdisc: Image Entertainment volume 4 (1991)
France video: Sony Music Video volume 4 (1992)
Japan laserdisc: Emotion volume 3 (1993)
US DVD: A&E set 2 volume 4 (2001)
UK DVD: Carlton volume 3 (2001)
UK DVD: Network (2005)
UK Blu-ray: Network (2010)
US Blu-ray: A&E (2010)
Japan DVD: Pioneer (2001)
France DVD: TF1 (2002)
Germany DVD: EMS (2004)
Germany Bu-ray: Crest (2011)
Italy DVD: Pulp Video (2003)
Italy DVD: Collector's Edition Mondo Home (2007)
Italy DVD: Newspaper promotion La Repubblica (2008)
Portugal DVD: Prisvideo (2003)
Australia DVD: Magna Pacific (2003)
Sweden DVD: Noble Entertainment (2008)

Episode Guide